Bloodwork back, good and bad news

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dhaemon
dhaemon Posts: 110 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Good news: No Diabetes! (I caught it in time!)
Bad news: My cholesterol is high

I have to take the good with the bad I suppose. I just wish MFP differentiated between good and bad cholesterol in the diary option, so I know what I can and cannot have.

Replies

  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
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    Cholesterol in your blood has pretty much nothing to do with the cholesterol you eat. You need a healthier diet overall and better exercise habits if you want to fix cholesterol. Basically cholesterol is essential for your body. When you don't eat it your body makes it. And unless you stuff yourself with eggs and butter and crap all the time your body makes most of the cholesterol inside you. What you eat accounts for very little. So the reason your body is making bad cholesterol? Crappy overall diet consisting mainly of processed foods, lack of exercise and possibly a smoking habit. You need to eat more fresh greens and fruits and lean meats and stay away from the junk food and trans fats. There's nothing wrong with a little but your blood work says you have been overdoing it.
  • Lives2Travel
    Lives2Travel Posts: 682 Member
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    Sometimes cholesterol can be controlled with diet and exercise, but sometimes it's a function of your genetics. I eat healthy and exercise at least 6 days a week and my cholesterol (without drugs) is very high. My hubby eats crap and never exercises and his is always low. Genetics cannot be outrun!
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
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    Your cholesterol numbers will improve as you lose weight. It's probably the greatest factor (outside of genetics).
    That said, as the poster above states, get more soluble fibre in your diet and cut some carbs.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Oatmeal helps as well!
  • dhaemon
    dhaemon Posts: 110 Member
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    Look at the bright side.

    Cholesterol can be corrected.

    Diabetes is with you forever.

    Very true! Thank you.
  • Marilyn0924
    Marilyn0924 Posts: 797 Member
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    Keep the saturated fats down, nix the trans fats altogether.
    I had high cholesterol prior to starting this journey and was on the verge of being put on medication to help regulate. After losing 30 pounds and dropping into the "overweight" category of my BMI, my blood cholesterol levels had dropped substantially into the "normal" zone.

    Just keep doing what you're doing, it will improve.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Like others have said, losing weight will probably help with the cholesterol. What did your doctor say? Are you supposed to try diet modification? If so, you should have been given some guidelines.

    And great news on the diabetes test!
  • dhaemon
    dhaemon Posts: 110 Member
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    Like others have said, losing weight will probably help with the cholesterol. What did your doctor say? Are you supposed to try diet modification? If so, you should have been given some guidelines.

    And great news on the diabetes test!

    He was hesitant on putting me on medication, due to that I recently made a lifestyle change and wanted to check with me again in December.
    He said, just keep on what your doing and we'll see if it comes down.

    Oh and thanks, not having diabetes is great news!
  • Glowiie1
    Glowiie1 Posts: 85 Member
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    I did what I like to call a "from the ground" diet. I made sure that 80-90% of my food was "from the ground," meaning fruits, nuts, seeds, veggies, whole grains, etc and they had to be as unprocessed as possible (i ate very little flour, mostly grains that could be boiled). The remaining 10-20% I filled mostly with lean meats and a tiny bit of dairy. The results? My cholesterol dropped 30 pts in 3 months.

    I'm sure someone will come on here flaming this post about how unhealthy that is for one reason or another, but I'd never felt better in my life, and my doc said my numbers were great, so...just be nice everyone :). Just sharing an experience. Take from it whatever you will.

    And congrats! My hubby is pre-diabetic and in the middle of changing his diet too. Hoping for good news here in the near future.
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
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    I have always had a high / borderline high total cholesterol level, but have been lucky enough to have a kick-*kitten* HDL-LDL ratio such that even with a total number around 240, my docs have always said more or less "you're in good shape." When I lost a bunch of weight (about 50 lbs, say) and reintroduced regular physical activity, my total numbers crept down a little bit (still above 200), but the HDL-LDL got even better. Last blood work had my doc say "Jesus, just keep doing whatever you're doing." Made me smile.

    Focus on losing your extra weight and getting some regular exercise you can stick with, and check again in December as your doctor suggested. Weight and exercise are the things in your control and they can have real, meaningful effects. Yes, there is a genetic factor, but focus on controlling what you can control.
  • hal1964
    hal1964 Posts: 82 Member
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    You said it was "high" but you didn't say how high? Maybe I missed it?

    Your cholesterol as well as your weight will come down with diet and exercise. It you are still concerned about cholesterol, have him run a apoB/apoA-I ratio blood test. The cholesterol story is broken anyway.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    Good fats: Mono and polyunsaturated fats. I.e. olive oil, canola oil, avocados, olives, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, flax and chia seeds, fatty fish, soy milk, tofu. Oatmeal is also great for lowering cholesterol.

    Bad fats: Trans and saturated fats. I.e. beef, lamb, pork, chicken with skin, whole-fat dairy products, butter, cheese, ice cream, palm oil, lard, pastries, cookies, muffins, cake, pizza dough, packaged snacks, stick margarine, vegetable shortening, fried foods, candy bars.

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