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Very high cholesterol since switching to LCHF.

lessci said:
Unless your HCP visits you every evening, they can't force you to take any medication, and even then unless there are VERY specific circumstances it would be assualt
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Lol yeah I was meaning more along the lines of what would be my reasoning for declining the medicine as I dont fully understand why my levels are not worrisome and when they try to tell me that I should be concerned I won't know how to reply to it.
 

Your HBA1c levels are fantastic!!

Yeah I can request to have the test done again in 2 months and next time water fast 12 hours before the test.

Just wondering as I dont understand the in's and outs of all this and my Doctor will most likely tell me these results are very concerning and want to start statin right away etc... what is my reasoning I should give them for declining ? I'm asking as I really dont understand it all.

Also how have maintained such low cholesterol,trigs etc whilst on the lchf diet is there specific foods on my list that you think may be the culprit should i swap mayo for ketchup ? I know you dont like the rapeseed oil.
 
Of course you can decide not to take his recommendation. It’s your body.

In reality it might be best to negotiate another test in the future after you have chance to make “adjustments” naturally, especially in light of your amazing success doing likewise with hba1c. If he tries to imply these results will cause imminent death he’s scaremongering. Just push the decision/argument down the road and he might well not see the need by then and/or you might have learned a lot more by then to base your choice upon.

Those “adjustments” could be to which fats you choose, simply reaching a stable weight and no longer losing, or fasting for longer before the next test or all of the above. Up to you.
 
If you dont yet understand the reasons behind any decision you make, I suggest you dont make a decision yet, and do more research until you know which way you want to go on this. It is ok to tell your doctor you want to wait while you do more research. We cant tell you what to decide, you must come to that yourself. The doctor cant force you to do anything, and if he or she doesnt like you waiting, that is not your problem.
 
fendertele said:
what is my reasoning I should give them for declining
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You don’t have to give any reason. You could just say “no thanks I don’t want them”

Mine was along the lines of
“I don’t want to take a medication that has so much debate within the scientific and medical community (or any drug for that matter) without being certain I need it, understanding the possible detrimental effects more fully and that there are no alternative options left available to me. I wish to next explore those alternatives a little longer by making further adjustments before I consider the option of statins.”


In reality I was thinking “ not over my dead and buried corpse will I take them” and indeed have since said somewhat closer to that now but I started off with more diplomacy
 
You need to do what you and your doctor think is best. I take Fenofibrate. Which is a non-statin cholesterol med.
However Google said 12 hrs is optimal for a fasting blood test. I tend to be 14-16 hrs
As said total cholesterol doesn't mean much. The triglyceride and HDL ratio seems very important. Triglyceride level indicates the ratio of LDL to sdLDL I would be OK with low trigs, high HDL and a higher LDL, because it's the LDL that carry the fat in a high fat diet.
Are you losing weight? That can raise cholesterol. Weight may need to be stable for a period for accurate results.
 
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Thanks everyone feel such an idiot not understanding all this stuff as i've never read into it. I will need to do my homework and for now i'm just going to ask the doctor what he suggest i try to lower the levels without meds... he may want to tweak my diet and i'll try to fight back on any changes that would compromise my lchf system. I've not forgotten and will post the results with the ranges this evening.
 
fendertele said:
Thanks everyone feel such an idiot not understanding all this stuff as i've never read into it.
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none of use expected to have to do crash courses in medical stuff. Its hard. People go to university for ages to learn some of this stuff. Be gentle with yourself. I often have to ask other members for the simple versions of some of the research.
 

Fendertele - Nobody here can or cannot tell you if you need to take any given meds. Nobody knows your full medical history. All anyone can do is relate what they would do in your circumstances.

When I started learning about lipids (and educating my GP - who has since moved on), I watched quite a few presentations by Professor Ken Sikaris on YouTube. He has a very calm and plain way of describing without too much jargon. He could be an excellent starting point for you.
 

your strength training right? I had read statins interfere with this. Plus you haven’t explored all your dietary options… if you’re looking for a reason to tell the doc..
 
fendertele said:
what is my reasoning I should give them for declining ? I'm asking as I really dont understand it all.
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I'd simply say you have heard that whilst losing weight cholesterol levels can be all over the place so until your weight has stabilised you really don't want any medication that could be harmful to your blood sugar levels.

Once your weight has stabilised then ask for another test and see how it comes out?

Sorry delay in reply but Ive been away for a few days with little access to internet.
 
If you are still concerned after reading up on cholesterol then you could tweak your diet a little, add in some green veg or green salad, and swap some of the red meat to salmon.

I need green veg along with full fat dairy as I have issues with low folic acid.
I also have a breakfast of milled flaxseed and chia seeds with a little oatbran for breakfast most days, in my case because I don't tolerate eggs, etc. first thing, take other meds that cause constipation, and need something simple to take with my morning pain meds. With cinnamon and double cream it comes out at about 15g of carb.
 


Yeah Im planning on adding more leafy veg and also cutting back on the Mayo... Just so my plate is possibly more protein than fat %
 


This would be brilliant my only worry is with the weight training my weight does tend to yo-yo depending on bulking or cutting but what I will do for the sake of the test is continue cutting as I have and when I reach a good bm for my age/height ill maintain for a month or two so that I can get a stable reading cheers.
 
And of course you should be the one deciding what goes into your body.. your doc is there to advise only.. so...
 
I found and printed out a comparison of two methods of treating people with coronary heart disease. lowering omega 6 and increasing omega 3 and omega 9 was over twice as effective than taking Simvastatin after a first myocardial infarction over the following 4 years of the study. the reduced risks were 70% versus 30% respectively. Of course the Simvastatin group could have been eating the usual stuff under medical guidance - but I have made several printouts to keep in my obstreperous patient file.
 
So had the talk with Doctor this morning they were pretty okay with me not taking the meds and said they would re-test in 4 months.

They did however suggest that with my levels there may be a heridetary connection and even with a change of diet the liklihood would only be a 10% change.. So would need to be having this discussion again as he believes it will still be high.

So with very low carb my only option would be to increase protein intake and lower fat consumption ? I can incorporate leafy greens but they aint going to do much for filling me up.

my shopping list.

Chicken - good ?
Beef /steak - bad ?
ff greek yoghurt - bad ?
cheese - bad ?
Mayo - very bad ?
Eggs - stop eating the yolk ?
Tuna - Good but has high mercury ?
Dark choc 95% - Bad ?


Things to add

Fish - never eaten fish except Tuna or chip shop battered.
Salmon instead of tuna for larger consumption less mercury ?

Anything else you can think of to turn this around ?
 
I am paging @bulkbiker for information and links about cholesterol and diet.
 
Ugh, the yolk has so many great nutrients, maybe just ease up on them. Definitely nix the Mayo, likely has processed oil. I would definitely add salmon, as many omega 3s as possible

you’re doing weight training right. Bust out a heavy leg day before your next test. I read this works, probably bro science
 
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