Had my cholesterol tested...

Good luck, Cubase!

Apparently two bowls of porridge can 'dramatically reduce your cholesterol'. I'm not sure how much is dramatic (*shock*) but give it a go with some honey.

good luck mate.

I have found that the fastest, easiest, and healthiest way to reduce high cholesterol is the high protien-low carb diet. After a few weeks you will feel and think and sleep better. Also, you can then incorporate small amounts of "regular" food back into your diet without any harmful affects to the cholesterol levels.

Take it from TOG - I know this to be a great diet. And, you don't have to be extreme, like the full Atkins diet. Here's just a sampling:
Breakfast: Bacon, eggs, no toast, no potatoes.
Lunch: Steak the way you like it, salad with a low carb dressing, no croutons
Dinner: Roast chicken (unbreaded), hot veggies (no corn), side salad.

Now, the above can get a bit boring so you need to be creative. It would help if you bought a good high protien/low carb cookbook. I can supply you with a few recipes that I have made that work well.

In the interim, I wish you great success and a healthy lifestyle.

Thanks for all the tips and encouragement guys!

Jim. That diet seems pretty good, although I could never convince my parents that having bacon and eggs for breakfast was a healthier alternative. They are hellbent on making me have cereal with skim-milk (yuck!). So it really works?

I would love to take a look into this high protein-low carb diet. And if it really works it sounds a lot better than just steamed vegetables and rice for the next few months. After all, if I can keep my steakes and roast chickens I can't really complain.

-Cub. =o)

Good luck, Cub. I have had the same problem. Boy, I sure love my fatty foods!

Stay off the bread and dripping, Cubase!

Yes, it really works, Cub. A couple years ago I went on this diet and lost 30 pounds in about 6 months and my cholesterol dropped from 234 to 190. The only care you need to take is watching your sugar levels. After the initial first two weeks, you may want to incorporate a small amount of carbs (like candy, ice cream, etc.) once or twice a week. Notice the word "small"? This will prevent dangerous low sugar levels from causing other problems.

NOTE: Please get some advice from an expert! Buy a good HP/LC book and read it! Make sure it has some good recipes as well as nutritional info. Okay, so it's NOT the most exciting read of the century. But, you will personally benefit in more ways than one.

Time for my two cents worth, Cub. Let me tell you my story.

It was a year ago, I was 51, and my A1C number (I think that's the number you're talking about) was high. My doctor also said I needed to change, so here's what I did (in order of what was most effective):

-- I stopped going out for lunch. I brought my food and ate a bit throughout the day (a piece of fruit, a bowl of soup later, some carrots or another piece of fruit later). On the way home, I sometimes would buy some jerky (high protein, low carbs).

-- I watched my carbs. You need some carbs, but you watch them (cut down on the potatoes and bread, no pretzels for snacks, etc.)

-- I exercise every weekday at work for about 1/2 hour in our exercise room.

-- I've cut down on my portion sizes during meals.

-- I've switched to light beer (that was the hardest one for me!)

Results: I've lost 30 pounds in a year (you don't want to loose more than 1.5 - 2 pounds per week), and my A1C number is under control.

YOU CAN DO IT, CUB. . .WE HAVE FAITH IN YOU!

Wow! Best of luck to you Cub. We want your skinny butt around here for a LONG time to come. So get healthy! We love ya!!!

Jen

Don't believe everything the doctor tells you, or I or anyone else for that matter . But I do suggest you read the following:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184409,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,114591,00.html

If you're on a terrible diet as you say it's most likely a good idea to make some changes, but I would think twice before taking extreme measures or starting to worry over a large fries once in a while.

Well, Heinz, I also thought of this recent study when I read this thread. The only partial caviat in the NY Times that I saw said, "As for heart disease risk factors, the only one affected [by a low-fat diet] was LDL cholesterol, which increases heart disease risk. The levels were slightly higher in women eating the higher-fat diet, but not high enough to make a noticeable difference in their risk of heart disease."

Jerry Dan wrote:Well, Heinz, I also thought of this recent study when I read this thread.

The articles speak of several other studies as well, questioning the entire notion of high cholesterol levels being a health risk.

If that's true, I'm stopping at Burger King on the way home and get myself a double whopper with cheese and bacon. Hmmm.