Not sure how to cut numbers

This really is a conversation to have with your doctor. Describing yourself as extremely thin and eating 1200 or fewer calories really is textbook eating disorder. Unless you have cancer. Either of which necessitates a doctor's help.

Weight loss in itself may help with the LDL. It did for me (at age 59).

Regular exercise can also help. It needn't be some punitively intense, miserable thing, just something enjoyable (at least tolerable/practical) that fits into your life well. Some common choices are things like walking, swimming, biking, active video or VR games, dancing of many sorts, etc. Start with something that's just a manageable bit of challenge, and evolve from there.

If you aren't already, also stick with mostly so-called whole foods (lean meats, fish, seafood; veggies; fruits; whole grains). Reduce highly-processed foods, snack foods, baked goods, fast food, fried foods, and that sort of thing (though it's probably not necessary to put them 100% off limits if you can eat them occasionally in moderation).

Also, if most of your fats are coming from meats/cheese and other saturated fat sources, consider getting more of it from things like nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, for better balance of fats. Many people get disproportionately much of Omega-6 fats (from the commonest oils in processed/fast foods, generally) and little of Omega-3 fats (from things like fatty cold-water fish, for example). Again, balance is a good goal, not extremes, IMO.

Please don't eat "way less" than 1200 calories. That isn't a path of thriving for any 50 year old woman who is even close to average height, 25 pounds overweight, and with a typical developed-world lifestyle (even a sedentary one). Even 1200 would be too low for many - it was too low for me! - even though doctors often recommend that calorie level.

Best wishes: Success is out there, but extremes aren't the best route.

trishy466 wrote: »

I “use to be” really thin (growing up through my late thirties) now in my 50’s I’d like to lose 25 lbs. I did talk to my doctor- it’s how I learned my LDL was so high. She recommended less meat, cheese & eggs and more veggies and fruit. However, I don’t eat much red meat at all- mostly a chicken gal, I do eat veggies and I have beefed up my fruit intake.

Yeah, most Dr's don't actually have a clue about nutrition or cholesterol for that matter and it appears from that advice neither does your Dr, imo. Can't really blame them, this has been the type of training for decades and they're also required to follow strict guidelines otherwise they can lose their medical license and one of the main reasons lately that thousands of doctors are leaving main stream medicine and opening their own clinics or becoming involved in one, it's been a mass exodus really and mostly because "do no harm" is actually alive and well and it does mean something and frankly doctors are tired of watching their patients get worse instead of better.

If your truly worried about your heart health then ask your Dr. for a CAC (calcium test) to actually see if you have anything to worry about in the first place because someones LDL isn't a good proxy for heart disease or have your Dr. check your C-reactive protein in your diet which correlates to your triglyceride levels where the lower is better. If your Dr wonders why you want these checked, it's probably a good indicator you need to talk to another Doctor.

Cholesterol levels are a funny thing and if you actually research it you'll find that higher cholesterol is actually protective as we age and apparently that's even more prevalent in the female population where it effects mortality and cognition which was interesting but considering the brain is about 25% cholesterol by mass anyway, that's not surprising and I would think our omega levels and especially our DHA levels would be a factor, anyway I degress, lol.

We all can be more healthy but if most of your food is from what appears to be whole foods, your not doing that bad. As we age muscle mass starts to dwindle mostly through, just getting through life, it's tough and especially for females with kids and work but little thing like moving more, adding in some exercise, maybe shift your diet a little more on the protein side and reduce as many processed foods as you can. It's not easy and requires some lifestyle changes but suspect you can do this.

psychod787 wrote: »

sollyn23l2 wrote: »

This really is a conversation to have with your doctor. Describing yourself as extremely thin and eating 1200 or fewer calories really is textbook eating disorder. Unless you have cancer. Either of which necessitates a doctor's help.

Subjective.... She could be a slight build female who is inactive. A moderate calorie deficit could be 1200 cals. Besides humans are horrid at counting calories. People usually underestimate.

Corina1143 wrote: »

I agree with everything Ann said.
Stress be active. Any and all activity counts. It's just easier if it's fun!
Stress eat healthier. Doesn't have to be perfect today. Just start where you are. Add some healthy foods tomorrow. That will squeeze out some bad things there isn't room for. Try to make every day better than the day before, every week better than the week before.
Don't stress about it! Just start.

What you said Auntie..... And yes increased fiber. Helps pull that cholesterol out... Wink wink....

Yes, it can be subjective. She originally described herself as very thin, as I specified in that statement. She later corrected herself and said she *used to be*, which makes a big difference. Frankly, I rarely believe people when they say how many calories they are eating.

trishy466 wrote: »

She recommended less meat... I have beefed up my fruit intake.

This choice of words is humorous to me

As far as sugar- my approach is to cook more so Im not eating packaged foods with added sugar. They're always sneaking extra sugar into things. It's cheap, has some preservation properties, and some people think it improves the flavor of everything.

Is your cholesterol issue hereditary? I didn't read everything completely but diet/exercise can only do so much if it 'runs in the family'. I had a neighbor who had very high cholesterol due to genertics; even his doctor told him he was the fittest unhealthy person he knew.