cholesterol, high tg and insulin resistance please help
 

hey - so I am 6 months postpartum with my second child, and recently got blood work done because I was gaining a lot of weight for no apparent reason (lost postpartum then started gaining). Originally I thought I might have postpartum thyroiditis but my throid was ultrasounded and it is fine - plus all blood tests came back great.

I also took a GTT and insulin test which showed hyperinsulinemia and high fasting bg. I was also tested for cholesterol and trig numbers and they came back....absolutely....appalling.

For the record, I was eating a lowish carb high fat diet during pregnancy and still am, but I am very depressed and still gaining weight. Carbs were under 100g a day and have been for awhile. I gained 10 kilos in the past 5 months pp even whilst low carb.

Total cholesterol 300
HDL 37
non HDL 263
LDL 222
VLDL 41
triglycerides 205

TSH 1.24
AcTPo less than 10
AcTg less than 20

Fasting glucose 106
Fasting insulin 14.1
75g glucose 60 mins 145
120 mins 109

insulin 60 mins 130.8
120 mins 82.1

I am stumped at my very low HDL and very high triglycerides after eating low carb high fat.

Also, I had insulin and bg tested a few years ago when I was eating TONS of fruit, meat and veg - much much higher carbs - with olive oil only - and my insulin and bg came back very low.

What the hell is going on? I also can not stop this weight gain. I am just weaning my baby now who is starting on solids. I am just really depressed and not sure what to do. Going back to higher carb seems like it should be the way to go but what if I just keep gaining weight on higher carbs?

Anybody have an idea why my tgs are so high??

Thanks

It is completely normal for cholesterol to be high while breastfeeding:
http://www.ivillage.com/breastfeedi...vels/6-n-136958

Sounds to me as if your body is on an hormonal roller coaster right now in reaction to pregnancy and breast feeding. Our bodies are programmed to store fat in order to feed our babies. So you attempt to lose fat at the same time your body is trying to retain fat is making your body fight itself.

Why not let your body settle itself down after you have finished breast feeding--a month? 2? (I don't know how long it takes for bodies to return to a pre-pregnancy normal) keeping on with a carb count at around 100 with meats, vegetables, fruits and some exercise. Then and only then, when your baby no longer needs nutrients from you, restrict your carbs to between 20-50 for a month or more. See how you feel and get yourself tested again.

It must be frustrating to see all those numbers in the wrong direction. But remember pregnancy and lactating hormones are normal and all in the service of retaining fat. It will take time. Just don't use it as an excuse to pig out on sugar/fat or grain/fat combinations. If it took 9 months to create a baby and however long to breast feed, it will probably take a similar amount of time for your body to get back to pre-pregnancy weight and hormone levels. Or even less.

Good luck.

thanks so much for those posts - makes me feel a bit better about things. I am no longer breastfeeding - I barely made enough milk as it was (at most 8oz a day) - my hubby thinks that there may be a feedback problem with the weight gain as I hardly produced any milk but maybe my body was holding onto calories thinking it was??

I am still pumping twice a day but will stop very soon.

Interestingly yesterday I had 2 bananas and a little white rice with dinner and I was down nearly a whole kilo this morning. But I don't like the feeling of too many carbs.

If you are still pumping you are still lactating, whether the baby is directly on the breast or not, your body is still making milk and your cholesterol will remain high. And it will probably take awhile after you are completely done for that to come back down.

And I know you didn't ask for breastfeeding advice, but I wanted you to know that for some women (maybe even most women) what you can get pumping and what the baby can get nursing are two totally different things. A lot of women just do not produce well when pumping but when they nurse the baby directly the baby gets plenty.

Sleep deprivation can do a number on weight, insulin, triglycerides and cholesterol.

hey again - just saw this. So I have IGT and never produced much milk. I had to supplement formula with both kids or they would have starved. I did everything possible to get a good supply but I do not have the glands to produce enough milk. I always wondered if that was why i was gaining weight and insulin resistant.

So from what I can tell, I am insulin resistant on high fat low carb and insulin sensitive on higher carbs from fruit with only added fat being olive oil. I can't find any info on this. I am also casein intolerant and have not been great at avoiding dairy - maybe that influenced things.

So the high cholesterol whilst breastfeeding is fine - I was aware of that - but the problem is thatmy HDL should be very high as well - and it is in the toilet. That really worries me. Also the triglycerides are way too high for the amount of carbs I have been eating.

I am now sleeping more as she is sleeping through the night. I am so down about all this.

What's your vitamin d3 status?

You might just be too high on carbs to get the Tris down and the HDL up. Saturated fat is one thing that makes HDL go up. But be patient, it takes quite some time.

I think, check with Dr. Davis's blog to confirm, that fish oil helps trigs too.

hey -

so I am very tanned all year round living in Chile - don't think vitamin D is a problem. I have been eating lots of saturated fat for a long time now. I was taking a lot of fish oil before, during and after pregnancy. Recently ran out and didn't buy any more as I can't see any improvement in my health although baby seems to be a pleasant happy child!

I find low carb to be next to impossible and not very enjoyable without dairy which is why my carbs were a little higher (still under 100g and all whole food sources no gluten). I am also sensitive to anything coconut and pork (both make me bloat up a treat) - coconut usually results in immediate weight gain and a rash on my face.

I am so fed up. Thanks for listening though!