Hi all.

First off, nice to meet everyone. I'm new and sorrry I didn't post in the intros forum but I had a question as well and limited time so wanted to kill two birds with one stone.

I'm a mom of 2 kids dd aged 7 and ds aged 2, almost 3 (he will be 3 on halloween). I work from home / shop, answering the phones at my dh's auto shop and working for a company out of Chicago via internet (I'm in upstate NY). I'm 5'4" and weight about 185. I want to lose at least 20lbs. In the past I've used South Beach with success but the first couple years after my son's birth were very stressful emotionally and financially and I kind of let things go. In the past year I've been impatiently yo-yo-ing.

Well, today I went to the Dr. and they gave me 6 months to lower my cholestorol (it's 294) or they will put me on meds.

So my question is, have any of you improved your cholesterol through diet and if so what kind of plan did you follow. In the SBD book Dr. Agaston claims that south beach will improve cholestorol, has anyone used it with good results?

I need to find something I can stick with that will lower my cholestorol, get the weight off and not make me feel overly deprived in the process.

thanks for reading!
Cathy

Hey Cathy!

No one here can give you medical advice, of course, but many folks have lowered their cholesterol and/or their triglycerides by losing weight.

Did your doctor have any suggestions as to how you could lower your cholesterol, or was it just a threat?

Some think that the biggest cause of high cholesterol is overeating carbohydrates. That may seem strange, but there is a medical basis for it. Therefore plans like South Beach or any plan where you get your carbs under control might be helpful.

Try posting a thread in the SB forum here on 3FC and see whether those folks have had success. And read up! We have lots of information that you can link to from the main 3FC page.

Jay

I think the latest thinking is that the best way to drop cholesterol is to lower your blood sugar. Little to no refined sugars. The theory being that insulin blocks the cell and doesn't allow things (like blood fats) to get taken in and used up - so they stay in your blood stream.

But also I am eating that Promise spread. Benecol? I guess they work by keeping any cholesterol you might eat from being absorbed. To my shock it tasted really good.

Also you didn't mention your HDL /LDL ratio. I think that is more important than the overall number. Salmon is great for getting your HDL up although it might keep the overall number high. My overall is 250 but my doctor isn't overly concerned because my ratio is 3.6. Under 4.0 is good.

I don't know what my cholesterol was only that it was high, I do know my triglycerides were 293. Both are now normal.
What my doctor told me was to cut both fat & carb intake. She said the only carbs to limit though were bread, pasta, chips, tortillas (pretty much all processed foods really) & fruit. Veggies are good carbs & you can eat as many of those as you like, but no more than 1 piece of fruit per day. Google glycemic index for more information on carbs.
So that's exactly what I did. No fried food & lots of veggies. If you like omelettes try egg beaters, they're not bad if you add some onions, bell peppers, mushrooms (or whatever you like) & salsa, just use something like PAM to cook them in instead of oil or butter. I cook all meats & poultry on the grill outside, my George Forman Lean Mean Grilling Machine inside or I bake or Broil it. Took me 3 months to get everything to normal.
Do consult with your Doctor though about what he/she wants you to do.
Mine unfortunatly told me nothing when I asked her, she just said to cut everything in half. Hope this helps.

my husband significanly reduced his in 4 month but cutting out excessive fat, increasing fiber, eating less fatty food, we switched to whole grain pasta instead of white and lots and lost of veggies...but definately ask your dr for suggestions

First of all, thanks so much to all of you for the ideas. I know when you've been on a message board for a while sometimes it's easy to overlook the "newbie posts" so I do appreciate you taking the time to check it out and reply!

My Dr. did give me a pamphlet and it said, among other things, to limit fat, calories, and cholestorol (to 300 or less per day). It said to do this by checking food labels, limiting butter, etc.. It suggests sticking with certain types of oil and avoiding things that have been hydrogenated fully or partially. All basic dieting stuff.....though I can't help but notice a lot does fall in with the low gi / SB way of eating.......

As for my numbers the total is 294, HDL (good) was 62 and LDL (bad) was 210. Triglycerides 112.

OK Gotta get to work, thanks again! When I get more time I'm going to sit down here and list the pros and cons of the two plans I have in mind. SB vs low cal/fat high fiber. In the meantime (for today) I'm going to keep an eye on my labeling and just try not to kill myself. Heehee ) OK that was a bad joke but.....get used to it, it looks like I may be here a while!

Cathy

Hey again Cathy,

Some studies indicate that the amount of cholesterol we eat doesn't really have much effect on our blood cholesterol. That's because the liver naturally produces cholesterol. Most cholesterol-lowering drugs interfere with the liver's ability to make it, which is why people have to have frequent liver function tests if they are taking one of these drugs (statins). These are quite controversial in some circles, even though they are being heavily promoted.

Exercise is a big key in lowering cholesterol, for several reasons. One is that regular exercise lowers stress. Another is that exercise improves the ability of the body to lower blood sugar. So, when you choose a food plan, also think about your activity plan.

Good luck!

Jay

Apparently, on some numerous news reports, it is suggested that cholesterol production is more related to saturated fat production than cholesterol-laden foods. I know a lot of people that were able to lower their cholesterol by eating a high fiber diet!!! Maybe you should seek a nutritionist to come up with a nice, healthy, tailored for you diet!