By The Numbers

I figured I am 4 months into this life-change and I have lost 60+ pounds, I should go see my doctor to make sure I am not doing something wrong, or losing weight at a rate that would be considered unhealthy.  I really like my Doc!  He is down to earth, he does not try and push the latest meds and he has a positive spin on just about everything.

Last Spring around this time, I was in to see him about some numbness in my hands.  I told him, "I think it is because I am sleeping differently and I may have pinched a nerve or something, but I am sure you'll tell me that I am diabetic now fatty!"  He chuckled and examined my extremities.  He came to the conclusion that I could be right about the sleeping idea because I was not showing any signs of carpal tunnel, and he doubted that I had diabetes.  I wanted to make sure, so we agreed to a blood draw.

Turns out, the Doc was right.  My glucose may have been on the high side of normal, but it was in the normal range.  He did suggest that I think about making some changes because it was on the high side, and my cholesterol was at 234, and 200 is kinda the magic number to stay under.  I remember a 2004 blood draw in which my cholesterol was at 170, so this 64 point jump made me worry a bit.  I think that minor scare helped encourage me to audition for Biggest Loser, and after missing that cut, to start thinking of other ways to get started on my life-change.  Hence you all.

I had sent my blog link to my Doc about a month into this weight-loss, just to see if he thought that first month of 24 pounds was too drastic and he said it sounded like I was doing it the right way, so keep going.  On this week's visit, I requested a blood draw to see where my numbers were, and determine if losing the weight also meant improved numbers.  The answer seems obvious, but I needed to see it to make sure.

After four months of eating better, exercising a little more and making healthy decisions, my cholesterol is down 75 points to 159, and my glucose has dropped 10 points!  Hello to a little more motivation!

Thank you all for being a part of something that is truly saving my life!