Work Credofesto
Doing work is not enough.
Getting work done is not enough.
You will not get gold stars for neat handwriting,
complete paperwork, or Playing Well With Others.
Teamwork means removing yourself from the equation,
not splitting the credit.
You are not here to find yourself,
your soulmate, or for the Master to Appear.
Your job is to own the problem,
solve it better than it's been solved before,
and make sure it stays solved.
If you do a good job,
you'll get harder problems to solve.
Success, recognition, and mastery come from results and luck,
not effort. And from results only sometimes.
You fail only when you give up, and sometimes giving up is necessary.
Rinse & repeat.
Weight Reduction
This post is about my personal challenges with weight, and managing it in light of a metabolic disorder. None of it is meant to be self indulgent or congratulatory, and I promise there are some geeky bits near the end for those patient enough to wade through the content or who want to skip to the end. Sorry for being boring, but not for being me. On with the story:
Back in the day I could have been considered a "bean pole." I was highly athletic, and though moderately muscular any of the definition was overshadowed by being wiry (though I eventually outgrew the designation "gangly," thank heavens). This is back when I could afford to be so physically active, and before the effects of the McArdle's disease steadily clamped down on the stamina. More importantly, it's when I was also getting sufficient rest to compensate for the effects of the activity I pursued regardless.
I got married, and gained the requisite 10-15 lbs. that generally comes with it, simply due to a change in lifestyle - eating more frequently, and in the company of others on a schedule of well prepared food rather than "when it suits me" and consisting of "whatever's around." Even with that gain though I was smack in the middle of the Healthy band of the BMI (though individual results vary depending on body type, I'm fortunate to be a good match for the algorithmic archetype). That weight stayed steady for another year.
Then: The Desk Job. In the interest of advancing my career and furthering the capabilities and savings of our family, I changed from the more free-form telecommuting gig to one that met those requirements but also required standard office attendance. I have no issue with the work, or with good work ethic, but I had been liberally making use of the telecommute arrangement to rest as necessary in order to recover from the day's strain. With the desk job, that luxury was forfeit. Ignorant of the specific nature of my disorder at the time, I didn't realize how disastrous this would be.
Seated at the console, plugging away on the code (Object Pascal cum Delphi RAD environment for MS IIS ISAPI filters on the MetaStorm e•Work product) I found myself wearied as usual, but unable to deal with it. I compensated by being exceptionally stubborn, and when that fell short, supplemented with anything available to increase my blood sugar (I was also drinking a lot of water, which I attributed to the poor transition from Washington's temperate and moist environment to the Utah dessert two years before - but probably only half of what I now know would be required. Whatever the case, whenever Rachelle called I seemed to be in the bathroom). This latter strategy came with predictable side effects, and in the course of five months I put on some 40 pounds.
The rapidity of weight gain was certainly off-putting and distressing, especially as the combined weight of the entire supplemental caloric intake during this time didn't seem to be adequate to account for the change. I did my best to stabilize and cut back on the snacks, suffering through the stupor instead, and plunging into another round of medical inquiry to find out why I was so tired so I could hopefully do something other than eat to manage energy levels - these of course were ineffectual. Later, changes in jobs, the production of very very cute children, and general demands of the conditions of life slowly edged the weight upward until finally peaking at about 250 lbs. (113kg), at the same time that the last vestiges of regular physical activity (Kishindo martial arts) feel by the wayside.
I was frustrated, to say the least, but also largely to blame - by putting myself and my needs very last, I was doing myself this dramatic (and visible) harm until it interfered with my ability to continue to serve my family. I was so bogged down, waking up exhausted (and frequently nauseous), barely pushing through the day, and repeating. Minor gains in understanding, not necessarily of my condition but my reaction to it, gave me some latitude for correction and over the course of about 2-3 years managed to move from 250 back down to about 220.
The most recent improvements have come from a very complete comprehension of the condition and my situation. The management strategy I'm pursuing now allows me to walk that thin line between capacity and injury, and to retain cognizance throughout even the long days (with few exceptions). Combined with that, I've been able to leverage the inability to utilize stored glucose energy to maximize natural ketosis (the same condition the Atkins and other low-carb diets attempt to induce artificially) and consume stored lipids instead - this time without the crippling side effects causing near-comatose stupor. This means that from the first day of the diet I've been able to realize dramatic results, as detailed below:
Down, down she goes!
The weight log starts in late January, testing out the Wii Fit I'd gotten the family for Christmas (but was unable to play with myself, having been separated from them). Return visits to the family explain the infrequent initial measurements, followed by my more permanent return in lat March. Throughout April and May I was completing my research into the effects and side effects of McArdle's before finally establishing the current regimen. This failed to produce any effects on the weight though, so I sought out the advice of my buddy Joel - the most successful dieter I've ever seen. Over the course of a year his appearance completely changed, to the point that when we were re-united for a get-together I recognized his wife, and wondered who the heck was with her. Thus was born the references to the "Sexy Sexy Joel Diet" (as the diet belonging to and responsible for Sexy Sexy Joel, as opposed to the old Joel).
His secret? Has nothing to do with all of those "By following these X simple rules!!1!" ads that are all over the internet, nor with fad products, "cleansing," etc. He wasn't even exercising - just following the old Weight Watchers™ formula for calculating caloric intake in terms of points (calories / 50 + ( grams of fat / 12 ) - ( min{ grams of fiber, 4 } / 5 ) ) and his allowance for consuming them. Using a calculator and log on his iPhone he followed the simple principles over time to great effect.
I adopted the same pattern, and am pleased to report that, per the graph above, have dropped 32 lbs. in the course of just over 3 months. At this rate I have another month and a half or so to meet my long term goals, after which I can settle into a maintenance pattern. Looking at the trend line it's very slowly leveling out. It also has that cyclical up-tick I'm at a loss to explain - though I also admit that I haven't gone into an in-depth analysis for them yet, as they are inconsequential to the average / long view.
For the geekiest bits: the point system, whatever its failings, works. In order to make sure all measurements are taken consistently, they've all been done within the same hour of the day, in the same general outfit (light sweats, t-shirt), immediately following my carefully metered exercise (metered to avoid undue metabolic or toxic distress) in the morning before any kind of intake. This does mean that I've artificially skewed the measurement to the lowest point in a day's fluctuation, but given that I'm moving 10-15 lbs. of water though my system throughout the course of a day it makes sense to take a low baseline, since the peak water retention will fluctuate unpredictably (or according to parameters and timings I'd rather than make explicable by mapping when there's an easier solution). Doing it the same way every day is what makes the biggest difference in collecting the samples, which allow me to apply a general trend analysis instead of a specific margin of error per day. All measurements have been taken on the Wii Fit in order to keep the analysis consistent and to provide a log of the output as well, which I have carefully transcribed and reproduced above using Perl's GD::Graph module.
I have several other observations as a result of the experience, mostly regarding psychology and sociological trends, which I'll save for another time. For now I'm excited for the day when I can stabilize enough to buy new pants (which I'd rather only do once, an account of being a cheapskate). Also, while it's true that I may have an unfair advantage due to the super-charged ketosis, Joel's experience demonstrates the viability of the approach without such an inside track (a track, I might add, that is not worth the side effects if it can be avoided).
Bon (pétit) apétit!
Stay classy, Seattle
Ah, winter. Which, generally speaking, I love - but, if it comes with any kind of persistent precipitation, cripples the Northwest. Not just because they're wimps when it comes to snow, it's at least partially justified by tendency it has to turn into ice and the number and variety of hills which make up Seattle proper. Outlying suburbs, not so much - for them it's mostly the wimpy part.
The studio I live in now is probably hermetically sealed, as evidenced by the condensation that forms on the windows. A couple days into the various storms it managed to drip down to the bottom and freeze, pictured here.
Tigger, our inherited orange tabby, has an odd habit of licking things which suit him: gloves, coats, pant-cuffs, hands. It's anybody's guess what it's going to be, we have yet to identify any common element amongst his targets - there are other things which cats would typically love, like the wrapper from a stick of butter, which if given the opportunity to inspect he'll attempt to bury the same way he would his leavings in the litter box. However, he does leave a pretty pattern on the window:
Given my easy proximity to work, and my distrust for the driving ability of others in these conditions (as well as a healthy respect for the elements and an acknowledgment of my own limitations), I haven't been driving since it snowed. That means my car's been parked out on the lonely street accumulating snow this whole time, along with a few others in the neighborhood.
We've had about 8" so far - the first night was the strangest though, it started snowing in pellets before changing to conventional flakes. Not hail, honest pellets of snow that you could hear hitting the foliage - around 5am it was accompanied by a couple bolts of lightning less than 1/4 mile north of me, too. First time I've ever experienced lightning first-hand during a snow storm.
Last night added its own strange condition to things, blowing in tiny flakes for much of the night and eventually causing everything to ice over. I'm not sure if it was a change in temperature, or a fog which settled in on everything, or what, but the top 1/8th of an inch of snow has frozen into a texture like frosted glass. Every footstep crunch-crashes through the crust into the fine powder below. It made digging out the car an experience too, since it was not spared this treatment - in fact, any area not covered in snow is also covered with this same sheet of ice.
Which brings me to the title of this post: Stay classy, Seattle.
When I was 17 I got into a minor car accident in the Northwest. There were almost 2 lanes westbound on this street, but not quite (or at least not officially). There also isn't a turn lane, and shortly after an intersection the car directly in front of me stopped in order to turn left. I hesitated a moment, decided there was probably enough space to the right that I could go around him, and put on my blinker after checking my rear-view mirror to make sure traffic behind me was indeed stopped and was making no indication to go around me. Between the time I put on my blinker and started to move, the driver behind me decided that was a good idea too and pulled around on the right, and managed to clip the front third of my passenger side.
After pulling off to the side of the road to inspect things we wanted to make sure everything was in order and call the authorities in case a report needed to be filed. This was before the time when cell phones were common place, so neither of us had one - it was therefore decided that, since the other driver lived nearby, he'd run home real quick and give them a call from there. Which he did, and promptly returned, and everything was squared away - no report was needed because the damage to either vehicle didn't exceed the threshold, and no ticket was issued although I was apparently at fault for failure to yield right-of-way (another one filed under lessons learned).
It didn't dawn on me until days later that the driver of the other car didn't have to return. It was some time after that I realized that I too could have just taken off (we hadn't completed our information exchange yet) while he was gone and just left him in the lurch. My realization wasn't a "would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling etc." epiphany, it was more akin to a rumination about what a remarkable area to live in. That's just what the culture was.
Was. Past tense.
No note, no indication of ownership. I've heard spinning tires up and down the road and knew it was bad shape out there. I've always turned down the music and paid close attention, listening for the fateful crunch that would indicate assistance was necessary and/or somebody owed someone else money. Never heard it though - which means this probably happened some time Friday while I was still at work, and I missed it when I arrived home that evening. There are no recent tire tracks (and they're easy to spot in 8" of snow) that correspond to the accident, which is my only other clue as to the timing (it snowed fresh Friday night and most of yesterday afternoon and night). I'm fairly certain they were headed West (toward the rear of the car), as evidenced by the fact that the remains of the hub-cap were all slightly to the west of the rear tire.
Though I suppose it's just as possible they were sliding to the East, knocked the hub cap off, and a spinning tire ejected it to the West on their way. Either way I don't think someone could have done this unknowingly, which makes the lack of ownership disappointing.
Fortunately the door opens, moves its full extent, and closes just fine. There's no disposition in the tire which would indicate axle damage, and the sidewall is completely intact. It hurts the resale value of the car, and will probably contribute to the deterioration of the body, but the immediate serviceability appears intact. I'll find out when I move it later today to go to church, and eventually stash it in the garage of a friend for an extended stay while I visit Utah next week.
And if I hit anyone while I'm driving, which is unlikely, I'll be sure to leave a note.
UPDATED 2008-12-21 20:28
I was informed by a fellow motorist in passing (whilst stopped at an intersection) that it appears one of my rear wheels is about to fall off, based on how it's wobbling. A little more than superficial then I'm afraid - I have either a bent rim or a bent axle. I'm hoping it's the rim, since it's an order of magnitude less expensive - we'll find out when I finally have a chance to take it in for repairs after the holidays.