#SlimOldMan - The Pounds Won't Budge!

After my initial euphoria, I thought the pounds would keep dropping by the minute. But far from it. Many people reached out and wished me success. Some cautioned or admonished, others motivated. Diets tend to be a fun-free zone... Andreas then offered me a challenge, at the end of which there’s a rickshaw tour through Palma powered by muscle if one of us doesn’t reach their goal. If we both make it, there’ll be some cold alcoholic beverages for both test subjects... Warm regards at this point. The terrible images early in the morning of wooden rowing machines are indeed motivating... And Andreas is dieting the hard old-fashioned way: with sheer willpower!

Achim Is My Ace in the Hole!

For the start of the weekend, I had arranged to meet Achim, who probably weighs about half of what I do. And likely has a body fat percentage approaching "minus infinity".

Calories In!

On Friday things kicked off fantastically. I’m a mega terrible host and with the absence of the best wife of all, nothing could compensate. I had already called Achim and pointed out again that nothing should be expected from me and whether we should just go out to eat? But he brushed it off casually and came up with the idea of grilling. Incredible how Achim then, chatting away, conjured up this fantastic meal in a foreign kitchen without any help, completely relaxed. Achim, you should go on one of those cooking shows! Still, my little magic injection works — even here I eat less than half of my usual amount. By the way, it doesn’t work for rum. You can keep drinking that without any brakes...

Calories Out!

The next morning we headed out early to go hiking. Behind Alcudia there’s a scenically beautiful zone where S’ Illot is also located. We drove to the parking lot of the Ermita de la Victoria and set off from there.

The origin of the complex dates back to around 1400. In between, however — typical for churches — there was always some rebuilding and extending, and various orders left their mark. But if you have time, take a look at Mare de Déu de la Victòria. The small Gothic wooden sculpture is the namesake and inspiration for the complex.

Due to my fear of heights, we couldn’t take the most beautiful path, but the alternative route was also amazing. Absolutely recommended. And for the first time in my life, I could appreciate the panorama function of the iPhone. With 360° of finest views, a wide-angle lens is relatively powerless!

Restaurant "Stay" in Port de Pollenca

Afterwards we drove to the wonderfully located restaurant "Stay" in Port de Pollenca. I’ve always wanted to tell you about it. Let’s start with Port de Pollenca: Located in the far northeast of the island, it offers incredible mountain views right behind the town. And the sea in front. Sensational. The Pollenca area in general, as many of you already know, is my secret favorite. Very diverse, especially for sports and nature enthusiasts. But with the countless easily accessible beaches and the triangle of Alcudia, Port de Pollenca, and Pollenca, there’s simply enough going on for everyone. You truly can’t get bored there!

And the "Stay" sits in the harbor on a long pier and is shaped a bit like an axe. The handle runs parallel to the pier, the sharp part at the front sits before the restaurant. You can often get a seat there without a reservation because tourists prefer to sit directly by the sea. In exchange, you sit nicely sheltered from the wind at the front.

The "Stay" offers a good range. It’s open relatively late and during off-peak hours has a very extensive "snack" menu that would put any 5-star hotel room service to shame. Then, besides the broad à la carte selection of good international but not pretentious cuisine, there’s also a weekly set menu with its 2-3 starters and 2-3 main courses that should appeal even to the pickiest food critic.

But what does the gentleman order? The currywurst. It’s on the snack menu. Costs 8.90 euros. Comes with homemade good curry sauce. Fries in a cornmeal bowl. And a small, let’s call it, salad garnish. All in truly impeccable quality. Personally, the sausage is a bit too little crispy for me. I just forget to mention that every time when ordering. The kids love the bowls best, by the way. They didn’t get that from me...

Now you might say that currywurst isn’t the best diet strategy. And fundamentally you’d be right. The only difference is: I used to eat two such portions. Now I’m full after one, if I’ve been physically active beforehand. And if I’ve been lazy, I can’t even finish the portion.

Frustration Level High...

Weight-wise, things aren’t really moving forward though. I’m hovering around 106 kilograms. 300 grams above or below. I start weighing myself multiple times. Unfortunately, that doesn’t produce the desired effect. I seriously start thinking about things like whether the dirt hypothetically washed off in the shower really causes a weight loss or gain compared to the residual moisture...

Frustrating! I’m really eating significantly less. And I’m totally excited about "Ozempic" because I never really believed in "dietary changes". It takes a bit more to turn me into a rabbit. And all that salad and vegetable eating is — well-dressed — perfectly fine. But then it’s unfortunately not really low in calories either.

So I start wrestling with myself. Whether my theory that I could eat whatever I want is perhaps simply nonsense. The nonsense I’d like to believe. Although there are already quite a few changes.

The distribution of meals throughout the day has changed: From nothing during the day and then a lot in the evening, it’s developed into an early lunch and an early dinner with normal portions. Bottom line, I’ve calculated on a sample basis, I’m saving about 30% of the calories I previously consumed daily.

On top of that, I used to often snack on salty or sweet things. I’ve now been able to replace that well with dark chocolate — when I feel like it. But forget the 99% stuff... And also no more two Greek yogurts every evening for dessert.

I also felt nauseous twice during this time in the afternoon. Whether that was a side effect of "Ozempic", which is apparently often the case, or simply coincidence, I can’t judge. In any case, dinner was completely skipped then.

But finally, on November 16th, the time comes: for the first time in over a year, I break below 105 kilos. Yippee-ya-yeah I think to myself, so it does work after all!

The Dose Won’t Be Increased!

My internist prescribes me the next monthly pack. Actually, the dosage should go up according to the manufacturer’s treatment guidelines and all studies. But he thinks that because things are going so well, we should keep the dose low. You can imagine my enthusiasm... And I wonder what findings this opinion is based on. But maybe he’s not wrong. As long as it works so well, one should keep any potential strain on the body low. Because the line between desired effect and toxic burden is really just a question of dosage.

So on November 18th I continue my experiment with the 5th dose. The weekend starts well. I can exercise wonderfully, the weather is fantastic! But then:

RSV Strikes...

After the kids got infected one after another, it was my turn. The little ones handled it well, thank God. For me, it was a tough ride. Intense — I spent a few days mostly in bed. But now things are getting better and I’ll probably be able to resume my exercise program by the end of next week. Probably from the starting level. But there’s nothing to be done about that!

On the other hand, today started with an excellent 104.2 kilos! After the whole week 105 was my pendulum zone again. And I had less than half the exercise compared to a normal week.

Next time I’ll actually report on the exercise program. Have a great week and enjoy the match tonight! I’d be happy if we Germans win. But of course I also wish it for my Spanish fellow citizens. So a bit of a fair-weather flag waving, which we’re celebrating here. But at this point it doesn’t really matter anymore...