in June, for the first time in five years, I dipped below 200 lbs. At 198.4, that is a 32 pound weight loss since New Year's Day.

I upped my pool sessions to a consistent 1 kilometer swim. It's geting more difficult as the summer gets hotter since the pool is becoming more crowded. Soon I'll have to swim outside.

I also got the results from my blood work. I used to be on Lipitor, a statin, to lower cholesterol that was well over 200. Rather than be dependent on a prescription medicine, I tried to control it by diet and exercise alone, with great results. Notice that my LDL (bad cholesterol) is actually below the reference range

Test              My Value              Reference Range

Cholesterol        159                   170-291mg/dL

HDL                  48                     28-63 mg/dL

LDL Chol           76                     89-197 mg/dL

Triglycerides      173                   58-320 mg/dL

There is a common myth to about cholesterol. Most eaten cholesterol is not absorbed. We actually make most of our own cholesterol from the saturated fat we consume.