Two mildly interesting observations
Observation 1: Stress makes me gain weight, despite consuming (slightly) fewer calories than when I was losing weight, all other things being equal.
Of course, right now my stress levels are off of normal charts and have entered a realm that is best described as non-euclidean. It's entirely possible that I don't actually have any more mass, but that my stress levels have created a vortex from beyond space and time that have locally increased the gravitational constant of all things around me. I'm not fat, I'm just more attracted to the earth than you are.
Observation 2: Either way, the 5 or so pounds I've picked up in the past couple of weeks have a massive effect on my skating.
Ice skating is a complex interaction of forces, and tiny adjustments or defects can radically alter how it all works. One of the most major changes you can make is the radius of the hollow in your blade (some interesting information about skate sharpening here ), basically the radius of the cut made into the bottom of the blade. Too deep and you dig too much into the ice. Turning becomes difficult and it's easy to catch an edge on the ice, abruptly changing direction usually leading to a fall. Too shallow and your blade slides around on the surface in any direction, which is equally bad. I think right now I'm right at the edge of the envelope of control of my current skate cut, and my slight mass increase means that it's gone from tracking nicely to too deep. Dropping the extra mass seems to be a better idea all around than getting a slightly shallower skate cut.
Now, if only I could find the proper elder sign to tattoo onto my forehead in order to lose the extra weight, without the unfortunate side effect of drawing horrifying, shambling extradimensional creatures into this world.
Ooh, I think I just invented the next fad diet.
Of course, right now my stress levels are off of normal charts and have entered a realm that is best described as non-euclidean. It's entirely possible that I don't actually have any more mass, but that my stress levels have created a vortex from beyond space and time that have locally increased the gravitational constant of all things around me. I'm not fat, I'm just more attracted to the earth than you are.
Observation 2: Either way, the 5 or so pounds I've picked up in the past couple of weeks have a massive effect on my skating.
Ice skating is a complex interaction of forces, and tiny adjustments or defects can radically alter how it all works. One of the most major changes you can make is the radius of the hollow in your blade (some interesting information about skate sharpening here ), basically the radius of the cut made into the bottom of the blade. Too deep and you dig too much into the ice. Turning becomes difficult and it's easy to catch an edge on the ice, abruptly changing direction usually leading to a fall. Too shallow and your blade slides around on the surface in any direction, which is equally bad. I think right now I'm right at the edge of the envelope of control of my current skate cut, and my slight mass increase means that it's gone from tracking nicely to too deep. Dropping the extra mass seems to be a better idea all around than getting a slightly shallower skate cut.
Now, if only I could find the proper elder sign to tattoo onto my forehead in order to lose the extra weight, without the unfortunate side effect of drawing horrifying, shambling extradimensional creatures into this world.
Ooh, I think I just invented the next fad diet.