My cholesterol went from normal to high even though I lost

[timetrav]

Has anyone experienced their cholesterol going from normal to high on this diet? I am going to stop eating the turkey bacon everyday and only have eggs once a week. I also have been eating beef burgers with cheddar cheese even though they are fairly lean. Other than that I have lost 13 pounds and have 6 more pounds to go. Any advice is appreciated.

[lorka150]

cholesterol can oddly fluctuate - can you have a test in a few days and see if it is back to normal? if not, just stick to lower cholesterol foods (as you have mentioned).

[Kirian]

Also - did you fast for your test? If not, then what you ate before hand will affect your test results.

[Kimboroni]

Did they give you a breakdown? Maybe your total cholesterol went up because your HDL (good cholesterol) went up.

Or do you know for sure that your LDL (bad cholesterol) went up?

How far along you are in the diet can likely make a difference, too. If you're well into p2, you should be eating ample amounts of the less-processed plant foods that have been shown to reduce bad cholesterol, whereas p1 has less opportunity to eat those types of foods, so it might cause a temporary increase in LDL.

[timetrav]

Thanks for your replies eveyone.

Kimborini:

My total is 219 and supposed to be < 200

My HDL is 37 last year 55 should be > 40

My LDL is 165 last year 128 should be < 130

I am on Phase II and have been for two months or so. I eat too much turkey bacon, eggs and I end up eating hamburgers when I get home from the gym because they are easy to make. I am cutting all of that out. Today i am having oatmeal and a spoonful of peanut butter for breakfast. I need a little protein in the morning to hold me over to lunch. I do have once oz. bags of cashews and I usually bring one to work for the afternoon snack or morning depending on when I need it.

Have a great day everyone!

[Kimboroni]

It sounds like you have a good plan with cutting down on hamburgers and cheese, plus adding oatmeal. That should help.

Are you getting your minimum veggies plus 2-3 grains and 2-3 fruits daily?

Cashews are fine, but not quite as beneficial as some other nuts, like pistachios. I have an article on that info that I can post (once I find it).

[timetrav]

Hi Kimborini,

Yes, I eat whole grain bread and I have added a little fruit salad every day as part of my lunch. I made black beans and vegetables for dinner yesterday using fresh yellow squash, mushrooms and frozen spinach. I usually have salad for lunch. I ran out of oatmeal today so I am having a poached egg on whole grain bread.

We have pistachios here at home too. The cashews are packaged in 1 oz portions so they are easy to grab and take to work in case I need a snack. My husband is following the diet too - he has lost a little over 20 pounds. We started playing racquet ball so we go to the gym 2 - 3 times a week. I know exercise is supposed to help lower cholesterol too.

I hope you have good SB day today!

[auburnlocks]

Definitely ask for a retest after a couple of weeks. I had one freakish very high triglycerides reading a few years ago but when it was retested twice it was normal both times. It does seem odd that it would go up that much with overall weight loss and exercise so ask about any medications you are taking as well to see if those might be having an effect.

Definitely watch saturated fats. Even more than dietary cholesterol saturated fats (and any hidden transfats you might be having. Double-check everything you are eating, like margarines, for those) are a problem. Also add soy to your diet where you can and replace as many animal fats and protein with non-animal sources as possible. That was what finally got my mother's cholesterol down when lots of things, including SB had failed. She now eats meat and dairy very rarely and hasn’t had any problems with her chronically high cholesterol since. And fish oil and flax oil have been shown to have a positive effect on cholesterol overall as well so add those supplements if you haven’t already.

Good luck. I hope it was just a fluke.