The Daily Diary of a Winning Loser

Today, I maintained the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget, I remained abstinent from refined sugar, I exceeded my daily minimum 64oz water goal,

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Monday, 9 March 2015

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March 9th, 2015 The Numbers

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March 9th, 2015 The Numbers

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.
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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:




















Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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