Some thing I posted to an article on CNN

I have been on a two year journey to lose weight and get fit. I have lost 82 pounds and I feel much better. But If I go by the BMI charts I will have to lose another 23 pounds just to get to the top end of normal for my 6 feet. I have gone from a 46 waist to 34 waist and I have gone from being on blood pressure, cholesterol, and acid reflux medicines to none.  I have listened to my doctor and also to my body. And what I learned is that you have to eat small meals and you need to eat about 5 times a day. You never skip breakfast. For me salt is a big issue. I eat too much salt and I can gain 5 pounds in water weight overnight.  The biggest problem with USA and the whole now is fast food and eating too fast.  Yes exercise has played a big part of my weight loss, but the biggies part was learning to eat correctly and that diet is not something we do to lose weight it is a way of life and we have to change our diet life style to lose the weight and keep it off along with exercise.  I am now 65 and I feel better than I have felt since I was about 35 and my blood work and doctor reports show that I am healthier than I have been since I was about 45. I will I ever lose enough to get down to the BMI chart reading I should have, I do not know only time will tell and my body will be that judge. I will feed it correctly and I will exercise and we will see.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/16/health/weight-study/index.html?hpt=hp_bn12

My quest to not have to take the water pill

Today makes 4 days without taking my water pill. Yes my weight is up but my blood pressure is good, and I do not have swelling in my feet, ankles or hands. My stomach feels so much better, no cramps.  I will continue to monitor my weight and blood pressure daily. My doctor does not want me to take my blood pressure except after I first get up in the morning.

As long as I do not have swelling in my feet, ankles and hands I should be good. I will be monitoring myself very closely for sore joints, headaches, and becoming grumpy and angry, as that was a sign the last two times that I tried stop the pill that I was not having a good time of it. I have researched and the water retention is normally worse in hotter, humid weather and that was the case last time two times I tried to get off this pill. I am hoping that with it being cold weather now I can get use to the fact that I am not taking the pill before it gets too hot.  But I know if I need to take the pill I will but I do not plan on taking it all the time again unless my doctor orders me to. 

I have a dream and that dream is my goal for this year.

I will finally manage to get off the water pill, at least on daily and scheduled basics. That I will be able to better control my salt intake and also my exercise. Then finally I will be able to have my weight to stabilize and maybe somewhere down the road be able to get to my desired weight.

Of course that means that my blood pressure stays stable while I am off the water pill, and that I can keep my exercising to the level that keeps me fit but does not ever stress me to the point I get hurt. 

I know I have said this many times but I am in this for the long haul.

When I started my journey, I did not have a weight in mind to get down to, I had a goal of getting off as much of my medications as possible. I have managed to get off my acid reflux and cholesterol medications, as well as cut my blood pressure (water pill) medication in half and even was told I should be able to get off of it. I am still trying to get off of the water pill. I really believe that I have become addicted to the water pill and it is stuck in my brain that I need it to survive.

I have researched the water pill to see what it does to the body and I do not like what I have read. Not only does it force your body, and all of your tissue to squeeze out the water that it has, also it, in most case cause you to lose needed nutrition that is important to your health.  And that has meant for me that I am always fighting dry skin, at my ankles, feet, elbows and forehead. It also means that I am forever thirsty and have a dry mouth and throat. And of course it means getting up extra times at night to go to the bedroom.

Below is from: http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/diuretic-treatment

What Are the Side Effects of Diuretics?

Like any drug, diuretics come with potential side effects. They can include:

·         Frequent urination. This may last for several hours after a dose.

·         Arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm)

·         Electrolyte abnormalities -- Blood test monitoring of blood chemistries or electrolytes, such as potassium, sodium, or kidney function, is important before and during drug use.

·         Extreme tiredness or weakness. These effects should decrease as your body adjusts to the medication. Call your doctor if these symptoms persist.

·         Muscle cramps or weakness. If you take potassium supplements, be sure that you are taking your potassium supplement correctly, if prescribed. Contact your doctor if these symptoms persist.

·         Dizziness , lightheadedness. Try rising more slowly when getting up from a lying or sitting position.

·         Blurred vision, confusion, headache, increased perspiration (sweating), and restlessness. If these effects are persistent or severe, contact your doctor.

·         Dehydration . Signs include dizziness, extreme thirst, excessive dryness of the mouth, decreased urine output, dark-colored urine, or constipation. If these symptoms occur, don't assume you need more fluids, call your doctor.

·         Fever , sore throat, cough, ringing in the ears, unusual bleeding or bruising, rapid and excessive weight loss. Contact your doctor right away.

·         Skin rash . Stop taking the medication and contact your doctor right away.

·         Loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, or muscle cramps. Be sure that you are taking your potassium supplement correctly, if prescribed.

At one point or another I have notice most of the side effects. At this time I am seeing issues with blurred vision and I am using eye moistening drops like crazy. And my eye doctor does say it is due to the water pill. Wow I just noticed one other site effect, ringing in my ears; I have had that for over 30 years, and guess what this is about how long I have been taking some form of water bill.

So as you see I have a lot of incentive to get off the water pills.

What I am trying to do to get off my water pill

As I work at getting off my water pill dependence, you can expect me to gain 5 pounds or more. Then if I can keep off the medication I should be able to truly lose weight again. About all I have done this past year was to gain water weight then to lose the water weight. It has been a roller coaster ride. Or the old yo-yo weight issues. What I do not want to happen is that my blood pressure goes up and not be in a healthy range. So what I will be doing is every morning I will taking my blood pressure the first thing in the morning even before anything else. And I will be weighing myself first thing in the morning, this will be giving me more or less a controlled standard for my measurements. I know very well that my weight will very day by day and even during the day with what I eat and drink. 

That is where averaging and trending comes in. That is why I am so much in to averaging my weight over time and also I do the same thing with my blood pressure and heart rate. So here are a few changes that I will be making.

No soft drinks at all, I have been drinking a few A&W diet root beers, which I love. But it has about 190 mg of salt per serving so that is out of the question at least for a while.  I have been and will continue to limit my beer to no more than 1 12 bottle a week. I have been and will continue to limit my bacon to the very low salt. While eating at home my wife and I do not add salt to anything we cook. We limit the amount of canned foods we use to as low as possible. We watch labels, and we do not eat out very much at all. My trail mix that I eat daily is from Sprouts and I mix it myself making sure it has no salt added. The dressing we use with our salads are mixed by us which means no added salt.

I will not always be able to keep my daily salt limited to 1500 mg, but I will do my best to keep my daily average at or below 1700 mgs of salt a week, or about 12000 mgs of salt a week max.

Let see how this goes.