Sunday, December 28, 2008

Another Week

.

Well, here it is - another week has past. But not any week - Christmas was in there. Lots of food, not the correct food, was shoved in the old pie-hole. At least I broke even - same weight: 190.4 -so, no damage done. All that crap food - cookies, cakes, pies, chocolates - makes me feel so lethargic; well, more lethargic than normal. Today I'm going to eat right and head downward again.

The doctor visit was great - he said my goal weight should be 180, so ten pounds to go!

Ah, yes - the glucose - you've been waiting for that, right?



TA-DA! Man, that looks good! Though after yesterday it may be around 180! Just kidding...

.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Catching Up

First, I want to thank everyone who left a comment - that's really cool and I need the encouragement!

Well I missed posting last week - no biggie - I weighed in at 192.4 - a 1.2 pound loss. I'm slowing the loss up some and trying to wean my self off the constant tracking and going with a "lifestyle" approach. Man, Weight Watchers really teaches you a lot! I still "count" and look up foods, but not tracking every bite. I sometimes look up foods after I eat to see how I did - I'm really getting a good sense of what and how much I should eat. I weighed myself this morning and it was 191.2 - that rocks - I feel great!

I had blood work done yesterday and the lipid panel was posted last night look at this!


WOW, huh? I'm waiting for the glucose numbers to come in - that, to me, is most important. As soon as I get those in I'll put 'em up!

I have a busy Holiday ahead - my daughter and her husband are coming in for a week and I'm really looking forward to the time with the entire family together!

Merry Christmas everyone! And a Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

WEEK TWENTY


This is why I missed a week! I wanted to wait until I hit the "Big 50" at WW. When you add in the first ten pounds I lost it's actually 61.4 pounds this year! WOW!
It seems that all I get is compliments these days and another guy joined due to his daughter and my success with WW. I still keep it in perspective, I really didn’t do this to look good and hear compliments – it was begun for my health. I feel great, really great – like years younger! I have reset my goal to 185. I realize that I’m not done; I’m not at my correct, healthy weight. I have an appointment on Dec 22 with my doctor – I’ll let him make the final decision.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

WEEK 18

Week 18 has granted me another 1.8 pounds less of me – there are a lot of people besides me who say the less of me the better! :-) Man, the cold weather is a killer – I seem hungrier these days – last night I dreamed I was eating Sun Chips and couldn’t stop. The funny part is I knew the points and was counting as I ate!!! That’s true!


Doing the on-line WW presents a challenge in that there’s nobody to monitor what or how you’re doing on the plan. Personally I’ve made the GOAD my “monitor”. I dutifully report my WI each week as if I were going to a meeting – I take it seriously. I’ve gotten feedback on my comments and it has been a very positive force in my weight loss.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Pictures Tell the Tale...

A thousand words and all that crap...


Sunday, November 16, 2008

Week 17 – I break 200 and 2 NSVs!

What a great week! Let’s start with my Sunday WI – 199.6! I, for the first time in many years, weigh less than 200 pounds! I feel like a feather – LOL! I look and feel great! I’m wearing good looking clothes and a Harris Tweed sport jacket I bought 20 years ago has been part of my attire for a couple of weeks – but this week it fit perfectly - a 32R! Can you tell I’m happy?

The two NSVs involve two different people I hadn’t seen for a while. Both said almost the same thing when they saw me which was “You look great!” They wanted to know how I did it, the amount and all the details – wow, it sure made me feel good.

The me that walks around today is definitely a different guy. I feel more confident and far less negatively self-conscience. I never realized how my weight was affecting me psychologically until the last several weeks. I’m looking forward to hitting my goal and sustaining it though Weight Watchers!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Week Sixteen!

Another 2 pounds down - I have not gone a week yet where I didn't lose weight.


My wife and I went to Don Pablo's last night - before I went I looked up the nutritional values of their menu on-line and I was able to get a meal within my points available! I did change the rice & beans to double vegetables and only had a couple of chips. Man, their vegetables are great!

I’m really getting into the discipline of eating right. I have felt so much better since I started controlling my eating – physically and mentally. I’ve read in books and heard people say how it’s mentally & physically healthy to practice discipline in eating and I scoffed at the control freaks - I have never been good at self control - but now I’ve found that there is truth in the practice of dietary control. Now I’m one of those control freaks… (not quite! :-D)

Why Weight Watchers works (in my opinion):

The Weight Watchers approach to weight loss
Our food plans are just part of the overall Weight Watchers approach. We also offer advice on developing healthy habits, building a supportive environment, and getting exercise—and why these “Four Pillars” can help you lose weight and keep it off for good.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

41.4 in 15

Has it been fifteen weeks already? Time is flying by. I lost a modest 1.6 pounds this week and I’m delighted. So far I have not gone a week without losing weight – 41.4 pounds lost since joining Weight Watchers.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Adjusting Goal Weight & Fourteen Week Weigh In

Weighed in at 205.2 – still losing – still excited about WW. But I was giving my goal weight of 199 some thought – I believe it’s too high. When I initially set it that weight seemed reasonable for me, but now, at 205, I see how much fat I still have hanging off me! That also has my BMI over 30. Many years ago, when I weighed 185-190, that seemed a pretty healthy weight for me. I am large framed (doctor confirmed), so I think 190 is a better, more realistic goal for me at age 55.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Updated the Progress Pic


(click it to see it BIG)

Thirteen Lucky Weeks!

Another great week – down another two pounds for a total of 37+ pounds since joining WW and 46 pounds since March of this year.

Funny, when at 245 - 250, I thought at my current weight I’d be skinny. Well, comparatively speaking, I am, but I still have a belly and plenty of cushion – so I still have a way to go!


Did a quick picture thing this morning...

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Ah, Yes – the Blood Work Caveat.

Well, one more list of test results straggled in and one of the numbers was NOT good…

GLUCOSE POST FAST ----- 113 ---- 70-99 MG/DL
My blood glucose is four points above the highest level it should be. It was three points higher, at 116, in July. Kinda not good that it didn’t drop more. So, I need to keep losing weight and he’ll retest in three months. Man, I hope I didn’t cause diabetes by carrying that fat for so long. We’ll see…

Sunday, October 12, 2008

BLOOD WORK RESULTS!

I was retested to see if all my funky, loser-type, fat-induced, off-the-scale figures improved. They sure did!

Twelve Weeks!!

Another THREE pounds! Thirty-five lost. Weight=209.8!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Week Eleven and Sea Gull Century Report


First the weigh in report is another 2.2 pounds down – I weighed 212.8 as of this morning! 32.2 pounds of fat gone!


Now, the Sea Gull. There are not enough superlatives to describe this weekend! First off, it was the 20th Annual Sea Gull and I had bid on the rider number 20 and I won! Very cool. They also gave me a signed print of the picture for this year’s ride – even more very cool. There were over 6000 riders of all ages, shapes, races, and you name it, from all over North America bombarding the small town of Salisbury, Maryland. On Friday night there was a reception with a DJ, barbecued chicken, Nachos, soft pretzels, popcorn, beer, wine and energy drinks – all outside - very, very nice. Ride day was perfect weather-wise. I was up at 4:40 too excited to sleep and raring to go. The ride was beautiful – all day I seemed to peddle effortlessly – one of my best biking memories. When the ride was over there was a party of all parties! Hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken, soda, beer out the wazoo and best of all a live band. Man, what a weekend - 2009 – here I come! I’ll do the picture thing ASAP.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Week Ten (can you believe ten weeks already?)



Another three pounds – I’m at 215 – a loss of 30 pounds. The extra pound is a surprise – I don’t do much exercise anyway and this week I missed a couple of nights due to my sore knee.

We went to Don Pablo's last night for my daughter's birthday. Before leaving I checked their nutritional info on the web and picked out what I wanted. Two tamales and one enchilada (all chicken) was around 13 points!

AUGH! The Seagull is this Saturday!!!! Beside my already sore knee I've been real busy, so not much saddle time... Is there a SAG in my future? Stay tuned.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The Three Faces of Me



WOW! I must have had most of my weight in my face - quite a difference!

Triggers - From Weight Watchers

I ran across this WW article and, man, did it ring true! I stay away from all sweets now because if I eat one serving I'll eat 20. I ate a bowl of ice cream a while ago and the next night all I wanted to do was binge on ice cream! So, it's reassuring to know that I'm using a good practice.

"Identifying and understanding eating triggers can help you achieve weight-loss success.

JANUARY, 2007 — A trigger can be defined as something that sets in motion a course of events. For example, red wine can trigger a migraine headache in susceptible people, while seeing a spider can trigger a panic attack in those who have arachnophobia. When it comes to eating triggers, they fall into three separate categories: trigger foods, trigger feelings, and trigger environments.1 Trigger FoodsA trigger food is a specific food that sets off a course of overeating where control is lost and excessive amounts are consumed. The most common trigger foods are sugar/fat combinations (e.g. ice cream, cookies) and fat/salt combination (e.g. nuts, potato chips).2 Food triggers are fairly uncommon and should not be confused with favorite foods (foods that are highly preferred), comfort foods (foods that are linked to a sense of home and contentment) or food cravings (desire for a food that has not been consumed in a long time). With a true food trigger it is the food, not an emotion or situation, that triggers the out-of-control eating. For example, open the bag of potato chips and it will be gone, regardless of mood, time of day or place.

To help manage trigger foods, it is important to identify the food and avoid it altogether, at least for a certain period of time, and then reassess periodically.
Trigger FeelingsA trigger feeling is an emotion, good or bad, that sets off a period of overeating.3 Unlike food triggers, which initiate overeating of a specific food, after an emotional trigger any available food will do. For more information on this topic, read the Science Center library article, Emotional Eating. To manage trigger feelings, it is important to first identify the specific emotion that initiates the overeating and then develop positive strategies to cope with that emotion without using food.

Trigger EnvironmentsA trigger environment is a specific situation or place that sets off a period of overeating. Common examples include walking into a movie theater, going to a buffet restaurant, attending a sporting event or visiting a relative. To manage trigger environments, it is important to identify the specific location, people or events that set off the overeating. As with trigger foods, avoidance is an effective strategy for many people. For example, if the movie theater is a trigger, then going to a play or museum may be a better option. If visiting relatives in their home sets off an eating frenzy, ask to meet in a restaurant or elsewhere. When avoidance is not an option, it is important to develop tactics that minimize the likelihood of overeating.

Bottom Line – Inevitably, eating triggers happen. When this occurs, it is important to recognize them for what they are and think about how you could avoid it from occurring in the future.

----------

1 Wardle J. Conditioning processes and cue exposure in the modification of excessive eating. Addict Behav. 1990;15(4):387-93.
2 Hagan MM, Chandler PC, Wauford PK, Rybak RJ, Oswald KD. The role of palatable food and hunger in an animal model of stress induced binge eating. Int J Eat Disord. 2003 Sep;34(2):183-97.
3 Patel KA, Schlundt DG. Impact of moods and social context on eating behavior. Appetite 2001 Apr;36(2):111-8.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Nine Weeks of Weight Watchers


Yep, hard to believe! I lost another two pounds - just like WW says I should - I'm impressed. I'm now at 218 - a loss of 27 pounds since joining.


I rode 25 miles on the B&A this morning. I have a lot more energy and pulling hills is getting easier!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

10%!!!



This is a big step - the first big goal has been reached - I've lost 10% of my initial weight. I weighed in at 220 today, 25 pounds less than when I started! I feel so much better.

I celebrated by doing 25 miles on the B&A. Gad, it was so hot and humid I thought I'd die!

Monday, September 8, 2008

The B&A Trail and Pizza



Went out on the trail yesterday - beautiful once again! I was only able to do twenty miles due to time constraints, but anything is better than nothing!

I was hungry last night and my daughter was hanging around the house so we ordered Papa John's Pizza. Italian Trio - that stuff is great! I ate 28 points worth – I get 32 points for a day. Now, I can put away some pizza and in the old days that amount was on the low side of my usual helping. Sheesh - this helps me realize how much I used to overeat!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

WEEK SEVEN



Well, things are slowing down, as I expected. I'm OP just as much as in the beginning but each week the loss is a bit less. Down 1.5 this week. I'm happy, believe that, but this is the point where I used to lose my will. This time around, though, I feel so much better that even if I didn't lose weight - I'd still continue to use WW.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Another Great Day on the B&A!



Went out on the B&A Trail again yesterday - it was beautiful! I felt pretty strong and had plenty of energy - giving me good vibes about the Sea Gull coming up. The guys I ride with and I want to go do the Western Maryland Rail Trail some time later this month. Man, talk about beautiful!

Sunday, August 31, 2008

WEEK SIX!



Well, another 2.5 pounds down! I’m at 223.5 – I’ll reach 10% and my half-way point (220) in the next week or two if I continue to lose at the current rate. Yeah, I’m happy! When I was at my top weight I felt every year of my 55 – I told my wife just yesterday I feel twenty years younger already - how good am I going to feel at my proper weight? Lately, it’s hard to make points some days - I believe that’s because the point system makes me make better choices so I can eat more, but it’s healthier foods! I’m exercising at least 30 minutes at least six days a week and I’m not hating it completely. I can’t say I like it either, but it is progress… I use one of my bikes on a trainer – I watch TV and the time goes by pretty fast.


The picture above is one of a very few fat pictures I’ve been able to find and on the right side is me yesterday.


Saturday, August 30, 2008

Boring...



Good Lord - what a boring week. Nothing to speak of but too much time at work. Weigh in tomorrow - I'm predicting 224...

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Week Five!



Another two pounds of fat has left the building! Nineteen pounds gone and I feel great!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

The Ride is Behind Me!


What a beautiful ride! The weather was perfect. 25.8 miles average 11.6 mph. I had to take it easy - my knee started to hurt pretty early in the ride. I have one of those knees missing cartilage - it clicks and grinds when I move it. To help with that I have shortened cranks on my bike - that helps a lot!
Weigh in tomorrow!

Going Cycling Today!



I'm going to the B&A Trail today - it's going to be beautiful!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

2008 Sea Gull Century!

My favorite bicycling event is rapidly approaching – the Sea Gull Century! It takes place in Salisbury University on the eastern shore of Maryland on the first Saturday of October. This is the 20th year! This is one of the best rides that I do – it’s fun and with beautiful scenery to boot! I've done the ride a number of times, including 2006 with my daughter during a nor'easter!

The camaraderie and the party atmosphere make this ride a total blast!

Look at the info on the left and go check it out!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Foods That Help Me


Man, those Hebrew National 97% Fat Free hot dogs are great and they are only one point each! The veggie burger doen't taste exactly like a burger - but it is a really tasty two point alternative! Add light bread or rolls to either of those and you have a very low point, filling sandwich! A cup of non-fat vanilla yogurt is a two point snack that is great for you - I have one to start my day. I've been eating grapes, bananas and cantaloupe like it's going out of style - sweet, filling and good!

Week Four Weigh In





Week number four has me at 228 pounds - seventeen pounds since I started WW and twenty five pounds since March. I really do feel different - more energy, healthier.


Thursday, August 14, 2008

Having a GREAT Week!



I've been very busing getting stuff done around the house. Washed and waxed two of the cars. Exercising every day - I even got in a great bike ride yesterday! I've been doing great with my eating, too! I've had so much more energy this week - I haven't felt this good in a long time! I know it's due to eating healthier!


Sunday, August 10, 2008

My Third Weigh In

I'm at 231.5! Four and a half pounds this week and a total of 13 and 1/2 pounds so far - I'm quite happy!

I figure when I get back to work, trapped at my desk, things will slow up. I have another week off this week, so I'll be busy again - enjoying my temporary freedom!


Saturday, August 9, 2008

Reflections on This Past Week



I really have to tell you all about my week. I’ve been on vacation and my daughter’s been in town (she’s still in bed) while her husband is buried deep in the crunch-time of a project at his work. My other daughter is a teacher, so she’s been free to join us as well. Well, we’ve been dining out or grilling every night and it’s been a blast. We’ve also been very busy just doing fun activities. I’ve made it a point to stay on points during the week and it’s very possible! For example, we went to Carrabba's Italian Grill. I found a salad that has a smallish grilled chicken breast and enough greens to sink a small ship. I simply asked for the dressing on the side and a low point dinner (I avoided the bread). I had a great time with my family and was full when I left the table. We (my wife and I) seldom dine out, so I’ve been ignorant of the menus of most establishments – what I’ve learned is that most places have a great, low point salad dish (if you get the dressing on the side) and all the fun is still there! At home I just keep a scale on the table and portion control is a snap! For about three days I was way below my points, we were so busy we didn’t have time to eat! Oh yeah, my daughter showed me Hostess Chocolate Mini-cakes – one package of three is 1 point! They’re tiny, but very chocolate-y and filling. ONE Point!

Weight Watchers is great! It does lead to better choices – it’s a comfort to know that when I stay OP, that’s how much food I need to be healthy!

Weigh in is tomorrow!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

A Quick Check In

Haven't posted in a while - with my daughter in town it's been busy & lots of fun! I've been doing great with the WW. I've been below points the past three days and today - 34.5 points total. there are so many distractions I forget to eat! I'm sure I''ll catch up later!

Monday, August 4, 2008

What a Blowout!

Well, I had my first big binge out and I am here to own up to it. My daughter's in town and we went to an all you can eat sushi place. That's not the worst of it. There are tons of snack foods and sweets sitting around in plain sight. AUGH! I consumed a big selection of treats before I went to bed - AUGH (Part II)!! But the Dark Knight of Vengeance named GERD made me suffer for my act of gluttony. Today I am contrite and ready to move on.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Update: I Put the Two Pictures Side-by-Side.


Sunday Weigh In

Weighed in this morning: 236. I'm pretty happy. I took my blood pressure at the store yesterday: 104 / 67! On the same machine three months ago I was tracking 140 / 85. Tell me weight loss ain't good for ya!!

I saw a show last night about a 41 year-old dad who died at Disney World - killed by high blood pressure - it ruined his heart. He looked to be a bit overweight. His wife said that he knew he needed to take of him self and he just got tired of doing that - and he got boneheaded when anyone mentioned it to him. I said to myself, "That's me!" It was a good motivator.

The picture above is not that great, my daughter snapped it kinda quick this morning - I think I can see a difference fron the pic at the bottom of the page. Can you?

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Why Weight Watchers Didn't Work the First Time.

It failed for me because I couldn't control my night binge eating and I started gaining the weight back. I started to feel embarrassed and the sense of defeat was overwhelming. I simply gave up. The meetings sucked for me – I couldn’t relate to anybody there. Now that I’m older, the weight is starting to affect my health and GERD keeps me from night binges (C0D17) so there tends to be a bit more in the motivation department.

I have to admit, with just the weight I’ve lost so far – I feel better! For some reason, I’ve never been able to say that in the past, I never noticed much of a change in the way I felt. This time is different.

Tomorrow is weigh in…

Thursday, July 31, 2008

A Small Victory

I thought I'd start off with this comic. It's way too true...

Now my small victory. I took a day off from exercising last night and watch the very first episode of The Sopranos. I watch TV while I exercise anyway, but I wanted to point out that I watched the very first episode of The Sopranos last night. Anyway, I got the urge to forage in the kitchen, big time! I resisted though, I went upstairs and avoided the kitchen – walked right by it and went to bed. Man, I felt good about it this morning!

Hey – two blog posts in one day!!

Weight Loss Supplements Aren’t Worth It

Published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, is a study that analyzed over 402 dietary supplements that claimed to aid in weight loss, fat loss or increase metabolism. Their findings are published here:

Entrez PubMed - Availability of weight-loss supplements: results of an audit of retail outlets in a southeastern city.

Pretty interesting reading. They conclude: "“The general lack of research evidence for the safety or effectiveness of the many ingredients . . . even the most frequently included ingredients, is cause for concern.”

Though they do find that there is modest evidence of effectiveness exists for green tea, chromium picolinate, and ma huang (ephedra).

I stick with Weight Watchers, thank you.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Doin' Great!

HA! I knew I suck at blogging - I forgot I had a blog! Stupid blog.

Well, here I am - it’s Wednesday – a week and a half into Weight Watchers.

I visited my brother, who lives in Ocean City, on Saturday because my other brother from Michigan was there. Normally, in the past, I would have had a few drinks and gorged my ample gut with junk food and my sister-in-law’s great cooking. I was good I ate very small amounts of most things put out and I was satisfied! As for the drinking, I stopped drinking adult beverages a while ago. Not for any big reason, I just completely lost any desire to drink – I drank enough for two life times in the past so I guess I’m ahead of the game.

So, I get on the scale on Sunday and it reports 237. Whoa. I left and came back – same result. I was really hungry so I waited a while ate a light breakfast and hydrated myself. I jumped to 238.8 and stayed there for a while. I reported 239.8 to WW - so I got credit for 5.2 pounds for the first week. Right now I’m hovering at about 237 – 238.

This morning I squeezed into a size 38 pair of pants. The 40’s I was wearing seemed baggy and made me feel good – the 38’s are tight and remind me of how much work I need to do – get it?

I’m doing great with WW – I usually have a point of a half point left at the end of the day. I’ve also been riding my bike, set up on a trainer, for 30 minutes at night. When the weather’s bearable, I take a walk at lunch.

I have/had a problem binging at night – on WW they say that it takes 21 days to break a habit – so bingers count 21 day cycles: so if you haven’t binged 47 days it’s be C3D5 – cycle 3, day 5. I guess I’m C0D14 – I’m feeling good!


Friday, July 25, 2008

Some More Details



Here I am at my biggest - probably a bit over 255 - I was at this weight, again, about three months ago. I weigh in on Sunday and I'm thinking I'll be around 240, so I'm 15 pounds lighter that the me in that picture. The problem is when you weigh this much it's impossible for people to see any difference - but I can feel it.

I did good yesterday - stayed with points and got some exercise.

Weight Watchers is very good - to understand points go read up on it:

http://www.weightwatchers.com

Who the heck is YoYoNoMo? Well, at WW you have access to forums and one is called "Guys on a Diet" or GOAD. On of the guys there gave me that nickname - I like it; it's funny and motivational at the same time!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Let's Get Started

I’m a 55 year-old life-long weight battler, with all zeros in the win column - I’ve yo-yoed so much I could use the name “Duncan”. Consequently, I gave up years ago and just resigned myself to being fat – (5’8” 240 – 255 LBS.) – when I’d hit 250/255 I’d cut back a bit, so I did have my limits. My biggest issue is I’m one of the laziest guys I know – I love lying down and reading, watching TV or whatever – as long as I’m horizontal. Over the last several months I have tried to keep to a structured diet, especially not eating after dinner due to the fact I developed a wicked case of GERD and I didn’t want to deal with that anymore. It sounds good but I was still overeating, eating a lot of the wrong stuff and often snacking at night – waking up have aspirated my own vomit! YUMMY! That combined with heart burn caused me to lose sleep.

Well, after six years I decided it was time for a physical. I got a warning from the results – my cholesterol was 238 and my sugar was slightly elevated. Okay, that’s new… I was the guy who could stay overweight with no repercussions, right? Sorry, wrong. Now I’m serious about losing weight – I don’t want to take pills for that stuff – not when there’s an identifiable solution. So, my doctor said to lose weight and come back in the fall for a follow up on the blood work. Will do! It also got me to thinking about retirement and wanting to be healthy and able to enjoy my life then – something that may not happen if I don’t make some changes now. The first thing that came to mind was WW and here I am! About two or three months ago I was around 255 so I cut back and got down to 242 and man I was on a roll - but I slipped again and realized I couldn't do this without help - so I joined Weight Watchers (from now on refered to as WW). I had used WW in the past with much success until I strayed. My daughter uses WW and has done will with it over the years. I hated the meetings when I went before - but now everything is online and I LOVE IT! Also, I just joined Kaised Permenente and they contavt with WW to give us a great discount! The Doc's office weighed me in at 245, so signed up on Saturday at 245 pounds with a goal of 190 pounds. So far it’s been an easier transition this time as I just follow the structured meals I’ve been using – just that now I use the points to guide my choices! I have a stationary bike that I’ve used on and off, so I ‘m back in the saddle again and I make a conscious effort to get up from my desk every once and a while and move around. I don’t care how long it takes to reach the goal – it just needs to get done!

Here's the blood scores:

Component_________Your Value________Standard Range
-----------------------------------------------
CHOLESTEROL__________238_________<200>40 - MG/DL
CHOLESTEROL,NON-HDL__191______________- MG/DL
TRIGLYCERIDE_________149_________<150 - MG/DL
LDL__________________161______________- MG/DL
HGBA1C_______________6.2%________4.3-5.8%