Anyone Following Diet to Lower Cholesterol?

I think the South Beach diet (which I am following) is somewhat designed to lower cholesterol while also losing weight. But, I think it would depend on just how high your numbers are - the South Beach might be ok if you're just a bit over, but if things are severely out of whack you might need more potent action (e.g. drugs and/or supplements). I'll give you my own results just as a single data point, I think a conversation with your doctor would be helpful.

Since Jan 1st - 20 lbs lost
HDL went from 228 to 215
LDL from 164 to 138
HDL from 55 to 51

Also, I increased my cardio exercise pretty substantially during this period.

my brother inlaw had the same problem, he just stated replacing butter on toast with sepacol i think its called ( odd name for a butter substitute sounds like a drug, tasts ok though. ) I on the other hand got this app lost 20 pounds was eating everything that was suppose to lower my cholesterol. a year later bloodwork done met he doctor and he told me i drop 3 points i kinda lost it for just a second and said W T F ive been eating all this bleep and then regained control. He put me on a staten drug.( I had done a lot of resurch since i balked at him last time he wanted to put me on them. they worked great i still eat well and exersise,but after all the reading up on statens im glad im on them now.
o my brother in law s cholesterol went down.
also google this stuff you will get better results.

Ooo, me, me, me! I went from a total cholesterol of 238 with insanely high triglycerides, to 208 with HALF the triglycerides, HDL 85 and LDL 97. My secrets? Fish oil/omega-3, niacin, and a diet high in protein and fiber, low in fat (especially saturated fats), and low in starches. Carbs in fruits and vegetables are fine. And stay away from the drivethru! LOL. It makes a huge difference in the triglycerides.

At the beginning of January my doc told me my cholesterol was high. I don't recall my specific numbers, but she told me to "diet and exercise" and come back in 4 months for more blood work. I've been tracking my cholesterol, and have been coming way under the 300mg per day on most days. If I go back and nothing has changed, odds are that diet isn't the culprit and hereditary factors are playing a bigger role in what's going on. My doc may recommend medication at that point. But the point is that I'd rather fix it myself if I can. Meds are a last resort for me.

Feel free to friend me and take a look at my diary entries. You may gain some insight there. I've found that for myself eggs (yolks) were the highest-cholesterol food I ate on a regular basis. I've cut them back to about once a week (knowing full well that they are still in some of the baked goods I eat.)

At any rate, maybe try examining your food log for things that are high in cholesterol and work to replace them with lower-cholesterol options. Whole grains, lean protein, and fruits and veggies are my staples.

Both my 4yr old daughter and I have high cholesterol (genetics, not diet). Mine, I was aware of and have been managing very successfully for years. Hers came up as part of a clinical study in which we are involved. Although we are both very healthy weights and we eat very very well (you should see all the healthy stuff the kid will eat), it is an on-going battle to keep her LDL down.

Some of the little changes that we have made, which have helped to keep hers in check:
- skim milk
- increased fruits and veg (particulary those with soluble fibre) -the real stuff, not juice
- no more than 2 eggs a week (the jury is still out somewhat on eggs, but it is what has been recommended to us by the dietician and doctor)
- fibre, fibre, fibre
- oat bran (cheerios, oatmeal, etc)
- small amounts of nuts such as walnuts or almonds (about 1.5 oz) - more than that is too many calories and too much fat
- olive oil instead of margarine or butter whenever possible
- fish at least 2x a week (particularly fatty fish such as trout, salmon)

Our goal for cholesterol each day is less than 200mg for me (and scaled down to 4 yr old portion sizes, it works out to be about 100mg for her). Obviously on a day in which she eats an egg, she'll go over that, but we try to balance it out over the week.

You can track the cholesterol as one of your nutrients. I've added sodium and cholesterol to the things that I track and it has helped me to identify foods in which salt/cholesterol are less obvious.

Our most difficult battle has been educating my husband's side of the family who like to take her out for McDonalds and sneak her treats because they think that we are too strict with her diet. That, however, is a whole other topic.

Have you watched the movie "Forks Over Knives"? There are certainly other ways to lower cholesterol, but I think the goal should be total health. The movie is geared for those who want to avoid ALL preventable diseases, not just those of high cholesterol. I'd check it out if you're concerned about upping your chances for positive disease outcomes, of any type.

Just ordered it after reading this comment! I'm a vegan already, but I need to reduce my processed food, and this movie looks interesting.

I'm working very hard to improve my cholesterol levels and am so glad that you posted this! I've had my lipid levels tested annually, but didn't do much to change them until this past year when I joined MFP in May. Below I've noted my numbers & dates and then will note what I've done to improve them.

7/08
total chol - 209
HDL - 46
LDL - 149
ratio - 4.5
trigs - 72
notes: I was OK with these findings even though my total cholesterol was a little high and my HDL was lower than I wanted.

7/09
total chol - 278
HDL - 44
LDL - 193
ratio - 6.3
trigs - 205
notes: I was really disappointed in my total cholesterol and LDL levels. I talked to my Dr. and he recommended diet/exercise. However I wasn't ready to really pursue and was in a state of denial.

6/10
total chol - 200
HDL - 50
LDL - 128
ratio - 4.0
trigs - 110
notes: I was happier with these findings and just decided that last year must've been a "fluke". (Not my smartest moment.)

6/11
total chol - 176
HDL - 29
LDL - 116
ratio - 6.1
trigs 155
notes: I had started MFP the month before and had already lost 20lbs. I was looking forward to seeing some great #'s and was really disappointed by my low HDL and high ratio. I realized that in my drive to eat better, I had cut out all of the "good" fats in my diet and was getting little to no exercise.

1/31/12
total chol - 146
HDL - 41.3
ratio - 3.56
notes: I bought a drug store kit to test these levels. I'm very happy with my total cholesterol, but had hoped that my HDL would be higher.

I've since been researching ways to improve my HDL level and get as 'heart healthy' as possible. In a few months I'll buy another kit (but this time one that tests LDL and trigs too) and see where I am.

Between 6/11 and 1/12 I was just really counting calories and trying to eat healthier. Since 1/12 I've stepped up my cardiovascular exercise. I have 2 tablespoons of ground flax per day (mixed into my yogurt). I'm also taking a multivitamin that has lots of niacin in it. I've increased my lean protein intake (adjusted MFP's nutrient %'s so I'm getting 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fats). I use olive oil whenever I need oil, am adding avocados into my salads. I have lots of egg whites, tuna and cheese sticks when I need to snack. Lots of veges in my diet as well as fish and whole grains. I found these chicken burgers at my local Costco (Amylu - very yummy!) that are high in protein and very low in fats/carbs. I also really like the Morningstar sausage patties. I've also been doing lots and lots of reading about ways to improve my cholesterol levels and raising my HDL.

My dad had some scary heart problems this past fall and he's in his early 60's. I want to be around for a very long time. That's my motivation.

Shoot for a healthy balanced lifestyle and this problem may solve itself.