Big change in diet/BIG change in cholesterol

[notme]

So these past few months, I have been conducting my own experiment and trying to get my cholesterol levels down using only dietary changes. I didn't use the usual low cholesterol diets. I stopped eating meat in January, stopped eating processed foods in June and started eating nuts, berries, fresh veggies, salmon and some cheese and Hood Carb countdown Milk. I stopped eating bread, rice and anything that comes in a package. My snacks are berries and nuts. I really was pretty strict about my diet. I really have been battling my doctor on taking statins. I don't want them and he really wanted me to take them. He agreed to let me try for three more months and then revisit the subject.

I won't go into my A1c because it went up. I know it didn't have anything to do with my diet, but with my stress levels and lack of keeping track properly of my blood sugar. I have set some new goals here.

BUT...... the cholesterol levels were incredibly better. Here is the results of my experiement.


Cholesterol (range 0-200 mg) today 262, three months ago 306
Triglycerides (35-160) today 42, three months ago 73
LDL ( <130) today 144, three months ago 195
HDL ( >35) today 110, three months ago 96
Non-HDL cholesterol ( 0-150) today 152, three months ago 210
Total cholesterol (<4.0) today 2.4, three months ago 3.2


My endo was beyond pleased. I didn't lower my HDL just a few points, I lowered it 51 points. He wanted to know what I did. He still would like to see my LDL below 30, but because my HDL is so high, he said I am in a negative risk category. He said he would not push statins. :five:

I am so happy with those results.

Vitamin D is still very low, so he has upped it to 2,000mg per day.

Thanks EVERYONE for all of your help and imput. BlueSky, you have been very helpful and encouraging.

[ShottleBop]

Congratulations, notme!

[notme]

Thank you shottle. I feel silly about how giddy I am about a blood test. It has been a battle. I can win this, I hope and if I can win without meds, all the better. Thanks for the help.

[yannah]

good news! congrats!

[Granny Shanny]

Good work, Nancy!

[jenb]

Nancy: Congrats and excellent work! I know it's a hard slog - those lipids are my husband's nightmare too. I got him to include 1200 mg of fish oil and 400 mg of Co-Q10 to his diet a few months ago and he had his best readings ever last month.

Jen

[notme]

Thanks for the heads up on that jenb. I tried fish oil and flax seed oil and it didn't agree with me. I will look into the Co-Q10.

[RandallFlagg]

Hey Nancy, congrats on no statins:D. Also thanks for the vitamin d info. I was having what I called bone pain and found your old thread. Started taking Vitamin D gummi bears:) .

[notme]

Very cool Randall. Ask your doctor at your next visit to run that in your blood work. The normal ranges run from 30.0 to 100.0. I had bone pain three months ago and my test said I was at 31.0. Today's blood test shows that mine is down to 28.1. The pain is in my limbs. My arms, elbows, knees and shins. It is a deep pain, not to be confused with joint problems.

My doctor told me to go to Trader Joes and pick up their 1,000 mg tiny little gel tabs. He said for me to take it twice a day.

[Ti-Jae]

Excellent progress, Nancy. Congrats! :)

[mzteacher]

nancy....
i love hear good news and success stories...i am so glad it is you this is happening for!! boy sounds like you have really worked hard for this...and i admire your dedication and effort!
susan

[RandallFlagg]

Very cool Randall. Ask your doctor at your next visit to run that in your blood work. The normal ranges run from 30.0 to 100.0. I had bone pain three months ago and my test said I was at 31.0. Today's blood test shows that mine is down to 28.1. The pain is in my limbs. My arms, elbows, knees and shins. It is a deep pain, not to be confused with joint problems.

My doctor told me to go to Trader Joes and pick up their 1,000 mg tiny little gel tabs. He said for me to take it twice a day.

Sounds like all the extremities are hurting:( . Sorry to hear that. Yeah, my pain is deep and I know it's not joint pain. It's in the left shoulder and I had mri's done on my chest and upper extremities repeatedly from 03 to 06. They showed my joints to be okay. Since I felt it wasn't muscular, it had to be bone. It just aches that way. I bought the D-3 gummies at Wallyworld for $5. Their 1000 IU and I'm trying 2 a day. They say <1 g sugar and carbs. I was at Trader Joes today. It's about 35 miles away for me, but about 1 mile from my sister's home. I went there to smooth out the last few weeks we had. I stopped at Trader Joes to pickup the wheat pitas that was posted a couple of days ago. Pretty tasty.:)

[fgummett]

Great news Nancy! Way to go :)

Just to be clear, where you say...Total cholesterol (<4.0) today 2.4, three months ago 3.2...I'm assuming this is Total Cholesterol/HDL ratio..?


Trigs at 42 and HDL at 110... that is a fantastic!

[kgm0612]

Congratulations Buddy!

I know how adamant you are about taking statins!
Don't you just LOVE that milk! Glad Tim & I finally got you hooked!

Love ya
Karen

[ShottleBop]

Thank you shottle. I feel silly about how giddy I am about a blood test. It has been a battle. I can win this, I hope and if I can win without meds, all the better. Thanks for the help.

My last nos. were still off what my doctor liked (total 337; LDL 215, HDL 79, TG 41), but my ratios were good, and my doctor acknowledged that the increase in ABSOLUTE risk (as opposed to relative risk) for my numbers was acceptable. I showed her Frank Gummett's article about the relationship between TGs below 70 and size of LDL particles, and talked to her about how, at the same time statins reduced cholesterol, they seemed to increase cancer risk--and how all my mother's family all died of cancer, not heart disease. The primary benefit that statins provide is their anti-inflammatory effect, and that can be addressed with other tools, such fish oil and aspirin.

[princesslinda]

Great job Nancy! I know you've been working super hard to get those #s down. Your new way of eating appears to be working well for you.

[notme]

Just to be clear, where you say......I'm assuming this is Total Cholesterol/HDL ratio..?




Your absolutely correct, Frank. Thank you for clarifying. :)

[fgummett]

I have read that the Triglycerides/HDL Ratio is possibly an even better risk indicator... it is best if < 2.0 and I calculate yours as 0.38 :)

I'm jealous, as these numbers are so much better than mine ;)

[foxl]

WTG, Nancy!

Wish I could do those numbers without statins!

[soso]

beautiful numbers Nancy!Congrats!

[Subby]

Nancy, it's a great story. Very interesting to me, being someone with pretty bad numbers, and statins disagree with me anyway, I don't see them an option at all. I just can't take them with persistent liver pains, and fool myself into thinking they are doing me more good than harm, even if they do lower my chol. Yours is the kind of direction I could try with diet too, already quite low meat (a lot really does seem to disagree with me) remove the bready products I still eat, and putting up my fish. How do you feel in yourself with the current diet? Both physically, and mentally? Do you feel it the diet you could settle down with and live happily ever after with?