Help Understanding my Bloodwork . . .

SKArunner

I am a bit confused with my blood work. I have been on a low carb diet for 2 months now and the last month I have been really strict and kept my net carbs, in general, below 50g. My over cholesterol went up from 159 to 202, which I should not really be worried because it is borderline, but it still went up. It is higher because my HDL went up from 36 to 55, which is good, but my LDL also went up from 107 to 127, which I would not have predicted. Now individually, I think they are both okay, but together my over all cholesterol is high.

Is it because I am in transition and only 30 days in? Should it take longer for my LDL to go down? What have you guys experienced?





I also was confused by my glucose level. I assumed they would have gone down, but went up???



Thanks . . .

LauraDotts

If I'm reading your chart correctly the first readings were taken nearly 2 years ago. Therefore, you really don't know how high your readings were when you started 2 months ago. Consider your current reading as your starting line. See where you are 3 months from now.

Your fasting blood glucose reading of 100 isn't really that much different than 92. Blood glucose levels change constantly. An A1c level would have told you more.

wfte

Agreed with the above. Your levels may have gone above what your recent results show since your 1st tests. They could have dropped since being low carb but just not to the levels of the early test.

SKArunner

Yea, it was almost 2 years ago, that is a good point. Honestly, I did my math wrong in my head thinking it was less than a year; I was more focused on the results. With that said, I was at my worst then (which is relative), over 200 pounds and very high blood pressure - they wanted to medicate me. A s of today, I am 148 pounds and still falling.

Bakkasan

99 is the upper limit for my labs and a 100 they call prediabetes or metabolic syndrome.

My LDL took a few months before I got real results - 6 months in my TRI were 63 and ldl 91. Total 122. But that is just my personal experience. Considering I am still a good 50lb overweight, I cannot complain.

SKArunner

I just got a phone call from my doctor and he said I was "normal" . . . I generally do not accept what my doctor says, he is a good guy and all, and end up researching myself. So 100 seemed a bit high for me, lets see in 3 months or so. I wonder what is was 6 months or a year ago.

shimmergal

bump!

CmeATtheGym

Start tracking your daily cholesterol intake. When I went low carb, I started eating a whole egg everyday and more lean meat, skipping whole grains and oatmeal (fiber). My LDL levels skyrocketed. 300mg is the daily allowance recommended for heart healthy people. Well one extra large egg yolk (210mg) and just 6ozs of chicken (130mg) puts you right over that amount. That is not counting any dairy and everything else you would eat in a day. My diet also removed healthy doses of fiber which keeps the cholesterol levels down. I am keeping my daily allotment at 200mg most days and adding powdered fiber in my drinks and a huge salad. I will be retested in 2 months. My LDL level is 130 and my doctor placed me on a low dose statin until next checkup. All my other labs are fantastic and greatly improved since I changed my diet. My total Cholesterol level was just 200. 1 point over normal range( 199) for my testing Lab

ADD ME!

SKArunner

Yea, I haven't really been limiting my cholesterol. Looking over my data . . . it is all over the place from 50's to well over 750 per day. I set my goal to 300, but I do not know where I got that number and I have been ignoring it anyways. Somewhere I read, overheard, or made-up that I should not worry cholesterol. Logically, I knew it was not true, but just ate away.

Hmmm . . .