Cholesterol?

The sooner you start the better it is, & it is like a double result, you are changing it up PLUS not adding on more bad!!! Good Luck, you can do this!!!

It's never too late to start being healthier!! :flowerforyou:

Mine is still higher than i want, but it is trending down and my doctor stated that my ratio is good. But, it only started coming down since i have started charting my food intake and exercising.

The answer to this question will be different for every person. Cholesterol checks are a simple blood test that your doctor will run as part of an annual physical.

One of the big things doctors look at is your ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol. Lowering bad cholesterol starts by limiting the amount of animal fat in your diet. To increase your good cholesterol, choose healthier fats like avocados, nuts and olive oil!

You are not doomed! My cholesterol dropped 93 points after a 29 pound loss. This IS possible. Take it slow and steady to make a 'lifestyle' change and you'll create healthy habits that will make your body so happy!

Best wishes! :flowerforyou:

There is not a hard and fast answer to whether plaque in the arteries can be reversed. There is some evidence it can, but it is fairly new research. Basically at this point unless you have a test to show your blood cholesterol is high you really don't know where you are starting. For that matter blood cholesterol has a large genetic component as well. Eating healthy will at the very least reduce your cholesterol and get your blood chemistry back to something healthier.

I lost 25 pounds! My cholesterol went from 204 to 180! Good luck to you!

Edit: Nevermind. I didn't read closely enough. You already answered my question.

My husband's cholesterol was close to 250. He stopped eating processed meat, reduced his red meat intake DRASTICALLY (to MAYBE once a week), and within a month his cholesterol pretty close to normal.

Disclaimer: I'm studying to be a doctor, but I can't say I'm all the way there yet.

The general belief is that, at least with respect to your arteries, what has been building up doesn't go away.
However, cholesterol is constantly in flux, and you can decrease the rate at which plaques grow. What you eat is the biggest factor in controlling your cholesterol. Choose foods that have low or no cholesterol in them. Some foods like oats have even been shown to help reduce cholesterol levels. This is then correlated with lower incidence of heart related problems.

If you're thinking about cholesterol, the bigger issue at hand is heart health. I'm not sure how much, if at all, cholesterol can impact other organ systems, but the most important one is (cardio)vascular. Some of the biggest risk factors for heart disease are age, smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol, family history, weight, the presence of other diseases like diabetes, etc. If you smoke, stop. If you eat foods high in cholesterol, cut back, or wean them out of your diet altogether. Healthy blood pressure is associated with a healthy weight.

My suggestion would be not to worry about the cholesterol test. A good value could mean your habits are bad but your body's production of cholesterol as dictated by your genetic profile is great, or vice versa. You should make good diet choices regardless. The other suggestions posted thus far are quite good.

The bottom line: eat healthy, stay active

Get your cholesterol tested, then go from there. Eating oatmeal, and a healthy diet combined with exercise will lower cholesterol, but if I were you I would not even worry about it until I went to the doctor and had some bloodwork done. It is great that you are taking care of your health, but please don't stress over it too much until you know the facts : )