Tweaking Maintenance

Waiting with my BIG camera for the Advanex Tour de Skeggy to finish

I'm still tweaking things slightly on a weekly basis. Saturday and Sunday I had one meal each day at 7.00pm, today I had one at 4.30 and will squeeze something in around 8.30pm. The rest of the week will be a 6 hour eating window every day.

My problem with one meal has never been hunger, but rather I'm too hyper until I eat. This was fine Saturday as I was out waiting a couple of hours to photograph family and their work colleagues - oh yes, and mine, I forget I work there - to finish their 70-100 mile - depending on where they started - bike ride for charity. This meant I could jig about. strut up and down and wiggle my bits without really drawing too much attention to myself.

Sunday was different, I was working all day to get ahead because my friend is coming to stay tomorrow and I was climbing the walls. I simply have too much energy. It's not coffee or tea causing it - I don't think - because I hardly drink any, but artificial sweeteners in my very cheap diet lemonade could be to blame.

Today I was fine because I've been very busy ... washing - the old fashioned way using a washer and spinner (I'm at the tin hut), baking a bread and butter pudding - yum - preparing the guest bedroom, and after all this I decided that outside the tin hut, veranda and steps needed scrubbing (I wasn't wrong), yawn. Only got the ironing and cleaning left to do ... which rather disproves the point made by some daft, ill informed bint that we'd be fainting every fart's end and be unable to function after missing one meal, never mind two ...
 

.....

1. Me and Alternate Day Fasting
2. Me and Alternate Day Fasting ... Three Weeks On
3. Five Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
4. Eight Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
5. Ten Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
6. Alternate Day Fasting Three Months On
7. Alternate Day Fasting in Winter
8. Alternate Day Fasting Over Christmas
9. Me and Zumba
10. Saying Goodbye To My Curves 
11. Eight Months Of Alternate Day Fasting And Me
12. Growing Up 
13. A Year Of Alternate Day Fasting 
14. 60 Pounds Of Blubber - Vanished
15. The Perils of Alternate Day Fasting 
16. Mr Grumpy Is Losing It
17. Mr Grumpy Has Lost It
18. Fasting For Maintenance
19. Tweaking Maintenance
20. Weight Gain 
21. Still Maintaining
22. Four Years Of Intermittent Fasting

  .....

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Nether Green Service Station

I see the plans have gone in for the recently demolished Esso garage.

Nether Green Service Station Derby Road Langley Mill Derbyshire NG16 4AA - Demolition of existing Petrol Filling Station, Shop, forecourt,canopy and underground tanks and car wash and erection of new Petrol filling Station, forecourt, two canopies, convenience store with ATM and replacement underground tanks. 24 hours.

From what I've seen of the plans the entrance and exit have been switched, I assume this is because the traffic lights opposite the old exit gave the wrong impression that 'green' is for go. I could be completely wrong though ...

Asda Warehouse Extension

Oh I say, Asda, Langley Mill have submitted an application for -
Extension to rear of warehouse, Enclosure of existing covered loading area, All within existing service yard.

Maybe they're thinking of letting me sleep, because whoever works there in the night loves to throw pallets about and shove cages until they crash into one another ... or maybe they've heard about the new camera I'm getting and want to keep all the pallets of booze on the yard a secret ;)

I will peruse the plans now to find out how much future whinging I need to do ...

Fasting For Maintenence

Experiment number - oh I don't know - probably 17 by now.

After trying numerous maintenance methods since last October - 6:1 ... 5:2 ... 4:3 @ 500/700/800/1000 calories ... 2:1 ... fast-5/6/7/8. I think I've found one I really love and my weight has stabilised, it only varies by about 2lbs over the entire week, depending on the previous day's munching - well, actually we're talking about my mega-munch Saturday which I'm still having.

I have to say that after 19 months of calorie counting I was starting to get fed up - of the counting - I still love fasting. Up until now the only way I'd been able to maintain my weight was to stick with 4:3 @ 500 cals, any more and I gained. I also had to find something that Mr Grumpy could get on with because I know he couldn't stick with 4:3 forever as he misses being able to eat lots of fruit every afternoon.

The way we found our method was totally by accident, we forgot breakfast on our Monday/Tuesday up/feast days - after a double down day/fast weekend - because we were busy. Didn't think much of it Monday or Tuesday - except "how the heck did that happen?". But Wednesday morning - a down/fast day - we hadn't gained any weight, which was most peculiar after two 'supposed' up days.

Hmmmm, I know I've kind of maintained before with fast-8 (16/8) when we've had friends or family to stay, but I've always eaten late into the evening - yeah, I do mean whisky and nibbles - so ended up starving next morning ... and somewhat grumpy.

So what we did on the Wednesday is start at 16/8, then gradually drop down to 18/6 - without too much effort. We've been doing this for six weeks now and we both love it.
As I see it, we're still doing an 18 hour fast every day - so hopefully getting the health benefits of the fasting, and having a once a week 'eat, drink and be merry' day, which just means extending the eating window to 9 hours ... yeah, I do still mean whisky and nibbles.

And here's the bit that suits me most, a couple of days a week I am just a little more mindful and enjoy a mostly veggie and protein day - but still no calorie counting, the other days a biggish - by my standards - dinner and tea. Which is still reminiscent of 4:3 or 5:2 but not so strict

I don't feel deprived or stuffed any days - except Sunday morning (groan) - and himself can munch away on his fruit all afternoon ... what's more, he feels quite liberated going without breakfast and if he's happy - I'm happy :)

Oh, and this doesn't mean I've given up my beloved home made Muesli with rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, fruit, nuts, Greek yoghurt and honey - dribble - I just have it for lunch or tea instead some days.

Yes, I think I've finally cracked it - until experiment number 18 of course ... when this one has gone horribly wrong ...

.....

1. Me and Alternate Day Fasting
2. Me and Alternate Day Fasting ... Three Weeks On
3. Five Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
4. Eight Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
5. Ten Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
6. Alternate Day Fasting Three Months On
7. Alternate Day Fasting in Winter
8. Alternate Day Fasting Over Christmas
9. Me and Zumba
10. Saying Goodbye To My Curves 
11. Eight Months Of Alternate Day Fasting And Me
12. Growing Up 
13. A Year Of Alternate Day Fasting 
14. 60 Pounds Of Blubber - Vanished
15. The Perils of Alternate Day Fasting 
16. Mr Grumpy Is Losing It
17. Mr Grumpy Has Lost It
18. Fasting For Maintenance
19. Tweaking Maintenance
20. Weight Gain 
21. Still Maintaining
22. Four Years Of Intermittent Fasting

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Come and Hold This ...

Next time Mr Grumpy says ... "come and hold this", remind me to tell him to go and boil his head.

I went and held this ... which was in fact a ladder; so he could put up another bird feeder ... I was holding on to said ladder and standing on the bottom rung as ballast - as per my instructions - whilst watching the blue tits and listening to the babies in the box nearby ... then he stepped down onto my finger ... and it was my fault.

My finger is huge and blue and is most fortunate NOT to be adorned with rings or I'd have needed them cutting off.
 
He wasn't satisfied with this though ... oh no, not by a long chalk:

I had actually rushed out of bed and thrown some clothes on to go and help him with the ladder, because instead of sitting still like a good husband first thing in MY morning, he was pacing up and down with seed, nuts and water for the feeders and just generally hovering at the bedroom door saying things like ... "whenever, you're ready ... no rush". Yeah, right.

So, after assaulting my finger and blaming me for HOLDING the effin ladder, I went back in to have my shower - whilst nursing my oh so poorly finger ... "Oops" he declared from the other side of the shower curtain ... "I've flushed the loo" - an absolute no no in the tin hut when someone - well, me to be exact - is showering. So there I stood, bracing myself with finger held aloft, as my extremities sizzled under the rather hot water ... and I called him a tw*t.

Then shortly after this we went for a walk at Gibraltar Point, he took me down a footpath so he could feed the birds there ... "Ooh, it's a bit overgrown" he declared while I'm battling - still holding my poorly finger up - with the effin nettles. "OUCH! my knees" ...  "Oh dear, I'll find you a dock leaf" he told me, while bustling past me and pushing me against yet more nettles.

I have to wonder how I'd have fared if he wasn't so thoughtful ... 

Proper Grumpiness Has Resumed

Righto, I'm back!

I think we've all had enough of my diet/lifestyle to last us a lifetime, I only kept it up because I did get - and still have - a lot of world wide interest in the whole idea of intermittent fasting blah blah blah, but I'm done with that - not doing it, just writing about it - we've both got to our target weights and are maintaining with a variety of methods, the latest of which is 18:6 ... which just means we fast for 18 hours, skip breakfast every day, eat during the next 6 hours and then don't snack in the evening ... except once a week or I'd be chucking my toys out the pram and spitting my dummy out.

Anyhooo, I want to get back to my occasional DIARY, which is sometimes grumpy and sometimes funny. This will keep me out of too much mischief and lets me get things out of my system ... and if I can entertain anyone with what me and Mr Grumpy get up to  over the week then that's a bonus :)

.....

Saturday 3rd May - and I'm trying to decide on how to gain more storage at the tin hut.

Doing vitally important work in the spare bedroom and someone has nicked my tape measure. How am I supposed to work out how much HE needs to saw off?

Still undecided on what to do. But I think I've got 3 more inches than I strictly need. Being cunning I can still have lots of beds but not necessarily in the same rooms.

Getting fed up now and am in danger of going to hide in my bed ... except it's buried under mattresses and stuff.

Oddjob is no help whatsoever, he just says "whatever you want" ... Ooooh that's dangerous, cos I wants a noo caravan. He may regret that throwaway statement.

I eventually found where HE'D left my tape measure when I moved some bedding in the dining room and it fell on the floor.

Anyhoo, I ended up lying on the mattresses on the floor - as you do - told himself about the 3 inches I want removing from the bed bases ... hmmmm, I'd better actually mark them because my 3" will end up being at least 5" the way he measures.

 Sunday 4th May Sunbathing.

Sat outside under the lovely sunshine. Note to self ... mow the legs before I get them out again.

I was wandering why I was struggling to walk against the breeze, then realised my hairy legs are NOT exactly aerodynamic.

Later -  Ahem, another note to self ... WEAR GLASSES WHEN MOWING LEGS!

I've no longer got two forests but I am sporting a couple of copses on my left leg where I missed. Gawd knows what my pits look like.

That same night


Hmmm, just found himself fighting to open a bottle of bleach. I had to show him how to do it.

I - being me - pointed out that he can't possibly use bleach very often if the 'child proof' top has him baffled.

"No, I don't", sez he, "but I thought I'd clean YOUR sink FOR YOU, now I've washed YOUR pots" ... bless him.

Wednesday 7th May.

You know you're confused - possibly by hunger - when you put your oven gloves on to get something out of the fridge ... just as well I remembered them a few minutes later when I started faffing about in the oven.

Later - That moment when you know you married a barmpot - ok, let's be honest here, there's been lots of these moments so far ...

Watching a recorded episode of Mrs Brown's Boys - last episode I think - they're singing 'Grease Lightning', my grumpy old man is singing 'Street Lighting' ...

Mr Grumpy Has Lost It!

14th April.

Hubby has lost 19lbs of the 20lbs he gained during my first year of 4:3. Yes, I overfed him - oops - but he wasn't forced to eat the sneaky doughnuts now was he??

Anyhooo, now he's done that so quickly - git!! - we're switching to 5:2 in the form of a back to back 500/600 cals on Saturday and Sunday.

This is because I work at home - when I like - and where we are through the summer - in a caravan aka 'the tin hut' near Skegness - it's busy at the weekends so we don't go very far.

This will leave us to go out any day in the week without having to think 'up or down, have I got to swap?' ... and my GOM is the best picnic maker ever - and he prepares it while I'm still in bed :)

Of course if either of us start porking up again - by more than 3lbs - we'll add another down day midweek.

We both intend doing at least two down days or DD (fasting days) a week forever as we both feel so fit and well - not at all bad for our ages 54 and 74 ;)

Update 27th April.

Yeah, yeah. So full of good (brave) intentions. We didn't even make it one week. I'd caved in by Tuesday afternoon and told Mr Grumpy that I was slipping a DD Wednesday in, he said he would too. This wasn't as strict as our usual DDs, he had around 800 cals and I had 650.
Our weight remained the same so we'll try this for the next couple of weeks ...

Update 8th May.

Well he's lost 2 more pounds without trying so we've switched to 16:8 - which is a 16 hour fast and an 8 hour eating window ...

.....

1. Me and Alternate Day Fasting
2. Me and Alternate Day Fasting ... Three Weeks On
3. Five Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
4. Eight Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
5. Ten Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
6. Alternate Day Fasting Three Months On
7. Alternate Day Fasting in Winter
8. Alternate Day Fasting Over Christmas
9. Me and Zumba
10. Saying Goodbye To My Curves 
11. Eight Months Of Alternate Day Fasting And Me
12. Growing Up 
13. A Year Of Alternate Day Fasting 
14. 60 Pounds Of Blubber - Vanished
15. The Perils of Alternate Day Fasting 
16. Mr Grumpy Is Losing It
17. Mr Grumpy Has Lost It
18. Fasting For Maintenance
19. Tweaking Maintenance
20. Weight Gain 
21. Still Maintaining
22. Four Years Of Intermittent Fasting

  .....

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A Victim Of Vanity Sizing

There must be many ladies this has happened to and I have to wonder how dangerous the habit of manufacturers altering clothes sizes for vanity actually is.

When I left school in 1976 at the age of sixteen, I was a portly 10 stone 7lbs (147 lbs) and a (UK) size 16 going on 18.

Thirty six years later I was 14 stones 7lbs (203 lbs) and a size 18 going on 20 ... now if I'm only one size bigger despite being 4 stones (56lbs) heavier, methinks there's something wrong with this picture.

Suffice it to say I did suspect that I'd chunked up a bit ... I'd been on several diets over the years, only weighing myself during these brief interludes, and I never measured my ample proportions at any other time - I mean, why would I, it's not nice.

Around 2004 I'd decided dieting wasn't for me ever again. What was the point in all that deprivation for a few months; only for me to regain all that lost weight - plus more for good measure.
So I spent the last few years avoiding my reflection and hiding at the sight of a camera because what I didn't see couldn't hurt me.

Arranging to get married and going to Center Parcs - where all the fit people tend to go - for our honeymoon late 2012 made me rethink my decision on trying yet another diet. I didn't have very high hopes of success, all the diets I'd followed were fine for a quick fix but not sustainable in any permanent way.

Let's face it, what diets are sustainable? How many people GO BACK to Slimming World and Weight Watchers because it worked last time. Yes it did, and they're both very good diets to follow, but can you keep it up? ... No - or you wouldn't be going back.

Seeing some photos of us waiting for the Olympic torch going through Skegness - June 2012 - my so called friend had taken WITH ME IN THE MIDDLE - how very dare she! - was something of a revelation. But it was still one heck of a shock when I stepped on the scales, then I was even more shocked - and quite upset - when I got the tape measure out ... OUCH!!

I was fortunate enough - only one week into my cereal diet - to have watched Horizon's 'Eat, Fast and Live Longer' with Dr Michael Mosley ... this changed my life completely - I may have mentioned it before ... happy, happy days.

Then out of curiosity, and because I've got a good memory for detail, I fetched out an old pair of hardly worn - bought during one of my brief 'slimmer moments - 'Marks and Spencer's leggings that I'd saved from the early 1990s ... for when they'd be back in fashion (they were expensive) and also for when they'd fit me - ever the optimist - the label said size 18 and 32" waist.

Here I was 20 odd years later, wearing size 18-20 with a 40+ waist. It's not right is it? ... I'd been lied to, I wasn't just middling to chunky, I WAS FAT.

Now a year and a half later - after following the most amazing weight loss lifestyle (I'm in easy-peasy maintenance now) - that I simply can't stop talking or writing about - I'm a few pounds under the weight I was when I left school and there's not many women my age can say that.

And what was porky for a sixteen year old doesn't look too bad on a fifty four year old ... and my clothes size - 14 top and 12 bottom. I'm not bragging here. My point is ... if the sizing of the good old days - 1970-1990 - were implemented now, I'd be at least a 18 top and 16 bottom ... but it doesn't sound anywhere near as nice.

Even my sister has been fooled, she was a size 12 when she left school and was recently telling me that she must be slimmer now - albeit a stone or so heavier - because she's down to a size 10.

The clothing industry is not doing us any favours. We're becoming obese whilst convincing ourselves that we're still the same size we used to be - hardly good for our health is it? ...

Spring Clean 2014

Can someone explain to me the point of housework because as far as I'm concerned I've just wasted three and a half hours of my life ... okay I admit it, it was probably nearer two and a half hours if you take out the frequent 'vitally important' checks I had to make on Facebook and eBay. Anyway, it's still three and a half hours that no matter what I do, I'll never get them back.

I must be some sort of cuckoo in the nest because both my sisters adore cleaning and live with minimal clutter.

I've vacuumed, everywhere,  polished wood, disinfected surfaces ... including the bedroom windowsills where the cat wipes her ar*e! I don't know why she can't just clench when she sits there straight after using her potty.

Not one of these achievements  has bought me pleasure, in fact it was all done whilst wearing my sucking on a lemon expression.

I can honestly say I'd sooner work a whole day WITHOUT PAY than do it again any time soon. The tragic thing is, it'll all want doing again THIS YEAR ;)

I'm going to get me a cleaning lady ...

Mr Grumpy Is Losing It!

Well, the end of November isn't the best time of year - in the northern hemisphere - to start a 'diet'. First of all there's the run up to Christmas which requires testing noshing - because your wife is on a diet/down/500 cals day and she's baked. Then there's Christmas week itself which requires dedicated noshing - and boozing - simply because it's Christmas.

And we all know about making our new years resolutions and starting a 'diet' the first Monday of the New Year ... unless the 1st January falls on a Monday itself, because this day is also a munch day - it's the law - in which case the beginning of the diet gets deferred to the 8th, by which time you've changed your mind about the whole thing because who in their right mind wants to diet in winter anyway.

Anyway, our December didn't go according to plan. It was fairly normal until the 8th, when my mum took ill (she'd been sick all week actually) and was rushed to hospital from her care home. We'd just upped our care for my dad who was dying of throat cancer - and lung cancer plus COPD.

Do you know, it was at this point I lost all the above while using the blogger app on my phone, I forgot to save it before I tootled off to check something. It's a good job I've got a near photographic memory or this phone would have been through the window. As it is, I did a lot of "I'm so annoyed" mutterings, and moaned about it on Facebook - as you do, then re-typed it all.

Now where was I? Oh yes - parents dropping like flies. Christmas didn't really happen and 4:3 went out the window. I ate when I could, which was usually around 6.00pm and Mr Grumpy looked after his lonely little self - and the cat - at home.

So there wasn't as much weight loss in December, nor for much of January as there could have been. In fact things didn't get back to normal until 5th February after dad's funeral. When I say 'normal', you do know that I'm only referring to our 'diet lifestyle'.

So, back to the job in hand. My GOM, who joined me on my weight loss lifestyle - straight after dad's 75th birthday party in November - managed to lose 4lbs by January 1st - still not bad to say how we were living - another 5lbs by February 1st, and another 5lbs by March 1st. A total of 14lbs aka one stone.

Now three weeks later his weight loss has slowed right down - only one more pound lost (15lbs total) and his up day, down day gains and losses almost match the ones on my chart - but this is simply because he's only got around 7lbs more to lose.

This is far easier said than done when nearing goal weight - trust me I know - and when he's done that he'll be on maintenance with me ... although to be honest I'd still like to lose another 7lbs too.

Now it's worth mentioning that he's never once cheated on a down day, he's simply asked me in a morning ... "up or down?" Then he knows whether or not he can have a biscuit with his morning coffee. I still have to hide fruit because it's natural for him to dip into the fruit bowl a couple times a day.

He's enjoying his meals every day because I'm experimenting more now I'm cooking the same for both of us. Before he joined me on 4:3 I was often doing him a ready meal with extra veg and skinny soup or a stir fry for me. And he hasn't really noticed he's on a diet because I can do amazing things with veg that is both filling and tasty ...

.....

1. Me and Alternate Day Fasting
2. Me and Alternate Day Fasting ... Three Weeks On
3. Five Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
4. Eight Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
5. Ten Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
6. Alternate Day Fasting Three Months On
7. Alternate Day Fasting in Winter
8. Alternate Day Fasting Over Christmas
9. Me and Zumba
10. Saying Goodbye To My Curves 
11. Eight Months Of Alternate Day Fasting And Me
12. Growing Up 
13. A Year Of Alternate Day Fasting 
14. 60 Pounds Of Blubber - Vanished
15. The Perils of Alternate Day Fasting 
16. Mr Grumpy Is Losing It
17. Mr Grumpy Has Lost It
18. Fasting For Maintenance
19. Tweaking Maintenance
20. Weight Gain 
21. Still Maintaining
22. Four Years Of Intermittent Fasting

  .....

• ADF Facebook Group ... come and join us :)

Weekend Noise And Asda Race Track

A few days ago a young woman knocked at the door and asked Mr Grumpy what we liked about Langley Mill and wanted to know what ideas we might have to make it better.

Grumpy shouted upstairs to ask if I wanted to answer her questions, I replied that there was nothing TO like about Langley Mill. A minute later I could still hear them talking and I had a rethink - what's the point of me constantly moaning about the place, then when given the opportunity; doing and saying nothing about it.

We invited her in and had a nice chat. The result was that most people she'd asked all said the same about having somewhere for the teenagers to go, instead of them being a nuisance around here.

They go to Asda and McDonalds then gather under the bridge, often up to thirty at a time, bored senseless, looking for mischief, a constant noise and using the place as their rubbish bin.

I told her if she wanted to advertise something for them to do then she'd be as well sticking a notice on the bridge for them. Then they could at least have an opportunity to read it before setting fire to it.

I did tell her that I occasionally write a blog moaning about Langley Mill, it turns out that she had read some of it.

6.00pm Friday evening I thought that one of our neighbours had got a heavy duty pressure washer out to do some intensive squirting - at the gathering teenagers hopefully - but it turned out to be some thoughtless bas**rds SANDBLASTING over the railway lines with their doors open facing us.

By 7.40pm grumpy went to investigate. Typical, he couldn't hear it over there. Oddly enough he met a man - wearing ear protection - on the bridge who had just come over to see how loud it was over here. He told grumpy they can't do it during the day because of cars in the car park - what rot.

And ... "we've got at least another hour to listen to it", turned out he meant two. It was gone 9.30pm when it stopped.

I've recorded how loud it was on my phone and I watched the thick cloud of sand come across to Bridge Street. Saturday morning we noticed how filthy all the cars were.

Anyhooo, to get back to the nice lady who is wasting her time and efforts on this dump - one thing we forgot to mention was the stupid morons using Asda car park for their Sunday evening entertainment.

Last night was the worst so far. From 8.00pm I thought there were fireworks going off as well as lots of car revving. This went on for well over an hour and my GOM decided he'd go to find out what was happening.

When he finally came back he said there were at least thirty cars on the car park, one had been on fire and two fire engine's were in attendance (ooh, proper reporting mode there). They were TRYING to get hold of the police.

All the trolley bays were full of their 'audience' as it was persisting it down. When grumpy asked what they thought they were doing, the reply he got was "it's a car park and we only come once a week". The gentleman be asked (in his twenties, old enough to know better), had come from Sandiacre so not actually all our home grown tw*ts.

We called into Asda this morning to enquire what they were doing about it  - NOTHING - it's in the hands of the police. When asked if they could have barriers to stop them going on the car park when they're shut, reply - "no because of the petrol station and the ATM machines" ... this - in my opinion - is utter bo**ocks!

Apparently there had been 60-100 cars racing along the A610 to Asda and they were queuing up to get in and out of Langley Mill. We had to wonder how many of these cars were taxed and insured and whether or not the police actually care.

I can't wait to see what next weekend will bring ...

Normal Grumpiness Will Resume ... One Day

You'll have to excuse the total lack of blog posts lately. I have got several in the pipeline but I can't quite bring myself to complete any.

The reason being is that my mum died in December - just one day before her 75th birthday - and it was my dad's funeral yesterday - he was 75 - so my heart just isn't in it ...

Asda Langley Mill Christmas Opening Hours 2013

Sun 15th Dec: 10am - 4pm
Mon 16th Dec: Opens at 7am
Tue 17th Dec: 24 hours
Wed 18th Dec: 24 hours
Thu 19th Dec: 24 hours
Fri 20th Dec: 24 hours
Sat 21st Dec: Closes at 11pm
Sun 22nd Dec: 10am - 4pm
Mon 23rd Dec: Opens at Midnight
Christmas Eve: Closes at 7pm
Christmas Day: Closed
Boxing Day: 9am - 6pm
Fri 27th Dec: Opens at 8am
Sat 28th Dec: Closes at 10pm
Sun 29th Dec: 10am - 4pm
Mon 30th Dec: Opens at 8am
New Year's Eve: Closes at 7pm
New Year's Day: 10am - 4pm
Thu 2nd Jan: Opens at 8am
Fri 3rd Jan: 24 hours

I'll do the post office opening hours as soon as I find out what they are ...

The Perils of Alternate Day Fasting

Well for me there are none, however for the grumpy old man there are plenty ... twenty to be exact:

A while back Bernard asked me how Mr Grumpy fared on my down/fasting days, I replied that he gets a decent cooked dinner. However, it appears that I've been fattening him up.
During the last year he's gained 20 lbs ... oops!

I had been trying to hint to himself by late summer that he'd gained a couple of pounds. I patted him on his belly a few times and said "this is growing" - no use trying to be subtle, he doesn't recognise subtle ... "I can still get in my trousers" says he, whilst wearing baggy shorts. As it happened, this was true, he could - just - but breathing was clearly an optional extra.

I can see how it happened, I'm guilty of feeding him for me. I literally piled up his plate, although he wasn't forced to eat it all. But we're from a generation of non-wasters ... "think of the starving babies in Africa" we were told as children.

Now, we all know that a bizarre side effect of my fasting had been a masochistic desire to watch cookery programs and then I bake. The results of which he could eat every day compared to my every other day. This clearly didn't help ... although - I might add - I didn't force him to buy and eat jam doughnuts! 

Anyhoo, a couple of weeks back he went to see the nurse for his regular blood test, flu jab, personal questions, blah blah. And she weighed him. Oh dear ... "You've put on weight this year", she told him ... "I know" says he, "I've been eating too much". At least he's honest, it saved her arguing with him ... "you'd better cut down" was her parting shot.

He came home with a booklet called 'Eating, Drinking and Diabetes' which was just shoved to one side. I don't need to read it because I already know what's in it - not for me, my stepson has been (type 1) diabetic from the age of seven, grumpy has been borderline diabetic for years and my mum is a (type 2) insulin dependant diabetic.

"Right tubby, are you going to go on a daily restrictive diet or do you want to join me a couple of days a week on 600 calories - men can have 100 more than women - you can do Monday and Friday with me if you like and I'll do Wednesday on my own" ... "I'll do the same as you, I've seen how much you eat and it doesn't look that difficult" he quickly decided.

So, last Friday was his first down/fasting day. I thought it'd be nice to introduce him to the regime then, because we'd both get the whole weekend to eat what we liked after. He's since done Monday and he's decided to have another go today!

I wasn't expecting that, I thought - with his love of food - that two days a week would be his absolute limit ... but he's taken to it like a duck to water, hmmmm.

His biggest pitfall - you won't believe - is fruit, I have to move the fruit dishes out of the way on our DDs, he does love all fruit and even though it's good for you, it's fairly calorific and snacking of any kind isn't advised during this day. Just have a drink I told him and the hunger pangs diminish.

I'll let you know how he gets on, and don't forget, this is not JUST about weight loss, ADF is about giving your body time to repair which it can only do when it's not busy digesting tons of food. I fully expect him to retreat back from the border of diabetes if he continues our lifestyle into maintenance - which is easy, been there, done that, getting the much smaller T-shirt ...

.....

1. Me and Alternate Day Fasting
2. Me and Alternate Day Fasting ... Three Weeks On
3. Five Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
4. Eight Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
5. Ten Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
6. Alternate Day Fasting Three Months On
7. Alternate Day Fasting in Winter
8. Alternate Day Fasting Over Christmas
9. Me and Zumba
10. Saying Goodbye To My Curves 
11. Eight Months Of Alternate Day Fasting And Me
12. Growing Up 
13. A Year Of Alternate Day Fasting 
14. 60 Pounds Of Blubber - Vanished
15. The Perils of Alternate Day Fasting 
16. Mr Grumpy Is Losing It
17. Mr Grumpy Has Lost It
18. Fasting For Maintenance
19. Tweaking Maintenance
20. Weight Gain 
21. Still Maintaining
22. Four Years Of Intermittent Fasting

  .....

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Tavern Car Wash Not Exactly Permanent

Now I'm back back home and have read my letter from the council; it's clear that this wet pile of tat is NOT PERMANENT, the permission for it runs out 31st December 2014 this time, because - "The development is of a type not considered suitable for permanent retention in accordance with policy EN16 of the Adopted Amber Valley Borough Local Plan 2006".

And "Within one month a scheme for the removal of waste water from the site and measures to prevent surface water draining onto the public highway shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority".

And "Only mains powered equipment shall be used on site. No generators shall be used on site without the PRIOR written approval of the Local Planning Authority" -  I did notice that their opening hours have been extended too:

Between 0900 hours and 1800 hours Monday-Fridays

Between 0900 hours and 1700 hours Saturday

Between 0930 hours and 1630 hours on Sunday.

Therefore I can conclude that this ugly eyesore can remain permanently temporary - with repeat applications being granted permission for years and years and years and years ... we'll see shall we ...