Following my quest to rid myself of cigarettes, I took on the second item on my little list- weight gain and getting a handle on cholesterol and have had some success...However, I will tell you this from the get-go, what I did is probably wrong and I do not advise doing it...Having said that I will give you my solution...
I started by having a blood test done, part of which produced the dreaded cholesterol panel...Here are the results:
Cholesterol: 234
Triglyceride: 72
HDL: 60
LDL (calculated) 160
weight: 181 lbs height 5'10...
For my age and overall physicality I was 34 points over the limit on combined Cholesterol, ok on triglycerides, ok on HDL and 30 points over on the dreaded LDL...
My risk factors for heart disease are high...My father passed from heart problems at the age of 68...
It was time to step it up a bit...
My doctor immediately said "No eggs, cheese, fried or fatty food"...Oh yea and by the way here is a prescription for Lipitor...
So of course, I immediately said thanks doc, you can keep the script and you will need to find another patient, because I can see that you have decided that there is no other way in this matter, except to sell me out to the pharma industry... I don't think he cared for that...But I have to protect myself and I will find a better solution...
So...Here is what I did and again I say...I do not advise it...nor am I suggesting that anyone do as I have done...Everybody has to make their own decisions with regard to health and well being...
9 months ago I left all of my favorite foods behind. I stepped up my bike riding from 20 mile trips to 30 mile jaunts, I stopped lifting weights because I knew that the diet I was about to begin was not going to put any more musculature on my frame...Instead I went straight out on the aerobics...
I looked around for a basic food that would give me most of what I needed without the fats and associated cholesterol...I have been in enough places around the world to get the fact that a good portion of the human race manages to exist on rice as a mainstay...So that is where I began...Rice became my basic food...
For that period of time I ate nothing but rice, vegetables, soy milk, high fiber cereals, wasabi, tuna without mayo, salmon steaks, walnuts, grapefruit juice (by the gallon)...I have become a real devotee of cheerios. My job entails constantly traveling from place to place by car so I always had a box of those little guys with me at all times.
That is it and again, I am not advocating this for anyone (except myself that is)...But here is what got done in terms of the numbers:
After 9 months
Cholesterol: 146
Triglyceride: 88
HDL: 41
LDL (calculated) 87.4
weight: 161 lbs height 5'10...I am happy to report that I have not gotten any shorter...
I have since learned that there is in fact something called the Rice Diet. It was developed in the 1930s by Dr. Walter Kempner in an effort to fight obesity, diabetes and other diseases. Apparently he had some initial success and the program does exist today. The program itself is not simply about consuming rice, however, it is a rather elaborate set of lifestyle changes that is based on his work...If you have the money and the time it is possible to participate and go through the program...However, I would certainly recommend that anyone interested in the whys and wherefores of metabolism have a look at what this man has to say...The folks who do this thing call themselves Ricers...I am not big on that kind of thing, but there is a great deal of beneficial information available around the basic concept...
My protein numbers are down a bit, but I am working on that...And my niece says that I look a bit gaunt...But that may be the result of working 70 and 80 hour weeks for the past two months...So ok give me some turkey...I am not a complete nut you know...My niece of course disagrees, but I think she loves me anyway...
So that is it and I am sticking to it...I do like to eat closer to the ground and dearly love working my vegetable garden and all...My nephew likes to remind me from time to time that there is nothing more boring for him than watching old people garden...I think he means well by that and if I where his age would probably feel the same...I tell him hang in little brother, you too will come to know the power of the calendar...But for now "May you be forever young"...
stay well
nonic
My Milage:My Quit Date: 12/25/2006
Smoke-Free Days: 1104
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 33,120
Amount Saved: $11,592.00
Life Gained:Days: 216
Hrs: 2
Mins: 0
Seconds: 20
