Day 004

I wee'd on a ketone stick this morning. These can show you whether you're passing ketones in your urine; ketones being a sign that fat is being burned for energy purposes. It would appear that I am in ketosis, which is a good indicator that I should be seeing some weight loss (it's really too early to tell right now).

Today is the start of the Hindu Festival of Lights, Diwali. We received an email to tell us that there's a load of free nosh in the staff kitchen. Normally, I'd be right in there, but I stayed on the good course. It helped that I had my veg soup in my hand at the time, so I was about to eat anyway.

Right, well, on to the homework. We've been asked to visualise a river. On one bank is "Where I Am" and the other is "Where I want to be". In the middle, the river represents "what's stopping me from getting to the other side".

I'm not entirely sure how much of an essay they expect here.

Where I Am:

• Nearly twenty stone
• Fearful of dying early, susceptible to diabetes, heart disease and other health-related complaints
• Bad habits around eating too much and not eating things that are good for me
• Too sedentary

What's Stopping Me From Getting To The Other Side:

• Lack of knowledge about food; I'm not completely ignorant, but I'm sure knowing more about what I eat could help me make better decisions. To get over this issue, I need to speak to my wife, because she's got more cooking books than Gordon Ramsay. She'll certainly have resources I can use.
• Willpower - need I say more? I think the idea of viewing things as choices I make rather than restrictions that are put upon me is helpful.
• Overcoming a lifetime's dislike of sport, engendered because I'm useless at it! I have actually signed up for a programme at work that might help. I may blog about this tomorrow.
• A need to take responsibility for where I am. I need to ensure I keep track of my weight responsibly and don't hide my head in the sand about it, and, if it's not where I want it to be, doing something about it.

Where I Want To Be:

• 13 Stone
• More Active
• Able to make informed choices about my food and lifestyle that will ensure I stay healthy
• I want to be able to go and have a nice meal, or go for a drink from time to time without letting it overrule my desire to be healthy.

I may change this a little before Sunday's meeting, but that will do to start with.