I'm currently in an EPIC battle with someone on facebook over the magic number for acceptable cholesterol levels. For some reason I got involved in a discussion on the wall of a friend who's husband is a former Mr. Illinois and they both own a Powerlifting Gym in the outskirts of Chicago. The issue started with a story about how fat Americans have become and our conversation eased into discussion on BMI and what a crock it can be. The BMI states I am morbidly obese yet my cholesterol is 199 with an LDL of 111, all within safe range. Anyone that has been to a GTG will tell you that I eat a lot of food daily and love my Venison, Beef, Chicken, Hog and Seafood. I do weigh 275, but have a 38-40" waist and wear a 56-58" coat. I'm sexy and I know it because i work out. I have no issues but Blood Pressure which is a genetic curse on both sides of my family but we have no history of Heart Attacks. People in my family either live into their late 70's and 80's or die from cirrhosis of the liver. A chump chimed in on the discussion saying 150 is the ideal level or lower and told me I need a new doctor with a brain. I have read that levels under 150 can be dangerous for brain function as well as healing from injury. What say ye here in the Watercooler in the subject? I am partial to a "Witch Doctor" from Chicago and he has never steered my wife and I wrong, here is his take on the matter. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/the-cholesterol-myth-that_b_676817.html
1. BMI can be a poor indicator of "health" 2. Your cholesterol ratio is more important than your LDL levels. I was part of a health screening team for a local hospital for a few years. I'm an no doctor by any means, but I learned quite a bit during that time. While your total of 199 is right on the border of "high risk", your ratio is decent. Your total cholesterol is high enough that further digging would be done by any responsible doctor. I'm assuming that has been done. The numbers are not always black and white. There are "high risk" numbers that should be treated as red flags, but it doesn't not automatically mean they are "bad". 150 is considered "ideal", but it doesn't mean anything over that is automatically awful. As far as being obese, I'm going to take a random guess that your body fat % is 20% or higher. That, by definition, means you are obese. "Morbidly", I can't say for sure.
My levels were completely out of balance. 215 overall, the good cholesterol was too low, the bad too high. My BP was getting into dangerous levels and my resting pulse rate was too high and if I strained to pick up anything heavy... my pulse would immediately go into double time. I had to see a cardiologist when I have always been fit up to the last few years. (Long story there) I changed my diet (didn't go on a diet) and began making exercise a part of every day. I haven't had my cholesterol re-checked but my blood pressure has been consistently 110/60 and my resting pulse rate is now in the 40s. I haven't experienced the racing pulse in a long time and have been released from the cardiologist. My diet change has been to cut out fat dairy products, sodas, enriched wheat products and pretty much anything fried. The biggest difference is that I eat more and more often, only good foods and I eat when I am hungry and STOP eating when I am no longer hungry, not when I am full. I swim 10-12 miles per week and run 3-4 times per week up to about 5 miles per run. I do light weight circuit workouts 3-4 times per week. I will have my cholesterol checked mext month and expect it to be significantly lower than last year. Really enjoyed your post... You look really fit to me. I am 6'2" and weigh in the upper 170s. I was over 220 and climbing.
I was once over 300# and had a 46" waist. My cholesterol was in the 238 range at the time and I decided to get back into the gym and stopped eating fast food. That was about 15 years ago and I have maintained a cholesterol level at 210 or under ever since and replaced a lot of fat with muscle. I can say that I still have a belly and could be leaner but I just enjoy the food too much and know that 150 will never be a number I hit. Looking at my ratio my doctor said the HDL/Cholesterol percentage was good and that the only thing I might want to consider is getting the LDL down to 100 or under which is close. I truly think the key is exercise and staying away from the over saturated world of fast food.
Thats great you've lowered your cholesterol, and replaced fat with muscle. Still, body fat % is much more important than I think most people realize. It is a much better indication of "health" than BMI. Do you know what your body fat % is? In my experience, for those that haven't had their BFP tested recently, it is almost always higher than people guess it is.
Raceway, Two years ago at 210 lbs and 5' 8'' I was as big as ever it was all muscle. I felt terrible, I am now 175 and slim and trim and feel great. I will never carry that much weight and muscle again. Each person is different, if you are happy and feel good, that's all that matters.
I'm totally in Mercola's camp. There are lots of doctors who are aware of the cholesterol con but their voices are drowned out big pharma. Cholesterol lowering drug sales are near $30 billion a year.
Didn't know it so I Googled it... goes along with Vito's information about ratios. Wow, is this true and if so why do we pay doctors? Are they misinformed or greedy? http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...making-sense-of-your-cholesterol-numbers.aspx
Mercola's girlfriend told my wife about a supplement called Astaxanthin which helps with inflammation. I can honestly say it is the single best supplement I have ever taken and has numerous health benefits. The guy hasn't steered us wrong and my wife was one of the last patients he accepted before he stopped seeing patients, he ultimately saved her way of life in diagnosing her disease and helping her manage it.
"For the vast majority of people, making a few lifestyle changes causes healthy cholesterol levels to naturally occur." This bothers me. I know a handful of people on cholesterol medication that were either briefly talked about in regards to lifestyle changes, or told they didn't need to change anything. I suggested they see a different doctor. Only one of those people did and they were able to improve their cholesterol to "heathly" levels without pills. The others would rather just take a pill. Shocking.
So mom is on cholesterol lowering medicines and is considered "terminal" with liver disease. These conditions are all descriptive of her condition and all linked to cholesterol lowering drugs in the article by Mercola. Statin drugs have also been linked to: •An increased risk of polyneuropathy (nerve damage that causes pain in the hands and feet and trouble walking) •Dizziness •Cognitive impairment, including memory loss[xiv] •A potential increased risk of cancer[xv] •Decreased function of the immune system[xvi] •Depression •Liver problems, including a potential increase in liver enzymes (so people taking statins must be regularly monitored for normal liver function) And recently a possible association was found between statins and an increased risk of Lou Gehrig's disease.[xvii] Other cholesterol-lowering drugs besides statins also have side effects, most notably muscle pain and weakness.
I hate you Vito So the gym has a little thing you hold out and it measures something with your height and weight calculated in. It came back at 22.37% and the guy helping me said it is high sometimes. He was recently calipered out at 9% and he tried the same tool I used and came back at 13% and some change. He said it tends to read high so he got on the computer and they took my weight, height, neck and waist measurement. The waist was a little thicker than my Gap jeans are saying and I came back at 41" with a 19" neck. The program had me around 18%. The BMI rated me at 38 which is saying obese to morbidly obese for a 40 year old. The range for body fat % for my age has me on the high side of healthy according to what he pulled up and nearing overweight status. Obese for my age was over 25% Think I might need to shave some calories to be safe and get the waist back down to 38".
Lmao the drugs didn't wear all the way off from my visit to the hospital today when i wrote that. ut oh is there a midlife crisis in the making. Dude your happy and healthy Nuff said Sent from my LG-E739 using Tapatalk 2
Thats not awful for your age raceway. A couple small tweaks like you mentioned and you could be in the mid/upper teens. Calibers are usually on the low side, and can vary based on who is giving the test. If possible, have the same person test you each time. At least you know if you are improving.
