Thursday, June 19, 2008

Cholesterol, blood sugar, HbA1C, & thyroid madness

Calories eaten yesterday: 1277
Fat: 27g (19%)
Carbs: 103g (32%)
Protein: 151g (47%)
Weight this morning: 128.2 (One week ago: N/A)
Calories burned in exercise today: 95

Alright! Finally under 130 today, but nowhere near a new low. I have been very good all week keeping my calories low. And I'm finally back in my skinny shorts today!

I got a sort of compliment today. I saw somebody at work who I don't regularly see. It's hot out so I'm wearing shorts and a tank top. The lady said I was "too skinny" and that I'm losing too much weight. I told her I was in a normal weight range (I am). She said it didn't look good on me (I disagree), that she could see my bones (she meant my collarbones, which I think are my sexiest feature). She also said I have skinny legs. People just get so used to "fat" as the norm that a normal weight on someone becomes "too skinny." Still, I'll take it as a compliment. :)

My blood test numbers from my doctor came today. I asked them to send me the results because my follow-up appointment isn't until late next month (and they are doing my PAP that day so I will be flying high on some serious pain drugs).

Anyway, as I suspected, the egg yolks were raising my LDL (bad) cholesterol. The LDL was back down again. Here's the numbers and the ranges:

Total cholesterol: 162...125-200
Triglycerides: 55...<150
VLDL: 11...5-35
Calculated LDL: 66...<130 - with no other risk factors it should be <160
HDL: 85...>46
Cholesterol/HDL ratio: 1.9...<5.0

So my total is way down (it was over 200 last time). Triglycerides are up slightly, but still very good, probably because I'm eating controlled-carb now instead of low-carb. VLDL is up slightly, but still excellent. HDL is down very slighty, but still awesome. And my total/HDL ratio is down to the lowest ever, probably because my overall total is down.

Fasting glucose was 81. HbA1C was 5.0. The paper says non-diabetic is less than 6.0. Mean plasma glucose was 101 (no range given), with this note: On September 6, 2005, Quest Diagnostics changed the calculation based on Hemoglobin A1c from an estimation of mean whole blood glucose to an estimation of mean plasma glucose. This was done at the recommendation of the American Diabetes Association. Mean plasma glucose levels will be generally 10-20% higher than mean whole blood glucose levels.

My thyroid results were interesting. TSH and T-4 were in range (TSH was on the high end, though), but T-3 was out of range, a little high. I know I am always cold and have difficulty losing body fat, but a very easy time gaining fat. I did some online research and being hypothyroid (high T-3 and TSH) does slow down metabolism! That is me! Other symptoms are difficulty losing weight and "cold intolerance." It's all falling into place now!

T-4 Total: 5.3. The range is 4.5-12.5. In range.
T-3 Uptake: 35.5. The range is 22-35. Out of range.
Free Thyroxine Index: 1.9. The range is 1.4-3.8. In range.
Thyroxine-Free: 0.9. Range is 0.8-1.8. In range.
TSH: 4.07. Range is 0.4-4.5. In range.

The bill for all these tests came today. The entire physical came to $502! Wow. Lupe negotiated a 25% discount, leaving $376.50. My employer covers 80% ($301.20), so my portion is $75.30. Today is payday so I gave Lupe a check right away.

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1 comment:

Anna said...

For the thyroid, you might want to try some kelp tablets. Most processed foods in the U.S. do not include iodized salt, so most folks are actually mild-moderately deficient. (I read that today in a Geology magazine article on salt.)