One Year Follow-Up at Heart & Wellness

I had my one year follow-up with my after (and in my case, before) care program. I met with Melinda today and will meet with Ellen next time I go in October. We reviewed my labs, all looked good. No anemia, so upping the iron has helped. My HDL cholesterol has come back up (it was below the normal range last November, it is now 54), and my LDL has continued to drop (it is 83). My overall cholesterol was 142, and my ratio was 2.7. Triglycerides were also down. :)

We used the Tanita Body Composition Analyzer to get a weight, BMR, etc. etc. My weight came out at 125, my BMR is 1301. To maintain my current weight, I need a minimum of about 1600 calories daily, possibly more. I have decided to revise my goal weight to be 120 (from 115). If I get there, fine; if not, that's okay too. My body fat percentage was actually low (in the athlete range) at 20.5%; essential fat is 12 to 15, athlete is 16 to 20, fitness is 21 to 24, acceptable is 25 to 31, obese is 32 and above. So I'm lean...I guess this flabby stuff really IS skin and not so much fat.

Melinda and I talked about the issues I've been having with horrible, quick onset fatigue, typically when working out. She said "yeah, it's called hitting the wall." And it's happening because my body's glycogen stores are gone. The reason eating has not improved the symptoms is because the things I'm eating are protein and vegetables...and what my body is needing is energy/carbohydrates. She told me "you're an athlete, your body is functioning like an athlete, and you need to start thinking like an athlete and fuel your body that way. You need an actual energy bar, not a protein bar, or at bare minimum, some Gatorade or fruit juice mixed in with your water during your workout. You'll feel a huge difference." I'm going to start putting about 8 oz. of Gatorade in my 20 oz. water bottle that I consume while I'm working out. Hopefully that will help. My daily fat intake at 30% of my calories would be 53 grams...so I've been low on that most days. Overall, it was a really good appointment.

I have to say that when she told me "you're an athlete, you need to start thinking like one," I just about cried. I've never been an "athlete"...not for any length of time. It feels great to know that the hard work on my body has paid off and shows.