I used to be in good shape. Then I took a job with wierd hours, middle of the day, couldn't really have a life. Became an unhealthy depressed fatass. Started getting some health problems. Changed jobs, that helped somewhat. Finally a neck injury from an old bicycle wreck flared up big time and scared teh bejesus out of me. Got on health kick bandwagon big time.
Cholesterol went from 294 to 192
Wt went from almost 190 to 127
Plantar facitis and other tendon stuff went away and my six pack abs came back!!!
Doc wanted me to take lipator but I knew my lifestyle was my own fault. It is very very hard to eat and live healthy in the land-o-plenty, I still have my moments. The worst thing is eating out, it's easy to eat out too much and not cook at home.
I work in a lab and we always have a major blood shortage. No fun when someone is having open heart surgery and you have to tell the doctor there is no more blood. I wonder if the current drug rage isn't partly responsible for some of the deferred donations. One of the things they test for are liver enzymes as increased liver enzymes can be a symptom of a disease.
Also, there are other tests that are better indicators of cardiac problems. CRP and homocyctein are finally getting increased attention. Many people that have had heart attacks and strokes have had perfectly normal cholesterols. Since statins were invented the "normal range" for cholesterol was lowered, making more people candidates for statins, imagine that.
My doctor, a pretty heath concious fellow, just recovered from a stroke. I actually liked him better than most doctors but he seemed to rely on meds quite a bit. I wonder if it caught up with him.
It's very hard to cut out the stuff our bodies have been programmed to crave but it can be done. It's at least worth a shot.
Oh, I learned about flaxseed from a bicycling website I go to. I get the whole seed and grind it in my coffee grinder and put a little on my cereal. The bean and oatmeal thing seems to work also, as does cutting down on the red meat. Wild game is more healthful than store bought stuff, and as a bonus you get to use your gun!!!! Squirrels are small but plentiful!!