Day 118 (221 lbs, minus approx 77)

Ok, I know it's been a rediculous amount of time since my last entry. But that is mostly due to things getting back to normal. The weight loss has slowed down as expected, I've had almost no issues (knock wood) and we have been cruising along here towards Cheryl's graduation - which is only about a month away. I've been exercising at cardiac rehab and I have started at the YMCA in Quincy.

Just had a nice weekend in ME for Easter...went to "Our Lady Queen of Peace" for Easter Mass. It's right on the water in Boothbay Harbor. It's also the most photographed place in Maine. Above is a watercolor I painted from memory on the way back to Quincy today.

Day 92 (228 lbs minus approx 70)

So as you will see above, there is an inequity that I have to live with for now. On the left you will see a grilled chicken, bell pepper and cheese wrap with a Balsamic Vinagrette sauce and pan handled potatoes that I prepared for Cheryl last night. Towards the bottom right you will see a bowl of Fiber One that I prepared for me. Yum.

Things have been going well for the most part. I had that setback the other night but I have felt fine since. I'm still contemplating which GYM to join. The YMCA is conveniently located and has all the facilities I would want, but it is also pretty expensive. The GYM at MIT is kinda conveniently located (although, I prefer to get out of the city ASAP after work) and has all the stuff I need also...but it's also not cheap.
There are lesser priced options that aren't easy to get to (I am car-less for awhile) and have less stuff...not sure what to do there.

Later...

Day 88 oops

Uh oh.

I ate too fast at dinner. It didn't stay with me long. I took this picture to show the broken blood vessels around my eyes from the incident.

Oh well, I was just starting to relax and forgot myself. Need to eat slower and take smaller bites.

later

Day 86 (231 Lbs minus approx 67)

A blast from my childhood, I have been on a TOTAL cereal kick. I ordered a bunch of the single serving boxes off of Amazon. I take them to work.

So yesterday I had my first exercise session at the MGH Cardiac Rehab unit. For those of you joining this blog already in process, I am going to these sessions because of a heart condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. This disease has become a bit of a regular character on TV in the past few years. Some of the shows that have used it for their characters are "Without a trace", "Eli Stone", and "One Tree Hill". I think the reason it has appeal to writers is that the victims of HCM can look, feel and act completely normal but still have an above average chance at sudden death.

Depending on whether the distortion of normal heart anatomy causes an obstruction of the outflow of blood from the left ventricle of the heart, HCM can be defined as obstructive or non-obstructive. Luckily for me, my HCM is monitored regularly and my condition is considered "non-obstructive" for now. Also, most cardiac incidents with this disease seem to happen to people under 30, so that's one advantage to my getting older. It's unclear to me at this point if the age anomaly is due to athletes being more active in their high school-college years, or if there is another reason for most sudden deaths occur to people under 30.

Another piece of good news is that there are medical interventions that can work if my cardiologists start to see advancement of this disease. There is surgery and alcohol sublimation and of course transplant. But as of last monday, the cardiologist at the Cardiac Rehab unit could not even detect the disease via stethescope.

So my cardiologist wanted me to begin my exercise journey while being monitored. So while hooked up to a bunch of electrodes and such, I jumped on the tread mill. They kept it pretty tame to begin with...I did about 40 minutes at a level incline and fairly slow speed (around 3mph). The good news is my blood pressure stayed about the same the entire time. A drop in blood pressure would have been a bad sign. So the cardiac people will monitor me for a few more sessions to see how it goes, and if need be schedule me for a stress test.

I will be allowed to lift light weights. I will learn techniques for keeping safe (no above the chest or head lifting) while still having a varied and effective workout. While you workout, one of the cardiac nurses gives lectures on various heart-related topics.

Most of the guys in rehab are coming off some sort of coronary disease / infarction. So some of them are curious as to why I'm there. But that's ok, they will grow to love me soon. It's awkward having the nurse instruct the guys about their sexual stuff...I might bring my mp3 player next time.

Day 79 (234 lbs, minus approx 64)

So yesterday I had my intake session with Cardiac Rehabilitation. It went pretty smoothly and I will be attending sessions twice a week starting Monday. They will monitor my blood pressure and such during the first week or so and they plan on getting me on an aerobic and light weight routine.

I'm also contemplating some new additions to the wardrobe. Right now I look a bit like MC Hammer with my parachute sized pant legs. Any suggestions? I was thinking Gap or LL Bean...

Food is still a work in progress...

I made a very nice dinner last night: Ziti Marinara, with Seared Chicken Breasts, Green Beans and Homeade cracker/chips made out of Tortillas. I cut the tortillas into wedges and brushed them with garlic butter, crisped them in a skillet, seasoned them and then melted mozzarella and parmesan on them in the oven.

Cheryl enjoyed everything as I got a few bites down before having to stop. I think I got 3 bites of chicken, 4 zitis, 1/2 a tortilla wedge, and a few bites of green beans. Dang. I'll take pictures next time. I now use our little plates to avoid wasting food on a big plate for me.

Talk soon...joe

Day 68 238 lbs (minus approx 60)

So things are going well. I saw the MGH Weight Center MD today and he was pleased as well...my labs showed deficiency in Calcium and Vitamin D. I informed him that the nutritionist told me the same thing 2 weeks ago and I have since become religious with my supplements. He accepted that w/out making me take a prescription supplement. But he told me to go counter to traditional advice and take my Calcium citrate with meals so that the Oxolates in my food bind with the Calcium and filter through my system. I only have to avoid taking my calcium with my multi-vitamin because of the Iron in the MV.
He told me the rest of my labs looked better...my insulin, while still on the high side, is much improved. So I have avoided diabetes for now. My liver levels are also normalized. So things are looking good.
My BP was 120/80 with just the atenolol. The MGH WC Dr. doesn't understand why I am not on more BP meds. He would just assume that they keep my BP at 100/60 with the heart condition and all...but he is bowing to the opinion of the Cardiologist.

One of the challenges I am facing is compiling opinions from 6 different doctors and taking the best advice from each. My PCP is supposed to be the "Quarterback" of the team, but realistically I see him a few times a year (once if I don't get ill). So I kinda have to be my own quarterback.

On top of all that, I sliced off a chunk of my thumb this week. So it's never dull here.

Day 63 - (240 lbs, minus approx 58)

I eat like a toddler.

So Valentines has come and gone. It was a nice night out for Cheryl and me, but it was also one of those nights where you miss eating.

We went to a decent restaurant we've wanted to try in Quincy. And like most restaurants they had plenty of delicious special appetizers, entrees and desserts to try. I knew I should skip the meal and just get some soup but I think I felt like the restaurant would frown on that so I ordered the duck. My hope was that since the duck is a bit fattier, it would go down easy.

It sort of worked, however I'd say $24 worth of the $25 duck was still there when I finished...it now resides safely in our refrigerator. Please feel free to send me any "leftover duck" recipes. I stopped eating after a few bites and just accepted the dilemma w/out forcing myself to eat more. I also wanted to save room for dessert since there would surely be something mushy on the menu. You can see my dessert in the picture...I forget what they called it but it was basically an Italian version of Flan.

Overall it was a nice night. Cheryl had Filet Mignon with Gorgonzola Mashed Potatoes. I waited till she had eaten most of it and decided she liked them before I let her know that Gorgonzola is a type of blue cheese (bleu?). Cheryl is not normally a fan of the Bleu.

While I do have a love/hate relationship with my itty bitty stomach...I do hope I can at least eat a bit more next year.

So now I eat like a toddler. Cheryl and I went to breakfast this morning and I ordered one scrambled egg and sausage. I got through half the egg and one sausage link...do you think they'd let me order off the children's menu?

I got hungry later and had a sippy cup of milk and dry cheerios...It's like I'm 2 years old sitting in a pew at Church...but I have to admit I'm starting to embrace my toddler stomach-pouch.

later.