Battling High Chloresterol

Jenn152

Hey MFPers... do any of you have (or had and fixed it) high chloresterol?

I am finding that even though I am working out consistantly (5-7 times a week) and lost this amount of weight... my overall chloresterol number is going down (210 last year, to 197 this year), but my LDL is too high and my HDL is too low and my ratio is apparently terrible... (we just had our annual health assessment done through work, so i have all this info in front of me)

I am beginning to get concerned that it may just be a problem for me (heart disease runs in my family, both sides, and pretty bad all around). So, if I get to my goal weight and my numbers are still bad, I will need to talk to my doc about getting on some medication for it.

Have any of you fixed a chloresterol problem yourselves?

BeautyFromPain

my mum does as does my grandma and greatgrandma so have pre much come to accept the fact im doomed

xhaller

Hey there! There is a genetic component that you can't always trump BUT YOU CAN do what you can. I'm not saying you have to go vegan or vegetarian but cholesterol only comes from animal products. When you avoid those, you bring your cholesterol down.

"Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, one of the world's most respected nutrition experts, has been able to make patients who were suffering from clogged arteries virtually "heart-attack proof" by putting them on healthy vegetarian diets and getting their cholesterol levels down below 150. The average vegan cholesterol level is about 133, while the average vegetarian cholesterol level is 161. And the average meat-eater's cholesterol level is 210."

Another thing is to eat real fiber. This doesn't mean drinking benefiber and other "solutions." It means eating apples and potatoes with the skin on them and eating slow-cooked oatmeal not the microwave variety.

I've always had decent cholesterol and chalk it up to following most of this stuff. GOOD LUCK!! Hope this doesn't sound too preachy. FOr the record I am not a vegan or a vegetarian. I just don't eat a lot of meat in general.

aliciagetshealthy

Omega 3 and exercise/losing weight will help the raise the good cholesterol. I managed to get into the safe range for my bad cholesterol by eating oatmeal every morning for 6 months, and took (and still take) niacin (flush-free). It is one of my stats that I regularly monitor and am doing much better. The only thing that really throws me over are eggs, so I limit how many days a week I eat them. Hope this helps some :flowerforyou:

dirtbikegirl5

Hi, Jenn:

My cholestrol was high and I got it down by eating right, losing weight and exercising. Mine is also hereditary so the bad number is still higher than it should be. My doctor told me to exercise more to get the good number up.
Since it runs in my family, along with high blood pressure, I have the motivation to get it down.
Good luck. It is a total lifestyle change but you are worth it.

jvan1957

Had the same problem. High LDL low HDL. Several years of medication and dieting didn't fix it. Dr. finally decided it's genetics?
Have been much stricter on program last couple of months and will see the DR on 11-16. See what if anything changed. Add me as friend and I'll let you know.

Jenn152

thanks! great advice. i just dont want to have to be put on meds if i dont absolutely need to be. time to tweak the diet, even more i think :blushing:

johnlms

I've been battling a low HDL for almost three years (22, never able to get it above 30), my LDL was originally around 205 and it seemed to have come down fairly quickly to around 110 due to the medication my doctor prescribed. I've been on Simcor and I think that "helped" the LDL, but recently I hit my 30lb lost mark and that put me about 10lbs away from the top-end of my normal weight range. My latest bloodwork shows my HDL sitting at 40. I was pretty amazed and attribute that more to the weight loss. I'm hoping to talk to my doctor about getting off the meds in January and seeing if things straighten out on their own. If you're not seeing a regular doctor, I would recommend starting there and seeing what help/advice they could provide. Maybe someone else on MFP has some more natural things to try other than what I've had to do. I'm open to ideas in that department myself I just know that the weight loss combined with the medication has helped so far.

Oh, and my family also has a history of heart disease. Good luck!

bcattoes

Are you eating vegetable fats? Nuts, avacado, olive or canola oil all have been shown to lower LDL while raising HDL.

juliapurpletoes

I have family on all sides with high cholesterol levels and they are all on meds. they are also all obese, never exercise and think that medical science is the only answer to problems.

I on the other hand are opposite.....eat right, healthy weight, workout daily and I would rather stay away from a doctors office and handle problems myself. I have fantastic cholesterol levels.

Genetics do control your life somewhat, but I really think that when you put your mind to your goals you can conquer anything!

Best of Luck!

bcattoes

my mum does as does my grandma and greatgrandma so have pre much come to accept the fact im doomed

That's not necessarily true. My mother, father, 2 of my sisters, all 4 grandparents. most of my aunts and uncles all have high cholesteral and LDL in particular. But they don't exercise regularly and they eat a poor diet high in sugar, white breads/pastas and saturated fats. I stopped eating all that stuff years ago and I've made it to 50 without having to add any meds to keep mine in control. I eat whole grains and vegetable fats and limit saturated fats and sugar. I think too often people blame genetics for what is simply a family pattern of unhealthy diet and lifestyle.

Jenn152

I just added more nuts into my diet two weeks ago, but i need to get more. im going to cook more with olive oil (wasnt cooking with any oil before) because i am upping my cals moving forward so i want to add with healthy cals and not crap cals. so ill pour some olive oil with my veggies at night now

thanks for sharing what you did with your doc john, i see my doc every year and she has been on me to get my chloresterol in check with diet and weight loss for the last 3 years... well, i have the weightloss thing under control (working on my last 20 lbs now) but i need to add in the food that will help chloresterol specifically!

This is all very helpful! I MFP!

BeautyFromPain

my mum does as does my grandma and greatgrandma so have pre much come to accept the fact im doomed

That's not necessarily true. My mother, father, 2 of my sisters, all 4 grandparents. most of my aunts and uncles all have high cholesteral and LDL in particular. But they don't exercise regularly and they eat a poor diet high in sugar, white breads/pastas and saturated fats. I stopped eating all that stuff years ago and I've made it to 50 without having to add any meds to keep mine in control. I eat whole grains and vegetable fats and limit saturated fats and sugar. I think too often people blame genetics for what is simply a family pattern of unhealthy diet and lifestyle.

My grandma is one of the healthiest people I know. She goes to the gym 5 days a week and eats VERY clean!

fittocycle

I think it's great that you are interested in lowering your cholesterol. My LDL was borderline high for several years and I went on a statin to lower it. However, I had a lot of muscle fatigue and aches from the medication so I decided to work harder on my diet and exercise. I am happy to say that it did indeed go down enough to make my doctor happy! I do have a strong family history of high cholesterol as well but have always tried to prove that diet and exercise can make a difference!

Here's what worked for me-
Fish oil supplements twice a day-a good quality one, such as what you would find at a health food store
Ground flax seed in my oatmeal each day. The oatmeal is the old-fashioned, cook on the stove type too.
Adding a small amount of walnuts or almonds to my diet 5-6 times a week.
Cutting out sugar and processed foods.
Working out at least 5 days a week and at a challenging intensity most of those days.
Yoga three times a week
Lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains and fish. Very little red meat. If I do eat red meat, I try to eat grass fed.
Drinking almond milk instead of regular milk
Adding a tsp. of cinnamon to my oatmeal.

These are some of the things that worked for me. I'm sure others will have lots of great ideas too!

Jenn152

oh thanks! this is excellent info. i have risk on both sides of the fam, and my fathers parents both had heart attacks, and my dad battled heart disease his entire adult life (first heart attack at 32, had 6 more before he died at age 54). but even my mothers side has strong history. so i really want to get it under control without being on meds.

so i will look into these supplements. i take fish oil now (i was taking one pill a day, i started taking 2 a day this week) but i will pick up red yeast rice and flaxseed oil this weekend.

i eat lots of fruits and veggies, but i can always eat more. thanks again everyone for the suggestions