Weigh in today Daz? How's it going?

 

 

:bump:

 

 

chop chop ...

Off the grog again after the last little slip up. Managed to drop the couple of kilos that I had put back on.

Completed the Joondalup half marathon on Sunday. Did it in a PB and achieved the goal I set of under 1hr 50 mins, if you go by net time. Super happy. Keep up the good work fellas and stay positive, we can all do this.

Cheers Dave.

.

Well done @@Pops110, keep the flame burning. @@Darren69, what's happening with you?

Well I have got fat again - ballooned up to 83.5 kg after hitting 80. Bugger. Time to get back on the rower a little more regularly than 3 times a week. Oh and stop eating tiramisu.

Edited May 12, 201510 yr by Tom.Stopforth

I can sympathise as I've also added 5kg post surgery. Will be getting back on the saddle again shortly.

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Well I have got fat again - ballooned up to 83.5 kg after hitting 80. Bugger. Time to get back on the rower a little more regularly than 3 times a week. Oh and stop eating tiramisu.

 

What size are you? Height build ect? 83.5 sounds fine unless your under four foot.

Well I have got fat again - ballooned up to 83.5 kg after hitting 80. Bugger. Time to get back on the rower a little more regularly than 3 times a week. Oh and stop eating tiramisu.

 

How about you restrict yourself to one tiramisu a week? Have it straight after you jump on the scales and have recorded a weight loss of, say, .5 - 1kg? Think of it as a reward for a job well done.

 

It is possible to have some of the things you like within a controlled diet @. Control is what it's all about really. I have faith in you Andrew.

I am hovering around 95, need to get the needle heading south again as well.

Three day seminar this week (just back in the orifice today), so heeeps of food and then beers at night.

How about you restrict yourself to one tiramisu a week? Have it straight after you jump on the scales and have recorded a weight loss of, say, .5 - 1kg? Think of it as a reward for a job well done.

 

It is possible to have some of the things you like within a controlled diet @. Control is what it's all about really. I have faith in you Andrew.

 

Thanks Juk

I'm just being a sook. In truth I fluctuate between 82 and 83kg most days, and it's lack of exercise, and a heavy workload, that has prevented more weight loss. I jumped up at 6am this morning and cracked out 30 minutes on the rower, and will do another 30 tonight. 

 

Work load is easing up, so have no excuse. 

 

Yup - have tiramisu once a week - usually on a Thursday evening when we go out for a bite at our local Italian. Seafood pasta and a shared tiramisu. Gosh my guilty pleasures are out for all to see.

 

On more positive news - now up to 197 days off the grog (6.46 months), have changed mood stabilizers to Cymbalta (duloxetine) which I am enjoying. Dose is down cf escitalopram (Lexapro), mood is stable (or as stable as a 24 karat depressive can get - if I put my mind to it I can overcome any happy pill) and energy levels are up (it's the nor-adrenaline re-uptake inhibitor acting). Plus it inhibits food cravings.  So overall, life is pretty good. 

 

Re the grog - ever now and then I have a pang for a really good glass of wine or a coldie, but then I remember the consequences of my boozing and I retreat very happily into my sobriety - it's amazing feeling to be totally in control of your actions. I doubt I'll ever be able to drink again, which doesn't really bother me - less so as time goes on.

 

What I really want is a Labrador. Time to move out of Sydney, I suspect. 

Edited May 13, 201510 yr by Tom.Stopforth

OMG! Haven't been under 80kg's since last century.

 

 

Had to cut back on drinking cause it seems to cause inner ear inflation in my right ear, cutting out low frequencies and if thats not bad enough I can also get bad bouts of vertigo. The only thing that seems to stop this is to limit drinking to a few beers a week and do occasional vigorous exercise to get the blood pumping......god is cruel.

god is cruel.

 

 

That, Paul, is gospel.

Haha!! very good.

@@awty my partner gets vertigo and her quack told he to fling herself down repeatedly onto something soft (obviously) to shake up the inner ear particles that cause it!

I keep wanting her to do it for entertainment value but she wont, haha!!

I am enjoying drinking very much since cutting back, tastes better, I look forward to it and only require a couple to feel quite satisfied, it's great.

Quite interesting, all the stages one goes through in life, I must say. The weaknesses and strengths seem to all wax and wane as the years pass.

I went quiet on this thread as I fell off the wagon and over the course of a couple of months, things have regressed to a point where my wife is getting upset. Not because I'm drunk, but because I trigger bad memories of her ex husband, who was a full blown, fall down drunk alcoholic.

 

I have found that my moods seem to be a trigger for regular drinking. I'm not sure if I can categorise myself as depressed, but the financial stress of now being a sole director of my company gets to me and sometimes means sleepless nights. I've also found it is like somebody has hit the dynamic compression filter on my moods, just always feeling flat and things that used to get me up and excited are now just ho-hum, even the stereo, AV systems and cycling. Thinking of going to the quack today to talk through my issues. I know a lack of exercise isn't helping.

 

My wife has also suggested a natural mood enhancer, SAMe, not sure if anyone here has used it.

Edited May 14, 201510 yr by blybo

Thanks Juk

I'm just being a sook. In truth I fluctuate between 82 and 83kg most days, and it's lack of exercise, and a heavy workload, that has prevented more weight loss. I jumped up at 6am this morning and cracked out 30 minutes on the rower, and will do another 30 tonight. 

 

Work load is easing up, so have no excuse. 

 

Yup - have tiramisu once a week - usually on a Thursday evening when we go out for a bite at our local Italian. Seafood pasta and a shared tiramisu. Gosh my guilty pleasures are out for all to see.

 

On more positive news - now up to 197 days off the grog (6.46 months), have changed mood stabilizers to Cymbalta (duloxetine) which I am enjoying. Dose is down cf escitalopram (Lexapro), mood is stable (or as stable as a 24 karat depressive can get - if I put my mind to it I can overcome any happy pill) and energy levels are up (it's the nor-adrenaline re-uptake inhibitor acting). Plus it inhibits food cravings.  So overall, life is pretty good. 

 

Re the grog - ever now and then I have a pang for a really good glass of wine or a coldie, but then I remember the consequences of my boozing and I retreat very happily into my sobriety - it's amazing feeling to be totally in control of your actions. I doubt I'll ever be able to drink again, which doesn't really bother me - less so as time goes on.

 

What I really want is a Labrador. Time to move out of Sydney, I suspect. 

The less as time goes on is a fact I have found, has been a long time for myself, but even after 10 years I found I had lost the taste or conditioning for it. It tastes like that first drink ever.....like poison, maybe what floor cleaner might taste like

 

Doing great, Andrew

I went quiet on this thread as I fell off the wagon and over the course of a couple of months, things have regressed to a point where my wife is getting upset. Not because I'm drunk, but because I trigger bad memories of her ex husband, who was a full blown, fall down drunk alcoholic.

 

I have found that my moods seem to be a trigger for regular drinking. I'm not sure if I can categorise myself as depressed, but the financial stress of now being a sole director of my company gets to me and sometimes means sleepless nights. I've also found it is like somebody has hit the dynamic compression filter on my moods, just always feeling flat and things that used to get me up and excited are now just ho-hum, even the stereo, AV systems and cycling. Thinking of going to the quack today to talk through my issues. I know a lack of exercise isn't helping.

 

My wife has also suggested a natural mood enhancer, SAMe, not sure if anyone here has used it.

 

Glad to have you back. 

 

Wife's I have found, are a very good judge of what is going on with you, when sometimes it is hard to have that insight. 

 

One of the reasons I openly talk about my mental health issues on this forum, and under my own name, is to de-stigmatize the issue, and encourage others who are suffering needlessly to get help. The free publicity is something I don't need in my professional life, but I feel strongly about the subject. 

 

FWIW, my experience has been that the greatest gift I have given my wife is to stop drinking. Our relationship is much better in consequence, and she tells me I am chalk and cheese to what I was. Apart from the extremes of my behaviour, I do not see it, but she does. Rarely does a day go past when she does not thank me for giving up the turps, and being a much better husband. I am in turn rewarded by a much better wife. 

 

If your wife is recalling her former partner by your behaviour, I suggest that you may have a problem with your drinking, whether you are aware of it or not. 

 

I haven't any experience with SAMe, but note it is a non prescription amino acid (S-adenosylmethionine). I haven't looked at the randomized controlled trials of it, but tend to be skeptical of the more holistic / homeopathic remedies as a rule. Abit like CBT - non drug interventions tend to work at the (very) lower end of the scale but fall off in their efficacy as the pathology increases. In major depressive illness, for instance, CBT is (widely regarded as) next to useless (certainly it was for me). The problem lies in what psychiatrists call major depressive illness, and what psychologists call major depressive illness. The two are not, as I understand it, remotely similar. 

 

It sounds to me, and I cannot know what exactly is going on with you, nor am I medically qualified to give any opinion, that you are probably at some risk.

 

I can helpfully suggest that you 1) stop the boozing today and 2) go talk to your doctor today or tomorrow and be open to a low dose mood stabilizers/ anti anxiolytic, at least for a period of time, to stabilise  your mood. It takes a week or two to get to the levels you want, and the received wisdom appears to be to start low and go slow. Any decent SSRI or SNRI will assist (the only one to avoid is paroxetine hydrochloride -  trade name Aropax - it is very unpleasant to come off). 

 

Finding the right drug that works well for you can take time, and depression is not a fixed point in the ground; I think of it like a continuum, which I slide along according to the internal and extrinsic pressures I am experiencing at any given time. Everyone is different, and what works for one may not work for another, and what is necessary for one may not be necessary for another. Personally I would never chose to live my life without drug therapy. I have seen (felt) what that looks like and I do not care for it one jot.

 

Self medication with booze/ street drugs makes things worse, not better, in my experience.

 

With health professionals (or indeed any service provider) I am also something of a fan of finding the best person you can, pay him whatever he wants and take his advice ("his" being understood to be gender neutral here). For mental health, i prefer to see a psychiatrist than a GP. And not just any psychiatrist - rather one that has been recommended to me, one who stays current, one who is evidence based and one runs an in & out patient practice. The one I see is a drug and alcohol psychiatrist, and spends half his life in hospitals, so I have confidence he has a good understanding of pathology, and the effects of drug and alcohol across all sectors.

Edited May 14, 201510 yr by Tom.Stopforth

Just an idea, but maybe best to seek out advice from a Doctor and then approach the stopping?

 

I don't know the drinking habits of those here, but people can die stopping cold, and need to first know if they are one that might be at risk.

My wife has also suggested a natural mood enhancer, SAMe, not sure if anyone here has used it.

My son has had long term problems with anxiety and depression, made worse by any of the medications he was put on. We found a doctor who does many tests and treats using vitamins and minerals and stuff, very custom made. He still was feeling down and he tried SAMe which lifted his mood and he still takes it occasionally when he is down and it seems to perk him up. On the other hand my wife and I have tried it and found anxiety to get worse, so really you need someone who knows about the way it works and can test you to see if it is going to help you, but SAMe has way less side effects than any anti depressant, it is just an amino acid that your body should naturally produce.

I too get down when under a heap of stress with work (self employed) and stuff and really find that talking to someone can help, but the best thing is excessive........oh remember alcohol is a depressant. Good luck you'll get through it, we all do, theres always a light at the end of the tunnel.

I am sort of like Andrew, I can easily speak about it because I have never given the monster any strength, is natural, something that happens to a lot of people and can talk about the whole thing like it is a broken leg or something.

How the rest of the world handles that is up to them, not me, and it may help all of the lurkers who don't want to be as open about things, which is their choice and is respected.

Edited May 14, 201510 yr by Darren69

The hardest thing about a depressive episode is to sit still and suck it up. Personally i think of it like quicksand, the more you fight it, the faster you sink. These days when it occurs with me (and it is not very often at all) I take a day or two off work (if possible - it isn't always), stay home and watch mindless TV, or listen to music. I also find it is important to schedule in relaxation time, like today, where I am actively ignoring my work load, and posting on a forum instead of making money. 

 

Reminds me of this quote:

 

“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.†

 

― Blaise Pascal, Pensées

 

Amen.

@

 

That's an interesting observation, Andrew. As in general I see most folk can't sit with themselves without distractions available.....especially in our very busy society.

 

Relaxation/meditation is a good tool to have/use.

 

Hah! from me, that has been procrastinating about meditation for a long time since it was the norm for me.......I should listen to myself and act for a change I miss being able to sit for long periods without thoughts. I need to give myself a boot up the ... :lol:

Never a truer word said and never more valid than nowadays, in our noisy and ever-accelerating world.

Silence therapy is a very important part of my day, when required. Let the brain stop and be still.

Hehe, I have my camper trailer parked in my warehouse. With the queen sized bed extended so I can get in there when need be. It's getting a bit cold down there now but I've been known to spend 1/2 an hour down there in a dark quiet space, just to slow the brain down, but I feel asleep. At times all I want to do is sleep.

@@blybo - today is a great day to make some changes. Why not try a night or two off the booze, buy your wife some choc's and flowers instead, or take her out for a meal? My wife is being a  grumpy cow today ( I don't think it is anything I have done but hey - who knows), and I'm thinking of ways I can try and perk her up. Flowers are usually nice. Something just for her anyway.

 

I know being tired all the time can be a symptom of depression. As can racing thoughts, ruminating, low mood, poor sleep, etc

 

My experience is when you stop drinking, you tend to feel alot less tired. You sleep better, you feel better and you have more energy. It took me a good 4 months off the bottle before I found an equilibrium, and my brain stopped fighting itself. But then again, that is just me. Everyone is different.

 

Edit: right that is enough of me on the forum today. back to the grindstone for now.

Edited May 14, 201510 yr by Tom.Stopforth

Changes are afoot. I'll certainly be off the grog, till Saturday, it's our anniversary but a wine or Champagne together over dinner is harmless I think.

 

I've also got a doctors appointment this afternoon. Can talk over these feelings and at least start to get to the bottom of things. It's also a good excuse to get a referral to a dermatologist, been meaning to do so for months.

@@blybo - great stuff. Sharing a bottle won't kill you. Just make sure it isn't a bottle (or two) by yourself  , or 3 beers, half a bottle of wine and then into the whisky  . . That is when the trouble starts....or so I seem to remember. I reckon not drinking on your anniversary would be the best thing you could give your wife, incidentally. She would love you for it.

 

Please report back after you have had a chat with the good doctor. You aren't alone mate. 

edit: how did I get back on here today?? Bloody SNA..

Edited May 14, 201510 yr by Tom.Stopforth