Look what fast food & ice cream have done to my cholesterol
jonnythan
Posts: 10,161 Member
Saw the doc yesterday for a physical and had a lipid panel done.
My first cholesterol results were from 2006, which was a few months after I lost 45 pounds doing mainly cardio and very large calorie deficits. I had gone from 205 to 160 lbs.
Total = 230
LDL = 171
HDL = 42
HDL/total ratio = 5.75
Had another panel done in 2008, after a couple years of more or less maintaining with relatively low levels of activity. I was 165 lbs then.
Total = 204
LDL = 141
HDL = 46
HDL/Total ratio = 4.43
Again in 2011, which was about 8 months after I started lifting (just as I was starting my first bulk). I was 160 lbs here. I hurt my back a few months after this and took about 18 months off lifting to fully recover.
Total = 213
LDL = 140
HDL = 59
HDL/Total ratio: 3.62
Today's results, which come after 5 months of lifting and going from 165 lbs to 148:
Total = 188
LDL = 104
HDL = 68
HDL/Total ratio: 2.69
My triglycerides have always been pretty low.
So those of you who have seen my posts (and ticker) know that I eat a lot of food that's not "clean." I go to McDonald's, Taco Bell, Subway, IHOP, etc, many times a week. I have ice cream almost every day. I eat a lot of frozen meals. Yet despite all this, my cholesterol has gone from pretty bad to ideal. Having a total cholesterol of 230 at 24 years old was not a good sign.
There's no secret or magic to this. I lift weights, I find fun ways to be active outside [I never 'do cardio' and I hate running], and I hit appropriate macro goals. That's all there is to it. I haven't filled my diet with "health foods" or "clean" food, I haven't even remotely cut out processed food. I haven't avoided sugar; in fact, I eat a ton of it. I average over 60 grams a day, I think. I haven't cut my sodium to low levels; I average around 4000 mg a day (and my blood pressure yesterday was 108/62).
I get 130+ grams of protein a day, 50+ grams of fat a day, 25+ grams of fiber a day, eat a few servings of veggies and fruits every day, and I exercise. That's it. This stuff isn't rocket science, and if your 'diet' forbids certain foods then you're doing it wrong (unless of course you have an actual medical condition such as celiac disease or hypertension).
I'm going to post this picture again. I'm thin and have a spare tire, but I'm improving every day. Behold the power of eating foods you enjoy.
My first cholesterol results were from 2006, which was a few months after I lost 45 pounds doing mainly cardio and very large calorie deficits. I had gone from 205 to 160 lbs.
Total = 230
LDL = 171
HDL = 42
HDL/total ratio = 5.75
Had another panel done in 2008, after a couple years of more or less maintaining with relatively low levels of activity. I was 165 lbs then.
Total = 204
LDL = 141
HDL = 46
HDL/Total ratio = 4.43
Again in 2011, which was about 8 months after I started lifting (just as I was starting my first bulk). I was 160 lbs here. I hurt my back a few months after this and took about 18 months off lifting to fully recover.
Total = 213
LDL = 140
HDL = 59
HDL/Total ratio: 3.62
Today's results, which come after 5 months of lifting and going from 165 lbs to 148:
Total = 188
LDL = 104
HDL = 68
HDL/Total ratio: 2.69
My triglycerides have always been pretty low.
So those of you who have seen my posts (and ticker) know that I eat a lot of food that's not "clean." I go to McDonald's, Taco Bell, Subway, IHOP, etc, many times a week. I have ice cream almost every day. I eat a lot of frozen meals. Yet despite all this, my cholesterol has gone from pretty bad to ideal. Having a total cholesterol of 230 at 24 years old was not a good sign.
There's no secret or magic to this. I lift weights, I find fun ways to be active outside [I never 'do cardio' and I hate running], and I hit appropriate macro goals. That's all there is to it. I haven't filled my diet with "health foods" or "clean" food, I haven't even remotely cut out processed food. I haven't avoided sugar; in fact, I eat a ton of it. I average over 60 grams a day, I think. I haven't cut my sodium to low levels; I average around 4000 mg a day (and my blood pressure yesterday was 108/62).
I get 130+ grams of protein a day, 50+ grams of fat a day, 25+ grams of fiber a day, eat a few servings of veggies and fruits every day, and I exercise. That's it. This stuff isn't rocket science, and if your 'diet' forbids certain foods then you're doing it wrong (unless of course you have an actual medical condition such as celiac disease or hypertension).
I'm going to post this picture again. I'm thin and have a spare tire, but I'm improving every day. Behold the power of eating foods you enjoy.
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Replies
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I approve of this message.
In 4 "clean food" zealots.0 -
Well done, sir. Eat all the foods!0
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Awesome work, Jon. I am not kidding even a little bit when I say that you are the reason I took the "clean food" stick out of my *kitten* and started eating things I like.0
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:drinker: 0 -
1.Excellent results
2.You don't have a spare tire.
3.I really wish I would get my cholesterol checked but I'm scared of needles
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bravo!
(and can I just say... lose the towel? lol)
awesome work and ignore the haters0 -
This is awesome! Congratulations!0
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YES! Love this. Thanks OP. And you don't have a spare tire! Lookin' real good!
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You look hot. I don't see a spare tire either.
And I agree with you!0 -
Rock on buddy!0
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Nice work!!! I also like to highlight that in posts like these it took several years for this to happen. Many people seem to come on here and want a 90 day or less quick fix.
Man you must have really hurt your back pretty bad to be out lifting 18 months? OUCH! Glad you are feeling better and the lifting seems to be giving you even better results than just hitting macro and calorie goals alone. Look at that huge jump from the last 160 to 148 and the cholesterol drop from when you were seriously lifting again. Wow!0 -
Love this!
OP, I don't see any spare tires. You look great! And I must admit, my heart skips a beat every time I see your ticker in the forum. 0 -
Fantastic results with your blood work and your body composition! You look great! :drinker:0
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Love it!! I am not a clean eater, so I doubly approve.0
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Hell. Yes!0
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In for the awesomeness that is this thread! Fast food does a body good :drinker:0
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Awesome! I follow a similar approach to dieting. Not much fast food though, and I eat plenty of fruit/veggies, but also nightly ice cream (or some form of treat) and a glass of wine. I get my lipids checked yearly. Next check is August, but last year was
Total - 186
HDL - 89
LDL - 860 -
bravo!
(and can I just say... lose the towel? lol)
awesome work and ignore the haters
Yes! This ..... especially the towel Looking good!!!! 0 -
Wow this is great.....:) good job.....0
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ETA: Please excuse the cursing but its the only word that really works 0 -
Excellent progress! Thank for sharing and continuing the fight for people to use logic and critical thinking skills!
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Great job! You look amazing! I'm another one who won't give up all "bad" foods. It's taken me years to lose the weight that I gained from meds, but I know I'll be able to maintain and continue to improve moreso than had I lost it faster with a really restrictive diet.0
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You look amazing! I also won't give up my "bad" food. I LOVE me some ice cream!0
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I think it's all about what works for you. I personally am incapable of controlling myself around fast food and ice cream, and eating a little bit leads to bingeing. My body also doesn't react well to those kinds of food; my skin breaks out, I sometimes feel physically ill, and I don't have enough energy or strength for my morning workouts after eating food like that. Clean eating really is necessary for some of us!
However, I figured that out for myself with trial and error, and I still like to indulge in the things I can manage in moderation (homemade pie...mmm....). It's completely individual, and more power to you for realizing that you didn't need to limit the food you eat to get results that make you happy!0 -
Congrats on your health improvement. Very nice! But your subject line would be more accurate as "Look what I've been able to prevent fast food & ice cream from doing to my cholesterol"0
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I think it's all about what works for you. I personally am incapable of controlling myself around fast food and ice cream, and eating a little bit leads to bingeing. My body also doesn't react well to those kinds of food; my skin breaks out, I sometimes feel physically ill, and I don't have enough energy or strength for my morning workouts after eating food like that. Clean eating really is necessary for some of us!
However, I figured that out for myself with trial and error, and I still like to indulge in the things I can manage in moderation (homemade pie...mmm....). It's completely individual, and more power to you for realizing that you didn't need to limit the food you eat to get results that make you happy!
^^^ This for me, too. I can't control myself with sweets and junk food, my skin breaks out, and I feel bad. I feel a thousand times better when I don't eat it (sad for me, because I'm a junk food Queen of the first magnitude and love that stuff).
Good for the OP for figuring out what works for you. Congrats for your numbers.
Here's an interesting article about cholesterol (there are other articles on the same topic). It points out that the size of the cholesterol pieces have a lot to do with the damage it causes in your body. Larger pieces pass through, smaller pieces don't.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/15/us/living-longer-and-larger-it-s-in-the-size-of-cholesterol-carrying-molecules.html0 -
Congrats on your health improvement. Very nice! But your subject line would be more accurate as "Look what I've been able to prevent fast food & ice cream from doing to my cholesterol"
That's a BS title that implies fast food and ice cream have some sort of causative effect on cholesterol that other food would not. That's false.
The real story here is that exercise, calorie control, and macronutrient control are what have lowered my cholesterol. The fact that I eat a lot of fast food instead of "clean" food is completely irrelevant. I didn't get fat in the first place because I ate fast food; I got fat because I ate too much food. My cholesterol was bad because I was fat and didn't exercise. My cholesterol is now good because I have low body fat and exercise.0 -
it is about what works for you. Your post is just as bad as clean eaters criticizing junk food eaters. I could not eat like that and have the same results period. I had one weekend of junk food eating while still exercising, and my PT session Monday was still harder than any I had while simple eating, and I had no energy all weekend. So, be comfortable and proud of yourself without being snide and smug. What works for you doesn't mean it should be the norm. And what works for me does not mean it should be the norm.0
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I read this post while enjoying a bowl of triple chocolate peanut butter sundae ice cream. Rock on! I won't give up eating what I like either. I just eat less of it....or at least try to. lol0
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