A Step Towards Success

Well,

Part of the reason I started this fitness trend wasn't just to lose weight, but it was also to get a hold of a potential health issue......that being my high cholesterol. Well, it seems that I'm finally getting somewhere. I had an updated blood test done, and my cholesterol levels are the lowest they've been since.....well pretty much since the first time I've had it measured which was college. Since my last analysis, my total cholesterol went down from 275 to 223. Although my HDL (good cholesterol) dropped slightly from 68 to 62, my LDL (bad cholesterol) dropped from 186 to 143. Plus, even my triglycerides fell from 105 to 89. So, this is definitely good news, though I now need to work to keep things at that level. My weight is down to about 196-197, and I've also been taking a decent collection of supplements, including multivitamins, Omega 3 fish oil, fiber, and oat bran (essentially everything that has been documented to lower cholesterol). I'm sort of now just cruising until my October surgery. My goal weight by then is 195, but really, I just want to make sure I'm in good shape since after surgery I won't be able to do any real weightlifting for a few months.

So, I'm still trying to hit 5 gyms sessions a week (3 for weights and 2 for running). If I do hit my 195 goal soon, I may even try to get down to 190 or so. We'll see. However, I now realize that this blog will do me a lot of good trying to recover from surgery, as it has kept me motivated through now. So, for all those keeping track. Since I started this blog, I've dropped 20 pounds, from 217 to 197 in just under 6 months. I'm am also down 26 pounds since last Thanksgiving. I'm most proud not of the weight loss, but of the fact that I did not use any fad or unsustainable diets to get there. No low carb, no South Beach, no raw diet. Just normal healthy eating and exercise. When I went on vacation or out on a weekend, I didn't need to worry about where we were going to eat because not only was I not limiting the type of food I ate, but I was also allowing myself a day or two a week to let loose.