The Doctor

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.