High Cholesterol?!??!?!?!?!

[MsJinx]

Oh Boy. :mad: Just got results from the doctor regarding my cholesterol levels. I would never have dreamed that in as little as 2 weeks I could develop high cholesterol from the way I've been eating! I am totally blown away! I was looking forward to a higher HDL, knew that my LDL would rise also but did not expect to go from low to over high range. I thought I had plenty of leeway and that having high cholesterol was a slower process. My total fasting cholesterol went from 157 (12 years of vegetarianism) to 244. In all fairness, my HDL did go from a low range 57 to VERY healthy 80 (olive oil - :yum: ).

I had already decided that I was going to stay totally away from the higher fat meats but GOOD GRIEF. I have been eating eggs every day, some beef, fish, not a lot of chicken, turkey bacon, a couple of ounces of cheese and cream... Well that settles it. I have got to modify my diet back to mostly vegetarian, but high protein. This will just not do! Glad I got the blood work done.

I had been planning on upping carbs a bit for strength training anyway, so I guess it will all work out when I add the protein sources with a bit of carbs in them.

Ok. Freak out officially over. For now.
Jinx (insert pouty face here)

[lkonzelman]

Wow that is unusual.

How long in between your tests?
Did you fast for this test too?
Have you had any stressful things going on recently?

Just wondering because I had the opposite happen.

[Alina]

Please, don't worry - I've heard this can happen to some people in the beginning of this WOE. According to my Doc our bodies have to find some balance in this, after all - this is a major change.
Check this out in 2-3 weeks again.
Take care! :wave:
Alina

[MsJinx]

Yes I was fasting, no extra stress. Test before this was 2 months ago and had been consistently near the same level for years (a bit too low on the HDL and low on the LDL).

This diet has been a RADICAL change for me, though. My guy finally broke down and told me last night how it's been driving him crazy that I have been eating meat after our being veggie for, upon recalculation, 14 years! I am known for radically switching gears as necessity dictates. To me, how I was feeling called for drastic measures. I do now believe that I can modify my current diet, stay higher protein, and get my fats through strictly olive oil, nuts, and SOME eggs and butter.

I am off to the store to get some macadamias and tofu (after the gym!)! Wish me luck!

Thanks for hanging around, you helpful senior members! I am thankful to have a constant voice of reason to look to in times of need. Also, don't get me wrong: I fully believe in the LC lifestyle and the damage that simple carbs do to us. I WILL NOT go back to my low protein, bread laden lifestyle! I am a believer. :)

Jinx

[MsJinx]

and, hey Alina, is that a real animal you are holding in your avatar??

[Alina]

LOL No, but it has been mistaken for a DOG once!!!!
It's Flat Eric from Levis Jeans commercial some years ago.
BTW - I miss your Star Trek avatar with Mr Zulu!
Left some words in your journal too!
I like your attitude.
Alina

[Tiggerdy]

Supposedly your cholesterol can rise while following this WOL at the beginning-- basically your body's adjusting. My doc wanted to wait a full 3 mos. before doing any bloodwork so that we'd have an accurate account of how my body reacts to this WOL. I had baselines done in August (all crappy and outta whack), started Atkins in September and then had bloodwork in Jaunuary (ok, I got the tests done late). Everything improved drastically. Granted my cholesterol wasn't high to begin with, but it did drop 17 pts. and I do have a 3:1 HDL/LDL ratio for the first time ever.

Hold on! Things *will* get better. Maybe have the tests redone in a month or two. I guess the most important thing in all this is that you're feeling better. Everything else will just fall into place!

Sorry for the ramblings-- just a little (read: extremely) bored at work today. ;)

Take care!
Nikki :daizy:

[Lisa N]

2 weeks after beginning low carb is way too quick to be getting cholesterol checked. Dr. Atkins recommends a minimum of 6 weeks because levels can fluctuate quite a bit at the beginning.
HDL over 50 is thought to be very protective against heart disease (who told you that 57 was low for HDL??) regardless of what the total is and I'd be willing to bet that your triglycerides are also lower than before which also adds to the cardiac benefit overall. HDL and triglycerides are the two most important markers that doctors look at right now along with the ratios (and yours look pretty good).
Don't panic just yet. Wait a couple of months and get it checked again. :)

[paradise]

Yes, I agree with Lisa N., two weeks is WAY too soon to get a blood lipids test. OTOH, the other extreme here, I've been LCing for a little over nine months now and have yet to get a blood lipids test. Your body needs to adjust to this WOE. Am glad you will not be going back to a low-protein, bread-laden lifestyle. Just don't make really drastic changes.

[black57]

I just visited the vegetarian board on this site and it is possible to do this as a vegetarian. I personally have not changed my overall meat consumption. Even eggs are not an over indulgence.

Try doing this the vegetarian way.

Black57

[Lisa N]

Even eggs are not an over indulgence.

Not only are eggs not an overindulgence, they have very little impact on serum cholesterol according to this study as well as several others:

Nutritional contribution of eggs to American diets.

Song WO, Kerver JM.

Food and Nutrition Database Research Center, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824-1224, USA. song~pilot.msu.edu

OBJECTIVES: The main purposes of this study were (1) to assess the nutritional significance of eggs in the American diet and (2) to estimate the degree of association between egg consumption and serum cholesterol concentration. METHODS: Data from the most recent National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988-94) were utilized to compare the nutritional quality indicators of diets that contained eggs (USDA food grouping system) with those that did not. Nutrient intake (from 24-hour dietary recall), egg intake (from food frequency questionnaire), sociodemographic data and blood cholesterol levels of subjects who met inclusion criteria (n = 27,378) were grouped according to the occurrence and frequency of egg consumption and were analyzed using SUDAAN. RESULTS: Daily nutrient intake of egg consumers (EC) was significantly greater than that of nonconsumers (NC) for all nutrients studied (except dietary fiber and vitamin B6). Eggs contributed < 10% of daily intake of energy and vitamin B6, 10% to 20% of folate and total, saturated and polyunsaturated fat, and 20% to 30% of vitamins A, E and B12 in EC. Compared to EC, NC had higher rates of inadequate intake (defined by Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) or < 70% Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)) for vitamin B12 (10% vs. 21%), vitamin A (16% vs. 21%), vitamin E (14% vs. 22%) and vitamin C (15% vs. 20%). After adjusting for demographic (age, gender and ethnicity) and lifestyle variables (smoking and physical activity), dietary cholesterol was not related to serum cholesterol concentration. People who reported eating > or = 4 eggs/wk had a significantly lower mean serum cholesterol concentration than those who reported eating < or = 1 egg/wk (193 mg/dL vs. 197 mg/dL, p < 0.01). More frequent egg consumption was negatively associated with serum cholesterol concentration (beta = -6.45, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In this cross-sectional and population-based study, egg consumption made important nutritional contributions to the American diet and was not associated with high serum cholesterol concentrations.

In other words; in this study, the more eggs people ate, the lower their serum cholesterol tended to be. ;)

[MsJinx]

I have to wonder. I read this about this or a similar study some time ago and went hog wild on the egg-o-licious goodies. Well, not as hog wild as I did in the last 2 weeks (easily 14 per week) )! I'm not cutting them out, just down a bit, so we'll see.

Hey Lisa, the ranges on my lab work listed that an HDL below 57 is "out of range low" on my lab printout (I got the real copy, not just the numbers). So, I'm really happy I'm at 80 now. I had always been too low and I know that this is arguably the MOSt important factor for heart disease. But, as everyone is advising, I will get it checked again in several months (and people say I have problems with authority! HA!).

Ok Alina, I'll be Captain Sulu today :D. I totally forgot that I started a JOURNAL some weeks ago! I'll have to go see if I can find it! Have you seen that weird little dog called Mr. Winkle?? check him out! he is REAL! http://www.mrwinkle.com/diary8-2001-2.htm I thought you might have found your own Mr. Winkle and I wanted one, too. :daze:

Tiggerdy. all I ever do here is RAMBLE, welcome to my madness.

As usual, you wonderful folks say all the right things. I am trying to SLOWLY go to vegetarianims again, Mary (may I call you Mary?). I would love to be a success story of a meatless Atkins plan!

I live for DRASTIC changes, paradise, but I'm not ready yet! I'm feeling too good to change much right now.

Happy Scramblin'
Jinx - the Tofu Rambler Rides Again!

[Alina]

Standard orbit Mr Sulu!
It's an order!

LOL

Alina

[MsJinx]

Aye, Captain! 2 hours 10 minutes until we dock at Planet Low Carb. Plenty of gorgeous, protein mongering women there for..um..Captain Kirk's research. (To himself: I hope he saves a green lady for me this time, he is so selfish!...)

(Ok. I know that Sulu was eventually a captain but not when he was super young and sexy and fit to be seen without shirt!)

Sometimes I miss not having a TV, sigh. :p
What a dork.

[Alina]

I just love it! LOL
You live in the US and do not have TV???? May I do an interview with you???? LOL
Please, visit YOUR journal, would be nice to talk to you.
Kirk out.

[MsJinx]

WARP DRIVE!