I feel like I'm dying :(

[bettymae1121]

My father has heridetary high cholestoral, but he's stuck to a low fat diet with exercise for the last 30 years and even with meds, I think if he hadn't he wouldn't be with us today. You may need meds but you should still do your best to eat healthy and exercise.

Exercise...start slow and build up. You can't try and do the Iron Man the first day! Start with a 15 minute brisk walk (pretend your at rope drop and headed to your favorit WDW ride, that's what I mean by brisk!) and add 2 minutes a day on to that until you reach 30 minutes. Then do a 30 minute walk every day until that gets easy for you, then start to add some other exercises in.

Lean meats, especially skinless chicken breast. You can make it a hundred ways so you don't get board.

Oils - you want olive oil and canola oil. They are the healthy fats, so when you do need a bit of oil for something, those are the ones you want to use.

Oatmeal! Not the instant stuff but the steel cut oats. It takes longer to make but you get more fiber and IMO it tastes better. I make mine in a mini crock pot overnight so it's ready in the morning. Oatmeal is shown to help lower cholestorol.

Learn to love steamed veggies (no salt, no butter, no cheese sauce). They are easy to make (just a pot, a steamer basket, and some water). Full of fiber and nutrition, no fat, low calories, and very fulling.

If you are looking for fatty fish, start with salmon (get wild salmon if you can find it). I have a very easy receipe that's very yummy! Juice 1 lemon, 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp of dijon mustard, 1 tsp fresh basil, 1-2 cloves minced garlic. Whisk that all together and pour/spread over fish (the sauce should not be very runny but still easy to spread. if too runny add more mustard if too thick add more lemon). I also put panko bread crumbs on top for crunch but that's optional. Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes.

 

[mhsjax]

Thanks for the advice everyone! My LDL was good and within healthy range so that's great and my Total Cholesterol was excellent. Thank you for sharing your stories and examples. I'm so excited and motivated right now. I started my day off very well with a fresh fruit and yogurt parfait (a real one not a McDonald's one!).

That you for the links although Joel Furman is vegan oriented and that is extreme for me, I will see what he has to say. I need all the help I can get. Who knows maybe I *should* go vegan if it will save my life.

I don't think you have to go vegetarian or vegan if you don't want to. My DH has heart problems and the Dr he goes to is one of the best in dealing with Cholesterol issues, it is her passion.

She has never told him to do this, she has told him to eat like we did 100 years ago, with wasn't vegetarian, it included meat. However it wasn't fill of processed foods, while carbs and all that crap. She told him no to do anything white. (bread potatoes pasta). He could have whole wheat bread but make sure it was a good whole wheat bread with tons of fiber. Also no instant oatmeal, the real stuff only.

The sugar is most likely what is driving up your triglycerides.

I am lucky so far, I am overweight, but for some reason my numbers are fantastic.

OUr Dr also preforms something called the Berkley test, done out of Berkley, and it shows everything about your cholesterol, right down to the size and shape and exactly what vitamins you are deficient in. I would ask about that, it is expensive but I believe the Berkley accepts what your insurance pays, plus a copay from you. Can't remember how much, I think around $100.00. But as she told my DH after his heart attach, " I want you to have this, I mean $100.00 is within your budget right? I mean after all it is your life we are talking about".

Anyway good luck, I am right there with you today about changing my habits and lack of workout habits.

 

[NY Disney fan]

What kind of yogurt did you use?

oh oh. Not sure as I got it in my cafeteria downstairs. But I'm a huge fan of greek yogurt so I eat a lot of that.

 

[mjkacmom]

Girl you need to stop lying!

Not a lie - that's why I remember the number! My doctor said it was second to the highest she had ever seen! I was also an exercise addict at the time -I worked out 2 times a day on my honeymoon, and made security open up the gym at the hotel at 5 am before my flight!

 

[NY Disney fan]

IShe has never told him to do this, she has told him to eat like we did 100 years ago, with wasn't vegetarian, it included meat. However it wasn't fill of processed foods, while carbs and all that crap. She told him no to do anything white. (bread potatoes pasta). He could have whole wheat bread but make sure it was a good whole wheat bread with tons of fiber. Also no instant oatmeal, the real stuff only.

The sugar is most likely what is driving up your triglycerides.

I am lucky so far, I am overweight, but for some reason my numbers are fantastic.

OUr Dr also preforms something called the Berkley test, done out of Berkley, and it shows everything about your cholesterol, right down to the size and shape and exactly what vitamins you are deficient in. I would ask about that, it is expensive but I believe the Berkley accepts what your insurance pays, plus a copay from you. Can't remember how much, I think around $100.00. But as she told my DH after his heart attach, " I want you to have this, I mean $100.00 is within your budget right? I mean after all it is your life we are talking about".

Anyway good luck, I am right there with you today about changing my habits and lack of workout habits.

Good advice. I'm going to ask my Dr. about the Berkley test.

 

[NY Disney fan]

Not a lie - that's why I remember the number! My doctor said it was second to the highest she had ever seen! I was also an exercise addict at the time -I worked out 2 times a day on my honeymoon, and made security open up the gym at the hotel at 5 am before my flight!

Were you lifting weights at the time (toning) or was it mostly from cardio?

 

[bicker]

That you for the links although Joel Furman is vegan oriented and that is extreme for me, I will see what he has to say. I need all the help I can get. Who knows maybe I *should* go vegan if it will save my life.

Jeff Novick is heavily vegetarian-focused, not vegan, and even beyond that, his approach does acknowledge that not everyone wishes to, nor necessarily needs to, stick with a 100% vegetarian approach 24/7.

Jeff is formerly director of nutrition for the Pritiken Institute in the Miami area... and he's a (distant) cousin.

 

[mjkacmom]

oh oh. Not sure as I got it in my cafeteria downstairs. But I'm a huge fan of greek yogurt so I eat a lot of that.

Just make sure it is fat free - I bought the one with fat by accident, and couldn't believe how much was in there!

 

[mjkacmom]

Were you lifting weights at the time (toning) or was it mostly from cardio?

Mostly cardio - I've done weight training, and have always hated it.

 

[Christine]

Not a lie - that's why I remember the number! My doctor said it was second to the highest she had ever seen! I was also an exercise addict at the time -I worked out 2 times a day on my honeymoon, and made security open up the gym at the hotel at 5 am before my flight!

My co-worker's 30 year old son has had high triglycerides (in the 400s) for a few years now. Obviously some of it is hereditary but I do think he drinks an awful lot of beer!!! I had a boss once that had them in the 700 range.

 

[mhsjax]

Just make sure it is fat free - I bought the one with fat by accident, and couldn't believe how much was in there!

Again, watch that fat free stuff, sometimes it is loaded with extra sugars and carbs. Not what you want to put into your body.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Based on the most up to date research for heart health, a Mediterranean Diet is recommended as part of a healthy lifestyle:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mediterranean-diet/CL00011

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Getti...r/Nutrition-Center_UCM_001188_SubHomePage.jsp

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4655

Triglycerides often run high in families.

 

[NY Disney fan]

Jeff Novick is heavily vegetarian-focused, not vegan, and even beyond that, his approach does acknowledge that not everyone wishes to, nor necessarily needs to, stick with a 100% vegetarian approach 24/7.

I'm reading his articles in between posting on the DIS, they're very much common sense and sound advice. I'm digging them.

 

[palmtreegirl]

Not the same thing but, high blood pressure runs in my family, my mom, her mom, my grandma etc..... I started to struggle with my blood pressure(150/100) I didn't want to be on medication(since I'm only 39) so I started eating a low salt diet & that brought it down, but not where I wanted it to be, so DH suggested running. On December 31, 2009 I couldn't make it around the block and we started running Jan 1st, it was so hard. I prayed for God to give me the strength and determination to run and get my blood pressure under control and oh boy was that prayer answered! I ran my first 5K in June(it was awesome!) and I continue to run 5-6 days a week. My blood pressure is awesome, better then when I was in high school(under 120/80).

My mom(62 years old) was on 3 different blood pressure meds & cholesterol, she's been taking them for over 30 years. After watching me, she decided to stop cooking with salt altogether and she started exercising she's now down to only 1 blood pressure med and it's only 5mg!! Doctor says she's on her way to being off them completely.

There are days I don't want to run, like today , but then something happens to push me to do it. Today it was your thread, thank you btw. Overall I have more energy and even lost 20 pounds, I feel great.

 

[NY Disney fan]

Palmtreegirl: Thanks for the advice about running. Hope you go for a darn good run today!

PeaNMe: Thanks for the info about the Mediterranean diets!

 

[ols386]

Yes, I want to try it naturally first before I have to go on medication. I barely eat meat in my diet. My demon is sugar. I'm a sugar-holic. Mostly I'm a cereal killer.

I presume you've talked to your doctor. Is he prescribing any medications for you to take. If so, I'd definitely do that, right away. As others have mentioned diet and exercise are extremely important too, but if your dr. thinks you need to be on meds to get those numbers back in alignment to where they should be, I'd do it. Most people don't want to take medication, but if that's what it takes to prevent a heart attack, I'd do it. Depending on your genes, diet and exercise can only do so much. Good luck to you!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

PeaNMe: Thanks for the info about the Mediterranean diets!

You're welcome.

How you improve your numbers is up to you. But the important thing is that you do. If you aren't successful with diet and exercise alone, please, please get on some medication. Working in cardiac care, I can tell you it's extremely common for people to come in with heart attacks who've been walking around with extreme numbers for years. Generally they either "didn't want to take medication" or made some attempts to eat healthily over the years, but got back into old habits after a while.

Having numbers that are high means, essentially, that fat is circulating around in your blood and accumulating in the smaller blood vessels in your body, some of the most important ones being on the outside of your heart that supply the heart muscle itself with blood. If the accumulation becomes large enough to block blood flow to that artery, a portion of your heart muscle dies, which is what a heart attack is. You often don't know this is even happening. And with the typical American diet that we have, coronary artery disease (CAD) starts at a young age. During the Vietnam era, they looked at the coronary arteries of young American men who died in the war and they had the beginnings of CAD. So even with our children, it's important to feed them food that's heart healthy, even if they're not overweight.

 

[NY Disney fan]

I presume you've talked to your doctor. Is he prescribing any medications for you to take. If so, I'd definitely do that, right away. As others have mentioned diet and exercise are extremely important too, but if your dr. thinks you need to be on meds to get those numbers back in alignment to where they should be, I'd do it. Most people don't want to take medication, but if that's what it takes to prevent a heart attack, I'd do it. Depending on your genes, diet and exercise can only do so much. Good luck to you!

I'm going to check back with him in 6-8 weeks and then we'll decided what to do. I refuse to go on medication I'm in my 30's and I don't think giving it a 2 month trial run will kill me. I'm super determined. If at that point I can't do it on my own then I'll re-consider.

 

[Magpie]

Nine months ago I got a phone call from our doctor. He told me that my husband's triglycerides (and everything else) was really bad. He said he was giving us 6 months to get things under control, and if things hadn't improved at the end of 6 months then we were going to discuss blood pressure medication.

My husband was a bit peeved that our doctor gave the test results to me, instead of to him, but I was glad because it meant I could be part of finding a solution.

My husband weighed about 265 lbs. I put him on the South Beach diet, and started packing lunches for him to take to work.

Meanwhile my husband started walking home from work. First he'd just get off the bus early and then walk the rest of the way. Then he'd get off a little earlier. Then he'd walk all the way home from work - a little over 5 k at a brisk pace. And eventually he started taking the long way home - 7 or even 8 k.

At one point he plateaued and had a bit of a tantrum of the "why even try!?" variety. So I suggested adding evening walks, together. Our dog loved it, and before long he was losing weight again.

Today my husband weighs 175 lbs. His stats are all back in the normal range, except for cholesterol, which is only wee bit high and our doctor thinks will eventually come down if we keep up the good work. I've learned to cook some tasty meals that are good for us. We've discovered that walking is a really nice way to spend time together, just the two of us, and we're now planning some serious week or two week hikes along old Pioneer routes, and someday maybe even in Europe. My husband has started sailing once a week with his brother. And... if I can just say, he's looking mighty sexy.

So, it CAN be done. Don't despair!

 

[Lanshark]

What did your doctor recommend?