Help! I feel great, cholesterol down- triglycerides going to the moon!

Wheelnstones

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52
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  1. Vegan
Hello,

Been following a plant based diet religiously for 6 weeks. Got blood tested and WOWZA! I have attached a graph of my numbers on different diets along with other info on me. I have been following the Forks meal plan to a T with no alcohol consumption, no added sugars, fruit is 1-2 pieces a day. Biggest increase in consistent consumption is oatmeal. So I am going to eliminate that and retest in 2 weeks.

Anybody else seeing the kind of spike in triglycerides like mine in the attached?
 

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I have no idea why that would happen, and my only guess is that your body is adjusting. 6 weeks is not that long, and, are you on medication? There are so many questions and unknowns and I doubt anyone is going to try to diagnose a medical issue here, since I don't think we have any doctors in the house, and even if we did, they wouldn't be likely to diagnose you without having seen you in their office. I don't see how oatmeal is anything but healthy to eat, so I don't know about cutting that out. Honestly, I would consult with a plant-based dietician and a doctor who's educated enough not to say that a plant based diet is unhealthy or some such nonsense.
 
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I don’t know much about how all of that works. I’m annoyed that my cholesterol isn’t lower considering I eat vegan 95% of the time. I do like my junk food though. I got my general number down from 200 to 175 when I lost 30 lbs. a few years ago but I feel like it should be lower. I think my other numbers were just ok. I’m overdue for a retest. And I just found out I have some plaque buildup in my aorta. 😫 If my numbers aren’t good this time around they are going to put me on medication. 😫😫
 
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I don’t know much about how all of that works. I’m annoyed that my cholesterol isn’t lower considering I eat vegan 95% of the time. I do like my junk food though. I got my general number down from 200 to 175 when I lost 30 lbs. a few years ago but I feel like it should be lower. I think my other numbers were just ok. I’m overdue for a retest. And I just found out I have some plaque buildup in my aorta. 😫 If my numbers aren’t good this time around they are going to put me on medication. 😫😫

I hope that you can sort this out as medication isn't always the best solution. My GP told me that high cholesterol levels are also due to genetics and if you have eat no saturated fat you can still have high levels.

Over here 200 isn't considered as high as they take other criteria into account before assessing whether you are at risk for a heart condition. My levels are + 200 but I have normal BP, weight is fine according to her:)rolleyes:), and normal sugar levels. Oh, and one other important factor is that my HDL is high and LDL is low.
 
Tofu - no medications of any kind. Yesterday I sent an email to Dr Esselsytn's office indicating my dilemma and the Doctor himself actually called me and spent a good 15 minutes asking questions. He asked what am I eating differently that in the previous 6 weeks I wasn't? I was eating healthy but not pure plant based and looking back over the previous year as I continued to eat healthier (exercise remained the same) the biggest single item might be the reduction of saturated and unsaturated fats right up to eating very little unsaturated fats over the last. It maybe too much fruit as well so going to reduce that and retest in 2 weeks.
KLS52 & Shyvas- I am trying to avoid medications and the pitfalls of family history of cardiovascular disease. If you haven't, please visit www.dresselstyn.com and review that plant-based diet. Especially check out the successes tab.
 
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I don’t know much about how all of that works. I’m annoyed that my cholesterol isn’t lower considering I eat vegan 95% of the time. I do like my junk food though. I got my general number down from 200 to 175 when I lost 30 lbs. a few years ago but I feel like it should be lower. I think my other numbers were just ok. I’m overdue for a retest. And I just found out I have some plaque buildup in my aorta. 😫 If my numbers aren’t good this time around they are going to put me on medication. 😫😫

What's the 5% look like? My cholesterol was bad when I was an ominvore and continued to worsen when I switched to an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet. My 5% of animal products was a cheese pizza once a week, pancakes with eggs and dairy milk once or twice a week. I was moments away from being put on meds to counter my cholesterol issues when I switched to an all plant diet. I was on the diet for nearly a year when I had my next wellness exam. At that point, my cholesterol had dropped from a very scary place to a very awesome place.

There is plenty of vegan-friendly junk food out there that won't mangle your cholesterol.
 
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What's the 5% look like?
It’s those times when I’m eating away from home and I don’t want to interrogate the server with questions about the ingredients in the bread, or if the veggie burger has egg in it. Often times whole wheat bread has honey in it. Stuff like that. I can’t imagine that’s causing the higher cholesterol. It’s probably not even once a month. I love potato chips and Earth Balance cheese puffs. My guess is it’s more the junk food doing the damage.

I also can’t always get vegan Quorn products so I buy those occasionally if they don’t have my Boca chicken patties.
 
It’s those times when I’m eating away from home and I don’t want to interrogate the server with questions about the ingredients in the bread, or if the veggie burger has egg in it. Often times whole wheat bread has honey in it. Stuff like that. I can’t imagine that’s causing the higher cholesterol. it’s probably not even once a month. I love potato chips and Earth Balance cheese puffs. My guess is it’s more the junk food doing the damage.

Keep in mind cholesterol is only found in animal products. If you're having trouble lowering your cholesterol, my first suggestion would be to cut out the animal products. Potato chips (usually cooked in vegetable oil) and non-dairy "cheese" puffs are not contributing to bad cholesterol. They may be high in calories and low in nutritional value, but they are not contributing to your cholesterol issues.

Unlike fats, you cannot work-off cholesterol. My understanding is cholesterol essentially builds up in your system. If you continue to consume animal products you'll continue to build up bad cholesterol. This was my story. I only saw positive progress once I fully cut out the animal products.

Also try not to feel bad if you ask about ingredients or food prep when eating out. You should feel confident and comfortable about what you put in your body. If the restaurant makes you feel bad about asking these questions then why would you spend your money on their food?
 
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Hello,

Been following a plant based diet religiously for 6 weeks. Got blood tested and WOWZA! I have attached a graph of my numbers on different diets along with other info on me. I have been following the Forks meal plan to a T with no alcohol consumption, no added sugars, fruit is 1-2 pieces a day. Biggest increase in consistent consumption is oatmeal. So I am going to eliminate that and retest in 2 weeks.

Anybody else seeing the kind of spike in triglycerides like mine in the attached?

I know this is only semi relevant to the thread but I thought I'd mention it here like I have elsewhere. Alcohol consumption effects triglyceride levels, negatively, meaning they can be raised. I discovered this on the 1st year blood test I had done as a vegan, who didn't quit alcohol. Cholesterol and triglycerides were both lowered but still somewhat elevated above healthy. The liver is both a toxin filter and a fat burner, so if it is busy filtering toxins like alcohol on a regular basis it is not devoting the time to burn fat. This can result in higher triglyceride levels depending on how much/how often one drinks alcohol.
 
I hope that you can sort this out as medication isn't always the best solution. My GP told me that high cholesterol levels are also due to genetics and if you have eat no saturated fat you can still have high levels.

Over here 200 isn't considered as high as they take other criteria into account before assessing whether you are at risk for a heart condition. My levels are + 200 but I have normal BP, weight is fine according to her:)rolleyes:), and normal sugar levels. Oh, and one other important factor is that my HDL is high and LDL is low.
I don’t think the numbers are what bothers me as much as knowing I have plaque. ☹️
I can do (a little) better with diet.
 
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I think saturated fat plays a role as well. It raises the bad cholesterol and contributes to heart disease. I love my vegan butter, Silk creamer, etc. My guess is if I cut back on that it would also help. Don’t see that happening right now, lol.

So I don’t think it’s enough to just choose foods that say “0 cholesterol”. It’s the whole picture.

I’m going to try and get myself to the lab one morning this week...I really need to get it checked.
 
Before I became a vegan, my doctor complained about my weight, triglycerides, cholesterol, and sugar levels. (What in the world is a triglyceride anyway.) I told my doctor that alcohol, sugar, and fatty foods are what gives me a reason to live and wake up in the morning. "

I also told my doctor that he just wants to keep me alive because he needs the business. No doctor in his or her right mind would ever want me as a patient. So he must be desperate.

After I became vegan, I suddenly found an interest in eating healthy. I went from thinking, "Wow. This is great. I had a slice of whole wheat bread today t-o-o-o-o eating so much fiber that I sit on the toilet 3-4 times a day.

All the sudden, I lowered my sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, and weight without really trying.
 
Tofu - no medications of any kind. Yesterday I sent an email to Dr Esselsytn's office indicating my dilemma and the Doctor himself actually called me and spent a good 15 minutes asking questions. He asked what am I eating differently that in the previous 6 weeks I wasn't? I was eating healthy but not pure plant based and looking back over the previous year as I continued to eat healthier (exercise remained the same) the biggest single item might be the reduction of saturated and unsaturated fats right up to eating very little unsaturated fats over the last. It maybe too much fruit as well so going to reduce that and retest in 2 weeks.
KLS52 & Shyvas- I am trying to avoid medications and the pitfalls of family history of cardiovascular disease. If you haven't, please visit www.dresselstyn.com and review that plant-based diet. Especially check out the successes tab.
I witnessed a coworker go from severe heart disease- as in given last rites during a second by pass- to a marathon runner from following Dr Esselstyns plan. He stayed strict because he saw and felt results.

Have you lost weight? I remember reading a study that showed the process of losing weight would cause a spike in cholesterol, as you metabolized your own fat, but can't find anything now
 
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