A Wake-up Kick to my big ol' rear

StartingOver

I found out a few days ago that my ldl cholesterol levels are dangerously high.

I don't want to die, so I'm turning over a new leaf (a lot of them, actually... I started substituting salads for all my favorite fried foods :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: )

I had an epiphany -- if I eat things that are GOOD for me, I might not feel like crap all the time! :laugh:

Anyone else dealing with high cholesterol that have any suggestions/recipes/words of advice?

I've stopped eating red meat altogether until I put together a comprehensive game plan. The last 2 nights in a row I've had nightmares about having heart attacks. I'm just a little overwhelmed. They say you eat an elephant one bite at a time, and I think I've eaten 3 or 4 in my day, but where to start? The trunk or the tail?

iplayoutside19

While I don't have any major health problems now I was heading quickly toward them.

Yes, when you eat right and excersise you feel better almost instantly. While I still have a ways to go to get to my goal weight, just knowing that I have educated myself, and have this thing under control now makes me feel a lot better and a lot more optimistic about the future.

JimmyR

Google aTP III guidelines to help determine your cholesterol goals (NIH site is good). Try a healthy diet for a couple of months and recheck your lipids. If not good, talk to your doctor about statin drugs to help meet your goals if the ATP guidelines say med treatment is needed. Although you can certainly affect your cholesterol through dietary modification, much of your cholesterol level is genetically determined so even with a healthy diet, medication is sometimes needed. A lot of the "statin" drugs are now generic, so can be quite affordable and effective.

arewethereyet

I have lowered my cholesterol by 100 points with diet and exercise. For a while the doc had me on Red Rice Yeast tablets.....the Chinese put it in their food!

You are smart taking care of this while you are young. Good for you!:drinker:

Rosebud1956

I know how you feel, my cholestrol was up in July when I went in for a physical. My doctor had me lower my fat intake. This has helped me. But I still worry about what I should eat and what I should not. He told me to ride a bicycle, walk or swim, also told me to start taking centrum vitamins. He said they were the best just plain old centrum.

BrendaLee

I had an epiphany -- if I eat things that are GOOD for me, I might not feel like crap all the time! :laugh:

I can guarantee this is true. For the past few months I've been eating so good, and my body got used to that, and I was feeling better. For the past couple of DAYS I've been eating like crap, and now I feel like crap. Lesson learned.

I don't know if Omega 3's lower bad cholesterol (possibly), but they do raise the good cholesterol and lower triglycerides.

"High cholesterol

Those who follow a Mediterranean-style diet tend to have higher high density lipoprotein (HDL or "good" )cholesterol levels. Similar to those who follow a Mediterranean diet, Inuit Eskimos, who consume high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish, also tend to have increased HDL cholesterol and decreased triglycerides (fatty material that circulates in the blood). In addition, fish oil supplements containing eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been reported in several large clinical studies to reduce low density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Finally, walnuts (which are rich in alpha linolenic acid or ALA) have been reported to lower total cholesterol and triglycerides in individuals with high cholesterol levels."

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm#

StartingOver

Thanks for the responses! I'm glad I'm not alone in this.

I've taken some time over the last couple hours to regroup and do some research. The things that I do know are that my famiily has a history of high cholesterol/high blood pressure. Both of my paternal grandparents died from heart disease, and my dad is on medication right now for the same thing. Scary stuff, coming to terms with your own mortality.

I popped over to the pharmacy and picked up some vitamins that I"m going to add to my daily multivitamin. Garlic, Omega-3 fish oil, Niacin, and Co Q-10.

Foodwise, I'm just going to do my best to steer clear of all the foods that I know that have high levels of cholesterol, like whole milk, cheese, beef, egg yolks, and organ meats (bye bye, livermush!). I bought lots of oatmeal today, and soy milk to replace my full-fat dairy addiction. I also bought some meatless dinner options.

It feels a little like overkill to me, but to be honest, those blood test results shook me up a little. I have mitral valve prolapse (not dangerous but a little uncomfortable), and every time I feel the 'whoosh' of the blood flowing backwards, I think about my heart and how hard it has to work now that I'm overweight and unhealthy.

I have to do this.