My Cholesterol is at 217

[Dr Fate]

I'm 33.

I guess that means the daily sausage & cheese bagels are out.

Lebanon bologna & cheddar sandwiches are out.

Taco salads with ground beef & mayo-salsa dressing are out.

My special rubbed pork ribs- oh jeeze.

Cheeseburgers with extra mayo too.

Can I still have bacon, eggs & biscuits on Saturday morning or what?

Cooking & enjoying food is the one of the things that holds me up. I am not over weight one bit- and I exercise.

All of this stinks. I guess I'll go eat a bowl of sticks or somthing.

[bicentennial_baby]

1. Is that really how you eat?

If so, please tell me this isn't a surprise to you.

Regardless, :hug:

[Dr Fate]

2. Yeah- but I'm thin and healthy looking.

And I feel fine.

Man oh man does this stink.

Doc

[bicentennial_baby]

3. Yeah, i'm sure it does

Healthy looking is not the same as healthy, Doc. You have to stop eating like that...it's not gonna do you any good, at all. Do it for you, your family, just do it.

[jedr]

4. I'm not a doctor but;

there is little evidence that cholesterol intake and serum cholesterol have any correlation....it's more by heredity, you can either digest it or not ( cholesterol being the precursor to vitamin D, a fat soluble vitamin that is normally stored in the fat not the blood stream) 217 seems a bit high for your age, cut back the fat intake and see what happens, if it doesn't work ask for Lipitor to control it. Exercise is important. My father-in law had a chicken farm and would eat 5 or 6 dozen eggs a week with bacon and all cooked in bacon grease...he's 87 and in good heath, but he worked his but off everyday. I'm sure that there is someone out there with more background than myself who can go into more detail.

[prolesunited]

5. If you're not a doctor, why are you dispensing advice?

Especially when it is so ill-informed.

[yewberry]

6. Mmmm, sticks.

Yer gonna have to make friends with oatmeal.

I recommend the Irish oatmeal that comes in a tin. It's better than sticks anyday.

[Midlodemocrat]

7. Okay, this may sound hokey.

But try metamucil every night. It lowered Mr. Midlo's total cholesterol almost 40 points in about 3 months.

[Elidor]

8. My doctor freaked out over my cholesterol

Said it was just about the lowest reading he'd ever seen. I forget...114 or something like that? Does that sound right? It's been awhile. At the time, I subsisted on fast-food exclusively, though I've since cleaned up my act.

[seemunkee]

9. Any other risks for CHD?

I have high cholesterol too. So what. It's the least important of the risk factors and not totally proven that there is a problem for normal healthy people.
Diabetes?
Smoker?
Overweight?
Family history?

[Olney Blue]

10. Have you had a stress test?

[LittleClarkie]

11. Moderation dude. Moderation!

Treat yourself. Just don't eat all that stuff all the time. You can still cook. You just have to come up with different recipes is all. Watch the food channel. Add spice without the fat (think Emeril-- bam!)

There is a mid point between sticks and everything dripping in butter.

[CheckyPantz]

12. This is the magic word.

Moderation, that is.

I'm 32 & had a stroke earlier this summer (it was very mild, and Im suffering almost no ill effects from it now). At the time of my admission to the hospital, my cholesterol was ~240, but my HDL (good) level was very low. Maintaining an active lifestyle is key in any situation, but especially when you are dealing with high cholesterol situations.

But the magic bullet, as any good dietician will tell you, is moderation. If you have the burger platter at lunch, have fish and spinach for dinner (or whatever... you get the idea). It's not hard to adjust your diet, and you see benefits within weeks. At the time of my last blood test a month ago, my total cholesterol level was under 100.

Stress testing might also be a good idea. The best thing, especially at our age, is prevention and moderation.

Good luck to you.