Hi, all,
I've been low-carbing since about September 14, 2002. In that amount of time I've gone from 181 lbs. (estimated, because at that time I wouldn't get on a scale and refused to buy one) to 158 lbs. I bought the scale after I figure I lost about 5 lbs - and started "officially" at 176.
Since I was starting Atkins, I decided to go to my Dr. and get my blood lipids checked. He was very supportive of the low-carb approach to losing weight but gave me stern warnings about losing weight and then going back to my original eating habits ("You will put all the weight back on plus 10 pounds"). He also warned me that some people find the low carb diets difficult to follow.
So I had the bloodwork done, and the Dr. called me a couple of days later. My total cholesterol was 226, my HDLs were 39, and my LDLs could not be calculated because my triglycerides were too high - 809! He urged me to do the low carb diet, and to take some no-flush niacin if I wanted to improve the numbers more quickly. He told me to get the bloodwork redone in 3 months.
Well, 3 months have come and gone, so I made another appointment for last Saturday (12/21). He checked my weight and BP and didn't really say too much during the exam. Afterward, we spoke in his office and he warned me about the implications of high triglycerides - how the pancreas could become damaged, leading to diabetes, how the triglyceride number was one of the most difficult numbers to change, and so on. So he sent me off to get the bloodwork redone and said that when he got the results we would need to determine what course of action to take. The unspoken implication was that he didn't think there would be a lot of improvement and that we might need to consider medication.
Yesterday I came home to a message on my machine that the doctor's office had called and that my results were in. I called them as soon as I picked up the message - I was so worried that it took me three times to dial the number correctly.
When I called back it was one of the nurses who gave me the numbers (that's a good thing - when the doctor gets on the phone personally it's serious). The cholesterol was now 202, and the triglycerides were now 164 - just slightly above the 150 norm! Unfortunately, I was still so rattled that I did not ask for the HDLs and LDLs. I will be sure to get them when I go back in six months.
(Of course, this brings up the possibility that the original test results were erroneous - but considering my old eating habits, I don't think they were.)
Just a HUGE "whew"! I may not be dropping pounds as quickly as I would like, but what's going on "inside" is MUCH more important to me. I think my doctor will now realize how serious and dedicated I am (dare I say obsessive?) about doing the low carb way of life.
In a few more months I hope to be posting photos.
The success stories and photos on this site are truly, truly awesome and very inspiring! Thanks for a wonderful site!
Triglyceride success!
