68KG down.. 7 to go

Another month is gone, another 4 kilos lost, I am pretty happy with that considering the amount of time spent in the gym this month trying to get some muscle going ;) 7 kilos to go till target, feeling happy.. feeling good :)

Another month is gone, another 4 kilos lost, I am pretty happy with that considering the amount of time spent in the gym this month trying to get some muscle going ;) 7 kilos to go till target, feeling happy.. feeling good :) ... http://the-diabetes-adventure.posterous.com/68kg-down-7-to-go

And another month has flown by....

Ok, I am now at 241 days straight of exercising, 403 workouts, 2688km on the bike, 1921km on foot, 601000 calories and counting. Total weight loss 64kg and 11kg to go. My next weighin will be in two weeks. Not even kidding when I say that I am pretty darn happy with that result, according to my app I should reach target weight by early November :)

Ok, I am now at 241 days straight of exercising, 403 workouts, 2688km on the bike, 1921km on foot, 601000 calories and counting. Total weight loss 64kg and 11kg to go. My next weighin will be in two weeks. Not even kidding when I say that I am pretty darn happy with that result, according to my app ... http://the-diabetes-adventure.posterous.com/and-another-month-has-flown-by

Our New Car

10 years our Hyundai Santa Fe performed perfect but she was getting tired, when we bought the Santa Fe, fuel was a lot cheaper and we figured we would go for a 4 cylinder this time around and the choice fell on this beautiful Hyundai i30 SLX, very happy with it. It is a zippy car with a huge amount of space inside.

The last picture shows the Accent our daughter bought last December :)

Another 5.6KGS down, 11 to go

The countdown now has really started, 11 kgs to go. To be honest I was surprised with the amount of weight I had lost this month because I have spent quite some time in the gym. 11kgs to go in just 7 months losing 64kgs I hopefully should be at my target weight around November. My training regime seems to have worked quite well for me but it is the people around me supporting me, cheering me on, liking my facebook posts ( lol ) who have really helped me along to get where I almost am.

The countdown now has really started, 11 kgs to go. To be honest I was surprised with the amount of weight I had lost this month because I have spent quite some time in the gym. 11kgs to go in just 7 months losing 64kgs I hopefully should be at my target weight around November. My training regime se ... http://the-diabetes-adventure.posterous.com/another-56kgs-down-11-to-go

Some more statistics :)

Ok, I am now at 210 days straight of exercising, 310 workouts, 2096km on the bike, 1512km on foot, 516000 calories and counting. Total weight loss 58.2kg and 16.6kg to go.
My next weighin will be in two weeks. Going strong still and highly motivated, more than ever even.

LEGO Building, Final Day, Display Cabinet Complete

We bought a display cabinet on Ebay that was in bits so over the last weeks apart from building LEGO we also put it together. Sharon had the brilliant idea to get some of the ships to hover and be on angles etc. Anyway, I will let you have a look for yourself :)

See the full gallery on Posterous

 

We bought a display cabinet on Ebay that was in bits so over the last weeks apart from building LEGO we also put it together. Sharon had the brilliant idea to get some of the ships to hover and be on angles etc. Anyway, I will let you have a look for yourself :) See the full gallery on Posterous   ... http://the-diabetes-adventure.posterous.com/lego-building-final-day-display-cabinet-compl

LEGO Building, Millennium Falcon, Day 2

Day 2 brings us the main shape of the Falcon, the little details on the inside are wonderful, the famous chessboard corner is even there. 

There is the main panel for the controls of the core and hyperdrive systems

The iconic shape of the side of the Falcon

Here is the famous chessboard corner I was talking about

It is amazing how they come up with the ways of actually achieving the shape

Everything is there, the radar dish, the turret on the top and on the bottom

Here is the Falcon with the minifigures it comes with 

Top view so you can see all the little details they have put into the Falcon

 

All in all, it was a great build and great fun to do. Now just to wait for my birthday and... The Death Star !! I cannot wait !

Day 2 brings us the main shape of the Falcon, the little details on the inside are wonderful, the famous chessboard corner is even there.  There is the main panel for the controls of the core and hyperdrive systems The iconic shape of the side of the Falcon Here is the famous chessboard corner I was ... http://the-diabetes-adventure.posterous.com/lego-building-millennium-falcon-day-2

LEGO Building, Millennium Falcon, Day 1

Today we started building the Millenium Falcon and boy is it an awesome build, at first the parts actually do not seem to be stable at all until the first decking goes on. 

Once that is done, the little details on the inside are being added, things like the chess table where Chewbacca is about to rip C-3PO's arm off and the hyperdrive and main control centre for the Falcon

 

To be continued tomorrow when we build some more but in the meantime, here are the manuals :)

7965_Manual_Part1.pdf Download this file

7965_Manual_Part2.pdf Download this file

Today we started building the Millenium Falcon and boy is it an awesome build, at first the parts actually do not seem to be stable at all until the first decking goes on.  Once that is done, the little details on the inside are being added, things like the chess table where Chewbacca is about to ri ... http://the-diabetes-adventure.posterous.com/lego-building-millenmium-falcon-day-1

LEGO Building, Jabba Is Out Of The Closet, Part 4

What a great set this is, the plethora of minifigures and ingenious ideas on how to make this set look the part are amazing. 

From the back when the build is finished, it looks like how you see it in the movie from a distance.

The set comes with Jabba, Salacious Crumb, Bib Fortuna a Gamorrean Guard, Oola, Han Solo, Princess Leia in Boushh outfit, Chewbacca and B'omarr Monk.

As a set this gives great value for money, it is not a difficult build but it is a fun build with the trapdoor, the way the main door gets locked into position and the overall look of the whole thing, it really captures the feel of the movies' idea of the throne room.

Also here is the manual if you would need it at some stage, I thought it was a good idea to upload for future references.

9516_Manual_Part1.pdf Download this file

9516_Manual_Part2.pdf Download this file

 

What a great set this is, the plethora of minifigures and ingenious ideas on how to make this set look the part are amazing.  From the back when the build is finished, it looks like how you see it in the movie from a distance. The set comes with Jabba, Salacious Crumb, Bib Fortuna a Gamorrean Guard, ... http://the-diabetes-adventure.posterous.com/lego-building-jabba-is-out-of-the-closet-part

LEGO Building, Ewoks Attack Wampa's in Y-Wings? Part 3

Ok, had some fun tonight building a few of the smaller sets, there is the Ewok Attack set with some great mini-figures and solutions to make this a set that not only looks really nice and finished but has some activities to it as well. 

Second up was the Wampa Cave, this set has two seperate themes to it, the cave and the speeder. There is room for a second pilot in the speeder but they did not include that:(

Last but not least the infamous Y-Wing, it has some nice mini-figures with it and the build is quite easy but fun enough to have it become quite the achievement for when you finish this set,

Ok, had some fun tonight building a few of the smaller sets, there is the Ewok Attack set with some great mini-figures and solutions to make this a set that not only looks really nice and finished but has some activities to it as well.  Second up was the Wampa Cave, this set has two seperate themes ... http://the-diabetes-adventure.posterous.com/lego-building-ewoks-attack-wampas-in-y-wings

LEGO Building, Double Ups, Part 2

Two of the same set ? Yes, because I needed some extra guards for when the palace is going to be built. This set was fairly easy to build but it still amazed me with some of the solutions to difficult areas it provided.​ The shape of the skiff is actually quite well done and the little clear pads under it especially in the glass case make it look like it is actually floating.

The new Boba is probably the best version ever!
I cannot wait to have this set with Jabba's Palace properly set up in my cabinet and I will make sure to show you pics of when that happens :)

LEGO Building, From Small To Big Part 1

Finally my glass cabinet is finished and I can start building my other LEGO Star Wars sets that have been sitting in boxes for months.
The first ones are the smaller sets so, this one for example is a X-Wing pilot with Yavin 4 and a miniscale X-Wing fighter.

The second one we built was Bespin with a Lobot and a Twin-Pod Cloud Car

The third one Endor forest moon with an AT-ST and an AT-ST driver.

The builds on these are of course simple due to their size but they are quite brilliantly manufactured and the little information plate that comes with them really finishes them off.
Part 2 to follow soon with a build of the Wampa cave on Hoth and the Desert Skiff, then on to the slighty bigger Y-Wing

Finally my glass cabinet is finished and I can start building my other LEGO Star Wars sets that have been sitting in boxes for months.  The first ones are the smaller sets so, this one for example is a X-Wing pilot with Yavin 4 and a miniscale X-Wing fighter. The second one we built was Bespin with ... http://the-diabetes-adventure.posterous.com/lego-building-from-small-to-big-part-1-34230

58.4Kg lost, now for the last 16.6

Another month is gone, another 6kg gone, it has slowed down of course but in combination with going to the gym, building up some muscle I am really happy with the result. I am getting to a stage where I am really starting to feel like counting down, I have gone from a 7XL size clothing to a 3XL and I feel better than ever. Sometimes something bad really turns into something great and I am happier for it :) Pretty proud of the fact that I have been able to do it with just the support of my family and friends rather than pills, potions and other remedies. If it works for other people.. great of course but I am happy just doing it the natural way. Anyway, here is to getting rid of those last pesky kg's lol

My Newspaper ;)

http://paper.li/JayPenrith/1328943471

7.7Kgs destroyed permanently

Another month gone and another 7.7Kgs gotten rid of. Now at 146.3Kgs so that means I have about 36 to go. Hopefully I'll be able to do that in 4 months or so but I tell you what I feel so so much better than I used to. My diabetes is under control as well with an average blood count of 5.5 and I really have my hopes set to be able to get off the medications when I've reached the target weight, only time will tell of course but it'd be awesome if that could come through. Anyway enough for now.... See you next month!

Gone With The Wind ... 10.2kgs That Is

Another 3 weeks and a bit have passed and another 10.2kgs has disappeared on top of my other total. To say that I am more than happy with this result is an understatement to be sure. Today I also went to the eye doctor and my eyes do not have bleeds to the back of them so that was great news too. I have not reached a plateau yet it seems but I am afraid it will come, so as of next week I will be changing my workout regime by riding to work only on Sunday, also riding the bike on my days off, Wednesday and Thursday and the other days I will be going to the gym for some working out on the good old muscles and abs and all the other stuff that needs, well, tightening ;) Really looking forward to it but yes, a total loss of 45kg in 3 months and a bit.. I am very very happy :)

Another 7.2 kgs down, a few more to go ;)

Ok, 7.2KGS lost in the last 3 weeks, totalling just over 35kgs in total now. Needless to say that I am stoked with that. I still have a long way to go but I am getting there slowly but surely.
It has been a while since I blogged on here, mainly due to time restraints. I am really trying to make it a point of exercising every single day and eating as healthy and little as I possibly am allowed by my apps I use.
MyNetDiary is the main food app that I use and the great thing about this particular app is that it tells you what you can eat and will not allow you to lose more than 2kgs a week, which is the healthy amount. This is includes the fear of most people who are on a diet of putting it back on when the target has been reached. Once I do reach the target it will revert to a setting called 'Maintain Weight' and well.. that does exactly what it says it does.
In the next couple of weeks I will start putting my rides on the bike on here as well to get this going a little bit more but for the moment, this will have to do. 

Walking Home and Riding To & From Work

On Tuesday I went with Sharon to weigh at the PMC, because they have a proper scales and it turned out  have now lost 28.5kgs since the beginning of January. I could not be happier with that result. I know it will plateau at some stage but to lose this much so fast, I feel great, it is such a major win when I actually fit into clothes again that had been stored away because I had become too big for them.
Last Wednesday we went to see Dr. Champion and I think he was very pleased with my progress because he only wants to see me again in 3 months! He was more interested in the apps on the iPhone I use to keep track of everything than anything else, which is great because that just meant I am doing the right thing. I do have to thank everyone around me, Sharon, Emma & Beth, all my friends who have been so supportive of the things I have to do and even of some of the things I do not have to do but I want to do.
The last two weeks have marked major wins for me, I have walked home on a hot day and on a rainy day. It is the walking home that gets me, I actually am feeling I want to walk, I am actually enjoying it very much. Last Sunday I rode home on the bike and today I actually rode to work and will be riding home as well, so so stoked about that! Here are the two results for both ride, to and from work.

Here is the morning one from home to work:

Here is the afternoon from work to home:

So, somehow I lost 200 meters somewhere lol oh well, great fun and I beat the rain lol
Thanks for reading everyone!

Another 12 days, another 6.8kg

The hard work of  the last 12 days has paid off, I was a little dubious due to the fact that we went away as well and had Emma's birthday in between but keeping the working out going, it has worked out fine. Tomorrow I am going to see Dr. Champion, the Endicronologist and to be honest, I am not really looking forward to it. Mainly due to the fact that I actually do not know what he is going to do, or not do for that matter.
Last Sunday I actually rode home from work on the bike for the first time and that was awesome, I canot wait to be able to ride to and from work every day. Yesterday, I walked home from work for the first time and I made it! Something I did not think I was going to be able to do a little while ago.
Still dieting of course, keeping things moderate, saying no to things I never even thought twice of in the past. Yesterday evening, I came to a horrible and absolutely shocking realisation. Even though I can still have the Dutch Cheese Fondue, I cannot actually have it on something because the fondue is eaten by dipping little pieces of bread in the cheese stew. I am gutted lol
So, I will report here after I have been to Dr. Champion tomorrow, wish me luck !

First Time More Than 10K!

Today we drove down to the Regatta Centre, however, due to flooding the bicycle paths were closed off. Now that was a bummer, because I remember from in Holland I used to love riding alongside the water, it shaves off a couple of decimals of temperature ;)

Anyway, went back to Jamison Park and had another great ride with Emma and Beth. It is quite funny how long the lap around Jamison Park actually is, because it does not look big at all. I would like to be able to do at least 20k in an hour within the month or so. Once I start riding from and to work as well the workouts will come almost automatically. 

I feel better than I have in a long long time to be honest, not that I felt bad but now that I feel better than I did I know that something was not right before my episode over the Christmas time.

I sure have a long way to go though but steady as she goes and I will get there, I am 100% confident :)

 

Today we drove down to the Regatta Centre, however, due to flooding the bicycle paths were closed off. Now that was a bummer, because I remember from in Holland I used to love riding alongside the water, it shaves off a couple of decimals of temperature ;) Anyway, went back to Jamison Park and had a ... http://the-diabetes-adventure.posterous.com/first-time-more-than-10k

Am I The Biggest Loser ? ( Shut Up Aaron )

At some point in time I actually watched an episode or two of the Biggest Loser and such shows. It seems that those shows put an emphasis on going hard, missing out on things and so forth.
I have now come to the conclusion that you probably have to do the above if you want to lose the amount of weight they need to lose for that show. However, it does give the wrong impression to people who are watching it that it has to be a "go, go go, shut up bitch, work' sort of scenario.
On the contrary, I actually do not feel I have been missing out, I have not been going incredibly hard, I have just been doing my own thing, eating regularly, excercising regularly, going out for dinner, doing normal things really but in moderation.
I really believe that that is the key word of dieting, moderation in everything and the weight has been dropping of me like nothing else. I actually am flabbergasted by how it has been going.
I tried those bars and shakes and what not that you can buy, all I can say is, fuck that shit! I would rather have only half a sandwich of something I really like than a bowl full of soy shit that I do not like lol
I am not losing the amount of weight those people on those shows do, but in my own little world I am .. the biggest .. (go on say it)

Max To The Max

Well, today marked the first of the slightly longer rides, together with Emma (who got kicked off the bike for one lap by Beth!) we rode our first training session :) The ultimate goal of it will be for me to be able to ride to and from work and the plan will be that on the way home from work I will do 30 minutes around Jamison again. Reason? Sharon works till 1800 and I only until 1700 so if I do that, we will probably arrive sort of at the same time at home.

We had a lot of fun today, I really really forgot how much fun bike riding actually is and I am almost ashamed of that because being Dutch, it is in our blood! Hell, there are 3 times more bikes in Holland than there are people for crying out loud!

Anyway, this was another murmur, tired but satisfied, I will talk to you all again soon :)

Well, today marked the first of the slightly longer rides, together with Emma (who got kicked off the bike for one lap by Beth!) we rode our first training session :) The ultimate goal of it will be for me to be able to ride to and from work and the plan will be that on the way home from work I will ... http://the-diabetes-adventure.posterous.com/max-to-the-max

Setting goals and challenges for myself

I have been getting on the treadmill every morning, early if I have to go to work or a bit later if it is my RDO and even though at first it was hard to reach the 30 minutes at even a low speed, now it is getting easy even at a much higher speed. I am not running, I am walking as fast as I can, I do not want to wear out my joints any more than I have too. I will run at some stage but I have to weigh a lot and I mean a lot less first before that will happen. 

I use this app called Nike+ ( see the link in the top bar) which calculates, calories burnt, steps taken, pace, distance and time. It also lets you set your own personal goals and challenges.. some even to beat your own personal record. It lets you listen to your own music and all in all, it is an awesome and extremely useful app.

I am going to be off next week so I am hoping to be able to do some cycling at the Regatta Centre, if not it will be Jamison Park again but as I found out the other day, losing calories is a lot more fun outside and on the bike ;)

At the end of next week we will go on a short break so I won't be able to go on the treadmill but apparently the beach is right near where we are staying so I am hoping for actual beachwalks of longer than half an hour, so I am really looking forward to that.

I am winning already, I got some clothes out that did not fit me anymore which now fit me again, my workpants need to be replaced because even on the tightest fit, they are starting to fall of me. I am so SO stoked about that, it is an incentive to keep on going and push even harder and that is where the bike comes into the equation as well. Anyway, enough for today, thank you for reading and see you again at the next blog :)

I have been getting on the treadmill every morning, early if I have to go to work or a bit later if it is my RDO and even though at first it was hard to reach the 30 minutes at even a low speed, now it is getting easy even at a much higher speed. I am not running, I am walking as fast as I can, I do ... http://the-diabetes-adventure.posterous.com/setting-goals-and-challenges-for-myself

Max Gets Dizzy ...

The other day we bought a car rack that does not need a towbar to be attached to the car. Rather elegant solution really. They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so have a look:

When it was a nice day, I hooked it up to the back of the car, which takes a few seconds only and we went down to Jamison Park to have a test ride. Got the gear on, got the bikes ready to go and away we went. For the both of us it was like we had never stopped riding a bike, we had no trouble getting back into the swing of things. 

One of the things I love about bike riding is that flies and other nasty little flying critters, cannot swarm around your face like the little bastards that they are. 

It was only a short ride to test the bikes and the rack and all the other gear we had bought but in the short time we rode, we still got rid of 392 calories. 

Now that we are a little bit further down the road time frame wise, Beth is going to want a bike as well and join in the fun because above all.. I sure had forgotten how much damn fun bike riding is!

The other day we bought a car rack that does not need a towbar to be attached to the car. Rather elegant solution really. They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so have a look: When it was a nice day, I hooked it up to the back of the car, which takes a few seconds only and we went down to Jami ... http://the-diabetes-adventure.posterous.com/max-gets-dizzy

iDiabetes ...

Life as a diabetic is a lot easier now I reckon than it was say 25 years ago. All the small devices that we carry around like the phones, pads and other gadgets serve as databanks instead of the pieces of paper or little books that a diabetic would use in the past to write down their BSL results etc.

An app I have been using since I was diagnosed has been MyNetDiary, absolutely brilliant little app to control your daily intake of.. well.. crap really lol

Basically how it works is: you put in what you eat and it will tell you all information that is needed for you to know using a point system whether or not to actually eat it, or how much of it, or not at all. 

On my travels of the Net I also ran into this particular very interesting video, worth a watch if you are interested. It really confirmed my personal feelings of being able to live and thrive with diabetes, rather than becoming someone who cannot do anything else other than complain.

thrivingwithdiabetesbroadband.wmv Watch on Posterous

 In a couple of weeks from now, I will have to go back to the Educator, who originally actually told me the wrong thing about one of my medications, the dietician and a chap called Dr. Champion, who will do .. things lol Tomorrow we will need to make some appointments for some eye and feet specialists just for checkups and well, that is it then.

To be quite honest, when all is said and done, I feel better than I have in a very very long time, so if I have to go through all of the above, so be it, darn easy choice, that is for sure :)

 

 

Max meet world... world meet Max ...

Getting told you have diabetes makes your heart skip a beat and your mind starts going at a million miles an hour, questions are being asked inside yourself, things like:

Am I going to die soon?

What does this mean for the people around me?

Why did I get it?

What have I done to deserve this?

 

Well, I will answer them one by one:

Am I going to die soon? No, I am not providing I take the actions that the people who know have told me to take.

What does this mean for the people around me? This, by a longshot, is the most important question out of the four I asked myself. They are going to be afraid of losing me if I keep doing the same old, same old. So, let's not do that. In that second that they told me that I have diabetes, I decided for myself and moreover for them, that I will do everything and anything in my power to get healthy so that I can spend as much time with them that I can. The healthier I am, the more chance I have reaching 80 ;) What else does it mean for them? Well, it means that I am driving them nuts with all the dietary things I am looking up, keeping track of and wanting to get out there and do the right thing.. by them and myself.

Why did I get it ? That is a question that did not take too much self-reflection to actually answer. I got it because I lived incredibly unhealthy, lollies being my forte, eating too much of the bad things and not enough of the good things. Being Dutch, fats are a mandatory part of my diet, which of course is NOT a good thing. The silly thing is that now that I am on a diet and living healthy, I am actually not missing it at all, I am guessing that is because every time I think of a lolly or something unhealthy that little voice inside me reminds me of my wonderful Sharon, Emma and Beth and the craving subsides. The short answer to this question though is: "Because I am an idiot"

What have I done to deserve this? The better and more accurate question in retrospect would be: What haven't I done to deserve this? I am aware of this, I take full responsibility for the fact that I have diabetes, I am just glad that I got a warning at the beginning of this year and not the final and last call.

Anyway, I am getting a little teary, so I will introduce you all to my new friend.. Max The Bike, him and I will be seeing a few cobblestones in the coming years :)