It's a Numbers Game

So if you were paying attention to my Facebook profile yesterday, you learned that I went for my almost-annual physical at my internist's office.  And nailed it.  I mean, seriously, I haven't had a check-up that good since I was a kid (if even then).  The doc himself came to the waiting room to call me for my appointment, which was unusual in itself.  He was also smiling and waving a few pieces of paper:  "I've got your labs right here.  Let's go."  (In a rare moment of forethought, I had called and got my blood test done on a day off before my doctor appointment, so they were in his office when I got there instead of after we were done.  I totally did this because I expected some good results.  But the results shocked even me...)

"Looks like you've been getting healthy.  Diet change, exercise, what?"  

"VEGAN."  (And some riding and such.)

"That will certainly do it.  Let's have a look at your numbers."  With that he spread the papers out on the exam table and grabbed his laptop to pull up the results from last time.  Here's what we discussed:

Category	November 2012	February 2014	Change	Comment
Weight	220	198	-22	Fully clothed...  I also managed to gain weight between Nov 2012 and Jan 2013
BP	130/88	122/80	Lower	On BP meds for both physicals
Heart Rate	80	56	-24	This is due to exercise and weight loss
Total Cholesterol	219	162	-26%	"You can't make a bigger change than that."  Dr. S.
HDL	54	45	-10%	He would actually like this number, the "good" cholesterol, to be higher, using healthy oils, fish, and even beer and wine!
LDL	144	95	-34%	Wow...  (OK, I am not sure that my calculations in the% stuff are correct.  I divided the difference by the original value to come up with it.  It makes sense to me, but I don't know if it's right...)
Triglycerides	109	110	+1	For some reason this number doesn't concern anyone.
Glucose	103	104	+1	THIS one puts me in the "pre-diabetic" category.  Refer to my last post regarding genetics here.  Apparently there isn't a ton of stuff I can do to change it a lot, either, besides continuing to do what I am doing.

*Just so you know, making that stupid table took forever.  I hope you appreciate it.

OK, so things are looking very good at this point.  There were, of course, other things covered in my physical, at least one of which included coughing, and additional examinations of skin and body, etc.  I believe when we were done that the doc said it was a "perfect" physical.  That may not have been the exact word, but it was very similar to it.  But I'm pretty sure he said "perfect."

So...  What's next?  Well, first of all, as it should be, I should send out some thanks to people who have helped me so far along my journey.  Sister Pam has been along for the whole ride, encouraging me and reading my thoughts as well as coaching from the far-off outpost of Wauwatosa, WI.  Many others have read and commented and such as well.  BUT...  Two ladies are more responsible for the numbers in the above table than anyone else.

While it's true that I began this whole thing with the idea that I would do some more exercise and watch my food intake, those two things only went so far.  I needed a major change.  Dana, my wife of nearly 24 years (and constant companion for 27...), found a flier advertising a "28-Day Detox" at Gazelle Sports in Holland.  We enjoy buying our athletic shoes there, and she happened upon this card on a shopping trip.  "This sounds kind of cool," I think she said.  She was ready for some change, and has been searching for years for something to help with the almost constant pain from migraine headaches.

"Sounds kind of crazy," was something like my response, but since she is her own person and I really didn't care what she wanted to try, I waved happily from the porch as she headed off to the free informational meeting on an September Sunday morning.  By the end of that month she had lost 15 pounds and could already tell a difference in her headaches.

When another class came along, she asked if I wanted to join her.  Since the stuff she made herself for dinner also made it to my plate (and it was good stuff!), and since it seemed like she wasn't suffering from the disastrous effects of eating too many vegetables, I figured there couldn't be any harm to it.  Or at least not much.  The deal was that she had to do all the work, like making the morning smoothies, etc.  She agreed.

Info meeting #2, in November, was when I got to meet influential female #2.  Margaux Drake, whom I have written about before, is almost a force of nature.  Margaux is a true believer in a healthy lifestyle through plant-based foods.  Her boundless energy and enthusiasm are contagious, and she is a very serious cheerleader/coach/encourager to all in her classes.  Allowing us to explore and experiment for ourselves, she offers advice and counseling, realizing that for some people jumping head-first into this is a huge step.  (As a testament to her cheerleading prowess, I offer you the fact that she sent me a pic of herself and her husband giving me huge smiles and thumbs-up from the top of a mountain in Vail when they heard of my accomplishments via FB and text.  I would have waited to get back to the lodge to do that, but they jumped right in.)

So thank you to Dana and Margaux for providing the impetus as well as the means for this latest step on my walk to health.  As far as further goals, my doctor and I discussed the idea of 20 more pounds coming off.  And I registered for the 24-Hour Challenge a few weeks ago.  And things like that.  A few folks have said after yesterday that I will have to change the name of this blog, but THAT won't happen until I don't feel totally self-conscious taking my shirt off in public or I look as good in spandex as Alex or Brad*.  And that, my friends, will be quite some time, I'm afraid...
      *Pretty sure Alex doesn't usually read this, and Brad only occasionally.  So keep that to yourself, please.

Anyway, that should do it for this post.  I've been writing for too long, you have better things to do than waste time staring at the computer, and we both should be exercising.  So go do that.  And when you get done, make yourself a smoothie:
 - 1 C Apple Juice
 - 1 Banana (frozen if possible)
 - 1 C fresh Kale/dark leafy greens
 - Handful of Sprouts
 - 1 T Coconut Flakes
 - 1 T healthy oil (coconut, flax, etc)
Place ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Add 2 T chocolate chips at the end and blend a few seconds longer for some added crunch and texture.   I've done this for breakfast virtually every day since November 10.  They're great.  Want to start your own health journey?  THAT is a great first step.

Later.  I'm off to ride some type of bike.