Wednesday, September 15, 2021

two sets of numbers tomorrow

I've been fasting for the past two days to help get my weight back down to 101 kg (I gained a couple kilos last week). Nothing but liquid thus far. Technically, if you consume anything with any nutritional value, you're breaking your fast, but in my case, every liquid I've consumed has been zero carbs, zero calories, and no other nutrients, so I hope this means I'm still fasting, although I suppose we should keep the cephalic response in mind. It's been a rough two days, but I go to the hospital tomorrow morning and can eat freely (cheat day!) right after my visit, starting in the early afternoon.

Got my 140-minute walk plus resistance training ahead of me tonight, then I'm doing 1.5 staircases one final time tomorrow morning, very early (6 a.m., God help me). I'll allow myself to rest for maybe 90 minutes, then take down my numbers: weight, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose. That'll be one set of numbers. 

When I get to the hospital, I'll get another set of numbers, which will almost certainly be higher. In the case of BP, that'll probably be because of stress; I hate being in hospitals, and calming exercises don't seem to help (probably because I haven't mastered them; letting go of the ego is hard). I expect my weight to be heavier because I'm weighed, at the hospital, while wearing clothes. As for blood glucose... I don't know. What I'm really curious to see is my HbA1c ("A1c" for short), which is the glycated-hemoglobin reading—a three month average of your blood sugar (see this post for an explanation of how a single blood sample can yield a three-month average). I was probably around a 9 before; 5.7 is consider the high end of normal. I'm hoping to have dropped to a 6.

So I'll have two sets of numbers to give you by Thursday afternoon. Make your predictions and place your bets while you can.



2 comments:

John Mac said...

I predict the numbers are going to be better than you think. Good luck!

And enjoy your well-earned "cheat day" afterward. I'm always shaking my head in awe at your ability to exercise strenuously during a two-day-long fast. I'd be laying on the couch moaning...

Kevin Kim said...

The numbers looked really good at home this morning, but they're looking pretty bad here at the hospital, mainly thanks to stress every time I visit doctors.