High Cholestrol

[retired]

I was hoping that someone might have some tips on how I can lower my cholestrol level, or at least raise my HDL in relation to my HDL. I train regularly and I've already made a few dietary adjustments, such as lowering my saturated fat intake and replacing it with monounsaturates. I'm also doing more in the way of mild aerobic activity, like fast walking.

High cholestrol must be fairly common among bodybuilders training for continual gains in size and strength. I'm not fat, but I'm not exactly ripped either- there's no way that I can gain size while trying to stay very lean.

Anybody have any advice from personal experience? Thanks!

[Billy Boy]

Never had a prob with this area although I do get it checked.There are some certain margarines,yougurts ect that have been proven to help lower it maybe worth looking into that

[beenie]

I lowered mine substantially by increasng my saturated fats - while on a low carb diet. Numbers went way down. I know its controversial but I just wanted to say that it worked for me.

This being said, if you do a "well balanced diet," you'll need to highly restrict saturated fat. They were saing that margerine was better than butter, but the AMA is backing off this proclimation now. If you hold off on both its better than butter.

What helps the most is is you can gradually up your cardio. Make sure you do it regularly (at least three or four days a week) for at least 30 minutes and try to jog or run rather than walf fast. It'll take some time to get your stamina up but it WILL get your colestrol down.

[retired]

Thanks for the advice, although I'm shocked that saturated fat helped to lower your cholestrol. Seems counterintuitive, but that's why I wanted to hear about actual experiences- they don't always correspond to "conventional" wisdom.

[beenie]

You are right, it is counterintuitive, but the falacy is that ingestion of saturated fat causes fat. It precludes the notion that your body converts what it needs. That being said, there is a mountain of evidence to suggest that with a "well balabnced diet" saturated fat is killer. All bets are off on low carb.

If you get a chance you may want to look at Atkins book, "New Diet Revolution." Its actually pretty dull, but there are some interesting notes on the subject of high colesterol that he addresses.

[retired]

I will, and thank you.

[gymnut4u]

Eating healthy food can help lower your LDL cholesterol level, and it may protect you from the damaging effects of cholesterol. You can raise your HDL cholesterol level by exercising, quitting smoking (if you smoke) and losing weight (if you're overweight).

Eating healthy foods usually lowers cholesterol levels. Here are some tips on eating smart:

Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Eat more broiled or grilled fish and skinless chicken and less fried meats.
Choose lean cuts (pieces of meat containing little visible fat) when you eat beef, pork and lamb. Also, cut down on the amount of meat you eat.
Eat a variety of fiber-rich foods, like oats, whole-grain breads and apples. Fiber helps reduce cholesterol levels. Fiber-rich foods can also help when you're trying to lose weight, because they make you feel full.
Limit your intake of saturated fats, like dairy fats (in ice cream and butter) and palm and coconut oils (in baked goods). It helps to read the labels on food packages. A label may say the food is low in cholesterol, but the food could still be high in saturated fats. When you see these ingredients on the package label: palm oil, coconut oil, partially saturated vegetable oil and hydrogenated vegetable oil, you know that product is high in saturated fat.
Limit high cholesterol foods, like egg yolks and liver. Eat no more than four egg yolks a week.
Use low-fat dairy products: skim milk, nonfat yogurt and ice milk.
Avoid eating fried foods.

hope this helps and good luck bro gymnut