My cholesterol went up after losing weight and eating healthy?

[darkxshade]

When I had my annual physical of last year in July, I had only begun exercising(cardio) for 2 months, I was already lifting for who knows how long. At the time I was about 190lbs(205 when I started running) and my cholesterol was at 202 when I got my results.

So fast forward a year and half and I've dropped to as low as 155 lbs this summer doing cardio year round to 5x/week when cutting to 3x/week currently while I'm bulking. I'm currently bulked back up to 170 for the winter and that was when I had my physical again last week. For the year, I've changed my eating habits significantly... which consists of fruits and veggies daily. I still eat red meat but mostly lean stuff. I eat unhealthy socially when I go out with friends which is roughly about 5x/month on avg.

So you can imagine to my surprise when my doctor tells me today that my cholesterol is now at 232. WTF?


edit: I was also told I have a bad liver & kidney. I don't know if that has anything to do with it but I don't drink a lot.... I have a feeling it's something I'm taking(supplements) which include multivitamins(orange triad), fish oil, whey protein & creatine. The whey & creatine I've been on since Sept(once scoop +5-7g creatine daily). I suppose that since it's the end of the year I may as well hop off the whey & creatine now and see how that goes. It's def not the fish oil which adds to the surprise about my cholesterol since this stuff is supposed to help lower it... I take 3g daily. So that leaves the multivitamins which I unfortunatley have a half year supply of.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Did you fast before the test? I believe I had a cholesterol count of 400+ one time after eating a chinese dish of fried noodles. A second test after fasting showed me with a healthy cholesterol count.

 

[darkxshade]

Did you fast before the test? I believe I had a cholesterol count of 400+ one time after eating a chinese dish of fried noodles. A second test after fasting showed me with a healthy cholesterol count.

Depends... unfortunately, this wasn't an official physical so that might be it. I was going in to get tested to see if I need any vaccinations before I head to Peru for vacation end of month and they decided to give me a physical since I hadn't had one for over a year. My blood was drawn about 6:00pm on Wed... I ate at 2:00pm(carrots, potatoes & beef stew... about 2 cups). Could my pig out on Thanksgiving weekend contribute to this? It wasn't the best time to get my physical to be honest... I drank and I ate like crap all weekend which I don't normally do every year but this one was different(spent with friends instead of family so partying was involved).

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Depends... unfortunately, this wasn't an official physical so that might be it. I was going in to get tested to see if I need any vaccinations before I head to Peru for vacation end of month and they decided to give me a physical since I hadn't had one for over a year. My blood was drawn about 6:00pm on Wed... I ate at 2:00pm(carrots, potatoes & beef stew... about 2 cups). Could my pig out on Thanksgiving weekend contribute to this? It wasn't the best time to get my physical to be honest... I drank and I ate like crap all weekend which I don't normally do every year but this one was different(spent with friends instead of family so partying was involved).

If you weren't fasting completely from everything but water for 8-12h, the results from a lipid profile are completely useless. If you're actually interested in getting true values, set up an appointment and make sure to fast.

Also, yes, having a bad liver will 100% affect your cholesterol values. Your liver is the regulator of cholesterol within your body. If I were you, I would definitely cut out unnecessary supplements, like creatine and the multivitamin. You can still progress and be healthy without either of these. They do put an increased stress on the liver so it's not really advisable to use them.

 

[routan]

my cholestrol went down from 270ish to 250ish after 3 months of eating healthy and exercising. so the doc put me on statins since its not in the normal levels any other way i can get this cholestrol down rather than be dependant on statins all my life?

also i cant seem to lose any weight, and i cant understand why. all i eat is baked stuff, run, and am overall more active

 

[mizzou]

Who bulks up 20+ lbs for "the winter"? Shouldnt you just be maintaining a healthy weight year round?

 

[McWatt]

Who bulks up 20+ lbs for "the winter"? Shouldnt you just be maintaining a healthy weight year round?

A lot of people do, though I don't understand the rational behind it. Worries about having to reposition hibernating bears?

I didn't know people talked about total cholesterol without mentioning LDL and HDL levels, however.

 

[Bulldog13]

A lot of people do, though I don't understand the rational behind it. Worries about having to reposition hibernating bears?

I didn't know people talked about total cholesterol without mentioning LDL and HDL levels, however.

When you're no longer a noob lifter it becomes impossible to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. In other words you can't add any muscle without adding some additional fat. So you bulk for the winter, where you gain muscle and fat (we'll say 10 pounds of each), and then cut in the spring/summer (we'll say you dropped 10 pounds of fat and 5 pounds of muscle. Now you are entering the summer season with a net gain of 5 pounds of muscle.

 

[SagaLore]

Creatine taxes the liver. Stop taking it.

You need to get good cholesterols into your diet to help bind the bad and expel them. Your liver produces a lot of the bad cholesterol, so if you have a "bad liver", that would explain the increase. Increase your good fat intake by making sure any oil you consume is extra virgin olive oil and eggs are always veg-fed free range cage free.

For your "bad liver", take red clover capsules or make a red clover tea. Instead of fish oil, switch to flax oil. If you're worried that your vitamins could be an issue (and disproportionate b vitamins are also taxing on the liver) but don't want to stop, just cut your dose in half, and/or take a break from them on weekends.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Creatine taxes the liver. Stop taking it.

You need to get good cholesterols into your diet to help bind the bad and expel them. Your liver produces a lot of the bad cholesterol, so if you have a "bad liver", that would explain the increase. Increase your good fat intake by making sure any oil you consume is extra virgin olive oil and eggs are always veg-fed free range cage free.

For your "bad liver", take red clover capsules or make a red clover tea. Instead of fish oil, switch to flax oil. If you're worried that your vitamins could be an issue (and disproportionate b vitamins are also taxing on the liver) but don't want to stop, just cut your dose in half, and/or take a break from them on weekends.

Actually creatine metabolism is more general and isn't quite processed much in the liver. It's more associated with people with kidney issues. So please don't go spreading lies that it taxes the liver. It doesn't.

Btw, red clover tea has poor research on it and it's sketchy at best. In addition to that, flax oil is WAY less beneficial than fish oil. Flax oil consists of mostly ALA, a fatty acid that is poorly converted into usable omega-3s in the body. DHA/EPAs is very useful and bioactive within the human body. It also has a HUGE background of evidence supporting it.

 

[SagaLore]

Actually creatine metabolism is more general and isn't quite processed much in the liver.

Since creatine is classified as a food and not a drug, it will be hard to find scientific supporting evidence of its side effects, just acecdotal like this:

http://training.fitness.com/supplements/does-creatine-overwork-your-liver-35874.html

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Since creatine is classified as a food and not a drug, it will be hard to find scientific supporting evidence of its side effects, just acecdotal like this:

http://training.fitness.com/supplements/does-creatine-overwork-your-liver-35874.html

Except there is research on it as both a supplement and a regular component within skeletal muscle. There IS scientific evidence supporting its lack of side effects. I'll check some articles tomorrow - I have quite a few related to creatine.

 

[darkxshade]

Well in any case, I've cut out my post workout drink(whey + creatine) for the time being and reduced the intake of my multivitamins by a third(I don't want them to go to waste, have a half year supply still). In addition, I've also decided to cut out artificial sweetners and have gone back to regular sugar in my coffee. I was on 4 packets of splenda/day which didn't cross my mind at time of writing for the OP.

Will stick with this plan and see what results I get 6 months from now and depending on my then diagnosis, I might decide to get back on creatine + whey(just to use up what I have left). Once my multivitamins, whey, & creatine have used up however, I'm likely to cut them out indifinitely since I feel at this point I feel I can afford to lose some bulk over my lifetime(5'8 172lbs right now) and it shouldn't be a problem to lift without. I'm still on fish oil though and have no plans to switch to flax... I may even increase my fish oil intake as a result of savings from not having to buy all of the stuff I'm cutting from my regimen. Currently taking 3g(3 capsules/day) of NOW ultra omegas... thinking about upping to 4/day.

 

[Aarondeep]

Ok i'm a pharmacist. What you really need to look at is your individual cholesterol levels. Your HDL (good) LDL (BAD) and your triglycerides (BAD). Fish oil helps lower the triglycerides but also has a tendency to raise your LDL. Upping the fish oil intake may increase these levels. If you don't want to add a drug to lower your LDL you can try something called Red Yeast rice which is basically a supplement version of a statin.

I agree with the assessment that you should cut down on the whey and creatine.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Well in any case, I've cut out my post workout drink(whey + creatine) for the time being and reduced the intake of my multivitamins by a third(I don't want them to go to waste, have a half year supply still). In addition, I've also decided to cut out artificial sweetners and have gone back to regular sugar in my coffee. I was on 4 packets of splenda/day which didn't cross my mind at time of writing for the OP.

Will stick with this plan and see what results I get 6 months from now and depending on my then diagnosis, I might decide to get back on creatine + whey(just to use up what I have left). Once my multivitamins, whey, & creatine have used up however, I'm likely to cut them out indifinitely since I feel at this point I feel I can afford to lose some bulk over my lifetime(5'8 172lbs right now) and it shouldn't be a problem to lift without. I'm still on fish oil though and have no plans to switch to flax... I may even increase my fish oil intake as a result of savings from not having to buy all of the stuff I'm cutting from my regimen. Currently taking 3g(3 capsules/day) of NOW ultra omegas... thinking about upping to 4/day.

Why don't you just take another test and fast before it? Save you a whole lot of trouble when you find out that your cholesterol levels are fine.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Why don't you just take another test and fast before it? Save you a whole lot of trouble when you find out that your cholesterol levels are fine.

100% agreed. The test results you got were completely invalid.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Ok i'm a pharmacist. What you really need to look at is your individual cholesterol levels. Your HDL (good) LDL (BAD) and your triglycerides (BAD). Fish oil helps lower the triglycerides but also has a tendency to raise your LDL. Upping the fish oil intake may increase these levels. If you don't want to add a drug to lower your LDL you can try something called Red Yeast rice which is basically a supplement version of a statin.

I agree with the assessment that you should cut down on the whey and creatine.

Firstly, the test results he received were not under fasting conditions and are therefore not a valid measurement of anything. Fish oil has actually shown to 1) raise HDL, 2) LOWER LDL, 3) lower triglycerides. Sure, there are some studies that show that it increases LDL, but the vast majority show a significant decrease in LDL (anywhere from 5-10&#37. Fish oil is fine no matter what.

On top of that, the optimal way to address each and every aspect of this: increase seed and nut intake to improve HDL, increase soluble fiber intake to reduce LDL, decrease saturated fat intake to reduce LDL and triglycerides, increase omega-3 fatty acid intake (particularly EPA and DHA since they're readily usable in the human body), and participate in aerobic activity for 30min per day 5 days a week. Red yeast rice has shoddy research backing it and has results all over the place. Fish oil is much more proven.

 

[darkxshade]

100% agreed. The test results you got were completely invalid.

wait, even the liver and kidney part? I thought the not fasting screwed up my lipid results and under the assumption that it has nothing to do with my results with my liver/kidney?

OP, if you honestly worry about your liver, get blood work drawn and liver enzymes tested.

I'm not really at the worried stage yet. I just wanna pinpoint what exactly is causing this. This physical wasn't really official anyway and ideally, I'd like to get it while I'm at my most optimal level(basically during summer when I'm cutting weight). Which means until then, I can either do nothing or mix things around and cut out anything unnecessary. I honestly don't like the idea of being on supplements anyway but I take them anyway because they help but if they are damaging my body at the slightest, I can do without.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

wait, even the liver and kidney part? I thought the not fasting screwed up my lipid results and under the assumption that it has nothing to do with my results with my liver/kidney?

I'm not really at the worried stage yet. I just wanna pinpoint what exactly is causing this. This physical wasn't really official anyway and ideally, I'd like to get it while I'm at my most optimal level(basically during summer when I'm cutting weight). Which means until then, I can either do nothing or mix things around and cut out anything unnecessary. I honestly don't like the idea of being on supplements anyway but I take them anyway because they help but if they are damaging my body at the slightest, I can do without.

Ask a few doctors if liver test results are valid while not fasting. I likely wouldn't ask the doctor who accepted non-fasting cholesterol values. The kidney results should be fine - can you post the tests and values you received? I'm sorry, I misspoke a bit earlier, got lost in what was what. I'd be cautious with the creatine (personally, I'd drop it now) and decrease the protein intake. The amount of protein Americans take in (if you're included in that group) tends to be exceedingly great for the body's needs. You can eat 1-1.5g of protein per kilogram of weight and still maintain mass and recover. You also wouldn't be risking any damage so it's win-win.

On top of that, I think you should get these results when you're at your worst rather than at your best. If you feel like a slob and are eating like crap, that messes with your body. If you walk around like that for half the year, you're still doing damage even though you cut in the summer. Or, optimally, you should just maintain your basic health year round - the seasons shouldn't change your eating habits or your body composition. Gotta have a bit more control over stuff like that.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

You're in a bulking stage. Your body needs cholesterol to bulk up and create cells (cholesterol is a huge component of cell membranes and other vital cell parts). If you are not eating enough cholesterol to meet your body's needs, your liver will make cholesterol for you. I would not worry about it for now. You are moving in a healthy direction with respect to your weight and diet, and things might take a while to get balanced. Get tested again when you're not bulking or cutting.... just maintaining.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

You're in a bulking stage. Your body needs cholesterol to bulk up and create cells (cholesterol is a huge component of cell membranes and other vital cell parts). If you are not eating enough cholesterol to meet your body's needs, your liver will make cholesterol for you. I would not worry about it for now. You are moving in a healthy direction with respect to your weight and diet, and things might take a while to get balanced. Get tested again when you're not bulking or cutting.... just maintaining.

As I said before, his cholesterol results aren't indicative of anything happening in his body. On top of that, HIGH cholesterol levels are not necessary for proper bulking. You can bulk with a total cholesterol of 150 just fine.

 

[darkxshade]

I haven't gotten my results back yet(hard copy). I was asked to call in last week to check if I needed to get any shots. I called and they weren't ready yet but my lipid profile was and was told over the phone I had cholesterol level of 230 which is high. Then I was asked if I drink which I don't... they said I have a bad liver but as I've also said in my 2nd post I did drink during thanksgiving weekend but I don't know what if any that would affect the results(physical was on the wed night after thanksgiving weekend). I asked how bad it was, they said it was on the high end but I'm not in any danger or anything. I'm no doctor and since I wasn't really there for the physical I didn't press further for details figuring I can ask when I go in. So that was that. Until I see the doctor again, I don't have anymore to report. I didn't select this doctor either, the one I wanted was booked and I'm squeezed for time since my trip is on the 24th.

Anyway, I can live without creatine, whey, or multivitamins. I'm sticking with fish oil though. Preferably however, if it won't affect me, I would like to use up what I have at the least which currently equates to 500g of creatine, 10lbs of whey, & about 6 month supply of multivitamins.

Finally, do you think artificial sweeteners may have had a hand in or have contributed in this? As I've said, I drink 2 cups of coffee daily = 4 packets of splenda/day.