Still Not Started

I went to visit my doctor last week about getting pain killers for my cracked ribs. While I was there I got him to fill in my Lighter Life form which you need to complete before starting the diet.

I've sent the form back to my counsellor and now I just have to turn up to the men's session on Tuesday nights.

So, I should start tomorrow evening but there's no chance. Tomorrow is my birthday and I've decided to have one week of freedom before buckling down for the hard slog of food abstinence. With my sore ribs, I don't think I'd be giving the diet the chance it deserves.

So, I'll start next week. Honest.

New Lens

As I've previously mentioned I have a few hobbies. One of the things I love most about them is the fact that you get so much enjoyment out of them when you're not actively participating.

I like fishing so I read magazines, books, internet forums, clean my equipment, tie flies and generally keep myself busy for hours without actually wetting a fishing line.

Photography is the same. I read forums on the web for hours. I look at galleries, research individual photographers, read up on techniques and get reviews on my own work.

There is one thing that unites all my hobbies. Spending cash. I love to spend time and money on precisely the right equipment. Over the last few weeks I've been looking at adding a new telephoto lens to my camera outfit. I got down a shortlist of three which would all do a great job for me. I asked on a couple of internet forums for advice and it was pretty evenly spread - they are all great.

Anyway, tonight I spent the cash and ordered the Canon 300mm F/4L IS. I'm never normally nervous about buying equipment, but for some reason this one leaves a little voice nagging in my head. The thing about lenses is that you can never be sure you'e got the right one until you try it.

Here's hoping we get on.

This is a fly

I am a keen fly fisherman. In most UK still lochs and lakes you get lots of fly life. Many of them live their early live as a larvae and then surface slowly to hatch. These are called buzzers. Below is a representantion of a black buzzer on it's way to the surface.

10th Post

As the title says this is my tenth post. As I write this I wonder if anyone is actually reading my blog? How would I know?

Anyway, today was a strange day. I was unshortlisted for a second interview for a job I had applied for within my company. I spent most of the evening tying flies for fishing in my study. I may photograph and post them tomorrow.

In other news, I seem to be getting a little cough. This makes my ribs really sore. It is such a pain to have to cough like a little girl in the office. My work mates think it's very funny as I polite 'ahem' in agony.

Being Fat is Expensive

One of the benefits of going on a strict diet will be the amount of money I'll save.

The Lighter Life plan costs £66 quid a week. For that money you get everything you're supposed to eat. That works out at around £286 a month. Sounds a lot doesn't it? I thought it was until I did the maths.

Currently I contribute £150 a month to the household food budget and looking through my bank statement for last month I reckon I spent £1030.92 on breakfasts, lunch, meals out and drinking. Therefore, I spent £1180.92 a month on things that I just eat and drink.

So £286 is a bargain. If I do this thing I'm going to be able to afford lots of shiny new toys every payday.

Spare Ribs

The ribs still hurt. It's quite a good source of exercise though. I can't bend over so I have to squat up and down. My thigh muscles are getting a decent work out.

The journey on the tube to work was a bit bumpy and hurt a bit, but my biggest problem is walking and talking at the same time. I simply run out of breath due to the fact my breathing is very shallow because of the pain.

I went to see the local Lighter Life tonight. I didn't really get any more information than I had already gleaned from the web. To take it further I have to take my form to my GP and get him to fill it in.

It looks like I'll be aiming to lose about ten stones. That is a hell of a lot. Apparently I can expect to lose three stones in the first two months and then one per month thereafter. So I'll be on the course for a minimum of nine months.

Ouch Continued

I phoned NHS Direct about my sore ribs and was told to go to A+E.

After hobbling along and queueing for a couple of hours I was told that they're probably cracked and can expect 6 weeks of discomfort. I was also given a prescription of Diclofenac for the pain. My blood pressure was raised at 150/107. The doctor said this was probably due to the pain.

Bugger.

I wonder if this will affect my start date of the Lighter Life diet?

Ouch

Yesterday after work we decided to play a little frisbee and have a few beers. I was getting on fine until I chased a long throw. With my focus solely on the frisbee I ran at full speed into a picnic table. The next thing I knew I was on the other side of the table in considerable pain.

It was of course really funny for those watching, but I'm not finding it too humorous today.

I have too large gashes in each leg, but more worryingly my ribs are excruciating. I can only lie on my right side. I can't bend over and I can lie on my back. The missus is a bit worried about me and I think if things don't get better soon I my have to take a trip to the doctor.

I Have to Confess. I'm a Geek.

Whenever I make a purchase, whether it's a camera, a fishing rod or any accessory I always research my for a significant time in advance. Whenever I go on holiday I research the place for hours before I go. When I bought my car I read review and technical specs of every comparable model.

Basically, any time I'm about to take up a new hobby I read forums, trade magazines, talk to friends, trawl Google and fish for information anywhere I can get it.

This has served me well over the years. After being stung by the 'buy cheap, buy twice' attitude I now make sure I get exactly what I need.

What I am struggling with now is how to do that for a diet. There are books galore and proprietary information all over the web, but I am struggling with getting independent reviews of these things. When I do find interesting information I am never sure if it would work for me.

If I do try the Lighter Life diet it will be the first time I've put significant investment into something I don't know will work for me. That makes me feel as nervous as the diet makes me feel. £66 a week is not trivial.

Interview Hell

As I mentioned earlier I have the day booked to do interviews. Unfortunately they didn't go to well. On guy didn't turn up and the others were nothing like as good as their resume suggested. Why do people lie so much on their CVs?

Anyway, after a fairly long day I'm back here on the net researching diets.

Long Day Ahead

Today I have a long day ahead of myself. I manage an operations team for a large website and today we're interviewing new recruits.

All day I'll be going through the same "fair selection" questions until my brain melts.

Lighter Life Letter

I got a letter from Lighter Life today inviting me for a "get to know what it's all about" session.

I don't really know what to expect. I'm guessing some kind of sales pitch and motivational material.

Anyway, my appointment is next Monday. I'm not nervous about the appointment, but I am nervous about what a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) will do to my social life.

First Post

I've always been slightly cynical of blogs. Random people posting their drab musing into cyberspace seemed a bit pointless to me. Therefore it now feels funny writing my first blog entry. Let me explain why...

I've recently been thinking that I really should lose some weight. I am a big bloke, too big, and have been since I left school. I'm 32, work in IT and that means I generally spend my days sitting at my work desk doing not much. Recently a couple of family members have lost a lot of weight on the Lighter Life programme and I've been thinking about trying it myself. I've never really tried to lose weight so I don't know if it's easy or not.

The reason I'm mentioning it here is that I've seen a lot of blogs of people losing weight and the routine of blogging seems to help as much as the regime of the diet. So I guess this blog is some sort of cathartic crutch.

I guess I may stray into my hobbies and interests. I love photography, travelling and fishing. If I blog about my life, these will appear lots.

I'm not sure if I'll disclose my real name, maybe in time.