Medical Update

So I went for my annual physical last week and had positive results from my tests. Not positive like I had a disease, but positive like things were good. I will tell you that I'm not disclosing everything but I will share some of the more important stuff. If it will help inspire people to live a healthier life, then I'm okay sharing. I'll also tell you that my doctor's visits were physical, not mental. I already know I have issue upstairs, I just don't feel ready to ask for help with that. Yet. One thing at a time.

Anyway, my results. First up, my weight, blood pressure, and heart rate. In late December 2009 I went for my regular physical. My weight was 239 pounds. Last week I was down to 231 pounds. I'm not too concerned about that since I was wearing clothes and I don't really consider it my "true" weight. At least that's what I tell myself. My blood pressure back in 2009 was 130/82 and my heart rate was 68 bpm. Last week was 112/74 and my heart rate was 56 bpm. To give you a better view, here's the break down between 2010, 2011, and 2012.

2010
- Weight = 239
- Blood Pressure = 130/82
- Heart Rate = 68

2011
- Weight = 234
- Blood Pressure = 134/80
- Heart Rate = 60

2012
- Weight = 231
- Blood Pressure = 112/74
- Heart Rate = 56

As you can see, slow but steady progress. And it's progress that I'm very happy with. Moving on to the lab results, you'll see the same thing. Progress.

2010
- Bilirubin = 1.6 MG/DL
- Cholesterol = 217 MG/DL
- Triglycerides = 199 MG/DL
- HDL Cholesterol = 33 MG/DL
- LDL Cholesterol = 144 MG/DL

2011
- Bilirubin = 1.2 MG/DL
- Cholesterol = 191 MG/DL
- Triglycerides = 114 MG/DL
- HDL Cholesterol = 41 MG/DL
- LDL Cholesterol = 127 MG/DL

2012
- Bilirubin = 1.2 MG/DL
- Cholesterol = 164 MG/DL
- Triglycerides = 95 MG/DL
- HDL Cholesterol = 41 MG/DL
- LDL Cholesterol = 104 MG/DL

Wow. Look at that Cholesterol. From 217 to 164. The normal range is 125 to 200. Nice. My Triglycerides went from 199 to 95 (normal is under 150). Again, very nice. HDL Cholesterol (that's the healthy one, just remember the "H" is for "H"ealthy) went from 33 to 41. Not a big job but still moving in the right direction (the normal range is 40 or higher). My LDL Cholesterol (normal is under 130) went from 144 to 104. Sweet. Oh, and that Bilirubin number went from 1.6 to 1.2 (normal is 0.2 to 1.2).

Now. None of this was easy. And as you can see, it took me two solid years to get here. I'm sure my numbers were worse prior to late 2009/early 2010 but I don't have those results handy. Now, there are three main factors in how I made such great progress. Diet, exercise, and Mega Red. The diet and exercise are so simple yet so hard. You have to work every day at the exercise and three times a day (often more) at the great diet. It sucks. It's hard. You constantly want to quit and go back to the easy life you had of eating a bag of chips on the couch. But once you see progress, you want to see more. You love seeing the weight drop. You love it more than that bag of chips.

Oh, and the Mega Red? I firmly believe it's responsible for at least half of my improved cholesterol numbers. I didn't start taking it until late 2010/early 2011. And I feel that it works. It's easy to take, it's a small pill, and it doesn't taste or smell like fish. You can read more about it here. Oh, and you can get it at Costco.

So there you have it. Progress made. If at least one of you reads this and is inspired to make progress of your own, I'll be happy. Beyond happy.