Now down 1 pound

[Nettie]

Hi, all! I thought I would change the subject of my post to "now down 1 pound" because that's how slow going it is these days. After losing over 100 pounds in less than a year, I have to celebrate every pound lost now. I'm officially in the 150's, having weighed 159 on Friday, a total loss of 123 pounds.

My big concern, the most puzzling thing is I just had blood work done, and AGAIN, my cholesterol is not coming down. It is 203. I'm so disappointed and confused by this. I'm thinking of trying to get in touch with Dr. McDougall for some personal advice.

My typical diet, Monday through Thursday is:
breakfast is banana and another fruit, maybe a pear;
lunch is a baked potato (plain) and a big salad with Kraft ff dressing (French, as all the others mention soybean oil in the ingredients)
supper is maybe another salad as at lunch or perhaps an apple (because I don't get home until 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. or so - too late to eat much, I think)

Beginning on Fridays, through Sunday I eat as above, except I add stir fry with brown rice (& soy sauce); perhaps a couple of bowls of Kashi cereal w/ ff soy milk; usually a veggie burrito from Moe's Southwest Grill with only beans, rice, lettuce, salsa; maybe a couple of boxes of Near East Rice Pilaf. That's it. Not a particularly varied diet.

I know my thyroid meds need to be reduced again; as I've lost weight I've needed to cut back on my Synthroid. This I'll do when I see my doctor this month.

I simply cannot figure out what is going on. When I was on McDougall several years ago and got down to this weight, my cholesterol was in the 140's. I'm worried that the elevated cholesterol will still lead to heart attack down the road, in spite of all my best efforts.

Advice?

Nettie

[Burgess]

Congratulations on your dramatic success in weight-loss so far! That requires dedication and persistence. Both are rare virtues.

Although, to me as a layman, the cholersterol number seems high for the long-term, is it a major worry as long as it is in either a slight downtrend or at least holding relatively steady?

Thank you for the report, especially the typical day's menu. That makes discussion easier. Two questions arise:

What do you drink at meals and between meals?

How much exercise do you get daily?

[Nettie]

Two questions aise:

What do you drink at meals and between meals?

How much exercise do you get daily?

Thanks for the reply, Burgess. I drink absolutely nothing but water; no soft drinks, tea, etc. It's purified water from Earth Fare/Whole Foods, around a quart or more a day. No juices.

For exercise I get on the treadmill nearly every day for 30 minutes.

Since I was trying to lose weight, I stopped eating oatmeal + banana in the morning. When I was on McDougall in the 90's it seems that after adding oatmeal to my diet my cholesterol dropped, although I'm not sure the two were related. Up until a few months ago I was eating oatmeal on the weekends, with no seeming positive effects.

I just ran across some old lab work. In November 1996 my total cholesterol was exactly the same as it is today - I'm holding steady at around 199-204.

I'm wondering if the small amount of oil in the burrito wrap from Moe's could be having an effect. It's very frustrating, as I feel like I'm doing everything right.

Nettie

[Clary]

First of all, Nettie, I want to acknowledge your remarkable achievements over the past year. --and your positive approach to your on-going journey. You have been an inspiration to me. Sometimes at 66 yo, and what seems like almost an entire lifetime of "working on" these issues, I need to hear and read and see results like yours. Motivating.

Even one pound is no small victory. Years ago, I taught Lifestyle classes in my church, and one thing that always brought a smile was when I encouraged women in their weight loss by comparing it to "sticks of butter". "Only one pound", someone would say. "Four sticks of butter", I would say! (Probably not literally true that all the wt. loss was "fat", but the image seemed very motivating.) Sometimes, I would take several pounds of butter quarters to the class, and we would have fun showing where the "sticks of fat" had come off our bodies! --hips, thighs, belly, underarm... --and talk about the sticks that had come off "inside" that we could not see! --liver, blood vessels, etc.

Another fun motivator in the class was when I would ask each week for a volunteer to carry a 25# bag of dog food EVERYWHERE the person went for the following week--PTA meetings, appts., out for a walk, mowing the lawn, etc. Some brave souls would volunteer, and come back the following week HIGHLY motivated to drop 25# off their bodies--and had entertaining and enlightening stories to tell.

About you post: I was so prepared mentally and emotionally for good news recently when going for regular thyroid follow-up, and lab work follow up. I could hardly wait for the appt. I "knew" my Synthroid would be lowered, and it was--now down to 75 mcg. (My TSH was .0279) I "knew" my blood sugar had stabilized, and it was--the on the spot test, and the long-term were excellent. I take no meds. Control it with Lifestyle choices.

I was also excitedly anticipating some really good news about my cholesterol levels. --and I bombed out! Total cholesterol: 225. LDL: 135. I plunged down into discouragement, and have yet to get all the way back up to my usual "positive" approach in living and doing and being. I felt like "the air was knocked out of me", and I literally felt deflated. Mine has actually gone up. I got those numbers over the phone from the nurse, and don't have an appt. for another week to meet with the Dr. and discuss all the labs. I KNOW when she wants me to come in, rather than giving me the numbers over the phone, she wants to give me the "medication talk" again.

I take what Dr. McDougall has to say and teach quite seriously. I have learned to trust him. Here is one of his articles on health from his website, and knowing what he says does give me cause for concern about my recent (and on-going) cholesterol values. I have empathy for your expressed concerns:

http://drmcdougall.com/med_cholesterol.html

I recalled reading/hearing(?) about a synthroid/hypothyroid/cholesterol connection. I have been doing some reading of materials that came up on Google with this search: cholesterol and hypothyroid .

--and also visiting some of the sites that discuss hypothyroidism.

Are you a coffee drinker? In Dr. McD's book, MCDOUGALL'S MEDICINE, he is quite clear about coffee and cholesterol. He says, and has documentation (of course),

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but coffee raises the level of cholesterol in the blood.[the bad news ] On the other hand, people with high blood levels of cholesterol who give up this beverage show a significant drop in their cholesterol levels. The improvement can mean a 10 percent decrease in cholesterol levels, which could have a considerable impact on the danger of dying from heart disease while keeping your arteries in better general health. [the good news ] Giving up coffee should be considered as an additional way to lower an elevated cholesterol value. People with already low cholesterol levels should not expect a further reduction in cholesterol when they stop drinking coffee."

I remember that he addresses the cholesterol problem in his book, The McDougall Program for a Healthy Heart , but I loaned mine to a friend who had a Heart Transplant, and never got the book back. (He moved to PA!, and took the book with him. I'm happy for him to have it--after all, he was 58 when he got his "new heart" , but the donated heart was only 28 years old! I kept reminding him to take care of it!!, --but I need to replace the book.)

Another thing I think about is how the "normal" healthful NUMBER for total cholesterol has been lowered over the years, bringing more and more people into a diagnosed condition--and I am not able to figure out which is correct.

And another of my concerns is what I sense you may have expressed, also. If I can't bring my cholesterol levels down by the way I eat, live, and think, and exercise, I sometimes wonder if I have a chance to ever do so w/o drugs. I really, really don't want to take drugs.

I've been told by many different Drs. through the years (I've moved more than you can ever imagine) all the traditional things about what NOT to do and what NOT to eat, and I wasn't doing/eating them anyway, and what TO DO, and I had been doing those things for years. First, they usually don't believe me that I am compliant, and then--if they ever do believe me (or NOT) they tell me that it just must be "genetics" then, and they whip out the Rx pad. (I do not take any medication except the Synthroid.)

Another oddity to me is the strong reluctance from most all Docs I have ever dealt with on the hypothyroid issue to even discuss the T3 value, much less agree to include it on the labs, or to consider prescribing for it. I was sent to an endocrinologist in Nashville a few months ago by my Family Dr., about my vacillating thyroid levels, and they did include the T3 in the lab work there, and it was not in the norm, and when I returned to the Family Dr. who sent me there, she would not even discuss it. She said it "just doesn't mean anything". --which is what she was taught and believes.

Anyway, I am also eager to read any input anyone can share here on your post and concerns.

And again, Nettie, congratulations on what you have done for yourself and your body and your life.

[Clary]

I must have been typing my above post when you answered about what you drink and don't drink.

[Burgess]

When I was on McDougall in the 90's it seems that after adding oatmeal to my diet my cholesterol dropped, although I'm not sure the two were related. Up until a few months ago I was eating oatmeal on the weekends, with no seeming positive effects.

As a layman I would ask, "Does eating a higher-fiber diet tend to reduce total cholesterol levels in the blood?" I don't know, but I would look for an answer. I doubt that eating oatmeal every morning would seriously impede weight loss over the long-term, and might help reduce the cholesterol count after a period of months.

If there is a connection between fiber consumed and cholesterol reduction, I would wonder if that applies to all sorts of fiber or only one kind. Again, I don't know the answer. All I can offer are questions, at this point.

P. S. -- You said you are down one pound, but didn't specify the time period. Did you mean one pound in one week or two weeks? Even if it is one pound in two weeks as an average, isn't that still an encouraging sign of progress, especially after the dramatic loss you have already achieved? At one pound/two weeks that means 26 more pounds in another year.

[AnnaS]

I think Clary raises reasonable questions about the effect of thyroid, which is something to investigate.

I wanted to say something with regard to your concern about heart attacks--things that I am sure you already know, but might like to hear re-iterated.

Heart attacks and heart disease aren't caused by high cholesterol numbers. They are caused by diseased arteries stemming from bad diet. (I am paraphrasing directly from Dr. McDougall.) Yes, of course we are all very eager to "prove" how healthy we are getting with better numbers, and certainly high numbers are a cause for concern and reevaluation. BUT, your healthy lifestyle is your best prevention strategy, and the only one that really works. If you were to reduce your cholesterol numbers with statins right now, your risk factors for heart disease would not change. Repeating: Statins have NOT been shown to reduce risk of heart attacks in healthy people! (There is some evidence they can help people who have already had severe heart disease.)

You are doing the right thing and you need to keep on doing it. Maybe the last pounds will do the trick and make your numbers look better. I suspect this is the case--my husband has trouble getting his cholesterol lower. When he lost 30 pounds a few years ago the cholesterol came down a lot and was about 160. Then he gradually gained about 8 pounds back. Now his cholesterol checks hover around 200--WAY higher than he wants it to be. But for him the fact is he needs to be at a lower BMI, in spite of the fact that he's in a 'healthy' range now. There is some tummy fat that has to go--once he loses some weight I'll bet anything the cholesterol will come back down. As you know, though, those last few pounds are really hard to take off so it requires persistance, patience and confidence to keep at it.

What I tell my husband (when he gets into despair over his cholesterol numbers) is the same thing I'm telling you--YOUR risk of heart disease is way, way, way, better now than it was when you were more overweight and eating SAD. Your arteries will continue to get clearer, stronger, more flexible and healthier, as the years go by. Your diet is good, there might be some small tweaks (in his case fruit that raises triglycerides) but you are on the right road for excellent heart health. Keep on keeping on, you will get there. And in the meantime you are benefitting in myriad ways from healthy eating!

Yay! Go, Nettie! Go, DH!

[cassidy]

Hello!
As a student of herbalism, I'll tell you that oats do indeed cause a drop in cholesterol levels according to herbal knowledge. An alternative if you don't want to eat a bowl of oatmeal daily would be to drink oatstraw teas and infusions. Either way, they're great.

My father dropped his cholesterol to normal rates by having cheerios every morning--which are made with oat flour. There's something to the hype, methinks!!!

[Clary]

Hello!

My father dropped his cholesterol to normal rates by having cheerios every morning--which are made with oat flour. There's something to the hype, methinks!!!

Hi cassidy--
May I ask,

What was your father most frequently eating for breakfast before he switched to Cheerios?

[Faith in DC]

Nettie
I'd still check with the good doctor, but I think part of the problem is the amount of weight you've lost in the short amount of time. I know it doesn't feel short but getting rid of 100 lbs of fat in a year is a lot. I believe losing that fat contributes to elevated cholesterol. So I'd see what he says. He has mentioned that he will use Statins in those cases where cholesterol don't come down.

[Birdy]

Nettie and Clary,
I think you both should e-mail Dr. McDougall for personal suggestions from him regarding the cholesterol levels. I'm concerned Nettie that you aren't eating enough protein, but that probably doesn't affect cholesterol. I know, I know...vegans are always being asked where we get our protein, but your diet is really low in good sources of protein such as legumes. Maybe if you increase your treadmill time to 45 minutes a day you could eat a little tofu or some nuts for more sources of protein and still lose weight? Burgess is correct about fiber being one way to lower cholesterol, so maybe the oatmeal is a good addition to your breakfast. Best of luck to you both and super congratulations Nettie on your transformation. We want PICTURES!