High Cholesterol turnaround?

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Doulos24x7
Doulos24x7 Posts: 37 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Three weeks ago, got the bomb from the doc.

"You have very high cholesterol..."

It's 270.

I've read and he recommended to keep my daily intake to at or below 200mg of cholesterol and it should come down in the test within a few months. I've been averaging about 150mg per day for the last three weeks. I want to keep it that way for life.

What's personal experience around here with that?

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  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    My husband has always been thin but he was told his cholesterol was high last year. He was able to get it down to 180 by cutting out fatty dairy products, e.g. no more 2% milk, he uses a coconut based creamer in coffee instead of half and half, watches his portions of cheese, keeps red meat consumption down, etc. He still eats 2 eggs 2x a week and will still eat high cholesterol foods, just with careful moderation.

    Good luck, changing your eating habits is hard but it can be done!
  • StanMcCullars
    StanMcCullars Posts: 14
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    I don't really monitor my cholesterol consumption. I limit my carbs to no more than about 55% of my total calories. Anything over 60% can cause tryglicerides to elevate which also causes a rise in LDL if memory serves.

    Limited carbs and increased exercise (cardio: 5 days, 60 minutes; strength training: 3 days, 3 sets of 10 exercises) combined with weight loss (and a few scientifically supported supplements) have resulted in the following cholesterol improvements for me:

    * Total cholesterol: 297 - 186
    * HDL: 29 - 41
    * LDL: n/a (due to high tryglicerides) to 122
    * Tryglicerides: 418 - 117

    I take the following supplements:

    * Fish Oil - Member's Mark, 1400 Mg Triple Strength, 900mg Total Omega-3, 4 softgels
    * Slo-Niacin - Controlled-Release Niacin, 2 tablets
    * Nsi - Phytosterol Complex With Beta-Sitosterol, 2 tablets
    * Flaxusa - Cold Milled Golden Flax Seed, 6 Tbsp

    I can recommend the following books:

    * Move Yourself: The Cooper Clinic Medical Director's Guide to All the Healing Benefits of Exercise (Even a Little!)
    * Dyslipidemia and Atherosclerosis Essentials 2009

    And if you really want to get nerdy on the exercise:

    * Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

    Good luck to you! Work hard!
  • StanMcCullars
    StanMcCullars Posts: 14
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    I should add that I eat egg beaters and turkey bacon about 5-7 times a week. I was never much for eggs or bacon but I needed something to increase my fat and protein as previously my diet was around 85% calories from carbs.

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