400 down, less than 100 to go

[popsgarland]

Congrats Ben. Takes a lot of determination to do what you have done.

The only down side I can see, is you will, either have to learn how to sew and alter your clothes or go on a shopping spree.

 

[robertc1024]

I'm most respectful for your mental game. I do things I know are bad to my health, and do them anyway. FTW!!! I ain't giving up BBQ. Congrats - that's awesome!

 

[kyletxria1911a1]

I'm most respectful for your mental game. I do things I know are bad to my health, and do them anyway. FTW!!! I ain't giving up BBQ. Congrats - that's awesome!

Or the miata

 

[benenglish]

what did you do to lose the weight over the 20 years?

I'll need to get back home to a keyboard but I'm happy to share.

 

[kyletxria1911a1]

If it is not too personal, what did you do to lose the weight over the 20 years? Was it watching what you eat? Was it moderate exercise? A combination of both? Did you give up any certain types of food, specifically?
Watching what you ate, or how much you ate? I would love to read more detail if you are willing to share it.

Epp

He started dating latinas

 

[benenglish]

He started dating latinas

Funny thing is, the start of my weight loss roughly corresponded with dating a latina fireball who utterly wrecked me...for several different definitions of the word "wrecked".

 

[benenglish]

The only down side I can see, is you will, either have to learn how to sew and alter your clothes or go on a shopping spree.

I don't consider that a downside. I just buy the next smaller size of 5.11s when I wear out the two pair I currently wear.

I am perfectly happy to donate my old clothes and buy new ones.

Every time I drop a pant size, I smile. Seriously, that's one of the most encouraging parts of the process.

 

[candcallen]

I don't consider that a downside. I just buy the next smaller size of 5.11s when I wear out the two pair I currently wear.

I am perfectly happy to donate my old clothes and buy new ones.

Every time I drop a pant size, I smile. Seriously, that's one of the most encouraging parts of the process.

Watch it. You could have a wardrobe malfunction and your pants and gun end up round your ankles
Lol

I wont tell how I know .

 

[kyletxria1911a1]

Watch it. You could have a wardrobe malfunction and your pants and gun end up round your ankles
Lol

I wont tell how I know .

In the superbowl

 

[Axxe55]

I'm most respectful for your mental game. I do things I know are bad to my health, and do them anyway. FTW!!! I ain't giving up BBQ. Congrats - that's awesome!

Sometimes, you have to make choices. Sometimes there is a wake-up call that gets your attention, and you have to decide what things are more important to you. Up until this last week, I ate and acted like I was still 20 years old, and even two very mild heart attacks a few years ago didn't really wake me up. But I decided it was time to make some changes if I planned on being around much longer. And one of the biggest changes is it seems many of the foods I enjoyed the most, were slowly killing me, or could result in killing me in the near future.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Sometimes, you have to make choices. Sometimes there is a wake-up call that gets your attention, and you have to decide what things are more important to you. Up until this last week, I ate and acted like I was still 20 years old, and even two very mild heart attacks a few years ago didn't really wake me up. But I decided it was time to make some changes if I planned on being around much longer. And one of the biggest changes is it seems many of the foods I enjoyed the most, were slowly killing me, or could result in killing me in the near future.

That was the same with me, then my Dr. told me my A1c was 11, and needed to get my act together.

That was 6 years ago.

 

[innominate]

Congratulations. Not many can achieve that amount of weight loss.

 

[benenglish]

That was the same with me, then my Dr. told me my A1c was 11, and needed to get my act together.

That was 6 years ago.

When I was diagnosed as diabetic, my blood glucose was 399. My a1C was 12.9.

Since then, I've totally lost control twice when I got really depressed. Once I knew it when my toenail beds turned black and I lost all hair and feeling from mid-calf down. Once my a1C was so high, the standard lab tests couldn't measure it; they top out at 14.

Yet now I've come back from that, I'm growing hair on my feet, and the toenail beds are pink as they should be.

IOW, I 've learned from hard experience that it's possible to come back from really screwed up situations. That realization is all that keeps me going sometimes.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Well, you've damn sure got that monkey off your back now.

 

[vmax]

I'm not sure which ones are of interest. Lord knows they run a lot of tests producing lots of numbers about twice a year.

For example, my total cholesterol is at 119. I thought that was pretty good.

Ben
If you will allow me let to I would like to share some information.

Dr. Robert Lustig .a retired Neo Endocrinologist with 40 years of treating metabolic disease had said along with a growing number of informed doctors the following:

Total cholesterol number is almost a useless number ..its of very little concern

Patterns are what is the best indicators

Your LDL can either be large boyant type or small dense..the small dense are the little bastards that sink and clog arteries and kill you.
There isn't really a test to determine which type of LDL you have ..but the magic is in the ratios

Triglycerides "when unloaded of its fat at the adipose tissue becomes the small dense LDL"

So the HDL / Triglycerides ratio is an excellent indicator of risk assessment

2.0 is considered excellent
1 5 and your're virtually bullet proof
2.0-3.0 you are at higher risk
4.0 ..your in trouble

HDL by itself also:
If it's over 60 is a sign of good cardiovascular health
If it's under 40 for a man..or under 50 for a woman and you have higher predisposition for heart disease

There are various cholesterol ratio calculators online you can plug your numbers into and see for yourself

Many doctors just don't have the time to do this. It's a damn shame. Some just look at your labs and if a number is out of range they reach for the prescription pad and tell you to take a statin.

The truth is out about statins..what a sham..for all of the $$ spent and all of the bad side effects like type 2 diabetes...
A meta analysis report was published in February proving that when taken to prevent sudden cardiac death..they don't work...
Over 40 million subjects worldwide included and the average days lived longer by being on statins as opposed to not...lived only 4 days longer!

Not worth the side effects.

Anyway...sorry for the brief hijack
Good for you sir. Your quality of life will be much better as a result of you doing losing that weight

 

[benenglish]

The truth is out about statins.

I'll have more to say about your excellent post but, for now, I'd just like to point out that the American Diabetes Association guidelines leave no room for discussion. No matter what the lipid panels say, all diabetics must be prescribed a statin. Period. No exceptions.

Good luck finding an endocrinologist who will buck that mandate.

 

[benenglish]

So the HDL / Triglycerides ratio is an excellent indicator of risk assessment

2.0 is considered excellent
1 5 and your're virtually bullet proof
2.0-3.0 you are at higher risk
4.0 ..your in trouble

As you suggested, I looked at a calculator online and plugged in my numbers.

1.47

 

[Surplus Guy]

Good for you.

 

[benenglish]

HDL by itself also:
If it's over 60 is a sign of good cardiovascular health

58

 

[no2gates]

That is amazing. Good for you !