I’ve had The Keepers on my Netflix list for over a year and finally watched it. It’s sort of like Making a Murderer (just started watching season 2) meets Spotlight and it is a really good series.
The story and cover-up was fascinating, but made me sick. Unfortunately it’s another example of white men abusing power, this time led by the Catholic church. I went to a Catholic school for first through eighth grades and I’m so glad I walked away from religion when I went to college.
I had a physical back in May where my Doctor saw a few things in my blood work. The result for creatinine was 2.0 mg/dL with a Glomerular Filtration Rate of 38. The normal range for creatinine is 0.5-1.5. Bodybuilders can typically be around 2 and I’ve built a lot of muscle through CrossFit, so wasn’t sure what to think. The GFR was pretty low though and can be a sign of kidney failure. Yikes! Also of note is I weighed around 215 pounds at the time.
The Doc wanted me to stop whey protein, BCAAs, and creatine. I didn’t consume much of them, so I figured my diet had a lot more to do with it. I was eating a lot of fast food and maybe it was finally catching up to me. I stopped taking the supplements immediately though. I also started ordering Factor 75 meals. It was right around this time when I finished up some back rehab work and was getting in the gym 4-5 days a week again, which meant a lot more conditioning work.
This week I finally got my blood work retested. Creatinine is down to 1.2 and GFR is > 60, so back to normal ranges. Yay! This morning I weighed 198.7 pounds and I was even lower at 197.1 last month before a work trip with a lot of buffets and desserts.
I’m going to start using protein and BCAAs again and hold off on creatine until after the labs at next year’s physical.
In five and a half months I was able to correct some concerning numbers and dropped over 16 pounds with good old-fashioned discipline. No need for drugs. If I can do it, so can you. You have to want it and commit to changes though, which isn’t easy.
Spotted at a candy store in Disney Springs.
These accessories for my barbells were laying on the floor or on a shelf (now full of other things). I built this organizer out of a bunch of scrap wood so everything has a place to go, which is out of the way.
This has always been one of my favorite treats. There is something magical about the combination of the orange and the cream and how it just melts away in your mouth.
I get these sebaceous cysts on my head, which are harmless, but annoying and a bit embarrassing since I shave my head. I think the first one I had removed was in 2009. My doctor at the time actually referred me to a surgeon and I got knocked out for the removal. My new doc just cuts them out in his office. It’s a really quick procedure and this in the third one he’s done over the last couple of years. After this area heals I have another one on the back of my head to go get removed.
Wait for it…
