Disclaimer – The actions and results I’ve outlined below worked for me. However, I am neither a doctor nor am I your doctor; you may be in a different situation and need a different plan.
In November of 2006, some friends took me rock climbing, which I had not really done before. I quickly realized that I would not be very successful at this sport if I was trying to carry my spare tire up the cliff as said spare tire contributed nothing whatever to getting up the cliff.
I so badly wanted to succeed at climbing that it motivated me to get rid of the spare tire. Call it a magic moment – an event that gave me the motivation to make a permanent change.
I’ve outlined here the changes I made to lose weight. One thing I didn’t originally mention on that page is that I also started taking 3000 mg of fish oil and 900 mg of Omega-3 Fatty Acids every day. I also eat a lot of fatty fish (salmon) and rarely (not “never”) eat red meat.
I recently (this month) went to see my GP on an unrelated subject and she ordered a panel of blood tests. I recently got them back, and discovered that I also had a blood panel to compare them to from just after I made the diet and lifestyle changes.
It turns out that in Jan 2007 I was hitting many of the risk factors for prediabetes – excess weight, age over 45, low HDL’s, high triglycerides, high fasting glucose levels. Doctor and I actually discussed going on medication.
I declined as from what I was able to research I concluded I was in yellow alert – at risk, but not needing to take extreme action. I define extreme action as taking drugs (like Zocor) that have a much longer list of risks and side effects than benefits.
Now, a year and a half later, I’m delighted to find that I’ve dropped into the green zone – my fasting glucose is dead in the middle of the recommended zone, my triglicerides have dropped precipitously, my LDL’s are now above the minimum recommended range. I’d like to lose more weight, but that’s more targeted to climbing and mountaineering performance than to health.
What’s the point? The point of sharing this story is that I know a lot of my readers have these very issues, and while being bombarded with advice from one’s doctor or the media is (hopefully) somewhat motivating, I think it’s good to know someone who’s taken a personal, non-medicated journey back from the brink.
I hope you’ll go review my lifestyle changes and consider them for yourself or a loved one.