C-Reactive Protein, cholesterol, gut bacteria

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  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    kizanne2 wrote: »
    Yes thank you for the journal idea. I don't have any problem with discussion about nutrition or effective diets to lower CRP and cholesterol. I was hoping that it didn't degenerate to simply lose weight as the only option. The reason I chose to make it public was there are plenty of people who struggle to lose weight or it takes them many months to accomplish this. I was hoping to discuss steps you can do in the meantime to help your blood chemistry.

    Honestly, I don't see anyone saying that weight loss is the only option. Surely you wouldn't disagree that it is an extremely beneficial option, frequently recommended by medical professionals. Are there studies showing that significantly overweight people can successfully change their blood chemistry through diet only and no weight loss? The challenge with weight loss is that people have difficulty making the dietary changes/lifestyle needed for weight loss. I wonder how they were able to change their diet enough to improve blood chemistry but not do so to lose weight? These are interesting topics, for sure.

    Anyone who's been on social media for awhile knows that you cannot control or set rules for appropriate responses. I often have to rethink what I post and even occasionally delete a post that brings responses I don't want to deal with. You can ask the moderators to delete your thread and I think also to close it, if that's what you would like.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    kizanne2 wrote: »
    First week went well.

    I'm am pleasantly surprised that I'm not having hunger issues. Most diets other than atkins gives me hunger issues. I am also happy that I don't seem to be having any cravings. I started the first day with about 1800 calories the daily amount recommended by MyFitness Pal for weight maintainence. After several days as I found that I wasn't as hungry I cut back calories and am now taking in from 1300 to 1500 / day. I cut the lunch milk. 1/2 cup of blueberries and somedays I don't have the millet and flax chips. Some days I cut dinner if I wasn't hungry or ate lunch late.

    This week I'm going to have to change something up as I can't go out for lunch and we'll see if I make a big salad at 5:30 am each day (or the night before). I think I'll switch the chicken and beans to lunch and make it a curry (tumeric, ginger garlic) or chili. Save the salad for dinner.

    My bowels have improved. My hands and feet ache less (a recent development that seems to be in retreat except for the area where there is a possible bone spur).

    I managed several light exercises from strength training, stationary bike, squats. Last week was easy because I was on spring break this week we will see how things go. I normally get between 6000 and 10,000 steps a day in with my job and several flights of stairs. I suspect the pain in my feet will return.

    Down side. No weight loss in fact a weight gain. I do expect long term that it will result in weight loss. Some gas with the increased fiber.

    Thanks for the update. I am interested in your journey. Good luck with the meal prepping. Getting a routine down seems like half the battle!

  • kizanne2
    kizanne2 Posts: 123 Member
    Ok very excited. Got my CardioChek in the mail yesterday. So I decided to try it out.

    This week I've stuck to my main plan, taken a fish oil pill each day. I've eaten at least 40 grams of fiber most days. I have swapped out the chicken some days with salmon. And on days I got snacky I ate some sardines. I was under my recommended my fitness pal calories all days but one but stuck to the plan foods. I was again pleased that I had almost no cravings (1 day I did), all but 1 day didn't feel hungry. I ate when hungry but stuck to plan foods. I've had a few days of light exercise. I have foot problems right now so that has mostly be 10 minutes on a recumbant bike and machine weights. burning around 150 calories per session. My work I get many steps in and usually climb 2-4 flights of stairs a day.

    I still haven't lost any weight but I now am back to the weight I started (last week I was up).

    My blood work was done at a lab on 3/7 I didn't get the result for a while. I start my plan food on 3/18/19.
    I've lost no weight. The blood work below is from a CardioChek machine which is rated at 95% accurate. I ran the tests in the morning, fasting. They landed about where I expected based on previous diet intervention. I intend to Cardiochek every once in a while 2 wks to a month. I have paperwork to recheck my numbers via a lab in May. It will be really interesting to compare the CardioChek to the lab.

    3/31/19
    Total Cholesterol 147 down 42 points
    Triglycerides 201 down 16 points
    HDL (good ) 41 up 7 points
    LDL (bad/calculated) 66 down 66 points
    Ratio 3.6 down 2 points from high average to low (almost 1/2) risk

    So fairly happy with those results. The next test will be more interesting because the testing method will be the same. I am going to keep attacking the triglycerides. I'm going to try to get more exercise in. Also giving it some time. The last time I attacked these numbers with diet/exercise they went down each month without many changes.

    I don't have a test for C-reactive protein, my main concern. I do feel that it has probably gone down. My hands and feet hurt less. I do have an actual issue with one finger and my right heel so some of the CRP can be from injury.
  • kizanne2
    kizanne2 Posts: 123 Member
    The FDA approved the device and literature says 95% accuracy. I haven't dig into the literature for that definition . I do know that according to the company when using 'random' people to test the ability to use the machine 70% was accurate and 7% the number tested too low 23% too high but they didn't say how far off. I figure if I use it each week or two or month I'll be removing the user error in the trend.

    But I'm simply using it to see some kind of improvement. I'll have lab accurate results in May.

    However this data point is lower than the first and most of them are lower or higher by more than a 5% range. So it seems to be working.

    Unfortunately. Triglycerides don't make you feel good or bad. So some of the improvements won't be felt. The CRP though can make your joints hurt.
  • kizanne2
    kizanne2 Posts: 123 Member
    Well another week. Was fairly good to sticking to plan. Consumed around 1680 calories average per day. MFP has 1500 for a pound a week so 1680 should bet 2/3 of a pound but no weight loss yet. Got exercise in 3 days this week but non aerobic so I need to work on getting some aerobic activity and cutting back on calories more. average of 50 grams of fiber a day. 109 grams of protein a day. My blood chemistry is about the same this week. I shouldn't have check after just one week. I'm trying to wait at least 2 weeks in between tests due to cost but I was curious so here they are.

    Total Cholesterol 148 up 1 from last week down 41 points from beginning
    Triglycerides 211 up 10 points from last week down 6 points
    HDL (good ) 38 down 3 pts from last week up 4 points didn't eat as much sardines this week.
    LDL (bad/calculated) 68 up 2 pts from last week down 64 points
    Ratio 3.9 down 1.7 points from high average to low average

    So the numbers are slightly worse than last week still way better than the beginning. This week I'm going to try to get more aerobic exercise as I'm sure that will help bring those triglycerides down and help with the weight loss. Wish I had a pool, going to the public pool is out of the question. I'm going to try to cut a few more calories.

  • kizanne2
    kizanne2 Posts: 123 Member
    Thanks!

    Yes I have considered the genetic component. I also have medical issues that make weight loss harder and high tri's. I use the sedentary setting when entering MFP I don't count that I actually walk around and am standing quite a bit at work. I also don't eat back my exercise calories. If I go over my goal it is simply because I find myself hungry. my main goal is to stay under 1800 for maintenance but try to get under 1500 for loss.

    I will not go to the local pool but thanks for the suggestion. I really do need to figure out a good exercise that my feet can handle and a place I'm willing to do it. For now it is the gym and recumbent bike with circuit, when I can. I also bowl it is good exercise but not aerobic.

    I already take a high quality vitamin, tumeric, aged garlic, fish oil, probiotic supplement. I drink matcha almost everyday. I have tried to increase my sleep. And have mostly succeeded in the increase but my job often times require more work than I can get done and get lots of sleep. I am going to increase the fish oil pill to 2 a day since increased hdl has been shown to lower tri's.
  • Dilvish
    Dilvish Posts: 398 Member
    kizanne2 wrote: »
    Thanks!

    Yes I have considered the genetic component. I also have medical issues that make weight loss harder and high tri's. I use the sedentary setting when entering MFP I don't count that I actually walk around and am standing quite a bit at work. I also don't eat back my exercise calories. If I go over my goal it is simply because I find myself hungry. my main goal is to stay under 1800 for maintenance but try to get under 1500 for loss.

    I will not go to the local pool but thanks for the suggestion. I really do need to figure out a good exercise that my feet can handle and a place I'm willing to do it. For now it is the gym and recumbent bike with circuit, when I can. I also bowl it is good exercise but not aerobic.

    I already take a high quality vitamin, tumeric, aged garlic, fish oil, probiotic supplement. I drink matcha almost everyday. I have tried to increase my sleep. And have mostly succeeded in the increase but my job often times require more work than I can get done and get lots of sleep. I am going to increase the fish oil pill to 2 a day since increased hdl has been shown to lower tri's.

    Yup the only thing you are missing it seems is more regular exercise. Try to focus on that. Again even if it's genetic, aerobic exercise and some resistance exercise will go a long way in helping your numbers. It should aslo improve your sleep.

    Additionally, keep an eye on your sodium intake. That could be the reason you are not seeing a weight loss and is also a factor in managing inflammation. Aim for 1600mg a day or less.
  • kizanne2
    kizanne2 Posts: 123 Member
    edited April 2019
    Yea because I don't eat processed food much nor canned food and I don't add it to my food I don't get much sodium 1600 is about right. My doctor actually encourages me to eat more sodium because I have low blood pressure.

    But if a person consistently add lots of salt the bloating would be the same and long term the weight loss would show.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Not necessarily. I'm regularly around 2500 to 3000 mg sodium and it hasn't hindered my 108lb loss at all.
  • kizanne2
    kizanne2 Posts: 123 Member
    Well I went for a 30 minute aerobic walk which doesn't give me more steps today than a normal work day but was more aerobic. I know aerobic exercise helps lower tryglycerides.

    Might be shooting myself in the foot literally though. My feet are now killing me and C-reactive protein is a symptom of imflammation so I might be going in the wrong direction in the blood marker I'm most interested in changing. Of course I can't get a home test for that. I redo my lab work anytime between now and may 20th ish. I'm trying to wait closer to May 20th though so the result will represent a longer period of time.
  • kizanne2
    kizanne2 Posts: 123 Member
    The soreness is NOT natural. I am not someone who has never exercised before.

    I have something wrong with my feet. I am on the referral list for a podiatrist and am just waiting to get an appointment and find out what. Since it came on rather fast through the pain scale I assume it isn't arthritis. It could be bone spur or a number of other problems.
  • kizanne2
    kizanne2 Posts: 123 Member
    Well another 10 days or so. I haven't lost any weight. Weight varies naturally the highs are lower but the lows aren't lower. In this last week I had to go on an out of town trip for 4 days with a large group of teens. I was able to stick mostly to plan but did have sweets twice and refined carbs with extra calories. I also got in alot more steps a few of the days as well as extra stairs. It seems to have went well enough my new numbers are looking better. I still need to get the tri's lower. But cholesterol is not looking good. tri's are down. Even though I ate fatty fish more and exercised the HDL didn't go higher and the ratio while in the normal range went the wrong direction for the week to week but overall (the month values) I"m still happy with the results.

    4/19/2019 from about a month ago.
    Total Cholesterol 141 down 25%
    Trigylcerides 171 down 21%
    HDL 35 up 3%
    LDL 71.8 down 35%

    Ratio 4.03 down 28%

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