Things you love today.

[Sangsom]

9 minutes ago, boydeste said:

The main driver for reducing my intake is for my general health. After a few years of stress due to family bereavement, I had put on loads of weight and got diagnosed with a heart condition. My blood pressure was high too! My alcohol intake was around 200 units a week. My doctor had never had anyone admit to drinking that much before! Given my honesty, I convinced the doctor to give me a year to loose some weight and recuce my drinking down to recommended levels as the situation wasn't normal for me!

A year or so later I have now lost 2 stone and only drink at the weekends, my blood pressure has come down to normal for my age, but the lower value tends to be a bit higher than ideal. With monitoring it every day I found that after 3 days of heavy drinking it would rise quite a bit and take another 3 to 4 days to come back down again. Not to mention feeling so crap in the mornings with a hangover. The amount I was drinking was gradually getting more and more too.

So, I was due for a review by the doctor, he wanted BP taken morning and night every day for a week, this I did and the average came out as high normal. He was happy with my progress and agreed not to put me on meds as long as I reduced my drinking and hopefully loose some more weight after we come out of lockdown.

This coincided with an appointment to get my Jab. Quite a few friends have had a reaction to the jab so I decided that to give my body the best chance I would stop drinking for 2 weeks and also I would get an idea how my BP would be effected.

My 2 weeks finished on Monday, so naturally with no booze midweek I am close to 3 weeks now! The last few days my BP has started to come down some more and now I am getting low normal values for my age. This surprised me, as well as pleased me, also any mild liver damage due to booze is proven to totally recover within 4 weeks so the decision is made to go a whole month now.

Long term aim is to loose some more weight and drink moderately at the weekend and hopefully keep that BP in the normal range to stay off the meds. If I can manage the drink, eat heathy and exercise the weight should take care of itself.

I just realised I have waffled on a bit, sorry for that.

Good effort mate, I’ve deffo got worse with drinking the last few years as well so need to rein myself in. Looking at the food thread you are doing well with all the veggies as well, I reckon another easy win for you would be to switch out some of the red meat you eat to chicken or some other protein as you seem to eat big lumps of it most days. 

[boydeste]

20 minutes ago, Sangsom said:

Good effort mate, I’ve deffo got worse with drinking the last few years as well so need to rein myself in. Looking at the food thread you are doing well with all the veggies as well, I reckon another easy win for you would be to switch out some of the red meat you eat to chicken or some other protein as you seem to eat big lumps of it most days. 

Thanks.

Interestingly, I have a freezer full of chicken breast but don't really do much with it apart from making a curry in the slow cooker.  Maybe I need to look at other ways of cooking it.

[john luke]

19 minutes ago, boydeste said:

Thanks.

Interestingly, I have a freezer full of chicken breast but don't really do much with it apart from making a curry in the slow cooker.  Maybe I need to look at other ways of cooking it.

Whilst I would assume your tastes move towards spicy rather than bland, could I suggest pre cook the chicken breasts (grill/oven/steam), cut into chunks and do in the wok as a stir fry with mushrooms vegetables and rice.  Sauce can be added according to taste.  Once cooked it can be divided into portions and frozen for later used.  Can be re cooked either in wok or microwave.

[KWA]

23 minutes ago, boydeste said:

Thanks.

Interestingly, I have a freezer full of chicken breast but don't really do much with it apart from making a curry in the slow cooker.  Maybe I need to look at other ways of cooking it.

Stir fry for me too.  Diced up chicken and onions into the pan first, mushrooms and tomatoes a few minutes later.  Drain off any oil and finish on the heat again after soaking with sweet soy and Maggi's sauce.

[fygjam]

19 minutes ago, john luke said:

Whilst I would assume your tastes move towards spicy rather than bland, could I suggest pre cook the chicken breasts (grill/oven/steam), cut into chunks and do in the wok as a stir fry with mushrooms vegetables and rice.  Sauce can be added according to taste.  Once cooked it can be divided into portions and frozen for later used.  Can be re cooked either in wok or microwave.

You forgot the diced bacon, stir an egg through it as it's cooking, brown up some blanched almonds/raw cashew and add along with some cajun spice. I cook it all the time.

PS. I use chicken thighs, breast goes a bit rubbery when you reheat (microwave) the frozen meals.

 

[boydeste]

1 hour ago, john luke said:

Whilst I would assume your tastes move towards spicy rather than bland, could I suggest pre cook the chicken breasts (grill/oven/steam), cut into chunks and do in the wok as a stir fry with mushrooms vegetables and rice.  Sauce can be added according to taste.  Once cooked it can be divided into portions and frozen for later used.  Can be re cooked either in wok or microwave.

 

58 minutes ago, KWA said:

Stir fry for me too.  Diced up chicken and onions into the pan first, mushrooms and tomatoes a few minutes later.  Drain off any oil and finish on the heat again after soaking with sweet soy and Maggi's sauce.

 

53 minutes ago, fygjam said:

You forgot the diced bacon, stir an egg through it as it's cooking, brown up some blanched almonds/raw cashew and add along with some cajun spice. I cook it all the time.

PS. I use chicken thighs, breast goes a bit rubbery when you reheat (microwave) the frozen meals.

 

I did buy a wok and tried a stirfry, but it turned out bland and crap. I know, my fault for being a poor cook.

I notice all of your dishes use small veg, I did mine with quite large chunks and had way too much fluid in the Wok, I added corn flour to thicken up and basically screwed it.

Adding rice would have soaked it up and given me more of a Risotto I guess, but trying to keep the carbs down.

I like the idea of KWA, drain the fluid out and add Soy sauce etc. I think that would have made a big difference.

Ummmm food for thought, literally LOL.

Note to self, cook chicken this week.

[maipenrai]

It's good to give yourself a break sometimes - I thought I would be drinking more being stuck at home for so long but I haven't done badly so far; I only have one drink a day at home because to me it is more of a social thing. I try to limit my happy hours to two or three times a week, and when I go I sit with my other retiree friends who are there every day and I simply don't want to keep up with their schedule. I thought I'd be doing a lot of walking this winter but with our record snowfalls I have been getting my share of exercise just moving the damned stuff - spring is slowly coming and we are all looking forward to it, and I have many yard projects planned for this summer so I don't think I will have any trouble keeping my weight constant or even losing a little more...

[Sangsom]

6 hours ago, boydeste said:

 

 

I did buy a wok and tried a stirfry, but it turned out bland and crap. I know, my fault for being a poor cook.

I notice all of your dishes use small veg, I did mine with quite large chunks and had way too much fluid in the Wok, I added corn flour to thicken up and basically screwed it.

Adding rice would have soaked it up and given me more of a Risotto I guess, but trying to keep the carbs down.

I like the idea of KWA, drain the fluid out and add Soy sauce etc. I think that would have made a big difference.

Ummmm food for thought, literally LOL.

Note to self, cook chicken this week.

I’d google some chargrilled chicken recipes mate and see what looks appealing in term of ingredients to add to make it tasty but still healthy as no frying like in a wok. You’ll find simple things like a bit of salt, pepper, lemon up to whatever you want basically, but there are a lot of options. You probably mostly want to butterfly the chicken assuming its a breast (which basically means slicing it down the middle so you have 2 thinner pieces instead of 1 thick piece), that way it chargrills easier and the inside gets cooked and it stays moist. All that can be done in a frying pan if you don’t have a griddle pan.

[thumper63]

I love that today is my AA Birthday. It has been 29 years today since my last drink of alcohol and that just amazes the holy hell of me. I have not been hung over for 29 years. I have not had a DUI ( driving under the influence) in 29 years. I have not woken up in a strange city and not known how I got there in 29 years. I have not been arrested in 29 years. I have not woken up to discover that I am now married to a gal I dont even recognize...... and so on an so on

It's  been a great life being sober

[lazarus]

1 minute ago, thumper63 said:

I love that today is my AA Birthday. It has been 29 years today since my last drink of alcohol and that just amazes the holy hell of me. I have not been hung over for 29 years. I have not had a DUI ( driving under the influence) in 29 years. I have not woken up in a strange city and not known how I got there in 29 years. I have not been arrested in 29 years. I have not woken up to discover that I am now married to a gal I dont even recognize...... and so on an so on

It's  been a great life being sober

Congrats...definitely something to be proud of.

I was thinking about drinking yesterday (still do sometimes). When I'm drinking it affects my thinking and I'm prone to making bad decisions that often sometimes have negative consequences. 

As is often said in Thailand... "you dink to mut"... 😉 

[Krapow]

Glasgow fucking Rangers i love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

[boydeste]

5 hours ago, thumper63 said:

I love that today is my AA Birthday. It has been 29 years today since my last drink of alcohol and that just amazes the holy hell of me. I have not been hung over for 29 years. I have not had a DUI ( driving under the influence) in 29 years. I have not woken up in a strange city and not known how I got there in 29 years. I have not been arrested in 29 years. I have not woken up to discover that I am now married to a gal I dont even recognize...... and so on an so on

It's  been a great life being sober

That's awesome mate, well done!

[Golfingboy]

@boydesteCan you share some before/after BP measurements please? 
 

It’s a fear of mine, I’ve hardly visited doctors the last 20 years. Just before Covid hit, I was doing mine at the supermarket,last January was 151/104. Now I dropped a bit of weight, and one of the nurses took it during Dads hospital stay......165/97. But I think I was stressed as hell and it’s an outlier.....but I’m still in the very high range. Guess only way is multiple tests over a period of time

[boydeste]

46 minutes ago, Golfingboy said:

@boydesteCan you share some before/after BP measurements please? 
 

It’s a fear of mine, I’ve hardly visited doctors the last 20 years. Just before Covid hit, I was doing mine at the supermarket,last January was 151/104. Now I dropped a bit of weight, and one of the nurses took it during Dads hospital stay......165/97. But I think I was stressed as hell and it’s an outlier.....but I’m still in the very high range. Guess only way is multiple tests over a period of time

When I was stressed, drinking 200 units a week and over weight my morning/night average over a week was 140/100.

After loosing 2 stone, walking most days and only drinking at the weekend my average was 130/89.

This week with not drinking for 3 weeks I am sitting around 126/83

Just taken this.

 

Edited March 7, 2021 by boydeste

[Golfingboy]

9 minutes ago, boydeste said:

When I was stressed, drinking 200 units a week and over weight my morning/night average over a week was 140/100.

After loosing 2 stone, walking most days and only drinking at the weekend my average was 130/89.

This week with not drinking for 3 weeks I am sitting around 126/83

Just taken this.

Thanks a bunch Stew. 200 units a week...... blimey. The last guy who quoted that amount here, quit cold turkey. My already weak tolerance is so low now, hardly touch it anymore. Still a dangerous binge drinker should the mood strike, but the odds of that are low. 
 

I think a DIY BP unit is on my list of things to purchase, just make sense 

[boydeste]

1 minute ago, Golfingboy said:

Thanks a bunch Stew. 200 units a week...... blimey. The last guy who quoted that amount here, quit cold turkey. My already weak tolerance is so low now, hardly touch it anymore. Still a dangerous binge drinker should the mood strike, but the odds of that are low. 
 

I think a DIY BP unit is on my list of things to purchase, just make sense 

At the time the booze got me through some very dark days mate!

BP machines are very cheap these days, especially if you buy the basic one, you don't need most of the extras that many have.

Your values quoted above are quite high and when things settle down in your life I would get some medical advice because if I had stayed at 140/100 the doctor was going to medicate me down to normal values.

[Nightcrawler]

I had a great day today

Took a good friend of mine who is being treated for cancer, on a long walk around Coulsdon golf course. Hardly anyone around and most of the time could only hear the, sound of silence and peace with only the occasional twitter of birds. Got some good exercise in and long conversations. Managed to revive his sick laptop for him and backed up his files. 

His missus cooked a roast lamb dinner for us which was perfect. 

I am knackered now. A couple of White Russians and off to bed.  I have online work most of this week and not much chance of regular exercise. 

 

[thumper63]

8 hours ago, boydeste said:

That's awesome mate, well done!

Thanks MrB. That means a lot.

[Krapow]

7 hours ago, thumper63 said:

Thanks MrB. That means a lot.

I'll be coming up to 20 soon myself! 

[andyajn]

On 3/7/2021 at 3:52 PM, thumper63 said:

I love that today is my AA Birthday. It has been 29 years today since my last drink of alcohol and that just amazes the holy hell of me. I have not been hung over for 29 years. I have not had a DUI ( driving under the influence) in 29 years. I have not woken up in a strange city and not known how I got there in 29 years. I have not been arrested in 29 years. I have not woken up to discover that I am now married to a gal I dont even recognize...... and so on an so on

It's  been a great life being sober

Sounds like you had some interesting times when you were drinking!

[Sangsom]

57 minutes ago, andyajn said:

Sounds like you had some interesting times when you were drinking!

My thoughts exactly. I’ve been horribly pissed more times than I can count but nothing like that ever happened to me! Think the worst has been picking up the odd minor drinking injury from falling/tripping over 🤡

[Stillearly]

1 hour ago, Sangsom said:

My thoughts exactly. I’ve been horribly pissed more times than I can count but nothing like that ever happened to me! Think the worst has been picking up the odd minor drinking injury from falling/tripping over 🤡

Same here , falling over , cuts and bruises , making an idiot of myself ...but no unintended marriages.. so far  555 😉 

[Krapow]

Finally getting booked for a 40min swim at our lido, outdoor heated pool for next Wed.

Been trying since Monday, you can book a week in advance, but get full within seconds, Glastonbury levels of anxiety!

 

[nampla69]

On 3/7/2021 at 3:52 PM, thumper63 said:

I love that today is my AA Birthday. It has been 29 years today since my last drink of alcohol and that just amazes the holy hell of me. I have not been hung over for 29 years. I have not had a DUI ( driving under the influence) in 29 years. I have not woken up in a strange city and not known how I got there in 29 years. I have not been arrested in 29 years. I have not woken up to discover that I am now married to a gal I dont even recognize...... and so on an so on

It's  been a great life being sober

You should be very proud of this WOW really well done mate ...... that Pretty Detroit Bitch is over 40 years sober but he gets messed up on coffee and sodas.

[nampla69]

1 hour ago, Krapow said:

Finally getting booked for a 40min swim at our lido, outdoor heated pool for next Wed.

Been trying since Monday, you can book a week in advance, but get full within seconds, Glastonbury levels of anxiety!

 

London Fields ??? Lovely place ..... you'll need the cold water to rebaptise and ask for forgiveness from the Lord for that hideous Avatar you now display.