I bought a bowflex in 2002 and every time I began a workout, I had to stop for some health reason, and got away from it when I had to stop due to blood pressure and blacking out. The problem was type 2 diabetes and two years after finding out about it, I'm no longer being treated for it because I watched my sugar intake and stayed away from a lot of carbs.. When I got the okay to start again, it took a long time to get back into it. I was often teased about my due date and told a couple neighbors who asked, that my water had just broken before I came out the door. I heard groans from them saying that's not what we wanted to hear and I just laughed it off.
Later I saw a picture of myself taken out on my boat and was sicken by it and decided than to start that night with a change of diet. I put the picture on the fridge and every time I went to get something out to eat, I saw that picture and walked away with nothing, except a bottle of water. I ate Tuna salad for dinner, Special K for breakfast and a Whey protein frozen yogurt smoothie with a banana in it for lunch after working out on the bowflex. I worked out on the bowflex every other day and stayed on that diet, changing out the tuna for turkey. Regardless the dog took me for a walk everyday, stopping at every mailbox for a sniff.
The day I had gotten my spyder, I had lost 47 lbs.. The day after I got the spyder in mid March 2009, I was in the ER with pain in my right shoulder, that had moved down my right arm. I had a clogged artery on the right side of the heart and spent more than 4 hours on a rock hard wooden table having a heart cath done. I had 3 stents put in and never again do I want any part of that table. That night after the stents went in, the nurse was removing the heart cath and I had a heart attack and died. I never knew it until they told me the next night. With every thing they did to bring me back, I felt nothing. I than had another problem and my heart rate kept dropping. A pacemaker was installed and I was sent home a few days later. I went back to my diet, but couldn't do much of anything else but walk. I was told later I could eat what I wanted in moderation but have sworn off fried foods, frozen, canned food, veggies and buy only fresh. I also got into Bison and have that to eat also. I watch my sodium intake and do less than 2000 mg a day. Before leaving the hospital, I asked my doctor if I could go to the firing range, he said give it a month. Asked about my boat and said ask me in July when I see you. I didn't mention the spyder and in June, I went for my motorcycle endorsement and was very weak, but passed it.
Today I workout on a total gym every other day. I sold the bowflex because I can do more on the total gym. I started out slow and am working up slowly. I still have many health problems and most are related to exposure to agent orange while in Vietnam. I lost a total of 68 lbs. and was at 195 lbs and my housemate Tami said I was to skinny. I put on another 15 pounds and stay at around that weight. I still eat the same diet and if I go off for a few days I always go back to that same diet. Eating breakfast was a big change for me and I used to just eat at night. I quit smoking after the heart attack and started again, but than changed to vapor and haven't touched a cigarette in over 6 years and my cardiologist is okay with the vaping.
Since I eat so much turkey, on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, I'll get a 2" thick NY Strip Steak and add in some stuffing with a sweet potato, that I slice and add cinnamon and brown sugar and put on the top rack of the grill. When the steak is done to a medium rare the sweet potato is done. The day after I'm back to my diet and back on the total gym. I try to stay at around 210 lbs and like now I'm at 219 lbs. so will work harder to get back down. I rarely go higher except during thunder beach, when I eat out with friends and always return to the same diet.
Getting started is the hard part, but than it becomes part of your day to day living and rather than go through what I did and still going through with more problems, for now I can still workout on the total gym. By this summer sometime, I'll be back on that table for a bigger pacemaker and have to stop the workouts for awhile, but will have the dog take me for a walk and remain on my diet. I turned 66 a month or so ago and feel better today due to the workouts, than I have in more than 20 years and when I get the okay to go back to working out after new pacemaker, I'll be able to do more than I'm doing today.
hyea:
