Blog

“But you’re not fat…”

I’ve had a few comments lately about my caption, “from couch potato to dive professional,” and when I explain that I’m not exactly fit, it’s usually countered by, “but you’re not fat,” or “you’re in better shape than most divers.

While technically, the latter statement may be true, I’m nowhere near as fit as I want to be for the type of diving I want to do. But let’s take a step back and see how I ended up in 42” jeans…

Some Ancient History

When I was a very young student at university, I worked evenings and weekends as a barman in a local brewery restaurant. It was great, free drinks, free food, and it was a daily workout – one evening we calculated that we probably covered 15-18km and lifted about 2.5-3 tons over the course of a shift. I was fitter than I’d ever been before, 28” jeans fit perfectly and – although I didn’t quite have a six-pack – I was very muscled.

And then, due to rash act of youthful carelessness, I had to stop from one day to the next and couldn’t do any major physical activity for around 6 months. I’d managed to contract a bout of Epididymitis, which then meant I had to have surgery a couple of months later. Memo to self: do not go skiing in -15ºC with only waterproof trousers and thin training bottoms… (I’ve successfully followed this recommendation for the last 23.5 years).

I still enjoyed my food and drink, and fairly quickly, I’d put on about 15kg, and my jeans slipped to 34”. Fast forward another couple of years, and I started playing a lot of music, which is a vey social activity and fuelled by alcohol. A lot of alcohol: I was drinking 6-8 pints of beer about 6-8 times a week. I was probably a functional alcoholic at this point; one of the side-effects is of course that you get hungry, so you also end up eating a lot as well as ingesting the extra empty calories from alcohol.

Sometime around this time, I found myself in a relationship with a wonderful girl and did cut back on drinking a bit, but some damage had already been done – I was over 95kg and somewhere between 38-40” jeans.

That relationship didn’t last, but I did still find myself drinking less. While I was unhappy with my weight, it didn’t look too bad and my weight stayed mostly stable. 

A few years later, in a long-term relationship, I was becoming very unhappy with my weight and appearance. I was motivated to try and lose weight, but nothing I tried really stuck. In hindsight, I probably wasn’t committed enough to lifestyle changes in relation to food, alcohol (although it had become a lot less) and exercise.

We had started diving by this point, and although my doctor kept signing off my medical, I wasn’t really fit enough. I had become fit enough to do the rescue diver training with the water rescue association though.

Then came the big cut where we stopped diving. Hiking replaced diving for a while, but life happened a bit more. I did try running (hello, Couch 2 5k!) and ended up being able to run 10km in just over 1 hour. My shape changed a little bit, but the weight didn’t drop (fluctuating around 110-115kg). More life happened, I decided to start cycling again, but being heavy and living in a hilly country does not make cycling that easy. I stuck with it, and when my life fell apart mid-2017 it was definitely one of my lifelines, and by the time I moved away from Austria, I was commuting to work 2-3x/week by bike (35km one way). My weight dropped to around 110kg, but I was still too big to actually fit most cycling clothes. 

Sidebar: this is actually one of the biggest problems I’ve had (in the context of first-world problems, that is): sports clothing. Most brands consider a waist size of 36-38” to be XXL, which means that finding specialised clothes for outdoor activities is actually quite difficult. 

Things have changed in the past years, and some outdoor brands do cater for larger people, but not as many as I’d like.

One thing led to another, and I moved back to the UK, and spent a year in a boatshed at IBTC Lowestoft (incidentally, still one of the best years of my life). Physical labour and a lot of standing did wonders for my physique and base fitness, but not really for my weight. I tried running again, but found it difficult, so I stuck with cycling. East Anglia is beautifully flat, so that suited me… I left college weighing 106kg and fairly fit. 

That lasted through the first lockdown, when I also trained up for a half-marathon (2:31:53 is still slower than I’d wanted). Stuff happened, work took off, I bought a truck and started greenlaning (off-roading) and became a bit lazy. Since then, my weight has stayed mostly stable, fluctuating between 115-120kg.

Welcome to the Present

Simon, 30/Jun/2024

So, as it stands right now, I currently weigh 117kg. My BMI is 35.7, so I’m classified as clinically obese. I can just about fit in 40” jeans (Spoke make custom sizing, and they’re really high quality, so shoutout to them). I can walk briskly for over an hour, my hiking stamina is not really there right now, and cycling for more than an hour is excessively strenuous (but I haven’t cycled properly for over a year, so slowly building back up). My long-term resting heart-rate is 48-50bpm, and my GP seems to think my risk of cardiovascular or cardiac arrest is negligible (the actual words were, “your risk for a heart-attack is less than 2%, so you’re in very good shape for an active young man” (to be fair, this appraisal was passed over the phone without having seen me, but I’ll take the win…).

I’m fit enough to dive comfortably within recreational limits. I passed my seafarer’s medical last year, with a verbal recommendation to lose some weight. The problem now is three-fold:

  • I’m not fit enough for technical diving;
  • I’m not flexible enough for technical diving; and
  • I’m unlikely to pass a HSE medical, due to my weight.

Sidebar: What is a HSE medical? For divers working in the UK, the HSE requires an annual medical examination, administered by an accredited doctor. The guidelines do allow for some leeway if the diver in question will only be working in the recreational sector (i.e. as a Divemaster, Guide or OW Instructor), but even here there are limits

The first two points came to light on my recent trip to the Faroe Islands (more to come on that trip). I’m strong enough to handle all the kit, but I’m not flexible enough to handle the emergency drills or fit enough to be of use to my buddy in emergency situations.

The HSE medical is the more “urgent” problem. I will need this medical sometime in the next couple of months to be able to start working as a Divemaster and progress into the OW Instructor training. 

The guidelines recommend refusing a medical certificate if the candidate has a BMI over 30. If the candidate is only engaged in “… a relatively less demanding work environment…” in the recreational sector, then a BMI between 30-35 is acceptable, under caution. The other part of the HSE medical that I’m slightly concerned about is the Chester Step Test: this is a graduated effort test to judge your VO2max capacity. Here, there are also very strict guidelines on suitability; anything below 40 is an automatic fail. My Garmin watch seems to think that my VO2max is about 33, so this is worrying.

So, in summary, I could spend about £140 and make a 3h round-trip to be told I’m fat and unfit. I’d prefer to spend £140 and make a 3h round-trip to come away with a shiny piece of paper saying I’m healthy and allowed to dive professionally.

What comes next?

The goal is clear, as the caption at the top of this website says: “… [become a] dive professional.” In order to become a dive professional, I need to pass a medical. In order to pass a medical, I need to lose weight and become fitter. Because the CST is an area of concern, I actually bought a small step of the correct height and ran a test yesterday. It came back with a VO2max value of 45.14, which is classed as “excellent” and above the limits in the HSE guidelines. So, while it only just scrapes past the limit, I’m confident that this is going to improve – as I’m also targeting my fitness over the next few months.

Getting flexible

25 years of driving a desk and many years of inactivity have taken their toll on the skeletomuscular structure of my neck, shoulders and back. This has resulted in restricted mobility that can’t be fixed just with exercise, so I need professional help to sort that out. I’ve started seeing a very good physiotherapist in Conwy (Ruth is amazing!), and even though we’re only 2 sessions in, it’s starting to help. This isn’t going to be a quick fix (you can’t fix 20 years of stupid in a couple of weeks), so I’m aware this is going to be a long slog. But I’m feeling good about it.

Getting fit

Fitness is also going to be a long slog, but I’m not actually too worried about that: I know that I can build up fitness again: I just need to get of my rear-end and put the work in. I am currently in the process of re-evaluating what I want to do, but the first goal is getting 7,000-10,000 steps in daily. I’ve started cycling again (running really wasn’t doing it for me, but I will revisit that later this year), and now that the summer season is really kicking off, I will be spending more time on the boats, which in itself is a good workout.

It’s good to know that I currently pass the fitness criteria for the medical, even if only just. But that also makes me hopeful that the work over the next couple of months will pay off.

Lifestyle Changes

None of this is going to stick unless I make some lasting changes. Over the last 7 years, my alcohol consumption has dropped massively. There are weeks where I don’t drink any alcohol, if I’m in social situations, then I may drink 1-2 pints (or equivalent) a week. With the exception of sometimes treating myself to a small glass of whiskey – maybe once a month, if even – I don’t drink at home. 

The next area to look at is food. Following a recommendation from my health insurance, I’ve signed up for the Second Nature coaching program, which aims to coach participants into a healthier relationship with food, more specifically (macro-)nutrients, ingredients and portion sizing. The initial program goes over 12 weeks, I’m currently at the end of the second week and have already discovered a few new favourite recipes , which are suprisingly tasty. My weekly shop last week was almost exclusively in the vegetable aisle of Tesco, which is a major lifestyle change. However, I’m starting to feel the benefits: energy levels are higher, my sleep quality is improving and I’m feeling better. Positive side effect: I’ve dropped nearly 2kg in the first 2 weeks. I’m confident a lot more will follow.

Outlook

While weight-loss is one of the goals, I’m treating it as a side effect. The most important effort will be the lifestyle changes. Working on fitness will have a long-lasting effect; the idea is that with the lifestyle change and associated weight-loss, exercise and sport will become easier, and thus more enjoyable. Which, in turn, will make doing more of it easier.

I need to review my original goals for this year, and maybe adjust some of them. That will follow in the next post.

6 Comments

  • Martin

    Healthy eating and walking sound like very appropriate ways to start. And getting lighter will surely benefit your joints. Stick with it!
    M

  • Holly

    Congratulations on committing to a 12 week programme to get you moving in the direction you want to go, for defining your target and actively taking the necessary steps to get there…
    Having SMART goals is a great way to go and I’m so proud of you for working on yourself 💪🏼🥰. All the best for the journey and as you’ve already noticed, healthy eating is the way forward as a lifestyle choice – weight loss and increased energy are the welcome side effects.
    Keep up the good work! 💖 x

    • simon b

      Thank you!! Who would have thought that healthy food would make such a difference? Energy levels, sleep quality and as of this morning -2.5kg 🤯 Success euphoria is definitely a thing right now, so trying to stay as objective as possible and see these 12 weeks through.

      xx

  • Deborah

    Hi Simon
    Wishing you the best of luck on this journey.
    A few things to noodle on…..
    Are you tracking body stats besides waist and weight? When I did a 12 week program I did them all, calf, thigh, hips, waist, chest, shoulders, upper arm, lower arm and neck. Hip to waist ratio is also good.

    But when the scales wouldn’t budge the measurements did, so the motivation remained high. I really recommend this. And I’d be lying if I said I was so pleased the neck reduced before the waist 😕

    I’m always happy to talk about lifting weights too. It’s a really important part for changing shape, stronger (not necessarily bigger) muscles = more calories burned at rest. Easily found 2nd hand weights for sale.
    And I have a love/ hate with Caroline Girvan on YouTube, her Iron Series is excellent. Where she’s said 10, I started on 2, I got up to 6 😜

    Cheering you on from afar xxx

    • simon b

      Thanks, Deborah! Yes, also tracking measurements, like you said, they’re a good metric to see when the scales aren’t moving, but other things are. 😉

      Weights are on the mid-term plan. Right now, concentrating on physio to get my shoulders and upper back mobile again. I’ve got a local gym membership that has a really extensive weight selection, so will be getting back there in a few weeks time. I’ll get back to you for some exercise routines though, always good to shake things up. 😁

      Thanks for the support xx

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.