So, last night my wife Audrey and I attended a 2-hour class titled, “Read My Lipids,” taught by Advanced Lipidology, Early Detection Center for Heart Disease and Diabetes, in Delafield, WI to learn all about how cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar relate to one-another and heart disease and diabetes. So, why is this important to me now and my fitness transformation?
Although only 37, my family history is littered with heart disease and diabetes, I have high-blood pressure, a waist line over 40 inches, and carry most of my fat in my abdomen. These are all early warning signs that without changing my eating habits and fitness now, I am on a not so pleasant fast-track to a future of heart disease and diabetes.
Needless to say, I want to live a long and healthy fulfilling life. It is going to be hard to stay at a safe distance to most of the foods that I have grown up to love ---deep fried anything, butter, ice cream, hard cheeses, beef, bacon, white flour, white bread...., but it is time to rethink priorities. So, fish has now become the protein staple in our house. The butter has gone, and the once full cheese drawer (it is Wisconsin after all) has made some room for veggies.
Don’t get me wrong, I like fish, but I have always thought of it as fru-fru food unless it has been battered and deep fried with tartar sauce, fries and coleslaw on the side. So, my wife, determined to keep my discerning palette content, has delighted me with fabulous creations like tilapia with pineapple-strawberry-jalapeño salsa and spicy tomato fish stew.
Thoroughly enjoyable, these creations have been delicious, but just don’t have the same primitive satisfaction as gnawing the last bits of juicy meat off a t-bone. However, I have acknowledged my self-created situation, and that I, with the support of my family and the Fitness Together team, am changing my life for the better. So, fish is my new meat.
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Michael,
ReplyDeleteI can empathize completely. Seems we had the same refrigerator. Try the steel cut oats with Steveia (a few drops) and some berries. blackberries, black raspberries, red raspberries, etc. for breakfast. I alternate that with Margaret Pfeiffer's vegetable muffins, though I prefer to make fresh ones each morning as an omlet than 12 at once and freeze.
I had to give up nearly everything I ate, but my particle count is down from over 1500 to well under 1000, total C from 224 to 138, with similar improvements in LDL C and HDL C.
Small strides from lifestyle and exercise changes at first, but after a small plaque was seen with a CIMT - MAJOR changes came from 5 mg of Crestor, along with Lovaza (only 500 mg because of my Trigs), and I have a thyroid problem so take 88 micrograms of Synthroid daily; and of course 4,000 mg Vit D. Feel much better.