Tackling cholesterol issues

Dustin_02

bump

wftiger

Definitely keep up the regular exercise. Add Omega 3 to your diet. More veggies. Add psylium husk (so spelled that wrong) you can get that in Metamucil.

Those are what I have been doing. Got my HDL up to normal levels pretty quickly.

VMarkV

Fish oil is actually used for just lowering triglycerides. It raises both HDL and LDL

wisebadger53

I had readings of TC 214, HDL 38, LDL was high (I don't remember the exact number). Along with watching my diet (saturated fats and cholesterol), I started doing tons of heavy cardio (mostly treadmill) including running as fast and as long as I could a few times each week. After a little more than 3 months I was tested again. My TC was 164, HDL & LDL were well within the acceptable limits. I did not take fish oil or any other supplements - just diet and exercise.

matthew67899

I just discussed this very thing with my doctor last week:
My total was 183 and my HDL was very similar to yours at 34. LDL = 115 Triglycerides = 171.

My cholesterol was also checked in December of 2010: Total = 179 HDL = 34 LDL = 100 Triglycerides were 225!

***She suggested adding fish oil capsules and trying to include more fiber in my diet to help raise my good cholesterol. Also, getting more exercise on a regular basis is important to bump that number up too.***

Getting my weight in check (I've lost 20 pounds since November) has been the biggest factor in the triglycerides lowering as much as they have so the low HDL was her focus this time around.

Jezebel9

Got my cholesterol results back. Not pretty reading...

Any advice would be welcome.

Raw garlic (reduces cholesterol)
Cinnamon (reduces bad cholesterol, does nothing to good cholesterol) I drink Bengal Spice Te- no caffeine- good cinnamon, no sugar.

sipseyab

I dropped my total cholesterol 88 point in three months. I did this by committing to a vegan diet for that amount of time. It took some work - I had to re-stock my kitchen with vegan food, but it was totally worth it for me. It got me in the habit of clean eating. I have added fish, egg whites, and a small amount of dairy back into my diet. So far, so good! What really motivated me to do it without meds was the three day period I took them. I felt horrible.,

bazfitness

Thanks once again for all the helpful replies. I appreciate them - great community here as always

I'll try that psylium husk. Some of the suggestions I'm already doing. I really like garlic - so no problem in making sure I have more of that. I also am taking fish oils already - twice a day for past 2 months. Helped a lot with some joint issues.

Exercise wise: I do karate 2 nights a week - I started just over 2 months ago. I get quite an intensive workout at Karate. At home I do callisthenic type exercises. I do some exercise almost everyday. Usually for at least an hour. I'm not using weights, just using my own body to try to build strength and flexibility. I enjoy the exercise I do, but I'll look back over the suggestions here and see what I can fit in, maybe I'll get some dumbells/barbells together and do some more full on strength training or possibly some HIIT.

In regards to cutting carbs and 'wheat belly' - I'm guessing that book is anti-wheat. I haven't looked at it yet, but if it is I won't take much convincing . I've already removed all bread from my diet - felt it was bloating, empty calories. Also some of my family are coeliacs (I'm not but possibly have an intolerance to wheat). I haven't ditched pasta yet but I might do, if I did that, that would be me wheat free afaik.

I'm also seriously thinking of quitting alcohol.. afaik alcohol beyond a glass or so of red wine isn't good for cholesterol. My liver results weren't that good in the tests I had done also, so that's another reason for me to quit.

I'm defo going to look to increase my fibre intake also.

hopefully if I put together a good sensible all round plan to tackle this I can come back here in a few months time with a good improvement.