A year later I went to a new primary care doctor and redid the blood work that I did last year. The original numbers:
The Good
HDL Cholesterol - 53
Triglycerides - 104
VLDL - 21
Triglycerides/HDL Ratio (calculated by me) - 1.96.
Cholesterol/HDL Ratio (calculated by me) - 4.5
Fasting Blood Glucose - 84
The Bad
TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone) - 3.41
Total Cholesterol - 225
LDL Cholesterol - 151
The Ugly
Vitamin D - 8.7 ng/ml
A1C - 5.9%
I just got back my results and was overall very pleased. Over the past year, I lost about 14 pounds to get to a normal BMI (I lost 62 pounds overall over a few years). I continued to exercise (walking, elliptical, exercise bike and weight training mostly).
Blood Glucose
Fasting Blood Glucoese - 79 (was 84)
A1C - 5.44% (was 5.9%)
I was super pleased with this. As I discussed in another thread after getting these results I bought a meter and started testing my blood sugar to see how certain foods affected me. You might think from the new numbers that I am no longer insulin resistant. That is not true. I ate something the other days that spiked my blood sugar into the 170s. So, despite my weight loss and my exercise, some foods can spike my blood sugar. I have, however, either quit eating those foods (I haven't had a Cinnamon Crunch bagel in almost a year) or I have found a way to eat them so they don't spike my blood sugar (such as by eating a small portion).
So, I still eat a small piece of dark chocolate a few days a week (has very little affect on my blood sugar). I find that I can eat a moderate amount (1/2 a cup or so) of brown rice without problem. A whole wheat tortilla is fine. But, even a small portion of whole grain pasta tends to create a spike. Legumes seem to be fine for me.
I am really glad I got the monitor and started testing as it enables me to know that I am still insulin resistant and that I need to watch what I eat to avoid those foods that are problematical for me.
Cholesterol
Total - 202 (was 225)
Triglycerides - 69 (was 104)
HDL - 52 (was 53)
LDL 136 (was 151)
I have had some higher total and LDL numbers over the year (which seems to be hereditary). I took Lipitor some years ago, but quit taking it several years ago. When I went to my new primary care doctor right before the new labs were done I was prepared to argue with him if he wanted me back on a statin due to my LDL. Thankfully, he said he didn't think it was necessary. He said that 151 was higher than the recommended 140, but my risk of some sort of heart attack in the next 10 years was only 2% so
I didn't need to be on a statin.
Anyway, the new numbers are better than the old one. I'm pleased by the changes. I am a little surprised that my HDL hasn't gone up as I do exercise several days a week, but it is high enough to be OK. I think you can see the influence of diet in how my already decent triglycerides number has dropped so much.
Thyroid
TSH - 2.41 (was 3.4)
After my test results last year I took Synthroid for about 2 months. There is some controversy about whether 3.4 is normal or not. I really didn't feel that comfortable with taking the Synthroid and wasn't sure that 3.4 was really abnormal so discontinued it. The 2.41 is a better number than the 3.4 and I don't feel I have any thyroid related symptoms. The new doctor (based upon the 3.4 before the new testing) said he didn't see a reason to treat this if I wasn't having any symptoms.
Vitamin D
14.5 (was 8.7)
The goal here is to be at 30. I took 50,000 units a week for 6 weeks. I was then supposed to continue to take a lower amount daily. To be honest, I slacked off on continuing the lower amount.
The new doctor is going to have me take the 50,000 for 8 weeks, then go to 2,000 daily and will re-test in 3 months.
Overall, I was really pleased with my results and think it shows the power of diet. I don't eat a total low carb diet. I average about 100g of carbs a day (about 70g net carbs). For me, it isn't so much about total carbs but the specifics of each meal make a big difference in blood sugar. Two meals with the same amount of carbs in them can make really big differences in my blood sugar depending upon what the specific carbs are in the meal.
And, of course, I'm sure the additional 14 pounds lost and the exercise have helped as well.