High Cholesterol - any tips?
vmrjj
Posts: 25 Member
Dr told me that I have high cholesterol and wants to put me on statins. I don't want to take them. She told me that I need to lose 15 lbs to start, then we will see where we are with my labs. Anyone have tips you would like to share to help me along the way?
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Replies
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Talk to your doctor about fish oil and red rice yeast as an alternative.3
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I was taking fish oil daily and the Dr I saw on this occasion (my Dr wasn't available) told me that I should stop taking it and that it may be the cause of my high cholesterol. He said that it's not for everyone. I was a bit confused. When I saw my Dr and told her about it, she didn't have much to say about it. Still confused.0
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Synthetic statins caused me to have really bad muscle cramps, I tried several different ones, red rice yeast does not.0 -
My cholesterol was very high– in the 340 range. I made some important dietary changes: cut out ice cream, reduced milk/cheese/meat by a lot, and added Red Rice Yeast. Last check, it was down to 243, which is still high, but much better! I haven't been able to go vegan, but that would surely bring it down to a normal range. Now we have salmon 1 night/week and chicken or other meat 1 night/week, and the other nights are vegetarian. I told my doctor that I would make dietary changes rather than go on statins. The Red Rice Yeast was a nice alternative.2
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I have high cholesterol which is one reason to lose the weight. I searched youtube and seen some thing on increasing your fiber intake to help rid your body of some of it. I have been checking my cholesterol since 2009 and it has been high since then. Last check was August this year and it was 249. Once I get to my goal weight I will request my doctor to have it checked again.
I bought some ground flax seed at Walmart in a pretty large container and add a serving which is 15 grams to my oatmeal. It will make your oatmeal a bit thicker so add some extra water.
My goal weight is 170-180lbs and I am at 207 now so a while before I get there.1 -
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The biggest tips i have for reducing cholesterol are as follows:
1.) Eat as many whole-food plant based meals as possible with these foods being the staple of your diet. Especially high-fiber plant foods like chickpeas, lentils, all kinds of beans, split peas, bulgar, bran, etc. Notice i said "whole-food" meaning that you're eating the entire plant (fiber included). Things like juicing/processed foods may not be as effective as they tend to lack the fibrous content of the whole food; which can significantly impact cholesterol.
2.) Eat a large variety of plant foods including one serving of dark leafy greens, one serving of a red plant food, one serving of an orange/yellow plant food, and one serving of a purple plant food, and one serving of a white plant food every single day is preferable.
3.) Limit fried foods, saturated fats, trans fats, and foods rich in dietary cholesterol. There is conflicting evidence on the research regarding these fats and their impact on blood cholesterol levels (as well as genetic factors), atherosclerosis, and heart disease; so i'd probably just limit these preemptively. Limiting these foods is also not harmful or difficult (in my opinion) so i would probably err on the side of caution. This could be as simple as replacing butter, crisco, margerines, etc. with liquid at room temperature oils like olive oil and rapeseed oil. Baking vs. Frying. Baking at home vs. Buying deepfried. etc. Essentially, it will probably be beneficial to add mono and poly unsaturated fats (like omega 3) to your diet.
4.) Control (or preferably eliminate) your use of tobacco and alcohol.
5.) Control your calories so that you can maintain a healthy total body weight. Once you reach this, don't stop and try and keep it off for life.
6.) Incorporate daily exercise (30 minutes or more).
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Unfortunately genetics play a part in high cholesterol. I rarely eat red meat, cheese or eggs. I eat plenty of lean protein, nuts, fish, olive oil...all the good cholesterol things that I should, but I still have high cholesterol. Fortunately my HDL count is high and does help off set the LDL count.4
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My husband just got a physical and his blood work was horrible. Cholesterol & triglycerides through the roof. He will likely take statins because they work and he is genetically predisposed to having high cholesterol & the health issues that come with that.
We are trying to work on his diet to see if the numbers get better before he goes on statins. I cook healthy, home cooked meals with lean meats, beans and vegetables. But, he was eating a lot of sugar throughout the day at work. Snacking on gummy bears, break room sweets, hot chocolate every afternoon. We’d gotten into an ice cream habit at night. He quit all of that. We switch to lower fat dairy. I got him to take fish oil daily and I’m trying to get more fish into our diet.
He doesn’t go back to get his check up blood work until January but he has dropped several lbs, already. He commutes 10 miles by bike daily and that is his only exercise.0 -
One of the things that helped me more than anything was exercise. I can't change my diet too much due to a host of digestive issues. But I started walking a ton. I walk or bike everywhere I can and just do some bodyweight exercises. My cholesterol is still in the high range, but that got my ratio of good/bad to the "excellent" category per my doctor. So she isn't concerned about the overall level.1
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I would be leery of statins too - there do not appear to help women at all.
Unless you have familial hypercholesterolemia eating cholesterol and fat will not negatively affect your levels. Refined carbs (sugar and flours) have the strongest correlation with poor cholesterol. That is if you bother to look at total cholesterol. HDL, triglycerides, and LDL type have a correlation with CVD but they don't cause it.
Try the books Cholesterol Clarity, The Great Cholesterol Myth, and Cholesterol Con.
Peter Attia's blog has a great series on cholesterol. Try looking into it.
Finally, there is an interesting n=1 experiment of increasing fats (well beyond maintenance calories) and how that causes an inverse change in cholesterol levels. A few dozen people repeat it and confirm it. It's something to think about.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jZu52duIqno 6 -
Exactly why my husband and I started on this healthier lifestyle journey a year ago. We both had high cholesterol I was on med but the statins caused joint pain and i ended up with permanent joint damage so they took me off of them and offered other alternative meds but I was like nope so we completely changed our eating habits and got active. We eat a ton of plant based products, lean protein, nuts, seeds, and fish. We were also active at least 30 minutes a day. (a brisk walk does wonders) We both have managed to get our cholesterol in a normal range and we lost a combined total of 140lbs... BONUS
Now we are taking boxing classes, running on the treadmill and doing zumba (me) on a routine basis each week. I am one of those crazy ANTI-medication ladies (with good reason, just ask my joints) so I am a google searching fool on what foods are good for anything that ails me LOL... Good luck!! 3 -
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About Red Yeast Rice: Red yeast is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth for up to 4.5 years. Red yeast contains chemicals similar to the prescription drugs called "statins." Therefore, red yeast might also cause side effects similar to statin drugs, such as liver damage and severe muscle pain and muscle damage. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-925-red yeast.aspx?activeingredientid=925&activeingredientname=red yeast
Yeah, I looked into red yeast rice in case my husband would benefit from it. Sounds like it could be helpful if one knew what was in the bottle and it was administered carefully. But, many red yeast rice supplements were found to have varying amounts of the statin-like ingredient. Sometimes, very little of it. And, other stuff that could do harm. Pass.4 -
I successfully lowered my super high cholesterol 5 years ago. I credit:
1) Just losing the excess weight
2) Regular exercise
3) Change in dietary habits to a more whole foods approach with plenty of veg, fruit, whole grain, legumes and lentils, more fish and other lean cuts of poultry and meat vs the fattier cuts I typically ate.
In that order.4 -
Do you enjoy repeating dogma that is completely false? It's really not a good quality.I would be leery of statins too - there do not appear to help women at all.
http://circoutcomes.ahajournals.org/content/4/3/328#sec-18
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/25579834/
I would avoid these books, complete one sided, cherry picked drivel.Try the books Cholesterol Clarity, The Great Cholesterol Myth, and Cholesterol Con.
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I have been on statins for decades to control my high choesterol levels.
However, I recently had the absolute best choesterol test results in my life - - all indicators labeled normal or ideal - - that I can only attribute to weight loss and an improved diet (which BTW still includes red meat, seafood and eggs which are supposedly high in cholesterol).
Haven't discussed or attempted on my own to stop taking the statin med yet because it may have still had a positive effect on the lab result but if next year's test comes in lower or better then I'll be pretty sure that it's mainly the weightloss and diet that's responsible and will stop taking the statin to see what happens the year after.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »I successfully lowered my super high cholesterol 5 years ago. I credit:
1) Just losing the excess weight
2) Regular exercise
3) Change in dietary habits to a more whole foods approach with plenty of veg, fruit, whole grain, legumes and lentils, more fish and other lean cuts of poultry and meat vs the fattier cuts I typically ate.
In that order.
Agreed. I'm not sure exactly where you're starting, OP, but it's entirely possible that losing weight and exercising a bit more will do the trick without making huge changes to your diet. It really depends on your current diet and levels of exercise, but if your doctor's first recommendation was weight loss, you might just focus on that rather than get too hung up on the particulars of what you're eating. Plus adding in some exercise, even just 15-30 minutes a day, anything to get your heart pumping faster. It's not necessary for weight loss, but really can make a difference in overall health.
ETA: I also speak from personal experience on this one.2 -
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All the diet and exercise advice is very good, OP. But, if genetics are a big player here you might still need statins.
I gave the example of my husband’s numbers. He is thin, commutes by bike on hilly roads about 11 months of the year and eats well at home. He doesn’t smoke or drink. Still has crappy cholesterol numbers. His dad died at 61 from a stroke due to a clot letting go following surgery to clear his arteries. His youngest brother is a rock climber and thin, non smoker & is already on statins. Don’t rule out statins along with a healthier lifestyle & diet.2 -
I am not a doctpr, but in line with the fibre and whole foods approach, my ex brought his extremely high cholesterol by having porridge oats (Oat meal) for breakfast every day.1
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Genetics play a big role for some people and you may need to be on a station regardless of what you do.
OTOH, in most people your body actually produces most of the cholesterol in your body, it's not dietary cholesterol.
Eating far too many carbs will trigger your body to produce cholesterol. So for some people lowering carb intake will help lower cholesterol. Exercise helps too because it helps burn off cholesterol in the blood stream.before it can be lodged in unhealthy places.
So basically lower carbs, lose weight and exercise. Note I'm not advocating low carb or keto, just decreasing intake if intake is high.5 -
liftingbro wrote: »Genetics play a big role for some people and you may need to be on a station regardless of what you do.
OTOH, in most people your body actually produces most of the cholesterol in your body, it's not dietary cholesterol.
Eating far too many carbs will trigger your body to produce cholesterol. So for some people lowering carb intake will help lower cholesterol. Exercise helps too because it helps burn off cholesterol in the blood stream.before it can be lodged in unhealthy places.
So basically lower carbs, lose weight and exercise. Note I'm not advocating low carb or keto, just decreasing intake if intake is high.
I have familial hypercholesterolemia, and I eat plenty of carbs.
The bulk of my carb intake consists of vegetables, fruit, tubers, legumes, the carbs found in low fat dairy, and whole grains. And yup, I like some treats now and then.
I think carb quality, when it brings fiber along for the ride, matters far more when it comes to cholesterol, than carb quantity.3 -
Thank you so much for all the responses. My cholesterol problem is because of my diet. I have a good 50 lbs to lose. I did try the ketogenic diet for a couple months. I'm sure I was doing it wrong. I really believe that has a lot to do with the jump in cholesterol levels. I just want to get back to tracking, having the flexibility of different types of foods. I need to be mindful of certain fats that I need to avoid and limit carbs. Going to get exercise in 5 days as well. You all have really encouraged me. I love reading about how others dropped thier cholesterol levels. Thanks for all the tips :-)2
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My cholesterol went down when I started eating some ghee(homemade) and not being scared of other fats like olive oil, duck fat and butter. Before that I was using almost no fats so now I'll keep doing this since it's working for now.1
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One of the things that helped me more than anything was exercise. I can't change my diet too much due to a host of digestive issues. But I started walking a ton. I walk or bike everywhere I can and just do some bodyweight exercises. My cholesterol is still in the high range, but that got my ratio of good/bad to the "excellent" category per my doctor. So she isn't concerned about the overall level.
Absolutely, I was always able to know ahead of time if my cholesterol was going to be high or good, whether I had been exercising or not, If I was working out it would be good, if I wasn't it would be high- without fail.1 -
I would be leery of statins too - there do not appear to help women at all.
These do help, When I stopped exercising regularly, I was put on something, my cholesterol dropped quite a bit0 -
I agree about genetics playing a role and hormones levels... I’m trying to reduce cholesterol as well and a little weight, not by much. I stopped eating cheese and most saturated fats, I use some olive oil, I eat mostly plants, a little chicken and fish, really focusing on 80% low fat vegetarian diet. I’ll be seeing the blood results in a couple of months, but so far the weight has been going down by 1 lb a week for about 7 weeks straight, yay. Find your TDEE, there are lots of calculators online, then reduce it by 300-500 calories a day. Done!1
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