My heart attack was not how I envisioned a heart attack. I had been exercising and got dizzy and just decided to drive home. 1/3 of people die during their first heart attack so it really is critical to recognize the symptoms and quickly call 911. I didn't realize I was having a heart attack even though I have poor family medical history and that is fairly common. Most people think you have  pressure on your chest and that it is obvious. My experience was different. I was confused and out of breath but I wouldn't describe it as chest pain. I also didn't experience pain in the jaw which is common.

The American Heart Association has an article dealing with recognizing heart attacks called 911- Warning Signs of a Heart Attack. It's brief and worth a look. Check it out.

June 21
Weight: 186
Calories Burned: 2770
Calories Consumed: 1855
Protein: 17%
Carbs: 40%
Fat:43% - lots of unsaturated fat but this is way to high
Total Calorie Deficit: 10,817

Grillin & chillin...

Today is the first day of summer and in that spirit let's review some bar-b-que or more specifically burgers statistics.
Each of the following is for  a 1/4 pound patty:
Lamb - 240 calories - 23% fat - 9g sat fat
Chuck - 209 calories - 20% fat - 5g sat fat
Turkey - 193 calories - 13% fat - 3g sat fat
Bison (grass fed) 124 calories - 2.5g sat fat
Lean sirloin - 140 calories - 5% fat - 2g sat fat
Turkey breast - 91 calories - 1% fat - 0.5g sat fat
Soy crumbles - 90 calories - 0g sat fat

As for chillin...getting some exercise is always great but it's even better if you can get outside to get it. The picture below is at the top of Cowles Mtn (from last Friday). It's 3 mile RT hike with 900' of vertical. And the views are great!

June 20
Calories Consumed: 2109
Calories Burned: 2522
Protein: 22%
Carbs: 44%
Fat: 34%
Total Calorie Deficit: 9902

The perfect meal - tacos and beer

Mexican food is not often conducive to a healthy lifestyle but I love Mexican food so I have had to become creative. Fish tacos can be made healthy while remaining tasty. We get frozen tilapia from Costco and then cook it in a frying pan with water and seasoning (covered to keep it moist). Add finely chopped red peppers and/or cabbage. It will also need a special sauce. This can derail your low-fat ambitions so I use a mix of hot sauce and fat-free sourcream. Heat up some corn tortillas directly on a gas burner (no oil) and you have low fat fish tacos. Crack a brew (my personal home brew below) and the meal is complete. And the best news about beer is it's always fat free!

Total Calorie Deficit: 9489

June 17
Weight: 187lbs
Calories Consumed: 1204
Calories Burned: 2830
Protein: 29%
Carbs: 50%
Fat: 21%
Total Calorie Deficit: 8830

June 18
Weight: 186 lbs

Calories Consumed: 2547

Calories Burned: 3149

Protein: 21%

Carbs: 55%

Fat: 24%

Total Calorie Deficit: 9432

June 19

Weight: 186lbs

Calories Consumed: 2614

Calories Burned: 2671

Protein: 17%

Carbs: 59%

Fat: 24%

Healthiest nuts...

What are the healthiest nuts?
Almonds
Brazil nuts
Cashews
Hazelnuts
Macadamias
Peanuts
Pecans
Pistachios
Walnuts

June 16
Weight: 188lbs
Calories Burned: 2646
Calories Consumed: 1696
Protein: 12%
Carbs: 58%
Fat: 30%
Total Calorie Deficit: 7204

And the winner is...with the highest quality and concentration of heart healthy antioxidents (nearly twice the other nuts) and also protein, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber...walnuts! But don't go crazy. You should limit consumption to about 7 walnuts per day.

Eating out can be hazardous...

I went to a conference yesterday on investing. Harry Markopoulous was the speaker. He is the man who attempted to turn in Bernie Madoff for the better of 10 years with no luck.  His story is amazing but ultimately it's one of perserverence. I think this is the case for heart health and weight control. It is a life long battle.

Markopoulous was very entertaining but the included lunch was probematic. They ran out of the vegetarian option and gave me some very tasty fried chicken with the usual fixings. This derailed me on my low fat day. But I must get back to perservering.

One way to perserver is to prepare food as often as possible. One of my favorite meals is quinoa (pronounced keen'wa). This is a seed that tastes like a grain. You cook it like rice but for far shorter (about 12 minutes). I like to add chopped tomatoes and parsley. You can add artichoke hearts but it will increase the fat content. Or you can add oil. Canola oil is a better choice than olive oil. Both are 100% fat but canola oil has about 40% less saturated fat though olive oil is also fairly low.

Quinoa is available in grocery stores but I get mine at Costco. It is suppose to be an outstanding food for diabetics as well. It has about 13% fat and contains much more protein than most grains. You can even make beer out of it!

June 15

Weight: 188lbs

Calories Burned: 2569

Calories Consumed: 2823

Protein: 15%

Carbs: 48%

Fat: 37%

Total Calorie Deficit: 6254

A little less embarrassing...

I guess I was just retaining water....sodium will do that to you. The scale was somewhat my friend. Internet at Regus has been slow all day so this post must be short as I have to be to the IBC meeting at 5. IBC is the Island Beerdrinkers Club and beer is fat free!

June 14
Weight: 187
Calories Burned: 2869
Calories Consumed: 1894
Protein: 19%
Carbs: 58%
Fat: 23%
Total Calorie Deficit: 6508

This is getting embarrassing...

One of my goals was to take off some weight during the month. I figured that I could shoot for 10lbs and if I fell short at maybe 7 or 8 lbs I would be fine. What I didn't plan on was gaining weight. My total calorie deficit is 5533 calories which means I should have lost about1.5lbs. Not really that impressive but since it's better than I am actually doing maybe I should rethink things. First it's possible my weight gain is the result of water retention as I have had a few beers the last couple of days. Or it's possible that I am not calculating the calories consumed correctly. ApexFitness, the website I use for the BodyBugg (calorie counter) says that most people underestimate their portions. I think this is possible but I have been trying to be pretty accurate and estimate on the high side. That being said I think it's time to redouble my efforts. I am going to try to get a bit more exercise by taking the stairs at my office and trying to walk a bit during the day. We'll see the results soon.

Last year shortly after my heart attack I was able to lose some weight. One of the strong motivators was a bet I placed with my wife's father. We decided that we needed to both get down to 180lbs in a certain time frame. We could both make weight and it would be a tie but if either or both of us failed we would have to pose in a speedo for the family calendar. To the disappointment of many ladies we both made weight. But perhaps I need to coax another bet with Dan...hmm...

June 13
Weight: 190lbs
Calories Burned: 2661
Calories Consumed: 2521
Protein: 25%
Carbs: 46%
Fat: 29%
Total Calorie Deficit: 5533