Cholesterol Jumped with Keto! Thoughts?
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txkajun263
Posts: 54 Member
Hi, just joined the group. I'm happy to delete this after getting a response so the group isn't unnecessarily clogged up.
Is there a way to do a key word search ONLY within this group? I don't want to pull in posts from 20 other groups.
Thank you.
Is there a way to do a key word search ONLY within this group? I don't want to pull in posts from 20 other groups.
Thank you.
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Replies
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Sadly there isn't. We've been after the site to fix this for years.They said they were looking into it in Feb but we still haven't heard back.
There is supposed to be a feature in Chrome that you can use Google to search a website. I've tested it on the groups and it doesn't work.
What can we answer for you?0 -
Thanks, Baconslave. I wonder if other folks saw a jump in their cholesterol when they started Keto, and how they balance watching out for that with maintaining the proper fat/protein/carb ratios.
I started Keto last Sept, and have lost nearly 60 lbs. I had labs done for the first time since I started Keto about a week ago. I am on meds for cholesterol and high blood pressure. My blood pressure has improved so much that my doc cut my dosage in half, with the expectation that we'll probably eliminate it in the near future. But when my labs came back my cholesterol jumped over 50 points, so I am no longer below 200.
I am starting to evaluate my food even closer, and starting to move closer to stricter keto. I had been doing a little bit of 'dirty' keto. The concern is that the foods super low or no cholesterol, of course, tend to be higher in carbs than animal fat and protein.
Apologies for all the words, but that's it in a nutshell. I really want to get off the cholesterol meds, but don't want to lose the momentum. I still have a ways to go to meet my goal weight.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read.
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Which part of the cholesterol jumped?
Ok. So based on conversations I've had with hundreds of folks over the time I've been low-carb (which is about 6 years now) is that it not uncommon for cholesterol to jump temporarily due to fat stores being mobilized and this can continue for awhile if you have a lot to lose, but it will settle down. HDL going up is good. HDL is the good cholesterol. Trigs are the very worst. And with LDL, it depends on the particle density. On keto and low-carb diets, LDL particles tend to be more fluffy (less dense) and this keeps them from being the kind to mess with our artery health. They do have tests for that, but I don't know that I'd worry about it that much.
So unless your trigs go super bananas, I'd hang in there and see what your cholesterol does over the next 6 months to a year. Many studies are showing that the Trig to HDL ratio is the one that is the better indicator of cardiovascular health.
HTH.
Anyone else with other insights or personal experience please chime in. Thx.1 -
I wish I could change the topic line because I doubt anyone else is even reading this. But I appreciate your insight!
I need to double check the Trig, but for sure the 'bad' increased and the 'good' decreased.0 -
txkajun263 wrote: »I wish I could change the topic line because I doubt anyone else is even reading this. But I appreciate your insight!
I need to double check the Trig, but for sure the 'bad' increased and the 'good' decreased.
I'll fix it.0 -
Thank you!0
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txkajun263 wrote: »
I am starting to evaluate my food even closer, and starting to move closer to stricter keto. I had been doing a little bit of 'dirty' keto. The concern is that the foods super low or no cholesterol, of course, tend to be higher in carbs than animal fat and protein.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read.
So when you say dirty keto, what was the dirty aspect? What non keto stuff were you eating?
Could that have been preventing from consistently staying in keto hence the heightened cholesterol?
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Hi, AquaticQuests, thanks for the reply. - Maybe I used the term incorrectly, however by dirty I mean eating some processed foods like hard salami and sausage, rather than only 'clean' meats that aren't processed at all. Also, I have been eating some other processed foods that are low carb, like Mission Carb Balance Tortillas.
I am unaware of a correlation between staying in ketosis and processed meats, however staying in ketosis is not my problem. I eat less than 19 net carbs a day. It's finding a good balance between managing to eat low carb without having a high cholesterol intake as well.1 -
Yeah, "dirty keto" is only a thing if you're a person who has decided you want to swear off processed foods. Now to be fair, "dirty" processed foods often have sneak-carbs in there. But if you can fit those carbs in and stay under (which you are doing), and if they keep you compliant, then there's nothing wrong with supplementing your diet with them. And a few processed foods aren't the culprit with raised cholesterol. It's fat mobilization during weightloss.1
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Can you post your numbers?
Also, my LDL did increase (from 99 to 178) under keto but my doctor wasn't concerned based on my other factors. It did improve once i cleaned up my keto diet. I reduced keto friendly foods (protein bars, treats), increased my veggies (especially avocado) and low gi berries, and replaced full fat with low fat dairy. Also, i never added *kitten* tons of creams to things. Honestly, the issue i have with some keto diets is the overemphasis of creams and unnecessary fats. The purpose of keto is to satiate you to use your body fat as fuel which won't happen is you are gorging yourself with butters, creams, and keto treats. Also, people under emphasize protein on the diet which is stupid because protein is the most valuable nutrient during weight loss.3 -
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txkajun263 wrote: »
What about fasting glucose?
Overall that is pretty good. You should keep in mind weight loss can effect results.0 -
What about fasting glucose? Overall that is pretty good. You should keep in mind weight loss can effect results.
My glucose was 96. My last labs were two years ago, and it was 111 then. Also, even though some of my lipid profile increased, my Trig dropped 17 points from those last labs.
And, since I started Keto in Sep 2020 I have lost just under 60 lbs.1 -
txkajun263 wrote: »What about fasting glucose? Overall that is pretty good. You should keep in mind weight loss can effect results.
My glucose was 96. My last labs were two years ago, and it was 111 then. Also, even though some of my lipid profile increased, my Trig dropped 17 points from those last labs.
And, since I started Keto in Sep 2020 I have lost just under 60 lbs.
Overall that doesn't appear to be too bad. If you want, try to increase fiber and replace saturated fats with unsaturated sources. Add things like chia seeds, avocado, fish/seafood, focusing on leaner cuts, and incorporating fresh berries could help. When i did this, i saw a 30 point improvement in my LDL, even while maintaining keto.
What kind of exercise do you do?0 -
Overall that doesn't appear to be too bad. If you want, try to increase fiber and replace saturated fats with unsaturated sources. Add things like chia seeds, avocado, fish/seafood, focusing on leaner cuts, and incorporating fresh berries could help. When i did this, i saw a 30 point improvement in my LDL, even while maintaining keto.
What kind of exercise do you do?
Yep! I have started to make some changes since I just got the new labs. Am adding more avocado, and moving from processed meats like hard salami. I admit I am struggling a bit adjusting because it seems that nearly everything low carb is higher in cholesterol (from an animal protein perspective) and everything zero cholesterol is higher in carbs. At least, cumulatively, if I were to try and eat nearly no animal products. It's something I have to figure out and experiment with, just like when I first started Keto in Sept.
I get basically zero exercise, which I know is also an issue. I sit at my desk all day, I work from home so I'm not even walking from my car in the parking lot to my desk at work.1 -
One point to remember is that the foods with cholesterol in them (eggs, etc.) actually do not lead directly to higher cholesterol in the body. Here is an explanation on youtube that might help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giD_S2mr7Iw&ab_channel=ThomasDeLauerThomasDeLauerVerified
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quAhVjHO75s&ab_channel=ThomasDeLauer
Did you know that you can affect your cholesterol blood test by eating a lot of calories for the 3 days ahead of your blood draw? If you have time, read through this blog about how to do that! I have done it for the past 5 years of lc eating to avoid getting flagged on my health checkups
https://cholesterolcode.com/extreme-cholesterol-drop-experiment/#
I have a checkup on Tuesday, so will be eating lots of calories this weekend before fasting from 12 hours before the blood draw.1
