February 17th, 2008

There is less than two weeks to go until "Men's Night" and I feel like I've made some strides towards improving my health. I've lost some weight which I attribute to being more tuned in to the right food choices and portion sizes. I also don't beat myself up if I feel like having a couple scoops of ice cream or an occasional donut. For me moderation is the key.

My biggest struggle continues to be exercise. I joined a health club in early January and the first couple weeks I consistently made it to the gym three times/week for a 60-minute workout. To be honest I actually began to look forward to going. The last several weeks my visits to the gym have dropped off to two times/week. Once I get there everything is OK. The problem for me is getting there.

I've talked to more than a few people who have success exercising at home. While having your own equipment would be more convenient I question how long it would take before it would go unused. I'm afraid I would easily fall into that rut/excuse of finding something better to do.

Finding the right time of the day to go to the gym is my biggest problem. Right now 8pm seems to work best though I wish I could fit it in earlier in the day. Working out with a family member or friend would also give me more of an incentive to show up. I'm halfway through my initial 3-month membership. Finding a solution to consistently make it to the gym will likely be a deciding factor in whether I renew this membership or not.

January 30 - Nutrition

Last week the hospital hosted a brown bag luncheon discussion titled "Embrace or Erase Your Belly". Julie Hamre (LRH's Dietician) and I didn't know how many people to expect and, to be honest, thought that if 10 men showed up it would be a success. You could say we were pleasantly surprised (and pleased) to see the room packed with more than 50 men (and one woman) in attendance! I guess the topic was of interest!!

Did I learn anything new? Not much. Julie shared much of the same information that she shared with me back in December. Julie did say that, from a calorie standpoint, having black coffee in the morning might not be so bad for me. I've cut coffee from my diet and, calories or not, have to believe that cutting back on the caffeine has been good for me.

One thing I continue to struggle with is snacking in between meals. It's not that I do this too much...I don't do it enough. I've replaced my breakfast of coffee in the morning with a bowl of raisen bran and fresh fruit and have found that I'm not hungry in the mid-morning. The same holds true after lunch in the afternoon. I thought this was a good thing but learned that my body needs to have these snacks to keep my metabolism going. It's kind of hard for me to understand but, in my case, I need to eat more to lose weight. Go figure!

Another thing I've learned is that, if you want to feel better about yourself, check your weight in the morning versus later in the day. I don't know why but I can drop 2-3 pounds overnight. I'm assuming this has something to do with not eating for 12 hours as well as going to the bathroom a few times but to lose that much weight while sleeping, go figure!

Increasing the fiber in my diet and cutting back on my portion sizes at meals seems to be working for me. Now if I could only eat more in between meals...

January 21 - The good and the bad

This past week was pretty good re my exercise program. I met my goal of making it to the gym three times/week (Mon/Wed/Fri). On my third day I increased the intensity by spending a full 15 minutes on each machine. My son and I even took the dogs for an hour long walk even despite the below zero temperatures. All in all a pretty good week.

That is, until I get to my diet. I began to slip back into my old ways starting at work. Large portions at lunch vs. small are my downfall. On top of that we had hotdish for supper twice last week. Hotdish of any kind is a favorite meal of mine. Loading up the plate, taking seconds, and even finishing off what's left on the kids plates is what happened. What didn't happen was cutting my portion size in half by substituting a salad or vegies. To top it off a Christmas party at Mabels to include tacos and beer did me no good.

I vow to get back this week to what had been working for me (I was down to 212 pounds at one point). The exercise is working...now if I could just stick to the diet.

January 15 - My exercise plan has started

I finally did it! Last weekend I took the leap of faith and signed up at New Beginnings. I had put it off for a number of weeks but finally figured it was time to make the commitment.

I recall reading a chart in the doctor's office last month that said you should do some form of exercise three times per week that elevates your heart rate. In addition, you should do some other form of moving activity, be it taking a walk or doing something else. I've been thinking of my own plan and have finally taken the steps to put it into action.

At work, I park my vehicle in the assigned lot farthest away from the building. I also try to take the stairs instead of using the elevator. It seems like a simple thing but it's surprising how often you unconsciously push the button and wait for the elevator.

Yesterday was my first day at New Beginnings. During my orientation to the club I was asked how often I exercised. My response was little to none. As a result, I was started on what I assume to be the "beginner" program consisting mostly of aerobic exercise - 10 minutes on the treadmill, three sets of 10 sit ups, 10 minutes on the elliptical machine and 10 minutes on the stationary bike. I'm supposed to do this three times/week. My goal is to work up to 20 minutes on the treadmill, elliptical and bike machines as well as increasing my repetitions of situps. Once I reach this goal, weight lifting will be added to my program.

Did I feel any pain during this first work out? Yes. Am I planning to come back for more? You bet! I felt pretty good later on in the morning but noticed I was somewhat fatigued later in the day, especially when walking the stairs. I'm somewhat surprised but I am actually looking forward to making this my Monday, Wednesday, Friday routine.

At the end of the workout Blaine asked what was the toughest part for me. My response was the elliptical machine, as I had never used that piece of equipment before. He corrected me by saying the hardest part of the workout was showing up for the first time!

In hindsight, I'd have to agree.

January 6 - Exercise

I've held off speaking to the issue that bothers me the most...exercise!!

As I mentioned in a previous blog, joining a health club has not worked out so well for me in the past. I've been a member of at least three health clubs and, in each case, I signed up for a one year contract and slacked off after 3-4 months and ended up paying for the remainder of the year with little or no use of their facilities.

Dr. Lokken recomended at least 3 days/week of of 30 minutes or more of cardio exercise. He also suggested at least 5 days/week of some type of exercise, be it biking, walking, or whatever. I have a walking/hiking path within two blocks of my home and I also have two dogs and a son that love to go for walks. I figured I could easily get my exercise in by going out for walks.

Wrong!! It is easy to think about but harder to do when the temperature is below zero with a good wind blowing. I also get home from work after 5:30/6:00pm and going out for walk in the dark is not the first thing on my agenda of things to do.

I feel I've done a pretty good job this past two weeks watching what I eat. If this thing is going to work (by that I mean making changes to lower both my weight and chosterol), doing some form of exercise to raise my heart rate on a routine basis is important.

I've decided that giving the health clubs one more try is most likely in my future. I'm reluctant to hook myself into a 12 or 18-month contract and checked out some of our local clubs (YMCA, New Beginnings, Anytime Fitness) to see if they offer any month-to-month options. New Beginnings seemed the best fit for me. They have what looks to be a clean and spacious facility with modern equipment. I also feel comfortable that the owner of New Beginnings (Blaine Buseth) will set me up with a program to meet my personal goals.

I'm planning to stop by New Beginnings this week to get things started. Will keep you informed on my progress.

December 26th - Lab results

The lab results came back as I expected - 267 total cholesterol, HDL level @ 69, LDL level @ 194. I have three choices...do nothing, go on medication, or try to lower my cholesterol through exercise and change in diet. I'll try the diet and exercise option first.

I met with Lake Region Hospital's Dietician (Julie) and reviewed my diet. I'm not a big breakfast eater so what is "normal" for me is a bowl of cereal (i.e. Captain Crunch with Crunch Berries) and coffee. Most days it's just 4-5 cups of coffee. If I choose to eat lunch at work I'll have whatever is on our menu which usually includes soup or salad, some type of meat, potato, vegetable and dessert. Our cooks know I have a healthy appetite so I usually receive a large portion of whatever I order. Supper at home consists of chicken, beef or pork prepared in a variety of ways, potatoes, hotdishes, spaghetti (my favorite!) and pizza on Fridays. Again, my portion sizes are usually large and I'll often have seconds.

I told Julie my hope is to not change my diet entirely but focus on the food choices that are good for me and be conscious of the choices that are not so good. Here's what Julie recommended:

Breakfast - Cut out the sugar-based cereal like Captain Crunch with Crunch Berries, Sugar Frosted Flakes, etc. This type of cereal will provide a "sugar high" short-term energy boost but very little nutrition. A good diet will include 25 grams of fiber each day. A cereal high in fiber (Raisin Bran) or oatmeal is good. Fresh fruit and/or fruit juice is also good. I'm not a big fan of oatmeal so I'll go with a bowl of high fiber cereal, fruit and/or juice each morning. I'll also try to cut back on the coffee.

Lunch & Supper - Julie recommended 5 servings of fresh fruit or vegetables each day. She also suggested having a salad before/with each meal and cutting my normal portion sizes in half. Replacing the 2nd half of the plate with fresh vegetables will help fill me up. I didn't know that cholesterol was found in animal and dairy products. Cutting back on cheese can't hurt. I'm a big fan of meat so cutting back on my steak size (8 oz. steak vs. 16 oz.) will probably be the hardest. Lean meats/hamburger and taking the skin off the chicken would be helpful too.

One surprise was that pizza is not entirely bad for you. Hawaiian pizza (Canadian Bacon & Pineapple) or vegetarian pizza is way better for you than Meatlover or pepperoni pizza. Mozarella cheese is also better than the other variety of cheeses. Cutting back to just a couple slices vs. 5-6 can also help. Julie also recommended staying away from garlic cheese bread.

What I like about this plan is that I don't have to stop eating many of the foods that I like. Reducing portion sizes, filling up on salads and vegetables, and starting off my day with a better breakfast is what I plan to do.

December 14th - Doctor's Appointment

It came as no surprise today to learn that it has been 6 years since my last physical. Here's my specifics: I'm 43 years old, 5 feet 11 inches tall and weigh 220 pounds. My blood pressure is 122/80 and I have a resting pulse of 64 beats/minute. I rarely work out other than the exercise associated with deer or pheasant hunting or walks taken in the woods or trails near my home.

Six years ago my total cholesterol was high (266). My LDL level (the bad cholesterol) was high at 171 though this was somewhat off-set as my HDL level (the good cholesterol) was also high at 67. Dr. Lokken said that, while I could only benefit from taking steps to lower my total cholesterol level, my high level of good cholesterol somewhat offset my high level of bad cholesterol. I have an appointment on 12/18 for lab work to check my cholsterol, glucose and triglyceride levels. I'm anticipating there will be little to no change from six years ago but you never know.

I learned from Dr. Lokken that there are a number of risk factors associated with heart disease. High blood pressure, smoking, being 45 years or older, high cholesterol, and if someone in your immediate family (parent, brother or sister) has diabetes or suffered a heart attack. If you have two or more of these risk factors your risk for having heart disease increases. My blood pressure is good, I don't smoke, I am less than 45 years old, and no one in my immediate family has diabetes or has had a heart attack. He said my one risk factor (high cholesterol) was somwhat negated due to my high level of HDL.

Basically, I came away from this appointment with two goals in mind - losing some weight and lowering my total and LDL cholesterol levels. My personal goal is to eventually drop my weight to 200 pounds. I was 210 pounds as recently as nine months ago and feel pretty good that I can lose 10 pounds during the next two months. The second 10 pounds will be harder though, with increased activity and a more healthy diet, I'm hopeful I can reach this goal. As for my cholesterol, I've been told increased activity and a healthier diet is a step in the right direction towards lowering these levels. Future posts will speak to changes I hope to make related to exercise and diet.