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cholesterol, carbs, and the egg

WileECoyote
WileECoyote Posts: 516
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Like many eggers I can stand to lose a few pounds. Ok, more than a few. In the past I have tried nearly every diet known to man along with exercise, which does help, but the diet is the primary key to weight loss.

For me the Atkins low-carb diet is the only one that has worked. No problem since I have an egg, right? T-rex steaks, smoked chicken breasts, salmon planks, ABTs, bacon, ham, turkey, scallops, shrimp, and even some low carb veggies. What more could I want? Well not much more at all, at least until now.

I just found out that my cholesterol is way out of control. By way out of control I mean the doctor said things like "a stroke or heart attack is imminent" and "are you sure you are still alive?"

So I will now have to be on meds, diet, and exercise with the primary goal of lowering cholesterol and secondary goal of weight loss. No more unlimited bacon, swabs of butter sauce, or high-fat meats. I am still trying to figure out what this means to my egg menu.

Have any of you faced a similar challenge? What things do you cook or not cook on the egg to help? I have already found out that EVOO is very good at boosting HDL without raising LDL so I plan to use that in lieu of butter whenever possible. What other tricks are out there?

Comments

  • Morro Bay Rich
    Morro Bay Rich Posts: 2,227
    Back off on the beef. Get a vegetable basket at your local big box store; you will be amazed how good they are. Fish and chicken are the thing.

    From one who has been there and survived so far,
    Rich
  • NJ-GrEGG
    NJ-GrEGG Posts: 171
    You answer lies in grilled seafood, veggies, and fruit on the Egg. Chicken is still your friend and even filet mignon once in a while. Go to about.com and search "lowfat diet". It's not as bad as you would think. Oh...red wine twice a day is good!

    The docs tried to put me on meds, but my wife who is a nurse had me try a low fat diet first. My second blood test was so much improved that I was able to go without the meds.

    Good luck
  • Slotmercenary
    Slotmercenary Posts: 1,071
    have you ever tried to egg cheerios? they advertise that 6 weeks will lower your cholesterol by 6 %
    you just have to keep them from falling through the grill.............. :blush:
  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    Dat thar is funny!! I don't care who you are..

    However, now my back hurts more because I laughed..
  • WileECoyote
    WileECoyote Posts: 516
    :lol: - cheerios... I might try to egg them but the doc said I could be dead in less than 6 weeks, and 6% wouldn't even scratch the surface. :ohmy:

    So I like the idea of red wine - just found out it is low carb too so I am off to the state store tomorrow. Now I am wondering how about some steak once in a while... surely it can't be too bad if I trim all the fat away and get a tender piece....
  • Car Wash Mike
    Car Wash Mike Posts: 11,244
    When you competeing again? What to converse before then?

    Mike
  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    This week-end. I should be good to go.. unless you want to chat :)
  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    Anything in moderation is OK. The tricky part is to know what is considered moderation. To me 3 oz of steak just isn't worth heating up the coals for.
  • Buckethead
    Buckethead Posts: 285
    Whole grains, egg white omlets with fresh salsa, fresh fruit all essentials. Controled weight loss is what my challenge has been for the past three months. 30 lbs and getting a better control of intake has made the difference.(working on the next 30) I still cook 5-6 times per week on the Egg but my choices have changed. Tri-tip with a reasonable portion, then having the leftovers in a stir fry the next day is just one of my options. As mentioned veggies, fruits and Dizzy product are a staple. If the flavor is maintained the journey is not as horrible as it may sound. Grilled sweet potato with a spicy rub and smoked fish are a regular staple. Didn't mean to ramble.
    Best to all
    Doug
  • mollyshark
    mollyshark Posts: 1,519
    I was the resident Atkins guru here for a long time. If you read the book(s) carefully, he is pretty careful to announce that it does NOT mean unlimited fat and protein and hey, toss another steak on the grill. That's one of the biggest Atkins mistakes people make. Read about South Beach, a revised Atkins that is more moderate in the fat intake and may be something you want to try since Atkins worked so well for you. Much of it is heredity, though, and you can have a real uphill fight going if your family has a solid history. A vegetable brisket and an eggwhite omelet do not seem like edible food products to me :ohmy: ! Do ANYTHING before you get on the cholesterol meds. The side effects of those are about as bad as the problem to begin with.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    p o r t i o n c o n t r o l


    dieting might help you come down quick, but it's hard to stay there. i try to exercise the "no" muscle. do i want a huge steak? yes. do i NEED a huge steak? no.

    eating more than you need to is what makes you hungry, frankly. i could never limit myself to certain foods, so i just eat enough of everything. small snacks thoughout the day. carrots, stuff like that, can help ease the pangs.

    since even the doctors debate which diet is better than another, i figure they don't know anything either. do like mom said. don't each more than you need to.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Buster Dog BBQ
    Buster Dog BBQ Posts: 1,366
    Best workout I did was a strength training workout. There are a variety at davedraper.com. The superset workouts are the best. I have never been in better shape and just had a physical and although overweight, all my numbers were great. I feel like I can still eat what I want to off the egg because my workout is intense enough to burn those calories.
  • FrankC
    FrankC Posts: 416
    I've had the same problem. My numbers were really out of control, especially the triglycerides. Mine were so high, they couldn't even measure the LDL. I refused my doc's desire to go on the meds, but did take her advice and started taking 2K mg of niacin daily. Coupled with a dietary supplement that's called lipicontrol, I've got my numbers down to the normal range again. The last blood test I had caused my wife to ask the doctor if they gave us someone elses results!

    I also exercise 3 or 4 times a week, and only indulge once or twice a week in really, bad for me food. I've become used to the lifestyle, and it's not so bad. Good luck with your treatment!
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    the worst cholesterol ive ever seen was from a guy that worked here. vegetarian, cyclist, great shape. turned out to be a thyriod problem and he had to insist that it get checked out. cholesterol was over 300 triglicerides well over 2000. do a search on it and see if it fits and ask your doctor questions about it. hes on meds now and eating greasy burgers, they gave him a diet plan that had a higher fat intake than what he was eating. sometimes the doctors dont check everything out and just make assumptions
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Marvin
    Marvin Posts: 515
    In spite of what Mollyshark said below, drugs (statins) work, and work well. Their side effects are real but occur in only a small portion of people. I say this as a doc and a user. If your doc recommends them, go for it. Proper eating is as important as the drugs, but genetics plays the biggest role; so blame your parents, but take the meds if ordered. Good luck!
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    hey molly.... was posting to the original thread, not your post.

    sorry!
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • QBabe
    QBabe Posts: 2,275
    I'll jump in here and say that the key is in making whatever you do a part of a healthy lifestyle.

    I lost 61 lbs on Weight Watchers and have kept it off. I'm also a WW leader and do 5 meetings a week. The KEY is to stop thinking of it as a diet and learn to incorporate your nutrition as part of your own lifestyle.

    WW is recommended by the medical community, and you can do it without depriving yourself of the things you love (in moderation, but without guilt).
  • Dan in StL
    Dan in StL Posts: 254
    I've strayed on and off Atkins over the past few years. When I've been on it, my cholesterol and triglycerides have been better - but still not good enough.

    My doc put me on one of the statins (Simvastatin). I've had no side effects and it's kept my cholesterol in check despite less than perfect adherence to any diet and portion control. I'm not diminishing the importance of those diet and portion - just saying that the drugs seem to be helping me.
  • WileECoyote
    WileECoyote Posts: 516
    Thanks for the great comments everyone.

    I have tried nearly every diet you can imagine: low fat, low cal, vegetarian, fruits, juices, south beach, etc. I also tried regular exercise programs alone and in combination with dieting. After years of experimenting I have found that the low carb diet is the only one that works for me.

    Portion control doesn't work for me. My appetite eventually drops a little and I do lose a little weight but then the weight loss stops and I simply go around feeling hungry, weak, and tired all day. No thanks. I would rather eat a limited number of foods and eat enough to feel full and have some energy.

    Exercise helps with weight loss but not that much and not very fast. When you have a lot of weight to lose you can't take 2-3 years to drop it.

    In my case it must be genetic because everyone in my family except for one person is similarly overweight and had the same results as me. There is a long history of heart disease, diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol problems in our family.

    So I am not giving up but will just stay on low carb and try to modify my diet to be more cholesterol-friendly. From all the posts it sounds like less red meat and more fish, veggies, and fiber will be the key. I also read about certain vitamins which should help. There is a good article here with 10 tips on lowering cholesterol.
  • It is not just the egg you will also need to cut back on your sweets such as ice cream, cakes etc.
  • Q-rious Tom
    Q-rious Tom Posts: 116
    The easiest way I've found to handle portion control is to go down one size in plates. I use a 7 or 8 inch plate instead of the normal 10 or 11 inch.

    With a side plate or bowl for a salad only.

    It's working so far . . .

    Tom
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Is that morning and night?

    Steve :laugh:

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • WileECoyote
    WileECoyote Posts: 516
    I don't normally eat many sweets, candy, desserts, etc. My primary weakness for carbs has always been bread, pasta, and beer.

    On the low carb diet I eat almost no bread or pasta except for the rare serving of a low carb type, but fortunately there are a few decent low carb beers including Sam Adams Light and Michelob Ultra Amber.

    I can stay on low carb pretty easily after the first two weeks. I lost 64 lbs. on it in 6 months but then I didn't know how to maintain it so I went back to a full carb diet and it came back. I now know about the moderate carb maintenance diet so I hope to lose it and keep it off this time.
  • Jersey Doug
    Jersey Doug Posts: 460
    Q-rious Tom wrote:
    The easiest way I've found to handle portion control is to go down one size in plates. I use a 7 or 8 inch plate instead of the normal 10 or 11 inch. With a side plate or bowl for a salad only. It's working so far . . .
    Tom

    We're doing that too, both at home and when we eat out at a buffet.

    We're also reconsidering the size of the egg. We started with a small that we brought home from Waldorf. We bought it with the expectation that we would soon buy a large as well. But it's been a month now and we have yet to find anything that we want to cook for the two of us that we can't do on the small. We don't entertain often, and when we do it is seldom for more than two additional people. We still want a second egg so we can cook at two temps at the same time but we're wondering it we'd be better off with a medium, or maybe even a second small, than with a large. The small with the GrateMates is a very versatile cooker.
  • WileECoyote
    WileECoyote Posts: 516
    We only cook for 2 on the egg as well but I find the large egg to be ideal since we often have several items cooking at once (meat, veggies, other side dishes), and we typically cook enough food to last us for 2-3 days. Even when we have less food on the grill we often need the extra space for cookware such as a ceramic pan for the shrimp, chicken leg rack, drip pans, pizza stone, etc. And of course there is the occasional pork butt or turkey which takes up more room.

    Sadly I won't have to worry about the pizza stone on the low carb diet, unless of course someone has a killer recipe for low carb bread or pizza dough. I have a box mix for low carb dough but it is hard to make and comes out tasting pretty gritty, like sand with oil and egg whites mixed in.
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    I'm lucky,

    My HDL is off the scale and my LDL is very low. That is not from diet or lifestyle that is for sure.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • ChitownBBQ
    ChitownBBQ Posts: 72
    EVOO is good.

    Avacado Oil is better, if you can find it. Higher flash point (less smoke) and does even more for cholesterol than olive.

    Red wine (in moderation) is also good for your cholesterol.

    Meat: Chicken has WAY more cholesterol than you think!

    Elk, Bison, Venison - all great choices.

    Shrimp & lobster have calorie issues, but not cholesterol - think lemon juice rather than butter.

    There are others, but these are easy.