Thursday, March 09, 2006

Week 4 results

Tuesday was my 5th dietician visit, and the end of my first 4 weeks on the program. My weight was at 204.4 lbs., for a total loss of 18 lbs. I lost 3.6 lbs. last week. I've got to say the weight loss is pretty spectacular, and I can really see that I've dropped a lot of pounds. I was actually able to fit into a pair of 34" waist jeans yesterday (although they were pretty tight!)

When I checked my blood pressure yesterday, it averaged around 130/74. The bottom number seems to be dropping faster than the top. If I recall my experience from Washington University Medical School (my first job out of college), the top number is the pressure when the heart is pumping while the bottom number is when the heart is between pumps. I've got a theory that the bottom number drops faster because my heart got used to having to pump harder to deal with the high blood pressure, and it takes it a little while to ratchet down. The bottom number is more indicative of the overall reduction in BP. This is probably nonsense, but its the best I can come up with.

My dietician said I can have low glycemic fruit now, which is mostly any fruit except bananas and cherries. I can't have juice or dried fruit either. I'm not a big fruit eater, so this is not a big win for me. I'm still waiting for pasta and bread. That's going to be big!

She also said I need to watch for light headedness that could be an indication that it's time to drop my HBP medication. I've got an appointment coming up with Dr. Upton, so I will talk to him about my medication then.

Finally, I still am not hungry and not terribly bored with the food I can eat. I can have chicken, fish, some beef, pork, yogurt, milk, cheese, vegetables, most fruit, small amounts of nuts, and some other foods. Basically, I can't have sweets, bread, pasta, beans, corn, cream (no creamy soups!), and high fat proteins (hamburger, regular sausage, etc.).

I'm really glad I did the program. I think that this is going to be a real lifestyle change that I can stick with.

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