Okay...for quite some time now I have been eating whole grains, no sugar, no refined flour, lots of veggies - pretty much the whole foods way. Got my lab results in yesterday. HDL (good cholesterol) is 36 (should be 55-60 for women). I'm doing the treadmill at 2.3 MPH for 35 minutes 5 days a week. Everything that a person is supposed to do to get their HDL up I have already been doing. Medication is not an option. So....anyone else have this problem too? If so, what did you do to get this number up?

Also thrown in the mix is hypothyroidism which she is trying to get regulated but cannot seem to find the right dose for me. So, this in turn makes weight loss harder.

Also, it seems the scales are stuck for me right now. You can see my FitDay journal if you want to take a look to see if I'm missing something. I know there are times of plateaus, but this soon? I think I'm overlooking something and I'm getting frustrated. I do 1500 cal a day or less. I won't go below 1200, although the doctor that gave me the lab results wants me to do 1000. I already struggle to stay satisfied with 1500. Any tips or advice? I don't want to give up, and in the past this has been what has caused me to throw in the towel - not seeing results. I'm not about to go there this time, but I do want to resolve this as soon as possible.

Thanks, everyone. I appreciate you taking the time to read this. This isn't a "I'm depressed" post, but rather a call for help and advice to avoid falling into depression because I already know that won't take me anywhere but to the bottom. Not going there this time!

Oh, RitzyFritz....I truly understand your frustration. My last lab results werent what I was hoping for either. But, you are on the right track and you have made some great changes in your lifestyle. We have to wonder...what would our test results have been without our new changes? Its possible that they could have been much worse. Are you incorporating healthy fats into your diet...such as nuts, olive oil, fish, etc? From what I've read, this is the best way to raise the HDL.

Please don't give up. The alternative is to continue on the path to even worse test results and, God forbid, irreparable damage. I really believe you can turn this around. Have you done a search for threads regarding hypothyroidism? There are women on this site who have this diagnosis, yet they were able to lose a lot of weight and get their body back into a healthy condition. You can do this, too!

Thanks, Rhonda. You will NEVER know how truly uplifting your note was to me...it came at just the right time. Thank you!!

Yes, I have walnuts and flax seed every morning with oatmeal, all I use is olive oil, and we are incorporating fish into our week. This is what kind of made it frustrating...I have been doing all the things I'm "supposed" to do. I did mention to my husband "I wonder what my numbers were before I started all this?" So, you are right...I'm possibly seeing a better number now than I would have six months ago!

I will have to do the hypothyroidism search. I haven't really read any success stories (that I know of) from people with this condition, but I am on the lookout for them.

Thanks again. You brightened my day!

Ritzy,
So has this number dropped since your last test or is this a baseline test for you?

You started this way of eating in January, isn't is a little soon to say you might be missing something? I would think that you would need to take this number and compare it to the number you get next year to know if your new way of eating has helped your HDL. Last year, mine wasn't as high as I would have liked (39) , but my doctor told me to keep doing what I was doing with food and exercise and it would go up. I haven't been tested again yet this year to see if it did.

I'm hypothyroid also, so don't let it discourage you. We can still lose weight, although it may be slower than some people can. But slow and steady wins the race, right?

Good for you for NOT changing your calorie level. 1000 is far too low to be sustainable.

I guess my advice is to keep doing exactly what you are doing. I just think it is too soon to know whether what you are doing will help (and I certainly think it WILL help). Keep it up!

Oh yes, Meg is hypothyroid too. Look at her before and after photos in the goal section to see a great success story!

Hi, Tammy! So good to hear from someone who has had the same issues! This number is actually a drop from when I was eating UNhealthy!! Isn't that weird!? Last year (March 2006) my number was 46; however, I didn't start the whole foods approach until 1/07, so I wonder if maybe it dropped somewhere between 3/06 and 1/07. I will have to see. They are checking bloods again in 3 months.

Thanks for the encouragement on the hypothyroidism too. I tend to want the weight off NOW and struggle with the "slow and steady wins the race" concept, even though I KNOW it is right. LOL!!

I have seen Meg's photos!! I didn't realize she was hypothyroid! That IS encouraging!! LOL!

Thanks again. You are so appreciated.

Ritzy I'm sorry you got some discouraging news. But you can handle this. More motivation, right? You have taken a huge, gigantic step in the right direction by changing your eating habits. Only good can come from it.

I don't know much about hypothryoidism, it doesn't sound too good, but it doesn't sound insurmountable either! Unfortunately some of us have more obstacles then others, just makes the victories that much more meaningful and worthwhile. Boy, just knowing that Tammy and Meg suffer from it as well HAS got to be encouraging to you. They have done amazingly well - and so can you!!!! I think you need to give this lifestyle some time to start working for you. Weightloss is not an instant gratification sort of a thing. But the eventual rewards are simply fantastic, dramatic and worth the wait. Every single day that you stay on plan it is a day that you've given yourself what your body needs and deserves. Every single day that you stay on plan you are closer to a healthier and happier you.

This means so much coming from you, Robin! You are so motivating! I so appreciate your words of wisdom; they really are applicable for my situation, and I sincerely appreciate the motivation. Thank you for taking the time to cheer me on!! I needed that this morning. Isn't it funny how hearing things that we already know from someone else just helps make it seem more "doable"? LOL!

Thanks again! You are so appreciated!

Ritzy, I went to the Dr in January and had my cholesterol checked and while it wasn't bad it wasn't what I had been hoping for. That's when I started eating pretty much the same way you described. My doctor talked to me for a long time about what I was going to start doing and she said between 1500-1800 calories was right for me. She also said it would take at LEAST several months to see any changes and to just keep it up. I'm not going to try and offer any medical advise or tell you to go against your Dr but 1000 does seem low. Is a 2nd opinion an option? Or a visit with a nutritionist? They deal with people with hypothyroidism and all kinds of obstacles so they may be able to help come up with a menu plan that makes the most of what you eat. I guess mainly I just wanted to say don't give up. There is no magic pill to good health. It's just baby steps to the new you!

Thanks so much, Tricia! I appreciate your perspective so much. I agree, there is no magic pill; I'm having to learn patience is just as important as whole grains in this lifestyle! LOL!! I have debated going to a nutritionist but have not fully made up my mind. I just might do it after all, as I need to do as you said - get the most for my calories.

Thanks a million! You don't know how much I really appreciate the valuable input!!

Ritzy, while I can't help with the cholesterol issue, I just wanted to throw out my good wishes. Hang in there! This is such a tough battle, but you're doing so well! Thanks for sharing even the not so great news. Here's hoping for better results next time.
You're doing great!

What a SWEET post, Diane! Thank you so much for the motivation and inspiration! This goes farther than you may know! I will definitely be giving an update when I receive the next labs in 3 months.

Have a blessed day!

I agree with everyone else -- you're doing what you need to do and things WILL improve. I saw that you asked about Kathy Smith videos because you need more cardio (I responded to your thread in the Exercise forum), so I was wondering about your exercise. Is your heart rate getting up when you do the treadmill, or does it feel really easy? It shouldn't feel difficult, really, but you should definitely feel like you're working. If you are, then the treadmill is wonderful cardio!

Well, I do feel tired and worn out after I'm done, and I sweat like crazy...don't know if those are indicators that I'm doing it enough. I do incrementally up the speed and time to prevent getting used to a certain level and to keep my heart rate up. I will try to up this some more as well as the videos recommended (I appreciate your response to both threads!).

Thanks again!! I'm trying to learn patience as I go here, but with weight loss, patience isn't usually a prominent characteristic of mine! LOL! I appreciate your encouragement.

Hang in there, Ritzy! It is still early in your journey, and you've made some amazing changes and lost 14 pounds! That is awesome! Over the coming months I'm sure your numbers will improve and start to reflect the changes you've made. I cannot help or offer advise with the cholesterol or the hypothyroidism, but I can say that I believe a 1000 calorie a day lifestyle is just not sustainable. In fact, I would venture to say that if you were to drop that far, your body could very well go into starvation mode and hold on to every morsel you eat. Good luck, and hang in there!