We eat lots of fat, right? So doesn't it raise cholesterol and make us more likely to have a heart attack?
Actually, no.
Here's Janis again, with a long post on how her blood test results changed from normal eating to low fat to low carb.
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The doc started out holding my papers in his hand and said, "If you make one complaint about any of these numbers I'll never show you your test results again!" EVERYTHING was fantastic.
For those of you who don't understand what cholesterol numbers mean in terms of genetics, let me explain. Some people, regardless of what they eat or what drugs they take, will not see improvement. My genetics SUCK! There's no other way to put it. Everyone in my family dies of heart attacks, strokes and artery problems. I suppose I should be glad we don't have any cancer, ever.
My overall cholesterol number may look a bit high to some of you but in terms of risk I couldn't be lower. It's the interaction between the types of cholesterol that matter.
Here's the history right up until today showing the impact of being overweight, then eating very low-fat/low-cholesterol and finally low-carb.
Here's the chart for risk factor for heart disease for those who aren't familiar with the numbers...
>5.6 high risk
4.3-5.5 average risk
3.5-4.2 low risk
<3.5 IDEAL
The numbers below each category show where you should be...
DATE TOTAL LDL HDL TRIG RISK GLUCOSE WEIGHT
<200 <130 >35 <135 <105
03/91 231 error 36 542 111
07/91 212 143 26 208 5.6
12/97 278 195 37 228 7.5 94
In 12/97 I began an extremely low fat regimen - 30g fat daily and 1200 calories. All butter/margarine was eliminated with the only added fat being olive oil. I ate practically no red meat and tons of fish and chicken. I never cheated, even once.
03/98 278 191 37 220 7.5
03/98: NO CHANGE... After working extremely hard and losing a lot of weight there was almost no change. The doc thought it was genetics all along but decided to let me try a little longer before putting me drugs. I also added strenuous exercise using a HealthRider recommended by my doctor for good non-impact strength and cardio because of the arthritis in my spine. I gave it everything I had and was very dedicated.
06/98 246 131 32 246 7.7 107 165
06/98: There was a very little change and my HDL even dropped! It's all about genetics. My doc agreed to high dose niacin instead of RX drugs.
10/98 198 120 38 202 5.2 145
10/98: The niacin is working but not doing nearly enough. There is still no noticeable change in my HDL and my risk factor is still too high. I'm feeling denied, hungry and generally miserable.
I'll skip all the results between this time and the beginning of Atkins because although there was improvement it wasn't that much. Later I gained all the weight back and more. I started Atkins 2/23/04 weighing in at a whopping 207.
07/04 178 109 47 108 3.8 120 170
07/04: I've been on Atkins for four months and the changes are already dramatic. I'm now LOW RISK for the first time in my adult life and weigh the same as our wedding day in 1970!
I'll skip over the improvements and jump right today. Know that my overall cholesterol jumps around but since 07/04 has always been over 200 but with a very low risk factor.
12/05 212 123 77 60 2.8 94 134
12/05: My numbers are incredible for my genetics! My risk factor is WAY down and my glucose is finally normal. It had always run a couple of point above the top of the normal range, sometimes worse. I weighed in at 134 on his scale WITH shoes on! My free T4 was VERY normal and in the last two weeks I'm finding I'm not as cold as often so we believe it's finally going away for good.
I forgot! My BP was 108/63. Not bad for an old bat, huh? He said I could stop taking my BP pill but he still wants me on it because it keeps my resting heart rate in the 60's. Without it I'm almost 90, at least I was before. I'll re-evaluate in several months. The dosage I take is less than half the lowest amount taken for BP treatment. Without it my BP doesn't go up. We've already tested that.
Think I'm happy? LOL!
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