One year on from more fat

It was only early last year when I realised that I was a low carber or my life as I had thought I was just a moderate eater. I had previously put down chronic pains in my legs and hips due to statins and had tried every statin all with same pains that would start again.

So, when analysing My foods I realised that the majority of my fat only came from my copious coffees with semi skimmed milk.

I added more fat in to our diet and my hubby cut his carbs. I initially lost 10lb that I didn't need to lose and my hubby has lost 3stone last year with a stone previous year by just doing more exercise.

First 6 months my cholesterol stayed the same. Hubbys went down. Including the breakdown of all- everything was improved for hubby. Mine, no different.

One year on both our cholesterols have shot up. Now I haven't got a clue what to do.

For the last year we ate more eggs..we had more fish (i never ate fish before), we had cheese (not everyday but between 5-7 thin slices if we wanted to) and a creamy coffee every night and full fat milk and coconut oil.
Our dinners are always salad or veg and rarely puddings. We don't eat potatoes, pasta or rice. We don't have bread..(me never)

I thought hubbys had raised last week when he got his results back because he'd had a few sandwichs at work from mid Dec til now.

Then yesterday I got my results. They stupidly only tested total and triglicerides on mine. My trig results gone from 0.4 to 0.9 though.. And my total gone from 5.1 right up to 6.5. I have never had any readings in the 6's ever....

My leg pains have gone and my body myscle tone especially my legs are brilliant. I'm size 8/10 and hubby is a waist 32 and 12 1/2 stone max.
He was also taking my statins that I couldn't take.

His levels are now chronic...wheras before he came just in the normal range with breakdown of the cholesterols. His trigs have gone up, his ldl and hdl both gone in the wrong direction.

Any thoughts please as now I just do not know what to do besides ditching the fat...(we never did low fat anyway) just had butter and semiskimmed milk.

After hubbies weightloss I really don't want him putting weight back on from feeling hungry..and going back to his horrible weight. The extra fat does seem to have contributed thought to both of us getting hugely increased bad cholesterol..

Are we both just unlucky that we both can't tolerate more fat? It just seems that its odd.

Any advice welcome...

Brunneria said:

Do you have the actual breakdowns? And ratios?

I'm no expert, but Trigs under 1.0 is still a very good reading (and the only one that I personally am concerned with). I believe 1 or less means your liver isn't fatty - and for a longterm diabetic that is a fantastic result.

My cholesterol info has all come from this forum, the books in my sig and bloodsugar101. From memory, it is my understanding that there is precious little evidence that below average cholesterol has a protective effect (5.4 is average, I think) and for women, there is evidence that slightly higher cholesterol is protective as age increases. (Something about mortality from all causes decreases with a higher total cholesterol).

I'm probably due another test in the next few months, at which time I will read up on it all again.
But at the moment, I take the attitude that the many and varied benefits that I get from LCHF far outweigh the unclear, speculative and hotly debated perils of a slightly raised cholesterol.

(The benefits I get from LCHF include better skin, sleep, comfortable muscles, less pain in hands, knees and joints, gentle weight loss, lowered bp, ketosis with mental clarity, no brain fog, better stamina, improved night vision... I can't actually claim that every one of those is from LCHF and ketosis, but I can say that they have all started/improved since I went very LC and upped my fats proportionally.)

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I have my hubbys break down..
In July he was: (no statins)
5.7
Serum trigs: 0.9
HDL: 1.1
LDL 3.9

Now: (with my old statins):
Total 6.5
Serum Trigs: 1.4
hdl 1.2
Ldl 4.7

Ldl has worsened. Hdl hasn't improved significantly, his trigs have worsened and his total with statins is even worse.

So what would he have been like without the statins?

The most significant change since July has been cream and cheese but even with the cheese it hasn't been daily.. Probably every other day.

He's not diabetic. Having seen his go completely in the wrong direction I also fear having seen my trigs and total doing the same that my hdl and ldl will have done the same too.

It is really causing me confusion as my carb value of average 50 a day has also been the same constantly. I've only changed this once in my lifetime and thats when I was advised to eat porridge or toast for breakfast... Which I stopped about 3 years ago.

I am worried.. I can't take statins.. So I have to find a diet to lower these levels back down.

Fat has definitely improved my brain too...

Was fasting tests for both of us..

@Bluetit1802 do you have cream daily?

Bluetit1802 said:

As you may remember, I am struggling to keep my weight up, so I have been eating 2 tablespoons of double cream every day, over 60g cheese most days, butter, a FF yogurt every day, 4 fry ups a week with bacon, sausage, eggs etc. 2 eggs a day, far more mayo than I should, 4 small tins of salmon a week, red meat, cod and haddock.

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Wish I'd been eating that much fat!!

Introduced salmon and cod, haddock and pollock. I hated fish!!
Oh yes mayo too...

I just am totally stuck now.. For both of us. I can't have statins.. Feeling really down about this.. Don't know whether to go back to just having butter and semiskimmed milk like we used to but keep the fish. Red meat as well we went to non lean versions but only have this once a week.

Really, really stumped and fed up!!!

@Brunneria he added in a sandwich 3 days a week.. From mid/late Dec onward But he made sure those days we had salmon and salad or chicken and veg..

Inhonestly believe him as his weight continues to fall off... He's never been a 32" waist and still losing!!

His haven't shot up so high propotionally as mine (admittefly I don't know the ldl or hdl-twits!!) but I really suspect mine have gone in wrong direction as well because for years and years my trigs have always been 0.6 or below. Never above.

Not taken wrong way, as I would be asking exactly the same if it was someone else asking these questions-lol We actually thought the same that it was because of the sandwichs before my results came in... As I never veer to any carby snacks or food inbetween etc we thought mine were going to be better.

We are both absolutely gobsmacked. Tried to write our shopping list last night and got nowhere as we just do not know what to eat now....

Hubby used to have flapjacks, crisps and chocolate and anything he wanted before whilst I never have. Now his levels are worse than when he ate all the **** AND he has taken the statins I couldn't and he has lost so much weight that is meant to also lower cholesterol. He's now well under the fat waistline that is meant to give you more risk factors...

So you can imagine how he is now feeling... Like me absolutely cheesed off!!

Whatbwould other people do in our situation?

Bluetit1802 said:

I would ask for another test to be honest, and make sure you get a full one.

Do you track your carbs and fats and proteins? What are you eating in grams?

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Carbs anywhere from 12 to 60 at max.
Fats and protein no. 5-6 thin slices brie at max every other day, chicken once a week, eggs about 5 a week, quiche twice a week (they are my max carb days), sausages x3 heck ones 95% once a week, salmon or other white fish. Mayonaise x 2 tablespoon 4/5days a week on salad.
About a pint of full fat milk and a coffee with cream. Red meatblike fillet steak once a week.
Always salad or veg.
Puddings are unbelievably rare. Even dark chocolate for me is not a natural everyday occurence. I tried to but I just never want to eat so jt doesn't really appeal.
7 Walnuts everyday and flaxseed and chia a large teaspoon of each.

We had no cake or anything at all christmassy...one box of chocs still unopened. No xmas pud. Nothing. We just didn't fancy it.

I'll add it into my fitness pal tonight.

They won't do another test for 6 months....

That amount of fat and protein has only been added in this year. Before I never had fish, mayo, cream or cheese and eggs were about 6 a month...

Will look more at the med diet.. Thanks @phoenix..

Take one a day cod liver oil tablets daily too!!
The odd thing too is that now mt total white cell count is off the scale high too and the MPV and neutrophil. They were always high normal but now OTT too. Roll on August for my next 6 month test.

GP is phoning hubby tonight ref his cholesterol. Think my consultant is just going to be mad at me...she know I increased my fat and told me to be sensible!!!!

Actually just noticed on hubbys form it gives details of the fasting freideald equation on his form, but on mine it doesn't so perhaps they used a non fasting random test on me??? Could that be possible?? Even though I did fast?

Still doesn't equate for the rises though!!