Well hello thurr...

Been a while since i've posted here, but I thought i'd try to get some advice from some knowledgeable members here. A little history first...

First did Atkins about 2 years ago and did really well, losing more than 20 lbs (going down to 168 lbs). Well, all that success made me a bit lazy and while i didn't nearly as fat as I was, I did gain back a lot of it. Started atkins a couple times after that again, noticing that it wasn't nearly as effective as it once had been. That caused me to be half assed about it with almost no result. well, about 2.5 months ago started again this time with motivation and though it's been a much slower progression than the first time I did it, I have lost about 10 lbs. But now on to the point of this post....

Though i'm in my 20's, I have high cholesterol, probably due to genetics as both parents have this condition as well (although they didn't start taking medication until their 50's i believe). After losing the 10 lbs, I had my cholesterol checked again and was perplexed to find that my cholesterol had actually increased! The increase was pretty small, which could simply be attributed to margins of error in testing, so in essence my cholesterol could be conisidered 'unchanged.' It's been a while since I read the Atkins book, but I had always thought the diet tended to lower cholesterol, and I'm somewhat confused as to why it didn't. I also lift weights about 2-3 times week, as well as 30 minutes of cardio 2-3 times a week, so I consider myself a pretty active person. The doctor wanted to put me on a cholesterol-lowering drug such as lipitor, and I simply refuse to be put on a lifetime drug at such a young age.

Some people do experience an increase in blood lipids during the first few months of LCing. Perhaps if you continue being careful with your eating and have your cholesterol re-checked in a few more months you will find an improvement.

One thing I've been very careful to do and that is to take my Omega 3-6-9 capsuls every day. I feel this has been very beneficial to my cholesterol dropping.

I always make sure I ask my doctor to break the cholesterol reading down for me into LDL, HDL and Triglycerides. Mine has dropped over 100 points in the past two years, 40 points this last year alone. BUT, the LDL and Triglyceride levels dropped significantly while the HLD levels RAISED significantly. It makes a difference!

Good luck to you.

shortstuff

You might want to look at these links, and stop worring about the "cholesterol bullsit theory".

www.theomnivore.com
www.thincs.org
www.StatinAlert.org

I have familial hypercholesterolemia. If I try to treat it with meds or with natural supplements, I start having problems with my health. I can't think straight, my memory is shot; I feel tired, fatigue, just not myself. It didn't matter what I used to lower my CHOL whether meds or natural suppl; it was the same reaction. My identical twin brother complained about the same thing. After digging around for some information and research (e.g., www.thincs.org), I stopped trying to lower my CHOL because I have come to realize that I need "high" chol to feel normal. I decided to just continue LC, exercise, and adequate supplementation. Period.

My Total CHOL is always around 350 to 400. My GP thinks I am going to drop dead any minute, but every test I have allowed myself to be subjected to says that my heart is perfect and that everything is clear and clean in there. And, I have no signs of inflammation according to the various blood tests. No one in my family had dropped dead of a heart attack before 80 years old, and most live into their 90's. Everyone in my family has "high" CHOL.

There is great advice and info on this site. For me it was really important to know that for a lot of LCers it takes at least 6 months to see changes in your numbers. I also had my lipids rise before they fell. Because of this forum I stuck with it, and after 10 months my numbers were terrific.
E

I agree 100%

There were VERY few people with "high cholesterol" until the drug companies developed statins.

20 is WAY to young to go on medication. Just what are your numbers?

Most importantly, women of child bearing age should NOT take statins unless they have been permanently sterilized. Effects on a developing fetus can be pretty bad.

There is no science behind the low cholesterol theoreys.....just junk science perpetrated by the drug companies and backed by the medical profession.