RSS

Category Archives: weight loss

The Blood Tells It All

My lab work is in! Before I give the details let me, tell about my blood draw experiences. The first blood draw as part of my weight management program for me was about 3 months ago. The nurse had a difficult time finding a good vein and had to stick me a couple of times before the blood would flow into her vial. When she went to draw my blood a few days ago she had no difficulty finding a good vein to stick. She said this was due to my weight loss and my healthy water consumption. Just another benefit of getting healthier. Now for the lab results.

Lab results from program start on 9/21/2011:

Test	Value	Units	Ref. Range
Cholesterol	215	mg/dL	120-200
Triglyceride I	251	mg/dL	<=149
HDL I	49	mg/dL	40-60
VLDL Calc	50	mg/dL	<=30
LDL Calc I	116	mg/dL	<=99
Chol/HDL Ratio I	4.4	Ratio	<=5.0
LDL/HDL Ratio I	2.4	Ratio	<=3.6
Non-HDL Chol. I	166	mg/dL

Lab results at end of Phase I on 12.14.2011:

Test	Value	Units	Ref. Range
Cholesterol	122	mg/dL	120-200
Triglyceride I	81	mg/dL	<=149
HDL I	55	mg/dL	40-60
VLDL Calc	16	mg/dL	<=30
LDL Calc I	51	mg/dL	<=99
Chol/HDL Ratio I	2.2	Ratio	<=5.0
LDL/HDL Ratio I	.9	Ratio	<=3.6
Non-HDL Chol. I	67	mg/dL

LDL/HDL Ratio legend for risk of developing coronary heart disease for Men:

Up to 1.0	Low Risk
1.1 to 3.6	Average Risk
3.7 to 6.3	Above Avg Risk
6.4 to 8.0	High Risk

Last night I weighed in at 248.7 lbs. which is down 3.9 lbs. from the previous week, and means a total loss from beginning of 46 lbs. I had set a personal goal to break the 250 lb. barrier before Christmas. Goal achieved!!

All to the glory of God!

Soli Deo Gloria!!

Moving on to Phase 2

16 Dec

I have been a bit lax in my weight management updates lately. So in order to remedy that I am going to write about my end to Phase 1 of the program and what I might expect in Phase 2, which begins in less than two weeks.

This past Wednesday I did the follow up nurse visit for the weight management program I have been on for the past 12 weeks. The results of this visit are very encouraging for a loser like me. Here is the list:

I have lost 43 lbs.
I have lost a total of 8 inches around my trunk.
I have lost 2 inches in my neck.
I have dropped 36 lbs of body fat.
My BMI has dropped 6 points.
I have dropped 7% body fat.

I will update the results of my lab work in a following post.

Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments

Posted by barrydean on December 16, 2011 in exercise, fitness, God's sovereignty, HMR, Phase 2, weight loss

Kill Me Heal Me

23 Nov

One of my favorite songs to workout to is by a rock band called Skillet. The song is called “Kill Me Heal Me”. The song is about the power of Christ killing our old man or our old self, but healing us by saturating us with Christ’s spirit. The song is reflective as I continue to replace my old self with the new mind set of eating the right foods and exercising to increase my energy and burn off my old self. The amazing thing is that God is even in control of this physical transformation in me as He is in control of my spiritual transformation. I would like to share some of appropriate verse lyrics from the song.

Break my bones and reset me
Piece by piece you break me
Pick up the cross ’cause it’s killing time
How can I scream when the pain is
Such a release I get the courage
To pick up the nails ’cause it’s killing time

Breathing your love
You’re ferocious
You’re in my lungs
Resuscitate
Craving your electricity
Feet to my pain you give
Wings to my fear your peace
Inhabits my blood
Your love is thick

As of my last weigh-in I have lost a total of 31.5 lbs. My waist line has been reduced by 4 inches. My energy levels are amazing, my blood pressure is always in the normal range, and endurance continues to increase. I am able to bend over and tie my shoes without straining. I am able to climb stairs anywhere I go and not be out of breath. I actually prefer to walk the stairs instead of the riding the elevator. It is all part of the transformation of my new lifestyle.

Check out the music with lyrics below.

Soli Deo Gloria!

1 Comment

Posted by barrydean on November 23, 2011 in Christ, exercise, Skillet, weight loss

Four bricks

02 Nov

I am very happy to report that as of last night’s weigh-in before class I have dropped another 4.4 lbs for the week. That is a total of 20.2 lbs of my former self since I began the HMR program. In order to draw a comparison for this loss I searched the Internet for a picture of 20 lbs of fat. I was looking for fat because fat is basically what I am losing because I am also working out and exercising. In my search I have found the image attached to this article. The image shows a comparison of 5 lbs. of fat to the weight of a regular sized brick. Using this comparison I can conclude that I have lost four bricks worth of weight. I think the image of the fat is a little more impressive. It is much larger in size. By exercising consistently I am hopeful to replace the fat I am losing with muscle, which will burn calories more effectively.

In related news:

Earlier this week I had my annual physical and my doctor has taken me off of one of the two hypertension medications I’m taking. He also told me that by achieving my goal of under 200 lbs, I should be able to completely come off of all the medication. Praise the Lord & Woo Hoo!!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Losing again

26 Oct

I wanted to update anyone who is still tracking with me on my weight loss. My weigh-in at class showed I had lost another 3.6 lbs for the week. That puts me at a total of 15.8 lbs in 4 weeks. Woo Hoo!!

In class we discussed what Phase 2 will look like once we get there (Phase 1 is 13 weeks). We also discussed what would be expected of us at the end of Phase 1 before we can move into Phase 2. We had a member from another class with us last night and they commented that the biggest difference between the two phases, for them personally, is that Phase 1 is safer. This makes sense because Phase 1 is very regimented and structured. Phase 2 is created to help wean us off of the structured diet into a world where we have to plan our own meal contents.

I’ll mention just a few things I have noticed in the past 4 weeks.

I am feeling so much better. I am not as out of breath doing normal daily lifting, stair climbing, and brisk walking. I have begun to work out with free weights and getting that good muscle soreness that tells me the muscles are getting stronger. I have worked up to an hour long workout. I am learning to enjoy exercise more because of the benefits it provides. I am eating right which includes a least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. My energy levels are ever increasing. My blood pressure is consistently in the good range. It averages around 115/70 each day. I am fitting into pants I haven’t been able to wear in a year or so. My overall attitude has improved, and I sleep much better at night.

Soli Deo Gloria!

3 Comments

Posted by barrydean on October 26, 2011 in exercise, HMR, weight loss

Easy A(ssignment) w/ Update

19 Oct

Ok, this has nothing to do with my one of my daughter’s favorite movies with Emma Stone. It has everything to do with my HMR assignment for this week. I “like” (click FB link here) this kind of assignment. We are to create, consume, enjoy a hot drink made with an HMR meal replacement shake mix. I looked at several delicious recipes to accomplish this assignment but like most things I put a BarryDean slant on it. I call it the Hot Mint Cocoa. The ingredients are pictured in the attached photo.

Hot Mint Cocoa

8 oz. water

1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 heaping scoop of HMR vanilla shake mix

2 shots of Peppermint Paddy SF DaVinci syrup

I nuked the water in a mug for 1 minute and then poured it into the blender. I then added the shake mix, the cocoa, and the syrup. I then blended all this in the blender for about 10 seconds, poured the mixture back into the mug and enjoyed.

Notes: I heated the water first because the shake ingredients seem to have an easier time of blending together. I also use the vanilla shake mix instead of the chocolate and add unsweetened cocoa for that chocolaty taste because the vanilla seems to have a sweeter taste to me.

Update:

Last night for class I weighed in for a loss of 3.4 lbs. for the week. That is a total weight loss of 12.2 lbs in three weeks. The weight loss is great, but the increased energy, attitude, and better sleep ranks much higher in my achievement stack. I am able to walk over 2 miles at a rate of about 3.2 mph, I am doing 30 minutes without stopping on the elliptical trainer, and working out with weights for about 45 minutes every other day. Can I just say “I wish I had started this earlier.” ? But I believe in a sovereign God, and He is giving me the strength to do this now.

Soli Deo Gloria!!

2 Comments

Posted by barrydean on October 19, 2011 in DaVinci Sugar Free Syrup, HMR, Hot Mint Cocoa, weight loss

Strong Start

05 Oct

Strong start is a term I am now associating with the HMR WM program I am in. It refers to additional consumption of the foods I am allowed to eat or additional physical activity. I can also associate the term with the amount of weight I’ve lost in my first week.

During my weigh-in for HMR class last night the scales showed that I have lost 8.7 lbs of me so far, and the first week wasn’t even a full week. The weeks in our class go from Tuesday to Monday. I am looking forward to see what God has in store for me in this week. We have two assignments: One is to double up on a shake during our first day of this week (today), this refers to “strong start”. The other assignment is to add some physical activity in one of your days that burns 50 more calories than your best day last week. Lord willing I can accomplish this. My best physical activity day last week was 475 calories.

Soli, Deo, Gloria!!

2 Comments

Posted by barrydean on October 5, 2011 in Alegent Health Weight Management, calories, HMR, weight loss