Yesterday I finally saw my doctor. She was happy with my weight ( I have lost 20 pounds), my blood pressure (116/70), my blood sugar, my kidney and liver function, my total cholesterol, and my bad cholesterol. When she got to my good cholesterol and triglycerides we had the following conversation:
Dr: Your good cholesterol is still low and your triglycerides are worse than they have been, you need to go on a low fat diet.
Me: About a month ago I started a low fat diet. I went from 35% calories from fat down to about 10%.
Dr: Did you have a fatty snack or meal before your blood work?
Me: No, I think the problem may be that I have been eating a lot of sugary cereal and pasta. I have gone vegan and stopped using oils to cook or prepare my food. I need to reduce the amount of carbohydrates in my diet.
Dr: Are you eating eggs?
Me: No, I am vegan now.
Dr: Where are you getting your protein?
Me: I have been a vegetarian for 15 years, I know where to get my protein. I think I need to find something to eat besides pasta.
Dr: You can keep eating pasta, but you should get pasta with added protein. You have to make sure you are getting enough protein.
At this point I stopped talking and started nodding my head. As the appointment was wrapping I asked if I could get my cholesterol tested again in July and she said no. The earliest I can have it done again is August, so I asked for that to be scheduled. I will go ahead and remove most of the pasta from my meals, and any pasta I do eat will be whole grain. I am also going to try and reduce the size of the meal I eat before work, and take something more substantial to snack on at work. I will also switch to some kind of whole grain breakfast. Probably steel cut oats.
I am going to try a 10 day juice fast at the end of May to kind of reset my whole eating routine. Sort of like cleansing my palate. I was going to ask the Dr. about it but decided it might push her over the edge. I will let you know how that goes as well.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
The Results
I like having access to my medical records online. Today I got the lab results from yesterdays blood work. My total cholesterol has dropped 22 points, from 191 to 169. Not quite down to the 150 I was hoping for, but much better than I was expecting. My bad cholesterol actually went down from 119 to 77. The problem is that my triglycerides went from 185 to 306, the highest it has ever been! If I can get that number down I think I might be able to get the total cholesterol below the 150 mark.
I think the triglycerides are high because of the breakfasts I have been eating and not giving up soda completely. My breakfast has consisted of cereal with almond milk, a banana, a small glass of orange juice, and a cup of coffee. The cereal, almond milk, and orange juice are all very high in sugars, which contribute greatly to triglycerides. Soda is also very full of sugar. I had stopped having a mountain dew everyday, but had been having one occasionally. I also was having a can of ginger ale each day at work. I think that based on how well everything else worked, I can eliminate the soda and come up with something else for breakfast. I am however going to ask the doctor about having the lipid profile done again in a month or so instead of waiting six months to see if it has helped.
I want to say also that my glucose level was down to 88 from 99, my liver function has improved, and so has my kidney function. There were small improvements in almost every thing they tested for. I won't lie and say that it has been easy or fun, but knowing it is making a difference kind of puts it all in a new light.
I think the triglycerides are high because of the breakfasts I have been eating and not giving up soda completely. My breakfast has consisted of cereal with almond milk, a banana, a small glass of orange juice, and a cup of coffee. The cereal, almond milk, and orange juice are all very high in sugars, which contribute greatly to triglycerides. Soda is also very full of sugar. I had stopped having a mountain dew everyday, but had been having one occasionally. I also was having a can of ginger ale each day at work. I think that based on how well everything else worked, I can eliminate the soda and come up with something else for breakfast. I am however going to ask the doctor about having the lipid profile done again in a month or so instead of waiting six months to see if it has helped.
I want to say also that my glucose level was down to 88 from 99, my liver function has improved, and so has my kidney function. There were small improvements in almost every thing they tested for. I won't lie and say that it has been easy or fun, but knowing it is making a difference kind of puts it all in a new light.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Moment of Truth
I know it has been a while. To be honest, I have not been real happy with the diet I have chosen to follow. I miss having sandwiches, chips, and junk food. I have settled into having cereal with almond milk for breakfast, spaghetti for lunch/dinner, and either pretzels or popcorn for a snack at work. I usually eat whatever Lea makes for dinner on the weekends (which is always a nice change from my regular food). She is careful about how much oil she puts in the things she cooks. I have made some exceptions, probably at least once a week, and that has helped me stick to it the rest of the time. Now the moment of truth is coming.
My Google calendar reminded me today that I should go in and have my blood drawn on the 30th. I really dislike the total cholesterol test because it requires a 14 hour fast. Since I try to have my blood drawn early in the day I have to stop eating at about 6pm Sunday night. Not that I have been having lots of good snacks, but it is nice to eat a little something while watching tv. I get pretty hungry around 11pm. Then on top of that I am not sure what I hope the blood tests will show.
If my total cholesterol hasn't changed, I can go back to just eating what ever I want to. If the total cholesterol is down to 150 or below I should probably continue eating the way I am. Though I would at least know that it is OK to make exceptions now and again. Most likely though there will have been some minor improvement and I will have to decide whether to try harder to avoid oils, add exercise to the experiment, or just give it up. Of course the other numbers will make a difference too. My blood sugar was bordering on the whole diabetes thing, and the triglycerides could certainly stand to be lower. My appointment to discuss the results with the doctor is sometime in early May. I will be sure to let you know what I find out.
My Google calendar reminded me today that I should go in and have my blood drawn on the 30th. I really dislike the total cholesterol test because it requires a 14 hour fast. Since I try to have my blood drawn early in the day I have to stop eating at about 6pm Sunday night. Not that I have been having lots of good snacks, but it is nice to eat a little something while watching tv. I get pretty hungry around 11pm. Then on top of that I am not sure what I hope the blood tests will show.
If my total cholesterol hasn't changed, I can go back to just eating what ever I want to. If the total cholesterol is down to 150 or below I should probably continue eating the way I am. Though I would at least know that it is OK to make exceptions now and again. Most likely though there will have been some minor improvement and I will have to decide whether to try harder to avoid oils, add exercise to the experiment, or just give it up. Of course the other numbers will make a difference too. My blood sugar was bordering on the whole diabetes thing, and the triglycerides could certainly stand to be lower. My appointment to discuss the results with the doctor is sometime in early May. I will be sure to let you know what I find out.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Rough Week
This has been a pretty hard week, especially at work. On Wednesday I was just not enjoying my veggie snacks. The radishes and carrots were both flavorless. So I went and got some powdered donuts out of the vending machine. They did not taste as good as I was hoping, and they didn't make me feel anymore full. I just felt bad about having them. Thursday I decided to just take some fat free pretzels for snacks. They do not have any oil, but they do have corn syrup in them. The first couple were OK, but after that it was not really any better either.
Since snacks were so boring I thought that I should figure out the nutritional info on what I used to eat and see if maybe there were any clues there about why I am always hungry and not happy with the snacks. It turns out that I used to eat quite a bit more than I am now. This is how the old meals usually broke down: Breakfast was 790 calories, 24% of them from fat; lunch/dinner was 1300 calories, 38% from fat; and my snack was 800 calories, 28% from fat. That made my total for a typical day 2890 calories, 32% from fat. This kind of disappointed me because I was hoping my fat content was way above the 30% fat calories most doctors recommend. That would mean I could have just adjusted my diet a little bit and been OK. Since I was actually much closer to the 30% those doctors recommend, I decided to go ahead and look at what I am eating now.
Breakfast has been about 550 calories, 5% from fat; lunch/dinner id 1458 calories, 3% from fat; and my snacks have mainly been 233 calories, 3% from fat. That brings my daily to 2241 calories, 4% from fat. That fat intake is actually pretty low and I am going to have to look at bringing that up some. Dr. Esselstyn would like to see the intake of fat at 10% or so. Maybe I can go ahead and have some microwave popcorn instead of the air popped stuff. That would add about 360 calories, 18% from fat.
This weekend I will sit down and check the nutritional information on what I plan to eat next week. Maybe I can make this work still.
Since snacks were so boring I thought that I should figure out the nutritional info on what I used to eat and see if maybe there were any clues there about why I am always hungry and not happy with the snacks. It turns out that I used to eat quite a bit more than I am now. This is how the old meals usually broke down: Breakfast was 790 calories, 24% of them from fat; lunch/dinner was 1300 calories, 38% from fat; and my snack was 800 calories, 28% from fat. That made my total for a typical day 2890 calories, 32% from fat. This kind of disappointed me because I was hoping my fat content was way above the 30% fat calories most doctors recommend. That would mean I could have just adjusted my diet a little bit and been OK. Since I was actually much closer to the 30% those doctors recommend, I decided to go ahead and look at what I am eating now.
Breakfast has been about 550 calories, 5% from fat; lunch/dinner id 1458 calories, 3% from fat; and my snacks have mainly been 233 calories, 3% from fat. That brings my daily to 2241 calories, 4% from fat. That fat intake is actually pretty low and I am going to have to look at bringing that up some. Dr. Esselstyn would like to see the intake of fat at 10% or so. Maybe I can go ahead and have some microwave popcorn instead of the air popped stuff. That would add about 360 calories, 18% from fat.
This weekend I will sit down and check the nutritional information on what I plan to eat next week. Maybe I can make this work still.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Cravings
I have been a vegetarian for close to 15 years. Almost 1/3 of my life. Today all I want is a big juicy cheeseburger, and maybe some cheese fries on the side. Hopefully the mushroom patties and minestrone will work instead.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
What a Week
This was a very hard week. I never got used to being hungry and eating beans every day for a week is not a good idea. I came very close to just giving it up this weekend, I see why Dr. Esselstyn talks to his patients everyday and does lots of blood work in the beginning. Wondering if it is doing any good has made it much harder than I expected it would. I think I am probably going to allow myself one can of ginger ale per day even though it has the high fructose corn syrup in it. When I get my blood work back I can decide if I am going to have to give that up as well.
This week I thought I would try some mushroom "burgers", but they turned out to have just as many beans in them. I am going to alternate the mushroom burgers with some fresh veggie wraps and a lentil loaf I am going to make tonight. Not sure the lentils will be any better than beans, but not having it every day should make some difference. I am also going to have some more of the potato soup I made a couple of weeks ago (minus the excessive amount of fresh cilantro I used last time), and some vegan macaroni and cheese. My wife and son say they have finally found a vegan mac-n-cheese that was tasty. It has only taken several years of trying various recipes.
I am going to continue with the veggies and fruit for snacks at work. Though I am going to add some chips and salsa as well. Since there are no longer any chips available commercially without oil in them, I will be making some out of the Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain tortillas. You brush them with water, cut them into triangles, and bake them for about 11 minutes at 350 degrees. They are so tasty that even my daughter likes them. She was eating them plain, but I liked them with salsa. I may also make a vegan cheddar dip with rotel tomatoes in it.
Wish me luck, I am hoping this week is easier.
This week I thought I would try some mushroom "burgers", but they turned out to have just as many beans in them. I am going to alternate the mushroom burgers with some fresh veggie wraps and a lentil loaf I am going to make tonight. Not sure the lentils will be any better than beans, but not having it every day should make some difference. I am also going to have some more of the potato soup I made a couple of weeks ago (minus the excessive amount of fresh cilantro I used last time), and some vegan macaroni and cheese. My wife and son say they have finally found a vegan mac-n-cheese that was tasty. It has only taken several years of trying various recipes.
I am going to continue with the veggies and fruit for snacks at work. Though I am going to add some chips and salsa as well. Since there are no longer any chips available commercially without oil in them, I will be making some out of the Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain tortillas. You brush them with water, cut them into triangles, and bake them for about 11 minutes at 350 degrees. They are so tasty that even my daughter likes them. She was eating them plain, but I liked them with salsa. I may also make a vegan cheddar dip with rotel tomatoes in it.
Wish me luck, I am hoping this week is easier.
Monday, February 20, 2012
My Tricky Brain
Is your brain sly and tricky? Mine is. I learned this about 15 years ago when I first tried to quit smoking. Everything would be going along fine, and then my brain would say "This has been easy, why not have just one cigarette as a reward. It won't be any big deal." Next thing you know I was back to smoking a pack or two a day. Eventually I was able to get past using the patch. But even today when I see a pack of cigarettes laying around mine mind whispers "Just have one for old times sake, not to start up again or anything. Just see if it is like you remember." Sometimes it is harder than others, but so far I have not gone back to smoking cigarettes.
I am finding that fat is kind of addictive as well. My mind seems to miss the junk food and the sense of being full. Snacking on fruits and vegetables instead of chips, cookies, and hostess products is just not as fulfilling. No matter how much of it I eat, I do not feel full or satisfied. According to the books, it can take us much as 12 weeks to get past. There is no patch for this so while the urges are not as strong, they may end up being harder to get over. This past week I ended up with lots of junk from the vending machines at work. This week I am going to try and stop that. This is the first week that I am actually prepared to go the whole week without eating any fat laden foods for my main meals and I am hoping that will make it easier.
For this week I have found 3 different types of whole grain cereal with no added oil. I will use vanilla almond milk on the cereal and have a banana with it. Luckily I can still have my coffee, and I am going to have a glass of orange juice even though it is not recommended. For my lunch/dinner I have made up a bunch of kidney bean and quinoa patties that I will have as sandwiches. I also made a patch of chop suey that I can have with the sandwiches. For snacks at work I will have vegetables, fruits and some air popped popcorn. I will let you know how the week goes.
I am finding that fat is kind of addictive as well. My mind seems to miss the junk food and the sense of being full. Snacking on fruits and vegetables instead of chips, cookies, and hostess products is just not as fulfilling. No matter how much of it I eat, I do not feel full or satisfied. According to the books, it can take us much as 12 weeks to get past. There is no patch for this so while the urges are not as strong, they may end up being harder to get over. This past week I ended up with lots of junk from the vending machines at work. This week I am going to try and stop that. This is the first week that I am actually prepared to go the whole week without eating any fat laden foods for my main meals and I am hoping that will make it easier.
For this week I have found 3 different types of whole grain cereal with no added oil. I will use vanilla almond milk on the cereal and have a banana with it. Luckily I can still have my coffee, and I am going to have a glass of orange juice even though it is not recommended. For my lunch/dinner I have made up a bunch of kidney bean and quinoa patties that I will have as sandwiches. I also made a patch of chop suey that I can have with the sandwiches. For snacks at work I will have vegetables, fruits and some air popped popcorn. I will let you know how the week goes.
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