| Aineen
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I am just starting P 2 of the SBD after a very successful P1 (I stuck to it 100%). I rarely have cravings for sugar and bad carbs any longer and have lost 11 lbs. to boot!
I had my bloodwork done last week (one week into my P1) and got my results today.
Cholestrol: 222
HDL (good stuff) - 55
LDL (bad stuff) - 157 (should be less than 130)
Triglycerides: 50
The doc suggested that I eat a lowfat diet and go for a stress test and heart check. I'm in my mid-50's and have family history of high cholestrol.
I'm just wondering if the SBD has been helpful to anyone with high cholesterol and LDL? My doc is not mentioning meds yet, so I'd love to see lower numbers when I go back in three months!! |
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Thu Jun 12, 2008 6:40 pm |
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| Kimboroni
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Those are pretty good starting results! Good to catch it sooner rather than later.
The "success stories" section often has some good data and discussions, such as in this thread:
http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=88286 |
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Thu Jun 12, 2008 8:57 pm |
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| RedRox
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| FWIW, I don't believe low fat diets have been shown to reduce cholesterol any more than other types. You absolutely want to reduce saturated fats yes. But there are many good fats emphasized on SB that have been shown to reduce LDL as well. Reducing ALL fats is not that great an idea IMO, nor what SB eating is about. Keep the good ones! :) |
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Thu Jun 12, 2008 9:38 pm |
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| fab50
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Thought I'd share my recent cholesterol results:
2/14/08: LDL 146, HDL 28, trigs 290, total 232, total/HDL ratio 8.2
Back on the Beach 2/18/08. Started with full phase 2. I've been very consistent and have lost 41 pounds in 16 weeks (a lot in the first two, and then averaging 2 lb a week since then).
6/4/08: LDL 109, HDL 28, trigs 100, total 157, total/HDL ratio 5.6
Low HDL runs in my family. I have 4 months to either increase my HDL, decrease the total, or both, or I'll go on statins or high dose niacin.
I'm doing most of what is recommended to increase HDL and lower total cholesterol. (these include: lose weight, exercise regularly, use only good fats , include fiber, soy, and oats, don't overdo egg yolks, little red meat, drink red wine)
In talking with my doctor about how to tweak things, the one think he said is that I should increase my good fat and nut intake. I've been a bit below the SBD recommendations for good fats and have about 1/2 a serving of nuts every other day, and I have to add more. I'm not thrilled about adding more calories, but I'll do it, and either reduce other things, increase exercise, or take the hit in my weight loss.
A low fat diet is not the best thing for improving cholesterol results. You should use only good fats, but 4 tablespoons a day plus a serving of nuts is probably optimal. |
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Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:17 pm |
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| RedRox
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| Fab, my Doc mentioned to me that the exercise benefits to HDL are most noticeable for 24-36 hours after exercise. So if you have a blood test scheduled for the morning, give it a good high intensity exercise session the day/evening before and it can help that HDL reading, or if later in the day maybe do something in the morning of that day. It's kind of rigging the numbers a bit I guess, but I tried that before my last blood test (took an evening power yoga class before a morning blood draw) and had the best HDL reading so far! (49 for me and I started at 31, 5 years ago.) |
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Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:12 pm |
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| Aineen
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| Is the formula HDL + LDL + cholestrol? If so, fab50. your numbers don't really add up. Or do triglycerides have something to do with total cholestrol level? |
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Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:46 pm |
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| RedRox
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Total cholesterol = HDL value + LDL value + 20% of Tri-G value.
Total to HDL ratio is usually a good one to use though too, but don't remember the various reference ranges. lower is better. |
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Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:56 pm |
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| fab50
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From the AHA website.
"Cholesterol Ratio
AHA Recommendation
We recommend using the absolute numbers for total blood cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels. They're more useful to physicians than the cholesterol ratio in determining the appropriate treatment for patients.
Some physicians and cholesterol technicians use the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol in place of the total blood cholesterol. The ratio is obtained by dividing the HDL cholesterol level into the total cholesterol. For example, if a person has a total cholesterol of 200 mg/dL and an HDL cholesterol level of 50 mg/dL, the ratio would be 4:1. The goal is to keep the ratio below 5:1; the optimum ratio is 3.5:1."
My cardiologist is one that does pay attention to the ratio, as well as the HDL and LDL numbers. |
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Fri Jun 13, 2008 4:29 pm |
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| mrshutch910
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6 weeks after I started SBD & now I've maintained a 13 lb wt loss P1 my total chol. was 208 (previous was 2 yrs earlier (189), HDL 53 was 47, LDL 143 was 117, trigs 58 was 126, ratio 3.9 was 4.0. So SBD alone improved HDL & trigs. which is consistent w/ what Dr. A. has said in some publications. Those who don't improve LDL usually have a family history (genetic disposition) & need a statin or other med. to lower it. That apparently is my case. I then started Lipitor in March while continuing SBD 1.5 (modified w/ small amt of fruit, occasional treats & some other carbs), maintained the wt loss but not losing, moderate exercise mostly regularly & have had further improvement: total 145, HDL 56, LDL 79, trigs 51 w/ a ratio 2.5!
I do eat low fat meats & mostly grill so the fat drips off but do not restrict my other fats such as olive oil or eating nuts. I'm thrilled w/ the results! |
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Sat Jun 21, 2008 2:15 pm |
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| logmyloss.com
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Aineen, I realize this post is a bit late on your thread, but I thought it was worth mentioning. The book that really won me over to the South Beach Diet was not the South Beach Diet book, it was the South Beach Heart Program. This book talks a lot about cholesterol and the South Beach Diet and is full of other facts regarding specific foods and how it affects your cholesterol. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has high cholesterol, a family history of high cholesterol, or other heart related problems.
One other question I didn't see others ask is if you have a record of your bloodwork in the past. If so, how did these new readings compare to your previous readings? If it had been a while since your previous readings, it may not really tell you much about the diet, but if you last had bloodwork a year ago it might be good to compare. |
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Sun Jul 27, 2008 2:03 pm |
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| frustratedieter
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| I HAVE to put my 2cents worth in! Before finding this site...I had been on WW for a year or more without good results (I'm prediabetic, insulin resistant, hypo-thyroid) and my weight would sort of come down (most I lost was about 25/30 lbs). Then I tried a low-fat diet (monitored more stringently than WW) and the same happened. Except around the first of this year my weight seemed to be going back up AND my fasting bloodwork was also rising. I'd gone from a fasting glucose 3 months before at 101 to 124 (126 is considered type 2 diabetes)! My cholestrol was also not where it could have been (I don't have the #'s memorized). I exercise regularily as well so I did some on-line research and SB kept coming up, I found this site and the rest is history. I began the food plan (for me it's NOT a diet) in early March. I had my re-check with the doctor in early May. My fasting glucose was 91 and my cholestrol was within "normal" range AND I'd lost about 14 lbs. I don't weigh myself regularily but am still trying to remain on program. I see my doctor for a re-check in October so we'll see if I remained where I need to be. Everywhere you read (except the proponents of lo-fat diets) will tell you that this is NOT good. There's too many processed foods that are recommended and alot of 'hidden" sugars. My recommendation is SB all the way!!!! |
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Wed Aug 20, 2008 11:48 pm |
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| Burnz
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| being dedicated in what you are doing is the answer for your success. i'm sure you'll be successful. |
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Thu Aug 21, 2008 6:56 am |
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