final Newcastle numbers plus some "during" pics

It's the end of the Newcastle Diet! Here are my final numbers:

BP: 137/83

Pulse: 70

Blood Sugar: 75

Weight: 101 kg (222.7 lbs.)

My resting heart rate has been down to 60 before; it's reassuring to know that 70 is the heart rate when I'm a bit stressed: even when the heart rate is high, it's low. BP is still frustrating, and I can still hear that old doctor's voice echoing in my ears, telling me that my BP is 70% thanks to meds and only 30% thanks to exercise. I guess the answer is just to keep losing weight; ultimately, I want to be off BP meds. I've got another month until my appointment, so I'll keep working on that. A blood-sugar rating of 75 is just awesome; I don't think I've ever been that low. Weight is about where I expected to be. I didn't break 100 kg, but I'm close, and I'll definitely be under 100 kg by the time I finish my east-coast walk.

And now, the thing you've been waiting for—my "during" pictures. Frankly, I don't think I've changed that much. At 101 kg, I'm where I was a few months into my time in Switzerland back in 1989-90. The wide shot of me in my 4XL tee shirt:

Me with morning hair. The face is a wee bit thinner, but still fat:

The obligatory progress shot (with man-boobs):

The equally obligatory "pants too big" shot:

And finally, a shot of how much of my belt is left over when I tighten it:

My stay in the hospital took me from 128 kg to 119 kg. The Newcastle Diet (which I did not follow as faithfully as I could have) took me from 119 kg to 101 kg (222.7 lbs.). I don't think the docs, in September, will tell me I'm diabetes-free, but I think they're going to be pleasantly surprised by my numbers. I don't know if Korea is anything like the States in this regard, but a lot of folks in the States get health advice and then promptly refuse to follow it. God willing, that will not be me. I've learned my lesson.

I can't remember how it happened, but I read a reference, somewhere, to a show called "My 600-pound Life," clips of which are available on YouTube. On the show, extremely obese patients are given weight-loss advice by a doctor, and quite a few of these people stubbornly refuse even to acknowledge that they might have a problem, and they resolutely continue down the path of weight gain. It was amazing to watch these folks make excuses and blame everyone but themselves for what they put into their own mouths, and it put my own situation in perspective. At least in my case, I know I've got another 22.7 pounds to go before I hit an even 200 pounds (roughly 90 kg). And I might continue losing even after that.

Well, now that I've recorded my final numbers, it's time to get this cheat day going, to ruin my blood sugar, regain some weight, and then start working it all off tomorrow.

I can finally eat reasonably again!