I've been eating low carb since July 2002, but in 2007 I got seriously off track. I had a lot of stress in my life and little time. I started eating junk and not exercising routinely.
I decided to get back in shape for 2008. The stress is still present, more than ever, but I decided that I have to put me first and I'm dealing with it by exercise and soaks in a hot tub. On January 1, I took a home cholesterol test, just to check on how I was doing. My total cholesterol had always been around 200, not great but not horrible either. I was shocked when the test went way over 300, beyond where it could measure. It had been about 200 only 6 months earlier, but I had eaten especially poorly during the holiday season.
This home test only shows total cholesterol. I wanted to know more right away. I’d seen the CardioChek home meter on sale at the pharmacy; it can measure total cholesterol, HDL, triglycerides and other things in separate tests. I web searched and found it has good accuracy so I went back and bought it. While the meter was about $90, it’s actually the test strips at about $4 each which are the expensive thing long term, since each type of measurement requires a separate, different strip. But, I figured my health was worth it.
I felt that if I was going to fix this by diet and exercise that I needed to monitor my blood lipid levels on a fairly routine basis (more than could be done affordably by a doctor). And, I don't like the side effects of statin drugs, so wanted to give diet and exercise a try before seeing a doctor.
Here are my CardioChek measurements from January 2, 2008:
Total Cholesterol 339
HDL (good cholesterol) <25 (too low for the meter to measure)
Triglycerides 492
Calculated LDL (bad cholesterol) >216
Total Chol to HDL Ratio 13.6
LDL to HDL Ratio 8.6
Triglycerides to HDL Ratio 19.7
And, my weight was 195 lbs
Waist 38.5 in
Blood pressure 130/77
Needless to say, that was very terrible. I was shocked!
Today, after only 1 month of healthy eating and exercise, here are my values:
Total Cholesterol 216
HDL (good cholesterol) 34
Triglycerides 219
Calculated LDL (bad cholesterol) 138
Total Chol to HDL Ratio 6.4
LDL to HDL Ratio 4.1
Triglycerides to HDL Ratio 6.4
Weight 187 lbs
Waist 36.4 in
Blood pressure 105/64
These cholesterol numbers are still not great. None of the readings are in the healthy range yet, but they’re much much better--and it's only been 32 days.
I'm measuring once a week. My triglycerides are still dropping a lot each week and I think they will be in the normal range soon. My HDL has a long way to go but I’ve read that it is the slowest to respond and normally takes 3-6 months to increase significantly after a lifestyle change. At least the meter can now measure my HDL level, which it couldn’t do for the first 2 weeks.
In this month of healthy eating, I did not cut down on eggs or fats. Most days I had at least one egg and sometimes two. I made no attempt to cut dietary cholesterol because I suspected (rightly so, it turned out) that dietary cholesterol wasn’t my main problem. I totally stopped eating refined carbohydrates–specifically sugar, white flour, rice, corn, pasta, and potatoes–although I do eat many non-starchy vegetables, as well as meats, cheeses (of all sorts), nuts (too many nuts!), and occasionally high fiber whole wheat bread or crackerbreads or cereal and berries. (I haven't had fruit juice or milk in 5 years, although I do have an occasional V8.) I haven't cheated at all and have not feel the urge to cheat. I've also cut way back on my formerly beloved Diet Coke with Splenda (6-8 cans a day last year) and now drink primarily water and Diet Rite Grape (no caffeine). Plus, I started to exercise by walking almost every day and doing the Leslie Sansone walking DVDs. About two weeks ago, I started to take krill oil capsules (which is type of fish oil that is very rich in heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids).
Of course, most people’s cholesterol levels don’t respond so rapidly to diet and exercise. However, I am a type 2 diabetic (and my blood sugars are also dropping, but still higher than normal, especially upon waking.) Actually, the fact that dietary changes to reduce carbs are dropping my cholesterol levels fast shows that hyperinsulinism is causing my problems. That is what I’d suspected. I am very insulin resistance. You can tell that just from how thick my waist is and that I am very apple-shaped. Because my cells don’t respond well to insulin, my pancreas cranks out a lot of it and its level in my bloodstream was undoubtedly high. But, since it takes dietary carbohydrates before the body makes insulin, reducing carbs reduces the insulin circulating in my blood stream, which in turn is starting the trend towards better blood lipid levels.
Anyway, I’m very excited about my one month results. Also, I'm dropping inches and my energy level is so much higher. I feel much much better, too!
Thanks for reading.