Went to the Y with son last night for 20 minutes of weight machines. I also did split squats using one of those platform things - aluminum box frame with a piece of painted plywood on top. I tried two 20 pounders, then 15, then 10 and then just decided to skip the weights. I do them with hands down as if with weights and then spread my arms out for balance as I come up. I can generally do 10 of these without falling over. My biggest problem is balance - and usually the weights help with that but they sometimes cause problems too.
<p>Bromfield- if it makes you feel any better, my cholesterol is high. My “good” number is very high, but the bad one is not what it ideally should be. I refuse to take meds, though. </p>
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<p>Reminds me of a funny story. At my last job I was the Director of Compliance/Ethics AND the HR lawyer. I visited one of our plants with 2 of my paralegals and the young(er) man who gave us the plant tour was the safety/environmental manager. He was obviously fit, and I asked him “You look fit. Do you lift?” My paralegals teased me to no end about my sexual harrassment of this younger man! I told him I was a runner, etc., so it wasn’t TOO bad! </p>
<p>Today is going to by iffy for running with thunderstorms on and off and a conflict after work that rules out the dreadmill. I got out for 1 1/2 miles this morning in case lunch running is out due to the storms, so it’s not a 0 day. If I can, I’ll do 3 1/2 or so at lunch.</p>
<p>Bromfield, don’t take the borderline-high cholesterol personally; it doesn’t represent a moral failing. Sometimes we are dealt crummy heredity and genes that cause these things. Just imagine where your cholesterol would have been if you hadn’t been dieting and exercising! Continue your exercise and diet, and do what the doctor says.</p>
Something that I forgot to mention last night - the RoadRunnerSports shorts are great. I’ve used them for four runs and they are ideal for me (good price, pockets in the right places, light and 5 inches). I already used up the two that I have. I have two more coming, hopefully this week. I was wondering if I should order two more. I can use these for everyday stuff too or walking around outside in the summer.
You have the classic profile of someone with good ratios. If you have high HDL, your LDL is probably going to be high, too because the things that make HDL go up also tend to increase LDL. But, coronary artery disease is caused by small dense LDL particles that can attach to microscopic defects in blood vessel walls. The large fluffy LDL is too big and associated with lower risk. The small dense LDL is probably the underlying mechanism for plaque buildup in arteries. Small dense LDL is almost always associate with low HDL and high triglycerides, but the fact that you got it confirmed pretty much ends the story.
My numbers:
Total cholesterol: 247
HDL: 83
LDL (calculated): 155
Triglycerides: 43
LDL particle size: Pattern A, large/bouyant
You are right UCB. More precisely, I should have said that, to the extent things you eat impact cholesterol, eating things that increase HDL will also tend to increase LDL and eating to reduce LDL will also tend to reduce HDL.
Exercise is associated with increased HDL (and with all the markers of decreased insulin resistance and decreased metabolic syndrome), perhaps independently from diet.
Actually, losing fat may be associated with a temporary worsening of cholesterol numbers as triglycerides (fat particles) and LDL are dumped out of the liver as non-alcoholic fatty liver (stored fat in the liver) is reduced.
<p>I’m looking at an inch of snow right now–weather gal predicting 6-8 inches in my part of MA. </p>
<p>I guess I’m confused about the cholesterol numbers–I thought the overall cholesterol number was predictive of heart disease. But from what I’m reading it seems like a lower HDL and lower triglycerides are better predictors? Guess I’ve got to do some reading. Have a phone session with the doctor tomorrow.</p>
Idad, are the small dense LDL-- measured with VLDL ------number?
And, Bromfield—is the CRP you referred to C-Reactive Protein number, which reflects presence of “inflammation” ?
** I’m wondering if the fact that I was injured for about six months and couldn’t exercise was what caused the increased cholesterol. I really hope that the doctor doesn’t prescribe medication and has me work on diet/exercise first.**
This makes so much sense, why jump to meds ?
When I got to the Cardiologist in the fall, he calculated my “cardiac risk” at 1% of having a heart attack in the next 10 years. In other words, statin not needed.
But, then that was before the PVC’s were confirmed, via stress tests.
The PVC’s seem SO much improved since starting ** basic cardiac exercising, I hear all of your voices in my head **which is inspiring me to do my little bit, which is really helping. Thanks all.
<p>Maybe total cholesterol was a meaningful measure decades ago before further research identified LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and begain to uncover the mechanisms of coronary artery plaque.</p>
<p>Probably the best correlation for low coronary risk is a total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio of 4:1 or, even better, 3:1. </p>
<p>Triglyceride to HDL ratio of 2:1 or lower is also associated with reduced risk of coronary disease, but this may simply be measuring the same risk reduction as total cholesterol to HDL.</p>
<p>The reason for the fixation on LDL levels in the popular media (and doctors’ offices) is fairly obvious. Drugs to lower LDL levels are currently the biggest selling prescription pharmaceuticals in the world. A hell of a lot of marketing dollars have gone into promoting concern over LDL numbers (and steadily reducing the ‘acceptable’ levels).</p>
<p>There are people who need to be concerned about LDL. There is a genetic familial cholesterol that results in very high levels of LDL and has a very strong association with coronary disease, but these are not the sort of borderline high numbers we are talking about. We are talking about LDL numbers that are off the charts. And, there are specific genetic tests that identify the presence or absence to two specific genes with this condition.</p>
<p>Personally, if I have high HDL numbers and low triglycerides, I’m not going to be particularly concerned about borderline high LDL numbers or borderline high total cholesterol numbers, especially if I’ve confirmed that the LDL is the large, buoyant particle size.</p>
<p>At 35 lbs, my cholesterol and a1c didn’t change much. Fasting glucose did. Am shooting for at least 80 lbs, possibly more. My old chemo drug added 40, PCOS has made the rest a lifelong struggle. Lost weight like noone’s business when I was on fertility drugs, which goes to show the role hormones can play in all this.</p>
<p>For example, I have one “risk factor” for coronary disease (my age is over 45). But, I get to substract one risk factor because my HDL is over 60. So I have zero official risk factors.</p>
<p>That means that my official LDL target is 160 and I come in below that at 155, so I don’t think the insurance guidelines will even support my doc prescribing a statin drug to lower it.</p>
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<p>Anyway, with this worksheet, you’ll be able to guess what you doctor may or may not recommend. If you are under your target ranges, it’ll be “keep up the lifestyle changes”. Even if it is marginally above the targets, it’ll probably be “keep up the lifestyle changes and let’s test it again six months”.</p>
<p>There has never been a study that shows statin drugs reduce the odds of keeling over dead in women. The very slightly reduce the risk of dying from coronary disease, but slightly increase the risk of dying from something else (and now appear to increase the risk of diabetes). So, hopefullly, your LDL is below your particular threshold and you can avoid the whole discussion! I was happy to not have to get into it with my monosyllabic doctor. </p>
<p>I figure that losing 90 pounds, exercising like crazy, quitting smoking, improving my cardio recovery from pegging my heart rate a couple times a week, getting my HDL high and my triglycerides crazy low has probably lowered my risk of coronary disease infinitely. If I keel over because my LDL is a little too high, then it’s just the good lord tellin’ me it was my time! The things I would have to do to lower my LDL would jeopardize everything else I’m doing diet and exercise-wise that is working so well to lower my risk!</p>
<p>I think I’m getting too old for this! Another jaunt down the steps for another basement from hell workout today! Actually, a pretty good little workout, but the two lower body leg strength exercises are killin’ me:</p>
<p>a) single leg squats to a bench
b) step ups to a 16 inch bench with two 35 lb DBs.</p>
<p>This is going to leave a mark. I’m gonna be sore. The step ups are really tough when you load 'em up heavy. Makes me wonder how I could even walk when I carried around an extra 90 pounds. No wonder stairs got me winded.</p>
<p>Actually, I’m a little amazed that I can do the single leg squats. Not great, but I’m making some progress. These have been my other major long-term challenge (along with unassisted chin ups).</p>
<p>Thanks so much, interesteddad, I appreciate your ongoing feedback!
Sadly, I am seeing NO movement whatsoever on the scale. I am super accountable as to weighing, measuring and logging, so I know my data is accurate. I am giving it until mid-April and then will re-evaluate.
At least we know I am not protein-deficient ;)</p>
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