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June 28, 2004
Body Brag
I went to the doctor this last week. The yearly girlie thing (I can see you wrinkling your nose at that) and my doctor was very pleased. Pleased because I've changed. I've dropped nearly 30 lbs since I was there last year, but best of all...my healthy lifestyle has brought my cholesterol level down...way down.
My cholesterol level is exactly 200 (down from 240). 200! Some of you are saying, wait, that's not all that great...it's at the borderline high risk level! Well, not exactly. The numbers, while they don't lie...don't tell the whole truth.
My HDL (good cholesterol) is at 67. The AHA recommends a level of 40 or more.
My LDL (bad cholesterol) is at 103--which is near optimal!! To understand the LDL levels, look at this chart from the American Heart Association:
LDL Cholesterol Levels
Less than 100 mg/dL Optimal
100 to 129 mg/dL Near Optimal/ Above Optimal
130 to 159 mg/dL Borderline High
160 to 189 mg/dL High
190 mg/dL and above Very High
"The key point to remember is, the lower your LDL cholesterol, the lower your risk. "
I've been working hard since last fall to eat much healthier. More fruits and vegetables. Few processed foods. I haven't eaten fast food (with the exception of Taco Bell's chicken soft tacos) for nearly four years! None of that Atkins/South Beach crap for me. Just healthy eating--watching portions, trying to get all the food groups in and getting off my ass and moving it around.
Since the spring, I started walking on a regular basis and when I joined the Mount Auburn Club, I discovered something else...I really DO like exercise. I like how it makes me feel. I like that I sleep better. I like how I look forward to water aerobics, weight training and finding ways to challenge my body. I love that I feel stronger. I love that I didn't get sick even ONCE this last winter...I haven't been sick in nearly a year, in fact!! Those of you who know me now how rare this is.
Very cool, huh? And to top it off, I am starting to actually see and feel muscle definition in my arms, shoulders, back and calves from all the weight lifting I've been doing.
My clothes are becoming too big. Joe looked at a pair of jean shorts I was wearing this weekend that have been a summer staple for the last couple years and he laughed. "You look like you are wearing a saggy diaper!" Looks like those shorts are headed to the Goodwill pile. They will join the two huge bags of winter clothes that I gave away at the beginning of spring. The clothes still fit me at the time...it was a bold move, deciding that they needed to go because I refuse to fit into them this winter. And my boldness is paying off. I will need a new winter wardrobe. In another five pounds, I'll be lighter than I've been in TEN years.
Pretty damn cool, if you ask me.
My goal is to be healthier and more fit at 35 (I have two years to go!) than I was at 15. I'm halfway there!
For those of you chicks that want to join me in my quest for buffness, I found a kickass site chock-full of good information: Stumptuous. And for those of you with a hankering for healthy goodness:
Skinny Daily
Put Down the Donut
Posted by crystallyn at June 28, 2004 06:41 AM
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Comments
Congrats! That's just awesome. It's so hard to make those lifestyle changes at first, but then they finally start to come more naturally and results are fabulous!!!
Thanks for the links--sumptuous.com is a great site.
Posted by: Redpanda at July 1, 2004 12:02 PM
Good for you! What a great goal. It's hard to stay so focused; this is an inspiring post.
Posted by: Jenny at July 3, 2004 10:25 PM
Congratulations! So glad to hear you're finding the changes easy to stick with. I laughed at the "saggy diaper" comment.
Jeff said he ran into you recently. So you might be having a hen party soon? Yippee!
Posted by: Sharyl Morris Burson at July 7, 2004 03:11 PM
Here here....Loving your site! Bookmarked it if you don't mind. :) Thank Corwin for the linkage to your site (thanks Cor).
Anywho, it is all about portion sizes and exercising..let's not forget water intake. Been going down that same path the last few months. It feels great. My ass actually feels FIRM !! Whoa, what's up with That? HA!
Thanks for the link to Stumptuous! That's been bookmarked too.
Posted by: Jade at July 12, 2004 12:48 PM