So interestingly, the results (which came back within 3 hours of my blood test) were much better than I expected. After years of my mum telling me that my weight problem could be a result of an underactive thyroid gland, I finally had it checked (oddly the clinic was all good with everything else, but needed prodding to do this test - I've had that reaction before, I wonder why). The result? Perfectly within normal ranges. Diabetes was another one that worried me as I was classified as pre-diabetes back in 2012. However that result was all good too. Not superb, but not in the problem range or pre-diabetes range either. Thanks to my lovely wife for helping me to have a much better diet than I used to!
So that leaves liver function and cholesterol. I was absolutely, 100% convinced that my liver was fucked. After all, I was diagnosed with a fatty liver when I was in my 20's, and what I have done since then? Drink booze, that's what. Plus that side of my body feels a bit more swollen than the other. Plus that same test back in 2012 told me it was fucked. So I was not expecting an improvement. The result? Not perfect, but not dangerous either. I don't know, I am really surprised by that! Maybe I should have the full liver series of tests done, but the 2 basic ones came back fine. That leaves cholesterol.
For this, they did 4 tests. My total cholesterol is ok. My bad cholesterol is ok. However, my good cholesterol is well below what it needs to be, and my triglycerides (fat in your blood) are well over what they should be. My reading was 336. Healthy is below 150. For a point of interest, the "you're in deep shit" category is over 500, so at least I'm not there, but I'm on the wrong side of the ledger by a long way, and it's this kind of shit that eventually will kill you. So I've got to do something about it.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/triglycerides/art-20048186
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6829404
The two links above gave me a good source of info about what I'm up against and what I need to do. Ok, ok, I know one is not supposed to become Dr. Google, and that it's dangerous to manage your health this way - I have had medical advice and am taking some tablets to help me reduce my lipids (fat cells in my blood). But their main advice was lifestyle changes and these sites helped me to understand what aspects I need to focus on. This is where I'm at with regards to areas that need to be addressed:
The % impact is something I have come up with myself. The smoking one came from research about the difference in lipids between smokers and non-smokers with the same lifestyle. The others based on how I feel, which basically says that I think smoking, as well as my weight and how much I drink are the main contributors. Others may think I have it wrong, but it feels right to me. I have put down calories from food as fairly low because I think my diet is pretty reasonable overall these days. The same with sugar and refined foods, as luckily there is not much access to those things here, at least not in the food / drink groups that I usually consume. So the table above tells me the areas I need to work on. The table below shows my trig count as it stands, and where it needs to go.
So I figure a reasonable goal to begin with is to lose 10kg. That gets me down to 100. It's only a 9% weight loss overall, but compared to my ideal weight, it's actually a 33% loss of the variance. Now for booze:
The days are arbitrary really, but I put them in there to help me calculate. I have also put a 10% allowance on top of my estimates, just in case I have a blow-out, or if my estimates are a bit off. So I'm basically saying I am having 40 drinks per week (not standard, I'm talking cans here), and my target is to reduce that to 26. That still means booze on 4 days is ok, but 3 of them need to be MAD, and one can be a bit more of a blow-out. If I can achieve that I am also reducing my alcohol consumption by 33%.
Smoking-wise, the answer is pretty simple. I can't do the "10 sticks a day" thing. It's either all or nothing. So I need to quit. Full. Stop.
If I can do that, the following table shows how those reductions impact the original categories, and what that might mean to a % reduction in my lipids:
Ok, so this wasn't a coincidence, I fiddled with the numbers a bit, but even so, they originally came damn close to my 50% target anyway! But there it is. If I can lose 10kgs, reduce my booze by a third and quit smoking, I should be able to reduce my lipids by 50% and be healthy. I know it's not likely a direct correlation, but it works for me. I think this is a good plan, and an achievable one. The only question is timeframe. It's probably a fairly long-term proposition, but I am thinking that if I go back for another test early in the new year, that gives me 3 months to get this happening. I want to have a non-smoking body for at least a month before the test, so I need to quit by the end of November.
The booze is fairly easy I think. But I'll have to be more disciplined and not cave whenever my wife wants a drink. She doesn't have to follow the same path as me as she's already healthy. I do know she'll support me though, god love her! The smoking is going to be harder, but I have done it before, and I have the motivation to do it again. I want to watch my kids grow up, and I want to enjoy retirement with my wife. I am not going to fucking drop dead in the meantime. No way. So that leaves exercise. 2-3x per week is a flowery statement, but I think it just means I have to get off my arse for an hour here and there, and actually do something.
Not sure what though. I guess an easy one is to walk home from work. That may be difficult during the wet season though. I could also walk for an hour before work, or early in the morning on the weekend. I can't see myself doing much more than walking at the moment, but I think that's a good start. Maybe buy a bike? I'll talk to my wife about that and see what she thinks.
Anyway, that's enough post for now. Time to get cracking on this....
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