Decent cholesterol, high triglycerides, what am I doing wrong?

Preston Crawford said:

but my cholesterol was perfect. 120, great ratio.

120 is way too low and unhealthy.

Quoted message said:

Now it's 139 with high triglycerides. Just barely over what they
consider high, but still high.

Above 160 would even be better. Are you gorging on refined carbs? That
could explain your triglycerides.

Well, don't forget to take your fish, sesame and olive oils. In food
or, for lazy people like myself, in caps:
http://www.lef.org/newshop/items/item00820.html

Just Cocky said:

Preston Crawford said:

but my cholesterol was perfect. 120, great ratio.

120 is way too low and unhealthy.

Really? I always thought lower == better with cholesterol.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Now it's 139 with high triglycerides. Just barely over what they
consider high, but still high.

Above 160 would even be better. Are you gorging on refined carbs? That
could explain your triglycerides.

Well, that's the befuddling part. When I lost the weight 5 years ago I
gave up pop (minus the occasional root beer) all alchohol and candy and
white bread, for the most part. So I eat sprouted grains, cous cous,
stuff like that. So I still do get refined carbs, but less refined, I
think. I probably do eat too much, though.

Quoted message said:

Well, don't forget to take your fish, sesame and olive oils. In food
or, for lazy people like myself, in caps:
http://www.lef.org/newshop/items/item00820.html

Thanks.

Preston

Preston Crawford said:

When I lost the weight 5 years ago I
gave up pop (minus the occasional root beer) all alchohol and candy and
white bread, for the most part.

Newsflash: 275 pounds still puts you 100 pounds overweight, or in the
morbidly obese category.

Cut out all highly refined carbohydrates. Up your fat intake to 35% of
total calories.

Mr-Natural-Health said:

Preston Crawford said:

When I lost the weight 5 years ago I
gave up pop (minus the occasional root beer) all alchohol and candy and
white bread, for the most part.

Newsflash: 275 pounds still puts you 100 pounds overweight, or in the
morbidly obese category.

Yes, the BMI is always right. You know when I weighed 175lbs? 7th grade.
And I wasn't fat. I was scrawny and muscular. I will never weigh 175lbs.
again, not unless I'm dying. Sorry. When I was at 235lbs. I was all ribs
and limbs. So you have to factor in variances of body type. I know I'm
overweight. But 100 lbs? No. Not unless I don't get to keep my legs.

Quoted message said:

Cut out all highly refined carbohydrates. Up your fat intake to 35% of
total calories.

And that's that?

I really don't eat highly refined carbs. The occasional root beer, like
I said. That's really it.

Preston

x-no-archive: yes

Preston Crawford said:

I really don't eat highly refined carbs. The occasional root beer, like
I said. That's really it.

Preston

Here's the thing; high triglycerides are a direct marker for carb
consumption or insulin resistance or both.

In any case, you'd be better off with diet root beer (if water is out of
the question ;-)) and leafy stuff in place of starches, be they refined
or not.

Susan

Preston Crawford said:

Quoted message said:

Newsflash: 275 pounds still puts you 100 pounds overweight, or in the
morbidly obese category.

Yes, the BMI is always right. You know when I weighed 175lbs? 7th grade.
And I wasn't fat. I was scrawny and muscular.

Thank you for proving my point. You are still 100 pounds overweight.
That is NOT minor. It makes you morbidly obese, still.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Cut out all highly refined carbohydrates. Up your fat intake to 35% of
total calories.

I really don't eat highly refined carbs. The occasional root beer, like
I said. That's really it.

You're simply in denial. Your Trigs don't lie, but you manage to lie
to yourself.

Mr-Natural-Health said:

Preston Crawford said:

Quoted message said:

Newsflash: 275 pounds still puts you 100 pounds overweight, or in the
morbidly obese category.

Yes, the BMI is always right. You know when I weighed 175lbs? 7th grade.
And I wasn't fat. I was scrawny and muscular.

Thank you for proving my point. You are still 100 pounds overweight.
That is NOT minor. It makes you morbidly obese, still.

How can I be overweight if I weighed 175lbs. of pure muscle and bone as
a 7th grader? It's 17 years later. I don't think, even if I did
everything perfect, I'd ever have that body again. It wouldn't be
healthy. To act like everyone fits the BMI is ridiculous. Am I obese? Of
course. Am I arguing otherwise? No. But do I need to lose 100 pounds?
Come on. That's ridiculous.

Besides, my point was that right now I can reel off a 60 mile bike ride.
I can run a 10k. There's lots I can do now. I'm healthy for someone that
heavy. I know I need to lose weight, but I think you're one of those
people that likes to badger people into getting healthy by making them
feel bad and you're not going to get that from me. I've already shed
170lbs. at one point. I ride my bike 15 miles a day. Most people don't
do that who are supposedly the "correct" weight. So I'm doing a lot of
things right. I need to do other things better. Of course. But I'm doing
a lot right. And I won't allow you to tell me otherwise or to say that I
should be the same weight I was in 7th grade. That's patently
ridiculous.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Cut out all highly refined carbohydrates. Up your fat intake to 35% of
total calories.

I really don't eat highly refined carbs. The occasional root beer, like
I said. That's really it.

You're simply in denial. Your Trigs don't lie, but you manage to lie
to yourself.

How do you figure? I came on here asking what I could change. But I am
who I am. I'm a guy who only eats turkey and salmon for meat. I eat tofu
and other soy daily. I bike 15+ miles a day (used to bike 35 miles a day
when I was 235lbs.). I haven't touched alcohol or a cigar (and even then
I didn't much) in 6 years. I don't do drugs. I swim a couple times a
week. I don't eat the right things a decent amount of the time. I know
this. I probably have a problem with portion control. I know this. I'm
not lying to myself.

I just don't agree with your absurd assesment.

Preston

Preston Crawford said:

Just Cocky said:

Preston Crawford said:

but my cholesterol was perfect. 120, great ratio.

120 is way too low and unhealthy.

Really? I always thought lower == better with cholesterol.

As someone who owns shares in a pharmaceutical company I can tell you
that lower is better. So, be sure to take plenty of our drugs to lower
your BP and cholesterol. You'll be helping yourself but more
importantly, you'll be helping myself and the other shareholders out.

Thank you. :o)

RBR

Susan said:

x-no-archive: yes

Preston Crawford said:

I really don't eat highly refined carbs. The occasional root beer, like
I said. That's really it.

Preston

Here's the thing; high triglycerides are a direct marker for carb
consumption or insulin resistance or both.

That's what I'm learning. This is all new to me. Because of my high
exercise level and the fact that I eat "pretty good", I have been
negligent in terms of keeping track of portions and especially portions
of refined carbs. From everything I'm reading, this is indeed what I
need to fix, probably.

Quoted message said:

In any case, you'd be better off with diet root beer (if water is out of
the question ;-))

Please don't get in the mindset of "Mr. Health" or whatever and try to
pin me down as completely negligent and slothful. There is a large
spectrum of human behavior when it comes to our health. We all sit at
some point on the spectrum, but just because you're not perfect, doesn't
mean you're completely negligent. I bike a lot. I eat fairly well.
Probably too much cereal. Too much bread, stuff like that. So no, water
isn't a problem. When I say "occasional root beer" I literally mean that
if my wife and I go out to dinner I'll splurge and have a root beer
maybe once a month.

Other than that (especially since I cycle so much) I constantly have a
water bottle with me.

Quoted message said:

and leafy stuff in place of starches, be they refined
or not.

I eat my fair share of brocolli. But I don't eat like I did when I was a
vegetarian and losing the 170lbs. For sure. And it looks like that's
what I need to fix. Because everyone is saying the same thing. Pointing
at the carbs and especially the refined carbs. I appreciate your help in
this respect.

Preston

RBR said:

Preston Crawford said:

Just Cocky said:

On Wed, 07 Sep 2005 14:28:46 -0500, Preston Crawford
<[email hidden]> wrote:
>
>but my cholesterol was perfect. 120, great ratio.
>

120 is way too low and unhealthy.

Really? I always thought lower == better with cholesterol.

As someone who owns shares in a pharmaceutical company I can tell you
that lower is better. So, be sure to take plenty of our drugs to lower
your BP and cholesterol. You'll be helping yourself but more
importantly, you'll be helping myself and the other shareholders out.

Thank you. :o)

RBR

Yeah. Will do....

Mr-Natural-Health said:

Thank you for proving my point. You are still 100 pounds overweight.
That is NOT minor. It makes you morbidly obese, still.

For point of reference.

Me at around 300+lbs. before I got even BIGGER and then lost the weight.

http://www.prestoncrawford.com/images/mebig1.jpg
http://www.prestoncrawford.com/images/mebig2.jpg

Me at 235lbs.

http://www.prestoncrawford.com/images/mesmall.jpg
http://www.prestoncrawford.com/images/me.jpg

Me (and my wife) now

http://www.cookiehookup.com/album/images/xmas_party.jpg

So, can I lose weight, yeah, of course. But please look at the
difference between the pictures and understand that I'm never going to
weight 170lbs. Not unless I'm nearing death.

I'm not in denial. I just don't like being badgered with unrealistic
expectations of arbitrary numbers like the BMI.

Preston

You should not eat tofu. Triglycerides are only a problem if they get
oxidized, just like cholesterol. Idea total cholesterol is 200-200,
just like Ancel Keys said more than 25 years ago, but you can't allow
it to be oxidized. Search this group for montygram and read some of my
posts for all the specifics on what you should be eating for longevity
as well as feeling well.

Typo: it should be 200-220.

Preston Crawford said:

that may make a difference, but my cholesterol was perfect. 120, great
ratio. Now it's 139 with high triglycerides. Just barely over what they
consider high, but still high.

Your TC is way too low. And, you trig's were never specified. So, they
may not even be a problem?

Your TC could explain why you are so hostile?

Preston. I say you're a success story.
But as you see you will get knocked here for it!

I have the same problem; low cholesterol but high
triglycerides. I am starting to suspect that they
are not the problem my doctor makes them out to be.
I became a near vegetarian to bring my triglycerides
down. And it worked.They are a third of what they were.
I am sure that is healthy!

I say don't sweat it if your doing everything right.
Maybe like me you can't expect to get them as low
as the doctor says. I'll tell you one thing: they can
keep their drugs :-)

Mr-Natural-Health said:

Preston Crawford said:

that may make a difference, but my cholesterol was perfect. 120, great
ratio. Now it's 139 with high triglycerides. Just barely over what they
consider high, but still high.

Your TC is way too low. And, you trig's were never specified. So, they
may not even be a problem?

Your TC could explain why you are so hostile?

I'm not hostile. I'm defending myself against your assertion that I'm
100 lbs. overweight. nothing more. Your continued attack on my character
(first I was slothful, now I'm hostile) is hostile behavior, IMHO.

Preston

Nick said:

Preston. I say you're a success story.
But as you see you will get knocked here for it!

I appreciate that and I can see that. I'm being called hostile for
trying to point out that I've had success, but a little backslide.
That's the part I was seeking advice for.

Quoted message said:

I have the same problem; low cholesterol but high
triglycerides. I am starting to suspect that they
are not the problem my doctor makes them out to be.
I became a near vegetarian to bring my triglycerides
down. And it worked.They are a third of what they were.
I am sure that is healthy!

That's probably the way I'm going to angle. When I was a vegetarian I
was extremely healthy. In large part because I ate tons of veggies, lots
of protein in the forms of beans, etc. and little to no snacking. I just
felt like (especially doing 30 miles a day on my bike) a little low on
energy. Eating meat again helped, but then I started sliding.

Quoted message said:

I say don't sweat it if your doing everything right.
Maybe like me you can't expect to get them as low
as the doctor says. I'll tell you one thing: they can
keep their drugs :-)

Thanks. I appreciate the perspective. I have work to do and changes to
make, but I appreciate it.

Preston

montygram said:

Typo: it should be 200-220.

Don't worry. You're killfiled after this session. No tofu?

Preston

Preston Crawford wrote:
: So I used to be 400lbs., like 5 years ago. I started cycling and went
: on a pretty strict vegetarian diet and I lost 170lbs. I stuck there
: for a year or so, but started to drift back up. So at my lowest I was
: 230lbs. (I'm 6'2"😉. Now I'm 275lbs. When I was at 230 I was 4 years
: younger, so that may make a difference, but my cholesterol was
: perfect. 120, great ratio. Now it's 139 with high triglycerides. Just
: barely over what they consider high, but still high.
:
: Aside from the weight gain, which I need to get a handle on, are there
: any specific foods I need to be thinking about that could have caused
: the rise? Anyone have information on this they can point me towards? I
: am no longer a vegetarian. A couple years ago I started eating turkey
: and fish again, because I was struggling with protein. Now I'm
: starting to eat tofu as I've started to like it and I'm phasing out
: the animal protein. I don't know if that makes a difference. If carbs
: make a difference.
:
: My point being that, in the short term, I'd like to do what I can to
: avoid foods that are bad for me and affect my triglyceride level.
: Obviously the long term goal is to lose weight, but I'm wondering if
: beyond eating better and exercising more, there's something specific I
: need to be eating or avoiding.

High triglycerides is a sign that you are eating too much and too large
meals. Try reducing portion sizes, preferring foods with low glychemic
index/load, eating more frequently but smaller meals. Cut all refined carbs.
Your approach to increase the amount of vegetable protein is a good.

Krill oil and large doses of fish oils lower triglycerides. Supplementing
with them would help.

--
Juhana