High cholesterol/Keto- now what?
skinnyutahgurl
Posts: 19 Member
I was doing the keto diet until my cholesterol and triglycerides came back high. I have Hashimoto's too, it can contribute to high cholesterol levels. I lost 25 pounds, but am concerned by the latest tests.
What are the best and safest ways to lower cholesterol & triglyceride levels and lose weight? I am very discouraged and confused.
Thanks in advance!
What are the best and safest ways to lower cholesterol & triglyceride levels and lose weight? I am very discouraged and confused.
Thanks in advance!
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Replies
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Losing weight comes down to a calorie deficit. Simples.
Eat a low(er) fat diet, and perhaps consider focusing on more unsaturated fats, eat higher fibre.. Also make sure you're staying active8 -
Same thing happened to me when I was doing a high fat Paleo diet. Keto will do that to you too because it's high in saturated fat. Some are more susceptible to this than others so the solution is to quit such diets. A healthy diet should NOT jack up your labs, it should improve your health. Keto/Paleo/low carb diets are unhealthy for people like us.
My cholesterol went up to 278 mg/dl (should be under 200) and LDL went up to 203 (should be under 100). After I switched to a low fat diet under 15% fat, it dropped 100 points!! and went back to normal ranges. I reduced foods with saturated fat and now eat less meat, eggs, cheeses etc and I avoid/minimize using oils when cooking. I now mostly eat oats, potatoes, brown rice, beans/lentils, all fruits, veggies, seeds and some nuts. Carbs went up to 75% and I've managed to maintain my weight at 116-125 lbs so eating less fat and higher carbs won't keep you from losing weight, contrary to popular dogma.8 -
You can also try adding fish oil or flaxseed oil to your diet, also try fats that are lower in saturated fats, leaner meats and add olive or avocado oil instead3
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There's no need to panic over a single test, keep an eye on it; if the levels remain high or continue to increase over progressive testing then it's time to worry.
Some things to keep in mind about cholesterol:
- Your body stores cholesterol in fat cells, this cholesterol will be released in higher amounts as your body burns through those fat stores. If you had high cholesterol as you built up those fat stores then you're going to have bursts of higher cholesterol levels as you shrink those fat stores.
- There are two main types (LDL=Bad or HDL=Good), so be sure to know what kind is higher. If the cholesterol test is giving you a single number then you need to get a lipid profile test to know what kind (LDL or HDL) is higher.
- Your body produces roughly 80% of your cholesterol with ~20% coming from diet. I say this because it's a fact that many people overlook or are unaware of.
- Cholesterol is more complicated than a couple numbers on a test, and the true picture only comes to light after multiple tests over a range of dates and really digging into the test results.6 -
It sounds like you're part of the population whose sensitive to saturated fat. Welcome to the club.
You have a few alternatives here. Calories are all that matter, but I know it's not always so simple because satiety is important and it varies a lot.
You could try low fat, high protein, moderate carb with healthy carbs high in fiber like tubers and beans (this is how I eat and how I manage my cholesterol).
You could try low carb, moderate fat, moderate protein with healthy fats like avocados and olive oil and only lean proteins and very, very limited saturated fats. Keep your dairy low fat. Eat a lot of high fiber veggies, nuts, seeds.
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skinnyutahgurl wrote: »I was doing the keto diet until my cholesterol and triglycerides came back high. I have Hashimoto's too, it can contribute to high cholesterol levels. I lost 25 pounds, but am concerned by the latest tests.
What are the best and safest ways to lower cholesterol & triglyceride levels and lose weight? I am very discouraged and confused.
Thanks in advance!
What do all of your numbers look like?1 -
The way of lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels that works for me is to maintain a calorie deficit and lift heavy.
That's an anecdote, not a recommendation.1 -
What are your actual numbers?
It could be you are a hyper-responder to fat.
It could be it was high before you even started.
It could be the transient rise in triglycerides and cholesterol that many experience while losing weight - it tends to stabilize a few months after maintaining.
You might find this interesting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZu52duIqno 6 -
I'd be interested to know what you are eating to get these results.2
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Stress can also raise cholesterol levels. Dieting is stressful.
If I were in your shoes I'd switch from a Keto to a cholesterol busting diet.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/reduce-cholesterol/art-20045935
Stick to monosaturated fats, consume omega 3 sources, eat plenty of soluble fiber like oatmeal for breakfast, and include whey protein as a supplement.
Exercise for stress reduction.1 -
skinnyutahgurl wrote: »I was doing the keto diet until my cholesterol and triglycerides came back high. I have Hashimoto's too, it can contribute to high cholesterol levels. I lost 25 pounds, but am concerned by the latest tests.
What are the best and safest ways to lower cholesterol & triglyceride levels and lose weight? I am very discouraged and confused.
Thanks in advance!
What do all of your numbers look like?
2015 total cholesterol was 178 LDL 106
Triglycerides were 159
2016 total cholesterol was 200 LDL 115
Triglycerides were 129
2017 total cholesterol was 203 LDL 123
Triglycerides were 210
I have done a few rounds of the keto diet which is high fat/high protein. Over the last 3 years, with about a 12 month break from it in 2016. Do you think that diet could be contributing to the rising numbers? Everything I read said it should do the opposite. Thanks.
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skinnyutahgurl wrote: »skinnyutahgurl wrote: »I was doing the keto diet until my cholesterol and triglycerides came back high. I have Hashimoto's too, it can contribute to high cholesterol levels. I lost 25 pounds, but am concerned by the latest tests.
What are the best and safest ways to lower cholesterol & triglyceride levels and lose weight? I am very discouraged and confused.
Thanks in advance!
What do all of your numbers look like?
2015 total cholesterol was 178 LDL 106
Triglycerides were 159
2016 total cholesterol was 200 LDL 115
Triglycerides were 129
2017 total cholesterol was 203 LDL 123
Triglycerides were 210
I have done a few rounds of the keto diet which is high fat/high protein. Over the last 3 years, with about a 12 month break from it in 2016. Do you think that diet could be contributing to the rising numbers? Everything I read said it should do the opposite. Thanks.
Whats your HDL? But yea, your triglycerides are a bit high.2 -
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What are your actual numbers?
It could be you are a hyper-responder to fat.
It could be it was high before you even started.
It could be the transient rise in triglycerides and cholesterol that many experience while losing weight - it tends to stabilize a few months after maintaining.
You might find this interesting:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZu52duIqno
That was interesting, thanks for that. I will have to watch it again as the skeptic and the doctors in my head are saying "no way" it has to be the reason it's jumped.
I will say I felt so much better on a moderately ketogenic diet, I slept better, my inflammation was gone, food cravings were gone, I had energy and clearer thinking. I had to increase my carbs from 20 grams to 30-40 grams a day due to side effects, but still felt drastically better. Until my tests came back and my doctor warned me to change my diet.1 -
You can still follow your doctor's advice and eat low carb.
Eat lots of non-starchy vegetables. Choose lean proteins. Get your fats from avocados, olive oil, nuts, and seeds.
There's a middle ground between ignoring your doctor to be keto and completely changing your diet.7 -
I'd be interested to know what you are eating to get these results.
I ate whole eggs, light and dark meat chicken, cheese, cream, butter, spinach, cauliflower, tomatoes, avocados, turkey, radishes, berries, salmon, etc. I primarily ate a low carb high fat ketogenic diet and was losing weight, so I thought the tests would come back even better than they had before because I weighed less.0 -
It'd be interesting to see what your HDL is as that is the protective cholesterol. Your keto diet could be actually healing your liver --there is a flush out of cholesterol and triglycerides as it cleanses and regenerates. Believe the video. There is a guy on FaceBook, Jeff Cyr--see if you can find him and friend him. He has a wealth of information on the ketogenic diet and I think you'll find you are on the right track.7
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skinnyutahgurl wrote: »skinnyutahgurl wrote: »I was doing the keto diet until my cholesterol and triglycerides came back high. I have Hashimoto's too, it can contribute to high cholesterol levels. I lost 25 pounds, but am concerned by the latest tests.
What are the best and safest ways to lower cholesterol & triglyceride levels and lose weight? I am very discouraged and confused.
Thanks in advance!
What do all of your numbers look like?
2015 total cholesterol was 178 LDL 106
Triglycerides were 159
2016 total cholesterol was 200 LDL 115
Triglycerides were 129
2017 total cholesterol was 203 LDL 123
Triglycerides were 210
I have done a few rounds of the keto diet which is high fat/high protein. Over the last 3 years, with about a 12 month break from it in 2016. Do you think that diet could be contributing to the rising numbers? Everything I read said it should do the opposite. Thanks.
Whats your HDL? But yea, your triglycerides are a bit high.
The Chol/HDL is 3.8, 2016 was 4.7, 2015 was 3.9
HDL/Cholesterol is 53, 2016 was 43, 2015 was 46
LDL is 123
What would cause the triglycerides to increase like that?0 -
skinnyutahgurl wrote: »skinnyutahgurl wrote: »skinnyutahgurl wrote: »I was doing the keto diet until my cholesterol and triglycerides came back high. I have Hashimoto's too, it can contribute to high cholesterol levels. I lost 25 pounds, but am concerned by the latest tests.
What are the best and safest ways to lower cholesterol & triglyceride levels and lose weight? I am very discouraged and confused.
Thanks in advance!
What do all of your numbers look like?
2015 total cholesterol was 178 LDL 106
Triglycerides were 159
2016 total cholesterol was 200 LDL 115
Triglycerides were 129
2017 total cholesterol was 203 LDL 123
Triglycerides were 210
I have done a few rounds of the keto diet which is high fat/high protein. Over the last 3 years, with about a 12 month break from it in 2016. Do you think that diet could be contributing to the rising numbers? Everything I read said it should do the opposite. Thanks.
Whats your HDL? But yea, your triglycerides are a bit high.
The Chol/HDL is 3.8, 2016 was 4.7, 2015 was 3.9
HDL/Cholesterol is 53, 2016 was 43, 2015 was 46
LDL is 123
What would cause the triglycerides to increase like that?
Weight loss will often cause a jump in triglycerides. A diet high in (refined) carbs can do it as can a lack of exercise. And for some, a high fat diet can raise tri's.4 -
My chloresteral improved w a high volume low cal, plant based diet.2
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So your HDL is going down, your LDL is going up, and your triglycerides are up and people want you to listen to a guy who's a computer engineer or something like that.
Seems legit.
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There's a middle ground here, she can up her carbs, but not eat starch. Cut out sat fat and just eat lean protein and cut back some on fat to a more moderate level while still keeping it high for satiety. More non-starchy veggies. Cut out the cheese, cream, and butter.
Give that a go, see if she still feels well and if it helps her cholesterol and she still experiences the benefits of low carbing.
It's ridiculous to push keto when it's clear that she's having bad results on it AND THAT IT'S GOING AGAINST HER DOCTOR'S ADVICE.
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »So your HDL is going down, your LDL is going up, and your triglycerides are up and people want you to listen to a guy who's a computer engineer or something like that.
Seems legit.
I would agree. Keto is not beneficial for all. And if all indicators suggest you are becoming unhealthy, its time to change.6 -
Try low carb (Atkins/South Beach) instead of keto. I also worry about my numbers - so I try to get more veggies in my diet. But - endocrinologists and other drs do recommend low carb.4
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Jessie_121980 wrote: »Try low carb (Atkins/South Beach) instead of keto. I also worry about my numbers - so I try to get more veggies in my diet. But - endocrinologists and other drs do recommend low carb.
In all fairness, endo's and other doctors recommend a wide range of diets, from low to higher carb. It just depends on a persons needs.4 -
Jessie_121980 wrote: »Try low carb (Atkins/South Beach) instead of keto. I also worry about my numbers - so I try to get more veggies in my diet. But - endocrinologists and other drs do recommend low carb.
In all fairness, endo's and other doctors recommend a wide range of diets, from low to higher carb. It just depends on a persons needs.
Agreed. With the whole low carb/ keto thing, sometimes it it reminds me of the saying "when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."2 -
Jessie_121980 wrote: »Try low carb (Atkins/South Beach) instead of keto. I also worry about my numbers - so I try to get more veggies in my diet. But - endocrinologists and other drs do recommend low carb.
In all fairness, endo's and other doctors recommend a wide range of diets, from low to higher carb. It just depends on a persons needs.
Yep, my mom's endo suggested moderate carb (my mom was eating pretty high carb) and more "healthy fats" like nuts and fish.1 -
My advice, based on my own situation, is:
- determine why you are doing keto
- talk to your doctor about it
I am on a doctor prescribed low carb diet because my triglycerides came back high during my annual physical. Low carb as defined by my doctor was "stay under 100g a day". I tend to stay under about 50, so I'm somewhere between his recommendation and keto.
I count BOTH carbs and calories. My husband says I am really on two diets because the original intent was to get the triglycerides under control. I added the secondary goal of losing weight myself, and that is happening but only because I keep track of both numbers.
I read a lot of literature about eating low carb and ended up reading a NIH study that was on obese patients and the ketogenic diet. It said that they all showed higher cholesterol after 120 days. I took that study to my doctor and said, "Hey I found this, is this a concern at all?" His response was no, because in my case getting the triglycerides under control was more important than the cholesterol.
I think in order to make decisions for your specific case you need to determine the underlying goals of why you are changing your diet and include your doctor in that conversation.1 -
Are there just people who go through here and mark everything that talks about low carb with woo? I really don't get it.2
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