lucky penny
Full time employment: Posting here.
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2010
- Messages
- 735
Last December I started a thread asking if anyone had lowered cholesterol without statins (see below) since the numbers at my last checkup definitely got my attention. Thanks to everyone for the helpful, thoughtful, thought-provoking responses pro & con. Ultimately I was leaning towards starting statins, especially in view of family history. Then I had another good conversation with my doctor about whether a better diet & regular exercise could make a difference if I gave it a serious shot, and he was quite supportive of postponing the decision for a few months while I did.
Fast forward 5 months, and new numbers are in. WOW I am very happy!!!
Here they are (old numbers in parentheses, first from 2017, then 2015):
Cholesterol: 197 (258, 224)
Triglycerides: 70 (112, 73)
HDL: 71 (71, 61)
LDL: 108 (165, 149)
Happy that I turned things around, am hopefully going in the right direction & have developed some new, healthier habits. With the zeal of the newly-converted, I could go on at length, but let's just say I've been eating lots of salmon, spinach & oatmeal, fruits & veggies, a couple of avocados a week, nuts as a snack, no desserts. Not much bread (when I have a craving, I'll have a SMALL whole wheat everything bagel). A favorite, frequent indulgence is baked sweet potato fries. Maybe once a month, a slice or two of really good pizza. Maybe I've brainwashed myself, but I like eating this way now & I don't feel deprived at all.
And exercise too - at least 10,000 steps Every. Single. Day.
Please excuse the humble-bragging, but I do feel great. (And yes, I promise I will chime in with an update a few months from now, one way or another!)
<<I'm 71 & in excellent health, not overweight, taking no medications & I admit being a bit smug about that. My cholesterol was always good but started creeping up in recent years; doctor wasn't concerned, but in the last checkup the numbers were higher & he recommends starting statins. Ratios are good; HDL very good; other numbers, not so much. I'm inclined to wait a few months & be more conscientious about diet & exercise, which I really think I can do, then check the numbers again & avoid statins if there is significant improvement. Has anyone done this & turned things around? Or is there no reason to put off starting statins if the doctor recommends it?>>
Fast forward 5 months, and new numbers are in. WOW I am very happy!!!
Here they are (old numbers in parentheses, first from 2017, then 2015):
Cholesterol: 197 (258, 224)
Triglycerides: 70 (112, 73)
HDL: 71 (71, 61)
LDL: 108 (165, 149)
Happy that I turned things around, am hopefully going in the right direction & have developed some new, healthier habits. With the zeal of the newly-converted, I could go on at length, but let's just say I've been eating lots of salmon, spinach & oatmeal, fruits & veggies, a couple of avocados a week, nuts as a snack, no desserts. Not much bread (when I have a craving, I'll have a SMALL whole wheat everything bagel). A favorite, frequent indulgence is baked sweet potato fries. Maybe once a month, a slice or two of really good pizza. Maybe I've brainwashed myself, but I like eating this way now & I don't feel deprived at all.
And exercise too - at least 10,000 steps Every. Single. Day.
Please excuse the humble-bragging, but I do feel great. (And yes, I promise I will chime in with an update a few months from now, one way or another!)
<<I'm 71 & in excellent health, not overweight, taking no medications & I admit being a bit smug about that. My cholesterol was always good but started creeping up in recent years; doctor wasn't concerned, but in the last checkup the numbers were higher & he recommends starting statins. Ratios are good; HDL very good; other numbers, not so much. I'm inclined to wait a few months & be more conscientious about diet & exercise, which I really think I can do, then check the numbers again & avoid statins if there is significant improvement. Has anyone done this & turned things around? Or is there no reason to put off starting statins if the doctor recommends it?>>
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