Unutterably Silly Who is on a diet. Come on I know you all are!

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Bookpossum

Get well soon, Bilbo, and bravo issybird. You must have walked a lot!

I did, indeed! I hit over 25,000 steps each day.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by issybird

I did, indeed! I hit over 25,000 steps each day.

Awesome!

I can manage half that on a good day, but not a day like today when its p**ing down and only 17C - we've only had one really hot day all summer

Neuropathy limits my walking, wish I knew what causes it; I know its not diabetes or booze, which are the two most common causes.

BR

[Bookpossum]

I am seriously impressed by that amount of walking, Issybird!

Sympathy BetterRed - my husband has had peripheral neuropathy for a couple of years, but fortunately it seems to be going away now, and actually feels better when he walks every day. Yesterday we sat in a train all day (Melbourne to Sydney) and when we arrived his feet were painful until he did a bit of walking.

Good luck with getting on top of yours.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Bookpossum

Sympathy BetterRed - my husband has had peripheral neuropathy for a couple of years, but fortunately it seems to be going away now, and actually feels better when he walks every day. Yesterday we sat in a train all day (Melbourne to Sydney) and when we arrived his feet were painful until he did a bit of walking.

Good luck with getting on top of yours.

Haven't made that train trip for a long time. Did it regularly from Melb in the late sixties, and then again from Syd in the early eighties but always on the overnight sleeper train (Southern Aurora ?); never took the daylight train.

A three course dinner, a shared bottle of Penfolds Rouge Homme and half decent kip beat getting out of bed at sparrows, travelling to the airport and then spending half as long again in a cab to get to Ryde from Mascot, or Moorabbin from Tulla. Met some interesting people on those train trips. Sadly train fares went north even faster than plane fares went south, IMO air travel is uncivilised and I've done a lot of it.

Walking is alleviating some symptoms of my neuropathy, but my lower legs still feel like sticks, and I'm never sure where my feet are. I was convinced I had diabetes type 2, but I've since been told by a phalanx of medicos I don't; I was finally convinced by a cardiac nurse.

One thing that has definitely helped are regular visits to a Podiatrist and taking her advice on footwear. I'm also about to start regular sessions with an Exercise Physiotherapist, courtesy of Medicare, so we'll see what magic she can bring to the table.

BR

[Bookpossum]

Good luck with that. Yes, orthotics helped my husband.

[HarryT]

I've struggled with my weight for years. I'm a keen walker (I walk at least 20 miles a week) but basically I was eating too much, and my weight had been steadily increasing for years - my GP described me as "fit but obese". A couple of weeks ago I weighed myself and was a little shocked to find I'd got to 18st 3lb (that's 255lb for our American friends), so I decided I'd better do something about it. I did a lot of research, and decided I'd try going on a "fasting diet", where you eat normally for 5 days a week, but confine yourself to 500 calories for the other 2 (non-consecutive) days.

Rather to my surprise, the results have been fairly dramatic. I'm confining myself to 1500 calories on my non-fasting days, and 500 calories on Monday and Friday. By the end of the first week I was down to 17st 13lb (a loss of 4lb) and this morning, at the end of the second week, I'm 17st 10lb (248lb), so I've lost 7lb in two weeks.

Rather strangely, I've not felt the least bit hungry, so this is something I can live with, which is great. I'm sure these rather dramatic weight losses won't continue, but if I only lose a pound or so a week and I can keep it up for a year it'll bring me to a healthy weight.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Awesome!

I can manage half that on a good day, but not a day like today when its p**ing down and only 17C - we've only had one really hot day all summer

Neuropathy limits my walking, wish I knew what causes it; I know its not diabetes or booze, which are the two most common causes.

Pain is rotten, but that's good news about the diabetes.

I am surprised about the weather! We've mostly just seen the pics of the melting roads here and I assumed you were in a long-term heat pattern. That said, 17C would be quite a nice day here even in summer and quite walk-friendly. OTOH, it was only about -14C when I got up this morning, which did not encourage me to get out. It should go up to about -5C later, which I can handle.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Rather to my surprise, the results have been fairly dramatic. I'm confining myself to 1500 calories on my non-fasting days, and 500 calories on Monday and Friday. By the end of the first week I was down to 17st 13lb (a loss of 4lb) and this morning, at the end of the second week, I'm 17st 10lb (248lb), so I've lost 7lb in two weeks.

Rather strangely, I've not felt the least bit hungry, so this is something I can live with, which is great. I'm sure these rather dramatic weight losses won't continue, but if I only lose a pound or so a week and I can keep it up for a year it'll bring me to a healthy weight.

Good for you, Harry! Getting started on a diet is by far the hardest part.

I'm glad I'm an enthusiastic walker; as far as exercise goes it's mostly accessible (winter can be problematic, but it's not that bad if you dress for it).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by issybird

I'm glad I'm an enthusiastic walker; as far as exercise goes it's mostly accessible (winter can be problematic, but it's not that bad if you dress for it).

Yes, I realised that exercise alone - although it is of course good for you in terms of your heart, etc - can't make you thin . Walking only uses about 100 calories a mile, so you'd need to walk 50 miles to burn 5000 calories. It's an awful lot easier just to eat 5000 calories less over the course of a week, and it's really no hardship!

[issybird]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Yes, I realised that exercise alone - although it is of course good for you in terms of your heart, etc - can't make you thin . Walking only uses about 100 calories a mile, so you'd need to walk 50 miles to burn 5000 calories. It's an awful lot easier just to eat 5000 calories less over the course of a week, and it's really no hardship!

I read in the NY Times fairly recently that diet is more important when it's a matter of losing weight, but exercise is more important in keeping it off and this resonated with me.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Yes, I realised that exercise alone - although it is of course good for you in terms of your heart, etc - can't make you thin .

As the old wisdom says:
You can't outrun your fork.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by issybird

I did, indeed! I hit over 25,000 steps each day.

I've been averaging 10,000 a day and feeling good about myself, but 25,000? No way. Are you jogging?

[issybird]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I've been averaging 10,000 a day and feeling good about myself, but 25,000? No way. Are you jogging?

The 25,000 was while I was on a trip and doing the tourist thing. I do like to walk. My typical goal is 10,000, which I usually manage to hit (who'd have time for 25,000?). I bump it up a bit in the spring/summer when days are longer and the weather's nicer.

As for jogging, not on your life. I have far too much respect for my knees to jog. I'm planning on them lasting my time.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by issybird

Pain is rotten, but that's good news about the diabetes.

I am surprised about the weather! We've mostly just seen the pics of the melting roads here and I assumed you were in a long-term heat pattern. That said, 17C would be quite a nice day here even in summer and quite walk-friendly. OTOH, it was only about -14C when I got up this morning, which did not encourage me to get out. It should go up to about -5C later, which I can handle.

I'm guessing the 'melting roads' were in Melbourne or Adelaide, it tends to get hotter down there than in Sydney. I know that's counter intuitive, them being further south and closer to Antarctica.

The terrain and adjacent ocean currents bless Sydney with nor'easterly off-shore breezes whereas the southern capitals get hot dry winds straight off the red centre deserts. That said, Sydney suburbs twenty kilometres inland can be 10-15°C warmer than it is in the coastal suburbs.

After some overnight rain, this morning was a brisk sunny 16°C, perfect for high energy morning walk. As I returned a local greengrocer (produce store) was opening up, they had just put out the most perfect aubergines I ever saw, so I bought a couple.

BR

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by issybird

The 25,000 was while I was on a trip and doing the tourist thing. I do like to walk. My typical goal is 10,000, which I usually manage to hit (who'd have time for 25,000?). I bump it up a bit in the spring/summer when days are longer and the weather's nicer.



As for jogging, not on your life. I have far too much respect for my knees to jog. I'm planning on them lasting my time. 😀

I hear ya'. I'm 67 and have occasional problems with my knees; fortunately not something that's constant at this point. I don't think I'm ready at this time for jogging. Maybe when I'm 80 I'll feel more like it. Until then it's 10k a day.