Wayne Potgieter

Thats good to hear. Our journey was a little similar, we dipped our toes into the pool and got in a little deeper over time.

Dates are a great riding fuel (forgive me if I dont share your love of biltong ) I am a huge fan of dates and nuts for long events. Far better than gels and synthetic potions.

Hey Josh. This can be due to so may factors. Genetics, diet, general athletic fitness, getting in a good bunch etc. Sure, Diet plays a crucial role, but it is not the only factor. As with most things in life its the sum of all things that generally makes the biggest influence. Even with a vegan diet, if your brother had eaten very low carb and fat meals before hand, he would have suffered. Macros plays a huge role in performance. Has he done other events of similar distance/elevation in the past and if so, what was his performance like?

Yes. Its pretty good (although a slow read because its quite technical) I also enjoyed "how not to die" by Micheal Greiger (sp?) and the accompanying cookbook which is aptly named "how not to die the cookbook"

Sure. But remember that this coincided with a general movement towards general health being better. So not only attributed to diet, but diet being a contributory factor and some of this is anecdotal. Fat loss, Muscle gain (I go for full body scans regularly. BF dropped 4% and weight stayed similar)Improved athletic performance - can run a 21km in under 2 hours (around 1h50) and my recovery is a lot smoother than before (I struggled to run over 15km before making the changes)Sleep betterPsychologically, I feel better about my choices like I am part of a solution and not contributing to a problemHave been eating really well. Like seriously, Cooking at home has become WAY better than restaurants, so we save money and are having better meals.My daughter has struggled with bad eczema her whole life, since going plant based, her rashes have disappearedBoth kids used to be really constipated a lot of the time - now they are regular.My farts used to be so bad that it was a national health hazard. Now they are only a municipal hazard.I used to get really bloated and sore after most meals. Especially after cheese, I used to bloat up with a big boep. That doesnt happen anymore.As a family, we feel like we have a lot more energy. I mean, its a highlights reel and to be fair, we were not in terrible shape to begin with. Some of our friends that have gone plant based were far unhealthier to begin with and their results have been more dramatic. A good mate here in Auckland had incredibly high cholesterol and blood pressure. He was prescribed a whole bunch of meds. He cut out meat and went plant based and all of his stats are nearing the normal range (he is not quite there but getting close) Ironically, he had no idea I was plant based, and I had no idea he was doing this but at a function I noticed what he was eating and he noticed my meal choices and we realized what was going on. See, some Vegans don't feel the need to run around declaring veganism to all who care listen. (cheeky jab) I think what I am trying to say is that I feel I have gained a lot more than I have lost. The equation works for me. I recently had a physical with blood tests and all my markers were great. B12 in the upper normal range, calcium was good. Cholesterol was normal and Iron was spot on. I don't take any supplements as such but I do drink a coffee every morning made with a B12 fortified soy milk. Hope that answers the question.

We can only make the best decisions possible based on the evidence available. The key is to use actual evidence not anecdotal evidence and do as much research as possible. For me (and this is a personal point) it involved changing my current degree slightly to incorporate nutritional subjects - specifically in the college of sciences. As well as a part time personal trainer course (although admittedly this was more to improve understanding of fitness and heart rate training) and then to read read read. I have read so many books on plant based and omnivorous diets it is probably unhealthy. My opinion is that a plant based diet is ideal BUT as with any diet, you should pay attention to health markers. Regular testing of some of the high risk items (B12, iron, calcium etc) is necessary. I would recommend this sort of philosophy for meat eaters as well. Ultimately, even if you reduce your meat intake the benefits are substantial. On the anecdotal side - my families health has improved since removing meat, although to play devils advocate, it coincided with the same timing for us becoming more health conscious across multiple areas. So we cannot attribute the benefits to the meat alone. I do think an important distinction should be made between a healthy vegan diet and an unhealthy one. Slap chips are vegan - but they aint healthy. Its really important for each person to evaluate what they are doing to themselves and the world and make informed (as much as possible) choices into being your best version. That applies to diet and health (mental and physical). Sometimes knowing that you are contributing to a better world is helpful mentally as well. There is no place for extremist activism of any kind. I despise aggressive activism on all fronts. Left or Right. Basically, dont be a dick.

Yep. Wait till she is in school. Then the before/after school bills start. For my 2 kids to attend 30 minutes of before school care, and 1 hour of after school care is $78 a day!

I have been looking at properties in CHC. I spend a lot of time there for work and can probably work there and retain my auckland salary. Being in IT, I can work from home and the cost of living in CHC seems remarkably less. Our budget of $950K for a house buys us bugger all in Auckland, but it buys us a 5 bedroom masterpiece in the Port Hills in CHC. Going to go on a real estate hunt in December and take a good look. If I make the move, It will probably only be towards the end of next year to coincide with my eldest moving into intermediate.

Yeah, there are two camps on this. I suppose like most things in life, there are the extremists. Personally, I think its almost impossible to avoid animals in every instance (bees are a good example) My philosophy is that there is the world of Black or white, but most humans live in the grey area in between. The closer you move towards the better side of living, the more good you are doing. I know that Bees are used for Avos in south america, but all NZ avos are grown locally, I dont think bees are involved here (could be wrong though) I suppose I cant really call myself a true vegan as my car has a leather interior and I have one pair of leather shoes. Granted, those were purchased before moving towards veganism, and it seems more wasteful to throw them away and buy alternatives because of my lifestyle choice. When the car and shoes eventually need replacing, I will probably replace with a vegan friendly version. Oh, and I ate some cheese on the weekend. Was at a kids party and had a sandwich, didnt realise there was cheese on it until the third or fourth bite - my stomach was not happy - I farted like a man possesed. EDIT : Just found out Kiwi Avos are indeed polinated by bees

yep. Made good burgers too. Won some awards. Now I am powered by avocado. Vegan burgers are difficult. If you try make them similar to meat, they suck. If you just try and celebrate the veg, they rock!

Actually, This post interests me. I was recently offered a pretty cool job in Perth. Given that Ill have citizenship in a year, I was wondering what the place was like. How about we get a nice detailed Patches style debrief on Perth?

It sort of substantiates using an eggplant emoji! LOL

Yeah, Its pretty good. I enjoyed the fact that it wasnt your typical Doom and Gloom type of diet movie. Rather around performance benefits. Gosh, some of those people are ripped as all hell.

Now you are stereotyping and generalising. I’m a vegan, I am really happy with small steps people make. Each burger you don’t eat is part of the solution. I’m glad you have reduced your meat intake. It’s a step in a great direction. And even if you never go full vegan by reducing your consumption you are playing a role in a complicated solution.

Auckland is a Maori word for rain and mud. (That’s probably not true, but it should be)

Anyone have any experience with these? I am looking for a light off-road running shoe. Not hardcore trails. More running on paths and sand. Need something with more traction than a road shoe. Currently use the 4% for road running.

There was an attempt made at strategy with this, https://www.motorsport.com/super-formula/news/kobayashi-bizarre-strategy-suzuka-kcmg/4588492/ Not a good attempt, but an attempt nontheless.

Drink a soy milk in your coffee that is fortified with B12 - problem solved.

Ok - I need some holiday inspiration for a 7-10 day break between Christmas and New Years. Thinking of doing a South Island explorer thingy starting and endin in CHC and taking in the west coast. Anyone done this and have any tips maybe or ideas?

my wife donates regularly as well and we also like seeing when the blood is used. Unfortunately, I have been banned from donating for life. It’s a shame, I wish I could donate.

Another good. Weekday evening netball matches at spark arena with 8,000 fans.

This looks like a good deal for anyone in NZ looking for a large duallie. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/400893760840718/\ EDIT: Nevermind - its sold now. It was a niner Jet 9 dual suspension in large for $600

I am sitting at my kids school at 7pm while they play on the playground. It’s still sunny. Winter is ***.

I did the same thing at the dealership when we ordered the first car. Oof. I also asked for a panic button system. That took 30 minutes to explain.

The only "crimes" i have been a victim of are people scratching or bumping my car and doing a runner. Its happened 4 times in 4 years. This has prompted me to install dashcams in both cars that have parking facilities. The last incident, I sent the footage to the insurer and did not have to pay any excess. Worth every penny.