With some trepidation about participating in the world of social media, this Digitial Immigrant was comforted that many in our group started their posts with similar expressions of being out of their cofort zone!
Thank you for the many posts, I hope to read with more detail.
The issue at hand is to participate in telling my story and journey in the 100 Day Heart Challenge.
I am a 60 year old Internal Medicine Physician who has enjoyed stable health with respect to major Cardiovascular events. I have been painfully aware that risk factors for Heart disease have been evolving.
Metabolic syndrome is a diagnostic term for blood sugar elevations bordering Diabetes, abnormal serum lipids with elevation of the nonHDL cholesterol/triglyceride levels and BP elevevation above 130/85.
(My full faced midlife picture is "phenotypic" of the Metabolic Syndrome)
I have two of the above plus a screening CT angiogram showing nonstenotic Calcium residing in my Left Anterior Descending Coronary artery (the LAD artery is known as the "widow maker", celebrety Rosie O'Donnel almost made her wife a widow with her recent LAD infarct, now successfully stented).
An additional personal diagnosis includes Obstructive Sleep Apnea recently diagnosed after an overnight sleep study was done at the urging of my oldest son a physician and wife a nurse praticioner. This under diagnosed problem is well associated with a multiplicity of medical problems and risk. (I was oblivious to snoring and assume frequent arousals were prostate associated.) CPAP helps, however significant and effective weight loss can resolve most individuals with obstructive sleep apnea.
The obvious "no brainer" recommendation to a patient would be to loose weight. The personal application of this recommendation is difficult.
Selective eating and "contemplation" of a dieting and/or exercise structure resulted in 13 lbs loss over 2-3 months.
I felt no worse BUT no better. Another medication for meal time insulin augmentation was added to the stain and thyroid replacement.
On an impulse I was a late applicant for the 100 day Heart Challenge, midnight of the deadline day.
I am very thankful for being chosen and realize many more applicants wanted to be in my place. This is humbling and motivates me to be successful individually in our goup goal of weight loss complimented by a healthy lifestyle.
The 100 day Heart Challenge has pushed me out of the Contemplation phase of Diet and Exercise into sustainable behavior change.
The exercise program coordinated by Traci Heiner through my trainer Jessica Clements a Health and Fitnes major at BYU has been tremendous. Personal time directed to impoving my fitness has been an Important but not Urgent acitivity very much lost by the continuous Urgent and Immediate demands of my professional life and/or personal crisis arising from neglecting important relationship building.
I look forward to our exercise sessions and no longer feel so weak and trembly afterwards. Improvements in my performance is evolving. Continuing an effective habit of exercise will be the biggest challenge for me upon completion. I do like hiking and biking and hope to bike to the hospital. I was impressed with Brad's Mount Timp hike.
Mindy has helped with a general paradigm shift in what a healthy diet consists of and improved my selectivity and mindfullness of eating. I have started using the MyFitnessPal application on my phone (recommended by LaShell). It has helped tremendously in controlling my Caloric amounts within a goal of weight loss. I have encouraged family members to try it as my "friends".
In hopes of making this less Biblical in length, my Goals are:
1. Sustain a weight of < 200lbs for the rest of my life. 240 at highest, 227 upn 100 Day HC...211 presently. (Hopefully < 200 by Sept 19)
2. Achieve a bicycling performance of making it up the hill from AFH to the Timpanogas LDS Temple without stopping, thus allowing me to ride my bicycle home to lower Alpine in a regular and comfortable way. (road close to completion and achievment expected )
3. Be an example of effective weight loss and lifestyle to my wife and children. Two of my six children have struggled with weight gains greater than that expressed in their parents in the mid fifties. (We were at normal BMIs at comparative ages) One son pursuing a high protein/fat and no Carb diet has lost 35lbs with a diet that scares me. I can be an example of a healthy lifestyle with weightloss and encourage healthy behviors only.
Thank you for your indulgence. Forgive any mispells and/or Typos, it is 1220 AM and I have to work tomorrow early.
Marlan Hansen, August 26, 2012
