Author: Robert Ford

I saw a preview for the Doom Patrol TV show. Bonavista is only -3°; It’s almost that cold in Vancouver.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 53
Let’s talk about blood pressure. He talks about treating it the way I hear artists talk about composing music. I.e. I have no idea what he’s on about.

However, I’m in the normal-ish zone and will be on pills until I can reduce my weight and my situational stress.

It all sounds so simple. If I complain about the effort it will take, I’m a whiner. If I give up, I’m a loser and if I somehow ever manage to succeed, no one will notice.

Wow. Cheery.

I missed a workout yesterday due to all this medical rubbish so maybe yoga will help today.

The Skrulls will feature in the Captain Marvel movie. I wonder how much snow Whistler had given this longer winter BC is having.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 52
There’s a new machine at the gym that simulates rolling over a monster truck tire. I like it.

There’s an inclined arm press that seems easy until the 9th rep when your arms and shoulders abruptly feel like they’re going to jump off your body.

I have to focus on eating well but gently. The rebellious eating response is never far away and its cunning cannot be underestimated.

Retro X-Men and Fantastic Four. It helps me. I had to look. Winnipeg is -23°.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 51
Monday was a bust. Let’s just move along, shall we?

Today I see the trainer and I’m better supplied to avoid whoopsies. The anxiety/stress combo is really, really not helping. You get to a point of mental pain where you don’t care.

My goal today is clean eating. I see the trainer to make sure I feel the burn. Not the bern.

Dream Girl in the bottom left. Big by-election in Burnaby today.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 50
Well, that was fun. Nothing like the whole family taking ill over the weekend to derail eating habits that were hardly on the rails in the first place.

So I am here to ask myself to carry on.

Last night we all had a mild fever so going to yoga class and sharing seemed like A Dumb Idea. But today, fever free, I went to the gym to do a few exercises to remind my body that the couch and bon-bons were not to be considered normal fare.

The saying one day at a time is now one hour at a time.

I think I need all these folks to help at work today. Snow then sun in Vancouver.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 47
I had a conversation with a friend who had done on what would ultimately become a keto diet. Super strict. What was interesting is that, due to many years of friendship, I trusted his work. Also his assessment of my work over the years was free of judgement, which was interestingly refreshing.

Very oddly he experienced a low calorie and zero carb state where we wasn’t losing weight when he was expecting change. The body seemed to be saying, “whoa, dude, let’s not get silly.”

What’s the explanation? Everyone seems to go to the word metabolism. I’ve decided this term is not meaningful because no one really knows (or can express to a nob like me) how it works.

I still can’t shake the notion that the whole calories-in-calories out model is basically incomplete, if not wrong. I talked about this way back in Phase 3. https://robertfordfiction.com/mutant-diet-phase-3-day-102/

I guess if the only tool you have is a hammer the problem always looks like lard.

This is Ms Marvel who becomes Captain Marvel. If you go trekking in the back country near North Vancouver, be advised you might die.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 46
Yep, stress will lead you to sugary foods that you don’t normally like.

I had a meeting about my son’s school’s seismic upgrade and it led me to sugary foods.

Honestly. I don’t think stress per se is the issue, it’s the snacks that you go to as a result of stress.

Back in the saddle today.

I’m having trouble with nightmares so I thought of Dream Girl. Tricky finding something not NSWF. Regina, -23°

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 45
The numbers on the sheet show a pretty good estimated calorie count. Although I think the Fitbit has a minimum calorie burn for people as this number seems fairly familiar. Oh, well, it’s the data I have. I could feel the benefits of not eating as much that’s as rich and skipping wine was OK.

The trick is to have the mind linger in the space where such a change is positive.

The stress levels are always pushing to go to so called comfort food. (“So called” because too much causes gastric trouble and is hardly comfortable.)

Today I have more stressful meetings but I want to see if I can just stay on course with the diet. I have a meeting that makes me miss yoga so I’m not sure. I might be able to hit the gym at the end of the day, will power willing.

I thought it would be good to kick off again with Wolverine. I have to call someone in Calgary.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 44
I took a few days off for stress management reasons. However the stress of not making progress on diet/fitness has reached a level that’s causing me concern. I’m in the no win situation of being way off the diet upsets me and leads to negative self-messaging while being on track leads to great discomfort.

If I find a middle ground I’ll let you know.

In the meantime, I have to track, plan and execute low-carb process, not because of some belief in any kind of low-carb magic, but because if corn/rice/wheat/potato are mostly removed, it brings the calorie count into the medically recommended weight loss range.

To my knowledge, no deaths have been reported when baguettes are removed from the diet.

This represents the stand off in my head. It’s warming up in Vancouver, but what a mushy mess.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 40
Valentine’s Day had a lot of chocolate so let’s move along from that mess onto a wet, cold, wintery Friday in Vancouver. It’s a Pro D Day at school so the kids are home and many downtown workers took the day off as it’s also Family Day on Monday.

I wish I just felt better. A late night with not enough fun.

I declared it muffin day. You can tell how good my focus has been.

The debate in my head rages on as to whether I go to the gym or not.

In honour of Valentine’s Day, they did have an arc where Wonder Woman and Superman had a thing. There’s a really romantic hotel in Sooke.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 39
So, yesterday food wise … I wrote it down but honestly it’s too embarrassing to scan and document here.

Today is Valentine’s Day. I saw cupcakes in the hall. Lord give me strength.

On the theme of trying to maintain a good mental posture, I will be tested by inherently frustrating topics. (E.g. A broken seismic upgrade process for my son’s school and the threat to move/close his French Immersion program at that school.)

How do I keep myself calm and stay away from the high calorie, purely recreational food?

I’ll let you know how it goes because seriously apart from trying to stay hyper conscious, I have no idea.