Week 19 =

Dead even.

I'll take it.

Weight: 188.4
Net Pounds Lost: -22.6

Week 18 +3.2

Actually weeks 16-18. 3.2 is net from week 15.I'm probably down a pound this week. My weight over this period is:

Week 16: 187.2 (estimated)
Week 17: 189.4 (estimated)
Week 18: 188.4

I have a little spreadsheet to track my weight loss. Has graphs and stuff. It becomes pretty apparent looking at it that my weight has been pretty static since mid-October.

I had a thought last night that maybe I should put weight loss on the back burner for few months and focus on lowering cholesterol. Not that these are mutually exclusive. Just a question of rationing my "have-tos". From a health perspective, the cholesterol number is more important.

Let's do the numbers

I just took advantage of an in office mini-physical. Checking your health in the middle of the Xmas season -- brutal! Anyway, here are the numbers:

1) Weight: 186 (my estimate) ergo BMI: 26.7

Still work to be done here, but much better. I'd like to get to the healthy number of 25.0. the screener informed me I should try to lower this, and I mentioned I was down from 30. (So back off)

Blood Pressure: 124/78
This is down in the past months. Diet, exercise and bit more moderation with alcohol have knocked this down. I had been seeing 135/90 like numbers. Good for me, but I'd still like to knock this back to get under 120/80.

Glucose: 72
Very good. Perhaps even a tad too low. Good news since there is some diabetes in my family.

Total cholesterol: 227. HDL: 33
Bad. Not heinous but pretty bad. I really need to do something about this. I already have, but I will need to do more. If I don't get this down a bit, I'm going to have to either a) take statins or b) have a heart attack. Don't really want to do either. Realistically, there is only so much improvement I can take on at once, so I don't plan on getting religion about this right away except for increasing fiber and exercise. If I could get HDL above 40 first, then I could tackle getting the total number down. A project for the spring perhaps.

Might try to take a resting pulse tomorrow just for grins.

Not Dead Yet

Sorry all. The combo of Thanksgiving and being on the road for a week has meant I neglected my Knightly duties ... in more ways than one.

I'd say I'm up about 3 pounds at this point. Thanksgiving was a bit of an uptick and then traveling with a lot of dining out was even more. Though I am certainly not the poster child for proper dieting, I have been relatively restrained. I have managed to keep myself from sliding into a complete spiral.

Will pay the piper with a visit to Weight Watchers tomorrow. My goal is to exit the holidays at 185 as I entered them.

In other (non-dieting) news, Double Bastard Ale is now available. If you live in the US and have any liking for dark beer, I suggest you get you a 22 oz Double Bastard. It is simply the best beer I've ever tasted, and you can only get it during the holidays. There are only 30 cases in the whole state of Virginia (Sorry, commonwealth of Virginia). I am now proud possessor of one.