easing the load

At the end of July, last year, my blood pressure was soaring. I finally gave up the fight, and began taking medication for it. Never mind that the medicines didn't quite work, and that they gave me a host of side-effects, and left me feeling miserable.

If you read about high blood pressure online, every article will say: Lose the weight, and lose the high blood pressure. I decided that that is what I was going to do: Lose the weight. At the time, I weighed 73.7 kg.

The technical term for that is fatso : especially for someone standing barely 5-foot-no-inches tall.

I went online and tried to find something that would work for me. There is so much information out there, and a lot of it pure drivel.

I'd already stopped eating wheat: I am allergic to it. Wheat makes my stomach ill. And, when there is wheat in my stomach, all the other food there doesn't get digested, and I get painful bloating. So, wheat-out was already in place.

I'd also extended to no-no's to carbohydrates, except for a bit of rice for lunch and dinner. Time to stop eating rice, as well.

Now, I eat only vegetables and meat. Occasionally, I may eat some rice. But, it's mostly veggies and meat.

Very little fruit.

No sugar.

I try not to eat sweet stuff, but I chocolate makes me melt. So, I often have some, after dinner, as a treat. I might eat a few grapes - frozen bullets, Chuan calls them - sometimes. If I am 'bad' at all, it's usually after dinner: When I might eat more sweets than I should. But, if I stuff myself silly, I pay the price: Bloating. Bloating is not fun.

Being on so many medications necessitates eating. I've to take medication three times a day, each time, I needing something in my stomach, for buffering.

The other thing I do is fast. It's called intermittent fasting, and for me, it goes like this: After dinner at night, (and, a little dessert), I stop eating. Until I wake up in the morning.  Then, I have about 400 mls of water. After a bit, it's time for my morning cup of coffee, with a little milk. no sugar.

I fast again - water is allowed - until lunch. Then, dinner.

No tea. No snacks.

And that is all there is to it. I am not usually hungry, and never starving. I might get a little hungry before lunch or dinner, but some water usually eases that until I sit at the table to eat. On days when I feel that there's a hole in my stomach, I may have a small piece of fruit. But, most days, water is enough. Especially if I'm doing my art, or reading. If I'm out, I seldom feel hungry until it's lunchtime. Just shows that if my mind is busy, my stomach shuts up!

Since 28 July 2016, I have lost 14.1 kg, weighing 59.6 kg when I last stepped on the scale.

I am happy with the weight-loss, and there is still some more to lose: in the belly area, especially. But, I'm sure it will happen slowly. I'll take my time.