Friday 26 December 2014

To the lighthouse

The new year is almost here, and I plan to use the remaining time as a period of deliberate hedonism and excess. Expect some garbled posts both here and in other forums.

For on January the 1st, I intend to institute, implement and instill a few big changes.

1. I can no longer buy alcohol. This is not to say I cannot drink alcohol, but if I want to drink it, other people will have to give it to me, or I will have to make my own.

I have 25 litres of home brew on the go right now, and it should be ready for about the first week in february, although I might start on some of it before it's ready. As one demijohn empties, I will refill it with sugar, water, yeast and flavouring, but I shall endeavour not to buy any more demijohns either.

2. I will make my way from here to Leasowe Lighthouse, without the aid of an internal combustion engine, 5 days in every week, regardless of weather. Jogging there and back would be best, but if I walk or cycle, that also qualifies, at least at first. I'm rather heavy right now. I've measured it on google earth, and it's almost exactly one mile there and one mile back. Not a massive ask, two miles a day. If I'd proposed a more distant target, I'd be less likely to stick to achieving it. Even now, I wonder if I can stay motivated.

3. By the combination of the above, I hope and plan to be two stones lighter come the end of 2015.

The current batch of home brews is an experiment.

1. Using marmite and 2 kilograms of sugar, twice the recommended amount, I'm hoping to make a sort of sherry. Thick, sweet and strong.

2. I'm using just a pound of sugar instead of a kilo. This in in conjunction with fruitjuice, which of course already contains sugar. One of these uses 100% fruitjuice. The other, due to a lack of attention to detail when buying the juice, is reconstituted and contains just 20%.

3. I poured a tin of treacle into a demijohn, and added yeast and water, just to see what would happen. It took a week to get started, but it's bubbling away quite happily now. I haven't got a clue what it will taste like when it's finished.

4. A "normal" brew, with 5 litres of fruitjuice, and 1 kilo of sugar.

The energy of the sugar is not really expended in the reaction that turns it into alcohol. If it were, my demijohns would heat up. So drinking 5 litres of my normal brew is equivalent to eating a kilogram of sugar in calorific terms.

It's been a while since I weighed myself, but after todays blowout, I imagine I've crossed the 15 stone threshold. I will weigh myself at the new year, and record a sporadic diary entry here on how things are going.

And that's all for now.

driving lessons in North Wirral? learn to drive in Hoylake? driving instructor in Birkenhead?

5 comments:

Pete said...

Re-read your post. Resolve to stop buying alcohol followed by 4 paragraphs drooling over the minutiae of the homebrew process. It is apparent to me, the casual observer, that you have not truly committed to this. You will probably claim otherwise. I don't doubt you think are up for some weight loss but you are not prepared yet to make the necessary sacrifices. I think about a couple of years ago, I posted, "Chuck out the demi-johns." Same still applies.

The best way to lose weight is to count calories. It is proven and it works.

Have you thought of a learning to ride a motorbike resolution. Didn't you resolve that a few years ago? Anyway now there are 4 bike licences, AM, A1, A2 and A. You missed the boat a bit by not doing it earlier. Anyway, the option still remains.

Good luck with the weight loss.

Paul said...

I walked to the lighthouse on Jan 1.

I walked around Hoylake golf course with my dad on Jan 2.

I've done buger all since. (back working loads of hours pretty much straight from the off, and it so far hasn't happened)

But I haven't bought any alcohol. I've started on some of the low sugar ones. They're just as strong, but take less time to mature, and are much less alcopop. In time they might turn into a passable wine.

So much for good intentions.

If I can get people working for me, I won't have to spend 12 hours a day sitting in a car, so I do want to work hard on expanding my school.

Will you be in Ingerland any time this spring, Pete?

Pete said...

Well done for starting. The key is the consumption of calories. Here is an exercise for you, photograph and post with a description everything you eat and drink in a 24 hour period. You may also need a cheap set of kitchen scales. Then guesstimate how many calories in each, tot it up and post. No exercise required. I am sure if you don't cheat and look at the nutritional information on the packet, you will be surprised at your calorie consumption. By cutting out cans of Coke and crisps, you can easily reduce your tally to 2000 a day. It is easy. Do this and you will lose weight at a rate of 4 pounds a month.

I arrive in England on April 1 and I will be on my guard against unfunny pranksters!

My latest "hypothetical car", that is the car I would hypothetically buy if I bought a car, which I probably won't, is a Nissan Juke. Are they suitable for driving instruction? This "hypothetical car" will change again in a few months.

Back to weight loss, I am 10 stone. You are 1.5 me!

Paul said...

Nissan Juke as tuition vehicle?

Not something I've seen around at all, and I suspect there are reasons for that. It's quite big, and generally learners in the uk learn in smaller cars, although the situation is different in Europe, and I suppose in the USA. I also think the sightlines to the rear might make reversing quite difficult.

As to the list of food, well that's a good idea. Today I've had a mushroom omelette with salad, made by Bren. Dunno how many calories.

Also had 2 packets of crisps, and an egg mayo sarnie from asda, and some couscous and falafel stuff from tescos

Pete said...

Nissan Juke is a lot smaller than you might think. But I concede that Western Europe is the small car capital of the world and what is small in terms of the average vehicle in other parts of the world is medium-sized or even large in the UK.

To calculate the calories consumed, one needs the weight.

e.g. Walkers Crisps come in various sizes. The salt and vinegar 33g pack contains 169 calories. 2 packs are 338 calories. That is 17% (one-sixth) of your daily calorie intake on food with no nutritional value. You probably had them on the run at work. You need to keep carrots, apples and oranges in the car and bananas and water. You also didn't mention what you drank. Things like Coke contain a massive amount of sugar. You cannot simply not count calories in liquids.

I applaud your candour. I still feel you have some way to go before you have reached a point you could call "committed".