No more grapefruit juice (sob)

Thanks to Vlad who added this reassuring comment to a post I wrote last month concerning my high blood pressure:

Simon, a BMI of 36 is no joke and statins won't do you any good and probably will do harm. My advice is to start eating real food with a focus on low carb/highly nutritive and satiating foods (meats, eggs, dairy) and limit eating window step by step to 8 hours a day.

This on its own will start the weight-loss process and you'll find yourself having more energy and you'll want to do some physical activity (brisk walking is very good) which will further speed up the process.

The power is in your hands. Don't rely on the so-called health system which has lost the plot. It's treating symptoms while the underlying issue gets worse and then you get more pills for more symptoms.

Thanks, Vlad, comments noted but I'm not an expert and for the moment I've decided to take my doctor's advice.

For the foreseeable future I shall be taking two pills per day – one is a statin (I think), the other is to reduce my blood pressure.

To be honest, I'm not 100 per cent sure. I wasn't really listening when they were prescribed so I'm just obeying orders.

The good news is that since I started taking them a couple of weeks ago I haven't noticed any significant side effects.

The bad news is that I'm not allowed to drink grapefruit juice.

The instruction that comes with one pill says:

DO NOT TAKE MORE THAN ONE OR TWO SMALL GLASSES OF GRAPEFRUIT JUICE PER DAY WITH THIS MEDICINE

The other goes further and says:

AVOID EATING GRAPEFRUIT AND/OR DRINKING GRAPEFRUIT JUICE

This probably wouldn't bother most of you but for years I have religiously bought two bottles of Waitrose's finest pink grapefruit juice ('Zingy and Intense') every week.

Seriously, it's one of my favourite drinks but as long as I have to take this pill (the rest of my life, probably) I can't touch a drop.

Oh well, it could have been worse. As I said to the pharmacist, it could have been alcohol. Or Diet Coke. Or coffee. Or the double cream I add to my coffee.

Funnily enough, despite not going on a diet I seem to have lost three pounds in the last two weeks. I know it's not much but that was without trying.

I even weighed myself the morning after consuming a substantial Chinese takeaway on Saturday night.

I'm reluctant to set any targets because I hate putting myself under pressure, but I do need to lose a stone before Christmas because I usually put on weight over the holiday period.

After that, we'll see.

Anyway, you'll have to put up with these occasional updates because I've decided that the only way I will stick to the task is if I go public now and again.

For the record, my weight on October 3, 2020, was 15 stone 10 pounds. Watch this space.