Category Archives: Health

New Years Resolutions

So it is now 2014 and time for everyone to start working on their New Years resolutions. You know the things we so passionately decide need to be done to improve our lives dramatically for the better and last about two weeks.

I have come up with a few of my own and I will share them here. First, let me say that I actually succeeded at one of last years resolutions to lose 40 pounds. In fact I lost 53 pounds. So my goals in the health department focus more on increasing my physical activity. More hiking, more swimming, more playing sports, more exercise. I still want to lose weight, say another 15 pounds which would get me down to 220. Certainly achievable as far as I am concerned.

My other resolutons for 2014 include doing a bit more writing. Things like this blog and some technical articles I would like to write. I find this to be one of the more challenging things as I always have an extremely hard time starting anything I write. Once I get over that hurdle things seem to come much easier and flow better.

This goal really leads up to my real challenge for 2014. I have always wanted to obtain an advanced degree and I was finally admitted into the MSEE program through the University of Florida. I will begin taking classes this summer and so I will take the first part of the year to get myself back into the swing of things. I am going through a bunch of online courses. I am breaking them up into groups of five and I just started the first group today.

I will check in regularly throughout the year to see how my resolutions are going. Until then I hope everyone enjoys the New Year!

 

Final results

The study I was a part of ended the week before Thanksgiving. I ended up losing a total of 43 pounds in ten weeks. But that wasn’t the only good thing that happened during the study. My blood pressure, HDL cholestrerol, Triglycerides and Glucose levels all went from bad to completely normal as a result of the study. For example, my glucose levels started the study at 139, putting me in type-II diabetes territory down into the optimal range with a number of 86.

I also become much more of a conscientious eater, paying attention to what and how much I eat. I have stopped eating junk food completely and I have discovered I don’t really miss it that much. I have tried to stick to the same type of diet that I followed during the study, which 5 meals a day each with a good amount of protein (close to 20 grams) but also with a good balance of carbs and good fats. It is sometimes a challenge but I have been fairly successful. It was much easier when I was drinking shakes for two of my meals but I am glad to be eating whole foods for every meal again.

I still have a very long way to go. My BMI still puts me in the obese category, but now that I have been able to introduce exercise back into my day it definitely helps. Overall, it has been an amazing journey, one that I plan to continue. Dr. Paul Arciero has put together a six month continuing study to follow on from the original ten week study. This will allow all of us in the original group to continue to work towards our healthy goals as the first six months after a diet can be the most crucial to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I cannot say enough about the amazing job he and his staff have done for all of us! The first test will be at the three month mark, around February. I will post an update then. But for now I will leave you with this:

before  Me at the beginning of the study

IMG_20131208_145049_124 Me today

 

Ghost peppers – I’ve reached my limit

So I have finally reached the limit of what I can consume for hot stuff. I came across these at our local hot sauce shop:

IMG_20131026_154755

 

It is a jar of whole ghost chili peppers, the naga jolokia. It is one the hottest peppers in the world. I was very excited when I saw them and eagerly bought them up. I have had several Dave’s products including their ghost pepper sauce and always enjoyed them. As soon I got home I popped them open checked them out.

IMG_20131026_154834

I planned to make some fish for dinner (tilapia) and though it would spice it up nicely to cook it with a few peppers  I grilled it up and sure enough it added just enough kick for me. Then for reasons unknown I decided to eat three of the peppers I had used for cooking. I figured since I had already cooked them so they couldn’t be too bad, right?

They went down easy enough. Didn’t seem too hot, just a little bite. Everything seemed good until I went to bed. I started to feel a sharp pain in my stomach but I figured it would pass and went to sleep.

At about 4 am I woke up in extreme pain. I decided to get up and see if I could ride it out watching some TV. Unfortunately it only got worse. I finally had enough and made my way to the bathroom where I proceeded to throw up. Because of my diet the only thing in my stomach was those peppers, surpirisingly intact.

I immediately started to feel better. I realized I had hit my limit. I can’t eat three whole ghost peppers Next I will stop after two!

 

Mid-study check

So I went tp my mid-study check this past Monday and I received some very good results. When I started the study I weighed about 285 lbs. I also found out after my bloodwork came back that my blood sugar was at 173 and my blood pressure was too high. When I went back I had lost 24 lbs and dropped 70 points off my blood sugar. My blood pressure was also down to what would be expected.

I was very excited. In five weeks I had really turned things around. Not only had I improved my health, I have started to change the way I eat. I am more conscious of what I eat and how I eat it. I used to eat very fast and always felt compelled to clean my plate even if I was full. Now I eat much slower. I take time and enjoy my meals. I also stop and check to see just how full I am. If I feel sated I stop. That was a big adjustment for me.

I am also much more aware of the types of food I eat. I pay attention to the nutrition information and am careful with the portions. I have learned so much about proteins, grains, rice, vegetables, fruits, you name it.

I am about to start my 7th week so I only have four more weeks. Hopefully the trends that have started will continue. I really have to thank Dr. Paul Arciero of Skidmore College for allowing me to participate in this study. He and his team have been encouraging and helpful throughout the entire process.

I think my next post will include some of the information I have learned regarding proteins and grains. Stay tuned…

Dietary study

So as my introductory post to my new blog site I thought I would write about the study I am currently participating in. It is a 10 week study of diet and how it can be used to not only help you lose weight but do it in a way that are actually healthier than without it.

The high-level view is that if you eat frequent but smaller meals it will train your body to metabolize better. Now that isn’t really new. The difference here is that each meal should contain 20 to 30 grams of protein. The protein is what helps your body in processing the food you eat. The other key is to not starve your body of carbs the way a lot diets seem to do. When you cut out carbs your body goes into starvation mode. That means it will hold onto every single carb it can. This is why people coming off these types of diets tend to bounce back in a big way in the weight department. This study is intended avoid that problem.

I am half way through and so far I have lost 24 pounds. But I have also shaved 70 points off my blood sugar and reduced my blood pressure. I feel great and never feel tired and cranky. The only downside is that because it is a study I can’t really work out, not that I have much desire to do so.

Anyway, so far so good. Five weeks to go. There is a lot more going on with this study which I will share in another post.