Loss weight and bring down cholesterol

[Coco2012]

Hi I'm new to the group I'm glad I stumbled across health unlocked my cholesterol is a bit high and has been for 3 years my DR gave me a diet sheet but I've never managed to get round to doing the diet so any advice or tips on hear from anyone I'm very greatful I need to loss about 18/20 lb where do I start to get my health bk to normal and my weight down many thanks Margaret

[Dickens]

I think we should learn how to manage weight gain by exercising and eating small portions of meals.Difficult though but doable.

[Fletcher1 in reply to Dickens]

I've switched from whole wheat bread to oat bran to help with my fairly high cholesterol

[Kay2016 in reply to Dickens]

Hi. Your suggestion is accurate and is good advice. I’m my 20’s and 30’s it was easier to follow. Now I have health issues that make it hard to stay consistent. Consistency is the key to any goal. I’m hoping to find better eating suggestions that can help without a great deal of exercise. Any suggestions?

[BadHare]

Hi Margaret,

Find what you're most comfortable with & what works for you. My GP recommended paleo diet, which I've read about on Chris Kresser's website. There's lots of e-book downloads that are free. I don't do paleo as it's hard for a vegetarian, but stick to the principle of eating clean food 99% of the time. I'm fine eating a high fat diet, & have 75-100g of nuts every day, 3-4 pieces of fruit, & 500mls of full fat dairy, but don't cope with starch very well. You don't have my genes & health issues, so something else mght work for you.

Try counting nutrients rather than calories. Cut out all processed food, & cook from scratch, so there's nothing hidden in what you eat.

Add healthy fats to your diet. I cook with rice bran & coconut oils which are healthier, & use olive oil or avocado rather than margarine, or small amounts of grass fed butter. Avoid sunflower oil, & those that are processed in to margarine.

Swap your snacks for fruit & nuts. I carry them in my bag, so there's less temptation to buy something less good for me. At home, my nut jar is on the kitchen table, so the easiest thing to grab when I'm peckish. Next to my fridge is >70% cocoa solid chocolate. In my fridge is organic kefir & good quality yoghurt, for probiotics, protein & nutrients.

Eat lots of soups as they're more filling than meals on a plate, & take longer to digest. Add lots of lentils & beans, so you have enough protein. A grapefrut a day, including as much of the pith as you can eat, will help your body digest fat better, & causes an "Atkins-like" ketosis, but without the health risks.

Avoid soya, unless it's fermented. It blocks thyroid hormones & will slow down your metabolism, as does raw cruciferous veg. Avoid low fat or low sugar products as they're often loaded with chemicals & artificial sweeteners which disrupt the body's hormones.

Try eating foods that increase your metabolism. I add chilli to soups & stir fries.

When you eat might help. I found restrictive eating is best for me, so I rarely eat before 11am-noon, or after 6-7pm. Amongst other things, this lowers insulin & makes the body utilise calories better. I eat 2/3 of my calories at lunchtime, then usually have small snacks late afternoon to evening. Before I started doing this, I found making breakfast the biggest meal, best. Some people prefer a different tyoe of restrictive eating, so have only 500 calories on two separate days a week, & anything they want the other five.

If you find yourself to be a cold person, ask your GP to check your thyroid hormones. Hypothyroidism causes elevated cholesterol & weight gain.

Remember: food can be the best medicine, or the slowest poison.

Mel

[Hidden in reply to BadHare]

Hi Mel, I too am having to reduce my cholesterol and will have a blood test in Dec. Don't know if what I am doing is ok but basically cutting out as much saturated fat as possible. Do my own cooking an have fingers crossed !! I have printed out your reply to digest Ha Ha ! when I have more time. At a glance I think there are some good pointers there. Thanks a lot and good luck with your efforts too. 2well-ington

[BadHare in reply to Hidden]

Hi 2Well-ington,

I have a friend with high cholesterol, even with years eating a Vegan, mainly raw food diet. Mine was 0.1% higher than "normal" which surprised me & the nurse I spoke to, when I told her what I eat. I haven't had it tested since, but assume it's lower since starting hypothyroid meds.

I think it's more important to be concerned with eating healthy than numbers, but check whether there are any health issues that might cause yours to be elevated.

Nuts are great for healthy oils that will do your whole body good, with lots of nutrients, to boot!

Happy healthy eating!

Mel

[Hidden in reply to BadHare]

Hi Mel I love nuts but I have dentures (when I can remember to wear them) and they can be a bit uncomfortable to eat. The nuts not the dentures!! I do understand that butter and coconut oil are what I call good sat.fat. I am just toddling along and hoping I am doing it right. Christmas is coming so I am going to have a blood test before because I want to know if I am doing ok before I wreck it a bit at Christmas!! Keep Going 2well-ington

[BadHare in reply to Hidden]

Hi,

Have you tried almond butter? There are also cashew butters, & mixed nut butters available, but I like almond best. Nice on a slice of apple or pear. Don't let your dentures get in the way of a tasty & nutritious nibble!

good luck with your blood tests!

M*

[Hidden in reply to BadHare]

You made me laugh. I have the full set now. Eyes, ears and teeth!! Always dreaded the teeth and dont always wear them. In fact i am always forgetting them when I go out. back to being serious. I love almonds frangipan a bit of a favorite!! and cashew nuts are my favorite. Never heard of almond butter so will give it a go but I must work out a proper diet otherwise I will be WHEY HEY can eat this stuff and end up a porkie pie. 2well-ington

[BadHare in reply to Hidden]

Just think of all the healthy oils & good protein in the almonds, & enjoy!

I eat a lot of nuts, it's starchy foods I have to limit.

Frangipan is a fairly recent & wonderful discovery for me, having grown up disliking marzipan. I think we must've only had the cheap stuff made with bitter apricot kernels, not almonds. I'm wondering how I will ever attempt to be gluten free when such a thing a frangipan christmas tarts exist in my Saturday shop cafe. I've already promised myself one next week...

Have you ever had a real red velvet torte? One of the weirdest things I've ever made, using ground almonds & beetroot. Nom, nom...

[Hidden in reply to BadHare]

Can I have recipe please. I do not know if my cholestrol is going down but I am losing weight hand over fist. Will be interesting to see results of blood test. stopping know cos just done a long reply to someone and must get on. hope all is going well for you. will chat later.2well-ington

[BadHare in reply to Hidden]

There's lots of recipes online, but I keep coming up with different ones to the one that I used!

Beetroot can substitute for carrots in carrot cake, too.

[BadHare]

Hi Kate,

Coconut oil provides healthy saturated fat. The type the brain needs to function. It's a food to be added to the diet, not avoided!

I made myself more ill on a "healthy" vegan diet, & don't know how much long term damage I've done to my skeletal system as a result. Increasing plant based protein is good, but cutting out whole food groups doesn't suit everyone.

Mel

webmd.com/diet/features/coc...

draxe.com/coconut-oil-benef...

authoritynutrition.com/top-...

organicfacts.net/health-ben...

[Hidden in reply to BadHare]

Hi Leverette, Because it is so difficult for us these days with so much incorrect or correct info it is hard to get it right. I have always thought just eat across the board. I think you can interfere with how the body sorts it all out to sometimes be detrimental. It is difficult if a condition exists to get it right. I do not know a lot about it but I was told it is important to eat things like butter as it is easily absorbed into the body and is a necessary part of a processing chain. We will see how I have done so here's hoping. I think eating in season is a good guide. 2well-ington

[BadHare]

Also, what suits each individual is important, no matter what the professional advice. Eating in season & what's local can sometimes be hard. I do try to avoid imported veg, but fall down with that as I love fruit.

I was told by a reflexologist, over 25 years ago, that margarine was bad as it's processed, & butter good as it's natural. Common sense really! That got me thinking about everything else I ate as part of my meat free diet, so I'd already started down the clean food path before it had a label.

Mel

[williamedavis12]

Hello Coco2012!

Lowering high cholesterol diet consists of mainly low fat and carbohydrate foods together with higher fruits and vegetables. There are several high cholesterol foods that can be avoided. Typically these are animal products and dairy products. However you can also benefit from taking a wide variety of cholesterol lowering foods like Olive oil, nuts like walnuts, indian nuts. These are high in mono unsaturated fats which benefit your cholesterol level.

[andyswarbs]

Bad cholesterol is 100% linked to animal fats - meat, dairy, fish, eggs. Plants have no cholesterol. So moving to a whole-food plant based diet is a guaranteed way to normalise your cholesterol.

The good news is as you migrate towards that kind of dietary lifestyle your weight, and more importantly your body-mass-index should normalise steadily. Some people with particular health issues struggle. Chef AJ has 100s of free videos on youtube that can help troubleshoot any issues.

If you decide to head down this route then it is a lifestyle choice. No more yo-yo dieting. Just good solid improvements each and every day.

Btw if you are taking medication for high-blood pressure then be aware that blood-pressure will drop - and fast - back to normal as well. This means your doctor will need to ensure that your blood pressure tabs are reduced pro-rata since you don't want low-blood pressure as that can be very bad news.