Cholesterol

[AlexiM]

Hi new to this forum. Think it's important that there is a health and nutrition forum as I think it's an important aspect of cycling or any sport.
Anyway I have a question. I know the sensible answer will be 'go ask a doctor and don't be relying on internet forums', however maybe someone out there is a doctor or maybe someone has some useful info...
So..had a check-up 4 months ago found I had cholesterol of 262. Doc says no need for pills (yet) get on a diet. So since then I completely cut out all dairy produce (milk,eggs,cream,yoghurt,butter,cheese), completely cut out pork and lamb (meant to be fatty meats). I might have lean veal or chicken once a week and try to have fish once a week. Plus I have included fruit, vegetables, pulses, have quit smoking and have taken up cycling...!!!
Anyway to cut a long story short after 3 months of finding I had the cholesterol and implementing all the above measures the result was.....0! My cholesterol after 3 months of these measures is still 262.
So the question is (and this is going out to people with specific knowledge on the subject) is this normal? Does it take a huge amount of time to even make a dent on the readings?
What's the score?
Cheers!!!

 

[john74]

did you fast yourself for 12 hours before the blood test, if not this will not be an accurate test. if you did high collestral doesnt mean a bad thing it all depends on your ldl and hdl levels, also it could be in your genes has anyone in your family suffered with heart attacks or high blood pressure. for any conclusive answers we would need more info from yourself.
keep with the diet and the non smoking these can only have positive effects anyway.

 

[dkrenik]

Your doctor said no need for pills (statins) - yet.

I've been racing bicycles for ~25 years and swam competitively before that. When I turned 41 my doctor noticed that my cholesterol levels had been increasing for several years. She said that if I didn't get them down I would need to go on statins (Lipitor) as I've a strong history of heart disease in my family (both mother and father). All this despite the fact that I've paid close attention to my diet since my early 30's and have trained religiously since my early teens.

What I believe you might be facing is a similar situation as mine. No matter what you do wrt diet, exercise, and life style, etc you can't completely make up for what your parents have given you.

Sometimes it takes a while for it to sink in...

 

[Moxifloxotypic]

Hi new to this forum. Think it's important that there is a health and nutrition forum as I think it's an important aspect of cycling or any sport.
Anyway I have a question. I know the sensible answer will be 'go ask a doctor and don't be relying on internet forums', however maybe someone out there is a doctor or maybe someone has some useful info...
So..had a check-up 4 months ago found I had cholesterol of 262. Doc says no need for pills (yet) get on a diet. So since then I completely cut out all dairy produce (milk,eggs,cream,yoghurt,butter,cheese), completely cut out pork and lamb (meant to be fatty meats). I might have lean veal or chicken once a week and try to have fish once a week. Plus I have included fruit, vegetables, pulses, have quit smoking and have taken up cycling...!!!
Anyway to cut a long story short after 3 months of finding I had the cholesterol and implementing all the above measures the result was.....0! My cholesterol after 3 months of these measures is still 262.
So the question is (and this is going out to people with specific knowledge on the subject) is this normal? Does it take a huge amount of time to even make a dent on the readings?
What's the score?
Cheers!!!

Maybe you have changed you diet in the wrong way. Cholesterol is not all bad. There have been some people that have lowered thier cholesterol by eating high fat and protein foods. The cholesterol that you have may have nothing to do with food, it could be endogenous. As well, are you overweight, and do you exercise enough?

Like someone mentioned earlier it would be nice to know your ldl hdl ratio. If you cholesterol number did not change it could be that it shifted to be more in favour to hdl side. Remeber don't look at the number in isolation, it does not mean all that much.

 

[dockeen]

Hi new to this forum. Think it's important that there is a health and nutrition forum as I think it's an important aspect of cycling or any sport.
Anyway I have a question. I know the sensible answer will be 'go ask a doctor and don't be relying on internet forums', however maybe someone out there is a doctor or maybe someone has some useful info...
So..had a check-up 4 months ago found I had cholesterol of 262. Doc says no need for pills (yet) get on a diet. So since then I completely cut out all dairy produce (milk,eggs,cream,yoghurt,butter,cheese), completely cut out pork and lamb (meant to be fatty meats). I might have lean veal or chicken once a week and try to have fish once a week. Plus I have included fruit, vegetables, pulses, have quit smoking and have taken up cycling...!!!
Anyway to cut a long story short after 3 months of finding I had the cholesterol and implementing all the above measures the result was.....0! My cholesterol after 3 months of these measures is still 262.
So the question is (and this is going out to people with specific knowledge on the subject) is this normal? Does it take a huge amount of time to even make a dent on the readings?
What's the score?
Cheers!!!

You and I are in a similar place, but I have waited longer for my followup - I need to do mine soon.

My cholesterol was, as I recall, exactly the same as yours.

I have been riding again since July, did my first century a couple of months ago. I am down about 30 pounds since then.

I have not been quite as draconian with my diet, I have cut way back though on take out - and most days I eat 1 - 2 servings of high fiber oatmeal, with several teaspoons of flax seed thrown in.

I'll let you know when I go get my test done.

Wayne

p.s. Keep in mind that you body make cholesterol for you, so it may not be coming in from outside

 

[arunskh]

Generally, muscle tissue weighs more than fat tissue and you don’t know how much stored fat you have lost. Muscle does use up calories at a faster rate than fat tissue, and this will directly affect your body's metabolism. Your Basal Metabolism Rate is the amount of energy you require to sustain your body at rest that varies with person’s age, sex, body size, genetic makeup and body composition. People with higher levels of muscle tend to have a higher metabolism rate. They also use more calories in the relaxing stage. Therefore, frequent exercise and building up your muscle tissue are important elements of an effective weight loss program.

 

[bpatterson]

Last year I was on lipitor and my weight was climbing my bad cholesterol was close to 300 and I weighed 206 x-mass day. I was "lucky" enough to have an asthma attack and went to the ER the day after X-mass, after that I decided that I would get back to cycling and get back in shape, I had been off the bike for 6 or 7 years. I started indoors here in January and stop taking the lipitor, and told my doctor that I would do it myself he gave me six months but if I didn't show improvement it would be a different satin(only because I found myself having memory problems with Lipitor) he said even if I became a gym rat I could not do it…………. by January 30th I was down to 252... in the beginning of march my bad cholesterol was down to 169 which we thought may have been flucky but because I had dropped 23 pounds he gave me another 8 months until x-mass of this year. Last week I went in to find my bad cholesterol at 127 and my weight at 162. I spent a couple months in the spring being dropped, then a couple of months hating the hills...months of missing chips and my seven Coke's a night.. my diet is under control ..I forgot how much I enjoyed the bike, now I have a "new" hobby that may give me more time with my family in the long run ( I even gave a duoathlon a shot) and next year without a clue how, I will try and race the bike