Health Expert John S. Bell shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/403092/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/403092/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/403092/index http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/126692/pounds Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:52:00 -0500 John S. Bell I walked out of the doctor's office after my diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes in October of 2009 with two goals. The first was to get my blood sugar down from 395 to normal and the second goal was to get my weight down from 210 pounds to 165. Much to the surprise of my family, my friends and, to be truthful, myself, I'm pretty close to achieving both. My Hgb A1C on my last check up in October of this year (2010) was 5.7; up some from the previous... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/126692/pounds http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/119500/losing-weight Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:30:00 -0400 John S. Bell I had not intended to take the month of August off from writing these posts, but I am back now, with a little progress to report but some setbacks as well. The diet has been going well; my exercise program, not so much. Accenting the positive today, I want to talk about diet, and what I have learned over the last year. The good news for the end of summer is that my morning weigh-ins have stayed between 165.5 and 167. I have been keeping the... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/119500/losing-weight http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/116024/track-vacation Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:47:00 -0400 John S. Bell I spent last week on the Gulf Coast beaches of Florida near Venice. After a rainy first day, the weather was great and, for those with travel plans, the water and sand are both oil free on that part of the coast.   This was the second trip since my diagnosis last fall, the first without medication. It was a relief not to have to worry about eating on time while dashing through airports. As it turned out, I managed to stay on schedule... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/116024/track-vacation http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/114845/losing-weight Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:52:00 -0400 John S. Bell This Saturday I did it: I burned the bridges, sank the boats, cashed in the return ticket. I've made some serious progress towards my weight loss goal, which is great, but it has also left me with serious wardrobe sizing issues. Last summer I could not comfortably button slacks with a 38 inch waist. Now they look like I'm wearing clown pants. Since I'm the kind of guy who never throws out anything in his closet (Sure, it's got some holes... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/114845/losing-weight http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/115278/summer-stepping Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:03:00 -0400 John S. Bell Do you remember going back to school in the fall and having to do one of those "What I did with my summer vacation" essays? It's been well over thirty years since I was student, but I still have in the back of my mind the idea that summer implies some sort of change in the routine. Now since my clients and the farm (and the family bills) won't let me take three months off, I have decided that as an alternate summer project I will get rid of... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/115278/summer-stepping http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/113662/loss-chronicles Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:01:00 -0400 John S. Bell After laying out my very ambitious exercise routines last week I found that this week everything has gone out the window. Why? I blame sheep and an upper left molar. And what, you may ask, do teeth and livestock have to do with weight loss and fitness? Well, I spent an hour in the endodontist's chair last week and an hour and a half this week having a root canal re-done. It was not an experience conducive to intense physical activity,... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/113662/loss-chronicles http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/113205/management Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:44:00 -0400 John S. Bell I had my regular checkup last Friday and got the news on my latest lab results. Seven months ago when I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes I weighed 210 pounds, had an A1C of 9.6, LDL cholesterol of 193, a triglyceride reading of 181 and a metabolic panel that indicated I had fatty liver. This morning the scale read 172.8 pounds. The lab says my A1C is now down to 5.1, LDL cholesterol has dropped to 123, triglycerides are at 44 and the... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/113205/management http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/111572/diet-exercise Fri, 21 May 2010 12:28:00 -0400 John S. Bell It is spring here in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Weather-wise, we have been switching daily between unseasonably warm and unseasonably cold, with rain thrown in the mix. Just the kind of weather that gives conniptions to both your house and your body's thermostat. It makes it hard to know what to wear on any given day or what outside activities to plan on the farm.   This weather uncertainty has followed me into the gym and... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/111572/diet-exercise http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/110978/perfection Thu, 06 May 2010 11:05:00 -0400 John S. Bell For the last six months I have tried my best to be the perfect type 2 diabetic. I have dieted. I have watched my carb intake. I have exercised. I have not touched a french fry, doughnut or basket of tortilla chips since October. No non-diet drink has crossed my lips. I have lost over forty pounds, dropped my A1c from 9.6 to 5.9 and reduced my waist size by almost six inches. I am off all medication, my doctor loves me, my family is... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/110978/perfection http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/110416/research-record Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:07:00 -0400 John S. Bell When scientists first began sequencing the human genome, one of the first things they discovered is that we're pretty much all the same. You could pick a couple of guys from Lagos and a couple of guys from Stockholm and there would be as much difference between the two Swedes as between the Swedes and Nigerians. A quick look at the genes would not tell you who was who. Now that the research has gone further and scientists are looking at... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/403092/110416/research-record