Fat people on Sky
Thanks to Sky channel, when i'm bored I resort to Sky cable TV (it's always the last resort particularly when I watch what i'm about to explain). There are some good things among the 900 channels but my favourites are the cooking shows. I did flick across to a show about the obesity epidemic in the US and ended up watching it for a while. What was presented as a documentary about one 14 year old girls 'struggle' with obesity in my eyes was actually a comedy about how stupid people are.
This 14 year old American girl was 300 pounds (or something like 150kgs). She complained that she was unable to go out socially and that the world was against her. She had been in contact with a surgeon who had promised to perform liposuction on her. Her mother, (single mum) was working two jobs to keep this 14yo in school, fed and looked after.
The surgeon promised to perform surgery if this girls iron levels improved. With low iron levels, too much blood loss during surgery could add other complications.
All this sounds fine....however for a 14yo girl, I think the surgeon should have offered brain surgery.
In further footage, the girl was seen eating deep fried food when her mum wasn't looking - actually the 'mom' was at the casino gambling. When her mum presented good wholesome healthy food the 14yo was looking at a tomato asking what it was. Told to try it, she did but spat it out. Her 'normal' looking meal was wasted. Was it the first time her mother had cooked a healthy meal? I'd say so. Just for the cameras.
If you like food, by looking at this kid you could tell she liked food....then learn about food. Learn about all different types of food. International cuisine, market food, exotic fruit and vegetables....learn why Italians eat so much great food and they are all skinny....
This girl wasn't able to improve her iron levels with good food or even supplements. So no surgery for her. The doctor wisely suggested her do some exercise and eat less. I would have sent her next door for that brain transplant.
Lakes District - Australian Team
Upon chatting with Nick Hudson, a mate from Sydney, I decided to head up to Varese to check out the lakes (again) and see if I couldn't meet up with the Australian Team. Varese is 50odd kms north of Milan and is the poor mans cousin of the bigger Como and Maggiore lakes. Nonetheless it is a beautiful area and a rowers heaven! Because I hadn't looked up the directions I simply jumped off the train and headed toward to the water. I expected Varese to be right on the water, similar to Como but this wasn't the case. So after I found the water, I looked for the first rowing sheds. It turned out the first shed I got to was where the British team were based. Asking them for help, the send me to the other end of the lake to where the Aus team was based. The British team coaches were actually Australians I think! Once I got to the Gravirate sheds, i found the Aus team boat man who said they had finished for the day and had just headed back to their hotel on the other side of the lake!! It was cool to check out the sheds. After watching the Ginn and Tomkins video from 2003 which shot many scenes of them training in Varese it was very cool to see it in person. It is certainly a gorgeous lake. It was a bit smelly and could have done with a clean but mirror flat.
I rode around to Biandronno to the Hotel Continental to where the Aus team was having lunch! It was a little strange walking into the dining room as I knew quite a few of them and it took a little while before people processed that I was there unexpectedly! A bit surreal but I said hi to Osti, Bolty, Bryn, Alice Mc, Dave Crawshay and some of the other SUBC and MUBC people I had met over the years. They were all going really well and pumped for Senior A Worlds in Poznan in a week or so. Bolty had just finished his Under 23 trip before getting a call up to be reserve. He's over doing the work loads for those injured and although looked tired was certainly looking strong. What a great opportunity for him. Huddo is feeling strong in the quad although they are up against the Polish in their home country. The Polish won at Beijing and the last 3 world champs with the crew unchanged.
I left those guys to chill out at the hotel and hopped back on the bike and rode around to Lake Maggiore. Here I just trundled around the beautiful lake. It was dinner time so people were all around eating outdoors or wandering licking gelato! Superlative lifestyle!
I slept most of the way back on the train. The parts that I was awake I looked out the window across the rice fields and at the old roman style farm houses wondering how different life would be now for these guys as it would have been when Caesar was fighting people coming across the mountains. I doubt not much other than they have tractors to do the hard work instead of slaves!
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