Russ's Grab-Bag Of Assorted PT Forum Goodness

**TheRuss** · Posted On: 4/17/2009 1:08am

I've got an appointment with my GP on Saturday: get results of testosterone bloodwork; find out what's involved in getting tested for mercury and maybe dioxins (I've been eating a lot of salmon); check on the status of my visit to an ophthalmologist (and if that's not coming along, see if I can just hit up an optometrist); and get myself put on a waiting list to see an orthopedic surgeon. If any of you know any tricks to get bumped up to the head of the line, please let me know.

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Calipers and tape measure have arrived, and there was much rejoicing.

Originally Posted by TheRuss

I'm going to try to make do with the equipment and space that I have.

I lied. Bought a crappy used digicam (with memory card) on eBay today. No optical zoom, so I'm stuck with whatever field of vision it gives me, and no remote, so there may be a bit of deviation between shots from me pressing the power and shutter buttons. That said, if the FOV's wide enough, I thought of a place to put it where it'll be undisturbed - I might even be able to put up a grid.

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I have until the camera arrives to decide on exactly what information I track, and how I'm going to track it.

The photos will probably just get dumped to disk in sequential order . Hopefully the camera will give them valid last-modified dates.

Caliper and tape measurements can go in a spreadsheet - maybe two, if I do both morning and evening.
Same with the various scale-given information.

Training log will be informal, given that variations in multiple parameters don't really make for good graphing.

I might log when I get to/out of bed, and maybe the spread between my alarm going off and me actually getting up. More for accountability than anything.

That leaves food. Calories, fat, fiber, other carbs and protein are obviously necessary, and they can go in a day-by-day spreadsheet as well. Might have to hack something up to generate those bits from daily food tallies, given that my database-fu is weak right now.

I'll think about it over the weekend.

**TheRuss** · Posted On: 4/24/2009 8:42pm

Well, it's begun. Camera arrived last night. Started tracking:
-Front/side arms out/down photos
-The output of both scales
-Arm/thigh/beltline circumference
-Hip pointer skinfold
-Wake/sleep times
-Daily calories/fat/carbs/fiber/protein intake

Been debating whether or not to use the camera's flash for the body composition shots. I'm probably screwing up a lot of stuff here, but that's the cost of having to come up with things on the fly.

**TheRuss** · Posted On: 4/25/2009 9:16pm

Originally Posted by Kintanon

Sooo.... When will you be publishing the awesome spreadsheet that is pre-populated with all kinds of foody goodness?
Copy it and remove your own personal data from it of course....
I'll offer hosting...

So I built a new one (not much variety food-wise yet, but I'm somewhat pleased with its functionality). It's up on Google Documents. Anyone want to see it?

**Kintanon** · Posted On: 4/25/2009 11:34pm

Is it community editable? If so we could all contribute to the food information....

**TheRuss** · Posted On: 4/26/2009 12:06am

Originally Posted by Kintanon

Is it community editable? If so we could all contribute to the food information....

Not as such, no. I figure I'll type the food information I need in as I buy and eat it. That said, though, anyone who wants to use the spreadsheet to track their own diet should be able to clone the spreadsheet and use it themselves.

**rordogs** · Posted On: 4/26/2009 1:41am

Originally Posted by TheRuss

I'm losing the battle with the Canadian brand of socialized medicine. It's enough to bring a grown man to tears. If the physiotherapist I'm going to next week isn't a miracle worker, I'm pretty much shelved.

how much money did you have to pay for all these appointments with health professionals and any tests you had or will have done?

how much money will you have to pay for all these appointments with health professionals and any tests you had or will have done under a health care system thats not socialised?

if you are having trouble with the knowledge these professional have shouldn't you be targeting the education system from which they were taught and not the environment from which they practice?

**TheRuss** · Posted On: 4/26/2009 12:49pm

Originally Posted by rordogs

how much money did you have to pay for all these appointments with health professionals and any tests you had or will have done?

how much money will you have to pay for all these appointments with health professionals and any tests you had or will have done under a health care system thats not socialised?

if you are having trouble with the knowledge these professional have shouldn't you be targeting the education system from which they were taught and not the environment from which they practice?

The doctors are to blame for their own individual incompetence.
The laws that create a hostile environment for me to pay for timely and accurate medical diagnostics are to blame for my inability to do so.

If you'd been paying attention, you'd have known that.