I need to lower my blood pressure, and the best way to do that is to calm down and lose a few pounds. Today I weigh 191 which was better than yesterday’s 194 when I’d gone to see my doctor because my blood pressure has been getting high and even though it had been 125/66 in the morning, at his office it shot to 157/75. It was his white coat that was making it go up I told him, but he was having none of it. He gave me an ultimatum: If my pressure doesn’t go down in a month, I have to take stronger medication. Fuck. I have already gone from a low dosage Lotrel to a stronger one that needs a water reduction pill to go along with it because I have been retaining water around my ankles. Although I’m 61 going on 62 I don’t think I have to put up with this (like getting up to urinate three or four times during the night) if I just change my eating habits a little bit and rearrange my day in a slightly better way.

This morning for breakfast I had a hard boiled egg and a banana and two cups of coffee each with a healthy pour of real milk. For lunch I had a hard boiled egg and an apple.

I went to the gym after my morning class and did my regular workout. Today some upper body, abs, and then the elliptical machine for 30 minutes, though I didn’t just do a steady pace; I’d get going and up it from 6.5 where I usually am to 8, 9, and 10 for 20 or 30 seconds and do that speedy stuff at intervals throughout. I was sweating. I always listen to music. Today Jay Chou, Leadbelly and Mana got me going.

I had an early dinner because I teach class Wednesday evening.

I sauteed a slice of calf’s liver added to some onions already carmelizing in a little bit of butter. After the liver was finished (let’s keep it pink in the middle!) I added some more butter in the pan, threw in some fresh clean spinach and tossed that till it wilted a nice dark green and had, with its moisture, lifted flavors that had cooked into the pan from the onions and the liver. If you like liver like I do it doesn’t get much better than this.

Akram had made a tomato salad with onions and some hot Bengali chiles for a salad and that was it.

This morning when I took my pressure it was 119/73, the lowest it’s been since I’ve been taking readings (a month). 119 and lower is my goal. This morning I reached it with medication. I want to keep up a better eating and exercise routine for the next 21 days and see if there is improvement in the reduction of my weight and my pressure. I hope there’s a connection, a way out of here, though honestly high blood pressure runs in my family on my father’s side; not only do I have some of my maternal grandmother’s physical features, and her workaholic temperament, I have her high blood pressure too. Losing weight, just drinking a little red wine at night with a great big splash of seltzer, and using less salt are the modi operandi of the moment. Here goes!