It's Been a Bit

It's been almost two weeks since I last posted something, so I thought I'd drop a quick note.  Tonight I had a couple of personal firsts.

First, I ran entire lap.  An entire lap!  If you don't know about the "track", then this doesn't mean much to you.  The "track" is a little over 2,000 feet...a little shy of a half mile.  For you runners out there, that may not seem like much, but to me, it was a milestone!  When I first started, I could only run about 100 yards before I was exhausted.

Second, I shaved a minute per mile off of my average time.  I only went 1.8 miles instead of 3.1, but that was due to it getting dark, not giving out.

As I continue to trim down and increase my stamina, I'm looking forward to seeing those numbers get better and better.  I don't expect to be able to run the entire 5k for the Gobble Jog, but I want to run as much of it as I can.

See you on the pavement!

What's an HbA1c?

What's an HbA1c?  If you're a diabetic, or know one, you probably already know.  If you don't, I'll tell you.

Glycated hemoglobin (glycosylated hemoglobin, hemoglobin A1c, HbA1c, A1C, or Hb1c; sometimes also HbA1c) is a form of hemoglobin used primarily to identify the average plasma glucose concentration over prolonged periods of time. It is formed in a non-enzymatic pathway by hemoglobin's normal exposure to high plasma levels of glucose.

That's a mouthful.  The upshot of the above paragraph is that a person's HbA1c is a pretty good indicator of their average blood glucose levels for the past three months or so.  A1c levels between 4.0 and 5.9 are typically considered healthy.  An A1c level of 7.0 or higher (and now some are saying 6.5) is one of the key diagnostics for diabetes.

On December 10th, 2009, I had my HbA1c done for the first time.  It came back as a 6.7.   I went online and did some research and found out that 7.0 was kind of the cut-off mark for diabetes.

I thought to myself, "Wow! That's not too good.  I really need to start getting in shape."

Six months went by.  As part of my employee physical I had my A1c done again.  This time:  6.9.  That's right, it went up!

That surprised me...and yet it didn't.  I hadn't changed my lifestyle in any way.  My blood sugar levels had probably been steadily creeping up over the years.  Both my parents had at times bordered on diabetic.  They mostly controlled it by controlling their weight and watching what they ate, so I had always know that I was at risk.

This time, I really made a decision.  I declared WAR!! on sugar.  No more sweet tea, no more Dr. Pepper, no more white bread, rice, or potatoes.  I cut back on my portions.

So...here I am three months later.  Fifty pounds lighter.  Friday, I had blood drawn and some lab work done. Today I got my results.

5.3!!    Five.point.three!!

I really made a change.  All the exercise and eating healthier made a difference.  A measurable, quantifiable difference...in only 3 months.

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What healthy changes do you want to make?  You can effect those changes the same way I did.  One day at a time...one meal at a time.  String a bunch of those days together and what happens?  Your HbA1c goes from 6.9 to a 5.3.

You can do it, too!

1/3 of the Way

In case you haven't heard, I've passed the 50 lb mark on my journey to health.  That's a third of the way to my mark.  I'm 10 weeks into the process.  I'm committed to my plan - both the exercise and the eating - but like all lifestyle changes, some days are easier than others.

It's strange.  I don't really miss any particular food or drink.  I don't really miss Dr. Pepper or sweet tea.  I don't even miss eating lots of double-meat cheese burgers.  But, sometimes I just want to eat.  A lot.

I had one of those moments yesterday evening.  I had dinner, but an hour later I wanted to eat again.  Rule #1 of my three rules saved me.

#1)  Am I really hungry?

As I was digging through the refrigerator and the pantry trying to find something to eat, I asked myself the question.  "Am I really hungry?"

The answer was, "No."

I walked away.  Victory!

Later that evening, when I really was hungry, I had a little light popcorn.  Fantastic.

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Next time you're staring into the yawning abyss of the frig (or the pantry), ask yourself the question.  See what happens.

Labor Day Update

Hello everyone!

We are at approximately the 10 week mark of my journey to health and fitness, and I thought I would give everyone an update.  But first, let me start by saying thank you to everyone that has supported me, encouraged me, and/or just put up with me blabbing on about getting in shape.

There are also a couple of special "shout-outs" that I would like to do.

1)  Terran Messer.  My longest and most faithful workout partner!  I've rualked many an extra mile because of his encouragement.  (And a mini-shout-out to my other private track peeps:  Justin Clarke, Lee Westberry, and Joshua Perkins.)

2)  Brian Edholm.  My coach/accountability partner/encourager/mentor/friend.  We really ought to come up with a better title for you.  Brian has met with me faithfully every other week from the beginning.

3)  Cheryl Butler.  That's right...my wife!  She's a constant source of encouragement, and always manages to sincerely say, "That's great!" whenever I go on and on about getting new running shoes for the third time in a single day.

4)  Molly, Molly, and Becky.  You've consistently encouraged me. I appreciate your encouragement, as well as your example.

Now for the update.

My goal was 50 lbs by Labor Day.  Saturday morning I did my regularly scheduled weigh-in, and I am happy to report that I had lost 50.6 lbs!!  Wahoo!  I made it early.  Here are the "stats" in a more stat-like format:

Weight lost:  50.6 lbs (I know, I just said that.)
Inches lost:  6" in my waist, a good 3"+ in my neck
Blood Pressure:  from an average of 140/90 to an average of 120/75

The "before" picture attached to this post was taken last summer.  The "during" picture was taken tonight.  I'll let you figure out which one is which.



Thanks again to everyone!

It's Like Direct Deposit

I learned something today which you may have already known.

I went for a rualk in Alexandra Farms, the neighborhood behind our house.  I mapped out my course before I left and found that it was 1.6 miles long with only one tiny little shortcut available.  When I started out, I just set a goal in my mind of reaching the end of the 1.6 miles...which I did.

Here's where the fun starts.  I had no choice but to come back.  I had "direct deposited" 1.6 miles into my workout plan.  I guess I could have called Cheryl to come pick me up, but there were a few problems with that scenario.

1)  Macho men don't ask for directions, much less call for rides.
2)  I wouldn't be polite to ask my wife to drop what she was doing and come rescue me.
3)  I didn't bring my phone.  (See how I planned that?)

If you are a fledgling runner like myself, it's great having a track that you can do laps on.  But what's even better is if you have a course that is the complete distance that you want to go, with no shortcuts available.

Does anyone else have any suggestions along those lines?  Are you thinking about giving my technique a try?