Four Months to a Clean Bill of Health
The Second Half has brought plenty of positive change on the outside—the emergence of my cheekbones, the fit of my clothes, how much better I'm moving on the soccer field. But the changes taking place inside my body are arguably more important, given their impact on my long-term health.
I might not have been a heart attack waiting to happen before embarking on this journey. But after seeing the lab results from my July 12th annual physical, three days before the kickoff of The Second Half, my doctor ordered me to come back in a few months, rather than wait a full year for my next physical. I’d told her about my health and wellness plan, which of course she supported. “Hopefully it will help turn some of these numbers around.”
The follow-up happened on November 8th, roughly four months into The Second Half. Naturally, a small part of me worried that the labs would reveal more bad news, signaling an advanced health condition—cardiovascular disease, perhaps, or some kind of cancer. But when the doctor called the next day with my results, she quickly put those fears to rest. “I’ve got all sorts of good news,” she said. “There’s no question you’ve improved your overall heath.”
My nutritionist, Liz Fassberg, was equally pleased. “These numbers are amazing, especially in such a short amount of time,” she said. The fear of early demise behind me, I started to get greedy, pushing both my doctor and Liz to tell me exactly how many years I’d put back onto my life with my healthy living. (I'd already written the headline in my head: "How I Gained Back Ten Years of My Life in Four Months").
"Um, isn't that's kind of a jinx?" Liz deadpanned. “Yeah, it doesn’t work that way,” my doctor agreed. “But you should feel good about yourself. People don’t make these types of changes in middle age very easily.”
I guess I can live with that.
Here’s a closer look at the changes from July to November:
Body Weight
I went from 204 in July down to 174 in November. My initial target weight was 180, but I’m revising that downward to 175, give or take a few pounds. Losing more than 10 percent of my body weight has reduced my risk of many health problems, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. “They now put depression on the list of conditions caused by obesity as well,” said Liz. The last four months haven't been all roses, but on the whole I'd say I’m lighter in mood, as well as body, since starting the program.
Cholesterol
High cholesterol runs in my family, and my numbers have been elevated for as long as I can remember. The total cholesterol of 263 in July wasn’t enough for my doctor to consider statins, but she did want to see some improvement, especially in the ratio of good HDL cholesterol to bad LDL cholesterol, which was at 51/151. By July, total cholesterol was at 202, with a good-to-bad ratio of 74/136. That’s still a tick too high, but the danger of clogged arteries is much reduced. Cutting back on red meat in favor of lean sources of protein, like fish, skinless chicken, and legumes, has done the most to bring the numbers down.
Triglycerides
These are the most common types of fat in the body. “Doctors never used to look at them, but they’re starting to more,” Liz explained. That’s because triglycerides store a lot of the excess calories in our diets and, like cholesterol, they can lead to clogged arteries. At 282, my levels were decidedly high, probably from too much alcohol and processed foods. By July, they were down to 74. “That’s a huge drop in four months,” said Liz. “And it’s proof that a shift in diet can lower the risk of heart disease.”
Liver Tests
These were the labs that my doctor was most concerned about. Though not off the charts, my ALT and AST numbers were outside of the normal range, at 64 and 45 respectively. “I can’t say if it’s diet or alcohol, but I’d really like to see those numbers come down.” With my November labs, they’d done just that, with an ALT of 23 and AST of 19. Again, my doctor couldn’t say with certainty what caused the drop. “The only way we could know for sure would be if you kept up the healthy diet and exercise and started drinking heavily,” she said. “But I don’t advise that.”
Oh well. Looks like if I want to live to 100, I’ll have to follow the path of moderation. Doctor’s orders.