Blame it on the Biorhythms

Over the last 12 months or so, I've been plotting my developing 'fitness' - alternatively known as my 'gaining a girly figure' progress.

I've noticed that for a few days each month, there's been some very noticeable progress followed by a fairly level period for the remainder, with regard to losing weight and so on.

In examining this phenomenon closer, I noted that the cycle appears to be as regular as clockwork; every 28 days there's this burst of relative progress. Ok, try as I may but it's not going to be 'that' cycle, but it reminded me of that very 80's thing that the first home computers seemed to all come with, a program to plot your personal Biorhythms.

In examining my 28 day Emotional biorhythm, I found it exactly coincided with these sudden surges in weight and figure measurements.

Now I never really gave biorhythms much factual consideration at the time (they're up there with horoscopes), but apparently there are 2 other cycles to consider too - the 23 day Physical cycle, and the 33 day Intellectual cycle. Combining those together can give rise to other cycle plots for Mastery (Physical + Intellectual), Passion (Physical + Emotional), and Wisdom (Emotional + Intellectual).

If there's any truth in this lot, it looks like I'm in for a few 'blonde' days as Physical and Emotional are relatively high whilst Intellectual is at rock-bottom!

The Devil and Mrs Kate

No, I'm not slighting Mrs Kate in the least, but between her and the that horny Devil, they've been tempting me with all sorts of things to redirect my attentions from attaining a nice girly figure... chocolate, cakes, lunches out; but I think I'm winning..... all but very, very slowly.... I will hit my 11 stone (154 lbs) target before Winter.

I'm not obsessed, I'm just determined... Mr Devil will be skating to work soon (but don't hold your breath!).

Well, it's been a while (again!) since my last post - I note with surprise of how time just flies by; one minute we're enjoying what we could loosly relate to as being Summer, to nights drawing in and a distinct Autumnal feel. It feels as if Autumn is coming earlier; this time last year I started my fitness regime by cycling to work in T-shirts, but this year I'm already wearing a fleece and have been drenched on a number of occassions by heavy rain showers en-route.

Last week I did the usual stress-relief visit to the Village on my own; before I got to my first 'port of call' in Taurus, I was accosted by a gay guy (and his partner) who as it turned out he liked to occassionaly be 'Louise' but he hadn't got the courage to come out in the Village. He was looking for the opportunity of being out with a bunch of us girls to gain some confidence. Now I can't really get my head around this one - unless gay guy being girlie = DQ; do gay guys really 'dress'? - he seemed genuine enough and 'Vicky' his partner subsequently provided supporting testament to this effect that 'he' really, badly needed to get out..... without any prompting.

I'm always cautious about such approaches, since those sort of 'approaches' are usually from admirers or the p-heads... the latter usually being very negative (and I note with dismay that those sort are on the increase in the Village!); but this guy seemed really genuine, and besides... after talking to me they went into Churchills.... not that means much.... but that's where the DQ's can be found on a Wednesday.

After a couple of Drinkies and a portion of chips in Taurus, I thought for a change I would 'do' Churchills.... and I was in time for the DQ trio to do a very good rendition of a few James Bond movie numbers.... they do soooo love to ham it up don't they! Classic DQ stuff. After Churchills it was a little late for Concorde (oh dear..... what shame..... never mind!) so I arrived a little earlier than planned at Naps where I plucked up enough courage to compliment the only girl that was in at the time, a regular who has only just invested in a rather fetching long dark wig to go with her black pvc mini-skirt and top. And I also discovered that myself and this girl have something in common back in what some might refer to as the real world (minor 'eeeek' situation... but confirmed the suspicions I've held for several months).

A little later I was joined by Jane Maybe and friends but rather strangely none of the usual regulars.... only Estelle and eventually Elaine and Mary turned up from Concorde. Unlike the previous week, Naps and the Village as a whole was fairly quiet.

All in all a rather strange but enjoyable evening.... BTW I've got the gay guys mobile number if anyones interested!

The secret (of my success)

It's quite uplifting to hear the gasps from those girls who haven't seen me for a while, whether the gasps are from surprise or jealousy it's all the same to me - but before I get too conceited or big-headed about having obtained such a slim line figure, I must say a big thank you to all you girls out there for such lovely compliments - before and after pictures included here (me in 2008, me in Eden bar last week - picture courtesy of Di).

Spurred on by Claires kind words following our Sparkle Friday outing for Northern Angels I thought I might share my secret with you; Claire was wondering if all I had to eat between the monthly meals was rabbit food?.... well.... the answer is 'no'... but 'yes'... but 'no'.

The secret.... as to put it, is that I've reduced how much I eat and increased the amount of exercise I do.... the latter not being too difficult compared with about 3 years ago when 'exercise' only really consisted of getting off the couch to make a cup of tea. Three years ago I was well and truly in the closet; but it was later in 2007 that changed all that, by coming out to Mrs Kate and eventually 'getting a life' again - being tranny (I really hate that label!) has been the ultimate incentive to losing weight.

So for you girlies out there who want to try my get-your-waistline-back regime out ... firstly, don't expect immediate results, where I am now took me the best part of 12 months.

Food

* A little cereal in the morning - don't bother with the sugar-coated stuff.

* Sugar in Tea and Coffee - as long as you're not doing 2+ teaspoons, shouldn't be a problem!

* Lunch, a bowl of soup and a bread roll - perhaps a cuppa... but this is where it gets tough, you got to stick with this even when it's curry day in the works canteen.

* Evening meal - just have what you normally have but reduce your portion by about half, and try to avoid having any chips!

* Snacks - avoid them or take them at the time of your main meal.

* Never eat after 10pm .... just half joking here, but they say you should never eat late as it never gets properly digested and what does will be absorbed into storage (fat).

Exercise

Just like those government ads, you got to do an hour a day exercise ... and I mean vigorous exercise. In my case I took up cycling to work .... well 'Bob' did, which helps me out no end. Cycling to and from work is just under 30 minutes each way, and for best weight loss results is best done by riding the heaviest bike you can least afford, at the highest speed you can muster. I find cycling with dance music playing on the personal stereo is a big motivator and with all that, I can cover the 7 mile journey in the best time of 22 minutes (had a following wind that day).

Recently I also took up doing a bit of running; it's a 'left over' from all that bit about training for the Manchester 10km run that Diana and I did in May. Each Friday afternoon for the last few weeks, once I've cycled home from work (that's the warmup session) I put on my running shoes and do 10km... on a good day, I can do that in under an hour.

And that's it.... combination of the two and a watchful eye on the calories has got me to where I am today, .... size 12/14 figure (depending which shop we go to) and weight just passing below the last target of 11.5 stone (160.5 lbs) .... which reminds me, I believe I said that a certain gentleman with horns and a pointy fork would be skating to work should I ever reach my desirable weight of 11 stone?; apparently he's having skating lessons at the local ice-rink!

BTDT - Manchester Great Run

Been there, done that! ..... and in a rather surprisingly good time - all things considered.

Both Di and I managed the course which had something of an atmosphere that was quite exhilerating; with people cheering us on and 'running with the herd' along roads normally reserved for rush-hour traffic. There were various bands and music being played around the course, on a day we probably couldn't have asked for better weather.

The day though dry and sunny with patchy cloud, was cold with a very chilly wind. I was glad for the footless tights I chose to wear with my cheerleaders outfit.

At about the 5km mark, my legs decided they wanted a rest so I had to leave Di to carry the t-girl flag onwards. She got to the finish about 3 minutes before me - under the hour; I was on the hour.... which surprised me 'cos I had to stop and a walk a few times and when I'd done that in training, I was getting times in the order of 5-10 minutes after the hour for running 10km.

I have all sorts of excuses as you might expect - one of which was rather personally embarrasing and only revealed itself a few days after the event! So to do the 10km course in the time that I did was actually not far short of amazing!

That was about 2 weeks ago; certain ailments reasonably recovered from and as such, on getting home from work yesterday I decided I just had to go for a run... 10km of course; no ankle pain afterwards and in a time in the order of the hour again ... although I must admit to still having to take a few rests throughout but I felt I had loads more energy than I had on the day of the Manchester Great Run.

A big thank you to everyone who sponsored us! - I personally raised around £300 for the MS Society.

The final countdown

It's just a week to go now to the Manchester 10k run that Di and I have signed up for. We're both supporting the MS Society and so far I've raised over £200 in sponsorship.

But I've been resting up for the last couple of weeks following a rather bizaare heel and ankle strain that I put down to just getting used to a new pair of running shoes - shoes I bought because I thought they would cushion the impact and save my knee ... which has been just fine BTW!

I've spent most of the last two weeks limping around the office following a rather vigourous 10k session that got me a time just under the hour.... limping which attracted an interesting comment from one of the girls who asked if I had fallen off my stilletos... 'course one just had to reply with 'stilletos would probably feel a lot more comfier than these shoes'!

..... which actually isn't far from the truth; strangely I found that I could walk with no discomfort what so ever whilst I was wearing 4 inch heels; put on a pair of flats and the result was agony.

So I'm hoping my heel and ankle will have recovered sufficiently for the big day; I tried the new running shoes again a couple of days ago and ended up with some mild discomfort - and that was running a distance of just over 6km. So it looks like a couple of pain killers and a glass of the good stuff will be order of the day.....!

Spring Fever

Have you noticed how everyone has turned into some crazed lunatic 'cos the sun has come out? - trying to race you at traffic lights, trying to get past you and the next 6 cars ahead of you all stuck behind the same tractor.... and that's just the women drivers (not a sexist comment - trust me; based purely on numerous events witnessed by both Mrs Kate and I).

If they're not on a mission every where, they're simply walking out in front of you whilst inanely chatting on their mobilephones; completely oblivious to the approaching traffic.

Yes girls! it's that time of year for 'Spring Fever'; when all sanity goes out of the window and those affected by unbridled amounts of testosterone and estrogen tend to do things that any sane person would normally think twice about.

Of course I'm immune to all this - or so I thought..... I put mine down to a temporary rush of blood to my head... you see, I've signed up for the Manchester 1ok run in May (well, it was actually to support two of my bestest friends). I think I was feeling quite pleased with myself in having lost all this weight and acquiring a silth-like figure, and of course doing a daily round trip of just short of 15 miles on my bike to work should make it quite a cinch eh?....

.... I couldn't be more wrong.... doing a 10k run? ... and this is someone who last managed to do (more like dodged) any form of structured running sports way back in high school days.

So having signed up with one of the charities, I thought I better dust off my best pair of trainers and see what I really could do by way of a time to complete 10km. So throwing all caution to the wind (staged training - who needs it?) I did do 10km... it took me a little under 70 minutes (no laughing please - and appreciate that my High School days were over 35 years ago!).

I thought it was a cinch... 10k dead easy... BTDT; a bit more training and I should easily get under the hour.... but the next day and for the best part of the last week has been a different story.... I found muscles aching I never knew I had and my knee... well! .... lets just say that a little over a week on and it's only just recovering.


Spring Fever ... pah!

.... but on the managed weight loss, I've just passed below my target of 168lbs - about 3 months later than expected but at least a positive side to 'Spring Fever'.

Should have used Duracell batteries

It's taken the best part of a week to recover from our outing to Leeds and Manchester... well actually a combination of Leeds, Manchester and that weird bug I came down with just into the New Year.

Friday - it must be Leeds
Much has been said by Mrs Kate on her blog, so I won't repeat that except to say we (Diana, Karen, Emma, Mrs Kate and myself) ventured over the hill to Leeds for 'First Friday' - a self-proclaimed 'award winning' event held the first Friday of every month for the girls on the easterly side of the Penines. I guess we might be a bit spoiled with having the Village nearby, but if you don't have a lot else available near you, most events will appear to be 'award winning'. But it was a good atmosphere, packed and very hot - despite the outside chill. A number of girls we recognised, some on first name terms and others we recognise from their occasional visit to Naps.

So after showing our faces there we went to try a few other bars in the area; The Viaduct, where we sampled the delights of a DJ that kept talking over the music and just one drink before crossing over the road to the Queens Court which had a club I think was called 'The Loft'. The Loft was a bit like Naps in that us (T) girls got in for free whilst Mrs Kate had to pay - each of us getting a letter stamp on the back of our hand that would later prove that only the best of makeup removers could shift!

It seems that like most establishments in the 'Pink Triangle', it catered for the Gay community but not so much for T-girls. Most folk were nice and polite but there was a subtle territorial inference, particularly from the lesbian side which it seemed The Loft was as likely their turf. Music was pretty good, drink prices weren't bad and I even got molested in a nice sort of way by a group of young lesbians on the dance floor; their MO was to check whether my falsies were indeed false or not - actually 50-50 or so I confirmed (verbally of course!). The ladies powder room was not upto the same par as the main establishment - mostly down to the number of available cubicles (only 3) of which one of them was being used for the 'how many girls can you get in and have a bust-up' competition. Mrs Kate and I ended up having to share one between us; and on leaving, to check neither of us was doing the Andrex puppy bit with loo paper stuck to the bottom of our shoes.

Saturday - it must be Manchester
Woke up to a grey and rainy Leeds which following breakfast, the unanimous decision was to get back to Manchester to do a bit of shopping - 'cos as likely it would be sunny; and so it was..... something we can often experience with differing weather systems each side of 'The Hill'. So back to Manchester we went, and a bit of shopping around the city centre.

For a change we thought we would check out Aflecks Palace, and without thinking, it was full of Goths and Punks - one of which could have easily been No.1 son since he was also in Manchester for a major Goth event of the year (I guess 'dressing up' must be hereditary!). Alsorts of outfits can be found in there - nothing that wouldn't look out of place in Naps though!

The evening started off with a meal in Velvet, followed by a tour of Spirit before moving onto Naps. But I don't recall an awful lot of the evening after Velvet as I became tired about halfway through the meal, to point of being grumpy. I think it was a combination of the past evenings events in Leeds, and coming down with a cold or something - indeed when we got back to our accommodation for the night and removed all the concealing makeup, underneath my face was a bit flushed to say the least. I don't know what time it was when we gave our excuses and left Naps, but it was certainly earlier than usual.

Sunday - recharge the (solar) batteries
Woke up Sunday morning to a bright cloudless day; it looked warm and inviting and outside our hotel room window we could see one or two people out and about, some waiting for buses and going places. Feeling a bit delicate from the major power drain the night before, we checked out our hotel and put our bags in the car before going on to find breakfast. It was as we were going through the lobby that we experienced our negative situation, similar events that the others had experienced in various ways over the last couple of days. The hotel lobby was busy, mostly young male guests just hanging around; one in a group of which decided to have a go by directing 'Oy John' at me to gain my attention. As a one does, I just ignored him - until we were outside when I gave him a hard stare through my sun glasses and a few lipped choice words.

That behind us, we went to get breakfast - Witherspoons was Ok for the simple bacon butty and a coffee; followed by a mooch around the Arndale and the shops before sitting in the sun in St. Annes square. And it was warm in the sun, but in the shade - that wind just went right through you. So we ambled back to Taurus, met up with Diana and Karen, had afternoon tea and cake ; and then headed off home for a hot bath and a snooze.

Epilogue
Leeds was Ok, cobbled streets were hard work for the heels (thank you flatties!), Travelodge was warm and comfortable. Di was foxy in her leopard print figure hugging dress, Karen was elegant in her newly acquired red dress. First-Friday was Ok but too crowded and too hot, the lesbians in The Loft were a scream and I had fun dancing with my flatties which have made friends with me since I promised not to subject them to the shoe stretcher again. Saturday; I think was going downhill from mid-evening onwards and struggled to keep up with the conversation all-round (and felt I missed out on something as a result). Ibis hotel was cold and some of the clientele disrespectful - won't be staying there again if I/we can avoid it. Thanks go to Emma for being chauffeur and ferrying us to Leeds and back; sorry I was tired and grumpy on Saturday night!