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This post is the second in a series on self-health care without drugs or "programs".
When I was in my prime, I weighed 175 lbs. (I’m 5’11".) I felt great, and I also felt good about the way I looked. I was exercising every day, and I could eat whatever I wanted without worrying about cholesterol or blood sugar, blood pressure or weight gain.
As I hit my late forties, my metabolism naturally began slowing down, and I began putting on a few pounds. Nothing serious. Just a pound here and a pound there. In the span of about two years, those random pounds added up to over fifty, and I weighed 225 pounds at the age of fifty. I went from a size 34 waist to a size 38. My belt always pinched. I had a hard time bending over to tie my shoes. I didn’t like to look at myself in the mirror. And, worst of all, my blood pressure and cholesterol slowly started to rise.
It was discouraging. I was still exercising, and yet I was packing on the pounds.
In actuality, I knew what the problem was. My wonderful Dr. Kristin Gildersleeve told me that as our bodies age, our metabolisms slow down, and we have choices to make if we want to stay in shape. We can:
- eat less
- exercise more
- eat smart
- any combination of the above
Instead of doing any of those options, I joined Jenny Craig, and I immediately started losing weight. Within a few months, my weight was down into the one hundred-seventies once again.
I was eating nothing but Jenny Craig pre-packaged food, and:
- it was incredibly expensive
- it tasted like crap
- I was ALWAYS hungry
When I hit my goal weight, I stopped buying the pre-packaged food. I had been to three of Jenny’s Eat-Right Seminars and bought all the instructional and "Feel Good About Yourself" tapes that she sold (again, for a small fortune). So I figured that I knew about portion sizes and good nutrition.
In less than a year, I was up to 225 pounds again, and all of that money went down the toilet!
At that point, I was so discouraged, that I began giving up. My exercising slacked off. I began eating whatever the hell I wanted, and I resigned myself to the fact that I was always going to be "paunchy."
Then, Dr. Kristin started giving me hell. My blood pressure was rising, my cholesterol was getting to the danger level, and my blood sugar was climbing. Since all three of these things were only at the warning stages, I paid no attention to them, even though I was already on medication for my heart. I kept on merrily ignoring all medical concerns and reprimands.
The proverbial fecal matter collided with the Lasko Oscillating Air-Mover Fan for me last November. At my doctor’s request, I begrudgingly had blood work done and, well, EVERYTHING was elevated! Dr. Kristin called me into her office, read me the riot act, and scared the bejesus out of me. She said something like "Look! You are my favorite patient, and I want you around for a long, long time! These numbers are serious! You have a choice of:
- life style changes,
- heavy meds for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar
- or the distinct possibility of an early death.
She didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know. My father and grandfather both died early due to heart disease brought on by sugar diabetes and high cholesterol. It was time for me to get serious or die.
I love life.
So, with the help and support of two wonderful women in my life, my beautiful wife Mary Ellen and my doctor, Kristin Gildersleeve, I embarked on a severe and permanent life style change.
Today, without the use of drugs or franchised weight loss/exercise programs, I have lost over thirty pounds in three months, brought my blood pressure down to 128/78, dropped my cholesterol level into the safe zone, and got my blood sugar down below 100. People comment (without being solicited), about how much better I look. They ask me if I lost weight. When I wear short-sleeved shirts, they comment on the muscle tone in my arms. Who cares that they always tack on the phrase "for fifty-five." ("You look really good...for fifty-five.) It feels great, and I feel great about me.
How did I do it? Stay tuned.
