Well, darn.

[eurydicebound]

Went to the doc today. Got my insurance all settled and looked over test results from last exam. Everything's good, except that I'm overweight (knew that one) and my blood pressure's high. The latter is what really concerns me -- and I should have picked up on it, as I've been having more headaches again recently, but I didn't. My dad seems to have dodged this bullet (although the tons of various medications he's been on, including blood thinners, etc, could have something to do with it). His mom and dad both had heart problems, though, and Grandmother (and I guess finally Granddad too, come to think of it) died of strokes. I'm scheduled to go in next week and get bloodwork and an EKG done just to make sure there's nothing else going on we need to worry about.

I'm just sort of annoyed, because for all that I adored Grandmother (I used to spend a week with her every summer, and we'd do art projects and whatnot... it was the highlight of my year) I did NOT want to inherit her body and health. I seem to have wound up with it all the same, though. She also struggled with her weight for years, definitely all the time I knew her, though she wore it well. It's occurred to me in the past few years that I look more like her than I had previously considered. Evidently, I might not be wrong, at least on the inside.

In the meantime, though, the following rules are being applied. Some of them I'd already started on. Some of them are new. Some of them I've done before but fallen away from the golden path, and thus must haul my ass back onto it ASAP.

• No more caffiene. I already know it drives up my BP, but I've been blithely ignoring that and having it anyway. This is my first day without. Abandon hope, all ye who enter my office.


• Getting back to the gym. I'd already started on this, and it's already helping my back. My next training appt. is Tuesday morning at "haul-your-ass-out-of-bed"-thirty before work. I've been in to do cardio twice since my last one, and I may go tonight since the kiddos are evidently going to a friend's house and I don't have to pick them up.


• Fix the diet. Again, I'd already started somewhat. Back on Weight Watchers online stuff, and was promptly horrified by how much I was eating. No wonder I inched back up again. I'm endeavoring to fix this, though. Back on the whole grains, proteins, veggies train again. Going to have to start cooking again as well. Bah. Must get more pans, and possibly a food processor (hummus, man. And pita bread. All about the hummus, tomatoes, and pita bread. Damn.).

I hate that I have to work this hard to make my body do what others seem to do naturally. Then again, maybe that's just perception because I don't see what everybody else goes through. (I take that back. I've seen my mom. Why couldn't I have gotten that body instead? It's so unfair.) Ah well. Such is life. Maybe by my birthday I'll have a new size or two down to celebrate and a distinct lack of high blood pressure. It could happen.

Comments

[effrenatus.livejournal.com]

Genes suck. Fortunately, our brains will soon be removed from our meat cases and put into highly efficient machined bodies. Right?

Viva la Robot Revolution!

-mls

[jediwiker.livejournal.com]

I, for one, welcome our new cyborg masters.

Oh, and I totally get the "not easy" part. I'm diabetic, control my blood pressure with Altace, and my cholesterol with Tricor. I lost a good 30 pounds on Atkins, and I've trimmed down another 10-15 by watching my portions and calorie intake. When you last saw me, I was around 270. Now I'm around 210, and I've dropped from a 42 waist to a 36.

If a big butterball like me can do it, you can do it.

JD

[iamnikchick.livejournal.com]

Pramas makes awesome hummus. It's cheap and dead easy if you have a food processor. I'm sure he'd share his recipe.

[knowmad.livejournal.com]

I reached the same spot a year or so ago -- I've been overweight most of my life, but BP has been fairly low, or at least not dangerously high.

Then, when I went to the doc's last year, he told me I had "extreme hypertension," i.e. really high BP. It sucks -- not only did I inherit it from both sides (though my dad has it worse, and I seem to take after him in a lot of ways), but my "life situation" seems to have made it jump into the severe category.

I tried giving up the caffeine, too, but it didn't seem to help much. On the other hand, I don't tend to drink as much coffee these days.

I am on a "water pill," which is the bare minimum type of pill they'll give you -- it's not bad so far, but I am not sure how much it's helping. About due for another doc's appointment, which I'm dreading.

Anyhow, you're not alone. And, like you said, you're already doing some of the right things.

[dvixen.livejournal.com]

Hold off on the kitchen stuff. I might be able to help you there somewhat - I'm selling a fair bit of my kitchen off.

[anaka.livejournal.com]

Awesome. I'd be happy to have it.

[daydreamweaver.livejournal.com]

I hate that I have to work this hard to make my body do what others seem to do naturally.

WORD.

The family high BP hasn't hit me yet, but my body makeup is definitely very much like my father's. All I got from Mom's side of the family was the temper and the ability to drink ridiculous volumes of alcohol without getting hung over...which is why half of that side of the family are alcoholics. Whee!