My success - diet and exercise
 

I had high blood pressure (190/116) and found that it can be controlled by diet. I was told by my family physician that I would have had a heart attack or stroke within a couple of weeks. I was on blood pressure medication (verapamil 180mg 1/day) for a month and have been off of it since.

Here are some pictures...

From 239.5 lbs at 29.3% body fat 8/1/2000
http://www.geocities.com/kgrr/000801SS.jpg

to 181 lbs at 10.4% body fat 3/20/01
http://www.geocities.com/kgrr/010330SS.jpg

My program involved both diet and exercise.

I started by increasing my metabolism by building some muscle. Then I used a carb-rotation diet which is relatively low-fat, high in complex carbohydrates and high quality protein. The carb rotation diet keeps protein and fat intake fairly constant and cycles the carbohydrate intake every four days.

My food came from this list:
Protein
Chicken Breast Egg Whites Ostrich
Pollock Tuna - Ahi Tuna -Albacore
Tuna - Tongol Roughy Turkey Breast Whey

Carbohydrate
Brown Rice Cream of Wheat Oatmeal
Pasta Potatoes Sweet Potatoes
98% Fat Free Tortillas Whole Grain Bread

Fibrous Carbs
Asparagus Broccoli Brussel Sprouts
Cauliflower Carrots Celery
Green Beans Green Peppers Lettuce
Mushrooms Onions Red Peppers
Spinach Tomatoes Sun Dried Tomatoes
Yellow Squash

Legumes
Garbanzo Beans Lentils Pinto Beans Red Beans

I could have picked from more foods, but these are the ones I really like.

I abstained from fruits due to their sugar content. Now that I am maintaining, I am eating two servings of fruit a day.

My exercise is a combination of weight bearing and aerobics. I lift weights, go hiking, mountain biking and spinning .

Konrad