TODAY'S WEIGHT: 133.4
TARGET: 128
This month marked the second anniversary of my decision to walk into the Lindora medical weight loss clinic and give myself over to their staff.
Since beginning maintenance last March, I've enjoyed free counseling and product discounts -- but in order to continue using their services, I need to subject myself to an annual blood test. Yesterday, I met with the nurse practitioner to discuss the results...
...and they were all GOOD. My total cholesterol is 200, which WebMD characterizes as"borderline high" (but only just). However, that cholesterol count breaks down to a count of 75 LDL (the so-called "bad cholesterol" -- less than 100 is considered optimal). My HDL ("good cholesterol," which lowers your risk of heart disease) is 110. This is great, because optimal is 60 or over - and the higher the number, the better.
This is a dramatic improvement over the same tests I took when I first met with her in 2007:
| JULY 2007 | JULY 2009 | |
| TOTAL CHOLESTEROL |
222 | 200 |
| LDL (BAD - Target <100) | 132 | 75 |
| HDL (GOOD - Target >60) | 70 | 110 |
In fact, when analyzing all the factors that indicate possible heart disease (cholesterol, smoking, body mass index, blood pressure, waist measurement, age, diet, physical activity), my risk was calculated at just 2.7%.
I talked with the nurse practitioner about my frustration at my inability to lose the five pounds I gained. She doesn't think it's that big a deal -- yet. To illustrate her point, she took a tape measure and showed me where my waistline was on that first day. (By the end of the program, I had lost 10 1/2" from my waist.)
But I know I need to pay attention to this. If I don't lose the five pounds by the time the holidays roll around this year, I will have to be diligent... I gained most of the 56 pounds I lost over the course of a decade, at a rate of five pounds per year. In fact, I should try to lose MORE than the five pounds.
I actually think I've been pretty good, dietwise. The place where I'm failing is (what else?) exercise. It doesn't help that I'm dealing with the pain from a rotor cuff injury, and taking three hours each week for physical therapy. The PT appears to be working - so maybe when that tapers off I can take that same time and spend it at the gym.
Most encouraging was the count of my iron reserves, which is still low - but within the range of normal. This could factor into my doctor's recommendations on what to do about the uterine fibroids we've been concerned about. As long as I keep my iron up, we may be able to keep surgery off the table.
