Results with no Meds! - High Cholesterol Message Board

tattooyu · 01-12-2005, 08:09 PM

I just wanted to post this because I have been very worried about my health in general, especially my cholesterol levels. I became nervous/anxious that after all the hard work I've put in, that it would be the same or worse. I finally got some good news!

Since July 2004, I have started an exercise program and started eating better for my body -- especially switching from processed grains to whole/natural grains, and then limiting that.

Here are both sets of numbers...

July 2004:
TC: 228
LDL: 138
HDL: 23
Trig: 333

January 2005:
TC: 221
LDL: 149
HDL: 34
Trig: 192

More importantly, here are the ratio differences:

LDL/HDL ratio - went from 6.0 down to 4.4.
TC/HDL ratio - went from 9.9 down to 6.5.

HDL/TC % - went from 10% to 15%.
Trig/HDL % - went from 15% to 6%.

So, while I'm not out of the woods, I'm certainly on the right path. They want to check it again in 3 months. When the doctor's assistant called, I asked if we could do a more complete panel next time to check Lp(a), Homocysteine, etc., and she said she would let the doctor know!

I just wanted to share this with everyone to give some hope to those without.

Good Health Everyone!

Uff-Da! · 01-13-2005, 02:11 PM

Congratulations on the improvements, tattooyu! Keep up that exercise and the dietary improvements! Maybe you can post what additional changes you have made to your diet, so others can add additional suggestions they may have.

tattooyu · 01-13-2005, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uff-Da!

Congratulations on the improvements, tattooyu! Keep up that exercise and the dietary improvements! Maybe you can post what additional changes you have made to your diet, so others can add additional suggestions they may have.

Thank you!

My wife and I eat fresh/steamed/sauteed vegetables
Moderate fruit
Lean meats (no skin); I still eat some red meat, but I don't digest it well
Good fats (mostly olive oil with some other exotics like macadamia nut/avocado oil)
Some saturated fat (the body does need it), but very limited.
Drink LOTS of water over the course of the day (I drink about 4 pints--(8) 8 oz. glasses--on average daily)

The main thing: no refined sugars/carbs (except when we have our weekly treat on Fridays). We eat limited amoutns of whole/natural/unprocessed carbs.

Oh yeah, PORTIONS! Eat slow and stop eating when you are full. Don't eat when you're not hungry

It's really just calories in (good food/good portions) -> calories out (exercise).

Uff-Da! · 01-13-2005, 03:31 PM

I think it is great that your doctor is working with you on lifestyle changes first. So many just reach for the prescription pad.

It looks like you really have a good diet there. The only thing I can see (and maybe you just didn't mention it) was to eat plenty of fatty fish. Or take fish oil supplements. Even my doctor recommended the fish oil supplements, or flaxseed if I couldn't handle the fish burps.

Well, maybe one other thing. If you aren't getting a lot of soluble fiber, you might increase that. You know - legumes, oatmeal, oat bran, prunes, and the like. It can tie up some of the dietary cholesterol so it isn't absorbed and lower blood cholesterol that way.

tattooyu · 01-13-2005, 03:55 PM

OOPS! My bad...

I had been taking fish oil, but it upset my stomach, so mostly I was eating oatmeal most days of the week.

However, and this is a big however...

I use only Steel Cut oats. The regular Quaker-type oatmeal is all refined. You don't have to eat groats (totally unprocessed), but steel cut is a good middle ground and I really like the taste (now

).

It's so easy to make:

Add 1 cup oats to 4 cups briskly boiling water (I use spring water).
Boil until it starts to thicken (about 5-10 minutes).

Then, you can do one of two things:

1) Simmer for about 30-40 until it is smooth (stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn), or
2) [My favorite] Turn off the heat, put on the cover and let soak overnight or for a few hours.

Yesterday I boiled them for about 10 minutes, turned off the fire, covered it, went to my chiropractor. When I came back, it only took about 10 minutes to finish!

One cup uncooked oats lasts me almost an entire week. I only eat about 1/2-2/3 cup at a meal.