ddrudd's Journal, 15 February 2024

Ddrudd, Im sorry you’re struggling with this, and I am, too. I’ve been looking into this more and one of the things you could do is get a more in-depth look at your risk factors, such as the ApoB particle count since it’s ApoB which is the real causal factor for cardiovascular disease (which LDL only approximates, not always well). With all the fiber and exercise you do, your count might be actually low or at least normal. The test might also look into your inflammation levels (CRP), another risk factor. There is also the cardiac aortic calcium scan. If your numbers look great there, and all the other things from your panel (trigs and HDL), then you have little to worry about even with the LDL somewhat elevated. Your high-fiber diet may be all you need (By the way, you are a true inspiration to me on fiber :) My ApoB count was pretty bad last time I looked in 2021 and I have a script for calcium scan. This will tell me how critical it will be for me to stay on the statin which I started in January. 

good luck . I figured I would wait till after the cut for my physical lol  

don't feel discouraged, I was eating a lot to build muscle to, but now it's time for us to reign it in and really eat healthy foods, which is hard. I'm struggling, but we can do it 

I can eat straight as an arrow for 4 months and then was expecting Excellent results from blood work and BOOM they were the worst ever! So yeah, you just never knows whats going inside you ! Just hang in there! 

Hang in there. Try some plant proteins or protein powder maybe ? I am on cancer medication that makes your cholesterol go up so I have to be watchful of all the meats. I try more beans and lentils at times, but then you have the carb factor. It's all a balance, don't be discouraged you will suceed at this ☀️ 

@AgnesZ Thank you for your kind words, I really do like the high fiber diet, it feels so much better to me, I will keep recommending it to anyone who will listen 🙂 Especially legumes!! 😄 They have such a great nutritional profile. I think at my current level my doctor will likely not order more tests, since it's still technically in the acceptable range. I'll try to clean up my eating a little and ask her to re-check the lipids in another 6 months, and maybe just keep close tabs on this. I have a bad family history of high cholesterol and heart issues so she'll probably agree to keep checking it frequently. I hope the calcium scan gives you some encouraging results! 🤞 How are you doing on the statin? Any side effects? 

I know exactly how you feel. My blood work always comes back a bit high in cholesterol. As I have heart issues, this is concerning to me but when they tested my plaque in arteries I scored a 0! Dr said not to worry about it. I took eat healthier than most of my friends. I get teased whenever we go for lunch because I'm always asking restaurant to modify my food and I bring my own salad dressing. It's a real struggle and balance to be in maintenance mode. Just keep pushing forward and hopefully it will all balance out. As my nutritionist says, trust the process 💜 

@OTB Lol yeah I may not have picked the best moment in time to do this, especially since last week when my sister was visiting was my worst eating in years, hahaha. Hope you get better news after your cut than I did mid-bulk. It's a little discouraging, though, I really like this lifestyle. I kinda wouldn't mind the perma-bulk 👀 But I guess it may not be the best idea 

@RN16 yeah it is difficult to eat all healthy calories when you are purposely eating in a surplus. It gets tiring and you end up going for more calorie dense foods sometimes. Sigh. Yes, we can do it. THanks for your support and you have mine as well 🙂 

Check out Obesity Code and Outlive by Peter Attia. That will give you the roadmap! 

@DO N OK sorry to hear that! What a disappointment. I feel your pain. It's so frustrating to be doing everything right and not get the right results. Wishing you good health 🙂 

@straycat26 Yeah I have a few ideas to clean up my diet a little, just mourning the fact that it seems like I have to be so strict 😭 And a little scared that eventually, even being strict will no longer be enough. Thank you for your words of encouragement. One day at a time 🙂 Wishing you excellent health and a speedy and full recovery ♥️  

lol no perma bulks ! I got my blood work for the first time In crazy long time and probably ever for some of the stuff last year like a month and a half Into the bulk. I think genetics plays a huge role on these numbers even more so than the food I take but eating mostly clean is still the way to go. 

@Diana1234 you are a huge inspiration to me, you are doing so great keeping up your health with the heart issues you have. I'm younger but there is heart disease in my genetics from both sides of my family, all four grandparents, and now my father, so I know it's somewhat inevitable for me. I'm trying to do my best as early as I can to keep my health in check but I don't know how much power I have to make any real difference TBH. The way you've managed to lead a healthy active life is so encouraging 💜  

@OTB and... how were the results mid-bulk? If you don't mind me asking 🤣 I wonder if my results would be better if I did this 4-5 months from now instead. I mean... probably just wishful thinking. My genetics are not great for heart issues 😭 

There were at the lowest end possible within the healthy range. I didn't even know what all the Numbers meant so I posted them on here and people pretty much told me I was going to die because my cholesterol was too low.. I know not the answer you wanted that's why I didn't Initially post it.  

@OTB no it's pretty much what I expected, actually, lol... I think you're right that a lot of it is genetics. Because if we looked purely at behavior and nothing else, I should be doing better, and a lot of people around me living sedentary lifestyles, drinking, eating poorly, would be doing worse 🤷‍♀️  

My cholesterol was high when I was obese and fat. At the start of my weight loss journey I went on statins after having a CAC scan because I had a score of 19. I went off statins in April 2023. My CAC score had increased to 59 while on statins. Both those numbers are considered minimal risk. After a few follow up labs my cholesterol and triglycerides are all at healthy numbers but did increase after going off statins. I am rather dyslexic in the months before lab work in my eating because I want to eat really well to keep the in a healthy range but also want to understand how much flexibility I can have in food choices. Trying to improve scores the 3 months before lab work is counterintuitive. You want a realistic portrait of your health. Recently I went caffeine free and added back in paper filters to my morning coffee brew. I don’t miss caffeine at all. That was after reading how both can increase ldl. I get retested the end of April but irregardless of how the labs come out I am going to go back on a really low dose statin. So my advice is it was the CAC test that triggered me to go on statins. So if you have the test you will likely go into a tail spin if you have any calcification. Mentally you think you are going to have a heart attack any minute. lol. That is my only risk factor. No heart issues in my family, no prediabetic or insulin resistant, blood pressure is great, not a smoker, not a drinker and normal weight, stress free life. But I don’t sleep well and don’t exercise enough. Good luck. 

That was the secret for me. When I started tracking my saturated fat, my overall cholesterol started to drop. 

I've realized very recently on my limited diet I need more fiber. Could that be the case? Fiber helps lower cholesterol. I hope you figure it out and can avoid meds!