# Cholesterol Control



## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

Just went to the doctor post annual blood work and for the third year in a row my LDL reading was up. Not bad, but since I have a familiar history of hyperlipidemia and mild hypertension, doc says it has to come down. I've struggled with diet and exercise for three years and have dropped it a little. I've also used omega oil, flax seed and niacin, the latter dropping my trigycerides below normal.

Now finally, doc insists I try something prescription, along with diet and exercise he's thinking the LDL will drop below high normal for me. I don't mind the Questor as much as I would a statin which he is trying to avoid for me but I hate loosing this battle.:grit:

Anybody out there fighting the same battle and what are you doing, or what have you done to lower your numbers naturally?


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## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

Unfortunately, I have the exact problem. Nothing natural ever worked for me. But, I wasn't good at changing my diet either. I like to cook.


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

I took Lipitor and other statin drugs for over 5 years, experienced horrible side effects, and my cholesterol kept climbing the whole time. 

At one point my total cholesterol was over 400! Good cholesterol was under 20. I lowered my total cholesterol by 100 points when I quit eating beef and pork. I lowered it down to what it is today, 123, when I quit eating all meat except for an occasional fish dinner and most dairy products.

Most folks aren't as committed to dealing with health issues without taking meds and are unwilling to change their diets this drastically. So, I recommend that you greatly cut down the amount of meat you are eating and change the type of meat you are eating to fish, fowl and wild harvested meats. I think a large portion of the problem is how our animals are fed. Even when you are raising them at home, you are probably buying their feed, and they are still getting lots of chemicals. Americans eat way more meat than is good for us. Try shrinking the portion and having a couple of days a week meatless.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

How high was it?
The LDL will come down if you just cut carbs very low. You don't have to take any special vitamins or even drugs. Just don't eat sugar, grains and limit fruits. My LDL was 44. 
I do have to admit my HDL is low though. The doctor says that has a genetic component to it.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

My LDL was like 136. It should be below 100 for me. Doc thinks mine has a genetic component to it also as my father could do the pork chop, gravy, biscuit and egg breakfast 5 days a week and never had a total reading over 180. Mom was the opposite. Hers ran in the 300s gee...thanks for the genes mom... 

I have slowly reduced my diet to red meat once a week. Now I am eliminating it entirely and going back to my fish and fowl diet. No fats in cheese, no refined sugars. All the good stuff done. I can't totally restrict my carbs because of my activity level but I am eliminating the bad ones, flour, potatoes, etc. I've done it before and dropped my readings considerably so I'm betting I can do it again. I only have about 10-15 pounds to loose. My weight goal is 110-115 pounds and I am at 128 now.

Getting older is sooooooo much fun.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I would cut sugars and grains before root veggies. Root vegetables are higher in carbs than leafy veggies, but they are still a lot lower than grains.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

mekasmom said:


> I would cut sugars and grains before root veggies. Root vegetables are higher in carbs than leafy veggies, but they are still a lot lower than grains.



Yep so much for heart healthy whole grains. My one indulgence is a delicious 7 grain oatmeal that I have a couple of times a week for breakfast with stevia as a sweetener. Then I limit it to a half a cup. This one is hard for me because I LOVE bread, especially the 'nutty' whole grain varieties. I have already cut the refined sugars out. Once I start with them it's hard to stop.

I'm also cutting back on salt. My blood pressure is good with my current meds but I had to stop the diuretic I was on as I was badly dehydrated by it. 

Tough diet changes for me. Raised by a souther momma on good southern cooking, appreciative of sour cream chocolate cake and good fried chicken.......ahhh those were the days......:grumble:


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

badlander said:


> My LDL was like 136. It should be below 100 for me. Doc thinks mine has a genetic component to it also as my father could do the pork chop, gravy, biscuit and egg breakfast 5 days a week and never had a total reading over 180. Mom was the opposite. Hers ran in the 300s gee...thanks for the genes mom...
> 
> I have slowly reduced my diet to red meat once a week. Now I am eliminating it entirely and going back to my fish and fowl diet. No fats in cheese, no refined sugars. All the good stuff done. I can't totally restrict my carbs because of my activity level but I am eliminating the bad ones, flour, potatoes, etc. I've done it before and dropped my readings considerably so I'm betting I can do it again. I only have about 10-15 pounds to loose. My weight goal is 110-115 pounds and I am at 128 now.
> 
> Getting older is sooooooo much fun.


A lot of mine is genetic as well and I am amazed at how my high cholesterol has responded to change in diet. Something to think about....your eating patterns are 'genetic' as well. You learn them as a child. Most of your relatives eat the way you do, so it isn't surprising that we have similar health problems!

My cholesterol numbers took that dramatic drop(over 400 down to 123) without a corresponding drop in weight unfortunately. I need to loose a lot more than the 10-15 pounds you mention...a lot more. I now know why I can't loose weight and I'm trying to find an effective treatment. So I'm not sure that weight has much to do with it.


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## frankva (May 21, 2009)

Beware hidden sugars. ie ketchup.

You need to be ruthless. Most diets are not strict enough. Healthy fat is still fat and if you can gain weight eating brown rice and beans, you need to put down the fork.

Flip notebook on a counter writing down every scrap worked for me.

Yes I did eat the better part of a container of Cabot's full strength sour cream around T Day.

Good luck.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Suggest you do some research. *IF* you have already had a heart attack and/or have a high calcium score, then lowering cholesterol appears to have some benefit. Otherwise, once those exceptions are eliminated from samples, it appears there is no benefit and a LOT of bad side effects from some of the drugs used.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

Harry Chickpea said:


> Suggest you do some research. *IF* you have already had a heart attack and/or have a high calcium score, then lowering cholesterol appears to have some benefit. Otherwise, once those exceptions are eliminated from samples, it appears there is no benefit and a LOT of bad side effects from some of the drugs used.


Nope, no history of that thank goodness, just the familiar history. I watched my mom die a slow hard death from the effects of heart disease and diabetes. Don't want to go there.

I cannot take the statins. Even Red Yeast Rice causes me side effects that are very unpleasant thus the Questor choice. I've fought this for three years now each year eliminating another factor from my diet that may be contributing to the problem. For years I ate a very restricted diet and decided that life was too short to go without food you enjoy. Now I'm back on the restricted diet. :shrug:


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## Intrigue (Jun 11, 2008)

There is absolutely no evidence that high cholesterol has killed anybody. Likewise, there is absolutely no evidence that lowering cholesterol has added to anybodies longevity. So what is with all the cholesterol hull-a-balloo, you ask?

Cholesterol is a fatty compound. Your brain cells and nerve cells are all protected by cholesterol. Without cholesterol you would die. period. It is so important to your body that the liver will resist attempts to lower cholesterol. If you decrease dietary cholesterol, eventually your liver will make more. 

So why the concer about cholesterol numbers. Years ago, autopsies on cardiac deaths indicated the formation of "plaque" and plaque is largely made up of cholesterol (a hard fatty substance). Thus the drug companies seized on this fact and came up with cholesterol lowering drugs that FORCE the liver to make less cholesterol. The idea is that if you lower cholesterol in the bloodstream, you will have less plaque formation. This becomes a "goldmine" drug since patients will start in their '50s and take the "Lipitor" till they die. 

Thus the hard-sell and advertising started and was so successful that no doctor (except for a handful of cardiologists) are going to disagree. If you are a doctor and your patient dies from a stroke or MI and an autopsy reveals plaque formation, the surviving relatives are going to ask why Joe wasn't taking Lipitor as the sue the Drs ass in court.

The real story is simple. Arteries become inflammed. Plaque forms as a sort of "patch" like a band-aid and it forms between the layers of the arteries forming a "bump". If the bump is big enough it can restrict the artery much like a clogged pipe and not allow blood cells thru forming a blockage. If the vein/artery are critical, instant stroke or MI. 

What causes the artery to become enflammed.......sugar, specifically excess glucose. Think of it as razorblades floating in your arteries. Any sugar......glucose, fructose, maltose, galactose, sucrose is bad if you eat too much. Starch is nothing but sugar molecules strung together. eat starch and your liver breaks down the starch to sugars. Drink alcohol and your liver converts the alcohol to sugars. If you eat anything white....bananas, apples. potatoes, bread, rice (really bad) it will be high in starch. To test take some plain iodine liquid and put a drop on a piece of banana or potato. It will turn black indicating starch. 

Fruits generally are nothing but water, sugar and starch. Nuts and beans are starch. It doesn't matter what meat you eat.....red, white, pork, beef, chicken, fish, etc. It's all protein. Not starches and sugars. 

The real trick is to eat sensible. Absolutely no bread of any kind, rice is forbidden....natures poison and so are bananas. Eat apples, potatoes in moderation. If you are an adult, don't drink milk (contains a lot of lactose sugar). Forget that "meat and potatoes" nonsense. Meats good but eat it with a serving of boiled carrots and salad. Your body still needs the energy from the carbohydrates (you'll get plenty from vegetables) but just remember that any excess will be burning your arteries. If you manage to keep the artery inflammation down you will not get the plaque formation, no matter how much cholesterol there is in the body.


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## Whisperwindkat (May 28, 2009)

Drop grains and sugars. Stay away from processed fats like all those good low cholesterol fats they tell you are good for you. They really aren't and actually trigger your liver to increase LDL production. Eat more animal fat and good fats like coconut oil and olive oil. When we stopped using processed vegetable fats in our diet both our LDL levels dropped dramatically. We use coconut oil, olive oil, and lard in our diet. We eat a lot of protein and very little grain and sugar. Fried chicken, absolutely, just fried in coconut oil or home grown lard. Blessings, Kat


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## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

Intrigue said:


> The real story is simple. Arteries become inflammed. Plaque forms as a sort of "patch" like a band-aid and it forms between the layers of the arteries forming a "bump". If the bump is big enough it can restrict the artery much like a clogged pipe and not allow blood cells thru forming a blockage. If the vein/artery are critical, instant stroke or MI.


Agreed.

Some people get this inflammation from foods in their diet. Grains are the biggest one (also matches the carb theory) Vegetable oils are an issue, and for some dairy is a problem. (I became less sensitive to dairy after I got off grains and veggie oils, and have actually been able to increase my dairy consumption.

If you eat a low carb diet, you have to increase fats. Most people will self-limit protein intake, and you need calories to replace the carbs. (Even if you're trying to loose weight, you don't want to loose too quickly. Your body will start breaking down muscle if it thinks it's starving.) Fat is very filling, as you adjust to the diet you will become less hungry and be able to eat smaller portions and ingest a reasonable number of calories.

Fats from grass fed beef is the best type for you. If it's solid at room temperature, it's a stable fat that will not easily oxidize into compounds that cause inflammation. Vegetable fats don't smell bad when they oxidize, animal fats do. So eat animal fats and use your nose to tell if it's good for you or not. If you must eat nuts and seeds, keep them in the dark and eat them soon after buying them to reduce oxidation.

If you're hesitant to go against your doctor's advice on this, get an expanded lipid profile test, like the VAP test, and give the diet a couple months before retesting. You can see if the numbers are moving in the right direction or not. Some of the numbers on the standard cholesterol test are estimated, the expanded test gives more precise counts and rates your risk in an easy to read format. For example, the large fluffy LDL isn't a major risk factor, but the standard test doesn't differentiate between fluffy and dense LDL.

http://www.atherotech.com/VapCholTest/default.asp


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## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

As a note, I've been on a high fat diet for a bit over a year. I've not restricted calories in any way, and I've been loosing about a pound a month, while on a "healthy" diet I was watching the clock waiting for meal times, restricting my portions, and gaining 5 pounds a year.


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## BeeFree (Feb 23, 2004)

I had high c and was put on meds for it. I run into a lady, that I hadn't visited with for some time. She was talking about her health and said she kept her c down by eating a bowl of cheerios each morning. I started eating a bowl each morning and stopped taking my meds for the C. Next time I had a c check, it was really good. I them made my husband start eating cheerios and his next check showed up good. My Daughter then started eating a bowl of them each morning and when checked her c was good. That has been over a time period of about 3 years now. Try it and see if it works for you.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

BeeFree said:


> I had high c and was put on meds for it. I run into a lady, that I hadn't visited with for some time. She was talking about her health and said she kept her c down by eating a bowl of cheerios each morning. I started eating a bowl each morning and stopped taking my meds for the C. Next time I had a c check, it was really good. I them made my husband start eating cheerios and his next check showed up good. My Daughter then started eating a bowl of them each morning and when checked her c was good. That has been over a time period of about 3 years now. Try it and see if it works for you.


I wish it was that easy for me. The doctor is pretty sure that there is a genetic component to my above average LDL. Even eating little red meat, cooking with Pomace Olive oil and eating 7 grain hot cereal for breakfast and my readings didn't budge.

I've been steadily loosing weight now. I was in my acceptable weight bracket but he thought maybe if I could drop down in the low normal bracket it might help. Right now I'm looking at a final goal of 110-115 pounds. I've cut out all red meat and high glycemic index sugars and carbs. 

I do plan to go off the diet and enjoy myself over Christmas then go back on the diet.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

badlander said:


> I wish it was that easy for me. The doctor is pretty sure that there is a genetic component to my above average LDL. Even eating little red meat, cooking with Pomace Olive oil and eating 7 grain hot cereal for breakfast and my readings didn't budge.


Red meat does not cause high cholesterol. Eating carbs raises cholesterol. Drop the grains and eat meat. Eat pork rinds. Drink coffee with heavy cream. Eat boiled eggs slathered with butter. 
If you just drop sugar, grains, and most fruits the cholesterol will come down. Even with a genetic tendency to have high cholesterol, it will come down..... a lot. Carbohydrates raise cholesterol. Fats and proteins do not.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

Interesting. Makes me wonder why the doc keeps pushing no red meat. I have heard that concept before though and have to admit that until I started my diet I was a carb junkie. I haven't completely given them up as I do have a high energy lifestyle but I have restricted them considerably. As a result, my weight is dropping for the first time in ages.


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## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

badlander said:


> Interesting. Makes me wonder why the doc keeps pushing no red meat.


Because a lot of bad science has gotten a lot of media attention. It was a congressman who decided fat was bad and carbs were good. He had scientists on both sides of the fence talking to him, but decided we had to act now, we couldn't wait for the real science to be done. So since then all the USDA/FDA funding for nutrition research has been pro-carb, anti-fat. We're just now getting some good author doing critical analysis of all those studies and pointing out the gaping holes in them, and a few scientists doing small studies showing the reverse. I personally at this point put more confidence in the personal stories of people that this worked for than I do in any of the scientific studies. 

You can only know if it works for you by getting a detailed lipid profile test (like the VAP Test), try the diet for 6 months, and get tested again.

You do specifically need to get the advanced lipid profile test. The standard one does not directly measure all the numbers on the report, and the calculations may not come out right if you're on a non-standard diet. The advanced test also measures more types of lipids, separating out the more risky from the less risky types of LDL. The VAP gives you a much better idea of your risk of heart disease than the standard test.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

The one thing in my favor is that my HDL and Triglycerides are perfect. I have been using flax seed oil, Omega 3 and niacin for years along with Pomace olive oil and zero trans fatty acids. Those two readings has kept my overall risk low even though I do have a leaky mitral valve from rheumatic fever. My downfall has been carbs which I have, I hope, gotten under control. A friend told me that she had the same problem and switched her cooking regime to Olive oil with a tablespoon of butter added. Her dietitian was stunned when her LDL dropped to below 100 and then after thinking about it admitted that the human body knows what to do with butter better than it knows what to do with margarine. Food for thought...no pun intended.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

dlskidmore said:


> You can only know if it works for you by getting a detailed lipid profile test (like the VAP Test), try the diet for 6 months, and get tested again.


Try it for 6 weeks and you will see a change. In 6 months your triglycerides would be low as well as your LDLs being low. But in a mere 4-6 weeks you will see change in the numbers.


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## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

Cholesterol is only found in animal products.
do some research from this guy
Dr. Neal Barnard. He has some fascinating info on cholesterol, Alzheimer's and type 2 diabetes


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## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

here is a good place to start
http://sound-diet.com/health-concer...sing-heart-disease-by-dr-neal-barnard-md.html


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

But eating cholesterol doesn't raise cholesterol. That is just a misnomer that was put forth years ago. Eating eggs doesn't raise cholesterol. 
Cholesterol comes from our bodies. Our livers create it in response to sugar in the diet. That's why eating low carb lowers cholesterol.

http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&t...780ed0043388ab&bpcl=39967673&biw=1024&bih=663


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## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

What do you think happens to the cholesterol you eat?
Your body absorbs it .
That is why some drugs "block" the absorption of cholesterol.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

I have to be honest with myself first and foremost and that truth is that I will not tolerate a totally vegan diet for very long. I could do it short term maybe but not long term. That isn't saying I cannot incorporate some vegan principals into my diet along with generalized overhauling of my bad eating habits. Yep, gotta admit I had bad eating habits, mainly high carbs as a result of stress eating. When I say high carbs I'm mainly speaking of refined sugar high carbs which I am trying to cut back on if not totally eliminate from my diet. It was hard over the weekend as I was baking cookies for Christmas but I did hold my consumption down to just tasting one cookie of each batch I made just to make sure they were consumable. And I felt guilty doing that. 

I keep lots of 'healthy' snacks on hand now. Veggies and Hummus as a dip, Quinoa, avocado and nuts (although I can really pig out on nuts if I let myself go) Air popped pop corn is my big treat at night and I do allow myself either a little butter drizzled over it or one of the fat free spray butter substitutes. My meat selection is Fish or Fowl. That's it. I am planning to do Sirloin Steak for Christmas but that is the first red meat I have had in over a month. I do not miss it.

First and foremost I realize that I had a problem with carbs. It's going to be hard to loose that last 12 pounds this time of the year so I am being realistic that it is going to take time but should happen if I just get a handle on the carbs and be selective with what I eat over the holidays. I also have to realize that this is a lifetime commitment. No going back to the old ways....Ever! Grumble....no that wasn't me that was my stomach!

What do you all do for snacks?


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## haley1 (Aug 15, 2012)

go on the drugs, yes lots of side effects that are terrible but the ceo at the drug company has kids to feed


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

haley1 said:


> go on the drugs, yes lots of side effects that are terrible but the ceo at the drug company has kids to feed


Yeah, I should own stocks in about 4 pharmaceutical companies now so what's one more drug? Given the fact that the main cause of my LDL being above normal is genetic compared to the secondary cause that I was over indulging in carbs. The first is a reason to go on the drugs and the latter is motivation to learn better eating habits.

I've been on Questran for about three weeks now. It's a powder, non statin. It binds with fats and Low Density fats in your bowels and causes your body to expel them rather than absorb them into your bloodstream.....

Yep.....you got it. :tmi::hrm::runforhills:Still it's better than some of the secondary side effects of the statins which can include leg pain and muscle problems. I want to ride my bike and hike and the doctor wants me to exercise so the Questran along with trying something new with my diet sounds like the plan for me. I just wanted to get some feedback about what kind of diet changes folks have done to drop that LDL number below normal even if it's in conjunction with medication and exercise.


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## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

I snack less than I used to. When on a high carb diet my sugar would roller coaster and I had to snack all day to feel well. Now that I'm on low carb, I snack much less. I have pepperoni sticks in my drawer. One serving is 130 calories, and that will hold me for hours. If my breakfast was too small and I have a serving of pepperoni in the morning, I don't miss lunch for another four hours. When I get home from work I have a tablespoon of peanut butter, or dried fruit, or ice cream, and that holds me to a late supper.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

badlander said:


> First and foremost I realize that I had a problem with carbs. It's going to be hard to loose that last 12 pounds this time of the year so I am being realistic that it is going to take time but should happen if I just get a handle on the carbs and be selective with what I eat over the holidays.


It is so easy to loose weight when you learn that your body does not digest fat well. Your body converts 100% of the carbs you eat into glucose, so you can gain weight from it. But it only converts 10% of the fat you eat. It coverts 40% of the protein. So eat protein and fat more. Just drastically cut the carbs. 
I lost 120lbs in 7mo by eating the fast fast from atkins. I love heavy whipping cream, boiled eggs and butter, macadamia nuts, salmon, pork, pork rinds, boiled eggs with butter, etc. and cream cheese is one of my best friends. And my cholesterol dropped so much. Last test my triglycerides were 44.
I never counted calories. I didn't really even count carbs too heavily, just always stayed below 20 if I could. And I ate all the fat I wanted. I never bought atkins products. In fact the only thing I did was read the research links on their web page to all the nutritional studies. And then I ate as much as I wanted whenever I wanted, but I just cut out carbs.

And btw, don't take the drugs for cholesterol. They cause alzheimers and diabetes
http://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...4dc5609f&bpcl=39967673&ion=1&biw=1024&bih=663

One main rule that our naturopath has is that he won't take patients who choose to take or remain on statins. They kill people, and he won't open himself up to that liability.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

And for Christmas foods that are low carb--
hot chocolate with heavy whipping cream and splenda
cheese balls
cheese cake
Just don't use sugar, use splenda.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

Thanks for the info Mekasmom.

No. I will not use a Statin either. I am too athletic and my doctor does not want to risk the side effects with me. He would rather I keep cycling, hiking and walking my way to health than suffer the leg/muscle and joint problems Statins can cause. I tried Red Yeast Rice and had the leg problems only to find out that RYR is the basic component of Statin drugs. Quit that really fast. DH tried it and it brought his cholesterol down to normal but he too suffered the leg problems and was forced to quit it. Questran is not a Statin, which is why we chose to try it.

I did the LYME diet while fighting that particularly pleasant (NOT) ailment and dropped a ton of weight at the time. It is basically a no carb no sugar, go out in the yard and munch grass sort of diet...oh and a squirrel or bird or whatever you can catch because you are so hungry you would eat worms sort of diet. Just kidding but it seemed that way at the time. They didn't want you to eat red meat, no dairy, no cheese, no bacon, no pork....it made Adkins look like a Greek food orgy of old. So I could probably do South Beach at least with no problem.

I'm planning not to indulge too much in the Christmas fare. At this point in time I am pretty much used to not doing that and I know it will set me back on my weight loss plans so I'm going to keep it to a minimum and hope for the best.


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## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

mekasmom said:


> And I ate all the fat I wanted. I never bought atkins products. In fact the only thing I did was read the research links on their web page to all the nutritional studies. And then I ate as much as I wanted whenever I wanted, but I just cut out carbs.


The folks I learned about low carb from think Atkins does not provide enough fat in the diet.  Many of them have had good luck lowering cholesterol by increasing the lowering the carbs and increasing the saturated fat in their diets.


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## opalmoon (Dec 12, 2012)

My husband takes Red Yeast Rice pills everyday and it has lowered his Cholesterol. The Dr. was going to put him on meds too. His sister told him about RYR pills and they have worked great for him for years now. His Cholesterol is at a normal level.


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

mekasmom said:


> Red meat does not cause high cholesterol. Eating carbs raises cholesterol. Drop the grains and eat meat. Eat pork rinds. Drink coffee with heavy cream. Eat boiled eggs slathered with butter.
> If you just drop sugar, grains, and most fruits the cholesterol will come down. Even with a genetic tendency to have high cholesterol, it will come down..... a lot. Carbohydrates raise cholesterol. Fats and proteins do not.


My experience has been the opposite. Every body is different and folks have to find what works for them.


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## unioncreek (Jun 18, 2002)

Try garlic pills. I started taking them when my cholesterol was 280. The garlic alone got it down to 240. I now take Zetia and garlic and my cholesterol is down to 160. Doctor could believe that it dropped that fast in one year, he asked me if I was doing anything other than taking the Zetia and I told hom garlic also. He said keep taking it and if in a year it looks alright well back off on the Zetia.

Bobg


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

LDL is used to make a bunch of hormones including your steroid hormones (testosterone, pregnenolone, estrogen, dhea, etc). I bet if your doc runs labs, he will find that some of these hormones are low, so the question he should be asking is "why isn't LDL being converted properly?" When doctors force LDL down, they are probably causing a problem with your hormones.

My LDL is 191, but triglycerides are 79 (0-149) and HDL is 69 (>39). That makes my Total Chol/HDL ratio = 4.0 which means I have about 3/4 avg risk. So even though my total cholesterol and LDL are high, the ratio says I am actually at low risk.

The ratio is more important than any single value.


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