My blood pressure was once a powerful source of reality, a strong indicator of my internal condition and a giant reminder of my mortality. My blood pressure, more than once, jolted me out of binge mode and into I must get busy, mode. You might think once was all it should have taken. Unless you're like me and you realize, the fear of death is often times not a match for the compulsions driving us toward the sunset with our lights on.
My older brother died of aortic dissection at age forty-two, a condition most commonly caused by prolonged high blood pressure. This was certainly on my mind a year ago, when I was forty-two years old and my blood pressure was becoming a serious issue again. At the top of my regain weight, it was high enough for the doctor to immediately prescribe a good medicine.
Eventually, sometime over the last eleven months of this turnaround (I forget exactly when-Late summer/early fall, I think), my doctor decided the blood pressure medicine wasn't needed. Today brought another pleasant confirmation, he was right. My blood pressure was 116/64.
Waiting for the doctor with a big smile on my face felt incredibly good. He walked in while reading my chart and he was smiling big, too. He immediately commented on my dramatic weight loss and the blood pressure reading and how those two, for me, obviously go hand in hand.
Then he pulled out the paper with a bunch of numbers. He rolled his stool next me, and using his pen as a pointer, explained their meaning. He also compared some of the numbers from one year ago.
The writing on the paper is where he was showing the contrast from a year ago.
Blood glucose was 85. Between 70-105 is desirable
Triglycerides: 47 (1 year ago: 78) Below 150 is desirable
Total cholesterol: 164 (1 year ago: 190) Below 200 is desirable.
HDL Cholesterol (the good kind): 43 (1 year ago: 38) Last year he told me it was preferred above 40 and suggested increased exercise and eating walnuts would help. I didn't eat the walnuts, but I've certainly exercised. It's helped!
LDL Cholesterol (the bad kind): 112 (1 year ago: 137) He commented that desirable was anything below 130.
He went over the hematology with me, the blood counts and a bunch of other blood test results and everything looked wonderful in his opinion.
Thank God. I'm incredibly blessed. I have an enormous amount of gratitude. I mean, seriously, how many second chances can one person receive?
I sincerely pray for the strength to forever hold sacred the fundamental elements of my recovery, making my last second chance, the last I'll need.
The nurse walked me right past the scale today. They know weigh day is Wednesday and not today! It's cool how they completely understand and respect my personal psychological philosophy behind the tri-weekly weigh-in.
I cooked well today, enjoyed a fantastic workout tonight, was a little under my calorie budget for the day and I hit my water goal. I couldn't be more pleased unless Arctic Zero started making sugar free options sweetened with natural-organic stevia. They haven't, yet. We should start a petition!
My Tweets Today:
Good morning! Monday morning coffee. Dark roast with sugar free hazelnut creamer. 30 cal X 2 cups= 60 cal. pic.twitter.com/K1EkVi8vVa
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) March 9, 2015
Pepper jack omelet with three whole eggs and two slices pepper jack. Golden delicious apple. 430 cal. pic.twitter.com/pavku8g4Gj
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) March 9, 2015
2 cups with lunch. #wateraccountability pic.twitter.com/PkJYXJkYID
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) March 9, 2015
Bean (130g FF/SF) & Pepper Jack nachos w/one serving natural white corn tortilla chips & 15g light sr crm. 280 cal. pic.twitter.com/UE2dkDPeVK
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) March 9, 2015
Afternoon cup. Sugar free hazelnut creamer. 30 cal. pic.twitter.com/8Ruwz6gj3b
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) March 9, 2015
2 cups while cooking dinner. #wateraccountability pic.twitter.com/38BrhezPh1
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) March 10, 2015
Sirloin tip steak (8oz) topped w/onions, peppers, thin sliced swiss (4slices) & lght sr crm (30g). Asparagus. 638 cal pic.twitter.com/bTY84caTLn
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) March 10, 2015
Here we go! Weight training then elliptical. 2 cups for during & post-workout. #watertracking #wateraccountability pic.twitter.com/cxw05aIAi1
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) March 10, 2015
Weights, elliptical, post-workout refill. #feelsgood #twitterefficient 😅 #drenched pic.twitter.com/kOdvrHZNUZ
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) March 10, 2015
21g whole natural almonds and a golden delicious apple. #lastfoodofday 204 cal. pic.twitter.com/DsCnXdkCtZ
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) March 10, 2015
Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
Congrats on the great blood work Sean. It's amazing how our bodies can heal themselves when they are given the proper ingredients to do so.
ReplyDeleteIt really is, isn't it? Thank you, Michael! I'm very fortunate.
DeleteLet me see if I understand correctly what your lab report is really saying... if you exercise and eat better, your health improve... would have never guess ha ha ha
ReplyDeleteGreat job Sean you are an inspiration!
I believe we have conclusive proof--not just from me--many others have proved this concept! :)
DeleteThank you, sir!
Woohoo so glad your bloods came back good and what a great BP
ReplyDeleteThank you, TR! I loved the BP reading very much!
DeleteGREAT results Sean! You deserve to be very proud. When I started on my journey to get healthier in Dec. of 2009, I did so because I feared I had already had a heart attack. My doctor told me this after an EKG. Subsequent tests with a cardiologist proved I had not, and my heart was fine, but at 328 pounds and a poor maternal heart history, I knew it was just a matter of time before it all caught up with me. I had been fighting high blood pressure for almost 15 years, was currently on 5 meds, and none of it was controlling my BP very well, I consistently got a 140/90 when I had it checked. After losing over 170 lbs. I am OFF all meds and my BP is consistently normal. Not bad for a 64-year old! We are the lucky few Sean. Our obesity didn't do lasting damage (other than my knee joints which are bone-on-bone arthritis), and we could reverse the harm it was causing us by making better lifestyle choices. Sounds so simple, but I know how tough it is EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. And even knowing what I was doing to my body by allowing myself to get to 328 lbs., it is still hard not to give in to those urges to eat the wrong food, because as you said "the fear of death is often times not a match for the compulsions driving us toward the sunset with our lights on." It's sad, but it is a true fact of life for us food addicts. Well said Sean and congrats on turning it all around!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad your heart wasn't as damaged as your first doctor suggested! Congrats on getting off the meds!!! It's wonderful to lose weight for so many different reasons-- but it's these reasons most important, seriously.
DeleteThe fear of death doesn't because we have the power to convince ourselves it's something that happens to other people, not us--or that we have more time to correct--but right now, who cares? Very dangerous patterns of thinking. I did it for a very long time. I pray I don't go there again! Thank you very much, Pam!
Rock on, Sean! Great job!
ReplyDeleteLance, thank you, my friend!
DeleteCongrats, Sean! You've earned it, every single day. :)
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you, Gwen. Thank you!
DeleteVery inspiring, Sean! Great job and congratulations.!
ReplyDeleteJeanne, Thank you very much!
DeleteYou have improved greatly over the last year in many areas! Good hard work DOES have its results doesn't it! Hmmm So happy for the good report!
ReplyDeleteSomething was said on the Sun. "In Deep Shift" TV Program - which I thought worth sharing. "Until we find our key wounding, we're going to continue to manifest our same situation over and over." How does one go about finding that "KEY WOUNDING" - because I've been going this route for a long time and need to take this excess weight off for the last time! We've buried that hurt, that pain very deep obviously so it will take a lot of digging.
Our "key wounding" or "woundings" is a very deep topic with many layers of cause, effect, reaction, belief, behavior and the resulting patterns of it all. It's our biggest work, don't you agree? Identifying, then sorting through the emotional closet, keeping what's truly needed and discarding the rest, is tough. It's an ongoing thing for me. Just when I believe I'm at peace with forgiveness and love issues, I discover I'm not completely. It's an ongoing practice...perhaps like taking extraordinary care of ourselves in other ways. There isn't a finish line where we say, okay--I'm done doing that!!
DeleteGreat job Sean ! You should be proud of yourself !
ReplyDeleteThank you, Celine! I am, I really am!
DeleteGreat job, Sean!!
ReplyDeleteFantastic job all around!
Cheers to you!
Rosie
Rosie, thank you very much. Cheers!! I like Cheers! :)
DeleteYou Rock Sean. There can be no better reward for all of your hard work than good health. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteSharon, Thank you. I'm very blessed--very fortunate--very lucky in many ways. Given my history--could have easily been a very different story for me, years ago...
DeleteYour blood work was just the inspiration I needed this evening to stay on track, thanks!
ReplyDeleteThat makes me smile so incredibly wide, Vail! You're very welcome!! Thank you for sharing this, V. Rock on, my friend!!
Delete