Um, just a few questions. Are you male or female, and if you're female, are you post-menopausal? If you are post-menopausal, are you taking HRT? Also, do you have a strong family history of high cholesterol and heart disease? You have lost 35 lbs (congrats!) but do you still have more weight to lose, ie. are you still overweight? These factors all make a big difference.

I can offer some very general information, but without knowing many details, sorry I can't be specific for you.

First, I must say I had to look the numbers up - in Canada, we use a different numeric system for cholesterol and triglyceride readings. Normal total cholesterol is 140 to 310 mg/dl - desirable is below 200 - but it is not (or should not) be used as the sole indicator of health risk. Your HDL cholesterol is the so-called "good" cholesterol. It's desirable for men that the level be over 40, and for women, over 50mg/dl. Your level is 87, so that's very good. You didn't mention LDL, the "bad"cholesterol, it's desirable to be below 130. Triglycerides are considered normal up to 200 mg/dl, although if your other risk factors for heart disease are high, it would be desirable to be below 100.

You are right to be cautious about cholesterol-lowering drugs. Without any other risk of heart disease being present, there might be other things you can try first. These drugs have significant side effects, not the least of which is liver damage. Ask your doctor and pharmacist LOTS of questions.

Wa'il's suggestion to try lower fat is a good one. Especially cut way back on the saturated fat, that is fat from animal sources. Eat lean red meats less often, pull the skin off poultry, and eat fish more often. Choose low-fat dairy products and water-pack tuna or sardines. Switch to low-cholesterol egg substitutes. Use unsaturated vegetable oils, such as olive, flax or canola, and have a handful of nuts as a snack instead of cheese or fatty meat. Fiber is known to help lower cholesterol, so make sure you are eating plenty of high-fiber veggies, and take a fiber supplement such as psyllium or Metamucil.

Aerobic exercise also lowers cholesterol, so brisk walking, cycling, rowing etc. as long as it gets your heart rate up and stays up for at least 20 min. Weight lifting is great for fat-loss and muscle-building, but is not aerobic enough for the heart ..

Investigate nutritional supplements, such as coenzyme Q10, a powerful antioxidant. There's also vitamin E and selenium.

Good luck,
Doreen