My High Cholesterol expierence

[foxyrobyn]

In 2010, it was found i had a cholesterol reading of about 7.2. My Gp suggested i cut out things high in sat fats, eat more fish and loose a bit of wieght, basically a breaf tip on how to improove things. I wieghed 12 1/2 stone at the time.

I was retested within two weeks and it was decided as the levels hadnt gone down enough, that it must be a family thing- even though my family on my mother's side has no record of such problems or heart issues. My father's side is unknown.

I was sent to a specialist at a local hosiptal. who took my weight,hieight and examined my ankles. Then i was asked to give a urine sample. When i came back in i was asked a few breaf questions eg what medication i take and told i would need to go and give another blood sample, but that i had family-high cholesterol and i should take 5mg of statins everyday.

I wasnt convinced by this judgement, as how could someone make a judgement simply by physical examination alone? the urine wasnt processed and he wouldnt have had the blood results , until after i had left!.

So, i refused to take them, on the grounds i wasnt convinced by what they were telling me and that i am greatly concerned by this medication,, its risks, to my health and how i would be stuck on this medication for the rest of my life,, according to my gp i must not stop taking them.

So i have tried to improove my diet and exersize. I have lost some wieght, i eat 2-4 portions of fruit a day, ive cut out alot of cakes,biscuits,takeaways and alot of junk food and the chol sits around 6.0.

I know i need to learn how to prepare healthy and balanced meals, which i believe would greatly improove my chol reading further. But i dont mind admiting that i left home and ate what i could afford- cheap food, cans, junk food, takeaways, zero fruit or salad( unless it was in a burgar).

Ive been looking for a diet plan so that i can learn how to prepare ideal balanced meals.

Currently my daily meals consist of:

breakfast- cup of tea or two with two pieces of wholemeal or white toast and a spread that used to be named Olivia.

snack- banana/apple/crisps(monster munch/quavers/wotsits/walkers)

Lunch - sandwiches. two ham/chicken/turkey/tuna with salad- no spread. with a peice of fruit (apple/pear/banana)

snack - fruit/low fat oat bar

evening meal- single pie/turkey/chicken/fish(salmon- not keen on bland or earthy tasting fish) with potatoes/pasta + salad(maybe with pickled onions,tomatoes))/baked beans/peas and carrots

I also drink a Flora drink which claims to lower chol.

evening snack- toast/crisps/fruit/slimmers world cake slices or similar( i read the lable)

When i cook fish i steam it, same with the vegetables.

I would like to lower the amount of meat i eat as i think i eat too much per day, but what can i substitute it with?.

I was looking at paying for a diet plan whereby they send you the meals, in th ehope i could learn how to prepare proper balanced meals.

[patto]

You sound as though you are really motivated! I use the Weight Watchers cookery books all the time. The recipes are low fat and easy to prepare. I got mine second hand so don't know if you can buy them in the shops but you probably can.Good luck.

[deepblue]

I am no expert, but I really wouldnt worry too much about a cholesterol level of 6. Do you know how this is made up, i.e. what your ratio of HDL/LDL/Triglycerides are? Inherited high cholesterol (Familial Hypercholesterolemia) is usually much higher than yours- I have this and my level is 7.5 eating fairly healthily. If you are worried and want to lower yours further, try the UCLP diet on this website, or the Portfolio diet which can lower it further by eating such things as oats, almonds,soy etc. I really dont think a level of 6 warrants taking statins and subjecting yourself to the possible risks involved by taking them - (my sister has 6.7 and her doctor isnt worried and doesnt want her on statins.

Hope this helps,

best wishes

Deep Blue

[patch14]

Hello foxyrobyn. You certainly are being very good about your diet. Your levels are lower than mine and I have absolutely no wish to go on statins. My GP has told me to lose a stone (my BMI is 24) and go veggie!! As I am a self confessed carnivore and love my meat I do try to eat fish one a week (salmon like you), chicken (and there are loads of recipes for chicken which don't warrant loads of calories,) cook with olive oil, use soya spread (I have to go dairy free),use loads of herbs and spices to flavour your meals, replace cream with soya cream or "Total" creme fraiche (fat free), also have you tried the Benecol range that is supposed to lower cholesterol?

deepblue is right. Ask your GP to give you a break down of your figures. Your figures should give you a guide as to whether or not you need to tweek your diet more to get the LDL (bad) levels further down.

My levels are just below 7 and I feel very well. After over 20 years of suffering IBS and now dairy free I won't fiddle with my diet again but, a side effect of this new regime is that my cholesterol figures have improved!!

Don't work yourself up into a lather about your figures. They can be worked on by diet and exercise. Keep up the good work, and when you've read this go for a walk and enjoy the autumn sunshine.

All the best

[foxyrobyn]

HI,

thankyou to all the replies. The chol test, was strange as they told me my bad chol was high and my good chol low.i had a few tests and at one point it shot up from 7. to 8 then 9 and some months later i got it down to 6. Its been staying at 6, until i started hanging around with some freind's during the day who eat nothing but junk food. So i was shocked when i took a chol test at boots and the result came back as 'high'. Since then ive been aware how easy it is to slip back into old ways. Ive yet to be retested and normally i use the Boots one test things, which i found to be quite acurate. But the boots tester i bought a week ago and tried the tester was faulty so the reading was inacurate- basically the blood didnt sock through to the touch paper underneath. Soo i could have a Chol of anywhere between 5.2 and 6.9.......lol.

It appears to me that my body has difficulty processing bad chol. and it stays in the body- im no expert.

I will try to get a slimming world cook book, as i want an interesting and varied diet. As at the moment 99% of my meals have meal in them.

[foodblog]

Hi - just came upon your comments re wanting an interesting diet/ recipes for lowering cholesterol. I had to reduce my cholesterol a few months ago and did so with diet and exercise. In order to share my experiences I am launching a blog fromthehealthyheart.com after xmas. It will include a daily recipe which I cooked during the three months that I was reducing my cholesterol. I also kept a food diary during that time. Would you find it helpful if the food diary was included? I will let you know as soon as the blog is launched.

[foxyrobyn]

hi,

sorry for the late reply, yes it would be helpful. for myself i have noted that pretty much all cakes, biscuits,chocolate must be cut out. Junk food, fast food and ready meals.

That i not only need to watch the sat fats but also the total fats.

On the exersize front i think it would help if i did regular cycling again, to which im replacing my current bicycle with one that has more gears lol