High Cholesterol

[JAXFLBAMAFAN]

I just had my cholesterol checked for the first time and it came back as being high.

I am 51, 185 lb 5'10" , not overweight and blood pressure is on the low side of normal.

I'm looking for suggestions on how to bring this down without going on a drug regimen. Have any of you had success "cracking this nut"?

I appreciate any thoughts on the matter.

 

[NationalTitles18]

How high is it?

 

[Tide Rev]

I am 47 years old and my Dr tried to put me on it last year. He told me I did not have high cholesterol but an imbalance and would need the medicine. I had to change the diet and all that. I tried 3 different meds with different side effects to each one. One made me ache all over and caused my gall bladder to shut down. Had to have it removed. I had no gall bladder trouble at all until I went on this med for cholesterol. One caused me to have insomnia. The last one caused me to have night sweats, skin flushing and intense discomfort. I ditched the meds and went with Omega 3 Fish Oil tablets. It is supposed to help your cholesterol without the side effects of the meds. The good diet and exercise help also. Since going to the Omega 3's, everything has settled down and I feel back to normal. I get another cholesterol check in April.

 

[BamaLuver]

Of course, we all know that animal foods are high in cholesterol and plant foods have none. Stay away from anything processed (doughnuts, chips, fast foods, etc.), and learn to love fish! My hubby's is high & he's been on Lipitor for several years now. His family has a history of high cholesterol.

 

[exiledNms]

Mine's high & the mix is bad too. My cardiologist (also my cousin!) said that one can change cholesterol about 10% via diet & exercise; the rest is all about genes. Luckily, I have bad heart genes in every possible direction...*sigh* So, Lipitor it is for me.

BTW, this same cousin's about 6'2", 170 lbs, has eaten healthy for years, & is very active. His un-medicated cholesterol is much worse than mine, and I'm well short of 6'2" and well over 170 lbs. *another sigh* His numbers demonstrate the importance of genetics.

Good luck with it!

 

[bayoutider]

I have had my cholesterol checked every year since the late 70s when I got my physical. I have been told by doctors that if they ever did a study on low cholesterol they should contact me, mine has never been in three digits in fact once did it hit 91. Normally I am somewhere between high 50s and mid 70s. That sounds insane but it's true. What's in my diet? I eat just about anything I want but I am what they call a grazer and I lose money at buffet tables. I eat real butter, drink whole milk, I don't live off chicken and fish, I eat pork, bacon, sausage, beef, lamb but I don't eat a heavy portion every day and I do trim the fat. I fry, scramble or poach an egg or two most mornings. I use a lot of olive oil, eat fresh vegetables instead of canned or at least frozen instead of canned vegetables. I try to eat a ballanced diet, even my snacks are fresh fruit, cheese or homemade treats so I know what is in them. I have found it doesn't cost more to eat better it just takes the discipline to commit to it.

You are what you eat and I believe you can cure a lot of what ales you by eating right. Doctors agree with me. Good luck.

 

[Bama4Ever831]

Did you fast beforehand? If not then you may not even have high cholesterol.
I am assuming you did. Exercise and Omega-3 (the capsule or fish) will help to bring up your HDLs (or good cholesterol). To bring down your LDLs you need to cut back on fatty foods, increase the potassium you eat, and decrease the sodium. Essentially, just become as healthy as possible while still maintaining your sanity. It is not necessary you lose alot of weight, but making healthier choices will do wonders. Beef is also something that could be done away with. Chicken is much leaner anyway. So cut your fat intake and exercise would be a great start.

 

[Bama4Ever831]

I have had my cholesterol checked every year since the late 70s when I got my physical. I have been told by doctors that if they ever did a study on low cholesterol they should contact me, mine has never been in three digits in fact once did it hit 91. Normally I am somewhere between high 50s and mid 70s. That sounds insane but it's true. What's in my diet? I eat just about anything I want but I am what they call a grazer and I lose money at buffet tables. I eat real butter, drink whole milk, I don't live off chicken and fish, I eat pork, bacon, sausage, beef, lamb but I don't eat a heavy portion every day and I do trim the fat. I fry, scramble or poach an egg or two most mornings. I use a lot of olive oil, eat fresh vegetables instead of canned or at least frozen instead of canned vegetables. I try to eat a ballanced diet, even my snacks are fresh fruit, cheese or homemade treats so I know what is in them. I have found it doesn't cost more to eat better it just takes the discipline to commit to it.

You are what you eat and I believe you can cure a lot of what ales you by eating right. Doctors agree with me. Good luck.

You are a very lucky man. They need to do some sort of study on you. You've got some good genetics my friend.

 

[bayoutider]

Did you fast beforehand? If not then you may not even have high cholesterol.
I am assuming you did. Exercise and Omega-3 (the capsule or fish) will help to bring up your HDLs (or good cholesterol). To bring down your LDLs you need to cut back on fatty foods, increase the potassium you eat, and decrease the sodium. Essentially, just become as healthy as possible while still maintaining your sanity. It is not necessary you lose alot of weight, but making healthier choices will do wonders. Beef is also something that could be done away with. Chicken is much leaner anyway. So cut your fat intake and exercise would be a great start.

Exercise is another good point, good exercise not just walking around on the job or doing some bar curls with a can of beer. Swimming, bike riding, walking, jogging, climbing or going to a gym where someone can supervise a workout for you if you don't know how.

 

[Pluck and Grit]

At 5'10 185, you can drop your weight to 165 through exercise alone, and your cholesterol will go down some. At age 51 and diagnosed with high cholesterol, you should begin no exercise program without running it by your physician.

You can drop down to 160 and even 150 if you really truly want to, but this would require taking the exercise to fairly extreme levels.

Whatever else you do, I'd advise oatmeal and fruit for breakfast every morning until further notice. And no fried foods whatsoever. I could give a lot of other dietary advice, but this is just a message board thread. However, remember that dietary science is primitive and that you shouldn't take any one person's word on it too seriously.

P.S. I can hook you up with a gang of vegan 7th Day Adventists in Georgia who will teach you how to get your cholesterol and your weight way, way down through diet and no other exercise besides walking. But you'll be foregoing all meat and dairy products and getting used to eating stuff like tofu and seaweed.

 

[gmart74]

5'10" 220 i eat mcdonalds every couple days, eat red meat, and love pretty much every bad food around. i have extremely low bad cholesterol and almost no good cholesterol. my dr said bc my ratio wasnt good he wanted to prescribe me something. i damn near kicked him for his stupidity. genetics are a very great thing and i have heard horrible things about every cholesterol drug out there. good luck with the drugs but i think dr's have fallen into this mentality of what is or is not a normal range and anything slightly outside of that range they want to medicate the hell out of.

 

[bayoutider]

I dont think there is a need to stop eating fried food, maybe less of it and learn how to properly fry food. Fried food is bad for you is an old wives tale from back in the day when food was fried in lard. They say having a glass of wine is good for you too. I'm doing my part to prove that as true too.

Actually your doctor can send you to a dietitian who will tell you most of the things we have said. Most of us aren't doctors so I would hate for us to pass out any bad advice.

 

[Pluck and Grit]

I dont think there is a need to stop eating fried food, maybe less of it and learn how to properly fry food. Fried food is bad for you is an old wives tale from back in the day when food was fried in lard. They say having a glass of wine is good for you too. I'm doing my part to prove that as true too.

Actually your doctor can send you to a dietitian who will tell you most of the things we have said. Most of us aren't doctors so I would hate for us to pass out any bad advice.

Perhaps I should have said "deep fried" and "breaded and fried" to differentiate from sauteed. But when sauteeing, as you noted, it's important to do it in the right kind of fat.

 

[NationalTitles18]

I dont think there is a need to stop eating fried food, maybe less of it and learn how to properly fry food. Fried food is bad for you is an old wives tale from back in the day when food was fried in lard. They say having a glass of wine is good for you too. I'm doing my part to prove that as true too.

Actually your doctor can send you to a dietitian who will tell you most of the things we have said. Most of us aren't doctors so I would hate for us to pass out any bad advice.

And I'm already starting to see bad advice dispensed. Without calling anybody out on it, let's just say that if you worry about it too much you're likely to have more of an adverse effect on your health than enjoying life and food a little.

 

[bayoutider]

Perhaps I should have said "deep fried" and "breaded and fried" to differentiate from sauteed. But when sauteeing, as you noted, it's important to do it in the right kind of fat.

Fried, deep fried, breaded and fried or sauteed any time you put product into oil the results should be the same, the food is cooked in oil. If you do it at the right temperature the oil does not penetrate into the product and there is very little oil left on the outside after you drain it on some paper or a rack. Many people put food into the oil before the oil is ready or make the mistake of crowding the pot which will reduce the temperature of the oil too much.

 

[rolltidescott]

Does oatmeal help lower cholesteral? Might try it for breakfast for a while.

 

[SavannahDare]

It's hard to answer the question without knowing your numbers. If you're just a little over the 200 mark and your ratio of good/bad cholesterol is decent, you can lower your number pretty easily with very small dietary changes. If you're pushing up into the high 200's or, God forbid, sailing through the 300's or even pushing 400, there's not a whole lot you're going to change with dietary changes (even though you should probably make them nonetheless). If you fall into the latter category, you're most likely going to end up on meds because those high numbers come compliments of your genes (and there's no undoing those!).

Here's hoping you fall into the former, more easy to alter, category.

 

[NatchezTider]

eating fruit, salads, laying off the burger joints, and walking when i play golf lowered mine substantially. i'm 5'11" 200 lbs. and 57 years old.
doctor tried to get me on medicine and i told him i'd take care of it. and i did. my number went down twenty points compared to last years physical.

now, if i can just maintain it!!!

 

[Pluck and Grit]

Does oatmeal help lower cholesteral? Might try it for breakfast for a while.

Why yes it does. But don't just take my word for it. Read at the link.

Cholesterol: The top five foods to lower your numbers - MayoClinic.com

 

[Bama4Ever831]

Actually your doctor can send you to a dietitian who will tell you most of the things we have said. Most of us aren't doctors so I would hate for us to pass out any bad advice.

Thanks for the disclaimer. I'm not trying to get sued.