Blood panel question.

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papa3x
papa3x Posts: 286
in Food and Nutrition
Please only answer here if you really believe that you know what you're talking about. Thanks.

OK, I am NOT looking for miracles. But I am expecting and hoping for significant changes in my blood panel since my last physical.

Near the end of December, 2011, I started eating a lot more fruits and veggies. And I cut WAY BACK on things like cheese, red meat, processed foods.... And when I say I am eating more veggies and fruits, I mean that back then I was eating almost none of them, and now I eat 8 - 12 servings of them a day. Some days I am 100% vegetarian.

Also, I have been working out a lot, and at the very least getting in walks almost every day. I have dropped 17 pounds since December.

My physical is on March 5th. My blood will be drawn a few days earlier. I know my doctor once said something about blood work being a 3 month average. I can't recall exactly what she said.

I'm not expecting miracles, but I definitely expect improvements. I don't know what my last blood work numbers were. Realistically, can I expect a significant improvement?

Replies

  • eschwab855
    eschwab855 Posts: 258 Member
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    I DONT KNOW. I only posted cause you said not to but you are my pal so look at it as a free bump
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
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    I would say yes. The 3 month avg. one is probably a Hemoglobin A1C--which is an average of your blood glucose (sugar) over 90 days. If you are eating right and exercising and losing weight, you should expect improved blood glucose and lipid levels. You still may be a long way off from perfect blood work though, so you should keep up the good work no matter what the results.
  • misslynnswan
    misslynnswan Posts: 9
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    What blood work panels are you needed help with? Are you diabetic with a high hemoglobin A1C (generally the 3 month average). Is it your cholesterol and triglycerides that is high?

    You don't need to disclose all of this information to me.... but to start off it would be great to know the names of all of these labs, then know what your numbers are, and then know what the normals or goals should be.

    Keep up the good work on eating a lower calorie healthy diet and exercising. Just doing these things and never giving up will help your health significantly.
  • papa3x
    papa3x Posts: 286
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    I DONT KNOW. I only posted cause you said not to but you are my pal so look at it as a free bump

    LOL, thanks buddy!
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
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    Depending on how much of a change you made, you can see anything from a small improvement to a drastic one. Your cholesterol (HDL, LDL and triglycerides) could be greatly reduced/improved in this time. With the changes you said you've made you could potentially see a 30 or 40 point drop in your total cholesterol. If they are doing an A1C, it's a 3 month average of blood sugar values, you could see an improvement there. However, if you're not a diabetic, they may not. Fasting blood sugar levels should be improved, unless you eat a LOT of high sugar fruits. Your electrolytes should be better too. If you're not eating a lot of processed foods, it could be much improved.
    I don't want to get your hopes up to high, but I know I have made significant changes in my routine bloodwork in just 3 months of time.
  • kmbhoya2000
    kmbhoya2000 Posts: 174 Member
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    I would say yes. I know with things like cholesterol, eating badly the night before can effect it, so eating really well for these past months should have really positive results...
  • misslynnswan
    misslynnswan Posts: 9
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    You will probably see improvements in your blood work as you see a decrease in your waist line. If you are seeing gradual decreases in your weight from healthy eating and exercise then you'll probably see gradual improvements in your blood work. If 3 months down the road you are not seeing a decrease in your weight (from not sticking to the healthy lifestyle improvements) then you probably also won't see a improvement of your blood work. These are not directly related but there is definitely a strong correlation.
  • NiciS72
    NiciS72 Posts: 1,043 Member
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    Depending on what you are trying to get under control yes and no. It may take longer for something like good cholesterol to come up. That said, both my husband and I have gotten our levels under control. Me I have my TSH in check. Him-he was able to totally get off cholesterol meds. Don't get upset if the numbers aren't significantly changed this first round. Keep on trucking with the good diet and exercise and the bad stuff will go away in time!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Yes, I think you will see improvement. The regular exercise alone should show some improvement, but combined with the improved diet I would surely expect the numbers to improve.

    If you haven't already you might also consider taking fish oil pills. This can raise your HDL and lower your triglycerides.
  • QueenHanifa
    QueenHanifa Posts: 180 Member
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    In 3 months my A1c went from 10.01 - 6.2
    my total cholestrol lowered from 218 -187

    no typical for all,but I changed my eating habits by increasing fruits and veggies but paired then with more proteins .hang in there and results are bound to come.Good luck on your journey!
  • Moonbeamlissie
    Moonbeamlissie Posts: 504 Member
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    All I can say is mine did. I was prediabetic and my next bloodwork I was fine. and now it is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY better Everything is back to the way it is suppose to be.
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
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    A lot of things can be measured in blood work. But cutting the saturated fats and increasing the fiber should help reduce the"bad" cholesterol. Because some of the equation is genetics, it might only go down a little. The same is true with blood pressure and sodium. For some of us, by reducing the sodium, we can reduce the BP. For others it takes medication. The same is true for some diabetic folks. There are other health factors such as vitamin D and for the guys, the big 't". All of these are subject to our genetic make up.

    You should see improvements doing what you are doing.

    In the end, all you can do is shoot for health. Eat a balanced diet of lean meat, fish, produce, and whole grains. Then get the heart rate up for a minimum of 90 minutes a week. By up, I mean sweat. If you can manage 3 hours a week, all the better. Mix it up, have some fun, and tweak your diet as you see things going in the right direction.

    One more thing. If you can get it in food, skip the supplements and medication.
  • felice03
    felice03 Posts: 2,732 Member
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    Please only answer here if you really believe that you know what you're talking about. Thanks.

    OK, I am NOT looking for miracles. But I am expecting and hoping for significant changes in my blood panel since my last physical.

    Near the end of December, 2011, I started eating a lot more fruits and veggies. And I cut WAY BACK on things like cheese, red meat, processed foods.... And when I say I am eating more veggies and fruits, I mean that back then I was eating almost none of them, and now I eat 8 - 12 servings of them a day. Some days I am 100% vegetarian.

    Also, I have been working out a lot, and at the very least getting in walks almost every day. I have dropped 17 pounds since December.

    My physical is on March 5th. My blood will be drawn a few days earlier. I know my doctor once said something about blood work being a 3 month average. I can't recall exactly what she said.

    I'm not expecting miracles, but I definitely expect improvements. I don't know what my last blood work numbers were. Realistically, can I expect a significant improvement?

    I assume by you recalling him say "3 month aveage" you are talking about Hbg A1C...which shows and "average" for blood sugar. you can see signifacnt improvements if your blood sugars have been under control for those three months. every test has a different expectancy for turnaround..if you have more specific questions feel free to PM me.
  • YouAreTheShit
    YouAreTheShit Posts: 510 Member
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    I assume by you recalling him say "3 month aveage" you are talking about Hbg A1C...which shows and "average" for blood sugar. you can see signifacnt improvements if your blood sugars have been under control for those three months. every test has a different expectancy for turnaround..if you have more specific questions feel free to PM me.
    ^^^^^^ That's my friend right there... isn't she smart?!?
  • papa3x
    papa3x Posts: 286
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    In 3 months my A1c went from 10.01 - 6.2
    my total cholestrol lowered from 218 -187

    no typical for all,but I changed my eating habits by increasing fruits and veggies but paired then with more proteins .hang in there and results are bound to come.Good luck on your journey!

    I believe that my A1C was about 8.5
    My cholesterol was about 235 - I think.
  • Flyer615
    Flyer615 Posts: 173 Member
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    A lot of things can be measured in blood work. But cutting the saturated fats and increasing the fiber should help reduce the"bad" cholesterol. Because some of the equation is genetics, it might only go down a little. The same is true with blood pressure and sodium. For some of us, by reducing the sodium, we can reduce the BP. For others it takes medication. The same is true for some diabetic folks. There are other health factors such as vitamin D and for the guys, the big 't". All of these are subject to our genetic make up.

    You should see improvements doing what you are doing.

    In the end, all you can do is shoot for health. Eat a balanced diet of lean meat, fish, produce, and whole grains. Then get the heart rate up for a minimum of 90 minutes a week. By up, I mean sweat. If you can manage 3 hours a week, all the better. Mix it up, have some fun, and tweak your diet as you see things going in the right direction.

    One more thing. If you can get it in food, skip the supplements and medication.

    I agree completely. Also, as someone else mentioned, if it's a 3-month thing, they're going to be looking at your A1C blood glucose. I changed the background color on my blog (you said you couldn't see it - black letters on red background). It told of the results that I got back from my 3-month checkup after getting the "high blood sugar" report. I cut my daily intake of sugars down to 30 grams or less. That means you have to watch your fruit intake, as well (6 oz. orange juice = 19 grams of sugar). Those sugars are better than refined sugar, but I still cut them way down. Good luck with the test!

    Edit: Oops, here's the address: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Flyer615/view/best-nsv-ever-212499#comments

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