High choleseterol diagnosis. What works(ed) for improving your numbers?
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Cut out processed foods and refined sugar. Eat mostly fruits, veggies and lean meats. If you want carbs, eat whole grains. Also, exercise, specifically high intensity and heavy weights, will improve your numbers.0
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You can reverse or prevent heart disease by following a plant-based diet with little to no oil or saturated fats. Research the Esselstyn Heart Healthy Diet. Former president Bill Clinton now is on this diet following his heart attack to reverse his heart disease. I too had cholesterol around 300 (with family history of heart disease) that is now at 215. Esselstyn's son Rip now has a recipe book called The Engine 2 Diet based on his father's findings. His products, like no oil humus, can now be found in Whole Foods.0
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I think this is more complicated than can be simply "fixed". Losing 60 pounds did it for me. But what did it take to lose 60 pounds? Obviously I cut down on things, I had to to create a deficit. My diet got better because it had to to keep a deficit. So, what did I it? I don't know. If I woke up in your shoes, I would, in coordination with my doctor, lose weight eating what I wanted in moderation with an eye towards balance and see where it goes.0
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My health markers improved without doing one minute of heavy lifting or HIIT.0
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Scott_2025 wrote: »My health markers improved without doing one minute of heavy lifting or HIIT.
That's because you lost weight (just think, they could have been even better with HIIT or lifting).
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He took an obese long haul truck driver, I believe that ate on the road, got no exercise and totally revamped his lifestyle........ you could insert any decent lifestyle changer and get dramatic results like he did, but he knew that going in, and I give him credit for that line of thinking, but eating like that has no real advantage over another except it's extremely restrictive and pretty much impossible to follow for the vast majority of the population. Removing all fat from the diet is not very healthy btw.You can reverse or prevent heart disease by following a plant-based diet with little to no oil or saturated fats. Research the Esselstyn Heart Healthy Diet. Former president Bill Clinton now is on this diet following his heart attack to reverse his heart disease. I too had cholesterol around 300 (with family history of heart disease) that is now at 215. Esselstyn's son Rip now has a recipe book called The Engine 2 Diet based on his father's findings. His products, like no oil humus, can now be found in Whole Foods.0 -
Thank you so much for all of your input everybody. I really appreciate it. I've been leaning more toward the low carb, more protein route simply because I don't necessarily eat badly as it is, but I do have some bad habits I need to kick, like pop. I've learned how sugar abrades the arteries causing fatty deposits to repair that damage. I have been reading about what diabetics do as far as watching the glycemic load too. I suspect this contributes for me personally based on examining what I may be doing wrong. Not sure that I understand it completely, but I think this is the avoidance of grains, no? When I saw the dietician, and she directed me to monitoring the saturated fats and cholesterol content of foods, I realized I was already usually meeting those goals.
There is this whole deal about hormones contributing as well, and I fit in there in my eyes. All of the medical appointments I've had in the last few years were female-issue related.
The medical profession is getting a bit scary for me these days. I feel like I am witnessing the deterioration of patients first. I can count on both of my hands how many times I've seen a doctor over the last 20 years, with the majority having been in the last 5 years, so having just established with this physician, I'm disturbed by how much she doesn't know about me. I know how establishing visits and histories and physicals should go, and she missed some pretty important systems to cover. I feel like she may have missed connecting some dots in my situation. However, when I call, I get the "see the nutritionist," "see a dermatologist", etc. referral instead of getting to know me. It isn't just her. I've noticed it with all of the physicians I've seen the last few years. I even asked the nutritionist about testing the particle sizes, and I got poo'd poo'd on that.
I don't believe in one size fits all and believe completely in our individuality and treatment plans. I'm just not having any luck finding a doctor willing to put in that time or with that attitude, so, again, I appreciate you all taking the time to share your experiences and to talk with me about it.
As to being unlucky knowing the people who were thrown into diabetes after starting their statins....those are family members, save a few outsiders and family through marriage, so it doesn't seem strange to me at all. In fact, it makes me that much more alert to the fact that I could be next and makes me want to avoid that even more.0 -
Losing weight - doesn't matter which foods get you there - and getting a lot more active did it for me. Cleaned up ALL negative blood markers (including BP) in about six months.
Cutting grains, taking this oil or that oil - NONE of it will matter unless you drop the weight.
Food absolutely matters when trying to lower cholesterol.
Not everyone has high cholesterol because they are overweight. For some, it is genetic in which case losing weight won't solve the problem.
OP:- Exercise will be your best friend.
- No saturated fat.
- Eat more fish.
- Increase fiber intake.
- Take a fish oil supplement daily.
- Healthy fats like nuts/seeds and avocado.
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FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »Losing weight - doesn't matter which foods get you there - and getting a lot more active did it for me. Cleaned up ALL negative blood markers (including BP) in about six months.
Cutting grains, taking this oil or that oil - NONE of it will matter unless you drop the weight.
Food absolutely matters when trying to lower cholesterol.
Not everyone has high cholesterol because they are overweight. For some, it is genetic in which case losing weight won't solve the problem.
OP:- Exercise will be your best friend.
- No saturated fat.
- Eat more fish.
- Increase fiber intake.
- Take a fish oil supplement daily.
- Healthy fats like nuts/seeds and avocado.
Fish oil, nuts and avocados all have saturated fat in.
and this is a good thing.
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FreakinFlabuless wrote: »Thank you so much for all of your input everybody. I really appreciate it. I've been leaning more toward the low carb, more protein route simply because I don't necessarily eat badly as it is, but I do have some bad habits I need to kick, like pop. I've learned how sugar abrades the arteries causing fatty deposits to repair that damage. I have been reading about what diabetics do as far as watching the glycemic load too. I suspect this contributes for me personally based on examining what I may be doing wrong. Not sure that I understand it completely, but I think this is the avoidance of grains, no? When I saw the dietician, and she directed me to monitoring the saturated fats and cholesterol content of foods, I realized I was already usually meeting those goals.
There is this whole deal about hormones contributing as well, and I fit in there in my eyes. All of the medical appointments I've had in the last few years were female-issue related.
The medical profession is getting a bit scary for me these days. I feel like I am witnessing the deterioration of patients first. I can count on both of my hands how many times I've seen a doctor over the last 20 years, with the majority having been in the last 5 years, so having just established with this physician, I'm disturbed by how much she doesn't know about me. I know how establishing visits and histories and physicals should go, and she missed some pretty important systems to cover. I feel like she may have missed connecting some dots in my situation. However, when I call, I get the "see the nutritionist," "see a dermatologist", etc. referral instead of getting to know me. It isn't just her. I've noticed it with all of the physicians I've seen the last few years. I even asked the nutritionist about testing the particle sizes, and I got poo'd poo'd on that.
I don't believe in one size fits all and believe completely in our individuality and treatment plans. I'm just not having any luck finding a doctor willing to put in that time or with that attitude, so, again, I appreciate you all taking the time to share your experiences and to talk with me about it.
As to being unlucky knowing the people who were thrown into diabetes after starting their statins....those are family members, save a few outsiders and family through marriage, so it doesn't seem strange to me at all. In fact, it makes me that much more alert to the fact that I could be next and makes me want to avoid that even more.
If there are female issues, depending on the issues, there are specific lifestyle changes that can help. If its something like Insulin Resistant PCOS, then carbs really can be a detriment to your health, hormone balance and insulin issues. Its different than diabetes or pre-diabetes so the way of eating and lifestyle need to be different.
If you want more info, try the Keto, Low Carber Daily Forum or the PCOSis groups here on MFP. There are a lot of us out there that have cholesterol issues due to hormone imbalances.0 -
FreakinFlabuless wrote: »Thank you for your reply db. Mine is outrageously high. She suspects it is familial because it is so, but I'd like a shot at avoiding medications and therefore need to pick a path to follow for the next checkup. I had read that chia seeds and flax seeds/meal is good for lowering your cholesterol, so I have been consuming those, but those are grains. Sigh. <Confused>
Hereditary high numbers might be an issue.
First suggestion though, drop your bodyfat. Get into the lower to mid range of healthy. That's step one. Step two, get active. Step three, work on nutrition with your doctor. I would suggest setting a diet, having a blood test, run the diet for two quarters, get another blood test and adjust. Use data gathering and analytics in your favor.
You may one day NEED medication, but I would suggest doing everything in your power to optimize your intake and condition FIRST.0 -
My mum has high cholesterol, her doctor told her to cut back on foods that are high in sat fat, like pastries, and that losing some weight would be helpful.0
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mine is genetic and no matter what I do it doesnt help the large particle. my triglycerides are down and my hdl is up but they are more worried about my LDL particles being high. I have tried everything to get it down. even meds and nothing helps me.I had to stop the statins due to them creating many health issues for me.I would not recommend it unless the dr is ok with it. but for me no matter what I eat or dont eat it rarely changes.even when I was thinner and had less body fat it was still high.0
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I have started a Paleo lifestyle and I have to tell you, I absolutely love it. You need healthy fats to battle the not so healthy fats. I've introduced coconut oil and avocado oil. I've struggled with my weight my whole life and when I switched to a paleo I lose a pound a day. Perhaps this is something you should really look into? It's not how much of what you're putting in your body it's what your putting in your body. Best of luck to you. Feel free to contact me with any questions about it. Id love to help.0
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Exercise & losing weight.
Eating less cheese (which is a real bummer, 'cause I like cheese a lot).
Triglycerides can get a bump from eating carbs, so if you know you have a blood test coming up, lay off the pasta & rice for a week or so ahead. (Which again, is a bummer, because I like them both.)
Possibly taking fish oil capsules every day.
My meat consumption was already pretty low (it's expensive!), but that can have an effect.
And oatmeal as a regular part of your diet.0 -
lose a pound a day. lol, no.
I knew it was only a matter of time before a paleo magician came in waving their wizard sleeves around.0 -
I took my LDL from the 160s to 93 now.
- I eat a diet (noun) rich in whole food nutrition and meals prepared largely from whole foods
- I eat a good 4-6 servings of veg daily and a couple servings of fruit
- Oats are a regular part of my diet
- Legumes are a regular part of my diet
- I eat eggs daily
- I eat primarily lean protein sources...poultry, fish, lean cuts of pork and beef
- I lost about 40 Lbs
- I exercise regularly
- I eat primarily whole grain options
- I get lots of fiber
- I eat healthy sources of fat daily from things like avocados and almonds
- I eat salmon at least twice per week...I eat a lot of other fish too.
It took me a long time to get my numbers down, it was a very slow process of about 2 years.0 -
lose a pound a day. lol, no.
I knew it was only a matter of time before a paleo magician came in waving their wizard sleeves around.
It's very possible to lose a pound a day.
Granted you would need to stop eating protein and your long term health prospects would look bad. lol
But hey, who needs lean mass anyway?
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FreakinFlabuless wrote: »Thank you so much for all of your input everybody. I really appreciate it. I've been leaning more toward the low carb, more protein route simply because I don't necessarily eat badly as it is, but I do have some bad habits I need to kick, like pop. I've learned how sugar abrades the arteries causing fatty deposits to repair that damage. I have been reading about what diabetics do as far as watching the glycemic load too. I suspect this contributes for me personally based on examining what I may be doing wrong. Not sure that I understand it completely, but I think this is the avoidance of grains, no? When I saw the dietician, and she directed me to monitoring the saturated fats and cholesterol content of foods, I realized I was already usually meeting those goals.
There is this whole deal about hormones contributing as well, and I fit in there in my eyes. All of the medical appointments I've had in the last few years were female-issue related.
The medical profession is getting a bit scary for me these days. I feel like I am witnessing the deterioration of patients first. I can count on both of my hands how many times I've seen a doctor over the last 20 years, with the majority having been in the last 5 years, so having just established with this physician, I'm disturbed by how much she doesn't know about me. I know how establishing visits and histories and physicals should go, and she missed some pretty important systems to cover. I feel like she may have missed connecting some dots in my situation. However, when I call, I get the "see the nutritionist," "see a dermatologist", etc. referral instead of getting to know me. It isn't just her. I've noticed it with all of the physicians I've seen the last few years. I even asked the nutritionist about testing the particle sizes, and I got poo'd poo'd on that.
I don't believe in one size fits all and believe completely in our individuality and treatment plans. I'm just not having any luck finding a doctor willing to put in that time or with that attitude, so, again, I appreciate you all taking the time to share your experiences and to talk with me about it.
As to being unlucky knowing the people who were thrown into diabetes after starting their statins....those are family members, save a few outsiders and family through marriage, so it doesn't seem strange to me at all. In fact, it makes me that much more alert to the fact that I could be next and makes me want to avoid that even more.
thats why I started taking matters into my own hands. I am way past weight loss. I'm about doing what I need to do so that I dont have to see a doctor unless its really serious or its a yearly physical.0 -
There may soon be an option to statins:
fool.com/investing/general/2014/01/23/amgens-future-rising-star-amg-145-gets-more-data.aspx0
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