Stayin' Alive: Steady State Diet, Exercise and Medicine

It's been a while since I last posted. Which is both bad (where have I been?) and good (I'm still here to post!). 

I have been very busy doing regular Dad/guy things, like traveling, exercising, writing, running my business, eating good stuff, volunteering and playing in a variety of bands. 

I'm still holding my weight at my target range, which is at the top of "normal". It's been stable there for over 18 months, which tells me I have stabilized my lifestyle to minimize weight gain. I'm still very much on the low-carb site of eating, which is great for my cholesterol and weight management. I have no carb cravings (though I do eat some of those low carb chocolates and some fruit to get a sweet fix now and then). 

So if you are here visiting, why not go back to the beginning of my story? It was rough in the beginning, but it forced me to face up to some dietary habits that were almost killing me. 

My favorite go-to expert on low-carb eating is Dr. Peter Attia, whose blog The Eating Academy is a very thorough investigation of diet.

And if I haven't said it enough, I'll say it again:

• Get your lipids checked. Twice a year. There are warning signs in there.
• Get a physical each year. If the doc says you are getting Metabolic Syndrome, get scared, and get busy.
• Keep your eyes and ears open regarding diet. My experience has told me that low-fat, high carb diets (including "healthy grains") is very very bad for me. It may also be bad for you. 

3 years, and 50 pounds lighter!

I've had a few updates since last post. I reached nearly 50 pounds of weight loss, thanks to a low-carb, high-fat diet and intense exercise running and on the indoor rower. I'm off my Triglyceride medicine, and my beta blocker dose is 1/4 of the original.

A couple of weeks ago, I passed my stress test with flying colors, and I can exercise in (relative) comfort at 100% of my max heart rate for my age, which is 175bpm.

Here's my most recent cholesterol readings, from last week:

October 2012, weighing 165 and still on low-carb, high-fat diet:

cholesterol, total 144 mg/dl <200 (1 pt higher)
HDL cholesterol 58 mg/dl >39 (2 pts raise, good)
cholesterol/hdl ratio 2.48 <5.00 (good)
LDL cholesterol, calculated 62 <100 (good)
triglyceride 119 mg/dl <150 (great!)

And here are my March 2012 Values, at 175 lbs and same diet:
cholesterol, total 143 mg/dl <200
HDL cholesterol 56 mg/dl >39
cholesterol/hdl ratio 2.55 <5.00
LDL cholesterol, calculated 69 <100
triglyceride 90 mg/dl <150

The interesting thing is that my Tri's are stable around 90-120 without the medicine. Before I lost weight and changed my diet, they were still in the 200's while on Tricor. So there is a significant reduction in Triglycerides from diet and weight loss!

My glucose is 84, which is more than 15 points lower than earlier. 

Overall, I think I have "killed" all but one of the characteristics that are collectively called "Metabolic Syndrome" - a condition that can lead to heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes. Generally three of the conditions below warrant this diagnosis:

• BMI of 30 or higher (I'm at 25 now)
• Elevated waist circumference:
  • Men — greater than 40 inches (102 cm) (I'm at 31 now!)
  • Women — greater than 35 inches (88 cm)
• Elevated triglycerides: Equal to or greater than 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)(check, 119)
• Reduced HDL ("good") cholesterol:
  • Men — Less than 40 mg/dL (1.03 mmol/L) (I'm at 58)
  • Women — Less than 50 mg/dL (1.29 mmol/L)
• Elevated blood pressure: Equal to or greater than 130/85 mm Hg or use of medication for hypertension (Resting before stress test was 140/90 off meds...STRIKE 1)
• Elevated fasting glucose: Equal to or greater than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) or use of medication for hyperglycemia (I'm 85, good there!)

So maybe the Beta Blocker is still needed for the mild hypertension. Interestingly, I would have had 4 or 5 of these conditions just after my heart attack. I wasn't a 40 waist, but my BMI was high, Tri's were off the charts, and glucose was near 100.

Overall, I'm not complaining. I just celebrated 3 years after my heart attack. I turn 50 in a couple of weeks, and I am in the best shape of my life. Let's hope I stay healthy all around!

Have you been checked lately? What's your Metabolic Syndrome risk level?

Heart Walk 2012!

Once again, we're gearing up for our annual Heart Walk in Erie.

•  Heart disease is the #1 killer of Americans, claiming over 600,000 lives annually

•  25% of all deaths in the US are from heart disease

•  In Pennsylvania alone, more than 38,000 people die annually from heart disease and stroke

I have made a significant donation to the American Heart Association. Please consider donating as well!

Here's the link to donate to my Heart Walk page.

Thanks, and be healthy!

Heart Surgeon Speaks Out on What Really Causes Heart Disease

I've been doing a lot of reading lately on health. I came across this article. Dr. Dwight Lundell, a heart surgeon for over 25 years and 5,000 surgeries under his belt, makes a definitive statement that heart disease is caused by inflammation in the artery walls, not by elevated blood cholesterol. And the inflammation is caused by the low-fat, high carbohydrate diet recommended to us by the medical profession and USDA for the last decades, and the overuse of Omega-6 oils.

Read the article here. It's very digestible by the layman.

I've been low-carb for 6 months (fat is the predominant calories, followed by protein), and my body fat is much lower, my weight lower, and my cholesterol also better. I don't suffer from "low" blood sugar sensations, and my muscular recovery from hard exercise is also mild.

I'm down 40 pounds and feel 10 years younger. I can't see inside my arteries to measure the degree of inflammation though!

Weight Loss leads to Cardiac Health!

My recent PCP and Cardiologist visits went very well. In fact, they have taken me off of my Triglyceride medication, dropped my Beta Blocker by half (my heart rate was going too low), and have indicated they may take me off of Plavix this fall. When I told my cardiologist that I used Atkins for the weight loss, he indicated that he was in support of that plan - that it was sensible.

My weight is stable at just over 35 lbs total loss. I'm aiming for 10 more pounds, which will put me right at the "normal/overweight" border for BMI calculation, and will be my lowest healthy weight since High School!

One benefit of my diet and exercise plan is that I am running faster than ever in the past, including a recent 23:26 5k time trial. I'm hoping that with a few more pounds off and some speed work, I can clock a 7 minute mile for 5k. That would be 21:42!

Incidentally, Plavix just came off of patent protection, so I'll be switching to a lower-cost generic with my next refill. That and the Tricor elimination will save me hundreds of dollars per year. 

So if you are looking to lose some weight, give Atkins a try. It has worked for me, and you can see by the last couple of posts, that my health has dramatically increased on this diet.

Healthier Boy Evidenced By Blood Test

Well, I've been on Atkins for 2 months now, and have lost 26 pounds. My clothes fit better, and I have lots more energy.  I'm doing 20+ miles on the treadmill each week. I still have about 18 pounds to go to move into the BMI "normal" category, and I can see it is all around my gut. So I still have some work to do!

But here's the good news. My blood tests came back and I have the best lipid profile I've ever had. And that's on Atkins, eating eggs, cheese, meat and lots of fats. I do eat a lot of vegetables, and still have wine, but gone from my diet are bread, sugar, pasta, rice, potatoes and basically anything with a lot of carbs. I'm convinced through my research that carbs are the key to Triglycerides, at least with me.

So let's rewind.  Here are my March 2010 values (first ones after the heart attack):

cholesterol, total 173 mg/dl <200 (GOOD!)
HDL cholesterol 37 mg/dl >39 (CLOSE!)
cholesterol/hdl ratio 4.68 <5.00 (GOOD!)
LDL cholesterol, calculated (can not be calculated when the triglyceride exceeds 400 mg/dl).
triglyceride 712 mg/dl <150 (BAD!)

Here are my September 2011 Values (after over a year of drugs, but at 200+ lbs):
cholesterol, total 143 mg/dl <200 (10 pts improvement)
HDL cholesterol 47 mg/dl >39 (3 pts drop)
cholesterol/hdl ratio 3.04 <5.00 (good)
LDL cholesterol, calculated 49 <100 (good)
triglyceride 234 mg/dl <150 (creeping up!)

And here are my March 2012 Values:
cholesterol, total 143 mg/dl <200 (10 pts improvement)
HDL cholesterol 56 mg/dl >39 (9 pts raise, good)
cholesterol/hdl ratio 2.55 <5.00 (good)
LDL cholesterol, calculated 69 <100 (good)
triglyceride 90 mg/dl <150 (great!)

This is a fasting lipid profile. But here's what I had the day before:

- A 3-egg and cheese omelet for lunch

- Shrimp salad for supper

- And red wine

I'm still on a Statin for LDL, and a Fenofibrate for the Triglycerides, and you can see they are working quite well in combination with my weight and diet and exercise plan.

The LDL went up a bit, which was predicted with my diet. But HDL also went up and Triglycerides went way down, also predicted with someone on Atkins.

Can I do better? You bet. I am shifting more of my meat/cheese to lower saturated fats, and using more of the "good" fats. And as I continue to lose weight, I assume that my cholesterol and BP will improve.

My message to you all is the same: Check your Lipids at least one a year. And make sure you understand what they tell you and how to change your lifestyle or medical treatment to address them.

Healthily,

John

Losing!

I usually feel bad about losing, but I'm feeling good about losing weight!

Partially because of the medication I'm on, and partially because I have been more sedentary lately, my weight crept up. I was getting pretty thick and that was impacting my energy and ability to exercise.

I started on The Atkins Diet in early January and have already lost over 23 pounds. I would like to lose another 20 or so to be in the "not overweight" BMI category. That would be a good birthday present to me when I turn 50 this fall.

This weight management plan is easy for me to follow. I can get good food at most any restaurant, and we eat well at home. I am avoiding all starchy foods, including bread, pasta, pizza, as well as sweet items including many fruits and anything made with sugar. Most meals consist of meat and vegetables, two things that I can really dig into. Any diet that encourages me to eat a Cobb Salad is my kind of plan!

I have a great energy level on this plan, and I am not often hungry. This comes from breaking the insulin cycle that most of us are caught in - you eat carbohydrate-heavy food, your insulin level spikes, and then when it comes down, you feel hungry. Eating low carbohydrate meals breaks that cycle, and you stay satisfied longer from your meals.

The basis of Atkins is that your body switches from burning primarily glucose to burning fat through a process called ketosis. It's a natural way to get your body to consume fat.

I'm also back on the treadmill, and should be getting outside soon as the weather improves. It's a lot easier to work out without that extra 20 or so pounds. I am looking forward to getting back down to "runner weight" and see what a lean, 50 year old John can do!

So what does this have to do with my heart health? I'm on a triglyceride medicine and another pill for cholesterol. I am hoping that both my LDL and Tri's will be much better, and I can start to pull back from so much medication. 

My next lipid profile is in a couple of weeks. I'll post the results here. My bet is that even while eating a high-fat diet, my cholesterol will be much improved.