Cholesterol help

meat73

Ok need some help my cholesterol is way to high had to go on meds but now also want to change diet really going to miss tators butter and sour cream just wondering if anyone has good ideas for egg cooks

SGH

meat73
Sir I wish I could give you some good advice on low cholesterol foods but I cant. They told me mine was high also but I havent been able to change my diet. Eating and cooking has been my life and im not giving it up. I guess its my only bad habit. I keep eating what I want and hoping for the best. Maybe others can help. Good luck.

coffeeguydenton

I will tell you the same thing I tell my patients. It doesn't take drastic changes, but rather lots of subtle ones. You don't have to give anything up. Eat less brisket when you make it. Make chicken more often. Use less oil/butter. When possible use a "healthier" oil alternative. Cut down on the sugary drinks. You can accomplish a lot with those subtle changes.

grege345

Instead make a handful of red potatoes drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and some pepper. Put in foil packet and cook for 40 minutes. Of course leave skin on. High in fiber. More vegetables! Vegetables as we all know is fantastic on the egg. Grill some fish once a week. Little bit olive oil and some pepper. Excellent in omega 3. Transfer fats are bad so no more chips,crackers, etc. use half the cheese your used to as well. Hope this helps a little. Egg made me more healthy. I actually lot 30 plus pounds since owning my egg a year ago

meat73

Thanks guys will give it a shot

Cymbaline65

I too have high cholesterol and have been on meds for a decade now. The solution is simple: eat less, move more. I eat pasta 2x a month now instead of twice a week. Red meat, once a week. Skip dessert. Stop drinking soda (it's all crap anyway) and sweet bevs in general. You do this gradually - not cold turkey so it feels less like depravation. You can still eat the good stuff - just eat less of it.

JethroVA

I'm on meds as well. +1 the roasted red potatos. Add red onions. +1 olive oil. Try reduced fat cheese and non- fat sour cream. Eat a big healthy salad first to fill you up and you'll crave less of the bad stuff. Leaner cuts of meat, pork tenderloin instead of pork butt. Become a label reader and spot fat that you didn't expect. Exercise will drive good cholesterol up and the bad down.

fishlessman

what going on atkins taught me about cholesterol levels is to just drop the carbs and not worry so much about cholesterol in the foods. probably goes against what the nutritionists will tell you but eating steak, butter, bacon and dropping out the breads, cereals, potatoes etc and your cholesterol drops and more importantly the good to bad ratio improves. pretty basic, eat meat, good veggies, and some fruit, if your going to eat a bread roll, cover it in butter, the fat slows down how the carbs are digested. if your going to eat a carb, make it a beer

hapster

+1 ^^^^^^

Research Paleo... limit or cut out processes carbs and foods. Carbs in fresh veggies and fruits are good, lean meats. fish etc.

Fat and cholesterol is not the bad guy, carbs are

SPRIGS

I had high cholesterol and my cardiologist was going to put me on meds. I asked for one more chance to address it myself. Started to exercise and dropped 35 pounds. Cut out the majority of fast food at lunch. The exercise has made a world of difference. Kind of fell off the exercise bandwagon over the holidays. Put 10 pounds back on but am getting started again. Good luck.

margareedaville

Sign yourself up for a 5K run in 2 months, and walk/run every night to reach that goal.  

rcone

I dropped 73 points in one year doing a combination of 90% Paleo, 10% cheating, cut out 95% processed foods, and working out. I lost about 10% of my body in the same time too. The longer you do it the positive effects will continue to compound. 

TonyA

I've done a couple things recently that may attribute to lowered cholesterol - but I'd recommend to you you this:  try to add some fermented food to your diet at least once/day.  I make a couple different variants of sauerkraut .. but pickled peppers, celery .. (steer away from cukes until they are fresh - hardest thing to pickle) all provide vitamins and probiotics that enhance your body's ability to eliminate waste and toxins.  Only focusing on what you put in your body and not how you get rid of waste is doing yourself a dis service .. 

I also agree with Rcone .. severely limit processed foods and grains.  Your body is producing cholesterol to protect your cardiovascular system .. look for underlying problems. Simply lowering your cholesterol with pills is not the answer.  You are probably taking in a lot of something  your body does not like.

plumbfir01

rcone said:

I dropped 73 points in one year doing a combination of 90% Paleo, 10% cheating, cut out 95% processed foods, and working out. I lost about 10% of my body in the same time too. The longer you do it the positive effects will continue to compound. 

This guy has your answer... eat clean meats (nothing packaged or processed) and use clean fats like cocnut oils, avocados   and nuts... eat more veggies and portion meat as you should ( 5-6oz x3/day)  and you will find you are healthier.. no butter no spreads or veggie oils/peanut oil anymore... if you cn stick it out for 20days you will have it beat.  plenty of literature on it. I train clients on clean eating habits and it takes time but it is defiantly something you must decide on and do whole heartedly. thefoodee.com

Acn

I'd suggest starting by talking to your doctor or a nutritionist and planning on the idea that you might need to try several things; a lot just comes down to the bacteria in your gut and how you personally process food and nutrients.  I know tons of people here swear by paleo, I did it for a couple of months last summer and my bloodwork tanked; triglycerides and bad cholestorol rose 35-45%, and my liver enzymes raised abnormally.  I cut back significantly on meat, dairy and other animal products (usually will only eat @ dinner) and increased my whole grain/legume intake and my bloodwork is better than ever.

Even just looking at this thread you already have 3-4 different threads of advice.  Best takeaway is that what works for somebody here may not work for you.  That goes for both the effect the food may have on your blood and your ability to stick with it.

Of course, there are some ideas that will work no matter what other diet/plan you follow.  Exercise more, watch your portions, elimate or drastically reduce processed foods, fast foods, sugary drinks, all sodas.  You might not have to completely get rid of your potato with butter and sour cream, but have it once a month, not three times a week.

shannonlcorum

Take fishoil twice a day (1000+) mg each. This will help reduce cholesterol and triglycerides. Cut down on fast/fried food and go with more baked/broiled--hey! more reason to cook on the egg, right? You can also try red-yeast rice, but check with your doctor first, as some don't want you to take it if you're already on meds because it has similar properties to statin drugs, which are what most cholesterol meds are.

Try to eat more 1-ingredient foods using spices to season them as opposed to gravies/cheeses/etc. For example, fried chicken is not an 1-ingredient food. It has breading, obviously. But broiled or baked chicken is. A salad can be a 1-ingredient food as long as everything you put on it is 1-ingredient (lettuce, tomato, carrots, etc.). But forget the cryptons (crutons, sorry, couldn't resist, my kids always called them that) and the salad dressing. You'd have to use olive oil and vinegar, or lemon juice, or even something you make up as a long as all the ingredients are 1-ingredient foods. Make sense? It's not really that hard. You just have to eat food at it's basic level, without all the fattening stuff we've added over the years because we think it makes it taste better. A lot of time it does. But look at where it's gotten us.

You can't cut all carbs and all fats out of your diet, that's not healthy. Picking better fats and limiting carbs is the answer. You brain needs carbs to function so cutting them out completely is never a good idea. Carbs are your body's main source of energy. If you cut them out, it will resort to using your muscle next. Fat is last. That's why you have to get your heart rate up to a certain level for an extended amount of time to actually burn fat when you exercise.

However, the types of carbs you choose can make a difference. Cake vs. baked potato. Same with breads. A whopping slice of banana bread vs a slice of whole wheat. I'm not a dietician, but I've been a nurse for about 18 years and part of my BSN included nutrition classes, and, I've managed to have 4 kids and still weigh within 10 lbs of my highschool weight (102) at 4'11" and 42 y/o. I can tell you that any diet that says to cut something out completely that's in the four basic food groups (now the food pyramid) is not healthy for the long haul. Short term achievements are usually lost very quickly because most people cannot continue a restrictive diet forever--whether due to will power or the occurrence of medical issues, like kidney failure due to excessive protein intake. That's why moderation and smarter choices are easier to make life habits as opposed to strict denial.

Can you say you'll never eat another french fry or piece of chocolate cake again? I highly doubt it, unless you don't like those things to begin with. But you certainly can't eat those every day. If you completely deny yourself of something you truly enjoy, you are setting yourself up for failure in the future--whether sooner or later. Focus on eating good/healthy most days, but allow yourself a treat every once in a while.

fishlessman

also eat an apple a day
google apples and cholesterol and see the study they did last fall, figure it cant hurt. hang a fruit basket and grab an apple each morning you leave the house. supposed to be similar to taking statins

fletcherfam

My wife had high Cholesterol and doc wanted to put her on meds. Wide asked if she could have 3 months to get it down, doc agreed. My wife read and followed the book "Cholesterol Down" and dropped her cholesterol by over 60 points in 3 months. She hasn't had an issue with it since and also convinced the doctor that cholesterol can be changed by diet alone.

bigirish

Cholesterol gets a bad rap. Like a few have said it isn't the cholesterol in foods that hurt you it's sugar and carbs.

Unfortunately most doctors seem to just hand out pills instead of explaining what the real cause is and what to do about it. I would start by watching this video. It has two parts.  It's worth the time to watch.

robnybbq

I have moderately high cholesterol (225) and High triglycerides (380).  I did low carb for 3 months last summer and lost 30 lbs - gained 15 back on now and gaining.  I could not sustain eating no/low carbs.  I like beer (I have cut way back though and drink hard liquors instead).  I love pasta (cut back to what I used to eat).  When I lost the 30 lbs on LC my cholesterol dropped 10 points but that was all in the HDL that went from 39 to 29 (too low now).  Who knows what it is now.

I have tried to find a better way of eating.  Over the summer using the Egg was easy for low or even lower carb).  Over the winter running around taking kids to sports practices/events has forced us to eat out way too much.  Add that I hate the cold and will not use the Egg that much in the winter.  I am honestly afraid to see the blood numbers.

I do not exercise (terrified to - Afraid of a heart attack).  let alone finding hours a week to do it.  Yeah some say 30 minutes a day - I dont have that - 30 minutes at a gym is 1.5 hours when you add the driving to/from the gym.  I also can not take medication for it as I am allergic to Statins.

I do not know what I am going to do but I need to find something fast as I do not feel good

Eggcelsior

robnybbq said:

I have moderately high cholesterol (225) and High triglycerides (380).  I did low carb for 3 months last summer and lost 30 lbs - gained 15 back on now and gaining.  I could not sustain eating no/low carbs.  I like beer (I have cut way back though and drink hard liquors instead).  I love pasta (cut back to what I used to eat).  When I lost the 30 lbs on LC my cholesterol dropped 10 points but that was all in the HDL that went from 39 to 29 (too low now).  Who knows what it is now.

I have tried to find a better way of eating.  Over the summer using the Egg was easy for low or even lower carb).  Over the winter running around taking kids to sports practices/events has forced us to eat out way too much.  Add that I hate the cold and will not use the Egg that much in the winter.  I am honestly afraid to see the blood numbers.

I do not exercise (terrified to - Afraid of a heart attack).  let alone finding hours a week to do it.  Yeah some say 30 minutes a day - I dont have that - 30 minutes at a gym is 1.5 hours when you add the driving to/from the gym.  I also can not take medication for it as I am allergic to Statins.

I do not know what I am going to do but I need to find something fast as I do not feel good

You don't need to go to a gym to "work out". Walk your dog for 30 minutes. You both will benefit. If you eat out a lot,  make smart decisions. Order a salad with the dressing on the side. Get the grilled option with veggies instead of the fried thing covered in cheese with 3 servings of starch. If the cold bothers you that much, bundle up and get a balaclava to cover your face. Go to the local mall and walk around for 30 minutes and avoid the cold entirely. Ignorance is going to kill you a lot faster than exercising will.

 What sports do your kids participate in? If it is in a gym or at a field(basketball, soccer), walk around the court or playing surface with a watch or while looking at the clock. Count the laps you do. Slowly increase the number of laps in the time allotted(5 laps in 30 minutes this week, 6 next week, 7 the next).

robnybbq

Son plays ice hockey (4 times a week), daughter has dance class(twice a week) and basketball and they both bowl once a week.  Not much places to walk around and watching them play but I get your idea.  Add my job where I leave at 6:30 and get home around 7 add the sports and we are home after 8:30/9:00.  Not going to cook a meal at 9:00 so we just grab something on the way to or on the way home.  Time management sucks. 

Decisions eating out have been horrendous - allot of fast food and sort of fast food restaurants eating on the go.  Sorry restaurants are NOT healthy and I know it, but its crap food or nothing lately.   Eating a plain salad is not going to fill me up or satisfy me so I will end up eating something else. 

Cold is cold - Not using the Egg in the cold.  I hate the food cooked in the house so we eat out more for that as well.

fishlessman

robnybbq said:

Son plays ice hockey (4 times a week), daughter has dance class(twice a week) and basketball and they both bowl once a week.  Not much places to walk around and watching them play but I get your idea.  Add my job where I leave at 6:30 and get home around 7 add the sports and we are home after 8:30/9:00.  Not going to cook a meal at 9:00 so we just grab something on the way to or on the way home.  Time management sucks. 

Decisions eating out have been horrendous - allot of fast food and sort of fast food restaurants eating on the go.  Sorry restaurants are NOT healthy and I know it, but its crap food or nothing lately.   Eating a plain salad is not going to fill me up or satisfy me so I will end up eating something else. 

Cold is cold - Not using the Egg in the cold.  I hate the food cooked in the house so we eat out more for that as well.

should be able to fit a few diagonal pushup sets in in a day at the kitchen or bathroom sink, and no way you cant squeeze this in

Do This: Simply squeeze a rubber ball. It seems to help—a lot, actually. According to a study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, people performing handgrip exercises for 8 weeks lowered their systolic blood pressure by 15 points and their diastolic pressure by five. "The blood-pressure response to grip training is greater than to aerobic exercise," says lead author Maureen MacDonald, Ph.D. All it takes is 2 minutes of squeezing, four times a day.

Searat

I feel your pain. Sounds like others do too. Great recommendations here. Family shopping cart looks very differnt than it use to. LOTs of veggies and fruit, Lean meats, and yes almost no bread.

Things that are still good on BGE incluse onion steaks and  grilled garlic. Play with other grilled veggies.

One other thing, we prep meals for the week on th weekend. I'd never eat well if I had to prep food Monday to Friday because, like you, my days are long before I get home at night.

Good luck and keep playing. this is a journey, not cold turkey. You get to make mistakes and try again.

rcone

It was mentioned a salad will "just not fill you up". Your body is use to worthless volume based on cheap carbs, not quality nutrition. It will really suck at first, though your body will adapt. A salad with a chicken breast, turkey, tuna, or salmon will provide you with the quality nutrients your body actually needs. Changing your life style is not an easy, and with your schedule it is extremely difficult. On the other side, look at the side affects of the medication, that should provide some motivation. 

robnybbq

I got to revamp my whole lifestyle.  I need to find a meal plan that works for me and will help with the weight and health.  Low carb worked but it is not for the long term.  Eating salads is not the answer either.  I do use eating as a social and huge stress reliever so that is a problem as well. 

I would like a plan that is lower in carbs but if I have a piece of bread or a beer I am not going to throw off the diet completely and or start craving carbs like mad (like when I had carbs after being low carb for 3 months).  I dont mind eating lean meats as long as they are flavorful (EX. No plain grilled chicken).  I do not need sauces if I can make the meals taste good (On the Egg or not).  I can go without brisket, pork butts, burgers, pastas but need good replacements.  I dont mind some veggies if they dont taste like dirt/earth (green beans = disgusting) and I learn how to cook them on the egg so they dont taste like smoke only.  I also need foods that I can cook fast or on the run.  This is the biggest problem I think.  I also dont want to measure everything - I am not bringing a scale to work or to a restaurant to weigh the food, bring out a spreadsheet and a abacus to figure out how many calories are in a certain dish.  I just know I wont do that.

I cant take meds for it so its diet or nothing.

Allot of dishes I have looked at are either low carb/high fat or low carb/high fat - bouncing between these two can not be good.

I want to keep salt down to help with the blood pressure that is starting to elevate a little 135/85.

I want to find a happy medium that I can actually achieve.  I do have allot of distractions so I need to find solutions for these.

Exercise is another issue all together - Maybe one day but I am terrified to do it do to certain pains that no one can explain why.

fishlessman

robnybbq said:

I got to revamp my whole lifestyle.  I need to find a meal plan that works for me and will help with the weight and health.  Low carb worked but it is not for the long term.  Eating salads is not the answer either.  I do use eating as a social and huge stress reliever so that is a problem as well. 

I would like a plan that is lower in carbs but if I have a piece of bread or a beer I am not going to throw off the diet completely and or start craving carbs like mad (like when I had carbs after being low carb for 3 months).  I dont mind eating lean meats as long as they are flavorful (EX. No plain grilled chicken).  I do not need sauces if I can make the meals taste good (On the Egg or not).  I can go without brisket, pork butts, burgers, pastas but need good replacements.  I dont mind some veggies if they dont taste like dirt/earth (green beans = disgusting) and I learn how to cook them on the egg so they dont taste like smoke only.  I also need foods that I can cook fast or on the run.  This is the biggest problem I think.  I also dont want to measure everything - I am not bringing a scale to work or to a restaurant to weigh the food, bring out a spreadsheet and a abacus to figure out how many calories are in a certain dish.  I just know I wont do that.

I cant take meds for it so its diet or nothing.

Allot of dishes I have looked at are either low carb/high fat or low carb/high fat - bouncing between these two can not be good.

I want to keep salt down to help with the blood pressure that is starting to elevate a little 135/85.

I want to find a happy medium that I can actually achieve.  I do have allot of distractions so I need to find solutions for these.

Exercise is another issue all together - Maybe one day but I am terrified to do it do to certain pains that no one can explain why.

you need to read atkins first book or maybe south beach. the extremely low carbs are for the induction modes, as you approach your goals you start to slowly increase your carb intake every few weeks til you see your weight loss stop, at that point you then know if you can eat 40, 60, 80, etc carbs a day, its no longer a diet to lose weight, but one to maintain it

robnybbq

I was still 40 lbs away fro my goal so I need induction allot longer - probably 6-10 months at least.  Anyway no beer, pasta, bread or dining out took its toll on me. We did not go out with friends or anything much.  Basically isolated myself for 3 months. 

Little Steven

robnybbq said:

Son plays ice hockey (4 times a week), daughter has dance class(twice a week) and basketball and they both bowl once a week.  Not much places to walk around and watching them play but I get your idea.  Add my job where I leave at 6:30 and get home around 7 add the sports and we are home after 8:30/9:00.  Not going to cook a meal at 9:00 so we just grab something on the way to or on the way home.  Time management sucks. 

Decisions eating out have been horrendous - allot of fast food and sort of fast food restaurants eating on the go.  Sorry restaurants are NOT healthy and I know it, but its crap food or nothing lately.   Eating a plain salad is not going to fill me up or satisfy me so I will end up eating something else. 

Cold is cold - Not using the Egg in the cold.  I hate the food cooked in the house so we eat out more for that as well.

Try getting your fast food from Indian, Korean, Mediterranean, Vietnamese or Thai places.

fishlessman

robnybbq said:

I was still 40 lbs away fro my goal so I need induction allot longer - probably 6-10 months at least.  Anyway no beer, pasta, bread or dining out took its toll on me. We did not go out with friends or anything much.  Basically isolated myself for 3 months. 

once you know what the max carb intake is for you to maintain then just back off a little and you will still lose weight, if you just jump off the diet you will gain quickly. i lost 15 pounds in january eating sausages and drinking a minimum of 6 beers a day so there is something to it to find your daily max carb intake

golfandgrill

just follow this dude.

http://www.vice.com/read/this-man-has-survived-on-pizza-alone-for-25-years