High Bad Cholesterol: How did you lower yours? Diet, exercise, supplements? Ever consult a nutritionist/dietician? (surgery, research)

[selhars]

My doc is on me big time about a "dangerously high" (her words") LDL level -- 201. Wants me on Lipitor immediately, which I'm adamant about NOT taking. She said she'd give me 3 months to see if I could bring it down through diet and exercise (and supplements).

I've done some research...but would love to hear your stories about how you lowered your cholesterol -- NATURALLY, without drugs.
-- what did you do (your detailed plan, diet, exercise, any supplements)
-- how long did it take, how much did the number move
-- was it hard, etc

Thanks!

------------------------------
My doc wants me to cut out all: eggs, full-fat cheese and dairy, bread, and potatoes (including sweet)
I didn't know about a starch connection to bad cholesterol but I guess there is one, as I'e been reading.
Diabets yes (which I do NOT have) -- but high cholesterol...didn't know about that link.

To be honest, I'll probably do more on the diet side than the exercise and supplement side...but I'll try to walk a little more. (Let's not even get into the fact that my insurance would pay for Lipitor but not supplements so the DRUG would be cheaper.)

I did consult a fairly well known nutritionist years ago and loved it. But at 100.00 an hour twice a month after two months I couldn't afford it anymore.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by selhars

My doc is on me big time about a "dangerously high" (her words") LDL level -- 201. Wants me on Lipitor immediately, which I'm adamant about NOT taking. She said she'd give me 3 months to see if I could bring it down through diet and exercise (and supplements).

I've done some research...but would love to hear your stories about how you lowered your cholesterol -- NATURALLY, without drugs.
-- what did you do (your detailed plan, diet, exercise, any supplements)
-- how long did it take, how much did the number move
-- was it hard, etc

Thanks!

------------------------------
My doc wants me to cut out all: eggs, full-fat cheese and dairy, bread, and potatoes (including sweet)
I didn't know about a starch connection to bad cholesterol but I guess there is one, as I'e been reading.
Diabets yes (which I do NOT have) -- but high cholesterol...didn't know about that link.

To be honest, I'll probably do more on the diet side than the exercise and supplement side...but I'll try to walk a little more. (Let's not even get into the fact that my insurance would pay for Lipitor but not supplements so the DRUG would be cheaper.)

I did consult a fairly well known nutritionist years ago and loved it. But at 100.00 an hour twice a month after two months I couldn't afford it anymore.

I couldn't take Lipitor due to muscle pain. I've heard that's because it depletes CQ10 but after that scarey pain I never even tried it again. One time I took red yeast rice (a natural statin) along with (Co-enzyme Q10) and it did lower my cholesterol but it was expensive. Another time I tried diet but it had absolutely no effect. With some people diet doesn't make any difference.

I met someone who lowered their cholesterol by eating oatmeal every day. Didn't work for me though.

My doctor told me NOT to cut eggs out of my diet as they do not affect cholesterol and eggs are so nutritious.

I'm on something now that works without the terrible side effects of the statin drugs. It's called Welchol and it's a prescription drug so it's covered. WelChol oral : Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing - WebMD

I'm not too sure about the safety of Welchol but it's another thing to consider. I hope some other people will add their thoughts.

[cam1957]

I've always had high cholesterol and was on lipitor a couple of times, but it didn't work nor did diet, exercise or anything else I tried.

My Dr. isn't happy with me because I won't take any statin because I read an article that said that unless a woman has heart problems, they really shouldn't be taking them because the side effects are worse than the cholesterol itself.

My son had me watch a documentary with him regarding high cholesterol and heart disease that pretty much bashed the drug industries and said the whole high cholesterol thing is bunk. Maybe it's nonsense, maybe it's not.

I hate watching drug commercials on TV because it seems the side effects of so many drugs can cause much worse problems than the issue itself. It's just so confusing anymore...

Has the WelChol decreased your levels significantly?

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by cam1957

I've always had high cholesterol and was on lipitor a couple of times, but it didn't work nor did diet, exercise or anything else I tried.

My Dr. isn't happy with me because I won't take any statin because I read an article that said that unless a woman has heart problems, they really shouldn't be taking them because the side effects are worse than the cholesterol itself.

My son had me watch a documentary with him regarding high cholesterol and heart disease that pretty much bashed the drug industries and said the whole high cholesterol thing is bunk. Maybe it's nonsense, maybe it's not.

I hate watching drug commercials on TV because it seems the side effects of so many drugs can cause much worse problems than the issue itself. It's just so confusing anymore...

Has the WelChol decreased your levels significantly?

Yes, the Welchol really made a difference and I felt no side effects. I stopped taking it but I probably should go back on. Like you, I'm confused. I don't want to have a stroke but I don't want long term side effects from a drug either.

First we hear about good and bad cholesterol and how we have to lower the bad cholesterol, then other doctors tell us that it's all a ploy to sell statins. I don't know who to believe. Now they're saying statins don't prevent heart disease. But what about strokes? Is that considered heart disease?

[GJJG2012]

I had very high triglycerides when I went off COQ10, back on & normal again. I had cholesterol somewhat high lately, so I've started taking Policosanol from swansonvitamins dot com/ 10 mg 60 for $3.49 and 20 mg 60 for $5.49. Must be effective as they warn it could make cholesterol too low! They do charge for shipping on small orders but have 4 coupon specials on their website. If some things don't seem to work for you, you can send back what's left at their expense for a refund. Best wishes.

Originally Posted by selhars

My doc is on me big time about a "dangerously high" (her words") LDL level -- 201. Wants me on Lipitor immediately, which I'm adamant about NOT taking. She said she'd give me 3 months to see if I could bring it down through diet and exercise (and supplements).

I've done some research...but would love to hear your stories about how you lowered your cholesterol -- NATURALLY, without drugs.
-- what did you do (your detailed plan, diet, exercise, any supplements)
-- how long did it take, how much did the number move
-- was it hard, etc

Thanks!

------------------------------
My doc wants me to cut out all: eggs, full-fat cheese and dairy, bread, and potatoes (including sweet)
I didn't know about a starch connection to bad cholesterol but I guess there is one, as I'e been reading.
Diabets yes (which I do NOT have) -- but high cholesterol...didn't know about that link.

To be honest, I'll probably do more on the diet side than the exercise and supplement side...but I'll try to walk a little more. (Let's not even get into the fact that my insurance would pay for Lipitor but not supplements so the DRUG would be cheaper.)

I did consult a fairly well known nutritionist years ago and loved it. But at 100.00 an hour twice a month after two months I couldn't afford it anymore.

[seethelight]

Originally Posted by selhars

My doc is on me big time about a "dangerously high" (her words") LDL level -- 201. Wants me on Lipitor immediately, which I'm adamant about NOT taking. She said she'd give me 3 months to see if I could bring it down through diet and exercise (and supplements).

I've done some research...but would love to hear your stories about how you lowered your cholesterol -- NATURALLY, without drugs.
-- what did you do (your detailed plan, diet, exercise, any supplements)
-- how long did it take, how much did the number move
-- was it hard, etc

Thanks!

------------------------------
My doc wants me to cut out all: eggs, full-fat cheese and dairy, bread, and potatoes (including sweet)
I didn't know about a starch connection to bad cholesterol but I guess there is one, as I'e been reading.
Diabets yes (which I do NOT have) -- but high cholesterol...didn't know about that link.

To be honest, I'll probably do more on the diet side than the exercise and supplement side...but I'll try to walk a little more. (Let's not even get into the fact that my insurance would pay for Lipitor but not supplements so the DRUG would be cheaper.)

I did consult a fairly well known nutritionist years ago and loved it. But at 100.00 an hour twice a month after two months I couldn't afford it anymore.

I've been a vegetarian for 40+ years but still had high cholesterol. You can still have sweets you know, and I used to eat a LOT of cheese. But six months ago I switched to a vegan diet, no cheese or dairy. I now use almond milk, which I really like and I don't miss not eating cheese. My cholesterol dropped to 140 which is 35 points lower than before I became vegan and I also lost weight. Anyone can do it but you really have to want to change. It wasn't hard for me at all.

[Laura707]

I was on the statin drugs and had BAD side effects and refuse to ever take another one. My doctor tried me on Zetia (knowing I probably couldn't take it) and I stayed on it for 2 months before the problems showed up on those.

I can not handle super low cholesterol and refuse to let mine get into those super low numbers they all seem to want. I do best when mine is in the 220's to 250 range. When below 200, I don't have energy to walk across the room and am usually in bed all day.

I had surgery about 2 years ago and it threw my whole system out of wack! I can't get my cholesterol down, my thyroid or my weight....

BUT, when I was "normal" I kept my cholesterol down by cooking everything I ate at home. I didn't, and still don't eat out or eat take out food. I only eat what I cook so I know what is in everything I eat. I use NO grease in anything, I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and I only eat chicken or turkey. Until that surgery, that worked and my cholesterol was in the 220 range all the time. My doctor was happy with that and so was I...

[Zen88]

Sometimes high cholesterol runs in the family, and there is a blood test for that. Medications do very little for me except for the experience of side effects, including high muscle enzimes and leg pains. CoQ10 and magnesium helped, but the numbers were always way too high no matter what I ate or didn't eat. Now, at 43 and never a smoker, I still feel fine, and I'm scheduled to see a cardiologist in a week where I will request all tests to see what/if any damage there is after having these horrible blood numbers for all of my adult life. I am a type II diabetic, medications either did nothing or made me as fat as a house, so I currently do not take anything for that, either. As long as I watch my carbs, my triglycerides are ok. I used to fast, following Dr. Atkins' "Fat Fast", to jump start weight loss. Only I did it longer than he suggested, sometimes for as long as 9 days, and all blood tests were ideal numbers except for cholesterol, which has always been in the high 300s. Other alternative drs say repeatedly that one can have blockages with low cholesterol, and those with high cholesterol can have no blockages. One must learnt to take ALL these drs with a big grain of salt. Literally and figuratively. I've eaten enough fat to clog a sewer pipe, so if blockages were caused by the simple presence of fat, I'd have died a long time ago. By the way, cholesterol is not a fat. It's a sterol, a complex steroid, made by your liver.

[LittleDolphin]

The closer I became to a vegetarian/vegan, and the fewer processed carbs and fatty meats I ate, the lower my LDL and the higher my HDL. Also cut out all sugary drinks and sodas...

I do eat white potatoes, baked or mashed (but not with butter) and sweet potatoes/yams...

Lots of salads, raw & steamed vegetables.

Lots of beans/brown rice in various forms....

Eggs a couple of times a week, oatmeal or bran flakes the other times.

Stints on the treadmill 3x week, ride my bike around town...

All's good now.

I do take some supplements...CoQ10, fish oil, C, zinc, Cal/Mag, multi, B-100. Rarely sick.

[Above Average Bear]

I lowered my bad cholesterol by over 100 points just by adding 2 tablespoons of coconut oil into my diet daily.