Look what fast food & ice cream have done to my cholesterol

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  • professorRAT
    professorRAT Posts: 690 Member
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    In for the ice cream!

    Nice work my ice cream loving friend. :flowerforyou: :smile: ::flowerforyou: [Pretend the flowers are bowls of your favorite gelato.]
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    I'm all for eating food you enjoy but I wouldn't choose fast food as my main source of nutrients. I think it's amazing how you have transformed your body but I would be interested to see what your bloods looked like after 20 or 30 years of living off junk.... I'm not saying I know, I would just be interested to find out.

    Well I've been eating fast food regularly for 30 years. Growing up in the south, dinner was almost always fried something or other and loaded with butter. Breakfast every day was either cinnamon rolls, sugary cereal, or biscuits loaded with butter.

    I've had regular CBC, CMP, and lipid panels done in 06, 08, 11, and 13 and everything besides cholesterol has been completely normal. All health markers are now optimal.

    I'll keep posting the panel results as long as I'm on MFP.

    I'm actually curious what components of the fast food, or my overall diet, are the components you think will cause ill health in the future.
  • fitacct
    fitacct Posts: 241 Member
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    Even though I'm old enough to be your mother (I have a 26-year-old son), your story and mine are similar. Two years ago next month, I had an Executive Panel done during a routine doctor's visit. I received a call the next week that my triglyceride level was above normal and my cholesterol was elevated. I had never had problems with either before...BUT, I was also 30 pounds overweight and not exercising. The doctor suggested I try bringing those numbers down with an adjusted meal plan and exercise. My family doc, however, wanted to immediately start me on statin drugs. NO WAY! He agreed to my idea of trying the other doc's suggestion for three months. I joined MFP the very next day and, well, the rest is history, as they say. Within three months time, with watching what I ate and regular exercise, both my triglyceride and cholesterol levels were normal...and, I was losing weight. I ate what I wanted, within moderation, but kept a close watch of my fat and cholesterol levels here on MFP (such an invaluable tool!). Subsequent testing last year showed both levels still normal. I go for another Executive Panel next month.

    I have not given up the foods I like, I just eat in moderation now and exercise almost daily. I cook dinner during the week, but my husband and I eat out about three times Friday - Sunday, with a couple of those meals often being fast food. I eat low-fat, slow-churned ice-cream (Edy's is GREAT) as a treat and have a piece of dark chocolate almost daily. My lunches are, more often than not, a Lean Cuisine meal rounded out with a veggie or salad and a serving or two of fruit. I eat fruit with my breakfast and at dinner time, too. Chips are not off limits, I just count what I eat....same as everything else. MODERATION, is the key. To deny oneself of foods you like is a sure recipe for failure, in my opinion.

    Congrats on your progress and thanks for sharing your story. Best wishes!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    I'm actually curious what components of the fast food, or my overall diet, are the components you think will cause ill health in the future.
    Just one Jon..................................don't go through the drive thru..........................this "component" of sitting behind a car blowing carbon monoxide into yours will kill you.:laugh:

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • DVaughan1975
    DVaughan1975 Posts: 158 Member
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    Um.....where is this spare tire you speak of? Are you hiding it in your toe? Behind your ear perhaps?
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
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    John, congrats on the sustained weight loss and clean bill of health. Was reading recently that as people eat in caloric excess and convert glucose from carb intake into saturated fat that it is the main cause of blood lipids being out of line which is what is causing massive heart disease. So it would seem that caloric and carb intake is a primary driver of blood lipids which is why fat people have high cholesterol even if they have a low fat diet. Your results would indicate that by being in long term caloric deficient and turning off the carb to fat mechanism yields proper blood lipid profiles. Wondering how you determined to go low fat versus low carb in setting your macros? I've recent converted over to high fat low carb.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    John, congrats on the sustained weight loss and clean bill of health. Was reading recently that as people eat in caloric excess and convert glucose from carb intake into saturated fat that it is the main cause of blood lipids being out of line which is what is causing massive heart disease. So it would seem that caloric and carb intake is a primary driver of blood lipids which is why fat people have high cholesterol even if they have a low fat diet. Your results would indicate that by being in long term caloric deficient and turning off the carb to fat mechanism yields proper blood lipid profiles. Wondering how you determined to go low fat versus low carb in setting your macros? I've recent converted over to high fat low carb.

    Low fat? I didn't think I was going low fat.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Anyway, I set protein intake at 1 gram per lb of LBM. I set fat at around 0.35 times bodyweight in lbs. Then carbs are the rest.
  • Iknewyouweretrouble
    Iknewyouweretrouble Posts: 561 Member
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    clean eating is SUCH a separate issue.
    I'm happy to see I am not the only one who understands the responsibility of two factors in hyperlipidemia: carbohydrates and excess calories.
    note the trifecta: diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia (mediated sometimes by OBESITY)
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
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    Is the fat a lower limit or high limit and is your caloric intake from carbs typically higher or lower than fat?
  • lisamarie1780
    lisamarie1780 Posts: 432 Member
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    I'm all for eating food you enjoy but I wouldn't choose fast food as my main source of nutrients. I think it's amazing how you have transformed your body but I would be interested to see what your bloods looked like after 20 or 30 years of living off junk.... I'm not saying I know, I would just be interested to find out.

    Well I've been eating fast food regularly for 30 years. Growing up in the south, dinner was almost always fried something or other and loaded with butter. Breakfast every day was either cinnamon rolls, sugary cereal, or biscuits loaded with butter.

    I've had regular CBC, CMP, and lipid panels done in 06, 08, 11, and 13 and everything besides cholesterol has been completely normal. All health markers are now optimal.

    I'll keep posting the panel results as long as I'm on MFP.

    I'm actually curious what components of the fast food, or my overall diet, are the components you think will cause ill health in the future.

    I didn't say you WOULD suffer ill health, I was simply saying it would be interesting to see what your internal health was like after a lifetime of fast food ... I don't know, nobody does, I was just raising the point/question in response to your post :smile:

    You're pretty young now, I was just wondering whether this kind of lifestyle will serve you as well as your body gets older, that's all
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    John, congrats on the sustained weight loss and clean bill of health. Was reading recently that as people eat in caloric excess and convert glucose from carb intake into saturated fat that it is the main cause of blood lipids being out of line which is what is causing massive heart disease.

    "people eat in caloric excess and convert glucose from carb intake into saturated fat "??
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Is the fat a lower limit or high limit and is your caloric intake from carbs typically higher or lower than fat?

    I treat protein and fat as minimums. Higher intake is fine.

    Relative intake of carbs versus fat varies, mostly according to how active I am. On days I'm super active and therefore eating a lot more calories, most of the extra usually comes from carbs.

    Looking at a ballpark average by reviewing carb and fat intake reports, I'd say my average calories from fat are around 675 and average calories from carbs 800. Protein is around 560.
  • Chrisinho
    Chrisinho Posts: 18
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    You mean I can eat Pizza and burgers again? Dear Lord the world makes sense again :)
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    <snip>
    The main driver behind demonizing "junk" food is the additives that are added that drive you to want more of said food. <snip>

    *eye roll*
  • 5ftnFun
    5ftnFun Posts: 948 Member
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    This may work now, but long term i doubt. Definitely won't work for females. Eat that way if that's what you like but there are other benefits besides weight to consider of eating clean - more balanced energy levels, less temptation/urge to binge, better hair, skin and nails,, tec. I wouldn't advocate this plan for the masses

    In 1981-1982, at 20 yrs old and overweight, I decided to stop dieting; I quit the "good" food vs "bad" food mentality. I had tried all kinds of "diets" throughout my teens and failed miserably each and every time. So. I decided to copy how my slender college room mates ate. They didn't seem to care about "good" or "bad" food either. They ate pretty much anything. The key was portion control and being active. I lost 30-40 lbs (I'm not sure of my exact start weight) that year. I've kept it off and have maintained at 115 lbs, give or take a few. My BP is low and my blood work is excellent including my cholesterol. I feel good, sleep good, and my hair, skin &nails look good. I was out the other day helping my husband take down a fence and the fence posts. Hard work! Not bad for a 52 yr female.

    I eat a fair amount of lean meat, produce, yogurt, etc. now, but I also eat fast food several times per week. I eat Chips Ahoy cookies almost every day. Donuts on the weekend.,The key is watching my portions. I get that others may not have the kind of health I have due to genetics or because they have some kind of health issue (lactose intolerance, IBS, food allergies etc)

    Everyone needs to find a eating style they can live with. If you want to eat clean, be a vegetarian, or whatever, go for it. Personally, I like this one. I cannot tell you how relieved I was when I learned that I didn't have to eat carrot sticks by the bucket full to lose weight and/or be healthy.
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
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    I'm all for eating food you enjoy but I wouldn't choose fast food as my main source of nutrients.

    I don't think the OP has stated or is intending to recommend people get their MAIN source of nutrients from fast food..just that he hasn't eliminated them from his diet.

    OP is getting leaner and healthier while enjoying food and eating a varied diet, this is winning.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    I'm actually curious what components of the fast food, or my overall diet, are the components you think will cause ill health in the future.

    I try to avoid foods made up of a chemical stew and as I stated earlier we typically buy only non factory farmed meat in my house. So fast food, in general, does not fit in to what rules we follow in my house. For the OP's health, yes they do work. For my husband (he has an auto immune disease) and for me (working on everything I can do to prevent cancer since I'm at high risk from my Mom's side) eating a ton of fast food just does not "work".

    For the OP, it works.

    Everyone has their own goals and they have to do what makes them happy and healthy.

    I volunteer at a farm and I'd feel weird about eating fast food all of the time. There is fast food that supports small family farms (Chipotle) but a good majority of it does not.

    It depends on your food goals, health goals, and what you believe in. Me, I enjoy going to the farmer's market and talking to the guy that just caught the seafood that morning. I enjoy getting eggs and meat there too.

    It also depends on how you grew up (I grew up 10 minutes from a farm).

    It also depends how comfortable you are in constantly supporting large corporations and Fast Food Nation. I'm not.

    It also depends what you spend your cash on (we spend ours on travel and a vacation home).

    No one is better than the next person. And my examples are not "better" per se, it's just what we do in my house. We are happy and healthy as a result. We do what we can to keep my husband in remission--that first and foremost is what we decided is the most important and we've been living that way our whole lives.

    If fast food makes the OP happy and healthy it's a good thing. It's not for everyone.

    :drinker:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    <snip>
    The main driver behind demonizing "junk" food is the additives that are added that drive you to want more of said food. <snip>

    If one thinks they have to live on mainly salads, steamed vegetables and baked meats, or one simply doesn't know how or doesn't like to cook, I can see the draw of the convenience. But taste? I'm just not sure I believe it.

    No way fast food tastes better than a home prepared meal by a good cook.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    <snip>
    The main driver behind demonizing "junk" food is the additives that are added that drive you to want more of said food. <snip>

    If one thinks they have to live on mainly salads, steamed vegetables and baked meats, or one simply doesn't know how or doesn't like to cook, I can see the draw of the convenience. But taste? I'm just not sure I believe it.

    No way fast food tastes better than a home prepared meal by a good cook.

    This is how your post sounds.

    tumblr_m785dofDrh1qj1sr9.jpg
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