Lose Weight or Die Soon

Great job shaving that 10 min off of your time. I'll bet the BP was up more from the extra salt than the arguing. (((skinny vibes))) for tomorrow. I'm sure you show a nice loss. You're doing great!
 
Well Bigdogmom, any loss is a nice loss! In that spirit, all I lost this week is .3 lbs. But my waist is smaller and I look and feel better. So I'm not going to get all disappointed that I didn't loose more weight. Things are working and the scale will budge soon enough.

One thing, I did my BP immediately upon rising and it was 140/100 (yeesh!). I typically take it after my walk and it's lower. I wonder why it is so high at night? The Doctor mentioned being concerned about that too.

Anyway, I'm on the right track and if getting healthy will lower it then that's my my goal.

David
 
David - that is a nice loss! I know you were probably hoping for more, but right now it's your BP that is the biggest concern. If that goes down and stays down, it will be worth the slower loss.

I believe that I have heard that your BP is generally higher when you first get up, but I could be wrong. Maybe do some research on that and see what you find.

You're doing great! Keep it up. I'm betting that your next test in a few months will prove that you have done well.
 
you're supposed to take your resting pulse rate just as you get up in the am because that's the lowest point - or rather most accurate - that it's at all day... I'd imagine that blood pressure is no different.
 
David.... I've missed you, dear one. Hope all is well with the babe and wife. I have all faith in you with getting back on track, doll. You've done it before and can easily do it again. I'll have to bug you again soon enough.

-Sheryl
 
Hey Sheryl, I've missed you too! Glad to see your pretty Avi again!

Yeah, I'm getting back on track. It's slow but hell, I have the rest of my life right? This way maybe that'll be a long time.

David
 
You know, I'll be honest in saying I was sad that you decided to up and leave last time. How's this...... if you stick around, I'll do my damndest to do the same. Actually... I'll stick around just so I can harass/ tease people with my awesomeness. ;) HA! jk. :hug2: And hell, you're an amazing daddy so you definitely have to stick around forever, buddy. Queen Sheryl has spoken. You may now go and live your life. ;)
 
Eleven and a half pounds is great (looking at your ticker.) Sometimes these little wake up calls are exactly what we need to cherish each day, and make the most of what God gave us. I've wasted so much time being heavy and lethargic. It's so great to read stories like yours, because I know I can do this, too!

Best!

Colleen
 
Hey I found you!

Shit, man, your blood pressure seems really screwy in the first post! I'm sure you will be FINE, you're intelligent, you can do it!

HUGS
 
Hello David, hope today finds you well. Reading the above post... I glanced at your ticker. You're doing very well.
 
Thanks Steve, Val and Collen.

Today is a rest day. As most Wednesdays are. I bought a book on stretching called "The Genius of Flexibility: The Smart Way to Stretch and Strengthen Your Body" by Bob Cooley. I bought it with the idea that greater flexibility is the key to my shoulder, neck and arm issues, as well as some other minor problems.

It is a good read, it's a bit new age-y in parts but does give 16 beginner, 16 intermediate and 16 advanced stretches to work on to increase your flexibility. Fair enough, but the 2nd one in the beginner section I can't do. It involves wrapping your arms around one another and pulling against each other in an almost isometric way.

It's not a matter of lack of flexibility preventing me from the correct position it's that my chest and arms are too big to allow the elbow to sit one upon the other to allow the forearms to twist around each other. All of the models in the book are these wirey contortionist types. It's infuriating since I think the stretch would help. I'll check out their website and see if they have any alternatives for the portly man...

My BP has been wierd yesterday and today. Last night when I got home from a relatively easy day at work I took the BP and the reading was 150/95!! (eek)
So I remained sitting and did some very deep breathing exercises and actually took my BP while in the middle of one and it immediately dropped to 124/78!!! WTF?

So I took it again breathing lightly (normally) and it was 145/89. I did the deep breathing exercise again and it again dropped low (same arm, no change in cuff position or body position- just breathing). I repeated this (obsessively) for the next 20 minutes and got my BP down to 115/70!!!

But the minute my breathing returned to normal my BP returned to being high (140s/90s)

At the end of this little exercise, I had dropped my average pressure from the first reading 150/95 to 140/82 so there was also a cumulative effect as well as a momentary one.

I'm not sure what this means, I will do some research on it (because that's what I do) but it's puzzling. I tried to repeat it this AM but my pressure was already low 121/72 so the deep breathing didn't have a noticeable effect.

So I go forward!

David
 
I think I'm going to have to check out that book. My flexibility has greatly increased over the past few months, but I know it could be better.

Something that may help you... I've been rediscovering acupressure, and its very helpful especially with things like muscle tension, headaches, cramps throughout the body, etc. Supposedly good with high blood pressure too. I have the book "Acupressure's Potent Points: a Guide to Self-Care for Common Ailments" by Michael Reed Gach... have had it for years only its been forgotten on my shelf until recently. Nice thing about acupressure is it has similar effects as acupuncture... only without the needles. And you can do it to yourself.

You're doing great, by the way. :)
 
Thanks Phoenix and Val!

So I took my walk this AM and felt okay, not great, but okay. Yesterday's food was great! but managed to gain a pound this AM :mad: but it's probably water or something inexplicable. I've pretty well eliminated added salt from my diet and am now eating no prepared or snack foods to avoid the obvious salt sources so I don't see where I'd be getting the water weight, but I'm not sure what else causes that. So I won't stress over it.

I'm very happy with the new scale, very repeatable results. I will have to work on my obsessive weigh-in tendencies... Consciously I do not care what the scale number is, as long as I am getting smaller, stronger and healthier. But it is gratifying to see the numbers drop.

I ran short of time, so didn't take my BP numbers so I'll have to do that when I get home.

Turns out that deep breathing will drop blood pressure immediately but temporarily. Repeated deep breathing exercises will have long-term continuous results. So I am working on that too. I have a suspicion that this is a big factor for me. Apparently people who have a great deal of tension tend to breathe in a shallow way which constricts blood flow (in much the same way as it does with smokers).

Deep breathing is all good, no bad so I've been doing the exercises whenever I think of it.

Good day to all!

David
 
Word on the deep breathing, last night I did yoga and I got to the point where I actually visualized my chakras without even trying. Skeptics can kiss my ass, I know what I experienced!!

You're doing well, my friend. We're all happy to hear it :)
 
I like deep breathing excercises also, I tend to have a very hot head and stress out easily...so deep breathing helps me cool down and gives me something to focus on besides being hot headed. Good job on the 11 lbs. could you point me to any online resourse for BP information? I recently had a high reading and my physician recommended I try and get it down without medical intervention (I whole-heartedly agreed).
 
Hi Iwan,

I've read a bunch of books, I just Googled "Natural Blood Pressure Remedies" and more stuff came up than you could read in your lifetime.

I did buy the Blood Pressure Cure by the Late Robert E. Kowalski. Who died of an unrelated Aortic Aneurism shortly after it was published. It's got a good summary of the conventional thinking about BP and he is a big proponant of dietary supplements. His conclusion is that if it's good for the heart and cholesterol, it's good for BP too. Google his name you will come to his site (run now by his family).

One thing that he says that sort of flies in the face of the conventional wisdom is that reducing salt intake is not as important as balancing it's intake with the other electrolytes (potassium, calcium, and magnesium). He advocates the use of 5 different supplements including a daily cup of rich cocoa. I bought the $upplements and I am taking them during the 90 day trial.

Beyond that I do not have a whole lot of recommendations other than lose weight (if you need to) exercise, eat well and work on reducing your stress. I am trying to learn about breathing meditation.

Good Luck and thanks for stopping by!

David
 
Good morning!

I went for my walk this AM and felt much better. After I got back I made breakfast, which was 1 cup cooked oatmeal, 1 oz walnuts a banana and 2T of flax seed meal and 1/2-cup of milk.

Afterward I sat down and did this online guided meditation- It's a bit crunchy I know and doesn't quite fit in with my gruff, inpenetrably macho persona, but golly dang it's relaxing! I took my BP directly after and it was 100/72!!! Most of the guided meditations focus on deep breathing, which I think is the effective ingredient. I sort of feel, more and more (with each passing breath) that this is the core issue for me.

So things look good. I just got word that my Nephew, who is a Stryker Squadron Commander, stationed in Irak is now home for 18 days leave (then he goes back for another year). So I'm trying to figure out how I can go see him. They're near Boston and he's going away weekends to be with Friends and far away Family.

Good news * Friday * Good BP * Good * !

David
 
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