This Is The Reason

I will admit that there is a certain amount of vanity that comes with losing weight.  I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the compliments.  I love people telling me they don't recognize me.  I love having people tell me I look nice when I get dressed.  I love every thing that contributes to me getting a big head.  I never get tired of hearing it.  But, that was never the real reason I started this quest.  Looking good was a distant second to my health.  The single biggest reason that I wanted to lose weight is because I felt like I was slowly dying.  I felt lethargic even when I had a good night's sleep.  I felt stressed and anxious even when my work didn't warrant it.  I breathed heavily just from climbing a flight of stairs.  In fact, I breathed heavily at times just from bending over to tie my shoes.  I stopped breathing in the night while I was sleeping.  When I ate too much salt, my chest itched so badly I could hardly stop scratching it. 

A few years ago, shortly before my stomach issues, I went in for a physical and was told that my scores were borderline diabetic.  Today, I went in for the health screenings that I was unable to take a couple of weeks ago because I kept forgetting that little requirement regarding fasting.  I didn't forget this time.  I couldn't wait to see the results.  And despite knowing that I was much healthier than a year ago, I still had a little anxiety going in to the tests.  The results?  Well, I will summarize it in a simple equation below...

2,563 = 1,093.475

Right now you are thinking this must be some of that newfangled "fuzzy" math these lil' whippersnappers are learning these days.  Let's break the equation down in to it's components...

295 + 295 +383 + 1,500 + 60 + 30 = 152 + 81 + 54 + 90 + 78 + (118 / 80) +29 + 110 + 48 + 450

Still confused?  Well, let me explain further...

The left side of the equation are all of the numbers that got me to today.

295:  The number of days straight that I have exercised.  Only five days away from 300!

295:  Not coincidentally, the number of days since I began this blog.

383:  The number of posts I have made on this blog previous to this one.

1,500:  The upper limit of my calorie goal... which is between 1,200 - 1,500 per day.

60:  The minimum amount of minutes that I try to exercise on a daily basis.  Usually, I spend at least that much time on the treadmill almost every day.

30:  The number of minutes I try to workout in the morning... on those mornings where I don't turn over and go back to sleep.  Specifically, the number of minutes I swam every day during the week over the summer.

The numbers on the right are the results of the numbers on the left and all of the hard work over the last nine plus months.

152:  My total cholesterol.

81:  My LDL cholesterol.  The Kroger goal is <= 160.  The NIH healthy level is <= 100. 

54:  My HDL cholesterol.

90:  My tryglicerides.

78:  My blood glucose level.  The Kroger goal is <= 125.  The NIH healthy level is <= 100.

118/80:  My blood pressure.  The Kroger goal is <= 140/90.  The NIH healthy level is <= 120/80.

29:  My body mass index.  The Kroger goal is <=29.  The NIH healthy level is <= 25.  You all know how I feel about the BMI.  Still hard to believe that after losing 110 pounds that I could still be a few pounds away from being "obese".  If I ever find the inventor of the BMI, I plan on kicking his skinny little ass!

110:  Total pounds lost.  Okay, maybe not as of today.  But, I will be back there in a week... promise.

48:  My current resting pulse.  When I graduated from high school my resting heart rate was always around 58.  A couple of years ago, it was hovering around 90.  Hard to believe it is now even lower than when I was a teenager.

450:  The amount of money that I have earned from Kroger for meeting at least three of the four health screenings.  Too bad I can't get a bonus for hitting all four!  That is a nice chunk of change.  But, I was far more excited over my scores than I was the $450!

I wish I could find my scores from a few years ago for comparison purposes.  Suffice it to say that they were not as good as the scores above.  As the screener read each score to me, my excitement grew and I felt the hint of tears in my eyes.  A year ago, I would not have passed.  Well, I may have passed the blood pressure test.  Maybe.  But, it would have been close.  Today is what this entire journey has been about.  Today, it finally hit me that my end of the year goal that has eluded me was a trivial thing compared to the changes I have made and the years I have added to my life.  I might have been a diabetic today if I hadn't made changes to my life.  Today, I was reminded once again of how this blog saved my life.

Here is my sheet.  Again, excuse the vanity.  Sorry for the bragging.  But, I felt like a little boy today.  I may actually frame this sheet and hang it on my wall!  Click on the image for the full 4-1-1.

Here's to living...