Help with Cholesterol!

bathsheba24
bathsheba24 Posts: 18 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok, well I had my cholesterol checked this week and I am very disappointed. I have lost 25 pounds, I now weight 127 lbs I am 5'4" and the numbers are higher than the last time I had it checked in 2011 when I was 152 lbs. I have done a lot of improvements I exercise now at least 5 days a week and been doing this since the beginning of this year. What am I doing wrong? If anyone has any info to help I would greatly appreciate it. My diary is public, just don;t pay attention to this week, my Mom is here so I have been eating a bit crappy, definitely not my norm. Here are my numbers:
In 2011
Total cholesterol 240
Triglycerides 174
HDL 76
LDL 129
This week my numbers are
Total cholesterol 246
Triglycerides 145 (those have went down some)
HDL 76
LDL 141

Replies

  • SamNicoll
    SamNicoll Posts: 43 Member
    DId you get anywhere with this? I am in a similar situation. Despite losing more than 40lb, vastly improving my diet and vastly increasing my exercise levels, my cholesterol levels are higher today than 2 years ago (and way too high). Confused!
  • Meg_Shirley_86
    Meg_Shirley_86 Posts: 275 Member
    I am vegan, and I promise I'm not trying to convert you!

    But my two cents is that you cannot consume cholesterol if you don't eat animal products. You may want to reduce things like dairy and red meat possibly? You've obviously done a great job and it has worked for your weight loss. I am not trying to say that one cannot be healthy of they eat meat or dairy, you're at my goal weight!

    I also had unusually high cholesterol at a check up a couple years ago, and it's because I wasn't informed I'd be having the test and that I'd need to fast. The next checkup had much better levels. Best of luck to you!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Here's how I lowered my LDL while increasing my HDL cholesterol...

    - Lots of roughage. I get a good 4-6 full servings of vegetables per day...usually a couple of those are in liquid form, but I usually get at least 3-4 solid form servings per day. Lots of fiber and other good stuff.

    - Get your soluble fiber...I eat oatmeal pretty much 5 days per week...also, berries and fruit (the pectin in fruit is a soluble fiber)

    - Get your heart healthy fats...don't cut out all those good fats (like a lot of people do when they diet)...this is actually counter productive to heart health and reducing your LDL values. Olive oil, avocado oil, avocados, nuts, nut butters, etc...these are your friends.

    - reduced consumption of highly processed carbohydrates; the majority of my carb intake is fruit, veg, and whole grains

    - Keep you saturated fat intake in check...particularly those saturated animal fats and dairy. I try to keep my at 20 mg or lower per day which really isn't too much of an issue since I significantly cut back on dairy products. I also eat a lot less red meat...maybe once or twice per week and a lot more chicken.

    - Get your Omega 3 EPA and DHA fatty acids. I eat a lot more fish than I used to...usually salmon a couple times per week and some other white fish like Mahi Mahi during the week.

    - Exercise, exercise, exercise. At minimum, I'd recommend a brisk 30-45 minute walk a good 5 days per week.

    I've personally found dietary cholesterol to have little, if any impact on my blood serum cholesterol...I eat two eggs daily, which puts me way above the recommended cholesterol numbers...most recent studies conclude that dietary cholesterol really isn't as big a factor as once thought; your liver produces far more than you could ever consume. There are some people with hypersensitivities, but really your body produces so much more than you consume that it's really not an issue. For many, including myself, it was as much about the things I wasn't eating and the exercise that i wasn't getting as it was the stuff I was eating.

    also, heredity plays a big part here as well.
  • favreervaf
    favreervaf Posts: 54 Member
    Hello, my numbers are:
    HDL 84
    LDL 91
    Triglycerides are 32..

    ..And I eat like 5 eggs with the yolk a day. My point is; dietary cholesterol has mostly nothing to do with blood cholesterol serum levels. One of the huge misconceptions is that meats and eggs raise cholesterol when in fact studies now are showing they raise the good cholesterol (HDL) or high density lipoproteins. It is showing now that refined carbohydrates (white breads, pastas, poptarts, soda, etc.) can raise LDLs and worsen cholesterol levels. Fish oil can help lower triglycerides and raise your HDLs as well. Consult your physician before starting it though as it thins the blood a bit. Exercise, and healthy foods will lower your numbers. Alcohol can also significantly increase cholesterol for some people, along with certain medications. Any other questions you can private message me, I'm an exercise physiologist.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Your ratios are...

    Total/HDL = 246/76 = 3.2 (ideal is less than 5, you're good)
    Trig/HDL = 145/76 = 1.9 (ideal is less than 2, you're barely good)
    LDL/HDL = 141/76 = 1.9 (ideal is less than 4.3, you're good)

    Personally, I wouldn't sweat it. If you could get your triglycerides under 100, that would be awesome.

    Adjusted for all the usual things, there is very little correlation between ingested cholesterol and blood serum cholesterol - eating sensible amounts and getting solid exercise is what matters.
  • lsmsrbls
    lsmsrbls Posts: 232 Member
    I went through the same thing -- over the course of a year I dramatically increased my exercise and lost 50 pounds, but my LDL and total cholesterol went up.

    So I eliminated animal products from my diet and my cholesterol improved greatly.

    I wrote about it here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/lsmsrbls
  • bathsheba24
    bathsheba24 Posts: 18 Member
    DId you get anywhere with this? I am in a similar situation. Despite losing more than 40lb, vastly improving my diet and vastly increasing my exercise levels, my cholesterol levels are higher today than 2 years ago (and way too high). Confused!

    I have an appt with a Dr this coming Monday so I will post what he says, maybe this can help us both. It's just so frustrating since we have made necessary changes.
  • bathsheba24
    bathsheba24 Posts: 18 Member
    I am vegan, and I promise I'm not trying to convert you!

    But my two cents is that you cannot consume cholesterol if you don't eat animal products. You may want to reduce things like dairy and red meat possibly? You've obviously done a great job and it has worked for your weight loss. I am not trying to say that one cannot be healthy of they eat meat or dairy, you're at my goal weight!

    I also had unusually high cholesterol at a check up a couple years ago, and it's because I wasn't informed I'd be having the test and that I'd need to fast. The next checkup had much better levels. Best of luck to you!

    I definitely fasted for about 12 hours before the test. Thanks for the response
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
    Here's how I lowered my LDL while increasing my HDL cholesterol...

    - Lots of roughage. I get a good 4-6 full servings of vegetables per day...usually a couple of those are in liquid form, but I usually get at least 3-4 solid form servings per day. Lots of fiber and other good stuff.

    - Get your soluble fiber...I eat oatmeal pretty much 5 days per week...also, berries and fruit (the pectin in fruit is a soluble fiber)

    - Get your heart healthy fats...don't cut out all those good fats (like a lot of people do when they diet)...this is actually counter productive to heart health and reducing your LDL values. Olive oil, avocado oil, avocados, nuts, nut butters, etc...these are your friends.

    - reduced consumption of highly processed carbohydrates; the majority of my carb intake is fruit, veg, and whole grains

    - Keep you saturated fat intake in check...particularly those saturated animal fats and dairy. I try to keep my at 20 mg or lower per day which really isn't too much of an issue since I significantly cut back on dairy products. I also eat a lot less red meat...maybe once or twice per week and a lot more chicken.

    - Get your Omega 3 EPA and DHA fatty acids. I eat a lot more fish than I used to...usually salmon a couple times per week and some other white fish like Mahi Mahi during the week.

    - Exercise, exercise, exercise. At minimum, I'd recommend a brisk 30-45 minute walk a good 5 days per week.

    I've personally found dietary cholesterol to have little, if any impact on my blood serum cholesterol...I eat two eggs daily, which puts me way above the recommended cholesterol numbers...most recent studies conclude that dietary cholesterol really isn't as big a factor as once thought; your liver produces far more than you could ever consume. There are some people with hypersensitivities, but really your body produces so much more than you consume that it's really not an issue. For many, including myself, it was as much about the things I wasn't eating and the exercise that i wasn't getting as it was the stuff I was eating.

    also, heredity plays a big part here as well.

    This. As we age (I REALLY don't like that word) our cholesterols tend to rise. Heredity plays a large part in this and there is nothing we can do about that. Continuing to minimize your risks for heart disease is your best bet. So continue the healthy diet and exercise, making changes as noted above. Even if you end up needing a medication, these lifestyle modifications will keep you on the lowest possible dose.
  • bathsheba24
    bathsheba24 Posts: 18 Member
    Here's how I lowered my LDL while increasing my HDL cholesterol...

    - Lots of roughage. I get a good 4-6 full servings of vegetables per day...usually a couple of those are in liquid form, but I usually get at least 3-4 solid form servings per day. Lots of fiber and other good stuff.

    - Get your soluble fiber...I eat oatmeal pretty much 5 days per week...also, berries and fruit (the pectin in fruit is a soluble fiber)

    - Get your heart healthy fats...don't cut out all those good fats (like a lot of people do when they diet)...this is actually counter productive to heart health and reducing your LDL values. Olive oil, avocado oil, avocados, nuts, nut butters, etc...these are your friends.

    - reduced consumption of highly processed carbohydrates; the majority of my carb intake is fruit, veg, and whole grains

    - Keep you saturated fat intake in check...particularly those saturated animal fats and dairy. I try to keep my at 20 mg or lower per day which really isn't too much of an issue since I significantly cut back on dairy products. I also eat a lot less red meat...maybe once or twice per week and a lot more chicken.

    - Get your Omega 3 EPA and DHA fatty acids. I eat a lot more fish than I used to...usually salmon a couple times per week and some other white fish like Mahi Mahi during the week.

    - Exercise, exercise, exercise. At minimum, I'd recommend a brisk 30-45 minute walk a good 5 days per week.

    I've personally found dietary cholesterol to have little, if any impact on my blood serum cholesterol...I eat two eggs daily, which puts me way above the recommended cE(holesterol numbers...most recent studies conclude that dietary cholesterol really isn't as big a factor as once thought; your liver produces far more than you could ever consume. There are some people with hypersensitivities, but really your body produces so much more than you consume that it's really not an issue. For many, including myself, it was as much about the things I wasn't eating and the exercise that i wasn't getting as it was the stuff I was eating.

    also, heredity plays a big part here as well.

    A lot of great info! Thank you so much. I made the switch to almond milk at the begininng of this year, so I rarely drink cow's milk. I reduced my cheese consumption as well. I realized my daily soluble fiber is too low so I am taking a fiber supplement and going to change to a cereal with more soluble fiber since I had only been eating All Bran and it does not have much if any. If I eat eggs its on the weekend and usually it's egg whites. I use whole grain pasta when I make a pasta dish. I eat very little red meat and when I do it's usually venison. I try to incorporate more vegetables than meat in my dinners so it's usually a small amount of chicken or fish with veggies and beans. I use olive oil to cook with and eat a handful of nuts most days and take a daily fish oil capsule. I use Stevia to sweeten my coffee and no creamer just almond milk. I am going to try to eat an apple a day but I dislike fruit, prefer vegetables.

    I exercise 5- 6 days a week 40 minutes of stationary bike each time and try to do 20 minutes of aerobics a few times a week and a 20 minute walk a few times a week so I get close to an hour at least 5 days a week. I am hoping that upping my soluble fiber will solve the issue because I really don't want to make too many more changes, I would like to enjoy life. I see the Dr this Monday and I am also going to request a cardiac calcium scoring scan since I don't have much faith in these numbers lol Thanks again for the great info!
  • bathsheba24
    bathsheba24 Posts: 18 Member
    [/quote]This. As we age (I REALLY don't like that word) our cholesterols tend to rise. Heredity plays a large part in this and there is nothing we can do about that. Continuing to minimize your risks for heart disease is your best bet. So continue the healthy diet and exercise, making changes as noted above. Even if you end up needing a medication, these lifestyle modifications will keep you on the lowest possible dose.[/quote]

    Thanks! I seriously think I have that gene I was reading about that causes high cholesterol. I realize I will probably have to get on a low dose med and that i guess I will have to deal with since I don't want to end up with heart disease any time soon.
  • bathsheba24
    bathsheba24 Posts: 18 Member
    Your ratios are...

    Total/HDL = 246/76 = 3.2 (ideal is less than 5, you're good)
    Trig/HDL = 145/76 = 1.9 (ideal is less than 2, you're barely good)
    LDL/HDL = 141/76 = 1.9 (ideal is less than 4.3, you're good)

    Personally, I wouldn't sweat it. If you could get your triglycerides under 100, that would be awesome.

    Adjusted for all the usual things, there is very little correlation between ingested cholesterol and blood serum cholesterol - eating sensible amounts and getting solid exercise is what matters.

    Thanks for the ratio configuration! I know my triglycerides should come down, just so darn hard when i have a sweet tooth. I exercise for close to an hour 5 days a week and that has helped a little but not anything significantly. I really don't want to increase my exercise anymore. I start work at 5:30am and by the time I am done all I can manage is an hour after that I am pooped and need to rest to get things done around the house and dinner then bed by 9pm
  • bathsheba24
    bathsheba24 Posts: 18 Member
    Update on my cholesterol. I have been eating between 35-50 grams of fiber a day and have increased my soluble fiber to between 5-10 grams a day. I am happy to report that now after about 2 Months my numbers are all within normal range. My HDL has went down a sligh bit, but it's still really good!! So thankful for all the wonderful advice!!

    Total- 170
    Triglycerides-73
    LDL-86
    HDL- 69

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