Digital Gee

Two or three weeks ago I was experiencing some intermitent numbness in my left foot, even off the bike, and that prompted me to go get a physical (first one in five years). This involved two visits, some blood work, etc. I've just come back from the second visit.

Basically, everything is pretty darn good. The first visit revealed some high blood pressure, so I was prescribed some medication, and that has already knocked it down (the high number was 180, today it was 140). My choleresterol is 208, which the doc thinks can be addressed through diet.

Otherwise, everything looked good to him. No evidence of diabetes, heart was good, colon fine, etc. etc. etc. Only thing he said I needed to do was LOSE SOME WEIGHT!

And he's right, and it's time to get serious about that. Two and a half years ago, I got serious and quit smoking. Little over a year ago, I got serious and began cycling and getting some exercise. Now it's time to address the weight issues by adding more fruits and vegetables, cutting WAY back on red meat, eliminating as much junk food as possible, cutting WAY back on milk (my secret addiction, although I at least drink 2%), and knocking out the salt. No special diet, just common sense. As he reminded me -- "You know what you shouldn' be eating, you don't need a fancy diet." And he's right of course.

Anyway -- feels good to know that all the major systems are AOK, and with a conscious effort in the food department, I can be even better.

Oh -- and the numbness in the foot? By the time I got my appointment with the doc, it wasn't happening, and hasn't happened since. It's like the noise in your car that disappears when you get to the mechanic.

Big Paulie

Glad to hear the good news, Gary!

P.S. "Stoked?" It almost sounds like you live near a beach community in So Cal, and have two teenage daughters...

Mojo Slim

Everyone should have regular physicals. We probably don't because we don't want any bad news. Getting good news really makes it worthwhile. I found a good way to find things to do to get healthier is take the "Real Age" test at www.active.com. There are some easy tips to longer life.

stapfam

No need for diets, as the doctor said. Eat correctly, eat less and exercise. I must admit that I am one of the lucky ones in that it does not matter what I eat- I do not put on weight. It may go to the wrong place- But I just do not go more than 2lbs over my 148lbs that I like to keep to. Just look at tonight- Came home from work and the wife asked If I would like "Coquille St. Jaques" with a few extra new potatoes and fresh garden vegetables or do I want a steak and Kidney pie- oozing with gravy that just has to be soaked up With chips and a side salad. As I don't like Rabbit food- I have opted for the Coquille. Then for desert there is the Apple pie that I did not finish yesterday but no cream left so it will just have to be Custard over the top. Yes I am lucky so out of respect for your diet, I wont tell you how good it tasted.

Digital Gee

stapfam, one of these days something bad is going to happen to you. i'm not sure what yet, i'm still planning it. but it WILL happen. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Blackberry

Well done, Dee Gee. Regarding your numbness, I've found that modern medicine is very efficient at dealing with these problems. By the time you're actually able to get and MD to see you, the problem has almost always cured itself.

PS--Don't send any bad mojo Stapfam's way or my cousin Vito will be paying you a visit. You don't want that.

CrossChain

.......and this Bad Thing will be: all bicycles are banned from the British Isles as they are an afrontery to the auto and LaZboy recliner industries. Custard, buns, chips, and non-human kidneys are rationed.

In the meantime....Gary....way to go on your check-up. Like, go eat a carrot stick and start stopping at Jamba Juice more than Starbuck's. And remember, cut the kidneys back to only twice per week.

**Kind of cool that the doc couldn't urge you to "get out and exercise". Har!

HopedaleHills

Good Going! I got the same kinda report this year except my cholesterol is a bit higher than yours. Also, I'm like Stapham, eat as much as I want and linger between 152 and 155. Problem is with the strict cholesterol diet I've dropped a few. Damn rabbit food. I'm dying for my favorite, Fettucini Alfredo...Hey, maybe that's how the cholesterol got high to begin with!

nedgoudy

Way to go DG,

As for losing weight, I might recommend
Whey Protein powder. You can read all
about the benefits of the stuff at:
https://www.wheyoflife.org and buy it
for the cheapest price on the net I have
found at:https://www.supplementdirect.com/?con...oduct_id=10805

I swear by this stuff and have lost
and maintain the loss of 90 lbs with
this healthy amino acid supplement.

And if you switch to SKIM milk with the
powder, you will lose about 1 lb or more
a week without fail and maintenance isn't
bad either as you can do two smoothies
a day and have an abstinent meal at dinner.
My personal abstinence means that I don't
any longer eat pies, cakes, cookies,
ice cream, donuts, other pastries,
pizza, fried foods (fries and onion rings
and chicken or chinese fried stuff) and
no cheese other than on a burger once in a
while. I only do about 1 or 2 small potatoes
a month and not more than 1 piece of bread
a week. May sound harsh, but I have finally
solved the weight problem for life, and can
still go out to dinner with friends and eat a
hearty meal once in a while without guilt
or fear of getting flabby.

Oh, and the Dr. is blown away with my
numbers. Total Cholesterol 115, BP with
meds 117/72 and fit and trim for bike'n.
Last time I saw the little man he was seriously
considering a whey protein diet himself since
he needs to lose about 35 lbs too.

I now weigh 150 lbs, and I am grateful
I won't be seeing 240 again. :O)

sauerwald

Gary

I was npt so lucky, I had gone many years without having seen a Dr before my heart attack - at age 44. It was a major wake-up call, changed my diet, took drugs for cholesterol and BP, got back into cycling.

I had issues with the side effects of the BP medication, but found that I could control BP with a combination of exercising my a** off (literally), and diet.

Cholesterol wouldn't budge without meds, but is now under control.

A couple of things that are working for me:
I love salty snacks - most of my rides are relatively short (15 miles) and I don't take gatorade, but just drink water - I replace the salt after the ride with peanuts, baked wheat thins or something else salty

I have integrated the exercise into my daily routine (I commute to work on a bike, go grocery shopping on the bike etc) - much easier to keep up that way.

My diet has been a big change in my life, but I haven't completely eliminated anything from the diet - it is just that now a steak is a rare treat

Heart condition is now well under control, I go in regularly both for physicals, and quality time with my cardiologist. Last time I had to do a stress test for my heart, I rode my bike to the office, and gave them a hard time for telling patients to exercise - then not having a bike rack!

As your Doc said - you know what you have to do, just do it! Thank God that being out on my bike is so enjoyable!

Louis

Good news Gary, I just noticed we don't have a "thumbs up" smiley anymore...so .

DnvrFox

Good for you!

BTW, BP of 180 is pretty darn high, and 140 is not acceptable. Your goal should be 120/80. I log mine daily at the same time each day on an excel spread sheet, along with my pulse. Weight loss will be your biggest ally in this area.

As to juices (like orange juice), most have an extremely HIGH sugar content (like eating a quart of ice cream, in some cases). Eat whole fruit instead.

scottogo

Yes, good.

old99

Way to go, Gary! Good news indeed!

I'm no expert nor a dietician, but I'd recommend weaning yourself entirely from milk. Actually I'd recommend researching milk consumption by adult humans rather than taking advice from someone like me. There's a lot of hype both pro and con and I don't mean to start a flame war here, but I think that as adult humans we should know what we eat and drink and the effects it has on us.

But it's a good report you got there!

Bud Bent

Congrats, Gary. It's always nice to get a reminder of just how good for us this hobby is.

My doctor visits haven't all been fun, lately. The knot on my neck turned out to be a thyroid nodule. They biopsied it today. They are scheduling me for surgery for my navel hernia, and if the thyroid nodule needs surgery (today's biopsy will tell them that), they'll do it at the same time.

The news wasn't all bad, though. Before I started riding, my blood pressure was marginally high. Now, improved diet and 22 months of riding seems to have regained me the low blood pressure of my youth. At the two doctor visits this last week, it was 113/57 and 102/64 (that still draws the same doubletake from nurses that it did 35 years ago).

Like you, I have always been a milk lover. I changed to 1% two years ago (you do get used to it), and have improved my diet a bunch. Fruits and veggies need to become prominent, and you should become a label reader for anything packaged you buy. If it has hydrogenated anything, don't get it, and when buying breads, crackers, pasta, etc, the first ingredient shouldn't say "enriched"; rather, the first two words should say "whole grain". I haven't quite reached my weight goals, but I'm getting there. Good luck to you with yours!

jppe

Good for you!! Now use that as a springboard to do even better!!

Like you, my BP was high but is now 120/70. My cholestrol was 260 but is now 147. My heartrate was high 60's but is now low 50's.

I do take medication for both the BP and the cholestrol-I tried reducing the cholestrol via diet but it didn't work for me.

Best of luck and you certainly know what you need to do to lose weight. Write down what you eat so you can hold yourself accountable!!!!! That's the only way I could really see what I was putting into my stomach. If you just write it down for 3 weeks, you'll be halfway there......

SemperFi

Good news Gary...glad to hear it.
I've never had a problem with blood pressure (usually 115-120/60) which is amazing to me considering some of the stuff that's gone on in my life over the years, but I guess most anyone can say the same thing.

My cholesterol can only be controlled with meds and it's currently at 170. Will be interesting to see what my next reading is in September now that I've been cycling on a daily basis.

I love my milk too...whole milk...but limit myself to no more than a small juice glass per day, probably about 2-4 ounces. Red meat is a treat...maybe once every couple of weeks. Love veggies (except Lima beans) and fruit, especially summer fruit.

Once again, glad to hear your good news and it looks like you'll be around for a good long while to keep us all laughing and thoroughly entertained.

CrossChain

Gary......if you have the $$, then reward yourself with that new bike when you've eaten and calorie burned yourself down to whatever reasonable goal you set. YOu'll feel more justified buying it, you will have earned it, your sweet daughters will be still prouder of you, and we'll even finally let you in to the BF50Plus inner circle of Elistist Bustards (yes, we're still here-- just covert). We middle aged guys need personal goals to achieve so we don't drowze off in our recliners watching TdF recaps and those endless SAAB commercials. Allez!!!

centexwoody 

Gary:

that's a really good report and gives you some goals to integrate into your lifestyle - it's always reassuring to find out that yes, you're in good shape for the coming year of riding your bike!

Genetically I'm blessed with low cholesterol so blood pressure control is not my issue.

Since many others have added their 2 cents about weight loss, I'll put in what worked for me:

I changed what I eat for one meal a day: for breakfast I eat fiber cereal + fruit + 2% milk. Before I used to eat whatever I could find. My wife calls this "Change One" for changing one meal's content daily. Lost 8 lbs. over a 6-month period and haven't gained it back. While at 6' 5" I still hover around 216 - 218 lbs, all my clothes fit. The fiber cereal (Shredded Wheat Bran, Cheerios, whatever with NO sugar) has helped my 'regular habits' and I actually look forward to breakfast these days. Eating our 'hearty Texas fare' like eggs, bacon, etc. makes me feel loggy most of the day & when eating breakfast out I'll try to eat oatmeal or something close to my regular fare. For lunch I ALWAYS pack a sandwich, lowfat chips, part of a dark chocolate bar (Lindt 4 squares), & a diet soda. Sometimes at 3 pm I eat a South Beach protein bar to keep my blood sugar up until dinner. Dinner is whatever I want in moderation.

Just 'change one' & see if it helps...

Tom

DnvrFox

This doesn't make sense to me? Am I missing something?

Blood pressure and cholesterol are not related, as far as I know. Perhaps there is, but I know a lot of folks with low cholesterol and high blood pressure and vice versa (including my wife).

Could you explain a bit more please.

NOS88

Gald to hear your results were on the plus side. I know when I got similar results I tended to think that my current practices must be ok. How's that for stupid? I really have to tell myself on a regular basis that it could be better and it's in my best interest to make it better. Despite dropping over 30 lbs., I have another 30 I could do without. Like a buddy of mine says, "That extra weight is like carrying two additional bikes across your back when you ride. Make climbing a bit harder than it has to be."

If you find a path that works for you, I'd love to hear about it. Could help motivate me (and others) to be smarter or whatever it takes to make ourselves a bit better.

centexwoody 

Dnvr: I'm the one writing something nonsensical. Since historically my blood pressure is low & my cholesterol is low, I don't even know much about whether they are or are not related...I'm sure you are right & I'm just ignorant as to whether there is any connection. Certainly I know folks with high cholesterol but low blood pressure & vice versa but only thought about this from your response. My mistake, please forgive. There is nothing to explain except that.

My response should have been more pointed (or to be exact: 'on topic within the subthread') and was actually about an effective weightloss technique that I've used. In future I'll try harder to conceal my ignorance & only address the items that I know something about...or maybe not, knowing that the rest of you will be able to spot my gaps in knowledge & help me rectify same.

DnvrFox

Thanks. I write a whole lot of nonsensical things! That is why I delete so many posts after I read what I wrote, so that others won't know!

old99

Best visual and the one that finally got to me was butter; butter has about the same volume as fat. So imagine carrying 4 sticks of butter (a package here in the US) for every pound you have to lose. 30 pounds? 120 sticks. 50 pounds, 200 sticks. Spread them around your body, maybe tuck the extra ones into your pants.

DnvrFox

Years ago I went to Weight Watchers.

As you lost weight, they would remove 1 pound (I guess they were empty) boxes of butter from your "to lose" pile!