# I need a diet and training regime to reduce chorlesterol!



## paul_c33 (Apr 13, 2011)

any help would be great...it's time to get serious! Just got another test back today and it's no good news...just went up another 0.2...now 4.9...

need drastic proven diet and training regime to get back in shape...


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## RideStrong (May 4, 2007)

Some good info here: *http://www.naturalnews.com/001546.html*


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

Lots of fiber.....

Ensure your healthy enough to go hard as you can....then do so..

5 to 6 days per week.


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## fourring (Feb 17, 2009)

*Same thing Here*

Went for a check up 3 months ago and was surprised to hear I had High Cholestoral...4.2

Got it down to 3.4 in 3 months

Im no expert but here is wht I did-

No more eggs -egg beaters if neccessary
Bowl of cheerios a day with no fat milk 
lost of fruits/ raw veggies for snack
Salads for lunch
no cheeses
no fat creamers
Smart Balance heart healty spreads
One meat a day
look for "heat Smart"Labels
look for high fiber
also lost about 15 punds in the process

Most importantly just eating aware of what you are eating...ie one egg has 220mg of chol. to cut it down you need lees then that a day.

Again I'm no expert, but just watching the labels seemed to help good luck


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## miss rides a lot (Jul 23, 2008)

Interesting on the no egg thing... We have a basic health-check every year through work. Hubby has genetically high cholesterol. We have a really pretty clean diet (it comes and goes lately). Late 2009-2010 we started eating eggs about 3-4 days a week (2 each, usually scrambled) and I mean full eggs, not egg beaters, not egg whites, etc. 

His cholesterol at the end of 2010 was lower than it had been the previous 3-4 years, with better "good cholesterol".

YMMV, but do some reading on cholesterol and eggs before removing them from your diet. I believe there have been a few recent studies showing dietary cholesterol doesn't negatively affect your #s as much as previously thought. The yolk is also where all of the nutrients are!

As far as diet/training regimen... you just need to make a lifestyle change to eat healthier (less processed foods, less sugar, less refined and starchy carbohydrates) and to exercise regularly. Drastic changes to diet and exercise might be hard to maintain and stay focused/motivated to keep up. Small changes over time are sustainable. But, it really comes down to you wanting to make the change enough to stick with it!


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## fourring (Feb 17, 2009)

You may be right. Again I am no expert, so I just Cut everything to get Below 200 mg a Day....Worked for me...I can probably re-introduce them since I have Cleaned up the rest of my diet as well.



T


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## longshanks (Jul 11, 2005)

You could go to a plant-based diet. Triathelete Brendan Brazier's book Thrive has some great tips on how, what, and when to eat. A lot of the recipes seem complicated, but they're actually pretty easy because they're raw - just mix it up and go. Lots of salads and smoothies as well, which are all very easy and healthy. I follow it loosely, some of the meals are really tasty, others aren't great and some of the ingredients are hard to find - I just sub other healthy/similar ingredients. It's also easy to tweak the diet for your particular needs - like I had a hard hill workout this morning, so I added more hemp protein to my recovery smoothie.  
Good luck with whatever you decide to do - many of the suggestions here about cutting processed foods, cheese, sugary foods - that'd be a great start for you.


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## kid_dynamite (Jan 20, 2008)

I highly recommend www.marksdailyapple.com
check out the results board in the forum and you'll see some big numbers going down. Just a warning, it is a lifestyle and is very addictive! I saw major gains in on the bike and dropped extra weight in just a month or so...Good luck!


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## wmodavis (Jun 21, 2007)

Since cholesterol is NOT a good indicator of the problem it is proported to be the answer to I strongly suggest you look into the more correct, yet newer view on dealing with heart disease - plaque. It is the real indicator of CAD and it can be measured and treated mostly with diet. For good info on the chosesterol scam see www.wmodavis.com. For info on dealing with plaque which is the culprit in heard disease see http://trackyourplaque.com/.

I followed the cholesterol lowering plan for about 20 years and while my C was at a level to make the cardiologists grin like Cheshire Cats I had 5 heart attacks. Don't believe in the false god of cholesterol lowering, it's a misleading detour that will divert you from dealing with the real problem PLAQUE.

Though maybe you are simply interested in low cholesterol and not in preventing heart disease. If that is the case please feel free to ignore my personal view (which is backed by lots of evidence. It all depends on what you are really trying to achieve.


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## gghurst (Apr 17, 2006)

Watch the fat head movie for a different perspective on cholesterol and some real science. Also you'll get some advice on how to improve your cholesterol numbers and learn what cholesterol is doing in your body in the first place.

It's free to watch here:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/196879/fat-head


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## paul_c33 (Apr 13, 2011)

wow, thanks guys & gal...a lot of info to be digested...

I am starting to cut down on meat and serving size of meals...however, I get hungary much more frequent now...mind you, I wasn't over-weight or anything...in fact, I had always been slightly underweight for my height...I am 6' and 188 lb...used to be 155-165...I am 37 now and does have a bit of mid-section...anyway, start to take vitamins with fish oil too...

It's interesting how I conscienciously not to eat anything too 'unhealthy' but still got the problem...obviously something I am not doing right...and I don't smoke and only occasionally drink...next time I visit my doctor I might mention the plaque thing...

also interesting take on egg...and the mention of sugar...my blood sugar seemss ok but I think I might be putting too much sugar in my coffee! LOL


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## wmodavis (Jun 21, 2007)

If you're getting hungry it's likely because of eating too much blood sugar elevating carbohydrates. That will keep you hungary and going back for more and poorer health. A low 'bad' carb diet is much better than low meat, low eggs etc. Those are healthy foods. One category of the most sugar elevating carbs is grains including 'healthy whole wheat grains". They will elevate your blood sugar more than a snickers candy bar. And it will keep you coming back for more of those hungar generating unhealthy grains.


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## robncircus (Jan 13, 2011)

In all honesty... while we produce cholesterol naturally the only other way to get it is through animal products. This is less a diet and more a lifestyle but try the 28 day challenge. It will change everything http://www.engine2diet.com/. My total cholesterol is 112 as of March and my LDLis around 71. Try it.


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## Whambat (Jul 30, 2006)

Just to add on the eggs part, free-range eggs have much less cholesterol that normal farm eggs. Also, grass fed beef has much less cholesterol than grain fed. Commercial farming has done a lot to make food cheaper, both in price and quality.
Sugar can have a huge impact on cholesterol and your triglycerides, cut out the simple sugars except during time on the bike and right after, but don't use exercise as an excuse to splurge. 
Eat lots of high fiber foods. Apples can be your best friends when snack cravings hit. 

I dropped 60 points on my LDL in one year by making lots of changes, it can be done, but my food bill is a lot higher now. Of course, I had a big thing for bacon that I gave up, and that was probably half of it.


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## paul_c33 (Apr 13, 2011)

Whambat said:


> Just to add on the eggs part, free-range eggs have much less cholesterol that normal farm eggs. Also, grass fed beef has much less cholesterol than grain fed. Commercial farming has done a lot to make food cheaper, both in price and quality.
> Sugar can have a huge impact on cholesterol and your triglycerides, cut out the simple sugars except during time on the bike and right after, but don't use exercise as an excuse to splurge.
> Eat lots of high fiber foods. Apples can be your best friends when snack cravings hit.
> 
> I dropped 60 points on my LDL in one year by making lots of changes, it can be done, but my food bill is a lot higher now. Of course, I had a big thing for bacon that I gave up, and that was probably half of it.


so the more expensive food does have its advantages!  OK, 5 star beef mince from now on...and free-range eggs...

I guess we can still love some food just need to watch it like above...

ok, apple, here I come! :thumbsup:


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## wmodavis (Jun 21, 2007)

Your liver was designed to manufacture cholesterol. Why? Every cell in your body needs cholesterol! Especially your brain. That is where the highest concentration of cholesterol is found in the body. Guess why. Your brain cells NEED cholesterol to function properly. Your liver gets feedback from your body as to how much cholesterol is needed. If you eat more cholesterol your liver cuts back on production of cholesterol and thus the cholesterol in your blood remains relatively constant. In other words it is very difficult to make much of a significant change in your serum cholesterol level by eating high or low cholesterol foods. Diet alone can only make small alterations in the serum cholesterol! Why get anal about something that only has a very small affect on what I presume you all are so frightened of - heart disease. On the other hand if you are simply interested in low serum cholesterol take a statin cholesterol lowering pill. They work wonders at that. I was on them for nearly 20 years and I was on a low fat low cholesterol diet and my cholesterol was below 100. Then I had 5 heart attacks and intestinal cancer which is one of the cancers that increase significantly with prolonged statin therapy. Make your choice but make an informed one. Ask your doctor why half the people who have heart attacks have high cholesterol and the other half have low cholesterol. And ask why clinical trials show that people with higy cholesterol live longer. You thought low cholesterol was suppose to fix it. IT DOESN'T! It only deludes you into thinking you are better off. My suggestion is to see if you have the disease by measuring the plaque in your heart arteries. It is measured with a relatively inexpensive CT calcium heart scan. That will tell you if you have the disease. You can have no plaque in your heart arteries thus no heart disease and at the same time have high cholesterol. If that is the case there is no need to reduce your serum cholesterol. Or you can have 'nice low' cholesterol and be tickled pink with your self and your low fat, low cholesterol, healthy whole wheat, diet and have a high calcium heart scan score and be on the verge on a big one with not a clue because your LDL is 60.


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## ratmonkey (Feb 10, 2011)

Cholesterol also is important in the manufacturing of sex hormones. Cholesterol is not a demon, especially dietary cholesterol which has next to no impact on serum levels. Very few studies have ever linked lowering dietary intake to lowered serum levels. 

Cad and plaque buildup are only partly linked to high ldl levels.

statins and ssri's are two of the worst drug classes ever created.


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## BruceBrown (Jan 16, 2004)

wmodavis said:


> Since cholesterol is NOT a good indicator of the problem it is proported to be the answer to I strongly suggest you look into the more correct, yet newer view on dealing with heart disease - plaque. It is the real indicator of CAD and it can be measured and treated mostly with diet. For good info on the chosesterol scam see www.wmodavis.com. For info on dealing with plaque which is the culprit in heard disease see http://trackyourplaque.com/.
> 
> I followed the cholesterol lowering plan for about 20 years and while my C was at a level to make the cardiologists grin like Cheshire Cats I had 5 heart attacks. Don't believe in the false god of cholesterol lowering, it's a misleading detour that will divert you from dealing with the real problem PLAQUE.
> 
> Though maybe you are simply interested in low cholesterol and not in preventing heart disease. If that is the case please feel free to ignore my personal view (which is backed by lots of evidence. It all depends on what you are really trying to achieve.


I would be curious what your exercise (how many hours a week did you exercise?), weight (what was your average weight and BMI?), diet, blood pressure, and lifestyle (any smoking?) were like the 20 years leading up to being put on a cholesterol lowering plan. And, then what your exercise, weight, diet and lifestyle were during the 20 years of the cholesterol lowering plan. I would also be curious if there is any family history of heart disease and cancer in your past.

Even according to the website you mention (Track Your Plaque dot Com), exercise is one of the tools in managing your plaque. 
_
2. Exercise: Exercise exerts broad beneficial effects on lipoproteins and can thereby be a powerful tool to gain control of plaque._

As is drug therapy which includes cholesterol lowering medications...

_4. Prescription Drug Therapy: When natural methods are not sufficient to correct your lipoprotein problems you can turn to potent drug therapies. Medical science offers powerful new prescription solutions to many of the plaque causing problems uncovered by lipoprotein testing._

The other two management tools being diet/nutrition and natural supplements such as Fish Oil, Vitamin C, Co-Enzyme Q10, Proanthocyandins, etc.. . That's a good website from the quick look I just did.

However, I don't see any of this as "ground breaking" for the current generation of heart specialists and patients, articles on heart health that have been written and printed in the past decade, etc... that should sway anybody to actually pay the fee to join as a member of Track Your Plaque Dot Com. I think one could save the membership fee and access the same information in other, free sources (including forums). I don't think I've come across any medical advice that suggested a cholesterol lowering medication alone would manage one's heart disease. It's simply one tool of many tools that, when used in combination can help manage some patient's disease.

Me?

Yup. I have a family history of heart disease. I've had the scan since I'm high risk and have the family history. I manage it with diet, nutrition, exercise, supplements and a prescription medication. Standard tools used in tandem. I've avoided a few of the other elements (smoking, overweight, high blood glucose, physical inactivity) of other family members that did suffer in hopes of avoiding what they have gone through.

Not knowing the complete picture of the OP, perhaps lowering his/her cholesterol is indeed one of the tools (diet/nutrition) recommended by the heart specialist (to be used in tandem along with exercise, supplements and prescription medication) to manage his/her heart health.

Whether one agrees or disagrees, certainly high risk factors for heart disease and other conditions still need to be viewed in tandem when assessing one's health profile to determine a heart management routine.

*Risk Factors*

* High blood pressure (hypertension)
* High LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol)
* Low HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol)
* High triglycerides
* High blood glucose (sugar)
* Family history of premature heart disease
* Physical inactivity
* Cigarette smoking


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## chameleoneel (Mar 31, 2007)

miss rides a lot said:


> Interesting on the no egg thing... We have a basic health-check every year through work. Hubby has genetically high cholesterol. We have a really pretty clean diet (it comes and goes lately). Late 2009-2010 we started eating eggs about 3-4 days a week (2 each, usually scrambled) and I mean full eggs, not egg beaters, not egg whites, etc.
> 
> His cholesterol at the end of 2010 was lower than it had been the previous 3-4 years, with better "good cholesterol".
> 
> ...


anyone should watch dietary cholesterol and saturated facts. but, eggs contain a form of lecithin that renders their otherwise high cholesterol content to be negligible. I'd say that only those with extreme cholesterol issues should avoid eggs. and yeah, the yoke contains all the vitamins and good fats. not to mention, eggs are some of the highest quality protein,


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## 247 (Apr 23, 2009)

Id only eat 6 whole eggs a week--AND start taking Organic Apple Cider Vinegar-------
--stay away from any prescription drugs (except advil when needed in extreme cases)---BUT thats me..
--I just saw a commercial that said an ACNE drug is responsible for Cancer, Parkinson's and heart and liver failure----and about 10 other serious heallth problems------Go all Natural, period...


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## 247 (Apr 23, 2009)

Id only eat 6 whole eggs a week--AND start taking *Organic Apple Cider Vinegar*-*and Organic Molasses*------
--stay away from any prescription drugs (except advil when needed in extreme cases)---BUT thats me..
--_I just saw a commercial that said an ACNE drug is responsible for Cancer, Parkinson's and heart and liver failure----and about 10 other serious heallth problems_------

*AND Go Organic*, _*I strive for 90% everthing now (especially protein, fruit and veggies)---get rid of all those pesticides, fugicides, herbacides, etc, etc.--JUST DO THAT and see how much your cholesterol changes---I am living proof!!! *_

_*Drink from glass or stainless steel (filtered water). With weight traing, riding, and my eating (and supplement) habits--my boss thought I was 15yrs Younger than I really am!!*_----By the end of this summer I am going for 20yrs younger!!-People who knew me 20yrs ago think I had some sort of Face Lift (and hair restoration)----supplements, and 9 hours of sleep average!!!


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## Jaybo (Mar 5, 2008)

My HDL (good cholesterol) went from 29 to 49 in the last year. I also went from a total count from 195 to 168. I have lost 10 lbs and am eating better; however, I think the biggest addition that has done the trick is Niacin. I pop 100 mg 3x a day. I take it on a full stomach to avoid the flushing side effect. I can't say definitely that it has upped my HDL and dropped my cholesterol. 

You need the flushing kind. Talk to your doctor.


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## wmodavis (Jun 21, 2007)

Jaybo - I whole_heart_edly agree with taking Niacin. "Slo Niacin" is what I take. I'm taking 1500mg/day. In addition to increasing HDL and reducing "small LDL" it also reduces Lp(a). Lp(a) is a genetic trait and a powerful cause of plaque. I also take high dose EPA/DHA from fish oil to also help treat my Lp(a) disorder. It is difficult to deal with potential or real heart health, however, with simple lipid panel data and the all-too-common advice from a doctor who advises "cut your fat and take Lipitor". It's a lot more complicated than that but can very likely be treated without medication. If you are really concerned and especially if you have a family history of heart problems, getting a coronary artery calcium CT scan to measure the actual plaque is the best starting point. Follow that with advanced lipoprotein blood test (either VAP or NMR) and you can target treatment of specific abnormalities rather then simply looking at the standard lipid panel LDL, HDL, totalC readings which are really of minimal diagnostic and/or predictive help. It has been shown that plaque can be reduced my tracking coronary calcium and treating plaque causing lipid abnormalities. It's new and coming but it is coming. The traditional approach of taking statin drugs (with their associated side effects) did me no good. I'm working on tracking my actual plaque and treating lipids that are out of line to prevent MI number 6.


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## wmodavis (Jun 21, 2007)

*Cholesterol*

Lots of good info on cholesterol at Credible Evidence.


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## wmodavis (Jun 21, 2007)

I suggest you read cardiologist Dr William R. Davis's new book called Fat Belly. It is #5 on NYT Best Sellers list but it is more than a diet book. Mostly on avoiding heart disease. He deals with most all of the topics covers in this discussion.

Credible Evidence: Wheat Belly


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

paul_c33 said:


> any help would be great...it's time to get serious! Just got another test back today and it's no good news...just went up another 0.2...now 4.9...
> 
> need drastic proven diet and training regime to get back in shape...


Who told you that was high? I'm not used to the mmole numbers but the online converter tells me that is equal to 189 mg/dl. Not high. I'd be looking at HDL and LDL as much better indicators than total C anyway.


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

ratmonkey said:


> Cholesterol also is important in the manufacturing of sex hormones. Cholesterol is not a demon, especially dietary cholesterol which has next to no impact on serum levels. Very few studies have ever linked lowering dietary intake to lowered serum levels.


Agreed. The effect of eggs on serum cholesterol was overblown in the past. The effect is weak for most people, but you have to be careful, because some people have a genetic predisposition to dietary cholesterol from eggs elevating serum cholesterol much more than in the normal population.



> Cad and plaque buildup are only partly linked to high ldl levels.


True, but there is a correlation. And if you include a more comprehensive blood analysis (Lp(a), LDL particle size, HDL2, HDL3, IDL, C reactive protein, homocysteine, etc), correlation and predictive value is very good.



> statins and ssri's are two of the worst drug classes ever created.


Without those drugs, I would be dead and my wife would be crazy 

Seriously, statins have huge volume of data behind them that show that people who take them will have much better odds of living longer than people who don't. The evidence is very very very strong.


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

wmodavis said:


> Jaybo - I whole_heart_edly agree with taking Niacin. "Slo Niacin" is what I take. I'm taking 1500mg/day. In addition to increasing HDL and reducing "small LDL" it also reduces Lp(a). Lp(a) is a genetic trait and a powerful cause of plaque. I also take high dose EPA/DHA from fish oil to also help treat my Lp(a) disorder. It is difficult to deal with potential or real heart health, however, with simple lipid panel data and the all-too-common advice from a doctor who advises "cut your fat and take Lipitor". It's a lot more complicated than that but can very likely be treated without medication. If you are really concerned and especially if you have a family history of heart problems, getting a coronary artery calcium CT scan to measure the actual plaque is the best starting point. Follow that with advanced lipoprotein blood test (either VAP or NMR) and you can target treatment of specific abnormalities rather then simply looking at the standard lipid panel LDL, HDL, totalC readings which are really of minimal diagnostic and/or predictive help. It has been shown that plaque can be reduced my tracking coronary calcium and treating plaque causing lipid abnormalities. It's new and coming but it is coming. The traditional approach of taking statin drugs (with their associated side effects) did me no good. I'm working on tracking my actual plaque and treating lipids that are out of line to prevent MI number 6.


I have the Lp(a) problem too. I'm taking 4g/day of immediate release niacin.


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## asphaltdude (Sep 17, 2008)

fourring said:


> Bowl of cheerios a day with no fat milk


Skip the cheerios, take rolled oats instead. Add a spoonful of crushed linseeds.

It's fine to eat 1 or 2 eggs a day but do not combine the eggs with saturated fats (ie bacon)

Eat less beef and pork, and more fish, especially fat fish like salmon or mackerel (not deep fried, but grilled or steamed)


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## nov0798 (Nov 27, 2005)

Moderation of what you eat, and portion control are probably the biggest things to watch. That combined with exercise, and youll see a change. Dont try to cut out everything you love, otherwise your diet will fail. Instead of 5 cookies a day, eat 1, instead of 6 cokes a day, have 1.


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