Jim's July/August 2008 Stats
- Height: 5 feet 8 inches
- Weight: 220 lbs.
- BMI: 33.5 (obese)
- Smoking Status: 3 packs a day
- Medication: Metformin 1,000 mg. twice a day and Lisinopril 5 mg. once a day
- Current A1c: 6.5
- Current Fasting Blood Glucose: 110 to 120
- Current Average Blood Pressure: 120/80 - 130/86
Jim's Weight:
Jim has lost another 4.5 pounds, bringing his weight down from 230 pounds to 220. This is a weight loss total of 10 pounds since May. Losing 1 to 2 pounds a week is preferable to "crash dieting"; slow, steady weight loss helps keep the pounds from coming back.
Jim says that watching his portion sizes and eating more fruits and vegetables is helping him lose weight. He also pays more attention to his food choices now and opts for lower fat and lower calorie foods most of the time.
Jim's Diet:
Although Jim is making an effort to change his eating habits, he still drinks a lot of Pepsi, sometimes two or three glasses or more a day. He also confesses to an almost daily ice cream habit, frequently starting his shift at work with an ice cream snack. He does try to pack healthier choices for his dinner break, though: a sandwich, fresh fruit and yogurt are his choices these days.
Jim's Exercise:
This month, Jim decided to try a different tactic to get a handle on his exercise; Jim needs more of an incentive to stick to an exercise routine. In an effort to get motivated and start a fitness plan, Jim is utilizing a personal trainer. Dennis "Hutch" Hutchins will help Jim get on track with exercise and also help him set priorities and goals for managing his weight. Jim is ready to get focused on his health.
People with diabetes need a good health "support team." A primary health care provider, endocrinologist, nutritionist and certified diabetes educator are all good team members. What if more motivation is needed to follow through on managing diabetes, though? Jim has a lot of trouble getting motivated to exercise and eat right, because his second shift work schedule throws him off course, especially since his schedule is so chaotic. As a nurse, it's not unusual for him to work weekends and holidays, with floating days off during the week.
Everybody's journey is different, though. Sometimes thinking outside of the box will help a person stay on course. Scheduling time with a personal trainer may help Jim focus more on fitness, give him a workable routine and inspire him to stick to a diet and become fitter. Making a commitment and sticking to it will help Jim achieve his goals.
Jim's Cigarette Habit:
Jim is smoking almost 3 packs of cigarettes a day. He acknowledges that this is extremely detrimental to his overall health and says that he knows he should quit. Being a nurse, he knows the devastating effects of smoking. Almost everyone who knows Jim nags him about his smoking habit. No one wants to see him get sick or suffer. He has asthma and admits, "It's kind of stupid to smoke and then go use my inhaler."
His wife, Connie, also expresses concern over his smoking. She says, "I've had it with his smoking. I've asked him to quit. He doesn't listen to me." Connie quit smoking several years ago.
Smoking increases the risk of several cancers, cardiovascular disease and strokes. When someone with diabetes smokes, though, the risk for vascular problems, kidney disease, retinopathy and other complications of diabetes also increases dramatically. Hopefully, if Jim continues to overhaul his health with exercise and eating right, these good habits will carry over and help convince him to quit smoking.
Jim's Medications:
Jim is still taking Metformin 1,000 mg. twice a day, before breakfast and dinner. For a while, he was having trouble remembering to take his evening dose, because many times he's too busy at work and doesn't have time to take a dinner break. He's getting in to the habit more often now and takes his evening dose more regularly.
Jim's doctor decided that adding a blood pressure medication would help manage Jim's borderline hypertension. Lisinopril is an ACE inhibitor. High blood pressure can increase the risk of kidney disease in people with diabetes. Taking an ACE inhibitor can help protect kidneys from damage.
Jim's Progress:
So far, Jim has improved his eating habits and lost 10 pounds. He is kick-starting his exercise program by utilizing a personal trainer. His A1c has gone from 7.0 to a new level of 6.5 and his fasting blood glucose is lower overall than it has been in the past. He is taking an ACE inhibitor now to help control his blood pressure, in addition to his twice daily Metformin, which is helping lower his blood glucose levels.Jim's Challenges
Jim's biggest challenge is his smoking habit. Three packs a day is a lot of smoking. It can be intimidating to try to quit a habit of this magnitude. Jim has visited About.com's Smoking Cessation website, seeking inspiration. Terry Martin, About.com's Smoking Cessation Guide, has a tremendous amount of resources for smokers who want to quit. Jim says that he would like to quit, but he doesn't know if he can do it right now.
We'll catch up with Jim next month and see how's he's doing. Will he continue to work with his personal trainer and get inspired to exercise? Will he break his Pepsi habit? Will he find a way to make healthy food choices while working second shift? And most importantly, will he start making serious plans to quit smoking? We'll find out ... as we follow Jim on his journey.
| Jim's Monthly Statistics | |||
| Stats | May | June | July/August |
| Weight | 230 | 224.5 | 220 |
| BMI | 35 | 34 | 33.5 |
| Smoking Status | 2 1/2 packs a day | 2-3 packs a day | 3 packs a day |
| Medication | Metformin 1000 mg twice a day | Metformin 1000 mg. twice a day | Metformin 1000 mg. twice a day and Lisinopril 5 mg. once a day |
| Current A1c | 7 | 6.7 | 6.5 |
| FPGT | 140 mg/dl | 126 mg/dl | 110-120 mg/dl |
| Current Blood Pressure | 150/90 | 130/80 | 120/80 - 130/86 |
| Cholesterol | - | - | 175 |
| Tryglycerides | - | - | 253 |
