Cholesteral

[pamie71 0]

Has anybody had a problem with their cholesteral (specifically LDL) being out of whack? I went to the doctor a few days ago and my bad cholesteral was so high she almost wanted to put me on medicine. Then she did some research and found out that that can sometimes happen when carbs are drastically taken out of one's diet. We are hoping it will level off and then start going down after a while. I'm scheduled to have it checked again in four months but she wanted me to check to see if this had been a problem with anybody else that has had this surgery.

Pam

[MustangGirlRN 0]

Mine did the same thing. My numbers looked great pre-op, but then about 2 weeks post-op, I went to a healthy check sponsored by my husband's work. I expected my numbers to look even better, but they were a mess. I had to explain my WLS to the nurse at the healthy check and she still wasn't sure if that was the problem. I let my dietician know and she suggested having my blood checked further down the road. It's good to know that it's a common occurence. Thanks for the information.

Lisa

[PATCHELTON 0]

I had bad numbers pre-op, even on two meds. My first post-op bloodwork was a major improvement. My triglycerides which were usually 300 on meds were 53. I will still on meds for this, but my total went to 143, HDL 65, LDL 66. I used to have a total over 200. The only thing out of whack were my liver enzymes, still elevated. So my PCP stopped both meds and this month I have followup to see if my numbers are still good, and if my liver enzymes have come down. They can be elevated from the cholesterol meds. My surgeon said it could be a fatty liver, so I had a pre-op liquid diet, but he said my liver didn't look that bad in surgery.

I am crossing my fingers that my numbers are still good when I do the next blood test. I follow a low sugar, low salt, low fat as much as possible. I don't eat much bread (fat free croutons are okay--they disintegrate, but anything that can get a little chewy bothers me so I steer clear), and I eat a lot of salads with light dressing. I devised a crustless pizza so I could enjoy the sauce and toppings withiout the crust. I make it in a microwavable dish (meal portion size) using Hormel Turkey Pepperoni and Kraft Free fat free cheese. Most pizza sauces are low in sugar and fat, and I use Birdseye Pepper Stirfry for toppings over the Hormel. It is just frozen 3 color peppers and onion chunks, perfect for topping pizza. It satisfies my urge for pizza and I stay out of the pizzeria (one of the reasons my cholesteral wouldn't come down). Nuke for 2 minutes on high.

Maybe the dieticician could look at what you do eat, to see if anything stands out that may be contributing. Good luck on your journey.

[Jachut 487]

To me, this is absolutely no surprise. If you read the Share Ideas what did you eat today thread, some people's diets are absolutely awful. Processed meat, cheese, sour cream (as main intake rather than condiments) but little in the way of lean meat, fresh fish, free range eggs and hardly ANY fresh produce.

I'm not arguing that high protein/low carb doesnt work or is unhealthy, but the way the average person applies it definitely IS. In many cases, apart from quantity, there is no improvement over pre op eating habits at all.

Lower carb is all very well but fresh produce - a variety of fruits and veg and I think wholegrains but I know that's debateable is necessary for our health. A diet of a few pieces of deli meat and cheese in a day, or believing that refried Beans can constitute your entire vegetable intake is ridiculous. I didnt get banded to eat like that!

I'm quite happy that although I apparently risk Protein deficiency by getting only 50 grams or so a day from my food, I have in fact improved my blood chemistry which is absolutely perfect. I eat a much more varied diet that is based on wholegrains and fruit and vegetables more so than Protein and I've done just fine. Maybe its not for everyone but maybe high protein isnt either?

Its just about balace - focus on higher protein/low carb if that's your instructions but try to find healthy sources of it - fish and nuts are healthy fats that wont send your cholesterol levels skyrocketing but remember that fish comes from the ocean in a natural state, not crumbed from a box int he freezer. Nuts grow on trees, not in salt. Eat lots of fresh vegies and fruit. A daily glass of red wine helps. Hard aerobic exercise helps. Low fat everything if you have blood chemistry problems. Think about including carbs such as traditional rolled oats - the insoluble fibre and certain chemicsals in oats lower cholesterol levels.

Edited January 5, 2009 by Jachut