I'm a 55 year old Man who's been LCing for three years now. Lost 45 lbs and kept it off. Strangely enough before starting this lifestyle, my total cholesterol was lower then it is now. As a matter of fact over the last year my Ct has increased from 222 last year to 270 this year. However, the real news is that my ratios have improved. Consider last year's figures: Ct=222, LDL=159, HDL=50, Tri's=65, Ct/HDL=4.44, LDL/HDL=3.18 vs. this years: Ct=270, LDL=173, HDL=88, Tri's=44, Ct/HDL=3.06, LDL/HDL=1.96. So the way I see it, even with higher Ct I'm in better shape then last year. My doctor is trying to get me on Lipitor. Fat chance. I think I have good numbers in spite of what is considered by the "main stream" medical professionals to be high total cholesterol. Still, it is curious to me that my Ct is not lower as I'm a conscientious low carber. I do understand that some of us are like that and our CT doesn’t respond as one would expect. Any observations?

My first question is do you have a family history of high cholesterol?

And my second would be do you you any margarine or "butter" spreads?

I ignore total cholesterol and LDL levels and am only concerned with HDL and triglycerides. Your HDL and triglycerides have both improved (and are at good levels), so you are healthier. No drugs for you!

You know, I can't answer that because I don't know whether my parents had hi cholesterol or not. They've both been gone for decades--before all this madness started.

Not I. I use only real butter. I do have, as my evening snack, two peanut butter on low carb toasts. I might have a handful of almonds during the day if I get hungry between meals but that's about it. I do take two 1000mg fish oil capsules per day one morning and one evening. Almost daily I have olive oil and cider vinegar on my lunch which ususlly consists on a chef-type salad. Plus I get cardio excercise several times a week. I don't know, probably it's just the way it is with me.

Well, you could if you wanted swap to a lower fat version of LC, but I really don't see why you should. I mean, not being funny or anything but at your age I would imagine that slightly elevated colestarol is perfectly normal (please don't shout at me folks for mentioning age...it is just an observation)
I think you've done really well to keep those 45lbs off, would your Dr prefer you at your previous weight and stuffing loads of high carb crap....?

The most important number is your HDL and triglycerides and your ratio, IMO, and yours are all in great ranges. You actually should be commended on the great improvement in your HDL, and for having such low triglycerides, and a ration under 3.5:1.

My suggestion would be to do all the research you can on cholesterol (www.theomnivore.com has some good starting points) and also on statin drugs like Lipitor so you can have an informed discussion and make an informed decision before starting any drug therapy.

I have to wonder if the elevation in total cholesterol that some people see when low carbing is due to an improvement in the body's ability to "mobilize" fat from storage so it can be transported to muscle and other tissue for fuel.

Wyv

My cholesterol went up too, total 232, HDL 91, LDL 132, tri's 48. I use only butter, lard, and coconut oil, not much olive oil. I have no heart disease in my family, and "normal" choleterol, and I don't worry about my numbers at all anymore, and actually believe that my 232 is healthier than my 175 was years ago when I followed the low fat fad. In no way am I convinced that I need to lower my numbers. My diet now: great. My diet then: terrible.

My HDL numbers are somewhere in the vicinity of yours and my doctor told me that with HDL that high he doesn't worry about LDL.

I agree with Dodger....with high HDL and low Triglycerides you shouldn't have anything to worry about. With low tri's your LDL is likely the fluffy "good" stuff. Ask your doc to have them checked if you're concerned.

Congratulations, those are great ratios. I've got to find my paperwork and post my results from September. They're neither worrisome nor impressive, unlike yours which are both.

It is interesting how we perceive things differently. Having read about your daily diet, pouellette, it would seem that you could benefit from tweaking it. I would question the benefit of taking LC toast which is still carbs and that too of almonds which, while they are nutritious, also contain a protein inhibitor. Best to sprout them before eating. The main problem which may be preventing further progress is your intake of fish oils; try abandoning them for a while to see how that affects your assessment. Best to increase your saturated fat intake instead.

Why in the world do you state that fish oils will RAISE cholesterol? I've always understood the opposite to be true. Mine dropped 24 points in the past 6 months from flax seed oil, and the fish oil is supposed to be even better. They are of course, Omega-3 rich.

Also, just curious, when you say to sprout almonds, how in the heck do you sprout them? I've always just soaked raw ones in some salty water, then oven dried them a low heat to make them more digestible.