Bloodwork / Triglycerides

[momrek06]

So in Feb I went to my MD for my yearly physical and she suggested I have my bloodwork done. It had been a number of years and I did want to know my cholesterol.

The results were not good. My cholesterol came back (after a 12 hr fast) at 220. Range should be 100-199.

I met with my MD (after the results) and she suggested I keep a journal as there has to be something I am eating that is causing that number. Come back in May for a recheck on the cholesterol.

In Feb at the appt I weighed 138 (I am 5'6). I decided I would really look at my diet and did indeed note areas where (I was eating too much candy). I w/o all.of.the.time so that is probably why I have been able to keep my weight down.

FF to May, I stopped all.of.the.candy. EVEN through Easter and I have lost 6lbs. Down to 132 and feel great.

I go back for my bloodwork and my cholesterol is 191!!!! Dropped 29 pts.

BUT what has bothered me and the reason for this thread is that in Feb my triglycerides was 145 … the range is 0-149, so in the range.

In May, my triglycerides is now 181 and the word HIGH is written next to it on the lab report.


What am I doing wrong? MD's office called to tell me the great news about the cholesterol and then dropped the lab report in the mail. I see the triglycerides # and think I cannot keep dieting. I am getting hungry typing this … Ugh.


Has anyone had to lower their triglycerides? How did you do it?

 

[snapppyd]

My husband has been taking Lovasa (prescription) and it has lowered his triglycerides. Maybe you can first try a fish oil capsule from the vitamin aisle.

 

[bicker]

I'm facing a similar challenge. I'm a vegetarian, so I should be less likely to have these kinds of problems to start with, but my last blood test shows an LDL of 199 (yipes!) and Tryglycerides of 127.

I "know" the right answer for me is to get back out there exercising every day. If I could just get rid of this flu bug, I promise I'm going to get out there and do it!

 

[momrek06]

My husband has been taking Lovasa (prescription) and it has lowered his triglycerides. Maybe you can first try a fish oil capsule from the vitamin aisle.

Hiya, Judy, yes, I have always taken fish oil capsules and actually upped the amount from 1200 to 2400 in Feb when I got my numbers. I think that helped immensely in lowering my cholesterol. I also take and have for a long time flaxseed oil caps.

 

[Christine]

From WebMD:

What causes high triglycerides?
High triglycerides are usually caused by other conditions, such as:

Obesity.
Poorly controlled diabetes.
An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).
Kidney disease.
Regularly eating more calories than you burn.
Drinking a lot of alcohol.
Certain medicines may also raise triglycerides. These medicines include:

Tamoxifen.
Steroids.
Beta-blockers.
Diuretics.
Estrogen.
Birth control pills.
In a few cases, high triglycerides also can run in families.

Another thing that is important is to look at your HDL/LDL ratio. Sometimes the "whole" number doesn't mean much if you ratio is good and a low number doesn't mea a lot if your ratio is bad.

 

[momrek06]

I'm facing a similar challenge. I'm a vegetarian, so I should be less likely to have these kinds of problems to start with, but my last blood test shows an LDL of 199 (yipes!) and Tryglycerides of 127.

I "know" the right answer for me is to get back out there exercising every day. If I could just get rid of this flu bug, I promise I'm going to get out there and do it!

While your triglycerides are fine you do need to get that LDL down under 99. Mine came back at 107.

 

[momrek06]

From WebMD:

What causes high triglycerides?
High triglycerides are usually caused by other conditions, such as:

Obesity.
Poorly controlled diabetes.
An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).
Kidney disease.
Regularly eating more calories than you burn.
Drinking a lot of alcohol.
Certain medicines may also raise triglycerides. These medicines include:

Tamoxifen.
Steroids.
Beta-blockers.
Diuretics.
Estrogen.
Birth control pills.
In a few cases, high triglycerides also can run in families.

Another thing that is important is to look at your HDL/LDL ratio. Sometimes the "whole" number doesn't mean much if you ratio is good and a low number doesn't mea a lot if your ratio is bad.

Well I can safely say I do not take any meds at all. And I wish it was something like 'running in the family' but thats not the case as my triglycerides were normal when my cholesterol was high … go figure. Now that I have successfully lowered my cholesterol, I am staring at the lab report at HIGH in bold print next to the triglycerides.

 

[snapppyd]

I believe doctors are putting way too much emphasis in these numbers, JMHO. Sometimes it is just the way your body works.

My DH and I eat the same foods and we drink beer every day.

My tri's are 45 and his are 147 - and that is with him taking medication - lipitor, caduet and lovasa.

His HDL is 69, mine is 129. His LDL is 75 and mine is 79.

How do you explain that? As far as heredity, my mother's cholesterol was 385 while on lipitor!

My total is 217 and his is 179. The doctor tried to tell me I had high cholesterol - sorry not with that good of an HDL.

What I'm trying to say is that if you are already taking the fish oil and are otherwise healthy, these might just be YOUR numbers.

 

[snapppyd]

Well I can safely say I do not take any meds at all. And I wish it was something like 'running in the family' but thats not the case as my triglycerides were normal when my cholesterol was high … go figure. Now that I have successfully lowered my cholesterol, I am staring at the lab report at HIGH in bold print next to the triglycerides.

It could just be an anomaly in the test. Did you happen to eat ice cream or anything like that the day before the test? If they took your blood again tomorrow it could be lower. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[ols386]

I used to have high cholestoral. Three years ago I lost 40 pounds, and I was excercising almost every day, for 30-45 minutes/day.

Even after losing weight, excercising, and watching my diet closely, my bad cholestoral was still way too high, so my doctor put me on cholestoral medication.

I've been on the medication for a couple of years now, and my bad and good cholestoral are now within the normal range, and triglicerides are within normal range. So it seemed that even with eating healthy and excercising regularly, my levels were not good.

Doctor said it was probably something in my genes. I was adopted so don't really know much about my biological family medical background or history.

I'm on Niacin and Lovastatin, both for cholestoral. Guess I will be on them for the rest of my life, more than likely.

 

[NY Disney fan]

For me, I noticed that my HDL (genetically) is very low and exercise (not food) is the key to raising it. For LDL, eating healthy fixes that number. I can't get my HDL high with food alone. It has to be exercise.

 

[bicker]

I believe doctors are putting way too much emphasis in these numbers, JMHO. Sometimes it is just the way your body works.

Of course anything is possible, but the vast majority of times these number are reliable predictors of various maladies. While we don't understand everything, and never will, we do need to hope that there is some firm ground to stand on, or we have no chance of making any reasonable decisions for ourselves.

 

[Abbie]

Trigs really go up related to diet and fats. Congrats on cutting out candy, losing weight, and bringing the cholesterol down! Now take a close look at the meat you are eating and anywhere in your diet where fats might be lurking. It might be as simple as switching from full-fat mayo and those kinds of things to a lower fat version. You can also up your fish oil to 2000-3000 mgs per day. Take it at night to maximize the benefits.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Congratulations on the lower cholesterol. We went through this with my DH a few years ago. His mom's side has that familial high cholesterol problem so he went on red alert. The first thing we did was cut red meat and I started to supplement with what I thought were healthier options so made more pasta's more tuna fish sandwiches stuff that was filling but no fat which meant carbs. Well that swung up his triglycerides which rise with starches... didn't know that up front, it would have been useful. I got handed an awful heart association recipe collection with lists of stuff we should and shouldn't do, add that to the cholesterol restrictions and this is a sample diet what we ended up with.

Breakfast, DH eats 2 hard-boiled eggs, only the whites and 2 pieces of wheat toast with some butter substitute, or when home, a nice veggie filled egg white omelet with some toasted sandwich thins or an eggwhite egg sandwich.

Lunch, a salad with boneless chicken-breast and a nice variety of veggies, or a chicken sandwich with wheat breat. I like Purdue perfect portions at home or a cold hard-boiled egg.

Dinner is all me. I have a constantly rotating cycle of a huge variety of no fat or low fat minimal carb recipes. I do 2 days of poultry then another meat like beef, ham or pork, then another 2 days of poultry then another meat like beef, ham or pork followed by a Sunday dinner treat of pasta. I make sure there is a variety of veggies on the table so no-one gets bored. I will throw in a treat of home baked bread or a dessert once a month to keep everyone happy. If you need recipes I now have a ton with modifications that make the meals as healthy as I can manage. Hang in there, it's hard at first but you'll get the hang of it.



A normal week would look something like this:

Chicken breast stew over the no yolks egg noodles

Purdue chicken burgers with non-fat cheese on deli rounds bread with sweet potato fries, sugarfree maple syrup and a huge salad

Tyler Florence's Stuffed cabbage with the leanest ground beef I could find which I cooked first and strained to get rid of the fat then mixed with brown rice & extra cabbage

Slow cooker ground chicken breast chili with black beans and corn and a side of Tostitoes that DH eats sparingly,

Chicken marinated in very yummy Goya Mojo marinade then cut up and put on skewers with mushroom, onion and tomato.

Tonight will be chicken cutlets and broccoli rabe

Tomorrow may be sausage & peppers at MIL's

Sunday will be regular pasta night with turkey meatballs, I switch between regular and turkey because I hubby.

 

[momrek06]

WOW, , everyone for your replies to my thread. I love reading everything. I really have to go back to my journal and I really need to rethink some of my 'healthy' meals and it is now looking like maybe peanut butter could be a cause as I do like that ALLOT …

To Abbie, maybe I will go up a bit more on the fish oil!!!

To LuvOrlando, many thanks for your meal suggestions!!!

Its just that I remember a time in my life when all my numbers were 'within range' and now as I get older (50+) it is not so easy anymore.

 

[snapppyd]

Congratulations on the lower cholesterol. We went through this with my DH a few years ago. His mom's side has that familial high cholesterol problem so he went on red alert. The first thing we did was cut red meat and I started to supplement with what I thought were healthier options so made more pasta's more tuna fish sandwiches stuff that was filling but no fat which meant carbs. Well that swung up his triglycerides which rise with starches... didn't know that up front, it would have been useful. I got handed an awful heart association recipe collection with lists of stuff we should and shouldn't do, add that to the cholesterol restrictions and this is a sample diet what we ended up with.

Breakfast, DH eats 2 hard-boiled eggs, only the whites and 2 pieces of wheat toast with some butter substitute, or when home, a nice veggie filled egg white omelet with some toasted sandwich thins or an eggwhite egg sandwich.

Lunch, a salad with boneless chicken-breast and a nice variety of veggies, or a chicken sandwich with wheat breat. I like Purdue perfect portions at home or a cold hard-boiled egg.

Dinner is all me. I have a constantly rotating cycle of a huge variety of no fat or low fat minimal carb recipes. I do 2 days of poultry then another meat like beef, ham or pork, then another 2 days of poultry then another meat like beef, ham or pork followed by a Sunday dinner treat of pasta. I make sure there is a variety of veggies on the table so no-one gets bored. I will throw in a treat of home baked bread or a dessert once a month to keep everyone happy. If you need recipes I now have a ton with modifications that make the meals as healthy as I can manage. Hang in there, it's hard at first but you'll get the hang of it.



A normal week would look something like this:

Chicken breast stew over the no yolks egg noodles

Purdue chicken burgers with non-fat cheese on deli rounds bread with sweet potato fries, sugarfree maple syrup and a huge salad

Tyler Florence's Stuffed cabbage with the leanest ground beef I could find which I cooked first and strained to get rid of the fat then mixed with brown rice & extra cabbage

Slow cooker ground chicken breast chili with black beans and corn and a side of Tostitoes that DH eats sparingly,

Chicken marinated in very yummy Goya Mojo marinade then cut up and put on skewers with mushroom, onion and tomato.

Tonight will be chicken cutlets and broccoli rabe

Tomorrow may be sausage & peppers at MIL's

Sunday will be regular pasta night with turkey meatballs, I switch between regular and turkey because I hubby.

Sounds delicious!!

 

[VBsHustla]

I don't have high triglycerides, but I like to read about health/nutrition so I've heard a lot about it. I've actually heard some people say that even though they eat well and exercise, their triglycerides rise when they eat a lot of fruit (since sugar and fat both affect triglycerides.) I don't believe this is uniformly true, considering I literally eat about 10 servings of fruit a day, and my triglycerides are 49. But it might be worth considering.

I personally stick to a really low fat, high carb vegan diet (no nuts, no seeds, no oil, etc.) with just about 0 processed foods, and it works for me. My total cholesterol is 96 and LDL is 42.

 

[DebbieB]

I was just reading up on cholesterol levels, mine is up.

Here is info from the Mayo Clinic:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol-levels/CL00001

Your triglycerides are borderline high according to them. If your doctor did not mention it, I would not get upset. You could call and discuss it with your doctor.

 

[ols386]

Of course anything is possible, but the vast majority of times these number are reliable predictors of various maladies. While we don't understand everything, and never will, we do need to hope that there is some firm ground to stand on, or we have no chance of making any reasonable decisions for ourselves.

I agree. And hasn't there been quite a bit of research on just this topic, over the last few years?

The other thing my doctor did 3 years ago was that she gave me ratio numbers, which I don't completely understand how they are calculated, but the ratio numbers reflect how likely one is to have heart problems/heart attack and that type of thing...and my ratios were very bad before beginning the cholestoral medications. Now they are much imprved.

 

[Abbie]

To Abbie, maybe I will go up a bit more on the fish oil!!!

Oops, before you do, let me amend that to 2000-3000 MGS daily rather than GMS. That's usually 2-3 tabs.