Suddenly we find ourselves at the end of June, having started this journey in October, so it is a good time to tally up what has happened so far. So is the diet working? Absolutely!
As of this morning, I have managed to lose almost 37 pounds since we began the diet. My blood pressure is well in the normal range, down about 12 points from the start. As of the last cholesterol check, I was at 165 total cholesterol, which is amazing considering that my number has been as high as 240 in the past! Arlene, who really didn’t need to lose much to start with, is down about 17 pounds. Overall, I am losing about 3 to 3.5 pounds a month, which I am told is a very reasonable and sustainable rate.
You might want to know about my compliance. We started the diet about a month before Thanksgiving, so although I lost a lot in October, November’s loss was not as great. We had three family occasions when we ate both from the new diet but some from the old. December brought Christmas and a couple of more “non-compliant” dinners. And we had a grilled fish at New Year’s. So overall I have been completely on the diet about 95% of the time, but since new year’s the number is much higher. The key is that if I am off the diet, I get right back on.
It’s about making the healthiest choices possible, and we are continuing to do that. These results are gratifying, and it helps solidify our resolve to continue to move forward.