cholesterol

Ophelia wrote:

I have heard of statins and I am afraid of them.

Just say no.

--
http://www.ornery-geeks.org/consulting/

Roger Zoul wrote:

These days, the claim is that is the ratios that are important....for
example, Total/HDL...the smaller the better. (You want more of your
total to come from HDL than from LDL, supposely). Here's a page:

http://www.pro2services.com/Lectures...s/a5lipids.htm

Many thanks Roger

I will!

FOB wrote:
Keep repeating to yourself, this is not a diet, this is the way I eat
and I will eat this way for the rest of my life.

Ophelia wrote:

Oh heck, I don't understand

btw I have been up and down with the diet. ashamed

I know this sound stupid and I almost certainly is, but I can't stick
to it if I know the numbers on the scale. I was doing great (24lbs
in two months). I was called to see the nurse at the asthma clinic.
She made me go on the scale. I tried not to look but couldn't help
myself. That is when I saw how much I had lost. I went off the diet
big time((((((((((((((

I am back on now but daren't look

As for the numbers you mentioned...... I don't have a clue

O
needing help!

Doug Freyburger wrote:
How often should you step on the scale - Whenever you are not
emotional about it. if you get emotional every time, then never step
on the scale but use a tape measure instead.

I don't use a scale. As I said earlier, the nurse at the asthma clinic made
me go on and of course I couldn't 'not' look and that finished me


As for the numbers you mentioned...... I don't have a clue

You don't know how long you've been low carbing? Okay. If you
fell off the wagon it's hard to tell if you started back when you
started
or if you started more recently.

What Dr Atkins meant as far as I can tell - If you started under 6
months ago you can't expect your numbers to be good. So mark
6 months after your start date on your calendar. That's when the
cholesterol numbers will start to mak sense. Before then, the
numbers are meaningless.

I understand. Thank you!

Aaron Baugher wrote:
Susan writes:

Jackie Patti wrote:

Generally, low-carb reduces LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides.
It doesn't do such a good job of raising HDL, exercise is better for
raising HDL than diet is. Ideal numbers are LDL and triglycerides
under 60 and HDL over 60, but usually doctors don't shoot for that
strict.

Jackie, my experience, and quite a few studies demonstrate that low
carb, at least in the first six months, raises LDL or leaves it the
same, while also raising HDL.

That's what I got from Taubes and Eades: On low-carb, triglycerides go
way down and the HDL/LDL ratio improves (these are the things that now
matter), but LDL and total cholesterol may rise a little, especially
in the first few months, and especially if you eat a lot of saturated
fat. That's why saturated fat got a bad reputation in the first place
-- all they were measuring back then was total cholesterol, and
saturated fats made it higher.

There's also research that shows that the density of your LDL (and
VLDL) in particular has a strong correlation with disease, and a
low-carb diet tends to make the LDL particles lighter and "fluffier,"
which is good.

No one should let a doctor prescribe anything for cholesterol without
reading Taubes's book first, at least the cholesterol section. What's
$20 for a book, up against the price of a doctor visit, prescription
drugs, and your life? Before you take a doctor's advice, understand
the history of where that advice is coming from. Maybe you'll agree
with the doctor, maybe you won't; but don't go in there clueless.

Indeed. Which was why I ran here first. I have seen a lot of posts about
this kind of thing but never took a lot of notice. It didn't apply to me,
did it? sigh

Jackie Patti wrote:



Though I have seen a lot of folks have elevated LDL for some period of
time - it seems a common side effect initially. But it also seems to
go away after a while. I'm pretty sure Ophelia has been here a
while, so I assumed a long-term low-carb thing.

It was! Then the last couple of years, as I explained I had surgery and
infection.

I was doing well until I had to go on the scale

I have been struggling recently. I have been very stressed because we are
moving down to England. My So is now working down there and I must give up
my job, get the house sold and move down. I am getting used to the idea
now but I hate leaving my work


Still, SloNiacin does lower LDL as well as raise HDL and is a heck of
a lot cheaper than Zetia or Werchol. While I think niacin is a drug,
not a vitmain, when taken at the doses that work for LDL and HDL
improvement, it obviously beats the heck out of a statin. SloNiacin
is the form Davis recommends as least likely to cause liver problems.


Ophelia, another point... did you get your lipids done while fasting?

Yes it was.


Cause if not, your triglycerides could be high cause of that - it's
supposed to be a fasting test.

Thank you!

Jackie Patti wrote:
Ophelia wrote:

As for the numbers you mentioned...... I don't have a clue

You want LDL to be Low. You want HDL to be High.

Ok thank you. And what are the numbers I ought to be looking for. What
numbers are the most dangerous? What is the number one must aim for please?



And you want triglycerides to be low also, but it doesn't have as
good a mneumonic.

Jackie Patti wrote:
Ophelia wrote:

I have heard of statins and I am afraid of them.

Just say no.

Very well! I will!

Jackie Patti wrote:
Ophelia wrote:
Jackie Patti wrote:
Ophelia wrote:

As for the numbers you mentioned...... I don't have a clue
You want LDL to be Low. You want HDL to be High.

Ok thank you. And what are the numbers I ought to be looking for. What
numbers are the most dangerous? What is the number one must
aim for please?

When you get a copy of the lab resuls, it'll say what they consider
normal.
This isn't something people agree on. For instance, most doctors are
happy if they get your LDL under 100, whereas Davis wants it under 60.

Ok thanks! I will need to ask to see them, because they wouldn't normally
give them to you. She will just tell me if I need to change anything and if
so, what.

"Ophelia" wrote in message
...
Jackie Patti wrote:
Ophelia wrote:
Jackie Patti wrote:
Ophelia wrote:

As for the numbers you mentioned...... I don't have a clue
You want LDL to be Low. You want HDL to be High.

Ok thank you. And what are the numbers I ought to be looking for. What
numbers are the most dangerous? What is the number one must
aim for please?

When you get a copy of the lab resuls, it'll say what they consider
normal.
This isn't something people agree on. For instance, most doctors are
happy if they get your LDL under 100, whereas Davis wants it under 60.

Ok thanks! I will need to ask to see them, because they wouldn't normally
give them to you. She will just tell me if I need to change anything and
if so, what.


The doctor is required by law, if you request them in writing, to give you a
copy of any of your medical records and may charge you up to 25 cents per
page.

Bob