Cholesterol Woes

Dear Friends and Family,

I had my health assessment at work yesterday. And, for $5 extra I did the cholesterol screening to see if there had been any changes from last fall.

The good news keeps getting better... My triglycerides and Very Low Density Lipids were already off the charts low (this is good) and got even better. And, the overall total number which is also already low dropped 2% more. But, the "needs work" news still "needs work." I didn't make a ton of progress on moving the two main numbers. My Low Density Lipids (bad cholesterol) is still on the borderline of optimal and okay and my High Density Lipids (good cholesterol) is on the borderline of very very low and very low.

I just don't get it. It doesn't seem "fair." I know exactly what I eat and it's healthier than 99.9% of America, or at least 95% of America. And, I know I could exercise more, but I'm in the gym regularly. How are other people walking around with uber sexy HDL numbers and I'm on the border of very very low and very low? Frankly, I'm jealous.

I'm trying to remain positive. I did increase 8% on the HDL number, but there's still so much more work that needs to be done to get anywhere close to optimal. It's easy to be the most improved prize if you're starting from dead last.

So, I'll continue with the exercise and, to be honest, I probably won't change a ton in the eating routine until I hit maintenance on Weight Watchers. I've got 19 points a day now, and that's just not enough points to experiment with adding a ton of foods into the diet (as in food routine, not temporary restricted food routine). But, once I hit maintenance, I might try the orange juice or the olive oil and baguette or the wine thing and see if it moves the needle.

This week has been a flat week weight wise. I think it'll be a couple of weeks of no loss during which I'll feel a bunch of changes in the body but see no changes on the scale. Sigh. This whole thing is so much more complex than calories in vs. calories out.

There's a good article in the NY Times with a lot of thoughts on food... Unhappy Meals... It recommends a couple of things towards the end of the article about how to recognize food vs. "food." It's a long read, but a good read. It also references another article... What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?... Another long, but good read. All things to focus on once I hit maintenance and spend 6-8 weeks figuring out maintenance... Something for later this year.


Cheers!
mouse