Go F yourself cholesterol

[calgarygeologist]

I don't have cholesterol issues but someone close to me does. They told me that drugs like Crestor and Lipitor are quite a bitch. With their doctors advice, they went off the meds and switched to Niacin and apparently it is much better. The cholesterol is nicely under control and apparently there are no nasty side effects.

[Pontine]

I'm going through something similiar, I was told that I have high cholesteral by my doctor during my yearly check-up in the spring. He didn't prescribe any medication, and suggested we revisit in the spring to see if there's any changes. I'm 28 BTW.

My doctor recommended the following:
-Limit my saturated fats
-Oatmeal for breakfast with no sugar/milk. Water/fruits are ok
-Metamucil
-Plant sterols (he said I could order pills online, but I'm not sure where to look, any ideas?)

I'm also going to the gym 3-4 times a week doing a mixture of weightlifting/cardio.

Hopefully this lowers my cholesterol, but at a minimum it forced me to change to a healthier lifestyle. I've lost 10 pounds since the spring, and I do notice I have more energy and don't feel like crap as often as I did before.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Yeah I was delivered this news about 2 years ago. I made some pretty substantial changes to my diet at that time. In terms of foods you can eat to help lower your number:
- Almonds
- Orange Juice with plant sterols (easy to find)
- Yogurt with plant sterols (used to be easy to find - can't find them now)
- Cereal with whole grains

Exercise can also help of course

Now all that being said, I did all that and more, lost about 15 pounds and when I had my bloodwork done - my number hadn't changed AT ALL.

At that point my doctor said that most likely I was dealing with genetics - and that while I should continue the dietary steps - he also prescribed Crestor.

It has got my number to normal levels with no side effects.

Make some changes, but if it isn't working - as you doctor about Crestor (that sounds like an ad). The name drug is expensive but you have two choices there if you don't have enough coverage
- Ask your doc for a card that you give the pharmacist but basically gives you Crestor at the generic drug price
- Just get the generic drug - there is no difference.

Most important - keep calm - it sucks to hear news like this but it is completely manageable and probably gives you a necessary kick in the rump.

I can see how Burger Quest was shelved. Have you had to cut that out of your diet or just indulge far less frequently?

[bubbsy]

argh, i got similar news last year, and it was disappointing.

I remember being told i had high cholestorol when i was a frigin kid (~10), so my mom changed a lot of the foods we ate, and i think it stabalized. fast forward 20 years, and i get checked and the numbers are high. I used to be a fairly heavy drinker a few years back, which has been completely cut down to about 2-4 drinks a week (used to be easily double that).I went on a healthy eating binge (eating more fish, eating more vegetables, a cup of spinach a day, cutting out red meat). i'm generally a good eater, just the weekends, where our social outings or relax time include indulgence in junk/fast food.
i'm scared to go get checked again this year. i also workout excessively, 4-5 times a week, but i know heart disease, cholestorol, diabetes are high risk issues in my family tree.

my doctor suggested taking meds for the cholesterol if it doesn't decrease, but i'm in my low 30s, i am a bit reluctant to kick these in so young... my mom started on these when she was at least 15 years older than i am now.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Wastedyouth

I will extrapolate on my response.

The issue with taking drugs for high cholesterol is, it doesn't fix the underlying issue. Which is you either don't get enough exercise, or your diet is so poor, whatever exercise you are doing can't compensate for it.
.

And the reverse is true. You can also make all the required changes to your diet and exercise - which is all great for your health - but still have high cholesterol.

Genetics is a big part of this stuff. They shouldn't be used as an excuse but nor should drugs be avoided if the other steps aren't helping.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I can see how Burger Quest was shelved. Have you had to cut that out of your diet or just indulge far less frequently?

Yeah BQ was not received warmly by doc.
I probably should cut it out of my diet completely - but just indulge far less frequently.
Lunches were the bad habit for me - I've really done a 180 on that front.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Yeah BQ was not received warmly by doc.
I probably should cut it out of my diet completely - but just indulge far less frequently.
Lunches were the bad habit for me - I've really done a 180 on that front.

That's good. One of the reasons I've never wanted to take a job that required travelling was due to the amount you end up eating out and regardless of what you choose on menus there's always a lot of salt, fat, etc. It gets hard on the body. I'm trying to reduce the burger intake myself but my biggest issue is that I just don't like eating greens. I do it but it's something that I'm never going to get used to or crave.

[macker]

http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/

Use the above link. It has everything you need to make sure what you are putting in your tank isn't going to kill you. My wife sits up every night entering in her daily plate. I have the app on my phone but don't take the time anymore to enter things in. Wife tells me I don't take in enough for the amount of exercise......trying to fatten me up. I had high cholesterol about 10 years ago when I didn't pay attention to what I was eating at all and would eat fast food quite often. Sounds like you are motivated to take control of the situation and with knowledge and the right plan you will likely feel better about things as you are doing good for your body and the simple fact of having a plan will keep you on track. It is easy to fall back into old habits but just think of your body as an engine that will only run good if you put moderate amounts of good fuel into it and think twice before clogging up that engine with junk that the engine can't effectively use. It all adds up!

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

That's good. One of the reasons I've never wanted to take a job that required travelling was due to the amount you end up eating out and regardless of what you choose on menus there's always a lot of salt, fat, etc. It gets hard on the body. I'm trying to reduce the burger intake myself but my biggest issue is that I just don't like eating greens. I do it but it's something that I'm never going to get used to or crave.

One of my go-to lunches is the starbucks snack boxes - fruit, cheese, crackers, almonds, etc. Low on carbs.
Of course everything in there is stuff I can make at home and just bring but equally important to me is getting out of the office just for 30 minutes to mentally re-charge.

Travel is tough. I go to Seattle and NY a lot. Seattle is very easy to eat healthy and well. NY I find tough - where my hotel is there aren't a lot of great options - just pizza by the slice, burgers, and street meat.

The other huge thing that has changed in the last 6 months is we eat chicken at home again. My wife had been told she had a food allergy to chicken so we couldn't each much of it. Sourcing turkey was tough so we were stuck with a lot of red meat, pork and fish. Chicken is such a staple though so we asked for a 2nd opinion and were told she can indeed eat Chicken. So that feathered friend is back on our table and that has made eating healthier dinners way easier.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

argh, i got similar news last year, and it was disappointing.

I remember being told i had high cholestorol when i was a frigin kid (~10), so my mom changed a lot of the foods we ate, and i think it stabalized. fast forward 20 years, and i get checked and the numbers are high. I used to be a fairly heavy drinker a few years back, which has been completely cut down to about 2-4 drinks a week (used to be easily double that).I went on a healthy eating binge (eating more fish, eating more vegetables, a cup of spinach a day, cutting out red meat). i'm generally a good eater, just the weekends, where our social outings or relax time include indulgence in junk/fast food.
i'm scared to go get checked again this year. i also workout excessively, 4-5 times a week, but i know heart disease, cholestorol, diabetes are high risk issues in my family tree.

my doctor suggested taking meds for the cholesterol if it doesn't decrease, but i'm in my low 30s, i am a bit reluctant to kick these in so young... my mom started on these when she was at least 15 years older than i am now.

Why?
Apart from ego - why would you not want to take steps that will help.
This is why guys drop dead in their 30s and 40s.
Take it seriously - take action - and if that includes medication - do it.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Pontine

I'm going through something similiar, I was told that I have high cholesteral by my doctor during my yearly check-up in the spring. He didn't prescribe any medication, and suggested we revisit in the spring to see if there's any changes. I'm 28 BTW.

My doctor recommended the following:
-Limit my saturated fats
-Oatmeal for breakfast with no sugar/milk. Water/fruits are ok
-Metamucil
-Plant sterols (he said I could order pills online, but I'm not sure where to look, any ideas?)

I'm also going to the gym 3-4 times a week doing a mixture of weightlifting/cardio.

Hopefully this lowers my cholesterol, but at a minimum it forced me to change to a healthier lifestyle. I've lost 10 pounds since the spring, and I do notice I have more energy and don't feel like crap as often as I did before.

Oh yeah my doc recommended Metamucil as well - I have found that tough to commit to.

In terms of plant sterols - I don't use pills. The best product I have found is the Minute Made OJ with plant sterols - every major grocery store has it. Just chug a couple glasses of that a day and you are good to go.

You can also find becel butter with plant sterols.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I don't have cholesterol issues but someone close to me does. They told me that drugs like Crestor and Lipitor are quite a bitch. With their doctors advice, they went off the meds and switched to Niacin and apparently it is much better. The cholesterol is nicely under control and apparently there are no nasty side effects.

Everyone reacts different to meds. I've had ZERO issues with Crestor.

[SeeGeeWhy]

There is a great deal of mis-reported and sensationalized research on diet, but this is probably the best article I've read on the subject of how the fats in your diet impact risk for heart disease.
http://www.strengthsensei.com/heart-...fats-straight/

The evidence comes down to the decrease of saturated fat intake and the increase in intakes of carbohydrates and poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Saturated fats (those found in animal fat, coconuts, butter ghee, etc) have traditionally been a majority of the calories in the human diet for centuries. Eating foods with saturated fats gives the body all the correct hormone signals as being full and energized, whereas eating carbohydrates encourages addiction, inflammation, and the production of fat and triglycerides in our blood which has a direct effect on the bad cholesterol (small, dense LDL, or pattern B) in our body, which increases risk of heart disease. Simply put, get more of your calories from saturated fats and less from carbohydrates (grains, sugar, starch). Healthy diets get 50 - 70% of their calories from fats, believe it or not. It's easy to do this because fat is the most energy dense of all our food options.

As another poster mentioned, going to a registered dietician will simply get you a meal plan that is built around the Canada food guide, which is built around millions of dollars in lobbying and special interests, and not YOUR body. You will be consuming an inappropriately large amount of carbohydrates and an inappropriately small amount of saturated fats, which will make your problem worse.

Furthermore, you must understand why we have this in our bodies in the first place. Cholesterol is very important to our health and is critical to our well being. It is produced in the body naturally if you aren't getting it from your diet, it is that important. Cholesterol is used as the building block to several important hormones, including testosterone, among other things.

This is why exercise assists with managing cholesterol levels, because it trains the body how to deal with cortisol, the stress hormone. Excess cortisol impacts testosterone production. If you're not making testosterone, you're not using your cholesterol. In other words... train your body how to use the input for its purpose and you should see a reduction in the surplus. If not, you'll at least be getting closer to what the actual issue is.

Genetic predispositions are expressed through the hormone balance in our bodies, so it is important for us to understand and manage our hormone health ESPECIALLY if we have genetic predispositions for high risk conditions like heart disease. And there are so many factors that can impact your hormone health...

There is also good evidence that too much alcohol, a lack of magnesium, zinc and vitamin D impact testosterone production, which could be allowing for excessive accumulation of cholesterol.

See where I am going with this? I would suggest asking your doctor to connect you with an endocrinologist (hormone health specialist) to investigate if there are any other issues. Because cholesterol is a problem, I would be specifically interested in how healthy your testosterone levels are - and ask them to look at your results relative to your age group, not the bulk data. It's no use if you're at the bottom end of the range and you're about as healthy as an 80 year old man with diabetes!

[SeeGeeWhy]

Plant sterols are important because of their impact on our hormone health. Obviously eating margarine (which is a polyunsaturated fat, which increases triglycerides in the blood stream) with plant sterols added will not be as effective as eating a variety of plant species.

Green tea, ginsengs, thistles, maple, and many others can help in this regard. This is a great book on the subject: http://www.innertraditions.com/isbn/978-1-59477-168-2

[DuffMan]

I'm one of those people that diet and exercise is not going to do squat for my cholesterol level in any kind of substantial way. I've been taking crestor or Lipitor for about 20 years. What's the problem? better living through science.

Remember back in the good old days when everyone was active and eating out of the garden, but men were dropping dead at 40? That's high cholesterol.

[redforever]

The problem is never 100% diet. In fact, if there are hereditary issues, it is probably 15% diet and 85% genetics.

None the less, you should be conscious of what you eat and that being said, I would echo prior advice and ask to be referred to a dietician.

For those who have genetic issues, the solution will likely be a combination of diet and drugs that help to lower cholesterol. Don't be the stubborn one who says I will solve this completely with a change in diet and lifestyle because that might simply not be possible.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I don't have cholesterol issues but someone close to me does. They told me that drugs like Crestor and Lipitor are quite a bitch. With their doctors advice, they went off the meds and switched to Niacin and apparently it is much better. The cholesterol is nicely under control and apparently there are no nasty side effects.

Most people that are on Statins (Crestor/Lipitor) report very little in the way of side effects. People can be allergic to them though.

As for Niacin. High Doses of Niacin can cause Gout. So you have to make sure you monitor it carefully.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I don't have cholesterol issues but someone close to me does. They told me that drugs like Crestor and Lipitor are quite a bitch. With their doctors advice, they went off the meds and switched to Niacin and apparently it is much better. The cholesterol is nicely under control and apparently there are no nasty side effects.

My husband was on Crestor for awhile with no complications whatsoever. I know numberous people on Lipitor and none of them have had complications either. With Lipitor, one is not supposed to eat grapefruit but that is about the only restriction that I know of. Crestor never came with that restriction.

[troutman]

I switched to a largely vegetarian diet last November (not too strict about it). No beer or soft drinks. Rarely have dessert. I lost 10 lbs right away, and it has stayed off. Ran my fastest 10 km ever last week.

Maybe two years ago my Doctor warned me I had slightly elevated cholesterol levels and blood pressure. He thought I could control it without medicine, just by exercising more and with a good diet. I went to a nutritionist.

It will be interesting to see the blood work at my next physical. I feel like there will be improvement. (I'm nearly 48).

How Safe Are Statins?

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/...ol-guidelines/

[Righteous1]

Mine was slightly higher than the average for my age. I just cut back on the beers, and burgers. Stocked up on salmon and chicken breasts and been hittin the gym hard. Now I look good, feel good and cholesterol is in check.

Just a matter of changing your habits, after that you'll be chilln.