My bloodwork from the spring of 2010 suggested that I was at moderate risk for cardiovascular trouble. Doc wanted to put me on a statin. I flatly refused the statin, and told her she could write that down in my chart. She also suggested the usual low-fat-and-good-carbs diet (ah yes, the diet that left me with extra pounds after every failure). I went home angry, started my research, and decided that low carb was the way to go. And that's how I ended up here.

My objective was to turn my bloodwork around. I have stayed the course for a year, through holidays, overseas travel, and two weeks on a cruise ship (which was surprisingly easy). Over the course of the last year I've lost somewhere between 40 and 50 lb. I wish it were more, but weight loss wasn't what I was trying to accomplish.

I went back for the bloodwork results last week, and here they are, along with the results from last year:

TC: 2010 5.19 (high) -- now 6.13 (higher)
LDL: 2010 3.73 (high) -- now 4.51 (higher)
HDL: 2010 .91 (low) -- now 1.32 (good)
TC/HDL: 2010 5.7 (high) -- now 4.64 (good)
Triglicerides: 2010 1.3 (normal) -- now 0.65 (good)
Fasting Glucose: 2010 5.8 (high normal) -- now 5.3 (better)

These are, of course, mmol/L ... I have no idea how to convert these into the units used in the US.

Doctor was very impressed with the big rise in HDL and the huge drop in triglicerides. Because of the improved TC/HDL ratio, she wasn't overly concerned about the TC and LDL. My comment to her on that was that the high TC and LDL is probably a result of the dietary fat from low carbing, and that the calculated LDL number doesn't tell anything about the density of the molecules. I suggested that my LDLs are the big fluffy harmless ones. Her comment: "You're probably right."

So I'm pleased. Really pleased. Mission accomplished and now I need to stay the course.

One thing that has me scratching my head, though: why would my TC be up, but my Triglycerides be so dramatically down?

My next project: weight loss. Odd thing to be saying at this point!

Syrah...wonderful results...50 lbs gone PLUS excellent bloodwork....what a victory

There's a stickied explanation of why LDL and TC often go up when triglycerides go down, in the Cholesterol section. It's because those numbers are calculated and the calculation breaks when TG goes way down.

Thanks, Nancy I'll have a look at that!

I checked the thread, and I understand how the LDL calculation breaks down when triglycerides are low. And my trigs are quite low for an old girl. When I use an alternative calculator (http://homepages.slingshot.co.nz/~geoff36/LDL_mg.htm) the number certainly looks much better.

I just find it curious that my cholesterol is so high. Or is that just a reflection of my love affair with butter and cheese and bacon? Should I be thinking of cutting back?

RE: butter, I don't think so. See, your Trigs and your HDL are great, much improved, and they are the best predictors of heart disease. LDL complicates the picture, and it is unfair to even characterize LDL as bad--it is a transporter molecule. It can transport things that clog arteries or things that repair cells and perform vital functions. So just saying you have high LDL is not very helpful for assessing risk for heart disease. "Small and dense" LDL particles are more worrisome than "large and fluffy" particles.

That's the kind of news I, as an old girl myself, love to hear. I hope in a year my news will be great too.

I know, and the doctor wasn't concerned either. So it's all good.
Just don't take my butter away! One of the things I love most about low carbing (and goodness knows I love a lot about it!) is being able to eat butter and other natural fats without a feeling of guilt. Last night we had duck breasts, crispy skin and all, with a creamy cheesy cauliflower mash and broccoli. Every bite was pure delight. Compare that with skinless boneless chicken tits sprayed cooked with pam, and naked steamed vegetables.
I'm just hoping that somewhere along the line someone doesn't tell me the hi cholesterol is a problem, despite my low trigs and good hdl!
Thank, Margerie, for your kind words.

This old girl is so confident about this way of eating that I'm sure it will be.

well Syrah, you have done an amazing job and are truly an inspiration. I don't have "old" and "new" bloodwork, but we'll see how that shakes down when it shakes down....

Proud.... very proud. Ya done good! What more can I say?

Great results and very encouraging to the rest of us old girls.