*Please Note*
As of July 2015 many photos have been intentionally removed.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Trimming The Fat Part 2

















Hey guys, Kris here
I’ve been meaning to do this for a couple of weeks but life has been crazy busy. Thanks for checking on me and asking about the whole “cholesterol update”. So, without further adieu….
I am happy to report that overall, my cholesterol went down 20 points in 3 months. I was in the “High Risk” Category before (anything over 240) and now it went down to “Borderline High Risk” At first, I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t back to “normal” but then I was able to put things in perspective. My cholesterol went up 44 points in just about 2 years and in just 3 months- I was able to cut that increase in half. That realization made me feel better! Not to mention that I lost 15 pounds and am back in my pre-Aiden wardrobe. Woohoo!

My good cholesterol (HDL) is still a little low and my bad cholesterol (LDL) is still a little high. The biggest drop was in my triglycerides, which are actually in a normal range right now! The triglycerides measure cholesterol that comes specifically from your lifestyle (diet, inactivity, drinking, smoking…etc). So, I was happy to see that the changes in my diet and exercise made a significant impact on those numbers. Based on the new report, I won’t need to take any medication.
The number one question I have been getting from my friends and family is, “Will you still be a vegan now that you have lowered your cholesterol?”. I have learned a lot about food and health over the last few months while doing this. I still have a lot to learn. I can say with certainty though, that Shamus and I have made some decisions about how we will feed our family from now on. So, the quick answer is that I consider myself to be 85% vegan. I am fine eating dairy as long as it’s fat free and/or cholesterol free and meat will be a rare indulgence. I came up with 5 rules that we try to follow as closely as possible. I didn’t get them out of a book or online, they are just a list of things I made up that help us make better choices about what we eat. I needed something that would keep me from feeling overwhelmed when I went grocery shopping and these 5 things are pretty easy to follow.

One other thing I thought I’d share was that I am participating in the ING half marathon in Philly on September 20th. A friend of mine (shout out to Heidi!), asked me to team up with her and while I was very hesitant at first, now I am really looking forward to it. Training is hard but I am so happy to be at a point where I know I can actually accomplish a half marathon and that makes it all worth it. Four months ago, I couldn’t run 3 miles without feeling like I was going to pass out.

I really appreciate all the support a lot of you guys gave me. Aiden seems to be taking it in stride. He is still anti- “green” vegetables and would like to make sure everyone knows that. Shamus surprised me most of all. I thought he would complain and tease me non-stop about this. He has been a trooper, eating whatever I made him, the only exception being a silken tofu fettucine “alfredo” sauce that almost made me puke too. Thanks babe, for being willing to make sacrifices for me that I know were difficult. No matter what crazy things I get myself into, you continue to be my biggest fan and I am incredibly thankful for you.

Click here to view the five rules.

7 comments:

Shamus said...

Good stuff babe,
You are an amazing person, my greatest blessing. I can't wait for the race in September!

One Girl Running said...

I'm so glad you committed to doing this with me! Yeah! Looking forward to some runs together before the BIG day!

Anonymous said...

Luci and I are coming to cheer you on!!! Remember "how high"...lol

Nana and Grandpa said...

We are very proud of you! Thanks for keeping us posted.

Anonymous said...

oh yea...we'll be there =] cant wait! and i'm glad wine is still on the menu!!
strong work kris!!!
juicy ;)

Anonymous said...

krissy as always we are very proud of everything you do. you are very determined.very proud of your commitment to this and sticking to it.keep up the good work. love you

Riter said...

YAH KRIS!! I knew you could do it...Best of luck in the marathon! You Go Girl!

I agree with Aiden on the anti-green veggies :-)