NPR

dpedin wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:13 pm Trying to go 3 months without any alcohol and get a wee bit fitter. Almost did it last year but my resolve broke half way through March. Day 4 and going ok so far, even with a half empty bottle of NB Navy strength gin sitting teasing me in the fridge door. Already feel sleep has improved. Wish me luck! Anyone else on the wagon.

Insane_Homer wrote: ↑Sat Jan 06, 2024 8:10 pm IMG_20240106_200911_772.jpg

dkm57 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 07, 2024 12:01 pm I cut out alcohol at the start of September as part of my trying to get fit, delay being chemo'd and generally being as healthy as I could to stand the ravages. Had a pretty big lapse on Hogmanay , strangely I was less hungover on New Years day than I had any right to expect. Back on the wagon now.

Gumboot wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 9:29 am

dkm57 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 07, 2024 12:01 pm I cut out alcohol at the start of September as part of my trying to get fit, delay being chemo'd and generally being as healthy as I could to stand the ravages. Had a pretty big lapse on Hogmanay , strangely I was less hungover on New Years day than I had any right to expect. Back on the wagon now.

The very best in your battle.

Fuck cancer.

dkm57 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 3:48 pm Thanks folks.

Sometimes I feel a bit of a fraud, yes I have a form of cancer, Multiple Myeloma and as yet it's one of the ones they they can't cure, they can only 'manage' it. At the moment mine is 'smouldering', as the doc says it'll do what it wants, either smouldering in the background or become aggressive and really do me over. The most painful bit so far was when he used a corkscrew to drill into my pelvis to take a bone marrow sample.

My efforts are to try and keep it at bay as long as possible through diet and exercise and being as healthy as I can before it kicks off. I've cut out sugar, alcohol (ahem), grains, lost 12 kilos, and upped my exercise levels, even joined a gym last week Target is to get my BMI to just below 25 and cholesterol BP etc., firmly in the 'healthy zone and keep them there.

Slick wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 4:26 pm

dkm57 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 3:48 pm Thanks folks.

Sometimes I feel a bit of a fraud, yes I have a form of cancer, Multiple Myeloma and as yet it's one of the ones they they can't cure, they can only 'manage' it. At the moment mine is 'smouldering', as the doc says it'll do what it wants, either smouldering in the background or become aggressive and really do me over. The most painful bit so far was when he used a corkscrew to drill into my pelvis to take a bone marrow sample.

My efforts are to try and keep it at bay as long as possible through diet and exercise and being as healthy as I can before it kicks off. I've cut out sugar, alcohol (ahem), grains, lost 12 kilos, and upped my exercise levels, even joined a gym last week Target is to get my BMI to just below 25 and cholesterol BP etc., firmly in the 'healthy zone and keep them there.

Well done mate and best of luck.

dpedin wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 5:15 pm

Slick wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 4:26 pm

dkm57 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 3:48 pm Thanks folks.

Sometimes I feel a bit of a fraud, yes I have a form of cancer, Multiple Myeloma and as yet it's one of the ones they they can't cure, they can only 'manage' it. At the moment mine is 'smouldering', as the doc says it'll do what it wants, either smouldering in the background or become aggressive and really do me over. The most painful bit so far was when he used a corkscrew to drill into my pelvis to take a bone marrow sample.

My efforts are to try and keep it at bay as long as possible through diet and exercise and being as healthy as I can before it kicks off. I've cut out sugar, alcohol (ahem), grains, lost 12 kilos, and upped my exercise levels, even joined a gym last week Target is to get my BMI to just below 25 and cholesterol BP etc., firmly in the 'healthy zone and keep them there.

Well done mate and best of luck.

Ditto - doing all the right stuff. Hope things go well for you.

I had a couple of health issues myself, nothing as serious as yours, and decided that if I was going to live longer then I needed to be fitter and healthier if I was going to enjoy it and do as much as I can with what I have. The last thing I wanted was to live a long life but be miserable and sedentary. Dry January is just a kick start for me to try and lose weight, get healthier and stay mobile.

Stopping drinking inevitably means I stop eating so much (less nibbles with the G&T) and if I do a bit more exercise then I will lose weight without too much effort. I try and substitute foods/meals with more healthy options but ones I still enjoy. For example instead of some toast with butter/peanut butter for breakfast I have porridge (Scots Old Fashioned) made with water and a pinch of salt. Ditto snacks, easy to swap some peanuts/crisps for a nice apple or banana. Lots of green veg, roasted vegetables and chicken and fish - avoid bread, potatoes, pasta and rice as well as anything processed etc. As long as I get the volume I need I am happy. For me it is all about changing a few bad habits and swapping them for better ones.

dpedin wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 5:15 pm

Slick wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 4:26 pm

dkm57 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 3:48 pm Thanks folks.

Sometimes I feel a bit of a fraud, yes I have a form of cancer, Multiple Myeloma and as yet it's one of the ones they they can't cure, they can only 'manage' it. At the moment mine is 'smouldering', as the doc says it'll do what it wants, either smouldering in the background or become aggressive and really do me over. The most painful bit so far was when he used a corkscrew to drill into my pelvis to take a bone marrow sample.

My efforts are to try and keep it at bay as long as possible through diet and exercise and being as healthy as I can before it kicks off. I've cut out sugar, alcohol (ahem), grains, lost 12 kilos, and upped my exercise levels, even joined a gym last week Target is to get my BMI to just below 25 and cholesterol BP etc., firmly in the 'healthy zone and keep them there.

Well done mate and best of luck.

Ditto - doing all the right stuff. Hope things go well for you.

I had a couple of health issues myself, nothing as serious as yours, and decided that if I was going to live longer then I needed to be fitter and healthier if I was going to enjoy it and do as much as I can with what I have. The last thing I wanted was to live a long life but be miserable and sedentary. Dry January is just a kick start for me to try and lose weight, get healthier and stay mobile.

Stopping drinking inevitably means I stop eating so much (less nibbles with the G&T) and if I do a bit more exercise then I will lose weight without too much effort. I try and substitute foods/meals with more healthy options but ones I still enjoy. For example instead of some toast with butter/peanut butter for breakfast I have porridge (Scots Old Fashioned) made with water and a pinch of salt. Ditto snacks, easy to swap some peanuts/crisps for a nice apple or banana. Lots of green veg, roasted vegetables and chicken and fish - avoid bread, potatoes, pasta and rice as well as anything processed etc. As long as I get the volume I need I am happy. For me it is all about changing a few bad habits and swapping them for better ones.

dkm57 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 3:48 pm Thanks folks.

Sometimes I feel a bit of a fraud, yes I have a form of cancer, Multiple Myeloma and as yet it's one of the ones they they can't cure, they can only 'manage' it. At the moment mine is 'smouldering', as the doc says it'll do what it wants, either smouldering in the background or become aggressive and really do me over. The most painful bit so far was when he used a corkscrew to drill into my pelvis to take a bone marrow sample.

My efforts are to try and keep it at bay as long as possible through diet and exercise and being as healthy as I can before it kicks off. I've cut out sugar, alcohol (ahem), grains, lost 12 kilos, and upped my exercise levels, even joined a gym last week Target is to get my BMI to just below 25 and cholesterol BP etc., firmly in the 'healthy zone and keep them there.

duke wrote: ↑Wed Jan 10, 2024 9:51 am

dkm57 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 3:48 pm Thanks folks.

Sometimes I feel a bit of a fraud, yes I have a form of cancer, Multiple Myeloma and as yet it's one of the ones they they can't cure, they can only 'manage' it. At the moment mine is 'smouldering', as the doc says it'll do what it wants, either smouldering in the background or become aggressive and really do me over. The most painful bit so far was when he used a corkscrew to drill into my pelvis to take a bone marrow sample.

My efforts are to try and keep it at bay as long as possible through diet and exercise and being as healthy as I can before it kicks off. I've cut out sugar, alcohol (ahem), grains, lost 12 kilos, and upped my exercise levels, even joined a gym last week Target is to get my BMI to just below 25 and cholesterol BP etc., firmly in the 'healthy zone and keep them there.

Good luck with the treatment if and when needed dkm57.

I have follicular lymphoma which was first diagnosed back in 2013, had the PET CT scans and the bone marrow biopsy at the time at which they said watch and wait. That situation went on for about 8 years until it morphed into a T Cell Lymphoma (lump on the lymph node in the groin) which led to a DVT in my thigh and a need for Chemo. After the ups and downs of the 6 cycles of that followed by radiotherapy (and getting flattened by Covid but that's another tale), I am now just over 2 years post treatment and the medics are happy with where I am. My advice if facing treatment is to be relentlessly positive.

The most painful aspect for me at the moment is getting quotes for travel insurance!

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Mon Jan 29, 2024 9:24 pm Unintended consequences.

I'm doing a damp January, joined a bit late, & trying to break out of bad habits. I managed to sleep an unheard of 9.5 hrs on Saturday, Hurrah ! ... well not so much; I sleep on my side & must have spent almost the entire time lying on my shoulder, & it's taken two days to be able to raise my arm to shoulder height.

Getting old is a pox

dpedin wrote: ↑Mon Apr 01, 2024 11:46 am Finally succumbed to the evil alcohol last night after 90 days without a drop. Feeling a bit hazy this morning. I enjoyed the G&Ts but not as much as I expected!

My personal target was to go alcohol free for 3 months, play golf or go to the gym every day and diet to lose weight. I think I missed 2 or 3 days of exercise, did 90 days alcohol free and ate an average of less than 2,000 calories a day for the period. I actually found the challenge fairly easy to do once I got into a rhythm but did have a period in mid February when I seemed to run out of energy for a few days so I ate a few more calories. So far I have lost 24lbs in weight but I reckon I have lost more than that in fat as I have also bulked up doing weights at the gym - I have lost about 4" off my waist size. My gym routine is 15mins of stretching, 15 mins of core exercises and then 30-40mins of weights. Given my age and wear on joints I don't lift/push anything more than 50kgs but will do more and more repetitions so I am lifting the same total weights as I used to. My resting heart rate has dropped by about 10-15% and my blood pressure is normal or even a little low at times. My sleep has improved and to be honest I feel as good at 64 as I have for a long time. Being retired helps too!

I intend to keep going with my diet and exercise but will allow myself to have the odd drink or two but as pat of my calories for the day, it seems a shame to ditch my new habits and go backwards. I reckon I can lose another 16lbs and be at my ideal weight. Losing the extra weight will also take a big load of my arthritic knees when playing golf and exercising. The biggest motivation for me when I struggled at times was that I had told family and friends what I was doing and they were all very supportive and the fear of letting them down made me stick to the plan.