The Quest to Lose 10 Pounds in 6 Weeks – The Doctor Follow-Up

Well, Fran did NOT meet his doctor’s prescribed goal to lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks. If you remember last week’s update, he was threatening litigation of the scales if there was a different result in the doctor’s office. It turns out, he may have to sue our bathroom scale, but I don’t think he’ll be able to prove pain and suffering, since the doctor’s scale reflected an ELEVEN pound weight loss!!

Do you know how proud I am? Pretty incredibly proud. And okay, the doctor wasn’t all sunshine and roses, but with an amazingly successful start to his long-term goal of being fit and healthy and around for the long haul, I think he can be confident he’ll achieve what he set out to do.

So – the final stats:

Week One (Starting Weight): 220 pounds

Week Two: 218 pounds

Week Three: 215 pounds

Week Four: 214 pounds

Week Five: 213 pounds

Week Six: 212 pounds

Doctor Follow Up: 209 pounds

Total Weight Loss: 11 pounds!

Just catching this last post? Here are all the updates from Fran on his quest to lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks:

Week One – Why the doctor insisted I have to lose weight

Week Two – The diet pitfalls of traveling and socializing for work

Week Three – Making new healthy habits (and finding ways to still incorporate alcohol)

Week Four – Wishing there was a magic weight loss machine and looking forward to new clothes

Week Five – Water is boring and overeating just looks fun

Week Six –  The Easter Bunny is evil incarnate

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That broken yellow tape behind me? That is the finish line. Well, kind of. The finish line is actually about 20-30 pounds down the road but the last six weeks have been a hell of a first step. To kick off the next phase of my “journey”, I returned to the doctor’s office.

It has been over 25 years since my mom accompanied me to a doctor’s appointment but mom/grandma was in town and as a mom and a nurse, she wanted in on this appointment. Despite feeling a little awkward about being a 42 year-old man arriving at the doctor’s office with his mom in tow, I was really happy to have her with me. And she took notes which is something I would never have done.

As soon as I check in for my appointment, I am asked for my co-pay AND they can’t take a credit card AND I don’t have cash. So yeah, I had to ask my mom for a floater. My dignity/pride took a hit on that one. As I am handing over my co-pay the woman at the desk then asks me if I am aware of the $735 balance owed from my last appointment. So much for my blood pressure reading. (Luckily, they called the next day to say it was their mistake and I do not owe $735 so that was a relief).

In any event, at the time I waited there with my mom planning to burn down the offices of my insurance company until my name was called. Now, I have a lot of favorite nurses. My mom, each and every nurse in ICU at Methodist hospital in Brooklyn, NY and nurse Abby from ER. Maura Tierney is so cute. But I digress. The nurse from my doctor’s office is awesome. She is always so nice to me and seems to enjoy my humor. My joke about my pants weighing 20 pounds never gets old. For me. In any case, it was nice to see her. She didn’t waste any time pointing me in the direction of the scale. Here we go.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury?

11 pounds.

I lost 11 pounds. I felt so awesome. 11 pounds. I did it. I reached, better yet exceeded a 6 week-long goal.

The victory lap would be short-lived. She took my blood pressure which was high at 139/98 and then she went over my blood work. My triglycerides are at around 215 and they should be below 150 AND my LDL is 116 and that should be lower. I can’t remember how much lower, but lower. And then she left. “The doctor will see you shortly.” Crap.

My doctor is a good dude. I like him. I like him a lot but he didn’t waste any time getting into it. Again, he mentioned things like hypertension, high blood pressure and yes, even pre-diabetic. Pre-diabetic? Oh, and did I mention that he wants me to get a blood pressure monitor? Who am I, Gordon Gecko from Wall Street? Seriously?! C’mon. I just lost 11 pounds. I mean come on, man. Of course it didn’t even occur to me at the time that my wife of course owns a cuff and stethoscope and sphygmomanometer because she uses them for clients. (And yes, I had to look up the spelling for that last word).

So, I said, “Are you going to say anything about the 11 pounds I lost, doc?” He was very cool. Yes, he had noticed. He said he usually saves the good stuff for last. I was unable to wait that long. But he was right to do this. He had to. I am far from out of the woods. So yeah, then he asked about my diet. When it came to alcohol, I am not sure I am on the same page as the good doctor.

Listen, I am not the guy who always needs alcohol. I don’t ever want to be that guy. I can survive without it, but, truth be told, I love it. And these days, I don’t have any vice of any kind. No drugs, no gambling, no strip clubs, nothing. I enjoy alcohol. So, when my doctor said one or two drinks every few weeks, you can imagine my thought process. I even nodded my head, but listen, I want to live a long and fruitful life and grow old with my wife, watch my children grow, maybe even be a grandfather. Who knows? But I still have to have a life. Will I cut down on my booze? Sure. But one or two every few weeks? Physician, heal thyself. So where does that leave me?

Well, this is the next chapter. I have to continue to be disciplined. Drink less alcohol, eat less cheese, less swine, eat more salad and do more exercise. I am ready for that. I am ready to train harder and work harder. I am ready for the next step. That said, Fran cannot exist on water alone.

I want to thank everyone for their support in these last 6 weeks. Family, friends and particularly all of my wife’s fitness bloggy friends. What an amazing group. Just incredibly supportive and kind. I am so happy that my wife is a part of that fitness blogging family. They are all very special people. And to my beautiful wife who has been my rock and my biggest supporter throughout. You are something to be amazed by baby. I love you. Thanks everybody.

I guess I will see you all in the produce aisle. Thanks for reading. Be well. Cheers.

– Fran