Hello to the group. My name is Rob and i have been lurking here for a
few weeks. I have posted a couple of comments on existing threads.
This is a very worth while group and I like the atmosphere of
encouragement that  exists here.

I am a 5'8" 46 year old male who started a fitness and nutrition
program at the beginning of December. At that time, my doctor measured
my B.P. at 145/92. This high reading was despite the fact that I  take
a 10mg dosage of an ace inhibitor daily. I weighed in at 170 lbs and
had been largely sedentary for the last two years.I told my doctor
that I wanted to try to lower my B.P. using diet and exercise, rather
than upping my medication.

The first change I did was committing to eat a wholefood breakfast
daily, no exceptions. I also dusted off my treadmill and started to
take one hour walks every night. I lost nearly five pounds after the
first 4 days. Obviously I had been retaining water, as my previous
puffy faced appearance disappeared practically overnight. After that,
I started losing around a pound per week.

Nutritionally, my breakfasts are made up of  large flake oatmeal with
a third of a cup of raw shelled hempseed mixed in. I also have a large
mixed berry smoothy with that, as well as an assortment of vitamin
supplements. This breakfast is low in calories but high in quality,
absorbable protein with a nice serving of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
And yes, I was still having my large coffee with double cream (real
coffee cream, not that wimpy half and half). I completely avoid fast
food. My favorite lunch is a large bowl of Vietnamese satay beef
noodle soup. We have some pretty good Vietnamese restaraunts here in
Calgary. For supper, I cut out the potatoes and replaced them with
brown basmati rice. And every supper starts with a very large salad,
with good dressing made from quality oils. I'm not counting, but I'm
probably taking in around 1300-1600 calories a day.

Anyway, its been almost three months. I added running to my program at
the beginning of January and have been increasing my frequency and
intensity with each passing week. I also work out with free weights 3
times a week. My weight is hovering around 150 now. I took my B.P. at
noon today, and was blown away. The reading was 122/76. I'm heading
downstairs now to hit the weights. I must be doing something right.
Everybody....keep it up! Diet and exercise work!

Rob