big jim

I did slimming world back in 2009 and got down to 18.6 Stone from, if I remember right, 21 Stone, I just used it as a weekly weigh in session, didn’t hang about for the chats

I was looking at blood glucose meters but want sure what to get, I want one that will sync with my phone as the health app can keep tabs of it and upload the data to the various fitness and diet apps I am using

that’s why I like the online app, you don’t have to go and sit in a room every week getting weighed, as much as having support is good I’d rather just do it on my own (and get support off members on here instead)

The beauty of weight watchers is I’m not checking out what carb levels are, it’s self discipline to make sure I don’t get tempted by excess bread, pasta, potatoes etc although I do have to be careful as it does suggest ‘healthy recipies’ that are not exactly suited to diabetics, I.E jacket potato, pasta baked etc took the bike out earlier and thought I’d just have a short ride into silloth but it was such a lovely day I got a bit carried away and carried in to mawbray then thought, well it’s not far to Allonby so I may as well carry on, got there and turned back to silloth then when I got to within 1/2 mile of the van I thought I may as well carry on to skinburness and turn back there but carried on and did the circular route back to the van via the main road, managed a total of just short of 25 miles in total, now if you told me a week ago I’d do that I’d have asked you if you were on glue! got to say my backside is killing me now though!

Train driving defiantly doesn’t help with its weird shifts, you can’t really get a good eating or sleep pattern going, shifts are set out to give you optimum safe rest for example when switching between days and nights but it’s not that easy to get a routine going I like to think that despite of my weight and size I’m fairly nimble and can easily climb into a loco, walk a train length on ballast, get in between to uncouple etc, I know some drivers smaller than myself struggle to do those tasks Also I’ve downloaded the couch to 5k app and am going to have a go at that too, it says based on my ability that I can start on week 3, day 1, (1.5min run, 2 min walk x 6) which realistically I feel I can manage, I’ll do it in the sea front later

I’ve heard a lot about the couch to 5k in the radio etc over lockdown but didn’t realise it was an app, I’ll have a look at that in a bit and get it downloaded

I am aware of the laxative effects of sugar free or diabetic sweets, thankfully not first hand experience of it Ended up doing 15k steps yesterday but the last 4K (1.8 miles) involved a stop at the pub 1/2 way through and I don’t normally drink so the pace on the 2nd part was a bit slower and more zig zaggy Nice evening though might head the other way out of town tomorrow afternoon on the new costal cycle path toward Maryport direction (but not that far!)

The police moggie minor in silloth has gained a friend

Thanks for all the above replies, I’m in my mobile so it’s a pain to quote each one individually @boxbrownie yes one you are diabetic that’s it, even though I’ve dropped below the safe zone I’ll always be diabetic on paper! @CovDriver keep an Eye in your weight up front, I was about 18 Stone as a guard and it didn’t take too long to get to almost 23, I do a fair bit of activity on the freight side, not just a change end and 4 coach walk to the other but I still managed to balloon in size I have done weight watchers completely on line with the app on the phone, I can scan items in the shop to get the smart point for it so I can keep within my daily limits, it’s also recorded in the app so you can keep tabs on it daily and weekly @wombatofludham it’s going to be expensive having to get a whole new wardrobe! I also had a blow out the other week of ‘orange chips’ from the chippy near bescot, never heard of them before but they were lovely, for the woman to just do me one scoops worth though, as for chocolate if I do have some it’s sugar free or diabetic stuff, Aldi have just started doing sugar free bars which my diabetic mate showed me, again one or two pieces from it rather than a whole bar! anyway this afternoon I went for a walk into town and back but went the long way round I then went for a ride on the E-bike, considering I’ve not ridden a bike for 15 years I’m pleased with what I managed to do the bike is now on charge ready for another adventure tomorrow

Ive started a separate thread about my weight loss if anyone is interested......

Like ITG I’ve used the gaugemaster one with no issues whatsoever

Thought I’d start a separate thread to my at work one charting my attempt to lose a fair bit of weight and eventually climb snowdon! A bit of background, back in February I got told I was diabetic by the railway doctor so had to quickly make a lot of big lifestyle changes to be sure that, one I didn’t lose my job because of it but, two, more importantly I didn’t just drop dead! I had a blood test that revealed my blood glucose level was 76, the safe limit is anything below 47 so way too high straight away I joined weight watchers and cut out a lot of unhealthy foods, more to the point cut back on unhealthy foods, it was a bit hard at first to go from a 4 pack of full size chocolate bars down to nothing over night similarly 4 or 5 packs of grab bag crisps to nothing and cutting out my beloved pizza! So where are we at today, 3 months down the line and the lifestyle changes have made a huge difference to how I look and feel both physically and mentally, not going to say it’s been easy, but I’ve not felt like I’ve wanted to quit at all which is a good thing as it is a matter of life and death, not just doing it for vanity! I’ve slowly got used to what I can and can’t have and have managed to have crisps, pizza and chips again as part of my weekly routine just in a lot smaller quantities, what used to be say a dominos 2 for Tuesday offer where I could happily wolf down 2 large pizzas in a sitting is not down to a couple of slices and as happened last week in lodge, got a 12” pizza on the Tuesday and by Friday it still had a slice left that I never ate! My blood glucose level has gone from 76 to 43 so I’ve dropped below the safe level in the 3 months I’ve been doing things differently Which is fantastic As for weight, I was 22.8 Stone at the medical on 13th February which is now down to 20.1 Stone so a 2.7 Stone loss so far (17kg), losing that weight has made a massive difference to the way I feel, I used to feel sleepy all the time and would regularly fall asleep in the chair if an afternoon (thankfully not the driving seat!) but I did have to be checked for sleep apnea late last year which thankfully I didn’t have, I did used to regularly wake up unable to Breathe at night but that has stopped too, I’ve lost a lot of weight around my neck so that’s no doubt helped here I am in January with @Erixtar1992 foster cat ‘Mylo’ before he went to live with him And this is me today the T shirt I’m wearing is 4XL when I got them I was worried as they were a bit tight but now they are hanging off me, as for my 44 inch waist, those pants keep falling down, I’ve not checked but I must be down to 40 now at least As anyone who follows my other thread may know I’ve given myself the challenge to climb snowdon with a friend who is a driver at Holyhead when I get under 18 Stone so I’ve got to get a bit of proper training in as it’s morphed into being sponsored to raise money for the cat rescue my wife is involved in, thank you to those in here who have already given donations to the charity, I can provide a link if anyone else wants to donate As well as the incentive to climb snowdon I’ve got myself an electric assist bike on the cycle to work scheme that I’m going to use to travel from home to the station on days I can travel by train, I’ve taken it up to the caravan with me this weekend and have done a quick 4 mile round trip ride so far along the front at silloth just as sunset happened which was spectacular, I’m very impressed with the electric bike, really helps to keep a good turn of speed up, not very hilly in silloth but the bits i have driven it on hills it takes a lot of effort out of riding up them I’ve also picked up the latest book from Chris evans ‘how to train for and smash your first marathon in 119 days’ I’ll be honest I can’t see me running 26 miles by the end of October but if I can just use the tips and training guide to maybe get 5k to 10k done I’ll be happy, if I could do the full 26 mile I’d be amazed but I think I’m being realistic looking at the lower figure but who knows! So I’m going to use this thread (if anyone is interested) to chart my weight loss, fitness goals, ups and downs of my lifestyle change and take in any advice from those who are already keen cyclists, runners, diabetics, ex fattys etc, ok I’m starting 3 months in but the incentive of having the bike and only being 2lb off being below 20 Stone has spurred me on to share my ‘journey’ and advice and motivational tips will be appreciated!

Just one from Friday night bescot to rugby with empty falcons off til Wednesday now, then a couple of intermodals and 196s again

I’ve got some plasticote paint which is what the light rings are painted with, it’s basically rubberised paint, if you don’t like it you simply peel it back off, similarly if it gets damaged by Stone chips, peel it off and respray it

Got the bike earlier but they didn’t have a chance to charge it for me so I had to ride it home like a sucker with no assistance, quite surprised to be honest not as hard as I thought it would be, it’s a heavy bike (20kg) but I managed the 3 miles home with just one stop for a breather, looking forward to trying it with power! I may see if I can get it up to the caravan tomorrow and do a bit of the Solway cycle path as it’s nice and flat!

It’s called ‘pepper white’ I think I might black out the chrome on the grille surround too, wasn’t going to but that’s the final bit apart from the rear fog light surround which is already planned to do anyway

I’ve heard someone refer to a white/black mini combo as a StormCooper

To be honest I did think the same thing when I fitted it! last nights cyber squandering bagged me a set of 18” JCW alloys with tyres for £150 which I collected on my way into work Couple were a bit scabby and all needed a clean but they came out ok, I masked off the edge of the rough rims and patch sprayed the smaller bits of kerb rash on the others and now they look more than acceptable and on the car

Rail drop in beaconsfield last night my loco in bescot before moving it over to the train, 66728 Then it was away to the drop site, 10 rails dropped and changed ends to head back waiting in Wycombe for the possession to be lifted, 66777 on the rear, now the lead loco This sign was discovered under an advertising hoarding back in about 2012 and has been restored and left on display with the words ‘formally’ added to it as the line to Marlow is no longer there And this is the lesser photographed opposite side of it, an enamel sign And eventually back into bescot at 07:30 short job tonight, bescot to rugby as an aside for those interested in my weight loss ‘journey’ I’ve now lost 2 1/2 Stone but more importantly my diabeties blood sugar level has gone from a dangerous 76 down to a 43, the safe level is anything below 47 so 3 months of my lifestyle change has totally reversed the problem, this afternoon I’m off to Halfords to collect my new electric assist bike that I’ve got on the cycle to work scheme so I’ll be using that to get to and from the station when the weather is good

Regards Hornby selling on Amazon, I bought the terrier linked to on the previous page last week as it was £64 delivered, even put a link to it in bargain hunters, not a model I particularly wanted or needed but at that price compared to most model shops including the biggies on line it was a no brainier, even got an Amazon warehouse maunsell brake coach to go with it for £24 do I feel guilty buying it off Amazon, not at all!

Put a new spoiler on the diesel today, a fibreglass version of the G Wing I have on the Cooper S Got some black Mini badges to go on it too, then I need to get the DPF/cat fitted

build quality wise, yes

Just a few from last night New st Stafford Crewe same job again tonight

What is it?