A big update

Hey, to those that still keep track of this corner of the blogosphere. I've been slack lately due to a number of reasons. The end of the marking period just passed, which meant a good amount of extra work. I also was awfully sick on Thanksgiving, running a 100+ fever and having an awful stomach issue (which is why I still haven't gotten around to a Top Chef Digestion for last week). Fortunately for me, my mom is awesome and is making a big meal for today, with all of my favorite foods and sides and dessert. Who says Thanksgiving needs to be on Thursday?

The other issue I've been dealing with over the last week is that my doctor told me my cholesterol is rather high and I need to make some changes in my diet in order to bring that number back down to normal (which should also have a positive effect on my higher-than-normal blood pressure). To that end, I've been doing a bunch of reading and a bunch of research on how to adjust my diet. Here's what I've discovered about the way I eat

1) As much as I profess my love for bacon, I really only eat it every now and again. When it comes to eating meat, I tend to stick to lean cuts, things like chicken breasts, sirloins, pork loin. A big thing item I'm going to have to limit is sausage, whether its sweet Italian or Polish.
2) I eat eggs quite a bit during the week for breakfast. Cooked in a big pat of butter. That's going to be altered for sure, probably going to switch to egg whites, which I am a fan of.
3) More fiber. This is something that is difficult for me, because I don't eat many vegetables, but I'm going to work on eating more whole grains. I just spent an hour in the supermarket reading nutritional labels looking for foods high in soluble fiber. I picked up some Kashi bars and some Wasa crackers, which provide a big fiber punch in a small package.
4) Eating fruits and vegetables. Fruits aren't a problem, and I'm committed to eating my apple every day when I get home from work. Vegetables...I'm still trying to find a way I can hide the flavor of many of them. Blech.
5) Exercise. It starts again tomorrow.

So yeah, that's the scoop. So hopefully, along with lowering my cholesterol, I'll be losing weight, too.

Maybe not the most fun post for you all to read, my friends, but I'm trying here!