High Blood Pressure -- Part II

There's a lot to weight loss and exercise to reduce BP. Back in the mid
90s I had gotten my weight up to around 185 on my 6ft frame. My BP
had ran about 125 to 130 /75 for years. I needed to get back in shape
so I gave up all alcohol. Started working out 3 or 4 times a week at
the gym. Reduced my calorie intake. Got down to 168 or so. Ten
years later I hover around 173. BP at the doc a couple weeks ago
was 120/67. Actually runs about 115/65 at home when I'm relaxed.
Not bad for an old guy in late 50s. It's just a matter of arithmetic ..
use more calories than you take in.



"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...
As some of you know, six weeks ago I was diagnosed with high blood
pressure, and was prescribed medication. Although the medicine the doc
gave me WAS on the FAA's list of "approved" drugs, the mere act of
taking such a drug would set into motion all sorts of things regarding
obtaining future medicals that I simply didn't want to face.

Nevertheless, there I was, standing in my bathrobe, holding that stupid
pill in one hand, a glass of water in the other, feeling old and flabby
and powerless. Yet, just as I was about to swallow the damned thing, I
realized one simple fact with absolute clarity:

I liked flying more than I liked eating.

So, with that I put the pill back in the bottle, and resolved on the
spot to change my diet and (to some extent) my lifestyle. I was going
to lose 15 pounds, and see if the old BP would follow.

At 197 pounds, on a 6-foot frame, I was not obese. I have done weight
training with my 14-year-old son for almost two years now, every day --
so there's a fair amount of muscle on this 46-year-old frame. However,
in college I was in even better shape -- and weighed just 175 pounds.
So, I knew there was at least 15 pounds of "extra" Jay on board at all
times.

The first thing I needed to do was to make sure that -- whatever diet I
chose -- I was never hungry. This meant that I needed a high-bulk, low
calorie diet. Since I find the high-fat/high protein/all meat diets to
be counterintuitive, I opted to create a diet made primarily of fruit.

Why fruit? Well, it's no-salt, low calorie, full of vitamins, high in
bulk -- and tasty as hell! I decided I would eat two "fruit meals" per
day, and would allow myself one "normal" meal -- which I initially
designated as being lunch.

Unfortunately, I soon found that society plans too many events around
"dinners" -- and I simply couldn't whip out a banana at a restaurant --
so within a few days my "normal" meal had evolved into dinner.

Thus, for breakfast, lunch, and mid-afternoon snack, I created a diet
made entirely of Golden Delicious apples, Bartlet pears, and bananas.
For dinner, I could eat anything I wanted.

Within a few days, the pounds began to shed. Happily, I was never
hungry, since I was constantly stuffing my face with jumbo apples. And
I could always look forward to a good burger, washed down with a
microbrewed beer, at the end of the day. It was the perfect diet!

Better yet, by eliminating my normal breakfast and lunch, I also
eliminated the lion's share of my salt intake. I also started running
with my son, every other day, in addition to weight training. As much
as I hate running, I soon found that carrying less weight makes running
easier -- so I don't hate it as much anymore.

So how's all this working? I just got back from the doctor, and here
is the tale of the tape:

March 22 May 3
Weight 197 185
BP 155/85 135/82

The nurses were astounded that I could lose 12 pounds in just six
weeks, and (thanks to multivitamins, the fruit, and running) be
perfectly healthy. The good doctor was amazed at a 20 point drop in
blood pressure in such a short time -- especially since it had been
rising for at least the last four years.

So, I think I've discovered the perfect diet. I'm stuffed all the
time, I'm losing weight without being hungry, my nightly indigestion
(always followed by Tums or Rolaids) is completely GONE -- and, wow, am
I regular as hell!

:-)

At this rate I should be 175 by OSH, and -- best of all -- I think this
is a diet I can stick with for the rest of my life. I highly recommend
it!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

So keep hanging in there you can lose all you want , just remember
a treat now and then is ok. If you try to cold turkey off of everything
that you love or that's bad for you at once you have more of a chance to
"stop" the diet.

That's the great part about my diet -- I don't feel deprived of anything.

Last night I had a normal dinner (Arby's turkey wrap, curly fries, diet
coke), and after my daughter's concert we had pie at her favorite
restaurant. However, the entire day up to that point all I had eaten was
bananas, apples, and a rice cake (those things come in multiple flavors that
taste great, and REALLY fill you up!)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Great job Jay!! Hell I'm 5'10 and 195 with no BP problems but I could
lose 15 lbs myself.... I think you may be on to something here... What
do you do with all the farting that is a byproduct of the fruit!!

If it were me, I would always carry a Bic lighter, and laugh a lot! BFg

Great idea!

Actually, the, uh, regularity that comes with eating a lot of fruit hasn't
been a big change for me -- I've ALWAYS been that way! ;-)

Besides, I think a beer once or twice a week provides the same results...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I've been on diets since I was 13. I'm 54 now. I have found that nothing
works long term and permanent like controlling your food intake so that
you are hungry once a day. I mean hunger pangs, famished. Just once per
day.

In my experience, hunger is a recipe for uncontrolled snacking in-between
meals -- UNLESS you've got an ample supply of fruit (or rice cakes, or
something bulky and low cal) to munch on.

The secret to the diet I'm following is that I am NEVER hungry, so I never
feel deprived.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

One other thing I found contributed significantly to high blood pressure,
and that was caffeine. Two cups of tea or coffee could spike my systolic
by
a good 10 points, and diastolic by about 6-7. Are you a tea/coffee
drinker?

Yeah, I used to drink an entire 10-cup pot per day.

Five years ago I switched to Folger's "half-and-half" -- which is a mix of
half decaf and have regular coffee. I can drink all I want without getting
wired -- and I still often drink an entire pot myself.

I suppose that's having some impact on my BP, but decaf coffee is just SO
awful. I don't understand why they can't make it taste better, like they've
done with diet and caffeine-free colas...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

I've been on diets since I was 13. I'm 54 now. I have found that nothing
works long term and permanent like controlling your food intake so that
you are hungry once a day. I mean hunger pangs, famished. Just once per
day.


In my experience, hunger is a recipe for uncontrolled snacking in-between
meals -- UNLESS you've got an ample supply of fruit (or rice cakes, or
something bulky and low cal) to munch on.

The secret to the diet I'm following is that I am NEVER hungry, so I never
feel deprived.

Well, I've been fighting the good battle for 2.5 years. The main thing
I learned is FAT controls hunger. A low fat diet will give you terminal
cravings.

Syndrome X (high BP, obesity, high Blood Glucose) must be avoided unless
you want full blown T2 diabetes. Same deal: exercise and diet. But
avoid sugars and starches.

Jay Honeck wrote:

I suppose that's having some impact on my BP, but decaf coffee is just SO
awful.
Decaffinated coffee is an oxymoron.

Jay Honeck wrote:

[snip]

So, I think I've discovered the perfect diet. I'm stuffed all the
time, I'm losing weight without being hungry, my nightly indigestion
(always followed by Tums or Rolaids) is completely GONE -- and, wow,
am
I regular as hell!

Jay,

Weight loss definitely helps lower BP. But it is very possible that
some of the decrease may be due increased potassium intake (magnesium
too) from the fruits. The DASH diet is a proven winner in reducing BP
in people that do not eat alot of fruits and vegetables. Calcium is the
another important nutrient. I have heard it takes about 6 weeks for the
increase in nutrients/electrolytes to make a difference.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/

Cheers,
Mike

"OtisWinslow" wrote in message
. ..

It's just a matter of arithmetic ..
use more calories than you take in.

First of all, I want to say congrats, Jay. It's a good feeling when you get
control over something like this.

I used to have acid reflux problems and was also developing high
cholesterol. I cut out saturated fat, lost about 15 pounds and my
cholesterol and reflux problems went away. However, I had a hard time
keeping at it because I didn't have my mind wrapped around it. I am one who
needs to understand what's going on.

Well, my wife started going to Weight Watchers to lose a few pounds of
post-baby weight. To support her, I started doing the diet too by using the
books and materials they provide, but I didn't attend the meetings (I found
the books to be exactly what I was looking for). Long story short, I lost
about 15 pounds again, but this time it stayed off. I have also been going
to the gym 5 days a week which has helped no doubt.

I attribute the success to treating eating like a bank account, or a matter
of simple arithmetic. For me, it wasn't so simple when I was dieting ad lib
because I didn't have the understanding of the "values" of food. For me it
was akin to shopping at a store where nothing had price tags on them. Weight
Watchers broke down the complex issues of fat, carbs, fiber, calories and
exercise into simple concepts I could understand and remember. Once you
understand what food is "worth", you can really control your "spending".
Knowledge is power.

The cool thing about eating this way is that I can have anything you want, I
just have to be willing to pay the "price". Nothing's free in this world you
know!

-Trent
PP-ASEL

Jay Honeck wrote:

So how's all this working? I just got back from the doctor, and here
is the tale of the tape:

March 22 May 3
Weight 197 185
BP 155/85 135/82


Jay, well done!

Dave