Cholesterol

What is the deal with cholesterol? Yes, yes, I know fatty crap in your arteries gets stuck and blocks the flow leading to strokes, high blood pressure and heart attacks. That's not news. Cholesterol is high in most people with a Western diet, because we eat way too much junk. That's the current thinking.

My cholesterol was 5.4, which I was told was 'below average' but still 'too high', which kind of doesn't bear out much hope for the rest of the population. If the fat woman has lower than average cholesterol, everyone else must live on lard.

On the other hand, cholesterol isn't all bad. We need some to keep our nerves working properly. We also use it to make serotonin, which helps to make us happy. Very low cholesterol is linked to depression, aggression and high suicide rates.

Anyway, being a good girl (or at least trying to avoid sugary fatty stuff so I don't feel diabetically awful), I cut out some of the bad stuff; not all of it, by any means - I haven't had a personality transplant - and guess what? My cholesterol is now 4.6. How good is that?

I have no idea if my arteries are rejoicing with a new-found anti-atherosclerosis, plaque-free existence, but I have a revived belief that maybe, just maybe, I can change my future.

National Cycle Week

In the spirit of National Cycle Week, I have started cycling to work. This means I'm doing about 5 miles a day on the bike. It isn't a pretty sight, but I quite enjoy the freedom of sailing down the hills - if not the panting and pain of going up them.

I hopped on the scales yesterday to find them hovering at around the 13st mark. This seems bizarrely light. I can't remember the last time I dipped under 13st. Maybe my scales are broken.

More worryingly, my blood sugar is disgustingly high in the mornings, so this could account for the unexpected weight loss. It is quite possible that I'm peeing out sugar and hence not using it to top up my fat reserves.

I am, however, trying to avoid sugar as much as possible, mostly because it makes me feel dizzy and crap if I have a large dose of it. This impromptu change in nutrition may also have contributed to the surprise weight loss. Who knows?

Speedy!

I finally did it! I managed to lope 5km in under 40 minutes. OK, so I only broke the barrier by a handful of seconds, but I don't care. I am fab. I am speedy! I've knocked loads of time off since I started doing this running. It must be doing me good.

The Forest is Further.

It must be further round the forest. I did the 5km on the treadmill again in 42 minutes, but so far I've failed to beat 52 minutes round the forest. There is obviously some sort of extra dimension around which I need to jog when doing it outdoors.

My sugar was 9.1 when I checked it yesterday. This is a slight improvement. I have had no sugar for several days but I don't feel any different. I need some more of those blood test strips.

Taking up jogging and giving up sugar has had no effect on my weight at all. I still weigh between 13 and 13.5 stone. I still look like a pink Buddha, but without the laughing face and ability to bless people. I am the shape of a Teletubby; all I need is Beatrice's hat to act as antennae.

Last week I did 20 hours exercise, ranging from jogging to climbing to walking. I ate no sugar. None. Except the muesli bar when I did the 15 mile walk. And I think I deserved that.

I don't know what else to do.

10.5

I have just worked out why I feel so fab after a work-out. It's because my sugar is lower. I haven't done my sugar for a while. This morning it was 10.5, and yes, that is before breakfast and no, I hadn't eaten anything for about 14 hours except a cup of tea (without sugar). Shit shit shit. Back to the doctors. It does explain why I feel like I haven't slept all night, despite having had a reasonable number of hours.

I did run the woodland circuit again - 5.2km in 52 minutes - which was slow compared to the treadmill. Then again, it includes up hill and tree roots, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised.

I am quite annoyed with the whole Health Trainer programme. Ms Sabbath managed to get rid of me by simply not booking another appointment. The help was not targetted to what I need anyway, which is why it didn't work. For some god-unknown reason they think that telling me to eat a certain way makes it happen. Seriously, I KNOW WHAT I SHOULD BE DOING! I JUST CAN'T DO IT.

So, as Max predicted, I'm diabetic, with aching joints, high cholesterol and I think the last prediction he had for me was immobility followed by early death. Always good to see the sooth-sayer has it right. Can I transfer my affections to the fat-removal magician now, please?

Miserable and knackered.

Jem x

5km vs 3 miles.

The problem with metric vs imperial is that approximations don't quite work. I was dead proud of myself yesterday for managing 3 miles in 40 minutes and a few seconds. I thought "Wow! That's the quickest I've ever done it!"

Then I had a look to see if that really was 5km and Lo and Behold, no, it wasn't. It was just 4.8km. In fact it took me another 2 minutes to run all the way to 5km (3.1 miles). This is still a personal best, at 42 mins, so maybe I should still be thrilled. It just doesn't sound as good as 40 mins.

I have to say I feel GREAT the day after a workout like that. I might end up looking like a genetically modified tomato, but the next day my muscles feel loose and I'm energised. It really is quite promising. Maybe one day I will be comparably fit with the other people in my circle who do lots of sporty fitness things. Maybe one day I will lose lots of weight and actually be healthy again! Who knows? A girl can dream, can't she?

Sleep and Stress

Scientific study: Mostly things we knew already - if you get enough sleep and aren't stressed out, you lose more weight.

Read about it here.