Livin' La Vida Luna y Luca
All smiles over here. Wishing the same for you. 🙏
Let's Get Physical
I had my annual physical last week.
Many of you know lowering my Total & LDL Cholesterol has been a top priority for me since 2022.
The past few years of trial and error have resulted in a rollercoaster of results.
This time was no different... In a good way.
Check it out!
I got my total cholesterol down to 160 from an August 2022 high of 239 (33% improvement). Six months ago the number was 195 (18% improvement).
I snuck into the preferred range (99-199) by the skin of my teeth 6 months ago, but now I'm smack dab in the middle of it. 🎉
Similarly, I got my LDL down to 113 from an Aug 2022 high of 177 (36% improvement). Six months ago the number was 136 (17% improvement).
Still slightly above the preferred range of >99, but I'm counting it. 😤
How Did This Happen?
I made 3 more meaningful changes over the last 6 months.
1) Dinner:
I ate the same thing for dinner 5/7 nights per week...
...🥁🥁🥁
Mediterranean Salad:
- Romaine
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Red Onion
- Kalamata Olives
- Garbanzo Beans
- 1/2 Avocado
- Tbsp. Olive Oil
The salad is large, but it's admittedly a pretty light dinner. I had to bulk up my meals earlier in the day to get sufficient protein and calories.
2) Less Meat
Another change I made is reducing my poultry (chicken/turkey) intake to 1-2x/wk. I also don't eat beef or pork, so I'm getting most of my protein from whole eggs, yogurt, protein powder, an occasional fish, and David Bars (which are hella yummy).
3) Lost Weight
A few friends and I decided to cut weight in the new year. I lost ~10lbs in 2 months. Half of that came from a concentrated effort of diet and exercise in January. The second half came from getting the flu in early Feb.
What's Next?
Hopefully, more of the same.
I'm trying hard to not slip back into old habits on the heels of this recent success. I can't afford to give back these gains.
I also think I'm experiencing a change in perspective...
I was adamantly opposed to going on statins for life. But as I've said before, that was driven by my ego more than any other factor. I simply refused to identify as someone who relied on medication to cure a problem that could be solved with a little discipline.
But after digging my heels in for so long, I'm starting to loosen my grip on that position.
Mainly because my mom just lost (another) brother to heart failure due to clogged arteries. My uncle didn't reach his 70th birthday, which is incredibly sad. His only grandchild is less than 1 year old.
That can't be me. It won't be me. But I have to get out of my own way.
So I'll have to utilize both sides of the ego spectrum going forward. I'll continue leveraging my self-confidence to improve my bio-markers. But I'll also practice enough humility to realize I can't outrun my genetics forever.
✌️
What I'm Working On...
