NFR High Cholesterol

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Another thing is portion control...
;)

That was my biggest struggle at first, but after 2 weeks or so you adjust.

Mentally, it's a habit forming thing. It's been said it takes 6 weeks to form a habit, so I used that as a benchmark/goal for diet change.
After that it was standard operating procedure.
Statins work for many people, and your doctor knows better than I do. Be engaged in your medical care and ask lots of questions...
Good Luck
 
Chadk said:
Genetics are a crazy thing. My wife's client who is in his 80s is a retired dentist. Good shape - mentally and physically. Drinks hard alcohol and/or beer for any meal he isn't drinking coffee with. Or both. Doesn't drink water or anything else. Eats out all the time - typically rich fatty foods. But also lots of seafood and raw oysters. Maybe he could have got another 5-10 years if he started drinking water and eating his veggies and exercising... But I like his style and envy his genetics. Not sure I'll be so lucky...
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This makes me think of Burgess Meredith in Grumpy Old Men.:)
 
I've had high cholesterol and taken statins for 30 years ... so has my older brother and my younger brother never bothered to be tested. So for all I know, and suspect, the cholesterol thing is hereditary ... It's just the way we are.

At first, I freaked and went through the change in diet and after about a year of eating what I didn't really like and not eating what I really do, I decided why? Why try to live a longer life when you don't enjoy it? So I said heck with it and did not become a vegetarian ... but I've always exercised and while I'd like to lose some weight, I'm not really all that much overweight. My doc has never said anything about my weight.

My numbers go up and down. I did change to a different statin and the numbers dropped like a rock ... so if lower numbers what my doc was after, that he got.

But again, if you're not living a life you enjoy, why take steps to make it last longer? Besides, as one doctor once said, if you want to live a long, happy, healthy life, chose your parents well...
 

This guy presents the best solutions I have seen. Very helpful advise and easy to do. Intermittent fasting (eating your food in an 8-10 hour window) is very effective. Low carbohydrates decreases your inflammation levels, including the lining of your arteries. Eating healthy fats is good (fish, eggs, olive oil, avocado, nuts, etc) and improves your energy levels. Lots of vegetables, salads, is great for you. Stop spiking your blood sugar and insulin levels with a poor diet. Avoid processed foods at the grocery store and restaurants. Once you start purchasing the right foods and throw out the toxic foods, you will feel terrific and be healthier. Also, make stress control and sleep a priority to decrease cortisol levels.
 
Statins are way over prescribed in my opinion. Every doctor suggests them, just in case. It is a bandaid for our lousy American diet and sedentary life style. Statins were intended for people who have unusually high levels of cholesterol production due to their genetics, not to compensate for poor diet.
 
Chadk said:
Genetics are a crazy thing. My wife's client who is in his 80s is a retired dentist. Good shape - mentally and physically. Drinks hard alcohol and/or beer for any meal he isn't drinking coffee with. Or both. Doesn't drink water or anything else. Eats out all the time - typically rich fatty foods. But also lots of seafood and raw oysters. Maybe he could have got another 5-10 years if he started drinking water and eating his veggies and exercising... But I like his style and envy his genetics. Not sure I'll be so lucky...
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I wont be so lucky. My dad had his first heart attack in his mid thirties and his second in his forties. He's had two bypasses on his heart and one on his neck. A stroke wiped out his short term memory, he had diabetes, and died of congestive heart failure at 62. He smoked most of his life.

I'm a bit bummed about genetics catching up with me, but I have tried to take better care of myself. Time to wake up and fight back harder.

Great thread!
 
DimeBrite said:
Statins are way over prescribed in my opinion. Every doctor suggests them, just in case. It is a bandaid for our lousy American diet and sedentary life style. Statins were intended for people who have unusually high levels of cholesterol production due to their genetics, not to compensate for poor diet.
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This...
Too many folks use the statins, then head to McDonald's, or bring home a pizza, then sit in front of the TV after that and eat junk food.

What the actual fck are they thinking....
 
To tell the truth, I don't do any of what has been said. I just turned 87 so I'm still here. Exercise, I don't do it. I'm totally fucked up in that department. Back doesn't take sit ups very well. Both knees are fucked up. I have to watch what I do with my left knee. If I twist it or bend it to far it pops out of joint. To get it back in place I have to sit down with my leg stretched out and completely relax and wait for it to pop back in. Right knee does that also, so I watch how I walk and move, My left hand has some nerve damage and my fingers go to sleep/numb anytime in the day time. But I can still cast a fly rod and reel in my line. I also have Essential Tremors. I suck at tying on flies. But I stick with it. I do take a pill for my shakes but when I do something close, like adding a tippet and tying on flies I tend to shake pretty bad.

I lost about 80 pounds By eating only 2 meals a day and drinking nothing but water. I might have a coke or two a couple of times a month. Like when we go out to eat. I don't have much fast food. I do like to eat sandwich's from Subway. I only eat chips when I'm traveling. I also eat Ice Cream. and Candy bars. So far I'm ahead of anybody in my family in age. I guess that my dads mother lived into her 90's and I favor her.

Now you all have my life time moment. Enjoy life, I do.
 
DimeBrite said:
Statins are way over prescribed in my opinion. Every doctor suggests them, just in case. It is a bandaid for our lousy American diet and sedentary life style. Statins were intended for people who have unusually high levels of cholesterol production due to their genetics, not to compensate for poor diet.
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IMO, statins AND heart-healthy eating AND exercise are the best way to fend off heart disease. Don't rely on just one. And all three are better than just two as long as your body tolerates the statins.

My own bad news/good news is that I got to know a cardiologist too well about 5 years ago...all too well. Within 20 hours of our first greeting I had 4x CABG emergency surgery. I went from a precautionary visit to a cardiology treadmill test to open heart surgery in those 20 hours. My treadmill test was scheduled after I told my regular doc about some occasional odd shortness of breath in exercise I'd been experiencing. Just getting old I thought. But it really was an indicator of 95% blockage on my "widow maker" and I had no idea. The treadmill test showed some odd responses to the exercise and was cut very short. I went straight to emergency, then the "cath lab" when my new cardiologist took a peak inside my arteries which then triggered an emergency search for an open heart surgeon ASAP. The next day I was fixed and on the long road to recovery. Not a pleasant experience, but I was thankful for it beyond imagination.

Prior, I thought I was bullet proof. I had gained around 30 lbs over the years but still felt like I was not too overweight. But I'd consistently eaten too many sweets, too many burgers and fries, not gotten enough exercise. Came within a heart beat of dying in my mid 50s. I was lucky. Now I'm more healthy than I was in my 30s and my total cholesterol is below 120 with my "good" HDLs higher than my "bad" cholesterols. Don't "fad diet", instead eat heart healthy. Stay away from sugar (enemy #1 for heart damage), red meats, processed meats and bad fats including coconut oil and palm oil. Eat good fats (vegetable oils, nut butters without palm oil). My doc also says you can eat a balance of some bad fats in your diet but keep your sugar intake to a minimum. It feels great to be alive still, able to exercise have fun and eat lots of great food without "dieting". And besides feeling great, another side benefit is the healthy foods naturally keep my weight down. Cheers!
 
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DimeBrite said:

Eating healthy fats is good (fish, eggs, olive oil, avocado, nuts, etc) and improves your energy levels. Lots of vegetables, salads, is great for you. Stop spiking your blood sugar and insulin levels with a poor diet. Avoid processed foods at the grocery store and restaurants. Once you start purchasing the right foods and throw out the toxic foods, you will feel terrific and be healthier.
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My wife got me in the habit of "shopping around the outside of the grocery store". Don't even wander into that middle section, it's where the stuff you don't need is. All the fruits, veggies, meats, nuts, etc. are all on the edge of the store - stay there. I remind myself that frequently, stay on the perimeter of the store, it's where the happy foods are.
 
As noted above, it's about the overlall fitness, not just the cholesterol count.
What did you weigh at 25, and what do you weigh now? The more the extra pounds, the more stress on the joints, heart, body chemistry, ability for body to detoxify...obesity is the biggest health epidemic in this country, and yet when is the last time your doc did a BMI during a physical and talked to you about it?
Have yet to meet anyone who turned to routine excercising, changed to a balanced diet of healthy foods, eliminated the simple sugars of comfort food in a box, that didn't become addicted to feeling better about...feeling better.
It's all about having the most fun possible while still here, and being in the shape to do so is key to that.
 
Long_Rod_Silvers said:
My wife got me in the habit of "shopping around the outside of the grocery store". Don't even wander into that middle section, it's where the stuff you don't need is. All the fruits, veggies, meats, nuts, etc. are all on the edge of the store - stay there. I remind myself that frequently, stay on the perimeter of the store, it's where the happy foods are.
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yeah, +1, same with us. My wife is a vegan, and I am far from it, but we prepare meals from scratch and do not anything in box or can. For shts and giggles take a look at the ingredients of everything you eat and avoid anything with added sugar. That right there will cut your carbs waaaay down. I did that when I started putting on some weight in my 50's, and was amazed at how much sugar is in our diet. I cut all of that crap out. Not saying it is for everyone, but it will sure make you aware of what is going in the engine.
 
Regarding sugar, my cardiologist told me that recent studies show a heart healthy diet can have an offsetting effect on eating unhealthy saturated fats, so we can have a life balance and enjoy a "bad dinner" and be OK as long as we mostly eat the heart healthy fats, whole grains, white meats, vegetables, fruits and nuts. But when we eat sugar, nothing we else we eat or do offsets the heart damage it causes. Sugar really does seem to be the #1 enemy of a healthy cardio vascular system. That's something I wish I'd known years before ending up on the heart bypass operating table.
 
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I know it is kindof weird but I dove into the keto diet and have been pretty good about it for a few years now. It made a difference. I initially dropped over 30 pounds- back up a few since then, but still down about 20 and all my blood numbers have remained very good.

One great product that led to me being able to tolerate this was the use of erythritol as a sugar substitute. Swerve or Monkfruit sweetener, etc. This is great stuff that everyone should try, regardless of your overall eating strategy.

I agree that it is hard to stay the course on any healthy food plan when you eat out. But, almost all of these diet adjustments are about the daily grind and not the occasional slip up.
 
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Doublebluff said:
I know it is kindof weird but I dove into the keto diet and have been pretty good about it for a few years now. It made a difference. I initially dropped over 30 pounds- back up a few since then, but still down about 20 and all my blood numbers have remained very good.

One great product that led to me being able to tolerate this was the use of erythritol as a sugar substitute. Swerve or Monkfruit sweetener, etc. This is great stuff that everyone should try, regardless of your overall eating strategy.

I agree that it is hard to stay the course on any healthy food plan when you eat out. But, almost all of these diet adjustments are about the daily grind and not the occasional slip up.
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You should look into Allulose. I made a keto vanilla custard ice cream with it and and cant even tell its not real ice cream. I think it's not more popular because you legally cant say it's 'sugar free' its still a sugar it just isnt absorbed by your body. It behaves just like suger, caramelized, stabilizes, strait up substitute 1:1 with real sugar. its about 20% less sweet, but I find that a plus.

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Statins. I had to look up what this word is. Me being dumber than a rock. These new words just throw me. If you all are using these words, you need to explain it to people that have never heard it before.
 
Yes, I lowered mine, I don't remember the #'s to many years ago.
Eat OG thick rolled oak meal for breakfast, with raw honey, or OG maple syrup.
Himalayan sea salt on all food you would put salt on, also a teaspoon in a 8 oz glass of filtered water on an empty stomach first thing in the AM.
Don't smoke cigs anymore if ya do/did. Cut back, way back on booze/beer or just stop altogether.
More sex helps also
 
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