high cholesterol

MouseFood
MouseFood Posts: 169 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi there. I have high cholesterol. It's a thing. I'm 32.

The main reason is because I have an eating disorder. I'm a vegetarian and my good cholesterol is very high too, which is awesome, but my bad cholesterol is too high.

SOOOOO I know exactly what is causing this. Chocolate. Chips. Cookies. Brownies. Ice cream.

What got me to the doctor were the yellow spots under my eyes. I'm vane, yes, and I want them to go.

I've been on cholesterol meds for about 3 months now and I don't think it's really done any good.

WHY?

Because I still have an eating disorder.

I know exactly what to do. But I don't' do it.

What I'd like to know is, are there others out there who are in my situation and can you offer any tips or encouragement?

Please no 'just have will power' posts ... that is so not helpful.

Replies

  • MouseFood
    MouseFood Posts: 169 Member
    seriously? no one has this problem ...
  • Roaringgael
    Roaringgael Posts: 339 Member
    I would have thought that the medication would work regardless of what you ate.
    Infact I know that that is usually the case. I'm a nurse and my husband has extremely high cholesterol when untreated and he takes his meds and eats all kinds of rubbish - he's not interested in a healthy way of eating, and his cholesterol is within normal limits now.He is also quite overweight. He is on a very high dose.
    Get your medication increased.
    If you are bulimic you probably aren't absorbing the tablets. I haven't got any useful info in that regard.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    What is high cholesterol for you and what are your ratios? Have you had it checked since starting the medication? What were your numbers? In the 80's the total number was considered high if >220, in the mid 90's >190 what changed during this time? The greater number of people taking meds. Are meds needed? For some, yes. But the ratios of the numbers are greater indicators of health then the overall number. So, what are your numbers and ratios? If you do not knw what the ratios are or were it is relatively difficult to determine the overall 'need' for the medication.
  • hermann341
    hermann341 Posts: 443 Member
    I do not have the same problem, but what has worked for me to lower my overall cholesterol is a low carb diet. I dropped my cholesterol from over 400 to about 180 on the Atkins diet. My good cholesterol has always been good (>50) regardless of where my total is, but low carb definitely worked. I know low carb will be tough as a vegetarian, but it should be possible to increase your protein.
  • MouseFood
    MouseFood Posts: 169 Member
    I'm not bulimic, I have binge eating disorder. Everything I consume stays in me ... erm, til I poop

    I have not had it checked again but I'm guessing it hasn't budged because the yellow spots under my eyes have not gotten smaller at all and the doctor told me that they would :( I know it's the least of my worries, but it makes me feel so ugly and no makeup will cover them.

    I'm not sure what the equivalent is as here in UK they measure differently, but I was told I think that mine was about a 5.5 or 6?? I think?? My doctor said his is higher and is is a 7.
  • MouseFood
    MouseFood Posts: 169 Member
    oh, and I am wondering if they haven't put me on a high enough dose.
  • lawkat
    lawkat Posts: 538 Member
    Have you sought counseling? If you know you have a problem, maybe it would be best to talk to someone about it to get it under control. If you don't want therapy, then maybe what you should first do is figure out why you binge. You know you do it, but why. It is due to stress, does something trigger it?

    Do you work out at all or just sit and eat? Do eat any healthy foods? Is it possible for you to not go to the store and buy the foods, so you aren't possessed to eat them? If you don't have them in the house, you might not be tempted to eat them. If you always stop off at the store to buy them, then try to change that habit by going shopping once a week and buy only what you need.

    Medication is fine, but you really have to be much more proactive to lower your cholesterol. Your cholesterol might also be genetic. My mother has naturally high cholesterol and it doesn't matter how much she takes,, it will always be high.

    Unfortunately, there is no easy answer and really only you can help yourself.
  • MouseFood
    MouseFood Posts: 169 Member
    I've had an eating disorder for at least 20 years. I have thought and read a lot about it, and I do know most of why I do it.

    I've had some therapy and I've gone to some meetings.

    It's really not a question of not knowing what to do ... it's an addiction and sometimes it's just terribly hard to break out of that cycle.

    Anyway, yes I know it requires a lot more than just taking the medicine which is why I'm asking for tips. :)

    I'm trying to start exercising again. I lost a lot of weight just walking about 8 years ago. Depression, anxiety and eating disorder made it all come back So anyway, I'm getting my husband to encourage me to walk more. We went for a 50-minute walk yesterday and one today. :) It's a good start.
  • lawkat
    lawkat Posts: 538 Member
    It's a good start but you really should get to therapy. It does work and it will help you with your binges. unfortunately it takes time and also a willingness to try and cure it. It sounds like you don't want to work on ending the binging but just deal with it and hope that medication works. You also might need other medication to help with your depression and anxiety. I understand change is hard but it can be done. I am in therapy to deal with a number of issues and it takes time. I still struggle with some things, but overall, I am 1000 times better for it.

    You didn't answer the question whether or not you can avoid buying those foods that you binge on. If you husband supports you, he will understand that you can't have particular foods in the house. Also, he should be encouraging you to get to therapy.

    Pretty much the only answer to lowering your cholesterol is by working hard at watching what you eat and getting some exercise in. There isn't much else anyone can probably say on the matter.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I lost 60 pounds and changed my diet to fit my calories and my cholesterol went down.
  • gelendestrasse
    gelendestrasse Posts: 204
    I have a different eating disorder and high cholesterol. Eating disorders are like losing weight, it's tough to manage 100% of the time without help or support. Relying on the meds ins't a great thing because they affect your liver. Perhaps if you can start a habit of "eat the wrong thing, force yourself to work out hard" that would help? Not as punishment but as a reaction to the food that will reduce the impact of having acted out. But hey, I'm an engineer so you have to remember what free advice is worth. It does work for me though. Good luck!
  • Unknown
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  • swalberg0625
    swalberg0625 Posts: 98 Member
    SOOOOO I know exactly what is causing this. Chocolate. Chips. Cookies. Brownies. Ice cream.

    Get these items out of the home. You know you have a binge eating problem and if these items aren't in the house, you are less likely to drive and go get them. It seems you have a sweet tooth (Me too!). Find lower cholesterol snacks that are still sweet.
    *Natural Popcorn
    *Dark Chocolate w/ berries
    *Fruit Smoothies
    *Fruit w/ nut spreads
    *Greek Yogurt
    *(More Natural) Granola bars
    ex: Clif Bars, Lara Bars, Kind Bars

    Hope this is a bit helpful
  • AtmaKing
    AtmaKing Posts: 145 Member
    SOOOOO I know exactly what is causing this. Chocolate. Chips. Cookies. Brownies. Ice cream.

    Get these items out of the home. You know you have a binge eating problem and if these items aren't in the house, you are less likely to drive and go get them. It seems you have a sweet tooth (Me too!). Find lower cholesterol snacks that are still sweet.
    *Natural Popcorn
    *Dark Chocolate w/ berries
    *Fruit Smoothies
    *Fruit w/ nut spreads
    *Greek Yogurt
    *(More Natural) Granola bars
    ex: Clif Bars, Lara Bars, Kind Bars

    Hope this is a bit helpful

    ^^^^This

    Your eating disorder isnt that you cant remove stuff from your body.
    Its you eat junk. Clean up your eating habits and your body will fix itself.

    *Note I didnt read all the comments, I scanned quickly*
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,743 Member
    Ok, I'm gonna go a different way.

    I eat a lot of crap foods and that will never change. Two cholesterol tests ago, my bad cholesterol and triglycerides were a bit too high for my liking even tho the ratio was still good so I decided to test a theory on myself. I had read on another board that people's high cholesterol went down when they started eating eggs.

    So I did. Either two eggs or, to save on calories, an egg and a couple tablespoons of egg whites every day. This was the only change I made. I couldn't exercise more or else I'd have to quit my job! :smile: But, after 7 months, my bad cholesterol went down 7 points and my triglycerides went down 2 points.

    Soooooooooooooooooooo are you actually eating any foods with cholesterol?

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