The Whitest of Apples

Doc’s Log #6: Back Under 300, Progress Pictures, Hypertension Challenge

Dr. Marctagon™

Hey all! I hope all is well and that you’re excelling in your individual fitness endeavors. I’m going to keep this latest edition of Doc’s Log pretty brief.

As of Tuesday, I am officially back under 300 pounds at a weight of 299.8 pounds. I weighed 3 times and the scale said either 299.6 or 299.8 so I decided to just go with 299.8. I’m very pleased to be back on this side of 300 pounds and I look forward to the number going down even further. The next goal is to get under 290 by June 21st which is the first day of summer.

I also decided that as of this coming Sunday, I’ll be taking progress pictures weekly. I won’t be posting them on the blog but I’ll be keeping them in an album in my Google Photos that the menu bar above will have a link to. Feel free to visit when you want to but I won’t be drawing much attention to them except for every 3, maybe 6 months or so.

Finally, I took my BP this week and it was 163/82, meaning my systolic is at Stage II hypertension levels, while my diastolic is normal. From what I read, this is more common and normal in older patients but at my age it’s a concern if at this level for a prolonged amount of time. I wouldn’t consider it an improvement over my previous reading but it’s not worse either. It still remains that something must be done so I decided to put myself on a Hypertension Challenge.

What is the Hypertension Challenge you say? I’ll be happy to tell you. Well, it’s basically my way of fighting my BP back down to normal levels. One of the biggest and best ways to lower BP is to lose weight and diet and exercise. Keeping water intake high and reducing sodium intake, not just salt but canned food and other “hidden” sources of sodium is another great way. So until my BP reaches normal levels, I’ll focus on seriously getting rid of sweets, fatty (bad fats) foods, fried foods, and exercising at least 30 minutes everyday. Also, I’ll be beginning a regimen of meditation and yoga to keep my stress levels low and for my overall well-being. There will be NO cheat meals.

Now I know once my BP is normal again that doesn’t mean it’s over. I don’t proclaim it to be so but when that does happen, I’ll go back to 2 cheat meals and I’ll probably reduce my workouts to 5-6 days a week.

Are you ready to go on this ride with me?! Good because I’m excited to take you!

Dr. Marctagon™ - The Doctor Is In.