Bad health news - feeling ashamed

N

navywifey

Cathlete
I know you guys can be very supportive. This has been on my mind for the past couple of days and I'm "letting it all out" by typing it all out. My DH has been out of town, and -- God love him for trying-- but when he says "you'll fix it" over email, it's just not comforting.

I had my cholesterol checked and I got the results the other day. I suspected it might be high because I could stand to lose, ahem - a few pounds (40 maybe) but I didn't expect it to be dangerous. It's 271 (desirable <200) Triglcerides is 229 (desirable <200). Now if I feel the slightest difference in my chest I freak that I'm going to contribute statistics on women and the rise of heart attacks. I'm only 29 btw.

Heart disease runs in my family. My father had a heart attack and a triple bypass. My mother is fine but her dad died young of heart failure. My brother's cholesterol was even worse but he lowered it by cutting back on fried foods, saturated fat, etc.

What do I eat? Kashi & All Bran cereal with soy milk for breakfast. La Tortillas and Laughing Cow cheese for snacks. Whole wheat pasta. Lean beef. Fish. Beans. No more than one egg a day with added egg whites. Cook only with olive oil or Pam. Of course, I'm getting this cholesterol somehow.... I eat out too much because it gives me a break from the office. I eat whatever I want when if I go out to dinner. The weekly cake, Krispy Cremes and snacks at the office can do me in sometime. And I sometimes go overcoard with one of my favorite foods - cheese (other than Laughing Cow).

The good news is that my HDL cholesterol is very high. I guess that attests to the good foods I have been eating and how much exercise I have been doing. Exercise seems to be the easy part.

I wonder since I'm more susceptable to high cholesterol if I have to be better than 95% in my eating to keep it low. Losing the weight will probably clear it all up. Exercise seems the easy part.

Before find out the results I thought I was in pretty decent health and day after day I never thought I'd have to worry about it. I hardly ever get sick. Maybe a cold once a year.

Now that I have the "poor me" out it's time to get cracking. Don't ever take your health for granted. And remember every time that you put in that Cathe DVD, you are not only toning your biceps or trying to fit into that bikini, you are doing more important things for the inside of your body.

Thanks for letting me get it all out ;)
 
Hang in there! I'm sure your MD gave you a diet to help you and meds too if he/she felt they were needed. Just be patient and follow a healthy diet and keep up with the exercise. I'm sure others might be able to give you tips on foods that help other than oatmeal.
 
You have no reason to feel ashamed. My lifestyle is relatively healthy, but my husband was diagnosed recently with extremely high cholesterol as well. He started running on our treadmill about 3-4 times a week (finally) and watching his diet. By watching his diet that means no red meat (once in a great while for a treat), no egg yolks, no fast food-- basically checking the labels and trying to purchase things that are lower in cholesterol (chicken breasts instead of drumsticks). He lost about 20 pounds without starving himself and on his 6 month checkup the doctor was very impressed. He is still working on it and part of it is hereditary, but he doesn't want to go on meds if he has any control over it.

So please take care of yourself and focus on lowering your cholesterol. You can do it! :)
 
Naveywifey:

please do not feel ashamed. High cholesterol can be part of your own genetics, after all, the body makes cholesterol. The good thing is knowing the truth and being mature enough to do something positive about it, which you now are.

You have to stop eating out, cut that krispy kreme and drop the cake: seriously. Everything else you eat is good for you, with the exception of the Laughing Cow cheese perhaps which is heavily processed and really not as nutritious as other snacks you could be having.

Now is the time to focus on filling up with three kinds of fruit and vegetables AT EVERY MEAL. I notice these were absent from your list completely. They will fill you up, the fibre prevents over absorption of fats in the diet and they will keep you from wanting that krispy kreme. Seriously, if you've just eaten three pieces of fruit, I defy you to have room in your stomach for a doughnut! Keep fruit in your handbag at all times, never be tempted to snack on anything else when out and about.

Good luck: we are willing you to lower that cholesterol. It can be done. Don't be ashamed: JUST ACT!!!!!

Clare
 
Don't feel ashamed at all. I have said this in other posts about reading the book "Eat to Live" by Dr Joel Fuhrman. He has had patients that have lowered their cholesterol by 50 points in one month by following his diet. My own cholesterol was about 200 5 years ago. I am waiting about 2 months after being on his program ( it's only been 3 weeks so far )and I am getting mine checked to see if it's lower. Like Clare said about eating alot of fruits and vegeys I completely agree. And cutting out the saturated fat which raises cholestrol and increases your risk for certain kinds of cancer. Nowadays I am eating to live and feel great. I have also exercised most of my life which includes running and alot of Cathe....and yes...P90X too....:)...Carole
 
I would also add that sometimes, due to genetics or other influences, some people just have high cholesterol despites lifesyle and need to take medications to regulate it. Keep that in mind and consult with a doctor before you are too hard on yourself...
 
Navywifey:

First, I'll let you know that I'm not melfitz--I'm her husband. I thought I'd respond because I'm an MD (board-certified Internal Medicine and Pediatrics) and when I heard my wife talking about your post it seemed as if you were beating yourself up a bit too much. Not that I disagree with the others encouraging you to keep a good diet and continue exercising, but I would keep the cholesterol news in context. Your total cholesterol is high partly because you have a high HDL, which protects from heart disease. It's probably that way because you exercise regularly. Also as a young woman with a high HDL, you're in a fairly low risk group for having a heart attack in the next ten years. The level of your LDL is the key. If it's below 160 you can probably keep doing what you are doing. If it's over 190 you may need to consider medication if it doesn't come down with dietary changes. You may be in the 160 - 190 range and in that event dietary changes may help. Try losing the Krispy Kremes and adding Benecol spread (a "stanol" butter substitute that you can get at the grocery store) twice a day to your diet. Eating out less would probably help too. This assumes that you are not diabetic in which case you'd need much tighter control of your cholesterol. Also, if you smoke cigarettes you should definately stop. Finally, high triglycerides alone are not consistantly associated with heart disease and some doctors won't even treat high levels until they get really high (i.e., over 500). BTW, I also have high cholesterol and am dealing with making dietary and lifestyle changes myself, so if this sounds preachy at least know that you're not the only one having to deal with this issue.
 
My DH had high cholesterol about 3 years ago. He could not take doctor prescribed meds because of a liver condition and started researching other options over the internet. He found Red Yeast Rice and started taking it. (Sold in Health Food Stores) His cholesterol was rechecked by the doctor 6 months later and the doctor was scratching his head because all his cholesterol levels were back to normal. He continues to take it daily because it works for him. Just thought I'd share his experience with you.
 
Thank you EVERYONE for your support and advice. After I got it all out, I'm feeling much better today.

Just to add a few things.

My doctor says I'm too young for cholesterol medication and since I know a good part of it is dietary, I don't want to go on medication unless it's necessary.

I could always eat some more veggies but I do pretty good with the fruit, especially in summer because I love all berries, melons and cherries, especially. I think I am going to put keep fruit at my desk all the time and let everyone else go hog wild on the junk. All I have to do is wait a few hours and it's all devoured anyway.

Reading back, maybe ashamed isn't thr right word. Maybe a little disappointed because I thought I was doing everything *mostly* right. And maybe being a little over confident that only the men in family were dealing with this issue -until now at least.

Thanks for the book suggestion. I'm going to check that out.

What exactly is Red Yeast Rice? What does it taste like?

P.S. for the MD -- I have never smoked and not diabetic (though my father recently became borderline). I made a copy of my results and I thought it said my LDL was 271. HDL was in the 80s.
 
I wanted to share my experience with you, for whatever it's worth. I had high cholesterol levels, too. Friends and family were shocked... no one expects someone who's thin to have problems with cholesterol. I thought maybe it was hereditary - my Mom's runs high while my Dad's is always low. I figured there wasn't much I could do about it.

Imagine my surprise when I had it tested a couple of months ago... it was low. The lab tech's response was "Wow... this is great. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it." What changed? My diet. Due to other health problems, I had completely overhauled my diet. Before, I was eating all kinds of processed foods, lots of baked goodies, chocolate and other sweets, hot and cold cereals, fried foods, etc. Now, I eat a healthy lo-carb diet that virtually eliminates fried foods, grains and dairy and cut back severely on sugary stuff.

Cutting the bad fats, increasing the good fats and cutting most of the junk really made a huge difference for me.

HTH,

Angela
 
Here are some suggestions, to take and use as you wish:
Definitely up the amount of green veggies in your diet. If you start lunch and dinner with a big salad (romaine lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, red pepper, or whatever you like--no cheese or bacon bitgs or ham or eggs!), you'll have less room for foods that may increase your cholesterol level and you will feel more satisfied as well as getting good antioxidants and phytonutrients. Replace processed foods (white flour, sugars) with whole foods as much as possible.

Little things can add up, both good and bad. Since you say that you are about 40 pounds overweight, I suspect that the eating out may contribute to the problem, since you can't control what is in restaurant foods, and they are notoriously high in fat and processed ingredients. Also, many restaurant servings are 2-4 times what one should actually eat. Could you get a break from the office without eating at a restaurant as often? Maybe take lunch and eat in the park or find a place to eat that is out of the office. Eating "anything you want' is fine on an occasional basis, but if happens more than once a week or so, it can definitely cause problems, especially if you eat the typical American diet (which promotes obesity, heart disease and cancer among other chronic diseases). Also, I know from personal experience that a "weekly" (insert unhealthy food choice here) treat can actually end up being more than that. Watch your cake, Krispy Cremes and office snacks (keep a stash of healthy snacks so they don't tempt you). You might be surprised at exactly how much processed foods, sugar, fat you are consuming per day from these little treats.

Cheese is the biggest contributor of saturated fat in the Amerian diet, and tortillas are very high fat. You may want to rethink your snacks. Maybe red pepper slices and a handful of nuts don't sound that tasty to you now, but they are some examples of better choices (the oil in walnuts, for example, is good omega-3, the peppers have a satisfying crunch and sweetness). Steamed edamame beans are tasty and somewhat crunchy as well. Apples are good high-fiber snacks as well.

Also, avoid foods with "partially hydrogenated" or "hydrogenated" oils in the ingredient list. They contain trans fatty acids, which many believe to be even worse for the heart than saturated fat.

Though olive oil and Pam are better choices than solid fats or margarine, they are still fats, with 100% of their calories from fat. Limit olive oil to 1 tsp per use for stir frying, and add cooking sherry or juice or another fat-free liquid to use as a cooking base (I prefer cooking sherry or another cooking wine, as they add a certain mouth-feel and texture that is similar to oil).

If you are ready to really commit to a diet that will help you not only improve your cholesterol level, but also lose weight, I suggest you read "Eat more, weigh less" by Neil Barnard or "Eat to Live" by Joel Furhman. Fuhrman's book is the more recent, and is pretty easy to read, with good scientific references (though it isn't difficult to read). YOu might be able to find these at a local library.
 
Wow. Thanks for all the good advice. I did just give a small overview of what I eat. It's not the whole picture of course but I guess I made it sound like I'm eating only these foods.

Just a note on La Tortillas - they are 50 cals, 2 grams of fat (none saturated), 8 grams of fiber, 0 cholesterol, made with whole wheat flour. I need the fiber to help me feel full.

Speaking of the office - it's someone's b-day today, so that means someone brought in dunkin donuts - I successfully refrained and had no desire to eat it. I think of all that stuff now as going straight to my arteriers.
 
Navywife,
There are somethings that maight help reduce your cholesterol. My dad has had two heart attacks,so I know somethings that might help. I have seen the new orange juice by minute made that has cholesterol lowering ingredients in it. There is also some trans fat free butter substitutes out there as well. I also know that whole oatmeal helps lower your cholesterol too.
It sounds like your genes may be playing a big part in this and you may want to talk to your dr about getting on a medication to help lower your cholesterol for the time being as well. There is nothing wrong with taking a prescription. Even if it's just for a month to get it back in check. Unfotunately you are scared now, and your blood pressure is probably raising as well with stress. So Do what you need to do to help you feel better.
You are on the right track, it will just take time. I'm sure that you will correct this. Good luck to you!

Kathy
 
Hi there,

I feel your pain, Ihad my cholesterol tested a year ago and was SHOCKED to see it was an overall 268. I was 30 then, 5'6" 120 lbs, exercised heavily and regularly, RARELY touch processed foods, and according to the American Heart Association guidelines was already following their step 1 diet and . Totally unfair. For me it is mostly genetics that cause the high number. I did make some drastic measures to my diet, eliminated all dairy even non fat, only ate one "deck of cards sized" portion of lean meat a day at most, added tofu, vegan products, Egg Beaters and Benecol to my diet. Got the number down to 230 (still bad) but also that diet wreaked havoc on my digestive system - waaay too much fiber. So i've found a happy medium now which is still FAR healthier than most of the people I know. I have another test in a few weeks so we shall see. But I am doing all the things you are supposed to do, am healthy, fit and a non smoker yet I still have high cholesterol. The only reason my doctor didn't prescribe medication was that I was young and otherwise totally healthy. Life isn't fair sometimes. And it is TOTALLY frustrating when people who have crappy diets yet have low cholesterol say to me "Oh just eat a bowl of oatmeal every morning." If only it were that easy! That 268 number was after a long standing breakfast of oatmeal every day, so obviously that wasn't enough!

Hang in there!
Jill
 
Hi,

I can relate to this topic. I recently had my cholesterol checked and it was 299, which is the highest it's ever been. My HDL was in the 60s, and my LDL was 205. Not good. I'm only 31, and my weight is OK (high end of normal).

Anyway, I generally eat really healthy foods - lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, tofu, etc. I have oatmeal for breakfast every day. Not that I'm perfect - I seem to have developed an affinity for butter lately, and I do like to eat out. Still, I eat better than most people out there. And I've been a consistent exerciser since I was about 17.

I'm sure this is partly due to genetics. However, my doctor said that most likely this was caused by stress. I don't think anyone mentioned that possibility above. I don't know what your lifestyle is like, but stress can most certainly be a factor. I'm a major type A perfectionist kind of person, and I drive myself crazy. I have no idea how to relax, although I guess I'm going to have to learn.:eek:

Tonya
 
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