Could you please pass the bacon? And eggs?

So the results of my recent bloodwork came back, and I'm amazingly healthy. I was not worried, exactly, but was very curious to see what six weeks of bacon-and-egg breakfasts would do to my cholesterol levels, which were approaching abnormal levels last fall. In a nutshell:

• Total cholesterol: 147, down from 189 (normal is 50-200)
• HDL (the good stuff): 51, down from 65 (normal is 50-150)
• LDL (the bad stuff): 86.6, down from 110.2 (normal is 0-130)
• Triglycerides: 47, down from 69 (normal is 50-150)

So, yay, me! Any plan that has me losing weight and lowering my cholesterol while eating bacon and eggs is okay by me.

(I realize the HDL should be going up, not down, but it's still b-a-r-e-l-y within normal limits, and I am therefore sticking my fingers in my ears and going 'lalalalalala.')

I truly think moving one's ass affects the movement of those numbers more than what's on the menu. And I have been committed to moving my ass this year.

All the other major and minor indicators came back normal, normal, normal, as well. I'm not sure I'm going to keep that doctor's appointment I made for Monday. While my insurance does pay for one well-woman visit per year, and it's been three years since I've seen my doctor, the only real issue I have to talk about is those sporadic dizzy spells. I'll consult my in-house physician about this and cancel (or not) tomorrow.

Your comments yesterday made my day! Thank you all for your continued encouragement. It just feels So. Damned. Good. to be doing something different and actually seeing results. Heck, I might even add some HIIT to my schedule. Maybe. Sunday's New York Times Magazine had an article about the effectiveness of it, along with the following graphic for a suggested routine which can be done in seven minutes. (No, not that seven minutes.)

My front porch step is a better height and probably safer for me than a chair for the step-up move, and my fireplace hearth works well for tricep dips. In both exercises, I think it's better to use an immoveable object rather than a chair, which could slip or tip over. I seriously doubt if I can do the last two moves – the push-up and rotation and the side plank. That said, I can see myself doing the first 10 moves two or three times a week once I lose a little more weight.

Being obese seriously limits one's ability to move. I'm finding it easier to do some things which had been beginning to concern me. For instance, while I hadn't actually shopped for Velcro sneakers, I was starting to appreciate the concept. I can almost … a-l-m-o-s-t … see myself running again, just for the fun of it.

What else ... something has gotten into the garden already, and I have to start over with kale and cabbage. Grrr. The recent rains prevented me from planting too much, so it's not a big deal. I need to take a couple days and just concentrate on tilling and plowing and mulching, oh my. (Days have been hard to come by lately.) Right now I'm an allium gardener – the only things thriving are chives, onions and garlic. The asparagus is done (SOB!); we ate the last of it last night.

Two of the apple trees are loaded with fruit; the third (the Honeycrisp, sadly) remains barren. But with any luck we'll have a crop o'Granny Smiths and Yellow Transparents this year. The branches will break if all the fruit ripens, so I have some major thinning to do.

I guess major thinning has been the topic du jour for the last few weeks around here. I thank you for your indulgence and support. One of these days I might actually pick up a knitting needle again. With all the grocery shopping I've been doing, I could use another one of these.