Cholesterol

[rbs]

Man after reading all this health news I went to James Coney Island and had a New York style polish sausage, and a regular coney!

Now when I get mine checked and they say it needs to go down it will not be so hard.:eat2:

 

[STumpy]

Joe... If you want numbers like mine, try "SINK'S WORLD FAMOUS BACON DIET". Just send 4 payments of $49.95 (plus $49.95 s$h) to SINK! BUT WAIT! THAT'S NOT ALL! IF YOU ARE AMONG THE FIRST 50 CUSTOMERS, YOU ALSO GET THE NEW PATENTED FUNNEL FOR POURING THE CHOLESTEROL RIGHT DOWN YOU GULLET!

Don't wait, call today!

4 Months ago I weighed in at 317 lbs. I saw Sink's Ad and decided to try it. In 4 months I lost 317 lbs and feel ...... as light a a ghost !!!

 

[motorcyclelarry]

Fact is and that guy you call a doctor (guess work in a white coat) can't dispute that "NO" definitive medical study has ever, ever proven that high cholesterol is directly linked to heat disease, it is all assumption. At the turn of the 1900's people ate much more fats than we do today yet heart disease was much lower than it is today.

Most doctors today I think pretty much work for the drug companies and the amount of men over 40 taking Lipitor shows this. I took Lipitor for 2 years then last year stopped cold turkey and started exercising on a bicycle full time. I lost about 15 pounds is all, but my cholesterol went from 220 before Lipitor to 180 with Lipitor to 135 without it and just getting the cheese out of my *** and exercising hard. And I feel much better today also. There are some other "advantages" those close to you will also like as you will also with a regular hard workout routine and it isn't sweaty socks.

Larry

 

[LeeWonnacott]

.... Doc also told me NOT to ride Motorcycles.

Sounds like it's time to find a different doctor! If mine said that to me she's probably be very disappointed at my response ... "Are you Effing CRAZY? It's the only thing that makes me want to live!" :butt1:

 

[Louie Louie]

I take lipitor, an aspirin a day and 1 fish oil gel. Hopefully this will keep me riding for a while longer.Never had any heart problems but MD said its good prevention..

 

[John Anthony]

I belong to an HMO and the doctor who prescribed the meds has seen me for about 30 years, so I don't think he's in the pocket of any of the drug companies. He doesn't even dispense sample meds.

I do like the idea of getting more healthy through more exercise. Bowflex and exercycle in the basement with a big screen to keep my mind off exercising and a great neighborhood to walk through.

I've been off the high Niacin program for about 6 months and will report the results after my next physical in another month or so.

John

 

[hawkeyeST]

OK guys, Last summer I found out I had Coronary Artery Disease. Lucky I did not have a heart attack to find it out . Received a Coronary Stint. 90% blockage in the Artery. My Total Cholesterol was 202, HDL was 35 and LDL was 144 TC/HDL 5.8 Triglyceride 114. Really not too bad for a 56 year old. Bad enough to cause Coronary Blockage. I am now on Lopressor 50mg daily, Zocor 40 mg Daily and Plavix 75 mg daily. Today the new lab results are Total cholesterol 146, HDL 36, LDL 88 TC/HDL 4.1 Triglycerides 111. Doc said I will most likely be on Plavix for a very long time. Doc also told me NOT to ride Motorcycles. As my Son would say "Yea, Sure, Right, Fine Dad" It is no fun trying to remember to take the meds every day. And when I do ride I do think about what would happen if I fell down. A Risk I am willing to take now. Maybe not later. I do still have light bouts with Angina from time to time. By the way I never smoked in my life and was a very light beer drinker.

Start taking better care of your selves. I still have a bunch of miles to ride before I check out.

Sounds like we should all smoke and drink more?

 

[Sink]

I get to see my Doc tomorrow and see how my BACON diet is working..... I'll report back!

 

[curmudgeon]

NightRDR, I agree with you 100%. The biggest thing lacking in most Americans lives is proper exercise. Proper exercise will always include resistance training. Losing weight through diet alone can be a mistake. Especially rapid weight loss. Losing weight rapidly will cause the body to burn muscle along with fat. Muscle is the supercharger in the body for burning calories. So after a rapid weight loss you'll have less muscle which means the body will burn less calories causing you to gain weight easier.

Phil

 

[John Anthony]

Maggie just came back from a visit to her doc. Her cholesterol is pretty elevated. Their "prescription:" 3 fish oil gels a day along with at least 30 min. of exercise. She does that for 3 months and then gets a check back. I'll let you all know the results.

One of the cool things about our HMO is they'll put all of your lab results on line. Makes it nice if you want to track something like this over a long period of time.

John

 

[skidlid1300]

It's just a shame that there isn't any fast food places out there on the road, that have food that is good for us. Are there any? We talk of all these things to avoid - i.e. corn syrup, starches, saturated fats, high fructose, sugars, etc, what else is there? I don't want to eat this crap... I say this out of frustration that I wish there were easier choices and alternatives. What do the people overseas do? I mean, eat to be healthy, it seems that there are alot of foods around us, here in the US, that are easily accessable, that are NOT healthy for us at all. When we are on the road on a bike trip, what else is there besides eating fruits, granola, or an apple? I agree with all of you, except for maybe Sink's bacon idea... I have no heath issues with cholesterol, my family on both sides, have all lived well into their 90's and my grandmother is 101 this year and still lives at her own home... But, what's not to say that it can be in my future? I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel kind of 'trapped" into eating the crap foods when I'm out on a motorcycle trip... Any ideas?

 

[John Anthony]

Hmmmm. Healthy food out on the road. Great question. I'll hit Mickey D's from time to time in the AM for a couple of breakfast burritos and those don't seem too bad. I've also had their chicken salads and they seem pretty wholesome.

John

 

[Gymbo]

Ok...on my soapbox

I highly recommend the book The Maffetone Method. He explains the difference between fitness and health in a concise and understandable way.

I agree that exercise in any form is the missing factor in most cases. The overconsumption of pop and other beverages sweetened with high fructose corn syrup is also a HUGE factor. Trans fats are also a big problem.

I have had no problem helping my patients bring down their cholesterol. It comes down to whether they are motivated to help themselves. I also must admit that I would NEVER take a statin drug. IMO they are harmful far beyond any potential benefit. And what's the point in lowering cholesterol....Lowering cholesterol doesn't change mortality rates...the heart attack rate drops slightly but the overall mortality rate doesn't change!! You just die of something other than heart attack...heart failure, stroke, suicide...etc.

The kind of exercise that is most helpful for becoming more healthy is real aerobic exercise. This is exercise at an intensity that you utilize oxygen, glucose and fat for fuel. Anaerobic utilizes glucose and muscle glycogen for fuel. Most resistance training is anaerobic. It is useful for strength, coordination and fitness, but not the most effective for being healthy. You can be ripped and at the same time be very unhealthy. A combination of aerobic and resistance training can be excellent for fitness and health once a base of aerobic fitness is established.

A very simple explanation of cholesterol metabolism is HERE.

 

[curmudgeon]

I eat lots of salads now, but when on a motorcycle trip all bets are off. I will eat grease burgers etc and to H*ll with the consequences.
One healthy fast food can be Subway sandwiches with turkey. The big thing you can do if you're going to eat burgers etc is to drink only water and skip the fries. Cheaper and eliminates quite a bit of the bad stuff. Sure the burger is still bad but not as bad as a burger with fries and a soft drink. I tend to drink nothing but water all day except for two cups of coffee in the mornings.

I agree with not taking statin drugs. I do take a 1200 mg fish oil gel every morning. It will be interesting to see if my HDL/LDL ratio is better next time.

Phil

 

[Gymbo]

I eat lots of salads now, but when on a motorcycle trip all bets are off. I will eat grease burgers etc and to H*ll with the consequences.....

Hey...ya gotta live a little. I even tell my patients that. You have to be able to enjoy life....and food is something a great many of us enjoy.

Eat a few things you shouldn't every once in a while....enjoy them...then stop.

 

[ChucksKLRST]

When I am on the road I use to have scrambled eggs bacon/ sausage home fried potatoes, white bread and milk for breakfast. Every morning on the road. Now it is just eggs and a piece of bacon and a glass of milk. The evening meal now consists of Subway for my cold cut combo. No more greasy burgers. A couple of stout beers and I am good to go.

 

[LeeWonnacott]

Ok...on my soapbox

I also must admit that I would NEVER take a statin drug. IMO they are harmful far beyond any potential benefit. And what's the point in lowering cholesterol....Lowering cholesterol doesn't change mortality rates...the heart attack rate drops slightly but the overall mortality rate doesn't change!! You just die of something other than heart attack...heart failure, stroke, suicide...etc.

Well.... until you came aboard with that comment I was only mildly amused at this thread - Last year my doc went unglued after seeing my lipids profile and put me on Lipitor ... four weeks later I'm in the hospital for a week. What put me there? Yup... So after I got out we tried Crestor. Result, sure, a much better lipids profile, but muscle pains galore and constant stomach cramps. "Sorry, Doc, I'll chance the clogged vessels!"

Last week I my neurologist read the results of a brain scan. Damn, this is scary! He's sending me to an Alzheimers specialist and at the same time telling my general practice doc I have small vessel disease and to put me on statins!

I'm pretty sure I don't want to worry about the cholesterol at this point. All I want is to find where the hell my keys are and be able to read the map that has a good route headed west! I think most of the guys on this forum may be well advised to take your comments to heart. Don't obsess, just don't what you can cope with and then ride to forget your problems... or anything else for that matter.

Okay, found the keys - where's my bike?

 

[skidlid1300]

I'm asking if there are any good tasting healthy meals to eat while out on the road during a bike trip. I know you all will think, "Well, I gotta live also, the hell with that heathy stuff... I'll eat whatever out on the road." That's my point: In the US, there are no healthy eating establishments as far as fast foods. Why aren't there any? Except, if you want to eat Subway sandwiches twice a day. That gets old after a couple of days. Is that our idea of "living?" Is stuffing our faces with junk food filled with preservatives?

I'm just putting these questions out there. It's just funny what our American ways are, when it comes to food, especially fast food. It's just crap that is so nutritionally bad for us, we eat it anyway, and we think that we are "living it up" by eating it... Ok, my .02 cents has been spent...

 

[jbim]

I use BACON to control my cholesterol! Works great! Anyone need some extra???? Cholesterol that is....

I'm like SINK, my numbers are very good.

The only time I had a full test done is when I was training for the Ironman Triatlon back in 1988. I was 35 at the time. I know that makes me 55 next year. I was training 3-6 hours a day at the time and my numbers were not got. I remember my doctor looking at me as if I was a couch potato. Anyway, I decided I wouldn't bother with medical issues unless I am sick. In my mind, it is not the "dying" it is the "being healthy while you live".

Over the course of a year, I train on average one hour a day. I paddle a kayak, do cardio and weights. I measured my resting pulse at 42 a few weeks ago. My blood pressure is usually as per the book. I am sure my cholesterol numbers would be high now. I prefer to avoid taking pills, drugs, etc.

I find it ironic that someone riding a motrocycle is concerned about the cholesterol numbers and, I guess, of dying of a heart attack. It would be interesting to know the odds of dying one versus the other. I must say I would take a riding pill if there was one .

 

[jbim]

I'm asking if there are any good tasting healthy meals to eat while out on the road during a bike trip. I know you all will think, "Well, I gotta live also, the hell with that heathy stuff... I'll eat whatever out on the road." That's my point: In the US, there are no healthy eating establishments as far as fast foods. Why aren't there any? Except, if you want to eat Subway sandwiches twice a day. That gets old after a couple of days. Is that our idea of "living?" Is stuffing our faces with junk food filled with preservatives?

I'm just putting these questions out there. It's just funny what our American ways are, when it comes to food, especially fast food. It's just crap that is so nutritionally bad for us, we eat it anyway, and we think that we are "living it up" by eating it... Ok, my .02 cents has been spent...

I would suggest protein bars and water. The are not filling and won't make you sleepy. I alsways stuff a few in my bag. They will replinish some of the electrolyte lost by sweating if hot. I like the Power Bars or Zone. There are plenty out there. Just check the number of grams of fat. I try to take no more than 3 grams of fat per 100 calories.