224.0 - Cholesterol Medication

Weight - 224.0 lb
Weight Lost - 11.4 lb. in 20 days

Total Calories Eaten - 1480
Total Exercise/Activity Calories Earned - 568
Calorie Balance - 338 left to eat at 2lb loss/week rate
Weight Loss Rate Today - 2.7 lb loss/week
HWHL Points Today - 37 (300 total this session)

Exercise - 30 min. workout on my Wave, with 3lb. & 5 lb. weights. Plus, a 15 min abs workout.

I took Gil in to the doctor today for a possible sinus infection (a whole saga I won't go into), but while I was there, I brought up my recent cholesterol test. The P.A. said that diet and exercise will only reduce cholesterol about 10%. After hearing that, and thinking about that obnoxious 305 cholesterol number, I said, "Okay, give me a prescription!" My dad had a heart attack in his 40's (Mom do I have this right?) and he now has very poor health and circulation issues which will probably kill him in the next five to ten years, and that's if he's lucky enough to live that long. Of course, he has smoked and had poor eating habits his whole adult life, despite the activity required of him in his military career. Now he sits at home, tied to an oxygen tank, and not getting out of bed some days because of the poor circulation in his legs and the pain it causes him. He gets invited to things and can't leave the house because of his poor health. There's a good chance I've inherited his bad cholesterol. However, I think I've inherited good blood pressure from my mother. At least that much is in my favor.

The good new is that whatever crud has built up in my arteries is potentially reversible with medication and a healthy lifestyle. I'm looking forward to getting tested again in three months, and hopefully I've reduced my risk factors a great deal. I wish I could get an actual, real peek at the state of my arteries, but the P.A. said that it's very invasive (they guide a thin wire from the artery in your thigh up to your heart), and the insurance won't pay for something like that unless you are having a lot of dangerous symptoms that would indicate that kind of procedure is necessary. So, I will do all I can to be healthy, and hope for the best.