In nov 08 I had blood work done for an insurance policy. my cholesterol was 205 and my triglycerides were 350. YIKES. No wonder I was having chest pains.

I am positive over the course of the next two years I ate worse and I know I gained weight. it's likely my numbers either stayed the same or got worse.

I had blood work done again last week, approximately 2 months into my low carb lifestyle.

My cholesterol is now 115 and my triglycerides are 52!! To quote the nurse: "your numbers are perfect, whatever you're doing, keep doing it!"

WOW, this is fantastic!!! YAY for LOW-CARB!!

Wow were you on any other medication?
That is phenomenal!

nope, no medication! I've been doing more reading about carbs and sugar and the effects on the body and it really scares me that I was in such bad shape. The chest pains were what made me wake up and do something.

Newbie here so forgive me if this is a silly question. ( Please see my recent post....Long time Lurker needing advice) Your saying your total Cholesterol is 115? My recent labs show mine to be 120 and I am nervous about that, doesn't the research show that the total can be TOO low and that is even more unhealthy than too high? My trigs are 48. I am concerned about the 120 total number yet yours is even lower.....am I concerned about nothing? It can get very confusing!

total cholesterol number is irrelevant. (In my opinion)

the important numbers are the HDL , LDL and triglycerides. tri of 48 is good.

my overall cholesterol is 115 which according to "society" is a great number. to me it's only a part of the big picture.

your numbers sound fine, but you need to check your HDL and LDL (good and bad cholesterol)

ok, thanks. My HDL is 40 which my lab says is low and my LDL is 70 which my lab says is in range. (< 130) In my other thread I mention how I have been concentrating on my BS numbers and have kind of "forgotten" my other lab values. lol! I am going to start researching Cholesterol numbers to be better informed about that too. Always something isn't it? Take care and thanks!

I'd suggest reading Dr. Davis' blog, he has lots of great suggestions on raising HDL.

http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com

Thanks for the link, I will read it.

KrisJ