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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

I went to the doctor earlier this week for the April checkup I mentioned
in the post I made below from last December.  Since the first of the
year, my goal has been to lose 50 pounds in 2009-I want to lose a
minimum of 30, but 50 is better.  To date, with a bit of exercise and
some dietary changes, I've lost 12 pounds.
Most of my diet changes have involved swapping animal fats(saturated
fats) for healthier plant fats (unsaturated).  I eat a lot of fish, a
lot more veggies and fruits, and fewer starches.  I increased my whole
grains and eliminated soft drinks(I do drink one every now and then, but
not every day like I used to)and I never really ate a lot of sweets
anyway.

After 4 months, here are the numbers:
Dec 2008        April 2009                              Good
251             179             Total Cholesterol       <200
274             204             Triglycerides           <150
38              24              HDL                     >45
164             114             LDL                     <130

I got kudos from the doc and no statins for me!
He told me to further increase my B vitamins and maybe take fish oil to
further lower the triglycerides.  Ethnically, I come from a fishing
tribe of Sami, so perhaps my body is genetically used to  even more fish
than I currently eat.(twice a week for dinner, plus 2 or 3 cans of
sardines or mussels a week), but I can take fish oil, too, I suppose.  I
keep hearing that Mama had it right with the cod liver oil I took as a
kid...maybe I can try that again.  As nasty as it is, at least it is not
a pill.  I'm sick of pills!

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with y'all...
I'm hoping that as our exercise picks up, the HDL numbers will rise.

Bev



> I have the lab results:  My cholesterol and triglycerides are high.
> Big surprise there. :) I'm giving my caveats first: 1. I had not
> fasted..bloodwork was taken 4.5 hours after a meal.  This should not
> affect HDL numbers but like Wendy noted, will affect triglycerides
> and LDL, etc. 2. I was taking a round of oral prednisone 3. Even
> though my thyroid hormones are now within normal limits, I have 
> historically had high triglyceride levels (even with 180 cholesterol 
> numbers)...super high levels in fact.(700+) 4.  I do not eat very
> much fried food, but I get a lot of dietary fat from dairy-need to
> work on substitutions there..
>
> Total cholesterol       251 This is a personal record(normally 180-205) HDL
> 38  should be above 40 LDL                      164 should be very low 
> Triglycerides
> 274 should be even low (my lowest result ever)
>
>
> These numbers are "bad" according to standard medical thinking.  I
> don't have the full report (it's in the mail), but the RN told me
> that the doc wrote on my chart that I was probably genetically
> predisposed to high triglycerides and that he wanted to discuss
> statins with me.  After reading Wendy's post, I kind of freaked a
> bit, and called back and spoke to him directly.  He has agreed that I
> can try diet and exercise, and have given me until the end of April
> to make a difference in the numbers. At that time, if the numbers
> aren't good, we have to discuss statins again.  So basically I am off
> to the races on lowering my cholesterol and triglycerides.
--
"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public
debt  should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered
and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed
lest Rome become bankrupt.  People must again learn to work, instead of
living on public assistance."

--Cicero, 55 BC
http://erthnsky.blogspot.com/