I started the South Beach Diet on Monday. This is Thursday. So far, so good. :) I started at 215.8 lbs on Monday morning and this morning I am at 212.8 lbs. This is just the first phase of the diet and I'm expected to lose weight rather quickly this week and next because I'm cutting out carbs and sugar, but then I'll slowly add sugar and good carbs back in, so I won't lose weight as quickly.
I've also been reading a bit in another book, Healthy Heart Miracle Diet. It's been so interesting that I've been scanning and reading a bit here and there, feeling like I'm learning more and more valuable information. But today I'm going to read Chapter 2: What Really Causes Heart Attacks? and then add a few tidbits here for me to use as a future reference.
What REALLY Causes Heart Attacks?
ReplyDeleteThere are 8 important risk factors for heart disease, beyond cholesterol.
Cholesterol is only part of the picture. "You should get a cholesterol test every 5 years that includes tallies of your 'good' HDL cholesterol, 'bad' LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides."
High Blood Pressure appears to be the most reliable indicator of heart trouble and it "is the easiest risk to diagnose, treat, and correct." What can cause it? Weight gain, physical effort, chronic stress, & salt sensitivity. Ironically, physical effort is also VERY good for your heart when done on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteNormal: Less than 120/80 mmHg
Pre-hypertension: 120/80 - 139/89 mmHg
High blood pressure: 140/90 mmHg and above
Visceral Fat (also called intra-abdominal fat) is the fat that collects around your belly and envelopes your internal organs. Danger! If your waist is bigger than your hips, you should be very concerned. (Or if your waist measures more than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women, you are at increased risk of health troubles.) What causes fat to collect around our waist rather than our hips and thighs (which is a natural fat reserve which doesn't seem too harmful to your health)? Eating simple carbohydrates and saturated fats and dealing with chronic stress.
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