jaimmersd
03-23-2009, 04:40 PM
I have recently been told that my protein high sensitivity c reactive is at an 11. Anything over a 3 is considered high risk for heart attack or stroke. The dr took more blood to check my cholesterol, but haven't gotten those results yet. I have read that the protein is the better predictor in women than cholesterol.
I am a type 2 diabetic and overweight, all of which increases my risk factor and am 58 yrs old. After reading everything I need to do, it is a lot of change at once and wondered if anyone can give me advice on how to start. I don't exercise now and if I try to do everything, eating, exercising, losing weight, I will not stick to anything.
What is the most important first step? Any advice is appreciated.:confused:
I am a type 2 diabetic and overweight, all of which increases my risk factor and am 58 yrs old. After reading everything I need to do, it is a lot of change at once and wondered if anyone can give me advice on how to start. I don't exercise now and if I try to do everything, eating, exercising, losing weight, I will not stick to anything.
What is the most important first step? Any advice is appreciated.:confused:
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starling72
03-23-2009, 06:49 PM
What's worked for me is to add the exercise first and, at the same time, make small incremental changes to what or how much you eat. The weight loss will come naturally (and gradually) as you change your lifestyle.
I started by adding 15-20 minutes of riding my stationary bike 3-5 times per week until that didn't feel like a challenge anymore, then kept slowy increasing the time up to 30 minutes and eventually made a 30 minute morning ride part of my every day routine.
At the same time, I stopped focusing on meat as the main part of my meals and made sure my plate had 2-3 times more veggies than meat & starches (potatoes, rice). I didn't cut down on portion size, just on the kind of foods I was eating. My wife and I bought 3 of the AHA cook books (One Dish meals, Quick and Easy, and Meals in Minutes), which have a large number of easy to make, delicious meals in them that are far healthier than what we had been eating...especially if you stick to the portion size for each recipe.
Those two steps didn't seem all that drastic to me, given that my blood work was all out of whack. It didn't really feel like a dramatic, all-at-once change since I slowly worked into the exercise and really just became more conscious about what I was putting in my mouth. I knocked off 25lbs in 6 weeks as a side benefit without really even focusing on it (I started as a 305lb man, so I have a long ways to go to that "ideal weight") and I'm trying very, very hard to remain unfocused on my weight, but rather on making the lifestyle changes stick and become second nature.
I started by adding 15-20 minutes of riding my stationary bike 3-5 times per week until that didn't feel like a challenge anymore, then kept slowy increasing the time up to 30 minutes and eventually made a 30 minute morning ride part of my every day routine.
At the same time, I stopped focusing on meat as the main part of my meals and made sure my plate had 2-3 times more veggies than meat & starches (potatoes, rice). I didn't cut down on portion size, just on the kind of foods I was eating. My wife and I bought 3 of the AHA cook books (One Dish meals, Quick and Easy, and Meals in Minutes), which have a large number of easy to make, delicious meals in them that are far healthier than what we had been eating...especially if you stick to the portion size for each recipe.
Those two steps didn't seem all that drastic to me, given that my blood work was all out of whack. It didn't really feel like a dramatic, all-at-once change since I slowly worked into the exercise and really just became more conscious about what I was putting in my mouth. I knocked off 25lbs in 6 weeks as a side benefit without really even focusing on it (I started as a 305lb man, so I have a long ways to go to that "ideal weight") and I'm trying very, very hard to remain unfocused on my weight, but rather on making the lifestyle changes stick and become second nature.
ACE28
03-25-2009, 11:33 AM
Your correct - C Reactive Protein is a very important predictor of future problems. The higher the level the higher the systemic inflammation. Statin Drugs such as LIPITOR and ZOCOR are known to lower the CRP numbers by targeting inflammation. High blood pressure drugs which can lower high levels of CRP are drugs such as DIOVAN, BYSTOLIC, BENICAR etc.. Natural supplements which can lower CRP inflammation with dramatic results are 1200 mg a day of Vitamin E (natural), or 2000 mg a day of Vitamin C. You can also take them together. Niacin is also known to help with high CRP levels and benefit every aspect of your cholesterol profile. The only problem with niacin is the side effect of skin flushing with higher doses....