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.
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