cholesterol and weight

Lurker said:

I know that being overweight can drive your cholesterol up. Is there any
evidence that having high cholesterol can drive your weight up? Or
make it very difficult to lose weight?

Lurker

I don't think there is much of a correlation except that poor dietary
habits can affect both.
As my doctor said a couple of days ago, he has [atients who weight
350+ pounds who have low cholesterol and patients who are otherwise in
excellent shape who have extremely high cholesterol.

What you might find is that following a cholesterol reducing diet can
also help lose weight.
--
Bob Mann
Help save trees. Wipe your ass with an owl.

Bob Mann said:

Lurker said:

I know that being overweight can drive your cholesterol up. Is there any
evidence that having high cholesterol can drive your weight up? Or
make it very difficult to lose weight?

Lurker

I don't think there is much of a correlation except that poor dietary
habits can affect both.
As my doctor said a couple of days ago, he has [atients who weight
350+ pounds who have low cholesterol and patients who are otherwise in
excellent shape who have extremely high cholesterol.

What you might find is that following a cholesterol reducing diet can
also help lose weight.

Hey Bob,

I thought that the timing between our posts was very coincidental! I
started eating differently on October 1st. last year. Haven't had fried
food, or soda since among other changes. The reason that I had gone to
the doctor in the first place was frustration with my weight. I had been
in the gym 5-7 days a week since Oct. 1st and hadn't lost more than
5lbs. I was readjusting my calorie count every 3-4 weeks and had it down
to 2200-2600 a day by the time I went to see him. (At that time I was
6'2" 300lbs. I am 31yo btw.)

So I went in to have thyroid/liver/kidney/diabetes blood work done in
order to start ruling out possibilities for my stubborn body's refusal
to shed pounds. I told him that I had never had my cholesterol tested
and that we should go ahead and do that too since we were drawing blood.
It was the only thing that came back abnormal.

As a side note. I did the 12 hour fast before the blood work. It wasn't
as bad as I thought it should be so I kept doing it everyday since. This
has effectively kept my calories around 1200-1500 each day. My weight
has finally started moving. In fact quite quickly.

The doctor says I am nuts for keeping my calories that low, but doesn't
have any other answers on how to get my weight to start coming off. He
is asking around to his peers to see if anyone else has any ideas/plans
of attack.

He kept telling me that I didn't seem overweight, that I had an nfl
lineman's build. And I kept countering with the fact that I don't care
what I look like or seem, but that 29% bf was unacceptable and unhealthy
and something had to be done in order to avoid ending up like my folks
at 65. They are both quite overweight and have developed adult onset
diabetes. My mother to the point of being insulin dependant. This he
agreed with, but didn't have any answers.

Lurker

Lurker said:

So I went in to have thyroid/liver/kidney/diabetes blood work
done in order to start ruling out possibilities for my
stubborn body's refusal to shed pounds.

The ONLY reason someone cannot shed weight is because they are not
making a *consistant* caloric deficit thru diet and exercise. Nothing
stubborn about it at all.

Quoted message said:

This has effectively kept my calories around 1200-1500 each
day. My weight has finally started moving. In fact quite
quickly. The doctor says I am nuts for keeping my calories
that low, but doesn't have any other answers on how to get
my weight to start coming off.

Well basically you are starving yourself and yes you will lose weight
but its not the kind you want to lose. You want to lose bodyfat, not to
ruin your metabolism. Better to zigzag your calories back and forth
from higher to lower days per your activities.

Quoted message said:

what I look like or seem, but that 29% bf was unacceptable
and unhealthy and something had to be done in order to avoid
ending up like my folks

I think I would want another doctor who knows more about whats fit and
whats fat. :-0 So its key not to rely on the scale so much as getting
your bodyfat down lower. You do exercise right? I recall reading that
one of the important things relating to higher/lower cholesterol is
increasing your HDL levels (good)and lowering your LDL levels (bad) by
increasing your exercise. So whether a person is fat or thin doesnt so
much as matter as whether you are sedentary or an active person.

Congrats on moving in the right direction to change your lifestyle so
you dont end up with the health issues of your parents.Thats such a big
step in just realizing you need to make changes. :-)

<<joni>>

Lurker said:

Bob Mann said:

Lurker said:

I know that being overweight can drive your cholesterol up. Is
there any evidence that having high cholesterol can drive your
weight up? Or make it very difficult to lose weight?

Lurker

I don't think there is much of a correlation except that poor dietary
habits can affect both.
As my doctor said a couple of days ago, he has [atients who weight
350+ pounds who have low cholesterol and patients who are otherwise
in excellent shape who have extremely high cholesterol.

What you might find is that following a cholesterol reducing diet can
also help lose weight.

Hey Bob,

I thought that the timing between our posts was very coincidental! I
started eating differently on October 1st. last year. Haven't had
fried food, or soda since among other changes. The reason that I had
gone to the doctor in the first place was frustration with my weight.
I had been in the gym 5-7 days a week since Oct. 1st and hadn't lost
more than 5lbs. I was readjusting my calorie count every 3-4 weeks
and had it down to 2200-2600 a day by the time I went to see him. (At
that time I was 6'2" 300lbs. I am 31yo btw.)

So I went in to have thyroid/liver/kidney/diabetes blood work done in
order to start ruling out possibilities for my stubborn body's refusal
to shed pounds. I told him that I had never had my cholesterol tested
and that we should go ahead and do that too since we were drawing
blood. It was the only thing that came back abnormal.

As a side note. I did the 12 hour fast before the blood work. It
wasn't as bad as I thought it should be so I kept doing it everyday
since. This has effectively kept my calories around 1200-1500 each
day. My weight has finally started moving. In fact quite quickly.

The doctor says I am nuts for keeping my calories that low, but
doesn't have any other answers on how to get my weight to start
coming off. He is asking around to his peers to see if anyone else
has any ideas/plans of attack.

He kept telling me that I didn't seem overweight, that I had an nfl
lineman's build. And I kept countering with the fact that I don't care
what I look like or seem, but that 29% bf was unacceptable and
unhealthy and something had to be done in order to avoid ending up
like my folks at 65. They are both quite overweight and have
developed adult onset diabetes. My mother to the point of being
insulin dependant. This he agreed with, but didn't have any answers.

Lurker

If you create too much of a calorie deficit, you'll screw up your
metabolism. I'd figure out what your BMR is and shoot for 1,000 under
that...no more.

Also, you may "think" that you're only getting 1200-1500 per day. But you
need to average out the week. That's why I like fitday...you can look at
the entire week and see where you are for average daily calories. For me,
the week was great, but I drank too much on the weekends and nullified the
good eating I had done through the week. Also, I'm 5' 10", 192 lbs, and I
lose weight on 2,500 cal per day.

If you don't want to use Fitday, keep track of what you eat on a spreadsheet
and use the USDA's site to find kcal:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
--
-Larry

Larry Hodges said:

If you create too much of a calorie deficit, you'll screw up your
metabolism. I'd figure out what your BMR is and shoot for 1,000 under
that...no more.

Also, you may "think" that you're only getting 1200-1500 per day. But you
need to average out the week. That's why I like fitday...you can look at
the entire week and see where you are for average daily calories. For me,
the week was great, but I drank too much on the weekends and nullified the
good eating I had done through the week. Also, I'm 5' 10", 192 lbs, and I
lose weight on 2,500 cal per day.

If you don't want to use Fitday, keep track of what you eat on a spreadsheet
and use the USDA's site to find kcal:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

I've been trying to stick to 1400 to 1600 a day since I haven't been
very active at all.
I'll probably up it at that point although what I'm eating generally
seems enough.
Basal + Lifestyle = just short of 2400 for me. My weight is around 167
or so, so I figure 1600 is a good amount.
I went out for supper on Sunday and didn't really have any clue. 2
days later I was up 3 lbs. Must have been good stuff. ;-)
--
Bob Mann
Help save trees. Wipe your ass with an owl.

Lurker said:

Hey Bob,

I thought that the timing between our posts was very coincidental! I
started eating differently on October 1st. last year. Haven't had fried
food, or soda since among other changes. The reason that I had gone to
the doctor in the first place was frustration with my weight. I had been
in the gym 5-7 days a week since Oct. 1st and hadn't lost more than
5lbs. I was readjusting my calorie count every 3-4 weeks and had it down
to 2200-2600 a day by the time I went to see him. (At that time I was
6'2" 300lbs. I am 31yo btw.)

So I went in to have thyroid/liver/kidney/diabetes blood work done in
order to start ruling out possibilities for my stubborn body's refusal
to shed pounds. I told him that I had never had my cholesterol tested
and that we should go ahead and do that too since we were drawing blood.
It was the only thing that came back abnormal.

As a side note. I did the 12 hour fast before the blood work. It wasn't
as bad as I thought it should be so I kept doing it everyday since. This
has effectively kept my calories around 1200-1500 each day. My weight
has finally started moving. In fact quite quickly.

The doctor says I am nuts for keeping my calories that low, but doesn't
have any other answers on how to get my weight to start coming off. He
is asking around to his peers to see if anyone else has any ideas/plans
of attack.

He kept telling me that I didn't seem overweight, that I had an nfl
lineman's build. And I kept countering with the fact that I don't care
what I look like or seem, but that 29% bf was unacceptable and unhealthy
and something had to be done in order to avoid ending up like my folks
at 65. They are both quite overweight and have developed adult onset
diabetes. My mother to the point of being insulin dependant. This he
agreed with, but didn't have any answers.

Lurker

I wouldn't consider myself overweight and neither does my doctor but
I'm not happy with how thw weight sits on me so I need to do something
about it.

The 12 hour fast is okay I guess but as long as you don't take in
simple carbs right before bed you should be okay.
I prefer to have a decent breakfast before going to work.
I usually have a snack mid morning but I have switched that to having
a small meal just like lunch and a snack mid-afternoon.
As long as I keep the calories below 1000 before supper I'm okay.
I'll usually have a decent supper and then a small snack a couple of
hoursor so later.

If cutting late snacks and early breakfast has cut 1000 calories those
must have been some snacks.
--
Bob Mann
Help save trees. Wipe your ass with an owl.

Bob Mann said:

Larry Hodges said:

If you create too much of a calorie deficit, you'll screw up your
metabolism. I'd figure out what your BMR is and shoot for 1,000
under that...no more.

Also, you may "think" that you're only getting 1200-1500 per day.
But you need to average out the week. That's why I like
fitday...you can look at the entire week and see where you are for
average daily calories. For me, the week was great, but I drank too
much on the weekends and nullified the good eating I had done
through the week. Also, I'm 5' 10", 192 lbs, and I lose weight on
2,500 cal per day.

If you don't want to use Fitday, keep track of what you eat on a
spreadsheet and use the USDA's site to find kcal:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

I've been trying to stick to 1400 to 1600 a day since I haven't been
very active at all.
I'll probably up it at that point although what I'm eating generally
seems enough.
Basal + Lifestyle = just short of 2400 for me. My weight is around 167
or so, so I figure 1600 is a good amount.
I went out for supper on Sunday and didn't really have any clue. 2
days later I was up 3 lbs. Must have been good stuff. ;-)

One dinner wouldn't add 3lbs. 3500 cal = 1lb of fat, and I'm sure you
didn't eat / drink 10,500 cal in the one meal. Check weight at the same
time every day, and average it for the week. Hydration also plays a big
part in daily weight. If I had to guess, I'd say you had a ton of salt at
that dinner, so your water weight is higher than usual.

Morning would be ideal for weighing, in that it would be the most consistent
day to day. I don't have a scale, so I weigh in pre-wo at my gym. But it's
the same time in the afternoon...it's the best I can do.

I'm actually up a lb...currently 192. Last week sucked training wise
because of the car wreck, but I still ate and drank as usual. Translation:
+1 lb.

Bob, I'd starve on 1500 per day. My average calories for the past month is
2873 per day according to Fitday. And even on that, I've dropped 2 lbs,
even considering the lb I put back on. You should be careful not to go so
low. And if you are going that low, be sure to have at least one refeed day
per week.

My goal is 10% BF. I should be around 11.5 - 12% currently. Provided I
don't lose any LBM from when I started cutting mid December, I should be
there when I hit 188lbs. I started cutting mid December at 198 and 14.5%.
But...then there was the 6oz of rum I "binged" on last night. Quality of
life vs. 10% BF? The 10% can wait a little longer... 🙂

Keep me updated on your progress. I'll let you know when I hit 188.
--
-Larry

Lurker said:

I know that being overweight can drive your cholesterol up. Is there

any

Quoted message said:

evidence that having high cholesterol can drive your weight up? Or
make it very difficult to lose weight?

Lurker

It's very hard (basically impossible) to beat genetics unless you're
willing to adopt certain lifestyle changes for your entire life. Also,
you should be wary of the the notion that "calories in vs calories out"
is all you should be concerned about. To begin with, it's the calories
your body absorbs or uses in *some* way that matter, not just the
amount you swallow in any given day. Human bodies in general are able
to adjust to lower amounts of calories on a long-term basis, so when
you eat 2200 calories in any given day of any given year of your life,
your body may actually use, say, 1900 of them, whereas in another part
of your life when you're generally eating more, it may only use, say,
2000 of 2700 calories swallowed, or something like that --a lesser
percentage than 1900/2200. This is assuming all else equal, apart from
eating habits. Also, there are much more important things, especially
when you consider the longer run, than simply calories in vs calories
out. What's in (or not in) that food can affect how you use calories
and other things such as your hormones or vitamin and mineral levels,
which can affect your potential to get diabetes or other health
problems.

Larry Hodges said:

Bob Mann said:

Larry Hodges said:

If you create too much of a calorie deficit, you'll screw up your
metabolism. I'd figure out what your BMR is and shoot for 1,000
under that...no more.

Also, you may "think" that you're only getting 1200-1500 per day.
But you need to average out the week. That's why I like
fitday...you can look at the entire week and see where you are for
average daily calories. For me, the week was great, but I drank too
much on the weekends and nullified the good eating I had done
through the week. Also, I'm 5' 10", 192 lbs, and I lose weight on
2,500 cal per day.

If you don't want to use Fitday, keep track of what you eat on a
spreadsheet and use the USDA's site to find kcal:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

I've been trying to stick to 1400 to 1600 a day since I haven't been
very active at all.
I'll probably up it at that point although what I'm eating generally
seems enough.
Basal + Lifestyle = just short of 2400 for me. My weight is around 167
or so, so I figure 1600 is a good amount.
I went out for supper on Sunday and didn't really have any clue. 2
days later I was up 3 lbs. Must have been good stuff. ;-)

One dinner wouldn't add 3lbs. 3500 cal = 1lb of fat, and I'm sure you
didn't eat / drink 10,500 cal in the one meal. Check weight at the same
time every day, and average it for the week. Hydration also plays a big
part in daily weight. If I had to guess, I'd say you had a ton of salt at
that dinner, so your water weight is higher than usual.

Oh yeah....I know that.

Quoted message said:

Morning would be ideal for weighing, in that it would be the most consistent
day to day. I don't have a scale, so I weigh in pre-wo at my gym. But it's
the same time in the afternoon...it's the best I can do.

I weigh the same time every day. Right after the morning
constitutional. First thing.

Quoted message said:

I'm actually up a lb...currently 192. Last week sucked training wise
because of the car wreck, but I still ate and drank as usual. Translation:
+1 lb.

Bob, I'd starve on 1500 per day. My average calories for the past month is
2873 per day according to Fitday. And even on that, I've dropped 2 lbs,
even considering the lb I put back on. You should be careful not to go so
low. And if you are going that low, be sure to have at least one refeed day
per week.

I was maintaining on about 2100 - 2300 give or take but I think I was
getting fatter because I couldn't work out.
I started just getting below 2000 but I figure that as long as I am
full the number doesn't matter much as long as it is below 2000.
I can still play with the numbers, maybe take a week off the dieting,
a day here or there as you say.
Ideally I'd like to be about 1800 or so with an occasional low day and
an occasional high day.
I'm going to try a few things over the coming weeks.

Quoted message said:

My goal is 10% BF. I should be around 11.5 - 12% currently. Provided I
don't lose any LBM from when I started cutting mid December, I should be
there when I hit 188lbs. I started cutting mid December at 198 and 14.5%.
But...then there was the 6oz of rum I "binged" on last night. Quality of
life vs. 10% BF? The 10% can wait a little longer... 🙂

Keep me updated on your progress. I'll let you know when I hit 188.

I've cut way back on alcohol.
I haven't had a Scotch in weeks and just a glass of red wine once in a
while.

--
Bob Mann
Help save trees. Wipe your ass with an owl.

Quoted message said:

Larry Hodges said:

Bob Mann said:

On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 10:03:56 -0800, "Larry Hodges"
<[email hidden]> wrote:

> If you create too much of a calorie deficit, you'll screw up your
> metabolism. I'd figure out what your BMR is and shoot for 1,000
> under that...no more.
>
> Also, you may "think" that you're only getting 1200-1500 per day.
> But you need to average out the week. That's why I like
> fitday...you can look at the entire week and see where you are for
> average daily calories. For me, the week was great, but I drank too
> much on the weekends and nullified the good eating I had done
> through the week. Also, I'm 5' 10", 192 lbs, and I lose weight on
> 2,500 cal per day.
>
> If you don't want to use Fitday, keep track of what you eat on a
> spreadsheet and use the USDA's site to find kcal:
>
> http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

I've been trying to stick to 1400 to 1600 a day since I haven't been
very active at all.
I'll probably up it at that point although what I'm eating generally
seems enough.
Basal + Lifestyle = just short of 2400 for me. My weight is around 167
or so, so I figure 1600 is a good amount.
I went out for supper on Sunday and didn't really have any clue. 2
days later I was up 3 lbs. Must have been good stuff. ;-)

One dinner wouldn't add 3lbs.

Why not?? I know I have gained 3 pounds after a big dinner. Btw, Bob
was just joking about the dinner being the sole reason why he was 3
pounds heavier.

Quoted message said:

3500 cal = 1lb of fat, and I'm sure you
didn't eat / drink 10,500 cal in the one meal.

He would not have to. It was three pounds of WEIGHT and not three
pounds of FAT. Liquids (water,etc) can really add up.

Paul

I'm sure that's what it was. I've been 1 lb lighter each day since.
I know you can't gain or lose fat that fast. 1 lb a week is about it
under normal circumstances.
--
Bob Mann
Help save trees. Wipe your ass with an owl.