Good news, overall, this time! First, my weight is 167 lbs, down a pound from last week, which may indicate some fat loss. It's difficult to tell, as the body fat scale I bought from Walmart last weekend (made in China, of course) isn't functioning (it just gives me an error message, for some reason) and I'll have to take it back today and exchange it. This makes my BMI (Body Mass Index) 22.6, which is solidly "normal weight."
The good thing today is that my blood sugar, upon waking, is lower than it's been in months, at 96. This, in spite of eating a meal of a 1/2 lb of ground beef, a large carrot and a couple of handfuls of blackberries at around midnight and going to bed just a couple of hours later. Normally, this has jacked up my blood sugar to over 100, but, not this time.
Where my blood pressure is concerned, this morning it's the lowest it's been since I began checking my own blood pressure, back in December: 102/75, which is solidly "normal." In fact, according to this chart, my blood pressure this morning is what you'd expect to see in "athletes and children." Of course, you have to take into consideration that this is still with medication, though. If this level of result remains consistent - more or less (blood pressure constantly fluctuates throughout the day and with changes in activity) - I may find it's time to discontinue the medication, which is my goal, of course.
Meanwhile, I got a new book, Natural Cures for High Blood Pressure, by Dr. Cass Ingram, which recommends, among other things, the inclusion of oregano in the diet. So, as of two days ago, I've been seasoning all my meats with oregano, as well as my usual onion powder, black pepper, cumin and cayenne pepper. It adds a bit more flavor, and apparently, is also working on bringing my blood pressure and blood sugar down. There is no other recent variable I can attribute to this morning's readings.
Where building up muscle is concerned, I'm making noticeable improvements already, in my chest and, especially, in my arms, of course. The veins in my arms are standing out quite nicely, even when I'm at rest, and the striations of my muscles are more evident, especially in my forearms. I've slightly stepped up my daily dosage of coconut oil, which may be contributing to more fat loss (it should) and, at the same time, adding muscle is also doing so. That would explain my dropping a pound since last Saturday.
