The Wake Up Call

About a month ago my husband and I applied for new life insurance so had blood drawn, blood pressure taken and were weighed.  

My numbers were normal as I expected since I eat pretty well and run.

My husband on the other hand not so good.  

200 lbs.  BMI 26.3 chol 268. BP 138/90

At first he tried to blame my cooking.  I admit I add some kind of cheese or creamy sauce to most meals.  We eat shrimp more than any other seafood.  When I asked him what he eats at the hospital he admitted to having biscuits and gravy an average of twice a week and usually taking advantage of the richer offerings for lunch. 

Thankfully he took it as the wake up call it should be.  After we got back from vacation we dusted off his bike and got it tuned up, he went to Sports Authority and got a new tennis racquet, a new basketball and some other stuff.  We've been playing tennis on Saturday mornings and Sunday he plays basketball with a bunch of guys, and when he gets home early he goes for a bike ride.  

He's been making better choices at lunch and will sometimes text me to tell me what he's having (seeking praise of course).  He uses some of the tips he's been giving patients for years - like don't drink when you eat.  Apparently if you drink while you eat the fluid helps flush food through your system and makes it take longer to feel full.

His goal is to get the cholesterol down under 200, and the diet and exercise that will take care of that will obviously bring the weight and the blood pressure down too.  The good news is he's already down 10 pounds, 

He admits he's not sure if he'll be able to keep it up once it gets cold again, but we do have a reasonably priced gym and pool at our community center.  I'm trying to run a race a month to help keep me on track, unlike last year when I stopped running once it got cold outside. Hopefully if I keep exercising he will too.  And yes I am trying to cook a little leaner too.