hi jbee,
I see that you'd already been lowcarbing for a month when your triglycerides shot up. Did the LDL also shoot way up? How about HDL? if it went up too, that would be a good thing. The Hb1AC of 7 is good, and FBS 100 .. do you monitor your BS at other times in the day? (eg post meals) to see if there are big swings and dips.
I'll assume you'd been fasting (except for water) before the blood was drawn .. 12 hrs is the usual length of time. If your last meal had caffeine or alcohol, these will cause the trigs to be "falsely" elevated; also nicotine .. so if you smoke or chew Nicorette gum or use a patch, these will also cause a temporary rise in trigs.
For almost all persons, following Atkins or other similar carb. restricted diet will bring about appreciable reduction in LDL and triglyceride levels. But some people do experience otherwise, and it appears you're one of those persons. Some folks are affected by arachidonic acid, which is a fatty acid found in the fat of red meats and egg yolks. Usually though, the effect is to cause a rise in total and LDL cholesterol and possibly increased blood pressure ... and not just an isolated rise in triglycerides. Without knowing other blood lipid parameters, it's hard to say if that would be a problem for you. I've posted more information about arachidonic acid
here.
Don't try to go "low fat"
. But making a few changes in the fats you do eat sounds like a good idea. Choose fatty red meats, egg yolks and high-fat dairy products less often, and have more fish (especially FATTY fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines), poultry, egg substitute, and very lean cuts of red meat. Use olive oil and other monounsaturates such as raw nuts and seeds, and unrefined oils made from these .. walnut is good. Ground fresh flax seeds and/or fresh-pressed flax oil may be helpful. Fish oil capsules might be good, but if you're consuming fatty fish 3 times or more per week that should be sufficient. Avocados (esp. California
) and ripe olives are good lowcarb sources of monounsaturates.
Regular aerobic exercise which raises your heart rate and keeps it up for 20 minutes, 3 to 5 times a week, has been proven to improve triglyceride levels. Brisk walking is an excellent aerobic activity
Increasing dietary fiber will also be helpful. Eat as many high-fiber vegetables as you can .. spinach, broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, dark green leafy veg., eggplant are all good. Pale iceberg lettuce is NOT a good source of fiber or anything for that matter .. make your salads from the darker, more colourful lettuces and greens. Ground flax seeds and psyllium husks may also be helpful. Wheat bran may be high in fiber, but it's not as beneficial at reducing fat levels as we've been told. Vegetable fiber is best.
Hopefully your next test will show improvement, and you can get off the Lipitor ASAP. Good luck to you, and keep us posted
Doreen