I did IT

So this was my big challenge, to learn to dive. I set myself the challenge  back last August before I had my surgery, I took the first step with Dan in January when I took my Discovery Dive in Chicago, but today I became a certified PADI Open Water Diver.

Graham & Uwe

I was going to keep it a secret and not tell people until today, but actually it was great to have them encourage me all week, and my facebook page and Twitter accounts are full of friends encouraging me. Thank you to everyone.

I specially need to say thankyou to my instructors Graham and Uwe and the Divemaster Brian, for a fantatsic week and their patience. I am not their most skilled or pretty diver, but I am one of their most grateful.

When I first told Dan I was going to learn to dive to celebrate not being Fat, he told me a lot of big people dive sucessfully. I know that I couldn't have done this 6 months ago. Where we dived in the Cabron Marine Reserve, I would never have got down to the sea, and definatley never got back up again.  As it was, my buddy and instructor Graham was always on hand to help.

More About The WEIGHT

So today I dropped 1 whole Kilo and am down to 12, but did better with buoyancy so tomorrow am trying 10!

When I arrived at the dive shop today I took the opportunity to lay out 32Kg, my weight loss to date. It is a lot! I still have a few to go somewhere between 5 and 10 but no hurry or big issue. Feeling great.

One of the exercises today was to take the weight belt off at both the surface and underwater and refasten it. The instructor said it seemed unfair on me as I had so much more weight to carry. I didnt tell him but I had been carrying a lot more excess weight than that for 30 years!

I Dont Want To Put On ANY MORE WEIGHT

Today was day 2 of the big challenge and I am 50% through it. Still loving it despite the physical exhaustion.

The theory is fine, I am a consultant and as long as I stay one chapter ahead in the manual, all is OK :)

The breathing is great, thanks to Dan in the pool, and to think the first two attempts I thought I would never do it. My Instructor Uwe says he also likes the fact that I pause, think through a drill and then do it. Many people rush into it and then panic. I surprised myself at breathing underwater when changing regulators etc, and clearing and removing masks.

I still have two issues, one is actually swimming! I have only ever mastered breast stroke and so the swimming with fins and straight legs is so foreign to me. Uwe has suggested tying my legs to broom poles tomorrow. But I wont fail on swimming, and today I swam far more than the 200 meters needed on the surface, what I really needed was directions. They had to stop me before I reached the Spanish mainland!

My biggest issue was buoyancy control, I am almost there but they had to keep adding weight!!! Typically you need 10% of your body weight. I am now about 86Kg and yet I needed 13 Kg of weight before I could get to the bottom. That is not fair, it appears although I have physically lost the weight, no one has told my body!!!!

The Biggest Challenge

In January I shared my big project, the challenge to take on diving. Well I would have loved Dan to be my instructor but logistics and time don't make that possible. Time slips away so quickly and it was beginning to look simply like a good idea or a pipe dream, I had to take it in hand and just get on with it.

I realised that this week would be ideal, in N Ireland we have Easter Monday and Tuesday off (we work Good Friday), and then we have another day Friday for the Royal Wedding. So I went on the PADI web site and searched for course this week. A few ideas came up and I selected one in Gran Canaria (Spain). I spoke to the divemaster Brian and he was really, really helpful. The upshot is, I am now at Gatwick airport flying this afternoon.

My dive course starts tomorrow morning and all being well I finish lunchtime on Friday, returning to London on Saturday. Four days between me the coward and achieveing something I would never have dreamed off. I wasn't going to tell Dan but in the end, couldn't keep quiet about it, so noww I HAVE to pass.

I am really, really nervous, haven't read enough of the manual, have a sore throat caused by tiredness, but I will do this, I will. I will.

Sorry

Apologies I haven't posted in a few weeks. No issues, no sudden falling of the diet, simply too busy. However I hope to be better today.

Weight hasn't dropped for a few weeks but I am used to that now. But I still feel great and look good, lots of great comments and giving away clothes i only bought a few months ago, so still on the right road.

I have had to postpone my 6 month check up and will explain in next posting, but wanted the doctor to know it wasn't because of any issue.

Never thought I would be telling you a story like this!

Today I went to the gym really early, at 0530 as it was my last day in Orlando, I needed to work, pack, exercise and be ready for my 8am presentation. It should have been fine, except the gym I thought opened 24 hours a day, didn't open to 0600. I was just about to leave very frustrated when someone turned up with a key, and said he was starting work and if I wanted he could let me in early.

How cool is that?

What a Difference 6 Months Makes

6 Months ago on October 12th I had my surgery.

This first photo was taken about 6 weeks before when I was on vacation with 3 very close friends. It was posted on facebook by one of them, and I hated it; I hated it because I looked so big. Not only am I really fat, but I am so much taller than them I felt like a giant in all directions.

Note, however the wrap I am wearing. Today I spent a little time at the pool, in Orlando where I am speaking at a conference. Same wrap. Only in the first photo, it just ties under my arms, in the 2nd, it is wraped around as a halter neck.