Yet more update on my quest. If you are not bored yet, please let me know your thoughts. If you are going through something similar, please let me know. If you have questions, perhaps I can answer them in upcoming updates.

I am making progress on several fronts: blood glucose, blood pressure and weight. I am a true believer, and I am committed to continuing this indefinitely. My awesome wife is on the same track too, and is losing weight. We both have a way to go yet, but I am confident we will continue.

Blood Glucose Medications

I have worked out a level of blood glucose medication that gets me in the 5-7 range, without dropping too low. I think I can cruise along at this level of blood glucose medication for a while, as I continue to loose weight. I want to keep a stable blood glucose level for now. Once I have dropped in weight a bit more, perhaps I can try reducing my medications a little at a time and observing the results. Or perhaps my own body will give me clues. If I start to get lower readings, while at this level of medications, then it is a clue I am improving.

What I don't want to do is take too much medications, so that I have to eat something to compensate. Previously I bought glucose tablets, to keep by my bedside in case I wake up with a serious low blood glucose level. Now I am fairly level, in the middle of the green zone, and I plan to stay that way. See how my ups and downs this week are not too big, I don't over medicate and I don't over eat.

When I have a low blood glucose level, then the liver converts fat to glucose and pumps it into the blood. I often see my blood glucose level spike, even when I am not eating. Especially exercise can trigger this event. It is good to be burning up fat, but it complicates things, since it is hard to lower my blood glucose level if my liver does that. If I exercise hard, I can expect a bigger spike. One person suggested at those times, to drink lots of water and do some gentle exercise, like walking.

Blood Pressure

My average blood pressure has gone down again. In the mornings I normally take 3 different blood pressure medications, so I skipped 1 of them. If my blood pressure does not spike up too much, I will continue without the medication. I have to see how much impact each drug has, and work out which one to eliminate. Last time I stopped the water pill, and that had a bigger impact than I expected.

Now the time has come again, where my blood pressure is quite low. I can get dizzy when I stand up too quickly, which is a clue to me. The combination of my new lifestyle plus the blood pressure medications is lowering my blood pressure too much.

This time I stopped a different medication, amolodipine, to see the impact. This is day 2 without it. If my blood pressure remains in a safe zone I will continue without it. I expect that the impact may take a few days to manifest, so I monitor my blood pressure at least a couple times a day and be prepared to resume taking the medication if I have to. I hope I don't have to.

Weight

I'm about another 6 lbs down since last update. I am looking for some good numbers to impress the doc with at my next checkup in June. My scales are still dodgy, but they vary within a range. I vary too, based on how much water I drink. Early morning or after a bike ride are good times to check, as I am more likely to be a little dehydrated. My wife is losing weight too, but at a slower rate. She still locks the bathroom door to check.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. This is based on my own experience. Your mileage may vary. Check with your doctor before doing anything drastic based on what I wrote above.