Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

I was at McDonald's today, not to order food but to get unsweetened iced tea, an excellent value and tastes good in my opinion. I have my own stevia packets in the car as opposed to sweetening it with Equal or Splenda. Anyway, whenever I'm there, it drives me crazy some of the choices people make when ordering there. I don't say anything to them, but it does give me good incentive to blog about how to make healthier choices. Here's an example.

A woman in front of me was ordering a cheddar something or other burger and asked if tomatoes are extra. The worker told her it would be 30 cents more so she didn't bother getting the tomato with it. She decided to save her money and go for... KETCHUP instead! Now how many of you would think that ketchup is the same as having a slice of tomato? I hope most of you will realize that ketchup is mostly high fructose corn syrup and like 30 other ingredients, very little tomato. It is not a healthy alternative.

Here's part 2 of the interview with Philip McCluskey, the former CT resident that has become well known nationally after losing over 200 pounds and becoming a vegan. Click here to check out part 1, if you haven't already done so.

Philip offers some insight on protein and how he thinks it's a myth that more protein is better. I now there's a lot of conflicting information out there as to how much to have, so check out Philip's view on the subject.

I went to see my doctor today for a scheduled appointment. He likes for me to check in every 6 months or so. The nurse went through the usual checklist of conditions, all of which I answered with "no" (diabetes, aches, pains, etc.). She checked my weight and it's in the same range.

The best part of the appointment was when the nurse took my blood pressure. About two and a half years ago, I was prehypertensive, on the verge of going on medication. As you might recall, I told my doctor I wanted to hold off on medication to see if losing weight would bring my blood pressure back to normal.

It's been a couple weeks, so I thought I would show what my arms look like as I continue the strength training. I think my arms and my legs look in great shape… I still need work on my abs.

I've been hitting the weights five times a week as my trainer gave me tougher workout routine this time around. I work different muscle groups every other day, with two days off from the strength training. I'll see him again on Monday for a new workout routine. In addition, he's planning on checking the body fat percentage. I'll let you know how it goes.

Matt Manning made the national news a month or so ago, when he won $50,000 in a bodybuilding.com contest. I contacted him because I wanted to learn more about his incredible transformation and how he did it. He agreed to do an interview for the blog. I thought his story could inspire others who think they can't get in shape because of age, work or other issues. Matt proves that with hard work and determination, you can transform your body and improve your health.

Matt's story inspires me on a personal level as I'm trying to tighten my skin with the strength training. He didn't have as much weight to lose as I did, and I know my skin was stretched out for many more years than his. But still, it gives me hope that maybe I too will have tighter abs after all this weight loss.