On 4 Sep 2006 06:49:23 -0700, "Section 31" wrote:

I am buying an aluminum ladder soon. I see that the loads ratings vary
from Grade 1 to grade 3. I was looking on the net and I read an
article that all aluminum ladders are tested so that each rung on the
ladder can hold 800lbs of weight regardless of grade. Does anyone know
if that is true ?

It sounds like someone was speaking in exaggerations.

OTOH to get a ladder that will always hold 200 pounds, it probably
has to be able to hold more than that some of the time.

I will be using it for around the house type of work...I take it grade
1 is good enough?

Thanks.

I weighed 240 earlier this year, and borrowed a ladder to replace the
gutter spikes in my gutters. I was disappointed when I saw it was
rated at 200. But by coincidence, I started a diet at the same time,
and after the hot weather and the rainy weather, when I could actually
do the gutters, I was down to 220. It made me feel better that I was
only 20 pounds over the limit. But I have no wife or children and if
the ladder breaks, I'll be the only one to suffer. Still, I kept my
body sensitive to any problem, made sure I didn't put the ladder too
far from the house (which increases the flex weight on it) but didn't
put it too close to the house either, which might make it fall
backwards. I assumed that if the tread of the steps was horizontal,
the ladder was correctly positioned. New ladders have a broad line
that should be vertical to show the same thing.

Unrelated to your question, what really made me feel better on the
ladder, better even than when I was thinner, was using a ladder
stabilizer. They are either under 20 or under 40 dollars and worth
every penny. Except for the three piece one that can be narrow and far
from the wall or wide and close to the wall. I forget how much that
is, and no one around here sold it, but I would have bought it if I
hadn't gotten one free in a friend's junk. (I only needed the U-bolts,
in a previous thread.)

I've never carried more than 30 pounds up the ladder and this time
under 10 counting my shoes and clothes. OTOH, I had the ladder,
borrowed. I don't want to buy one because I have no place to put it
except outside. If I were you, I'd buy a 250 or 275 capacity ladder.


(Probably don't wear sneakers on a ladder. Your feet will quickly
get tired. But wear something with a rubber sole, like hiking boots I
gues.)

I only eat 1/4 to 1/2 of what I used to, and I take muliple vitamins,
and I'm down to 209 now. After the first 4 days, I wasn't hungry
anymore, because I was used to the amount I ate, except for
pschological hunger. Sometimes they show food on tv, or talk about it
on the radio, or I want food because I'm depressed, or to celebrate
because I'm happy, or because I'm in the car, or because it's bedtime,
or because I'm at a friends. Even occasion was an occasion for
eating, even when I wasn't hungry. I also eat very slowly so that I
have time to get full before I've stuffed myself. Tonight for dinner
I had a half a banana, a fried egg, 2 chicken strips, and some diet
apple juice. It was plenty. Any more I would have been stuffed.
Soup is very good and I eat a lot of cup-a-noodles. I love it, and hot
food makes me feel like I had a real meal. I don't hesitate to stop
eating in the middle of a dish and put it in the fridge for later.

Taco Bell is also very good because they have quite a few small items,
like one chicken taco. They don't put sour cream on the cheap items
(if they use it at all, I don't recall) Almost every other place
doesn't sell something that small.

I'm saving a lot of money on food too, though that wasn't my goal. In
theory I allow myself to eat anything, as long as it doesn't fill me
up more that the previous day, but in practice, I've cut out most
really fattening foods, because I don't want this to take too long.
And I don't eat much meat, because I always want candy afterwards.

They don't really sell diet cocoa, so I make my own cocoa with
Hershey's cocoa and sweet'n'low, in a box, not the little envelopes.
I add enough until it's sweet enough. 2 or 2 1/4 minutes in the
microwave for a cup. Heating doesn't hurt the swwet and lo, at least
this little. I think they claim you can bake with it now, although
they used to say no.

They advertise on some food, low carbs, but all that matters is the
total calories, not the carbs, but most of my diet is based on not
eating much. Maybe I'm very healthy, but it has had no effect on how
I feel or how much energy I have.

I'm 5'8" and my destination is 160.

Of course 240 might be a good weight for your height. If so, nwver
mind.