High Cholesterol

[malcolminthemiddle]

I know I'm over weight and I do watch my diet and exercise on a regular basis but my count doesn't come down nor does my weight

What to do? Is medicine the answer? or a couple of weeks in a detox on Samui?

[Douggie Style]

A relative had a mild stroke entirely due to an undiagnosed cholesterol problem. It is scary how many people are walking around with a ticking time bomb yet otherwise feel great.

You are lucky in that you at least know you have a problem and are wisely doing something about it.

After that problem I looked at many websites and books & can recommend:

1. The Johns Hopkins complete guide for preventing and reversing heart disease by Kwiterovich, Peter

(this book has everything you need)

2. Fats that heal, fats that kill : the complete guide to fats, oils, cholesterol a... by Erasmus, Udo.

3. Dr Sandra Cabot, The liver guide

(it is related)

Plus get a good doctor who is willing to consider a holistic approach (drug and lifestyle changes) and who is experienced in this area.

Good luck

[Francis Maube]

A simple approach that we tried is eat boiled vegetable with very little meat, preferably red and not fried for a week. No spirit, no beer, a couple of glass of wine a day to help forgetting the boredom of boiled veg. If you have not exercised for a while try walking at a fast pace an increasing distance everyday, say start with 2 KM and increase by one per day.

Check weigh and wellbeing after a week, if you can see result you'll know what to do next. If not try to find a good doctor...

Good luck,

[bkkmei]

Hiya,

I have 'slightly elevated' cholesterol. It annoyed me no end when I found out. My husband eats like a pig and is in perfect health. I watched my diet, did more exercise, managed to reduce it by about 10%. But it was soooo boring. I'm not overweight.

How's your blood pressure by the way?

My dad had a stroke recently. He's on medication to lower cholesterol (simvastatin). Also takes aspririn. It's a very long road to recovery (assuming people do recover). Some of the people in hospital were very young. Others couldn't eat, or swallow, or open their eyes...

Since you admit you are overweight, I would still try to eat healthily and do more exercise, and regularly check cholesterol levels. But if you have high blood pressure as well and the healthy eating/exercise isn't doing much, look into potential longterm side effects of taking cholesterol-lowering medication before making the decision. I think hereditary factors are becoming more important in determining cholesterol levels now. If my understanding is correct (I'm not a doc though), once you're on this medication, you have to keep taking them.

[malcolminthemiddle]

Hiya,

I have 'slightly elevated' cholesterol. It annoyed me no end when I found out. My husband eats like a pig and is in perfect health. I watched my diet, did more exercise, managed to reduce it by about 10%. But it was soooo boring. I'm not overweight.

How's your blood pressure by the way?

My dad had a stroke recently. He's on medication to lower cholesterol (simvastatin). Also takes aspririn. It's a very long road to recovery (assuming people do recover). Some of the people in hospital were very young. Others couldn't eat, or swallow, or open their eyes...

Since you admit you are overweight, I would still try to eat healthily and do more exercise, and regularly check cholesterol levels. But if you have high blood pressure as well and the healthy eating/exercise isn't doing much, look into potential longterm side effects of taking cholesterol-lowering medication before making the decision. I think hereditary factors are becoming more important in determining cholesterol levels now. If my understanding is correct (I'm not a doc though), once you're on this medication, you have to keep taking them.

My blood pressure and other vital signs are okay. After a check up a month ago the doctor put me on a drug called Zocor Forte (Merck) designed to reduce Cholesterol but that hasn't made any difference. I also bought a cross trainer at home 4 months back and exercise after work about 5 times a week, plenty of cardio but no noticeable signs of weight reduction. I've made an appointment at Bumrungrad for an Executive check up. I keep telling my wife I need to play more golf.

[Mighty Mouse]

You may be fooling yourself with a cross trainer. Working out at home has too many distractions for proper concentration.

You need to get away from your home environment and become involved in an ever increasing exercise routine....preferably with a training partner...someone who can motivate and drive you.

Depending on how overweight you are and the level of fitness that you now have, I suggest that you commence a walk/jog routine that takes a minimum of 50 minutes to complete. The walk would be a power walk, something that makes you sweat profusely.

At various locations you will stop and perform sit ups/leg raises/side bends/step ups/push ups etc. etc.

These short breaks allow your leg muscles to recover whilst you exercise other body parts.

Ensure that you maintain a proper fluid intake throughout the walk.

You need to steadily increase the 50 minute period up to....maybe two hours or more. Three times per week should be enough...Mon, Wed, Fri.

As your level of fitness improves you must increase the duration time and also increase the number of repetitions for the floor exercises. The last repetition for each floor exercise should represent exhaustion....if it doesn't, either do more repetitions or introduce resistance (weights).

Map out an interesting walk location, somewhere that you won't find too boring. You mentioned playing golf, a walking track around a golf course, with exercise on the grass would be ideal.

You should start to see tape measure improvement results after one month, and noticeable results after three months. Record these measurements along with your body weight each month so as to monitor your progress.

Before you start on any vigorous training routine, it is important to have a thorough medical check up. (which you said you have already done....no excuse not to start TODAY !!!!!)

For the cholesterol...cut out butter and all fried foods, eat leafy green salads, eat oats for breakfast, investigate the benefits of Vitamin E capsules and always think HEALTHY as far as your food is concerned.

[Mr Jones]

You really need to do your own research regarding cholesterol and weight loss all you get by posting in a forum is an other persons opinion and not always the correct one.

Eat healthy food is given as advice, well what is healthy food? For me protean and animal fat are healthy foods along with green vegetables, carbohydrates including potatoes, rice, sugar, anything made from flour, and oats are not healthy food in my opinion.

Just a last remark, your liver manufactures 75% of your total cholesterol so reducing the foods that contain cholesterol will make very little difference, reducing your carbs will. By the by I lost 50lb in under 4 months by eating a low carb diet and it has stayed off for 2 years now

[LaReina]

If I may... my husband is overweight.

A friend gave me a CD of a personal fitness trainer. Called "Yourself Fitness". Look for it on the net, buy it, or whatever. It is really good.

Basically you set your goal (weight), and it tests you. Cardio, flexibility, lower body and upper body strength.. etc

The program then tailors exercises based on what you are capable of doing now and the equipment you currently own, and then re-tests you at a later date and then re-focuses/tailors your exercise routine based on your progress.

It is an animated personal trainer who goes through the exercise class with you (you pick the length of time, 15 mins, 30 mins etc). It is better than going to a class and the routines are not boring in that exercise tape repetitive way.

It gives you cardio, weight loss, upper body, lower body ... tailored exercise workouts.

It also comes with meal plans. But forget the meal plans for now.

To jump start weigh loss you can start with a modified version of the south beach diet. Basically cut out all your sugars.. no coke, no fruits….no alcohol! etc and then “try” as much as possible to reduce your carbohydrates and for a couple of weeks focus on a vegetable and lean meat (with some carbo but as little as possible, actually depends on the carb) diet. Som Tam Thai, is loaded with vitamin C and also contains an enzyme that promotes weight loss.

This (combined with exercise) will jump start your weight loss. After the first two weeks are up you can gradually re-introduce your carbs, but do not over do it.

As I stated earlier my husband is overweight. No-one wants to diet alone, and no-one wants to exercise alone. So, get your wife to be your partner.

I exercise with him first thing in the morning (as this is supposed to be the best time to boost your metabolism) and most importantly he has an exercise buddy in the comfort of our home. This keeps him motivated.

Monday-Friday I reduce his carbs but allow him cheat over the weekends. I eat what he eats for the most part. And I try and get him to eat three meals a day. No matter how little the meal is. Starving does not promote weight loss.

For most people changing what they eat for a diet is the hardest part because you find yourself stuck eating the same thing which gets old very quickly. But you do not have to. It just requires taking the time to plan an entire menu for a week.

If you are interested in an over view of the South beach diet or recipe ideas, pm me.

I do NOT believe in dieting for life (or for extended periods of time), but I do believe that once weight loss has been jump started and your body’s metabolism has been re-awakened then with moderate exercises and a change in eating habits goals can be achieved.

And yes, my husband is losing weight.

[lopburi3]

Where/what hospital are you using that they proscribed Zocor? There is perfectly good simvastatin available in Thailand at a fraction of that import price. Most hospitals here now prescribe Bestatin (and there are others). This from my reading is a relatively safe drug and in my and my wife case does work. Normal testing for positive result I believe would be longer than you have been taking it but not sure of that. But can say it has lowered my levels greatly (including triglycerides which were extremely high). Perhaps we are just lucky but everything I have read indicates this is a drug of choice for cholesterol (lipids) control.

[Mr Jones]

We as omnivores eat a mixed bag of foods it is the high consumption of non natural manufactured food that is causing the epidemic of obesity and diabetes.

There is not one study that has proven that high levels of cholesterol cause any illness, yes big palma will tell you that it MAY cause this and that disease, what has been proven is that statins and the like will and do cause heart failure because it not only reduces the cholesterol it reduces an enzyme called CO Q10 that you muscles use a lot of and your heart is a MUSCLE. (the most common side effect of statins is muscle weakness)

As I said earlier before taking anyone’s word as fact do your research outside of the pharmaceutical web sites they will only tell you what they want to sell.

A good start would be googling “second opinion”

[lopburi3]

Which is really immaterial if your heart has no blood to pump because of the cholesterol induced plaque buildup blocking the flow.

[backflip]

Simvastatin, lovastatin, and pravastatin are all generic and are widely available.

[DD18]

We as omnivores eat a mixed bag of foods it is the high consumption of non natural manufactured food that is causing the epidemic of obesity and diabetes.

There is not one study that has proven that high levels of cholesterol cause any illness, yes big palma will tell you that it MAY cause this and that disease, what has been proven is that statins and the like will and do cause heart failure because it not only reduces the cholesterol it reduces an enzyme called CO Q10 that you muscles use a lot of and your heart is a MUSCLE. (the most common side effect of statins is muscle weakness)

As I said earlier before taking anyone’s word as fact do your research outside of the pharmaceutical web sites they will only tell you what they want to sell.

A good start would be googling “second opinion”

Totally agree. Have recently been tested and have high cholesterol, blood pressure okay. Was tested about 18 months ago everything normal then but due to family history advised to keep checking it. Am same weight (slightly over). Doctor suggested change diet and exercise only even when I told her I was not eating much as trying to lose weight, ie foods to avoid already avoided! She knew there was a family history of strokes, heart attacks and high cholesterol but would not prescribe medication.

A friend of mine, living in Spain, has had a heart attack and found out she had high cholesterol, so she told me it was ridiculous not to have the medication explaining all about statins etc etc and advised to buy the drugs myself. So obviously got on the internet and as usual there is two sides to the story. I am now wondering if by not eating the food that supposedly causes cholesterol my body is making more of it itself! I am also wondering why my father who has had known high cholesterol for about 15 years (probably longer), is massively overweight, drinks and does no exercise whatsoever (except walk to the pub) is still going strong (73) and has never been given medication except aspirin since heart attack 24 years ago.

So does my doctor know something or is she just saving money not prescribing the drugs. Many stories out there about the side effects of the drugs so at the moment have no idea what to do. Hoping that living in Thailand will help, better food, heat (thins the blood?), more exercise and less stress. Anyway better to pop off early before the alzheimers kicks in (another family trait although he always remembers where the pub is).

Was advised to buy a Nitrolingual pumpspray (handbag sizes available), keep on you at all times and if you get bad indigestion that won't go away with normal stuff, use the spray, it opens up the arteries and saves the heart.

[malcolminthemiddle]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to post.

Where/what hospital are you using that they prescribed Zocor?

Right now I am in Bulgaria and it was a local doctor who prescribed Zocor.

You may be fooling yourself with a cross trainer. Working out at home has too many distractions for proper concentration.

You need to get away from your home environment and become involved in an ever increasing exercise routine....preferably with a training partner...someone who can motivate and drive you

That is not so easy where we are living at the moment which is in the centre of a fairly large city. I get home 6:00 – 6:30 when it is already dark and leave for work at 7:00 am so exercising at home is the only real solution, it’s pretty chilly as well, there is no local gym. When back at home in BKK we have a gym in our condo building and I do the power walk thing for about 45 minutes 3 times a week.

Truthfully, here is an example of my current diet:

Breakfast at home

Bowl of cereal with fresh milk 3% fat + juice + fruit tea or coffee (I’m trying to replace coffee with fruit tea) + multi-vitamins + fish oil capsule.

Lunch at Work Canteen

Tomato and cabbage salad + grilled chicken breast + brown bread roll + small rice pudding.

3:00 pm at Work

A banana

Evening Meal at Home

Thai food or chicken noodle soup or chicken casserole, or similar all small portions+ fruit juice, my wife is a great cook.

I eat very little rice or potatoes

Supper

Cup of fruit tea or coffee + 2 chocolate biscuits

Other Times

During the day at work I drink 2-3 cups of fruit tea. When I get home I usually have a hand full of walnuts. We usually go out for a nice meal on a Friday night when I have a couple of beers. Saturday we usually go shopping and treat ourselves to a cappuccino + shared pizza at lunchtime.

But I hear what everyone says, I need a more definitive plan both diet and exercise.

Thanks again.

[cathyy]

There is a newer drug for high cholesterol that addresses familial hypercholesterolemia, or, in English, your family has livers that just plain make too much of the stuff. It's called ezetimibe, brand name Zetia, and is not yet available in Thailand AFAIK and I looked. The statins only help with the cholesterol you consume. This drug cuts down on what you produce yourself. It should be available here before too much longer.

The fish oil is a very good idea. Decreasing all sources of fat in your diet is a good idea. Oatmeal for breakfast is a good idea, it really does help lower that number. So does wheat bran, just not as much. So bran muffins or bran cereal when it's too hot for oatmeal is good. Switch to skim milk. Start with 2% and work your way down gradually.

You need to add more vegetables, preferably steamed, to your diet. At lunch or dinner your plate should be 2/3 veggies, and 1/3 meat. You're getting enough carbs from the rolls, rice pudding, biscuits, fruit tea, and any sugar you add to anything. And your body will turn any excess protein to carbs anyway. Corn is not a veggie, it's a starch like potatoes and rice. Try a vegetable rather than fruit juice for breakfast.

Most importantly, learn portion sizes. Use a measuring cup to give yourself 1 cup of that casserole, and 2 cups of that salad while you learn how big a portion really is. A standard 3 to 4 oz serving of meat is the size of your palm, not counting the fingers, and not any thicker, either. Think of the size of a beef patty in a quarter-pounder. So 1 meat serving, and 1 cup of veggies make a meal.

[taxexile]

So 1 meat serving, and 1 cup of veggies make a meal.

not today it doesn't.

[Mighty Mouse]

That is not so easy where we are living at the moment which is in the centre of a fairly large city. I get home 6:00 – 6:30 when it is already dark and leave for work at 7:00 am so exercising at home is the only real solution, it’s pretty chilly as well, there is no local gym. When back at home in BKK we have a gym in our condo building and I do the power walk thing for about 45 minutes 3 times a week.

Don't make excuses. Where there is a will there is a way. Large cities close down at nights, leaving empty streets for exercise....or power walking.

If it's chilly, you'll love warming up through exercise.

You will never lose excessive weight in a gym with self training. Unless you have a personal trainer, you could be just wasting your time and money.

Running/walking machines in a gym are better than nothing, but not as good as walking in fresh air along streets with inclines/declines.

Keep in mind that your body does not start to lose weight until at least 30 minutes into a strenuous workout. This is why I recommended an ever increasing work out time. A 45 minute workout for losing weight is not long enough.

Truthfully, here is an example of my current diet:

Breakfast at home

Bowl of cereal with fresh milk 3% fat + juice + fruit tea or coffee (I’m trying to replace coffee with fruit tea) + multi-vitamins + fish oil capsule.

Most cereals contain either sugar or salt. Wheat biscuits or porridge is the better alternative. You can throw on some fruit or sultanas for sweetness....no sugar.

Coffee will de-hydrate you.

Multi-vitamin capsules are usually a waste of money. A well balanced eating routine will provide all the daily requirements of the essential vitamins.

Fish oil capsules are good.

Lunch at Work Canteen

Tomato and cabbage salad + grilled chicken breast + brown bread roll + small rice pudding.

3:00 pm at Work

A banana

Have the banana for breakfast. Bananas provide energy, which is what you need to start the day.

There should be no snacks between breakfast and lunch.

Make sure you are drinking plenty of water....at least 8 glasses per day.

Evening Meal at Home

Thai food or chicken noodle soup or chicken casserole, or similar all small portions+ fruit juice, my wife is a great cook.

I eat very little rice or potatoes

Supper

Cup of fruit tea or coffee + 2 chocolate biscuits

No more chocolate biscuits. Snacks are another thing which can pose a threat to your healthy lifestyle by increasing your calories and by being too readily available when hunger strikes. The correct option for a between meal snack has to be fruit....better still, no snacks at all.

Other Times

During the day at work I drink 2-3 cups of fruit tea. When I get home I usually have a hand full of walnuts. We usually go out for a nice meal on a Friday night when I have a couple of beers. Saturday we usually go shopping and treat ourselves to a cappuccino + shared pizza at lunchtime.

OK, on any day starting with a "S", you can relax your strict eating routine....within reason.

Pizzas are full of salt and fat. Keep this in mind. Substituting a salad would be a better choice.

A few beers with your mates on these days is OK too.

But I hear what everyone says, I need a more definitive plan both diet and exercise.

You need a plan, a routine and you need discipline. You don't necessarily need a strict diet.

Don't say that you don't have enough time. Re-arrange your day so that you DO have enough time for exercise at least 3 times per week.

Set yourself a goal, a body weight and body size that is acceptable. Work hard towards achieving that goal. Once achieved, you can then allow yourself some indulgences.

Edited December 25, 2006 by Mighty Mouse

[steveromagnino]

Set yourself a goal, a body weight and body size that is acceptable. Work hard towards achieving that goal. Once achieved, you can then allow yourself some indulgences.[/color]

awesome post Mighty Mouse.

If you make excuses, too busy at work, got to drink with the boys, etc etc, you won't get anywhere. Accept that you will make mistakes, won't be able to diet every single day exercise every single day, but try to come as close to your plan as possible.

For eating, start reading what is in the food you are eating. No fruit juice, chocolate bikkies, chips, pizza, soft drink, cereals at all. Overweight people get fooled by the marketing of these companies; none of that stuff is healthy. If you want fruit juice, eat a piece of fruit. If you want softdrink, hit yourself in the head, and drink some water instead. Fruit juice and sugar in tea/coffee are two super easy ways to drop your sugar intake.

I always find once in the habit of getting fit, I invarably have less craving for junk foods anyway.

I strongly recommend getting up just 20 minutes earlier than you normally do, and going for either a brisk walk, or even better a run. Every week, try to cover slightly more distance than you were doing the week before. If you can get to about 4km, then that is probably plenty, should be taking you around 12-20 minutes for that excluding a couple of minutes warm up/warm down. As little as even 2km is good; ignore that hype about 'fat burning heart rate' it is a con. Simply....you have not that much time, so make sure you use those few minutes every morning, in the dark on the street whatever, to put in a boxer style quick jog; you'll feel refreshed for the day, and the exercise is about twice as good as diong the exact same exercise later in the day; that's why boxers all run in the morning on an empty stomach. Do this at least 3 times a week. EVERY monday; try to do Tuesday, then you can sleep in Wed, and run Thursday.

Reread the bit about drinking water. LOADs of water.

In the weekend swimming is good; golf is almost a waste of time; better than nothing but don't fool yourself that this is going to burn calories; you will need to work at a higher rate than that.

In case you think this isn't enough....my mum was in your situation, and lost her target number of kilos (almost 20kg) in the space of 18 months. At age 60+ after no real exercise for years. Her running is basically fast walking, but there you have it; go for it, and when you feeling better, then you won't want to eat junk anymore anyway :-)

best of luck.

[ProThaiExpat]

Having approached my own health in much the same way most of the "health" posts advocate for most of my 70 years, I was still faced with an increase in my chloesterol last year to 260 from forty years at 220. Of course, every physician who read my lab results every year said my chloesterol was too high, until I pointed out to him my HDL was 180 and my LDL was marginal.

Anyway, to take care of the recent increase in my chloserterol, I self medicated with Lipitor and the last reading was 190. I am due to have a cardiologist review my self medicagtion plan for chloesterol and my blood pressure control regime, just in case I have missed a new miracle drug.

Yes I am a little overweight, a little sedentary and occasionally eat ice cream and chocolate, but when I turned 70, I made a choice to start to take it a little easier on myself from a lifetime of self denial from pleasuable foods and "lazy boy" chair time. My ancestors are all long lived and I have had no health problems of a sytemic nature except well controlled blood pressure and the recent chloesterol. I am reminded of the book written by the famous guy who advocated running on a daily basis for good health and he died of a heart attack at 45.

All things in moderation, as the saying goes, and that includes exteme health foods, rigid exercise routines and holistic regimines, in my view.

[Mighty Mouse]

I am reminded of the book written by the famous guy who advocated running on a daily basis for good health and he died of a heart attack at 45.

So true. I knew of some very fit, health fanatics who also died young....and also from heart complications.

Jogging is very hard on the leg joints. It is better to jog on soft sand or grass.

Swimming is the No. 1 exercise. No jarring of joints and most muscles in the body exercised.

Bicycle riding would be No. 2. Not all muscles exercised but no jarring of joints.

Power walking I would rate as No. 3, but again, on grass is better....and with proper shoes.

..........and don't forget the Staminade following a heavy work out.

[Sheryl]

From what you describe to be your diet, I am surprised you are still overweight and can't lose. Other than the couple of beers and Saturday pizza, what you eat sounds fine. I assume the fruiot tea doesn't have sugar? (Check if you're not sure). And that the beers are just 2-3 once a week? If there is more beer in the equation that adds calorioes and carbs.

Assuming answer to all above is no -- Has your thyroid been checked? If not, get it checked. While it is true that a low cholestrol diet won't always produce a reduction in cholestrol, anyone who is adequetly controlling their intake should be able to lose weight unless there is a metabolic problem, hence the suggestion.

If your thyroid checks out OK I suggest you keep a diary for one week of everything you consume and the estimated calories, total it each day then show to your doctor. Something is wrong if you are consuming few calories but still not losing weight. Either you are somehow c onsuming more calories than you are aware of (which a diary should help you identify) oir you have a metabolic disorder of some kind.

Fopr rapid weight loss, I can recommend the Health Oasis in Koh Samui, it's a detox program and you will definitely lose weight and come out feeling great. Whether or not it will also cut your choletrol I can't say but no harm in trying, if nothing else you'll de-stress and get slim.

As Cathy said, some people have a familial tendency to manufacture too much cholestrol and this has to be treated with medication, of which there are many. If this turns out to be your situation -- and assuming that the LDL cholestrol is elevated -- then keep trying: change drugs, change docs till you get a medication that works.

I mention about LDL because I have run into a few docs (general practioners notr specialists) who haven't kept up with the times and lookm at the total cholestrol count without considering the HDL and LDL values separately. HDL is the "good" cholesterol and if it is elevated but the LDL is normal, you are OK even tho the total choledterol may be a bit up.

[Mr Jones]

take a look at

http://www.medicalconsumers.org/pages/chol...l_skeptics.html

lez

[JungleBiker]

So true. I knew of some very fit, health fanatics who also died young....and also from heart complications.

Jogging is very hard on the leg joints. It is better to jog on soft sand or grass.

Swimming is the No. 1 exercise. No jarring of joints and most muscles in the body exercised.

Bicycle riding would be No. 2. Not all muscles exercised but no jarring of joints.

Power walking I would rate as No. 3, but again, on grass is better....and with proper shoes.

..........and don't forget the Staminade following a heavy work out.

Actually lack of impact on the bones is not necessarily a good thing - it can result in osteoporsis (sp?) - decreasing bone density.

I also agree that 3 x 45 mins of aerobic exercise is too little. i would be aiming for 5 x 1 hour per week.

Besides aerobic exercise I would throw in some weight training - bigger muscles burn more calories.

[backflip]

"I am reminded of the book written by the famous guy who advocated running on a daily basis for good health and he died of a heart attack at 45"

James Fixx was born with a heart defect, and the heart attack wasn't caused by his diet or lifestyle. Arthur Ashe also had a heart attack, under the same circumstances as James.

[Tolley]

Lot of advice here some of it good and some of it not so good.

THe first thing you should do is have a full medical check up to ensure that there are no underllying medical issues contributing to your weight problems.

For exercise you can't go past weights. I recommend doing circuits 30 mins to 40 mins two or three times a week. I have been doing weights for 15 years and it has kept the weight off despite the fact that i eat a fair bit of rubbish along with a lot of good food. More muscle mass burns fat faster.

You should also do something aerobic , swimming is ideal.

As for food this is a tricky one. I would make sure i ate something every 4 hours.Never miss breakfast. Eat small meals regularly and follow the usual low sugar low trans fat diet. Subsitute meat with beans and lentils a few days a week. If you can't lose weight on this sort of regime you may have medical problems.

Good luck.

[Maestro]

Malcolm, by all means continue to follow a healthy diet and to exercise regularly. At the same time, consider the following points:

1. Specialists today acknowledge that there is no such thing as a generally normal cholesterol level. The normal level varies from one individual to another. If specific efforts and medication to lower your cholesterol level have not brought about a reduction, then perhaps your current level is your normal level.

2. It is not so much the absolute value of total cholesterol that matters, but the ratio of HDL (good cholesterol) to LDL (bad cholesterol). If your doctor has not taken this ratio into account, forget everything he has told you about your having a cholesterol problem.

--

Maestro

[malcolminthemiddle]

Malcolm, by all means continue to follow a healthy diet and to exercise regularly. At the same time, consider the following points:

1. Specialists today acknowledge that there is no such thing as a generally normal cholesterol level. The normal level varies from one individual to another. If specific efforts and medication to lower your cholesterol level have not brought about a reduction, then perhaps your current level is your normal level.

2. It is not so much the absolute value of total cholesterol that matters, but the ratio of HDL (good cholesterol) to LDL (bad cholesterol). If your doctor has not taken this ratio into account, forget everything he has told you about your having a cholesterol problem.

--

Maestro

Here is a translation of my blood test results.

Index Test Result Normal Range Converted to mg/dl

Glucose 6.8 2,8 - 6,1 mmol/l 122.4

Creatinin 62 53-115 mkmol/l

AST/SGOT 58 up to 45 µ/l

ALT/ SGPT 99 up to 45 µ/l

LDL Holesterol 7 3,4 - 5,2 mmol/l 273.00

HDL Holesterol 1.23 males above 0,9; females above 1,0" 47.97

Triglycerids 4.2 0,6 -1,7 mmol/l 373.80

K 4.5 3,5 - 5,6 mmol/l

Na 141 136 -151 mmol/l

I understand the high triglycerid level may indicate some underlying problem.

[NukRukDee]

In addition to all of the above, try to get some simple, good 'ole fashioned, healthy SUNSHINE when you can. 10-15 min/day is all that's necessary.

Simple sunshine will help convert some of that excess cholesterol into Vit D. In addition, Vit D deficiency, as they are now discovering, leads to all kinds of problems down the road. They now think one of them is the dreaded MS (multiple sclerosis). If you have excess cholesterol but are otherwise healthy, you may be Vit D deficient, too.

If you live in the N. latitudes or are otherwise inside most of the time, you may find that you may develop slightly higher cholesterol levels over time. But is going on liver-damaging drugs like lovastatin and the others for the rest of your life the answer?? I think not.

If it means picking up and moving to sunnier climes, then by all means do it. Life is too short sometimes...

Cholesterol is the Precursor to Vitamin D

[Maestro]

Yes, Malcolm, with these values you should definitely do something about it.

LDL/HDL ratio should be <3. Yours is 5.7

Higher than normal triglyceride levels are not good.

--

Maestro

[malcolminthemiddle]

Hi Maestro,

I'm on the case, have started a low fat diet and am watching carefully what I eat. I'm not obesely overweight, about 10 kg, so that is my immediate weight loss target of the coming months.

I have a full medical check up at Bumrungrad booked in a couple of weeks so shall wait for the results of that to see if they prescribe medication.