Brian's Blog
I started blogging several years ago after deciding to keep my travel notes of two months of independent travel across the Silk Road in China on the Internet instead of a notebook. An important advantage was that interested parties anywhere in the world would be able to follow our progress. This was never a blog in the conventional sence of floating ideas but simply my way of keeping a diary. I tidy up those often badly written and poorly spelled efforts on return to the UK into a record with summary, conclusions and photographs, reversing the posting order so they read from from start to finish.
When I undertook the role of Group's Coordinator for Swansea U3A four years ago under 30, of 650 members email addresses were known to the committee and email was barely in use. But it was obvious to me that email offered a far more efficient means of mass communication than telephone, word of mouth, or slide shows at the Wednesday Lectures, then the main source of information on Group activities. So I decided to collect email addresses at every opportunity and to write a blog to promote the new groups being formed and those in need of more members. It would also give members a reason to use the Internet. At its peak new email posting alerts went out to over 500 members and the number of groups doubled over the period. Things of course developed a lot in those four years and the main point for information exchange has now become email, the Swansea U3A website plus an emailed Newsletter.
Often postings were written weekly whenever I was in Swansea, over 70 have now been made. Since retiring from the committee last June after a three year stint postings have been very intermittent, being issued only when I feel I have things to write about, which may have little direct connection with the U3A except for comments about those Groups which interest me as an ordinary member.
Anyone interested can find links to all my blogs by Googling 'Oldie Backpacker', the pen name I use when blogging, and following the link given to my profile.
EAT, FAST and LIVE LONGER
A recent Horizon program by Michael Mosley, medically trained and with a GP wife interested me a great deal because it suggested a do-able way forward to improve physical and mental, health, and stave off ageing. But first I will set our scene to explain why we were so attracted
I am well known as a good eater, who will eat anything even raw sago worms, considered a delicacy by tribes living in Long Houses in Borneo. With our style of pay as you go travelling both Joan and I find we lose weight on holiday but have put it back on again within a few months of getting home. It has been particularly noticeable that we tend to lose around 5kg on a 1 or 2 month trip to India. In India we eat well three good meals a day and one of my favourite breakfasts is Puris a fatty deep fried bread crisp the size and shape of a football. We eat vegetarian like most Indians do, including the rich middle class. I think theirs is delicious food but Joan who has a more sensitive pallet tries to avoid over much chilli. The talk here in the UK seems to be Madras curry because it's hot and macho but curries are more varied over there so watch out for Hyderabad on the menus.
During this spring trip to France we proved, much to Joan's surprise, that a travel style which had worked well in Asia and South and Central America for over 20 years, worked equally well in France. We didn't miss not having a car, nor did we need to join a tour party in order to travel about (see my blog). We found we were tired in the evening after an active day on our feet and so lived quite naturally (without trying to diet) on a good breakfast and a good three course lunch. When we returned home we found we had each lost weigh, in spite of finishing the holiday with 8 days eating extremely well, at our son's house.
A few days before leaving home for France Joan started to have extremely painful spasms in one knee (both hers are artificial, this one is over 13 years old and starting to fail). By the time of return she came to the conclusion she needed to reduce the strain on the joint by losing weight. I came to the conclusion we had to eat smaller quantities and at least continue the progress made in France. Eating less means cooking smaller quantities for those like us brought up in the era of 'Waste not, Want not'. Too often I would finish off oversized casseroles with glee which could have been enough for two days.
Once home we now ate two meals a simple but cooked breakfast dinner, but little except fruit in between. Our weight continued its down ward path, 3.5kg in my case, but had started to plateau when we noticed the Horizon program about intermittent fasting, since following that advice our weight is going down again in my case another 2.8kg.
HORIZON PROGRAM ON FASTING
Michael Mosley aged 50 and medically trained was seeking an acceptable route to better health, physical and mental, in old age, with particular fears of prostrate cancer and dementia.
He started with exercise and asked Harbinger Singh 101 years old who had just finished the 26 mile London Marathon in under 8 hours the secret of his longevity. The answer was 'eat less and follow a normal Punjabi diet', Michael estimated Harbinger's portion size at a half that of most adult males.
He then headed for America to talk with those involved in the search for better outcomes in older age, who named reducing the risk of diabetes and cancers, and the delay of dementia as being possible via diet and fasting. It had been noted that during the 30's depression, when the dust bowl resulted in a shortage of affordable food, average American longevity had actually risen by 6 years. He approached universities in Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago and Baltimore all of whom were researching into the benefits of Fasting and eating less. The benefits were measured in terms of loss of body fat, lower total cholesterol (inspite of higher 'good' cholesterol), IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor), Blood sugar and Blood pressure.
In Washington he was introduced a daily diet rich in nutrients but low in calories and told it would eliminate the risk of cardiac problems or cancers. One long term cronie took it to the point of eating a huge plate of raw fruit for breakfast which included apple skin without the rest of that sugary fruit. This was not for him or me.
In Los Angeles he was introduced to experiments comparing normal mice to those genetically modified to have much lower IGF-1. The modified mice lived 40% longer, if transferable to humans this would mean living to 120 rather than 80. Also to a small section of the Equadorian population with Leron Syndrome who for the same genetic reasons exhibited similarly low IGF-1, physical smallness and vastly improved longevity than the rest of human population, inspite of poor lifestyles. The explanation given was that this genetic type led to slow production of new cells balanced by better maintenance of existing cells.
Protein consumption increases human IGF-1 by creating a 'go-go' effect powering cell production and pushing the body to eat more. Research in the USA has shown fasting to be an alternate route and to be much more effective than simply reducing to the same number of calories per week.
He asked the obvious question since genetic modification is not on. 'How else can I reduce my IGF-1?' Answer By Fasting. Here that meant fasting with only 50 calories for four sucessive days followed by a lower calorie and protein diet, maintained by one 50 calorie day per month. Michael tried a four day 50 calorie diet and halved his IGF-1.
In Chicago he was won over by the principle of feasting and fasting as a way of treating overweight people. Alternate Day Fasting at just 600 calories, eat what ever you like on the others. Alternate Day Fasting/Feasting was shown to give impressive reductions in weight, cholesterol, glycerides and blood pressure, though there was no mention of IGF-1.
At the National Institute on Ageing in Baltimore Mark Bratson showed him the benefit of Intermittent Energy Restriction in mice prone to dementia which resulted in impressive delay in the onset of dementia in mice, equivalent to an increase from say 50 to 80 years old in humans, whereas a high sugar diet lowered it to 30-40 years. The fasting was seen to have resulted in brain cells growing in an experiment which made them remember where to find food. In mice hunger stimulated evolution of an improvement in cognitive ability, so as to improve the search for food and thus to avoid starvation.
Eventually Michael decided on Mark's advice on 2:5 intermittent fasting each week. Eat normally for five days and fast with only 600 calories on the other two. He adopted this and chooses the fast days to suit his regime, he chose to eat breakfast on fast days. He chose breakfast as his time of eating, we have decided to eat our only meal after 6pm. During the period of his 5 week trial he had even spent days trekking on The Pennine Way!
At the time of the broadcast he had completed 5 weeks of 2:5 fasting. His GP wife was obviously pleased to find his IGF-1 and his Blood Sugar had halved.
Previously in Los Angeles every other day complete fasting for 4 days a month had shown IGV-1 falling from 215 to 125 mg/dl.
Good cholesterol had increased though overall cholesterol had dropped.
His weight had reduced by well over a stone (say 7.5kg) to 174lbs (79kg).
He intends to continue this regime, 2 fast days at 600 calories each week with 5 days eating normally. Fast days chosen to suit.
Our Trial is Ongoing
Joan and I are were convinced and have now completed just over two weeks, for five days we are eating two meals a day as before and two days/week fasting with a single 500/600 calorie meal. We have completed just five 600 calorie fast days. On normal days we continue to eat just breakfast and dinner, which is absolutely no problem.
I have seen a weight drop of 2.8kg in those 16 days. I am now 80.6kg, just under the 81kg weight at which I used to box light heavy annually at university against other London colleges. (I finished with the nickname of One-Round after a 'bottled' fiasco in the London University heavy weight final. Having made the 12 stone 10 lb light-heavy limit already and been asked to move up a weight by my skipper in search of points for Imperial, because no-one else entered at heavy weight. Unfortunately the Royal Vet skipper had the same thought and sent for a giant who had boxed in the army. The referee stopped what he, and I, thought was an unequal fight - but note that it was the future Vet, not me, who ended up the round sporting a closed eye!)
Not bad progress on weight reduction since I left for France at the end of May at 87.0kg, six weeks ago. For those who deal only in Christian units (the ones that measure weight in ounces, pounds, stones, hundred weights, quarters and tons) that 6.4kg reduction is just over 1 stone. But losing weight is only one of the benefits. Putting off diabetes, cancer, cardiac events and dementia sound even more important. Joan and I intend to continue for it really isn't hard. The only modification to my previous home diet is a reduction of quantity, the restriction we had already decide on to two meals per day, and so far avoiding only one of my main weaknesses - cheese.
A chance discussion over dinner with grand-daughter Rachel's slim boy friend elicited that he too had followed intermittent dieting recently. He had continued eating the huge quantities of a fast growing teenager and felt he had to take action. So maybe this fasting method is well known - but it was new to me. He also mentioned to Joan to avoid reaching the point where you are burning off muscle, the cause of which I intend to establish.
My regret is not to have started on retiring 16 years ago, though blood pressure was then already a problem, but my power sapping/stroke risking/breath stealing arrhythmia arrived just less than three years ago. Significant memory recall deterioration, even completely wrong word selection, has become clearly evident in the last twelve months.
I really do not want to follow my mother who was playing badminton weekly at the Leisure centre at 90, though even then her memory had deteriorated to the point of being a danger to herself. This made living alone risky and making making new friends.
But, although still in good health, not in pain, and pleasant to the very end, she didn't recognise me 4 years later and frequently asked if she had ever been married. My hope is that when my time comes euthanasia will be allowed to prevent those pointless last years existence without memories. Indeed I tend to go further and say for me that point will be reached when, for unalterable reasons associated with old age, I can no longer live independently in my own home.
Joan's knows her artificial knees would have had a far less stressful and prolonged life if she had weighed less.
I should add a warning, as in the Horizon programme, that no-one already underweight or sick should contemplate fasting without the agreement of a doctor.
In terms simply of weight reduction dropping to two good meals a day, one we could easily follow for life, was very effective and is a good starting point. We have found that absolutely painless. But we do feel hungry on 600 calorie days which is the whole point, you might say it is a case of 'no pain - no gain, though unexpectedly find the hunger pangs easier when we are physically active - even working very hard all day.
'Failure can be an Option'
Geoff Dyson (vacuum cleaners) writes Guardian article
An interesting article highly relevant to a man like me who spent a career in creative engineering design/development. Few people perhaps see engineering design in terms of creativity but since motherhood is not in my realm few opportunities compare, think Brunel for Railways and Steam Ships, think Mitchell and his Spitfire, Rolls Royce aero engines, Rockets and Space, think Fertilisers and Glass, think Electricity Generation and Grids, X-Ray and Scanners, Wireless and TV, think Computers and Internet, Software and Google's searching prowess. If you must, think Vacuum Cleaners and Washing Machines, but they don't excite me too much.
All were the result of scientific concepts being converted by ideas into reliable applications, useful, exciting products created by engineers. Designing and selling, then manufacturing, commissioning, maintaining, and refining. Almost all result from team working taking the idea through all stages of its development, as we often said the process is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration. A few, perhaps unfairly, think of it all as the work of the originator, but the team too need moments of inspiration as well as perspiration. After decades of evolution the originators would scarcely recognise its modern face.
The point James Dyson was making in these Olympian days is that instantaneous success is not the be all and end all, and that failure can often be a spur to eventual success.
Incy Wincy spider climbed the water spout, down came the rain and flushed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, so Incy Wincy spider climbed the spout again.
He goes on to point out that engineering design work is a continual search for better and better solutions. In my experience the early ideas are almost always over complicated, but that simpler more appropriate solution are hard to find. But when you do they are much better, easier for others to understand, and far more reliable. Continual evolution is the name of the game and not just in the present form but reacting to new technology as it arrives.
In so many things success needs time, patience and perseverance. It may be hard to achieve Olympic Gold Medal standard but in his case it took 15 years of trying and failing to arrive at an outstandingly successful vacuum cleaner.
He says he excelled in Invention and Art and honed the trial and error skills he needed at The Royal College of Art. His plea was to persuade more schoolchildren to follow D&T (Design and Technology), not just to GCSE level but through 'A' Level as well. It teaches them to sketch, build, test, rebuild, not to learn the answers to exam questions by memory and rote. (In my field sketch means outline an idea rather than draw it.) He feels there is a need for inspiring teachers with an in-depth appreciation of this approach - that is my worry too. He believes D&T 'just needs to be reinvigorated, brought up to date'.
As a society we can't really afford to have a select bunch of winners with the rest thinking, and allowed to think, of themselves as losers.
The PROMS and Barenboim's Beethoven Symphonies
Weren't they wonderful, I could kick myself for missing the first four on TV especially the Eroica and the 4th, but to compensate we listened to the replays on Radio 3.
I have seen some great conductors in my life including monthly concerts by Barbirolli and the Halle at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester. I will never forget him opening with a rendering of Brandenburg No. 3 and wishing it would never stop, or with a fine concert version of the opera Otello. Nor will I forget Karajan with the wonderful strings of the Vienna Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall in the late 50's with Schubert's Unfinished, or Klemperer and our own Philharmonia with Beethoven on the South Bank. One of my most treasured possessions is the first ever complete set of LP recordings of Beethoven symphonies by Toscanini.
But I felt the way Barenboim conducted the 9th was for me the best ever, with little obvious time keeping but full of subtlety and expression in his hand movements to bring out nuances I hadn't heard before. Using his face, and even protruding his tongue slightly on one occasion, to get the sounds he wanted. He felt that Beethoven needed a text to make his ideas clear to all and thus chose the Schiller's 'Ode to Joy', hence the choral movement. He rightly congratulated our National Youth Chorus for a superb performance.
Barenboim's Talk
His hour long talk about the symphonies was magic. Beethoven first conducted in Salzburg at the age of eleven in 1781, and continued to compose even though he became deaf in his late 20's. The discussion on the then revolutionary steps in music composition follow, moving harmonically far beyond Haydn and Mozart, and beyond the religiously inspired music of pre-Bach. The symphonies often start with unresolved harmonic chaos to provide tension, instability which is always resolved into stability - to give a sense of morality. 'Complexity and conflict', switching from major to minor keys brought 'darkness and light ... despair, sadness, hope and humour'. Beethoven 'deals by sound with everything which exists in the the human condition'.
How his symphonies were always full of sudden dynamic changes of sound intensity, tempo, mood and key, which keep the instrumentalists on their toes. Beethoven's composing 'converts simple parts into cathedrals' as one of his violinist's said, a thought which resonates to me as a innovating engineer.
This musical theory would have meant more had I listened to my mother so many years ago, but it was intriguing none the less. My mother taught classical piano and played in our front room whilst the bus queue outside stood and listened.
But it was the importance of philosophy that was most intriguing. In his opinion Beethoven was saying 'this is right, and this wrong, and this is how I want to live'. Beethoven was very political and a great supporter of the French Revolution, though he fell out of love with Napoleon when he elected himself Emperor, feeling thereafter that he was just like the rest of the self seeking politicians.
Then again he felt Beethoven was saying, 'religion is gone and God is gone, now we are faced with our own sense of responsibility, morality, justice', a theme which resonates to me as an atheist. I remember wondering, after a very religious upbringing, where I would get my standards in a future without religion, and later realising it was from within myself. Nor do I think are the standards of my children have been reduced by the lack of religious instruction.
Barenboim dealt only briefly with the East-West Divan Orchestra itself though it is composed solely of Israelis and Arabs, gradually learning to work in harmony. Divan by the way is a Turkish term for one of their highest Councils of government
His message like Beethoven was of freedom and peace. . Barenboim emphasised his views saying
'I believe very strongly in the universality of music, that it can take this message which is part of our inner feelings.'
U3A GROUPS
JIVE
I apologise for leaving less space than normal but I must say a word for Jive the first new group formed in my time as Coordinator following the ideas and endeavour of Gerwyn Thomas, who also founded MOTO (Members On Their Own). In spite of a near fatal heart attack he returned to running this group on a weekly basis. He has now decided to hand it on to Pam Williams, who has taught throughout, and continued with 'King' Eric Broadbent whilst Gerwyn was ill. Ken Huntley, who tried long and hard to establish a Chess group, will now work with Pam. They will try to work out how to deal with the demand from beginners.
Thanks a lot, Gerwyn.
Free of U3A duties I have gone back to being a regular and feel a lot fitter for it. Every now and again Angela Blewett, like me one of several founder members still dancing, boosts my confidence after a couple of years off by telling me I am dancing well again .
It's amazing remembering the excess of women early on how many men are now regular attenders, in fact we get there first! Surely it's the only Swansea U3A group to boast equal numbers of men and women. The clientele changes from week to week but that gender balance somehow continues. We change partners every minute or so whilst learning new moves. It's a great social group too, with quite a few going out together weekly to jive as far abroad as Cardiff, with long weekends in places like Eastbourne and Painton.
YOGA
I am a regular every Thursday and am glad to see satisfactory turnout at last, there were 10 of us last week. Chris Bryan moved to the big downstairs room at Hazel Court this year so there is plenty of space for several more members.
It's another excellent way of staying physically fit, breathing, stretching, bending, twisting, and my weaknesses balancing and posture. Around 90 minutes per session finished with a few minutes relaxing when some of us have been known to fall asleep!
Next sessions 13 September until 4 October, then a short break until 25 October.
Contact Christine Bryant at c.bryan682@btinternet.com
or Telephone 301938
POLITICS & CITIZENSHIP
Another great group which could well have folded with the death of its founder Margaret Hammond a year ago. It was taken over by Gabrielle Suff and is in rude health, though it would be nice to see new faces especially from more recent members. We had an outing and dinner last week to the Coastguard Station at Mumbles, but I promised Gabrielle to submit a write up to the Website so that's enough for now, but give me a day or two.
Gabrielle reminds me that she has completed two years as convenor of this group having taken over when Margaret Hammond wished to retire. She can be contacted at
gabrielle.suff@googlemail.com
WEDNESDAY MEETINGS
Barbara Ellis and team are doing a great job providing us with stimulating talks on a wide variety of topics. Nevertheless I have the feeling that attendance is dropping off, a great pity for what, as I mentioned in the preamble to this posting was once the major meeting point of the membership.
One big problem is the absence of parking on the University campus so most people now go by bus. Easily solved for motorists by parking on a bus route to the University, say to catch Bus 82 from Hendrefolian which run around every 10 minutes, the Bendy Bus, or any bus going to, or past, Singleton Hospital.
ARMCHAIR TRAVEL
Will start again in the new university year. It is now run by Bob Hughes who would be delighted to send potential new members details of next years programme, which will see more members than ever contributing.
Contact him by email at bobhughes1504@hotmail.com
I will be talking next spring on our trip to Turkey in autumn 2010.
BLOG NEWS
There are two new blogs besides this one.
1) Transferring our Style of Asian travel to France
If you are interested in the recent holiday that led indirectly to intermittent fasting then follow this link.
http://francemay2012.blogspot.co.uk/
2) Our 2 month trip by the Silk Road across China in 2006
This has just been updated to bigger typescript and made easier to read, but above all to include over 100 photographs.
http://silkroadchina2006.blogspot.co.uk/
NB I intend to work on a similar modification on our trip south in Chile and Argentina in 2007
Get to the website by Googling, U3A Swansea,
Get links to all my Blogs by Googling, Oldie Backpacker.
(Follow the link to my profile to get the links to the latest blogs)
I started blogging several years ago after deciding to keep my travel notes of two months of independent travel across the Silk Road in China on the Internet instead of a notebook. An important advantage was that interested parties anywhere in the world would be able to follow our progress. This was never a blog in the conventional sence of floating ideas but simply my way of keeping a diary. I tidy up those often badly written and poorly spelled efforts on return to the UK into a record with summary, conclusions and photographs, reversing the posting order so they read from from start to finish.
When I undertook the role of Group's Coordinator for Swansea U3A four years ago under 30, of 650 members email addresses were known to the committee and email was barely in use. But it was obvious to me that email offered a far more efficient means of mass communication than telephone, word of mouth, or slide shows at the Wednesday Lectures, then the main source of information on Group activities. So I decided to collect email addresses at every opportunity and to write a blog to promote the new groups being formed and those in need of more members. It would also give members a reason to use the Internet. At its peak new email posting alerts went out to over 500 members and the number of groups doubled over the period. Things of course developed a lot in those four years and the main point for information exchange has now become email, the Swansea U3A website plus an emailed Newsletter.
Often postings were written weekly whenever I was in Swansea, over 70 have now been made. Since retiring from the committee last June after a three year stint postings have been very intermittent, being issued only when I feel I have things to write about, which may have little direct connection with the U3A except for comments about those Groups which interest me as an ordinary member.
Anyone interested can find links to all my blogs by Googling 'Oldie Backpacker', the pen name I use when blogging, and following the link given to my profile.
EAT, FAST and LIVE LONGER
A recent Horizon program by Michael Mosley, medically trained and with a GP wife interested me a great deal because it suggested a do-able way forward to improve physical and mental, health, and stave off ageing. But first I will set our scene to explain why we were so attracted
I am well known as a good eater, who will eat anything even raw sago worms, considered a delicacy by tribes living in Long Houses in Borneo. With our style of pay as you go travelling both Joan and I find we lose weight on holiday but have put it back on again within a few months of getting home. It has been particularly noticeable that we tend to lose around 5kg on a 1 or 2 month trip to India. In India we eat well three good meals a day and one of my favourite breakfasts is Puris a fatty deep fried bread crisp the size and shape of a football. We eat vegetarian like most Indians do, including the rich middle class. I think theirs is delicious food but Joan who has a more sensitive pallet tries to avoid over much chilli. The talk here in the UK seems to be Madras curry because it's hot and macho but curries are more varied over there so watch out for Hyderabad on the menus.
During this spring trip to France we proved, much to Joan's surprise, that a travel style which had worked well in Asia and South and Central America for over 20 years, worked equally well in France. We didn't miss not having a car, nor did we need to join a tour party in order to travel about (see my blog). We found we were tired in the evening after an active day on our feet and so lived quite naturally (without trying to diet) on a good breakfast and a good three course lunch. When we returned home we found we had each lost weigh, in spite of finishing the holiday with 8 days eating extremely well, at our son's house.
A few days before leaving home for France Joan started to have extremely painful spasms in one knee (both hers are artificial, this one is over 13 years old and starting to fail). By the time of return she came to the conclusion she needed to reduce the strain on the joint by losing weight. I came to the conclusion we had to eat smaller quantities and at least continue the progress made in France. Eating less means cooking smaller quantities for those like us brought up in the era of 'Waste not, Want not'. Too often I would finish off oversized casseroles with glee which could have been enough for two days.
Once home we now ate two meals a simple but cooked breakfast dinner, but little except fruit in between. Our weight continued its down ward path, 3.5kg in my case, but had started to plateau when we noticed the Horizon program about intermittent fasting, since following that advice our weight is going down again in my case another 2.8kg.
HORIZON PROGRAM ON FASTING
Michael Mosley aged 50 and medically trained was seeking an acceptable route to better health, physical and mental, in old age, with particular fears of prostrate cancer and dementia.
He started with exercise and asked Harbinger Singh 101 years old who had just finished the 26 mile London Marathon in under 8 hours the secret of his longevity. The answer was 'eat less and follow a normal Punjabi diet', Michael estimated Harbinger's portion size at a half that of most adult males.
He then headed for America to talk with those involved in the search for better outcomes in older age, who named reducing the risk of diabetes and cancers, and the delay of dementia as being possible via diet and fasting. It had been noted that during the 30's depression, when the dust bowl resulted in a shortage of affordable food, average American longevity had actually risen by 6 years. He approached universities in Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago and Baltimore all of whom were researching into the benefits of Fasting and eating less. The benefits were measured in terms of loss of body fat, lower total cholesterol (inspite of higher 'good' cholesterol), IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor), Blood sugar and Blood pressure.
In Washington he was introduced a daily diet rich in nutrients but low in calories and told it would eliminate the risk of cardiac problems or cancers. One long term cronie took it to the point of eating a huge plate of raw fruit for breakfast which included apple skin without the rest of that sugary fruit. This was not for him or me.
In Los Angeles he was introduced to experiments comparing normal mice to those genetically modified to have much lower IGF-1. The modified mice lived 40% longer, if transferable to humans this would mean living to 120 rather than 80. Also to a small section of the Equadorian population with Leron Syndrome who for the same genetic reasons exhibited similarly low IGF-1, physical smallness and vastly improved longevity than the rest of human population, inspite of poor lifestyles. The explanation given was that this genetic type led to slow production of new cells balanced by better maintenance of existing cells.
Protein consumption increases human IGF-1 by creating a 'go-go' effect powering cell production and pushing the body to eat more. Research in the USA has shown fasting to be an alternate route and to be much more effective than simply reducing to the same number of calories per week.
He asked the obvious question since genetic modification is not on. 'How else can I reduce my IGF-1?' Answer By Fasting. Here that meant fasting with only 50 calories for four sucessive days followed by a lower calorie and protein diet, maintained by one 50 calorie day per month. Michael tried a four day 50 calorie diet and halved his IGF-1.
In Chicago he was won over by the principle of feasting and fasting as a way of treating overweight people. Alternate Day Fasting at just 600 calories, eat what ever you like on the others. Alternate Day Fasting/Feasting was shown to give impressive reductions in weight, cholesterol, glycerides and blood pressure, though there was no mention of IGF-1.
At the National Institute on Ageing in Baltimore Mark Bratson showed him the benefit of Intermittent Energy Restriction in mice prone to dementia which resulted in impressive delay in the onset of dementia in mice, equivalent to an increase from say 50 to 80 years old in humans, whereas a high sugar diet lowered it to 30-40 years. The fasting was seen to have resulted in brain cells growing in an experiment which made them remember where to find food. In mice hunger stimulated evolution of an improvement in cognitive ability, so as to improve the search for food and thus to avoid starvation.
Eventually Michael decided on Mark's advice on 2:5 intermittent fasting each week. Eat normally for five days and fast with only 600 calories on the other two. He adopted this and chooses the fast days to suit his regime, he chose to eat breakfast on fast days. He chose breakfast as his time of eating, we have decided to eat our only meal after 6pm. During the period of his 5 week trial he had even spent days trekking on The Pennine Way!
At the time of the broadcast he had completed 5 weeks of 2:5 fasting. His GP wife was obviously pleased to find his IGF-1 and his Blood Sugar had halved.
Previously in Los Angeles every other day complete fasting for 4 days a month had shown IGV-1 falling from 215 to 125 mg/dl.
Good cholesterol had increased though overall cholesterol had dropped.
His weight had reduced by well over a stone (say 7.5kg) to 174lbs (79kg).
He intends to continue this regime, 2 fast days at 600 calories each week with 5 days eating normally. Fast days chosen to suit.
Our Trial is Ongoing
Joan and I are were convinced and have now completed just over two weeks, for five days we are eating two meals a day as before and two days/week fasting with a single 500/600 calorie meal. We have completed just five 600 calorie fast days. On normal days we continue to eat just breakfast and dinner, which is absolutely no problem.
I have seen a weight drop of 2.8kg in those 16 days. I am now 80.6kg, just under the 81kg weight at which I used to box light heavy annually at university against other London colleges. (I finished with the nickname of One-Round after a 'bottled' fiasco in the London University heavy weight final. Having made the 12 stone 10 lb light-heavy limit already and been asked to move up a weight by my skipper in search of points for Imperial, because no-one else entered at heavy weight. Unfortunately the Royal Vet skipper had the same thought and sent for a giant who had boxed in the army. The referee stopped what he, and I, thought was an unequal fight - but note that it was the future Vet, not me, who ended up the round sporting a closed eye!)
Not bad progress on weight reduction since I left for France at the end of May at 87.0kg, six weeks ago. For those who deal only in Christian units (the ones that measure weight in ounces, pounds, stones, hundred weights, quarters and tons) that 6.4kg reduction is just over 1 stone. But losing weight is only one of the benefits. Putting off diabetes, cancer, cardiac events and dementia sound even more important. Joan and I intend to continue for it really isn't hard. The only modification to my previous home diet is a reduction of quantity, the restriction we had already decide on to two meals per day, and so far avoiding only one of my main weaknesses - cheese.
A chance discussion over dinner with grand-daughter Rachel's slim boy friend elicited that he too had followed intermittent dieting recently. He had continued eating the huge quantities of a fast growing teenager and felt he had to take action. So maybe this fasting method is well known - but it was new to me. He also mentioned to Joan to avoid reaching the point where you are burning off muscle, the cause of which I intend to establish.
My regret is not to have started on retiring 16 years ago, though blood pressure was then already a problem, but my power sapping/stroke risking/breath stealing arrhythmia arrived just less than three years ago. Significant memory recall deterioration, even completely wrong word selection, has become clearly evident in the last twelve months.
I really do not want to follow my mother who was playing badminton weekly at the Leisure centre at 90, though even then her memory had deteriorated to the point of being a danger to herself. This made living alone risky and making making new friends.
But, although still in good health, not in pain, and pleasant to the very end, she didn't recognise me 4 years later and frequently asked if she had ever been married. My hope is that when my time comes euthanasia will be allowed to prevent those pointless last years existence without memories. Indeed I tend to go further and say for me that point will be reached when, for unalterable reasons associated with old age, I can no longer live independently in my own home.
Joan's knows her artificial knees would have had a far less stressful and prolonged life if she had weighed less.
I should add a warning, as in the Horizon programme, that no-one already underweight or sick should contemplate fasting without the agreement of a doctor.
In terms simply of weight reduction dropping to two good meals a day, one we could easily follow for life, was very effective and is a good starting point. We have found that absolutely painless. But we do feel hungry on 600 calorie days which is the whole point, you might say it is a case of 'no pain - no gain, though unexpectedly find the hunger pangs easier when we are physically active - even working very hard all day.
'Failure can be an Option'
Geoff Dyson (vacuum cleaners) writes Guardian article
An interesting article highly relevant to a man like me who spent a career in creative engineering design/development. Few people perhaps see engineering design in terms of creativity but since motherhood is not in my realm few opportunities compare, think Brunel for Railways and Steam Ships, think Mitchell and his Spitfire, Rolls Royce aero engines, Rockets and Space, think Fertilisers and Glass, think Electricity Generation and Grids, X-Ray and Scanners, Wireless and TV, think Computers and Internet, Software and Google's searching prowess. If you must, think Vacuum Cleaners and Washing Machines, but they don't excite me too much.
All were the result of scientific concepts being converted by ideas into reliable applications, useful, exciting products created by engineers. Designing and selling, then manufacturing, commissioning, maintaining, and refining. Almost all result from team working taking the idea through all stages of its development, as we often said the process is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration. A few, perhaps unfairly, think of it all as the work of the originator, but the team too need moments of inspiration as well as perspiration. After decades of evolution the originators would scarcely recognise its modern face.
The point James Dyson was making in these Olympian days is that instantaneous success is not the be all and end all, and that failure can often be a spur to eventual success.
Incy Wincy spider climbed the water spout, down came the rain and flushed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, so Incy Wincy spider climbed the spout again.
He goes on to point out that engineering design work is a continual search for better and better solutions. In my experience the early ideas are almost always over complicated, but that simpler more appropriate solution are hard to find. But when you do they are much better, easier for others to understand, and far more reliable. Continual evolution is the name of the game and not just in the present form but reacting to new technology as it arrives.
In so many things success needs time, patience and perseverance. It may be hard to achieve Olympic Gold Medal standard but in his case it took 15 years of trying and failing to arrive at an outstandingly successful vacuum cleaner.
He says he excelled in Invention and Art and honed the trial and error skills he needed at The Royal College of Art. His plea was to persuade more schoolchildren to follow D&T (Design and Technology), not just to GCSE level but through 'A' Level as well. It teaches them to sketch, build, test, rebuild, not to learn the answers to exam questions by memory and rote. (In my field sketch means outline an idea rather than draw it.) He feels there is a need for inspiring teachers with an in-depth appreciation of this approach - that is my worry too. He believes D&T 'just needs to be reinvigorated, brought up to date'.
As a society we can't really afford to have a select bunch of winners with the rest thinking, and allowed to think, of themselves as losers.
The PROMS and Barenboim's Beethoven Symphonies
Weren't they wonderful, I could kick myself for missing the first four on TV especially the Eroica and the 4th, but to compensate we listened to the replays on Radio 3.
I have seen some great conductors in my life including monthly concerts by Barbirolli and the Halle at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester. I will never forget him opening with a rendering of Brandenburg No. 3 and wishing it would never stop, or with a fine concert version of the opera Otello. Nor will I forget Karajan with the wonderful strings of the Vienna Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall in the late 50's with Schubert's Unfinished, or Klemperer and our own Philharmonia with Beethoven on the South Bank. One of my most treasured possessions is the first ever complete set of LP recordings of Beethoven symphonies by Toscanini.
But I felt the way Barenboim conducted the 9th was for me the best ever, with little obvious time keeping but full of subtlety and expression in his hand movements to bring out nuances I hadn't heard before. Using his face, and even protruding his tongue slightly on one occasion, to get the sounds he wanted. He felt that Beethoven needed a text to make his ideas clear to all and thus chose the Schiller's 'Ode to Joy', hence the choral movement. He rightly congratulated our National Youth Chorus for a superb performance.
Barenboim's Talk
His hour long talk about the symphonies was magic. Beethoven first conducted in Salzburg at the age of eleven in 1781, and continued to compose even though he became deaf in his late 20's. The discussion on the then revolutionary steps in music composition follow, moving harmonically far beyond Haydn and Mozart, and beyond the religiously inspired music of pre-Bach. The symphonies often start with unresolved harmonic chaos to provide tension, instability which is always resolved into stability - to give a sense of morality. 'Complexity and conflict', switching from major to minor keys brought 'darkness and light ... despair, sadness, hope and humour'. Beethoven 'deals by sound with everything which exists in the the human condition'.
How his symphonies were always full of sudden dynamic changes of sound intensity, tempo, mood and key, which keep the instrumentalists on their toes. Beethoven's composing 'converts simple parts into cathedrals' as one of his violinist's said, a thought which resonates to me as a innovating engineer.
This musical theory would have meant more had I listened to my mother so many years ago, but it was intriguing none the less. My mother taught classical piano and played in our front room whilst the bus queue outside stood and listened.
But it was the importance of philosophy that was most intriguing. In his opinion Beethoven was saying 'this is right, and this wrong, and this is how I want to live'. Beethoven was very political and a great supporter of the French Revolution, though he fell out of love with Napoleon when he elected himself Emperor, feeling thereafter that he was just like the rest of the self seeking politicians.
Then again he felt Beethoven was saying, 'religion is gone and God is gone, now we are faced with our own sense of responsibility, morality, justice', a theme which resonates to me as an atheist. I remember wondering, after a very religious upbringing, where I would get my standards in a future without religion, and later realising it was from within myself. Nor do I think are the standards of my children have been reduced by the lack of religious instruction.
Barenboim dealt only briefly with the East-West Divan Orchestra itself though it is composed solely of Israelis and Arabs, gradually learning to work in harmony. Divan by the way is a Turkish term for one of their highest Councils of government
His message like Beethoven was of freedom and peace. . Barenboim emphasised his views saying
'I believe very strongly in the universality of music, that it can take this message which is part of our inner feelings.'
U3A GROUPS
JIVE
I apologise for leaving less space than normal but I must say a word for Jive the first new group formed in my time as Coordinator following the ideas and endeavour of Gerwyn Thomas, who also founded MOTO (Members On Their Own). In spite of a near fatal heart attack he returned to running this group on a weekly basis. He has now decided to hand it on to Pam Williams, who has taught throughout, and continued with 'King' Eric Broadbent whilst Gerwyn was ill. Ken Huntley, who tried long and hard to establish a Chess group, will now work with Pam. They will try to work out how to deal with the demand from beginners.
Thanks a lot, Gerwyn.
Free of U3A duties I have gone back to being a regular and feel a lot fitter for it. Every now and again Angela Blewett, like me one of several founder members still dancing, boosts my confidence after a couple of years off by telling me I am dancing well again .
It's amazing remembering the excess of women early on how many men are now regular attenders, in fact we get there first! Surely it's the only Swansea U3A group to boast equal numbers of men and women. The clientele changes from week to week but that gender balance somehow continues. We change partners every minute or so whilst learning new moves. It's a great social group too, with quite a few going out together weekly to jive as far abroad as Cardiff, with long weekends in places like Eastbourne and Painton.
YOGA
I am a regular every Thursday and am glad to see satisfactory turnout at last, there were 10 of us last week. Chris Bryan moved to the big downstairs room at Hazel Court this year so there is plenty of space for several more members.
It's another excellent way of staying physically fit, breathing, stretching, bending, twisting, and my weaknesses balancing and posture. Around 90 minutes per session finished with a few minutes relaxing when some of us have been known to fall asleep!
Next sessions 13 September until 4 October, then a short break until 25 October.
Contact Christine Bryant at c.bryan682@btinternet.com
or Telephone 301938
POLITICS & CITIZENSHIP
Another great group which could well have folded with the death of its founder Margaret Hammond a year ago. It was taken over by Gabrielle Suff and is in rude health, though it would be nice to see new faces especially from more recent members. We had an outing and dinner last week to the Coastguard Station at Mumbles, but I promised Gabrielle to submit a write up to the Website so that's enough for now, but give me a day or two.
Gabrielle reminds me that she has completed two years as convenor of this group having taken over when Margaret Hammond wished to retire. She can be contacted at
gabrielle.suff@googlemail.com
WEDNESDAY MEETINGS
Barbara Ellis and team are doing a great job providing us with stimulating talks on a wide variety of topics. Nevertheless I have the feeling that attendance is dropping off, a great pity for what, as I mentioned in the preamble to this posting was once the major meeting point of the membership.
One big problem is the absence of parking on the University campus so most people now go by bus. Easily solved for motorists by parking on a bus route to the University, say to catch Bus 82 from Hendrefolian which run around every 10 minutes, the Bendy Bus, or any bus going to, or past, Singleton Hospital.
ARMCHAIR TRAVEL
Will start again in the new university year. It is now run by Bob Hughes who would be delighted to send potential new members details of next years programme, which will see more members than ever contributing.
Contact him by email at bobhughes1504@hotmail.com
I will be talking next spring on our trip to Turkey in autumn 2010.
BLOG NEWS
There are two new blogs besides this one.
1) Transferring our Style of Asian travel to France
If you are interested in the recent holiday that led indirectly to intermittent fasting then follow this link.
http://francemay2012.blogspot.co.uk/
2) Our 2 month trip by the Silk Road across China in 2006
This has just been updated to bigger typescript and made easier to read, but above all to include over 100 photographs.
http://silkroadchina2006.blogspot.co.uk/
NB I intend to work on a similar modification on our trip south in Chile and Argentina in 2007
Get to the website by Googling, U3A Swansea,
Get links to all my Blogs by Googling, Oldie Backpacker.
(Follow the link to my profile to get the links to the latest blogs)
1 comment:
Bob Hughes said...
Thankyou Brian.
Nice to see you back again- another great Blog: I am always amazed by your energy and breadth of interests.
The food/fasting article is thought provoking! Hearty congratulations.
U3A Swansea is indeed in good fettle. Longer term developments are in place, and the future looks bright, thanks to the enthusiasm of our Chairman, Committee, and the Convenors.
Your contributions, Brian, over the years played no small part in it all
Being a Convenor (or a helper)is a grand opportunity for members, old and new, to gain a great deal of fun and satisfaction..
As I, and many others, have done.
Bob Hughes
PS As always, I also commend to members Adrian's excellent website
(www.u3aSwansea.org.uk)
as the additional source of information.
25 August 2012 10:29
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