Low HDL High LDL

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marjorieshanks
marjorieshanks Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm looking for suggestions on snacks, meals, etc. to raise HDLs and lower LDLs.

I've been trying to cut Carbs, fats and sugar. The goal is also to lose weight. I've been walking 6 miles every week since July and before that I was doing BeachBody. This has been a long battle for me and the high Triglycerides are the icing on the cake.

I would appreciate any suggestions, words of wisdom and support.

Replies

  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
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    Weight loss, exercise, increased intake of healthy fats like walnuts and fish oil, and decreased saturated fat intake.
  • mangofish44
    mangofish44 Posts: 57 Member
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    Hi Major,

    I’m close to losing 35lbs since 1/1/19. I had a physical in December and my HDL was low ans LDL was too high. It scared me into losing weight. I had blood work done a week ago and HDL shot up into healthy range and my LDL is CLOSE to normal.

    I’ve been only working out once a week. I cut out all processed carbs. If it comes in a box, crackers, granola bar, cereal, etc I stopped eating it. I also cut out all reduced / low fat products which have added sugar.

    I’m by no means KETO, but what worked for me was increasing my fat / protein and keeping carbs low. No sandwhiiches, no white potatoes except for a possible splurg once a week.

    I started to only eat breakfast lunch dinner with zero snacking. My appetite started to decrease and I’ve become less full on meals.

    Goodluck on your journey, I got a ways to go, and I know how scary it is seeing those numbersz
  • Murrayzaida
    Murrayzaida Posts: 12 Member
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    Reduce your red meat intake and increase fish and other proteins. My hubbie was on Keto and overdid the red meat and his cholesterol increased (which it really cannot afford to do). He is now eating more fish, nuts and coconut based snacks.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    With low carb or keto, HDL typically goes up and triglycerides fall. LDL varies a fair bit but its particle size improves greatly.

    LDL has never been shown to be a strong predictor of heart disease though, unlike HDL, triglycerides, CAC and high BG or insulin levels.

    Saturated fat does not cause heart disease.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
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    It is not true that LDL is not a strong predictor of heart disease. It is very relevant for men.

    For women, HDL levels are more important.
  • marjorieshanks
    marjorieshanks Posts: 7 Member
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    Thank you everyone. These are things that I can apply. I live by the philosophy keep it simple stupid, KISS.

    And 80 pound gain in just over a year and a half is Major. Some of this has to do with medication that I am on but I know that I can make some changes in my body. Regardless of LDLs and if they're correlated with heart disease or not changes need to be made.

    I do get confused by sugars. They are hidden in products by other names. Can anyone tell me what to look for?
  • marjorieshanks
    marjorieshanks Posts: 7 Member
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    @mangofish44 seeing those numbers definitely got my butt in gear about real diet changes. I'm a dog walker of 6 dogs a week regularly and others are as requested. I also ride my bike. It's not fancy but it works for me.

    What proteins would you all recommend other than chicken or fish?

    I must be doing something right as I've lost 4 pounds. We'll see how those numbers come out next week.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    edited April 2019
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    marjorieshanks wrote: »
    Thank you everyone. These are things that I can apply. I live by the philosophy keep it simple stupid, KISS.

    And 80 pound gain in just over a year and a half is Major. Some of this has to do with medication that I am on but I know that I can make some changes in my body. Regardless of LDLs and if they're correlated with heart disease or not changes need to be made.

    I do get confused by sugars. They are hidden in products by other names. Can anyone tell me what to look for?

    Sugar is just a sub-set of the carbs category. Many people edit their diary to replace tracking sugar with fiber.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
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    marjorieshanks wrote: »
    @mangofish44 seeing those numbers definitely got my butt in gear about real diet changes. I'm a dog walker of 6 dogs a week regularly and others are as requested. I also ride my bike. It's not fancy but it works for me.

    What proteins would you all recommend other than chicken or fish?

    I must be doing something right as I've lost 4 pounds. We'll see how those numbers come out next week.

    I try and get in a serving of beans every day, which is a good source of protein. Shrimp is a good one too (I buy the cooked/peeled 'salad' shrimp and throw it in salads or just eat it cold with cocktail sauce :) ).
  • thanos5
    thanos5 Posts: 513 Member
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    i eat a hard boiled egg every day and my doc just took me off all my cholesterol meds, so i guess thosedon't hurt? losing weight didn't hurt either.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    thanos5 wrote: »
    i eat a hard boiled egg every day and my doc just took me off all my cholesterol meds, so i guess thosedon't hurt? losing weight didn't hurt either.


    You were on medication so it is hard to know the impact of the eggs on your cholesterol. I think how we respond to certain foods like eggs may be related to other foods we eat or don't eat, exercise, and genetics. I suspect that may be the reason there is one study that says eat all the eggs and the next that says limit them to 6 a week.

    I am trying to come off the medication myself so I decided to go with the limit on eggs and keep an eye on dietary cholesterol. I have continually been improving my own numbers both in LDL and HDL so I hope I am coming off of it in a few weeks.

  • marjorieshanks
    marjorieshanks Posts: 7 Member
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    @NovusDies the link you provided is very helpful. I will be following many of the suggestions.

    Unfortunately, my Doctor wasn't all that specific. Basically stay away from cheese, less red meat, don't diet and make healthy choices 🤷 Good in theory but there are many ways to 'be healthy'.

    I'm not on meds yet for the bad bloodwork results. The diet change is an attempt in avoiding that. The ones I do take are for mental health. They are infamous for weight gain in patients. I'm Bipolar, making impulsive decisions classic for me, even where eating is concerned. That is why specifics and a plan is a positive for me. It leads to less impulse eating and grabbing whatever is available.

    I appreciate everyone's input and the specific suggestions are great!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited April 2019
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    marjorieshanks wrote: »
    @NovusDies the link you provided is very helpful. I will be following many of the suggestions.

    Unfortunately, my Doctor wasn't all that specific. Basically stay away from cheese, less red meat, don't diet and make healthy choices 🤷 Good in theory but there are many ways to 'be healthy'.

    I'm not on meds yet for the bad bloodwork results. The diet change is an attempt in avoiding that. The ones I do take are for mental health. They are infamous for weight gain in patients. I'm Bipolar, making impulsive decisions classic for me, even where eating is concerned. That is why specifics and a plan is a positive for me. It leads to less impulse eating and grabbing whatever is available.

    I appreciate everyone's input and the specific suggestions are great!

    If you liked sexypants, you might find some tips in this Most Helpful Post too:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

    My dad had high LDL and triglycerides and low HDL. He had decent success with eating oatmeal and limiting but not eliminating red meat and full fat cheese. It does seem there are lots of different ways to come at the cholesterol problem, but first and foremost IMHO is to lose weight and increase your activity. Exercise really seems to have a dramatic affect on cholesterol for some people. Good luck!
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    edited April 2019
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    There is a test you can have done that scans for plaque in your arteries. I have some mild plaque (on my "widow maker") which is why even though my numbers were only a little high my doctor put me on the med to not only lower it but drag it way down. As I understand it this will help shrink the plaque formation but not reduce it... I think of it as deflating it. My last set of numbers were well within normal but not low enough to 'deflate.' I am hoping they are low enough this time to end this treatment. I am not 100 percent confident in whether or not I am presenting all of this 'deflating' information to you correctly.

    From what I gather most doctors do not have much of any formal education in nutrition so that may be why he/she was vague. I think of healthy eating as getting a good variety and using some common sense. I do lean heavier on fish than some people because I personally love it. My omegas are very high but apparently that does not increase HDL. I am incorporating healthy fats and seeds (primarily chia) most days as a portion of my calories. I don't see the need to make that portion high because I think all of this cholesterol stuff happens in trickles more than big changes.
  • gentlygently
    gentlygently Posts: 752 Member
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    My understanding (from the uk health system) is to get your overall weight down, try to limit dairy fat and red meats (dont worry about eggs they are fine), add in nuts especially walnuts and oatmeal/porridge plus lots of fibre...

    And to excercise!

    6miles a week isnt really that active you know (a mile is only about 20 mins of walking or 2000 steps for most people) - so given you’ve been doing it since last July I am sure you can comfortably stretch yourself here.

    Good luck


  • marjorieshanks
    marjorieshanks Posts: 7 Member
    edited April 2019
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    @NovusDies your explanation makes perfect sense. From what I'm reading my choices so far are pretty on track with a few tweaks. Now I just need to get creative about cooking. I'm eating a lot of the same thing over and over.

    @gentlygently thanks for the dietary info. It's balways good to know these things. As far as walking, this is a bare minimum and quite the exercise when you're walking 3 dogs at a time. 💪 I've gained upper body strength that's for sure. I've also added in bike riding. We do this as a family which is enjoyable.

    I've been meaning to set up a pedometer to track my regular walking throughout the day and really see what I'm doing distance wise and also what I'm burning. Many thanks for the reminder to do that!
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
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    Yes @kimny, oatmeal is a good one. I forgot to mention that.

    Also, for most people dietary cholesterol isn't a problem.
  • marjorieshanks
    marjorieshanks Posts: 7 Member
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    I bought some oatmeal yesterday. :-)

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