I’m down to 153.6 lbs but haven’t felt this good physically for a long time. I took a 3-mile walk around my neighborhood early this morning. Rolling hills, oak trees, vineyards, olive orchards, crisp air, morning fragrances, low sun, long shadows . . . I truly do live in one of the most spectacular places imaginable. Surprisingly, I never got even the slightest bit winded. It’s amazing what the body can do when the lungs aren’t drowning in fluid. So cutting out sodium from my diet (no easy accomplishment) and taking Lasix have brought about the desired goal of making me feel great again.
But that weight loss thing. We all know that cancer is a wasting disease and I certainly hope that the weight loss is not related to systemic issues. Should I be concerned that I’m back down to what I weighed in 9th or 10th grade? Do I need the 30 lbs of fat and fluid that I accumulated in the ensuing 35 years?
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a widely accepted indicator of preferred weight range given a person’s height. It may be calculated as BMI = [(weight in lbs)*(703)]/[(height in inches)(height in inches)]. BMI categories within the “healthy” range are:
Low 18.5-19.8
Med-Low 19.9-21.1
Medium 21.2-22.4
Med-High 22.5-23.7
High 23.8-25.0
My BMI is currently 22.7, putting me in the “medium-high” area of the healthy range. And my heart certainly doesn't have to work as hard as it did at my previous weight. So I hereby suspend any immediate concerns I may have had about my weight loss.
Those interested in further info on BMI are encouraged to go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
So, what is it that you are eating? Are you refraining from added salt or are you eating foods with low or no sodium at all? For example, are you eating tomatoes - generally regarded as a fruit naturally high in sodium? Just curious. I want to bring you dinner one of these days and I need some parameters. Bringing food is a Baptist tradition I inherited from my minister father's side of the family. Though not a Baptist anymore, I still have this compulsion to bring my friends food. :-)
Post a Comment