How do you begin your New Year? Do you make resolutions that you try to stick to? I used to do that, but realized I was over them by March. So I quit making resolutions. But ----- this year may be a little different:
I begin each new year with my annual physical. I didn't do that on purpose--it just fell on January because of insurance. I certainly wouldn't decide to start each new year getting stuck and prodded. So this year, as usual, I went for my appointment, and having fasted, got my blood drawn. We have been watching my cholesterol levels, because my total level runs high. But my HDL has always been high, too, making the ratio to my elevated LDL in the safe zone.
Uh, not this year. The next day, I get a phone call from the PA. "Corlea, everything looks great on your blood panel......pause....except your cholesterol ----and it's out the roof!" (I love how she started with a positive tone.) "Your total is 320 and your LDL is 235!" The LDL alone was higher than a healthy total of both LDL and HDL. My reply was a cuss word and then an apology. Now, Clark and I eat pretty healthy--I seldom eat meat, we eat fresh vegetables and fruit every day, and in an attempt to eat "right" we run up a bill at Whole Foods that looks like we feed a family of 10. But there's always room for improvement, and I will admit that I ate whatever I wanted during the holidays--butter, cheese, pie, cake,--well, you know. But I think the biggest piece of my elevated LDL is the fact that I have not exercised regularly for about 2 months. My exercise class was off 2 weeks during Christmas, I had the flu for a week, and I just got out of the habit of walking. So since my half marathon last year, my LDL has jumped 80 points. And after some major googling I am changing some things, substituting others, and giving up some conveniences.
Here is what I am doing: I made an appointment with an internal medicine doc for February. I am not going to eat anything from a package with the exception of oatmeal, and am declining eating anything who had a mother except for the occasional fish. I am substituting the plant or vegan margarine for what I was using, giving up pimento cheese,( which is my favorite sandwich), and omitting the color white from my diet. I am going to try to do some sort of exercise every day until my appointment in February. More beans, tea instead of coffee, psyllium husk, and a big salad for lunch are awaiting my consumption on a daily basis. By the way, the psyllium husk is fairly nasty and has some other "side effects" that I won't go into on this blog, but you can imagine what swallowing 8 grams of soluble fiber every morning is going to do to you the rest of the day.............
But, I have to get my numbers down, and I thought I would just try all of this clean eating and exercise and see what happens to my numbers in a month's time. I know I need to have a diet and exercise plan that is sustainable. And I know that I will cheat on occasion, but NOTHING is more of a motivator to eat better and exercise than a heart attack waiting to happen!!!
If I lower my LDL just a few points in a month's time, I will feel like this way is the best way to be. I have a family history of heart attacks and strokes, so the elevated LDL is also probably a gene thing, but I have to try, right? And what person doesn't enjoy a bowl of bean soup washed down with a nice cold glass of soy milk?
I begin each new year with my annual physical. I didn't do that on purpose--it just fell on January because of insurance. I certainly wouldn't decide to start each new year getting stuck and prodded. So this year, as usual, I went for my appointment, and having fasted, got my blood drawn. We have been watching my cholesterol levels, because my total level runs high. But my HDL has always been high, too, making the ratio to my elevated LDL in the safe zone.
Uh, not this year. The next day, I get a phone call from the PA. "Corlea, everything looks great on your blood panel......pause....except your cholesterol ----and it's out the roof!" (I love how she started with a positive tone.) "Your total is 320 and your LDL is 235!" The LDL alone was higher than a healthy total of both LDL and HDL. My reply was a cuss word and then an apology. Now, Clark and I eat pretty healthy--I seldom eat meat, we eat fresh vegetables and fruit every day, and in an attempt to eat "right" we run up a bill at Whole Foods that looks like we feed a family of 10. But there's always room for improvement, and I will admit that I ate whatever I wanted during the holidays--butter, cheese, pie, cake,--well, you know. But I think the biggest piece of my elevated LDL is the fact that I have not exercised regularly for about 2 months. My exercise class was off 2 weeks during Christmas, I had the flu for a week, and I just got out of the habit of walking. So since my half marathon last year, my LDL has jumped 80 points. And after some major googling I am changing some things, substituting others, and giving up some conveniences.
Here is what I am doing: I made an appointment with an internal medicine doc for February. I am not going to eat anything from a package with the exception of oatmeal, and am declining eating anything who had a mother except for the occasional fish. I am substituting the plant or vegan margarine for what I was using, giving up pimento cheese,( which is my favorite sandwich), and omitting the color white from my diet. I am going to try to do some sort of exercise every day until my appointment in February. More beans, tea instead of coffee, psyllium husk, and a big salad for lunch are awaiting my consumption on a daily basis. By the way, the psyllium husk is fairly nasty and has some other "side effects" that I won't go into on this blog, but you can imagine what swallowing 8 grams of soluble fiber every morning is going to do to you the rest of the day.............
But, I have to get my numbers down, and I thought I would just try all of this clean eating and exercise and see what happens to my numbers in a month's time. I know I need to have a diet and exercise plan that is sustainable. And I know that I will cheat on occasion, but NOTHING is more of a motivator to eat better and exercise than a heart attack waiting to happen!!!
If I lower my LDL just a few points in a month's time, I will feel like this way is the best way to be. I have a family history of heart attacks and strokes, so the elevated LDL is also probably a gene thing, but I have to try, right? And what person doesn't enjoy a bowl of bean soup washed down with a nice cold glass of soy milk?
