Greetings all,
I had a Dr. checkup in mid December, and he suggested I lose a few pounds. I was 5'10 and 183 pounds with 312 cholesterol. I gave up fast food, have not drank since NYE, and have been going to the gym 3-4 days a week at 5:00 AM where I jog 6-1/2 to 7 miles the first hour and then walk 6 miles the next 1-1/2 hours. I am down to a pretty good wight at 156 but my issue is that I kind of like my routine and since I am at a healthy weight now, I am worried that if I alter my routine I may start gaining weight, but I do not want to stay with the current routine and keep losing weight. Any suggestions?
I also gave up almost all meat/eggs in general because I do not want to be put on a statin and I have blood work scheduled for 4/1...
Thanks,
I share your feelings on statins. Based on your screen name, I believe we are about the same age.
I have Hypercholesterolemia as well. Thanks Dad!
At some point, I tried to move away from processed grains and was eating more cheese, full fat yogurt for snacks, breakfast, etc. I exercise regularly, but less than prior to covid and a move across the country.
A year ago I had an irregular heartbeat one saturday morning. After about 5 hours, I went to the ER. Nothing found. Had a follow-up with a cardiologist. Cholesterol was 286. Also did a calcium test and had, what I thought was slight, calcification in my aorta, but it apparently puts me in the 95th percentile for my age.
Cardiologist wants me to go on a statin immediately. I tell him NO, that I want to get a baseline based on some diet changes. I cut out "unnecessary dairy" and deli meat sandwiches for lunch. I also avoided super high cholesterol foods like Shrimp and Pizza. I also started taking CholestOff from Naturemade. 3 months later, cholesterol was down to 236. Cardiologist was shocked that I did that without meds. That said, he still pushed a statin, becuase he went to a US med school, and apparently, there is some evidence that people on a statin see less cardiac events.
I agrede to go on the lowest dose of Lipitor. I continue to take Cholestoff (though I switch to Plant Sterols and Pantesin from Swanson.com as they are ~20% of the price). At this point, I still avoid unnecessary dairy (full fat yogurt, cheese as a staple snack) but relaxed my vigilence. I eat pizza occassionally, eat meat regularly, eggs very occassionally, etc. A year later, cholesterol is 170. I ultimately want to get off the statin. My Dad was part of the 20% that sees side effects from statins and frankly, I think it's crazy to think that you can take a chemical for decades and not experience other low-res side effects. We'll see.
Here is my reco.
-See where your cholesterol is on 4/1. If needed, look at the Plant sterols (fiber binds cholesterol int he blood stream) and Pantesin(supplement that reduces cholesterol production in the liver like a statin). Let me if you need more info.
-Depending on your tri-glycerides, start taking a fish oil pill daily. I've been doing this for years and despite high cholesterol, my tri-glycerides have never been high. FWIW, I also take turmeric daily for general inflammation (muscle, joint, cardiovascular)
-As others have said, 2.5hrs of cardio is extreme, but if you like it, keep doing it. At some point, your weight will plateau. Depending on your lipid panel, you may also look to add some other foods back into your diet that could balance. As others have said, you could look to replace the 1.5hrs of walking with an hour of weights. The added muscle is much more important than the cardio, long-term for weight mgmt and overall health.
Bottom line, you'll know more after 4/1 and can make adjustments. Congrats on dropping ~30lbs in under 4 months!
