Cholesterol

[zebano]

FYI, my doctor knows all this, I'm just looking for additional information.

About 11 months ago, I donated blood and they phoned me and said that my Cholesterol was "borderline high" (200-239). I had it tested after fasting and sure enough it was 220 (high LDL, low HDL, normal triglycerides). My mother and uncles on her side have been taking cholesterol medicine for 20 years despite being active and eating healthy, so I do have a family history.

I don't like taking medicine, so I started exercising and modifying my diet. 5 months later I was tested again and had a 195 Cholesterol (40+ HDL). My doctor said that was good but he still wanted to see my LDL come down some more. Through the summer I was fine, but between the middle of October and Christmas, I stopped exercising completely and my diet slipped back to it's old mode (lots of snack foods).

After Christmas, I started exercising again, but 3 weeks of exercise isn't enough to counter 3 months of none, and my latest Cholesterol screening showed my LDL up at 146 (above what it was before). My doctor has prescribed medicine to regulate it, and because I take my health seriously, I am going to start on it. However, I cannot describe my irrational aversion to medicine, especially something I would be on for the rest of my life (I'm only 26). So my plan is this

1. Start on the medicine, exercise and eat well.
2. After 4 months when I am screened again, if it has come down try and convince my doctor that I can do this myself and start reducing the dosages. If all goes well, reduce it again until I am free of the medicine.

Current Status:
5' 10", 26 y.o , 190 lbs

My Daily Routine
Morning: wake up, 10 minutes cardio to get warmed up. Followed by pushups, chinups, crunches to exhaustion (currently 20, 3, 70), stretch and do some lifting with dumbells every other day (I rotate my exercises). I finish up by stretching. Eat breakfast - Oatmeal + banana, on the weekends, replace the oatmeal with pancakes, no sausage or bacon.

Take lunch to work. Usually a spinach wrap w/ lettuce and grilled chicken and two snacks (1 veggie, 1 fruit i.e. red grapes/apple/pear and carrots/celery/small salad).

Dinner is my hardest meal since most things I prepare my kids won't eat. My last two meals have been grilled cheese & tomato soup and Enchiladas. I always include 1 veggie, usually a frozen veggie medley which I think often have high sodium levels. I know this needs work.

I drink 1 glass of coffee in the morning and only water after that except at dinner when I occasionally (2-3x / week) have a glass of red wine or fat-free chocolate milk.

After my kids go to bed, I ride my bicycles for 45 minutes (5 days/week). Recently every other days become 15 minutes warm-up, 5x 1 minute intervals (2 minutes off), 15 minutes of whatever I can maintain. Netflix + 24 makes me want to ride!

So I have a host of questions
1. What are the relevant things to avoid when monitoring cholesterol? All fats, or just saturated fats? What are polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats? I believe sodium also affects this?
2. Any suggestions for healthy food that you can feed your kids (3 & 1 y.o)? Frankly my son (1 y.o) eats everything so he's not a problem, but my wife and daughter are both very picky eaters (My wife can't stand any non-white breads or pastas).
3. I am trying to use fitday.com as a calorie counter so I can reduce my weight (goal of < 170) but most of our homemade recipes aren't on there (I also don't trust their calories burned estimates - way too high).
4. Any other suggestions to help control the cholesterol?

Cliffs
High Cholesterol (family history)
Improved it myself for 6 months
Slacked off for 3
Bad cholesterol, start medication.
What Can I do to improve and get off the medication?

 

[nismotigerwvu]

I think you are just going to have to bite the bullet and take the medicine my friend. Just so you know, HDL and LDL are not actually cholesterol but the proteins that our body makes to transport it (hence the "good" and "bad" ones as one takes them to tissue and ones takes it out of tissue) so thats where the genetics really kicks in (regulation of the production of said proteins and ratios between them). Sorry it is just one of my pet peeves to hear someone call HDL or LDL cholesterol. Even Dr.'s will do it sometimes *sigh*.

 

[zebano]

Doh!. Thanks for the information, but the production of HDL and LDL is modified somewhat by diet and exercise yes? Thats what everything I have heard indicates.

 

[blackangst1]

How about triglycerides? Although I have type 1 diabetes which contributes, I have always had high bad cholesterol and triglycerides. I was in the best shape in my early 30's. Body was hard as a rock, resting heartrate was around 65, and had a VERY active lifestyle. I still had way above normal cholesterol and triglycerides. Sometimes thats just how your body is.

Not saying thats the case for you, just leep it in mind and dont beat yourself up over it

 

[zebano]

Triglycerides were normal every time. Thanks for the reassurance. Like I said, it's an irrational fear, but hopefully it helps me keep my workout program going.

 

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: zebano
Triglycerides were normal every time. Thanks for the reassurance. Like I said, it's an irrational fear, but hopefully it helps me keep my workout program going.

Super. Im like you...motivated to take as little meds as possible. Ive found through the years with regular healthy upkeep I can make about a 25-30% difference in both triglycerides and bad cholesterol...which is good

 

[moshquerade]

a lot of questions are popping up lately in regards to Statins. they are beginning to rethink the cholesterol numbers we have been going by.

Statins may lower those numbers, but it's questionable whether they are helping to cut down on plaque buildup in the arteries around the heart. If the medication isn't doing that.. what good is it?

the line of thinking is now to include other risk factors such as heart disease in your family, diabetes, etc. and take them into consideration before putting someone on cholesterol lowering meds just because they are a bit over the target 200 number.

 

[Goi]

You might want to read Malcolm Kendrick's "The Great Cholesterol Con" as well as Gary Taube's "Good Calories, Bad Calories".

 

[TXHokie]

My brother-in-law took the docs advise after his result showed he was borderline high also. He spent 3 months exercising and eating well, doing lots of running and swimming. Went back to checkups afterwards and his reading shot up. He's now taking his meds and drinking beer at home. Some people can't fight hereditary.

 

[GreenCow]

I share your desire not to be dependant on pills to live if I can help it and I am on a cholesteral lowering med and 3 HBP meds.

I'd suggest researching:
- Extra Virgin Coconut Oil: Supposedly has lots of middle chain trigycerides which helps a lot of things
- Apple Cider Vinegar - supposed to do everything
- red yeast rice

These are natural foods that you can incorporate into your diet that are supposed to help lower your cholesterol.

I have just started with EVCO and ACV and I will get more bloodwork in Feb.

Also, you may want to consider working with a nutritionist or holistic health counselor.

Also, you may want to try a few colon cleanses. (google salt water flush)

 

[nismotigerwvu]

TXHokie,
Thats actually pretty common. When your brother-in-law was doing all of that exercise he burnt a lot of fat off of his system, and the breakdown of fat releases a ton of FFA's (free fatty acids, which the body typically packages as triglycerides) and cholesterol into the blood stream. I'm assuming after the weight loss leveled out (the next time he went to the DR.) it looked like those medications did a huge amount of work right? Well its only then that the FFA levels from the burnt fat would be out of the system, with the little boost the medication would have done tossed on top (and all credited to the medication I'm sure). *sigh* I wish more people (physicians especially) had solid understandings of biochemistry.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Consider trying out Fish-oil tablets. Most are 1200Mg for 1 gelcap. They're over-the-counter and safe.

For your age, 1200mg once a day...if you don't want to take it every day, try 1200mg every other day.

My father (had triple bypass surgery 10 years ago at the age of 55), started taking 2400mg a day and his doctor has had nothing but good things to say about his progress. Do some reading about what fish oil can do to help your cholesterol and triglycerides.


Attached Article:
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Fish oil has been shown in epidemiological and clinical trials to reduce the incidence of heart disease by lowering cholesterol. Large-scale epidemiological studies suggest that individuals at risk for coronary heart disease benefit from the consumption of fish oil, as it is high in omega 3 fatty acids.

The American Heart Association updated its advice on fish oil supplements and the full article was published in Circulation 106:2747-2757, 2002. Here?s the short version of what they recommend:

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People without documented coronary heart disease
Eat a variety of (preferably oily) fish at least twice a week. Include oils and foods rich in alpha-linolenic acid (flax seed oil, canola oil, and soybean oil; flax seed and walnuts)
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People with documented coronary heart disease
Consume approximately 1 gram of EPA+DHA per day, preferably from oily fish. EPA+DHA supplements could be considered in consultation with a physician.
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People needing triglyceride-lowering
Two to four grams of EPA+DHA per day provided as capsules such as fish oil or omega 3 supplements under a physician's care