Six Months To Life

tick-tock. my month is up.

K-Mac — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 06:55:31 +0000

Remember when I said I had one month to get it together? My month is up. And how did I do? Considering I had a vacation in the middle of it all, I could’ve done a whole lot better. I’ve been slacking on the workouts and proper dieting. Well, more on the workouts than the dieting, but I’m inching my way back to where I need to be. And I had my visit with the doctor this week.

First, the Bad News
My weight didn’t change. Well, not as far as she could see. That’s because I had lost a few pounds by the time I had my initial appointment. Then I lost more. Then I went to Vegas and spent the next two weeks living like Jabba the Hut. I’ve got it under control again, but need to get back in my gym pattern.

Now, the Good News
My blood pressure was 116/84. This has been my greatest concern for about a year now. Call it pride, but I did not want to go on BP meds.

Looking Ahead
We’ll see the blood work results in a couple days. I fully expect to have issues with cholesterol. And I’m nervous my blood sugar might be out of whack. Given my ability to lower my blood pressure sans meds, I’m gunning to do the same with any blood sugar issues. Cholesterol? I’ve all but thrown in the towel. I don’t subsist on fast food and junk food, mind you. Nevertheless, my cholesterol just won’t come down on its own. Translation: Hello, statins.

The Next Time I See My Doctor…
…will be the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. She set a modest goal for me to be 20 lbs. lighter by the end of the year. That means I’ve got the better part of five months to lose that weight. It’s attainable, no question. Now I just have to do it.

Today’s Lesson
I know my doctor’s name, my trainer’s name and my blood pressure. And this time next week, I’ll know my cholesterol and blood sugar. This is the starting point. This was a level-setting day. Before you can take control of your life, you have to take control of your health. And you better have your team assembled to help you get there. Between my doctor, my trainer and myself, we’re going to see to it that I roar into 2k12 on a high note.

seven days to vegas.

K-Mac — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 14:50:11 +0000

It’s not been my best weekend for food. But I did get in a good, half-hour walk yesterday. In the blazing hot sun. It’s certainly not as high-impact as my typical workouts, but I try to do some sort of healthy exercise everyday. Doing something is always better than doing nothing at all.

The next seven days are going to be more intense than usual. It’s sort of my “final workout” week before Vegas. I had a goal of 20 lbs. before Vegas and need to get close to it. I’m afraid I’m not anywhere near it yet (probably around 11 lbs. right now), so I need to step it up.

Although it depends on what scale I use as my guide. I weighed myself at my doctor’s office on Thursday and again at my mother’s house on Saturday. There was a 13-lbs. difference. There’s no way I dropped that weight in two days. I hate digital scales.

Anyway, the next seven days I’ve got to strap it down and get after it. I may not get the 10 lbs. I want, but let’s see if I can get a few 700-calorie burns in there along with a real focus on diet.

No bad snacks this week. Tuna, tuna, tuna.

one month to get it together.

K-Mac — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:03:15 +0000

I feel like a failure. A big, fat, f#@king failure. I went to the doctor yesterday for the first time in quite awhile. My blood pressure was 146/82. I don’t get it. Just a few weeks ago, I had it knocked down to 135/76. And now it’s back up? Ugh.

My doctor made no bones about it: get it together. She didn’t exactly call me a lard ass, but it was certainly implied. She told me she’d like me to lose 80 lbs. That would put me at a weight I haven’t achieved since high school. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it’s going to take a Herculean effort to get there…or perhaps sawing off a limb. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, I’ll stick with daily cardio and weight training.

My trainer would like to see me down to about 200 lbs. That’s where I’m heading right now, or so I’d like to think. But after my visit to the doctor, I’m closer to blood pressure meds than I am a mini marathon. She was going to put me on meds yesterday, but could tell I was resistant and wanted an opportunity to work my BP down to a plausible rate. So she gave me one month. I go back in a month for a full panel of blood work and a new BP reading. If I’m still high, I’m on meds.

So, there it is. One month. I’ve got one month to lower my blood pressure. One month to prove to my doctor that I’m putting myself on the right track. One month to stave off pills. One month to get it together.

Sorry, doc. I’m going to win.

memo to self.

K-Mac — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:37:57 +0000

I suck.

day three: so far, so good.

K-Mac — Mon, 03 May 2010 22:44:54 +0000

I’m only a three days into the new lifestyle/fitness thing and so far, so good. Although I need to exercise more. LOTS more!

For the past three days I’ve been paying significant attention to what I eat and how much I eat. I “cheated” a little bit by adding some butter and sour cream to half a baked potato, but I cut back on the amount.

I haven’t had any chips, cheese, candy, cookies, ice cream, etc.

Breakfast is Cheerios. Lunch was a Lean Cuisine. Dinner was sensible and included LOTS of vegetables. Snacks are bananas and oranges as well as yogurt.

Though the scale is least of my concerns, I’ve dropped a handful of pounds already. Long way to go, obviously. But it’s encouraging to note results can be immediate with little effort.

moseying to the starting line.

K-Mac — Sat, 01 May 2010 18:52:36 +0000

It’s still Day One, and it’s not like boot camp or anything. I ate Cheerios for breakfast and have had one cup of coffee and a bottle of water. I’ll probably eat an orange or apple along the way before dinner, but I’m going to go take a walk first. I’d like to make it a good one, as the goal is to be in running shape by the end of the week.

I made the crucial error of getting on a scale today. Two lbs. heavier than where I was two days ago.

Seriously, this has got to stop.

about the bp.

K-Mac — Sat, 01 May 2010 04:24:10 +0000

I suppose being out of work currently and looking for a new job is lending itself to the stress I’m feeling and, quite possibly, contributing to high blood pressure.

Must get this under control asap.

the last day.

K-Mac — Sat, 01 May 2010 04:17:57 +0000

This is my last night in my old body. I’m not going to miss it. This is not who I want to be. Fat and out of shape is no good. And to top it off, my blood pressure has been freakishly high lately. I have NEVER had blood pressure issues in my entire life.

That means this week must be pivotal to steering myself out of danger.

180 days from now, my goals:
* perfect blood pressure
* manageable cholesterol
* under 200 lbs. body weight
* mini marathon shape (13 miles)

Seven days from now:
* out of danger with BP
* no fast food, fatty food, late night snacks
* 10 lbs. of weight loss
* solid one mile run

Tomorrow, Day One:
* 2-mile walk
* managed diet
* no candy/snacks

Let’s get after it.

official weigh-in.

K-Mac — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:11:10 +0000

I weighed myself this morning.

Not pretty.

Starting weight: 241.5 lbs.

That is, without question, the heaviest I have ever been in my entire life.

calm before the storm.

K-Mac — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:57:05 +0000

I’m starting a new blog over here. It will coincide with the next six months of my life, beginning on 1 May 2010. That’s when I embark on a journey back to healthy living. I will document my ups, downs, progress and struggles of a fat man getting back in shape again.

This should be…well, you know what it should be.

Here we go.