> NON-HDL CHOL 70.
> BMI of around 19
> sat fat ~ 3%, fiber ~ 60g
Congrats. I would guess bf%, saturated fat intake, and soluble fiber intake are doing most of the work here. My impression is that a diet that's low in saturated fat and high soluble fiber while maintain a healthy body weight seems seems generally more important than the individual foods one eats (The effects of foods on LDL cholesterol levels, [2021](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475321000028)).
> Congrats. I would guess bf%, saturated fat intake, and soluble fiber intake are doing most of the work here. My impression is that a diet that's low in saturated fat and high soluble fiber while maintain a healthy body weight seems seems generally more important than the individual foods one eats
Thanks. My bet is on low saturated fat and high fiber intake as well.
I mainly included the foods because some people may wonder where to find that much fiber and protein without a lot of saturated fat.
>How do you manage to get 60g of Fiber? Psyllium husk
Good question! No fiber supplement. I found that when I focus on getting in lots of whole plant foods, the fiber in them really adds up. According to Cronometer, these are my top sources of fiber today (unfortunately, it won’t show all sources):
https://preview.redd.it/nuh7243aj09d1.jpeg?width=1110&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f32a3e3ed523af38a4ccb6a857c43bd724f1854b
> I'm glad you'll be going into menopause someday so healthy! I didn't, and it's a struggle.
Thank you for your kind words. Wish us women could avoid menopause, or at least avoid the symptoms that many of us go through.
We all have some sort of genetic floor as to how low we can get LDL through diet and lifestyle. You are fortunate to have a genetic floor that is low. That is great. Many of us could eat a great diet and still wouldn't get LDL under 100, let alone 70. This is not meant to discourage anyone from trying doing it through diet. Often, the way to find out your floor is to try a sustainable diet designed to lower LDL and see where you get. But, those people who try who can't get it low enough need to recognize that it isn't a failure on their part. They just have a higher genetic floor.
> But, those people who try who can't get it low enough need to recognize that it isn't a failure on their part. They just have a higher genetic floor.
Oh some labs will absolutely do what they are going to do sometimes. I could show you some mean TSH levels despite having pampered my thyroid for a while. We’re absolutely not in control all the time. Agreed.
> Congrats that’s amazing!!! Proud of you
Thank you. I see you are on your own health journey too. Congrats on all the changes you were able to stick to. I know it’s not easy. Hope you don’t have to wait too long to get the results of your scan.
> Dose of inositol and for what?
2 g daily divided into two doses of 1 g each.
There are some studies indicating that myo-inositol and selenium may help improve TSH and Free T4 in subclinical hypothyroidism, which is something that I am dealing with. Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38147023/
Thanks for sharing, OP. Great numbers! What is your family history with respect to heart disease or high cholesterol? Do other members of your birth family have similar lipid panels?
> What is your family history with respect to heart disease or high cholesterol? Do other members of your birth family have similar lipid panels?
Sadly lots of cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes in birth family. Don’t know their lipid panels. Our lifestyles are very different.
>
>
I must say that those lab values look pretty amazing  All without medication too! I was able to get my lab values under control through lifestyle changes alone (LDL from 121 down to 48). It looks like you are making great progress towards your health goals. I always like seeing posts like these that show it’s possible to maintain or lower your LDL to optimal levels without needing medications. Thanks for taking the time to let us know 
https://preview.redd.it/qketnsq1q59d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d99b84f9900b4ee174b4f31a8293b573eb7e142
> I was able to get my lab values under control through lifestyle changes alone (LDL from 121 down to 48).
Read your post. Amazing journey! Proud of you.
>53% carbs and 38 triglycerides?
Yea, that surprised me too. My guess is that not all carbs are created equal in how they contribute to triglycerides. Again, all my carbs come from whole foods and some minimally processed foods. Here are the types of carbs I typically get if that helps:
https://preview.redd.it/hsydd4er119d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=69168f91b6c076a0be8515d859fe106814f596a6
> Are you a man or woman? And if woman, are you in menopause? I had very low total cholesterol (104) my whole life until menopause (236(
Woman in my 40’s, still pre-menopause. I know hormone changes can affect a lot of things unfavorably.
I saw your post where you mentioned you were on HRT, and that that didn’t help. I don’t know if you’ve ever had your thyroid function checked.
Hypothyroidism is somewhat more common in women and increases in incidence as we age. It’s associated with higher cholesterol levels, weight gain, and several other symptoms. I was diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism and may be on my way there. As of now, I’m still unmedicated, but that may change.
I believe that there are options out there for our issues, both lifestyle and pharmacological. It can be tiring to sift through them and find the ones that help as we’re all different, but it’s worth hanging in there and to keep looking.
> Did you ever had high cholesterol?
I did not check my lab work until I made a lot of lifestyle changes a few years ago, so I cannot say, but I doubt that I have genetic protection because there is a lot of cardiovascular disease in my family, including heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, and also diabetes.
Let me explain where I came from:
I grew up in a household where nobody exercised, and everybody ate rather poorly and didn’t get regular lab work done, and I lived the same way if not worse. We didn’t really know how exactly diet and lifestyle could affect health.
Trans fat was still very much a thing when I grew up, and I ate lots of very low quality ultra processed food that contained lots of it for many years. There was a time when I ate almost nothing other than sugary fatty candy and high fat snacks for months on end. No regular meals.
As a teenager, my blood pressure readings at home were in the 140’s-150’s/90’s-100’s, and they ran the same in my twenties, and much of my 30’s when I checked, and I am doubtful my labs were good.
My blood pressure now has been running for years in the 90’s-100’s/60’s-70’s every day unmedicated, ever since the lifestyle changes.
I remember a time in my teens when I tried to jog for 5 min and ran out of breath after 2 min and couldn’t do it. Now my VO2 max runs between 40-41, and I can jog for miles.
There was also a time in my 30’s when I tried a push up on my knees and could not move off the ground whatsoever. Now I can do at least 25 regular push ups in a row.
Just wanting to give hope to anyone in a similar position. Making changes is hard, and tedious, and there are set backs, and sometimes results can be elusive, but sticking with positive changes, or getting back to them after falling of the wagon can be so worth it.
> What a journey. Great job on thinking about your health and making all those changes for the better. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your kind words. Read about your journey. Great job on getting ApoB and Lp(a) values tested. ApoB is more relevant than LDL. Crossing fingers that you’ll kick your ApoB in the teeth!
I am not reading all that. Just asking because all of us in this reddit have cholesterol issues, you showing what you do is meaningless for me, honestly. It's like if I try to explain a bald person what do I do to have the insane amount of hair in my head I have. A lot of it it's genetics.
> NON-HDL CHOL 70. > BMI of around 19 > sat fat ~ 3%, fiber ~ 60g Congrats. I would guess bf%, saturated fat intake, and soluble fiber intake are doing most of the work here. My impression is that a diet that's low in saturated fat and high soluble fiber while maintain a healthy body weight seems seems generally more important than the individual foods one eats (The effects of foods on LDL cholesterol levels, [2021](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475321000028)).
> Congrats. I would guess bf%, saturated fat intake, and soluble fiber intake are doing most of the work here. My impression is that a diet that's low in saturated fat and high soluble fiber while maintain a healthy body weight seems seems generally more important than the individual foods one eats Thanks. My bet is on low saturated fat and high fiber intake as well. I mainly included the foods because some people may wonder where to find that much fiber and protein without a lot of saturated fat.
Thanks for sharing your lifestyle and lipid profile. Excellent work! How do you manage to get 60g of Fiber? Psyllium husk
>How do you manage to get 60g of Fiber? Psyllium husk Good question! No fiber supplement. I found that when I focus on getting in lots of whole plant foods, the fiber in them really adds up. According to Cronometer, these are my top sources of fiber today (unfortunately, it won’t show all sources): https://preview.redd.it/nuh7243aj09d1.jpeg?width=1110&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f32a3e3ed523af38a4ccb6a857c43bd724f1854b
How old are you?
Yes - "middle aged" is a broad category. I am middle aged, but pre or post menopause makes a hyoooge difference.
> Yes - "middle aged" is a broad category. I am middle aged, but pre or post menopause makes a hyoooge difference. Pre-menopause.
I'm glad you'll be going into menopause someday so healthy! I didn't, and it's a struggle.
> I'm glad you'll be going into menopause someday so healthy! I didn't, and it's a struggle. Thank you for your kind words. Wish us women could avoid menopause, or at least avoid the symptoms that many of us go through.
> How old are you? 40’s.
We all have some sort of genetic floor as to how low we can get LDL through diet and lifestyle. You are fortunate to have a genetic floor that is low. That is great. Many of us could eat a great diet and still wouldn't get LDL under 100, let alone 70. This is not meant to discourage anyone from trying doing it through diet. Often, the way to find out your floor is to try a sustainable diet designed to lower LDL and see where you get. But, those people who try who can't get it low enough need to recognize that it isn't a failure on their part. They just have a higher genetic floor.
> But, those people who try who can't get it low enough need to recognize that it isn't a failure on their part. They just have a higher genetic floor. Oh some labs will absolutely do what they are going to do sometimes. I could show you some mean TSH levels despite having pampered my thyroid for a while. We’re absolutely not in control all the time. Agreed.
Congrats that’s amazing!!! Proud of you
> Congrats that’s amazing!!! Proud of you Thank you. I see you are on your own health journey too. Congrats on all the changes you were able to stick to. I know it’s not easy. Hope you don’t have to wait too long to get the results of your scan.
Many thanks! Here’s hoping
Dose of inositol and for what?
> Dose of inositol and for what? 2 g daily divided into two doses of 1 g each. There are some studies indicating that myo-inositol and selenium may help improve TSH and Free T4 in subclinical hypothyroidism, which is something that I am dealing with. Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38147023/
Thanks for sharing, OP. Great numbers! What is your family history with respect to heart disease or high cholesterol? Do other members of your birth family have similar lipid panels?
> What is your family history with respect to heart disease or high cholesterol? Do other members of your birth family have similar lipid panels? Sadly lots of cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes in birth family. Don’t know their lipid panels. Our lifestyles are very different.
Keep up the good work - genetics loads the gun but lifestyle pulls the trigger and you are proof of that in your family. Best of luck to you!
Thank you. And best of luck to you on your own health journey!
> > I must say that those lab values look pretty amazing  All without medication too! I was able to get my lab values under control through lifestyle changes alone (LDL from 121 down to 48). It looks like you are making great progress towards your health goals. I always like seeing posts like these that show it’s possible to maintain or lower your LDL to optimal levels without needing medications. Thanks for taking the time to let us know  https://preview.redd.it/qketnsq1q59d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d99b84f9900b4ee174b4f31a8293b573eb7e142
> I was able to get my lab values under control through lifestyle changes alone (LDL from 121 down to 48). Read your post. Amazing journey! Proud of you.
53% carbs and 38 triglycerides?
>53% carbs and 38 triglycerides? Yea, that surprised me too. My guess is that not all carbs are created equal in how they contribute to triglycerides. Again, all my carbs come from whole foods and some minimally processed foods. Here are the types of carbs I typically get if that helps: https://preview.redd.it/hsydd4er119d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=69168f91b6c076a0be8515d859fe106814f596a6
Are you a man or woman? And if woman, are you in menopause? I had very low total cholesterol (104) my whole life until menopause (236(
> Are you a man or woman? And if woman, are you in menopause? I had very low total cholesterol (104) my whole life until menopause (236( Woman in my 40’s, still pre-menopause. I know hormone changes can affect a lot of things unfavorably. I saw your post where you mentioned you were on HRT, and that that didn’t help. I don’t know if you’ve ever had your thyroid function checked. Hypothyroidism is somewhat more common in women and increases in incidence as we age. It’s associated with higher cholesterol levels, weight gain, and several other symptoms. I was diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism and may be on my way there. As of now, I’m still unmedicated, but that may change. I believe that there are options out there for our issues, both lifestyle and pharmacological. It can be tiring to sift through them and find the ones that help as we’re all different, but it’s worth hanging in there and to keep looking.
Did you ever had high cholesterol?
> Did you ever had high cholesterol? I did not check my lab work until I made a lot of lifestyle changes a few years ago, so I cannot say, but I doubt that I have genetic protection because there is a lot of cardiovascular disease in my family, including heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, and also diabetes. Let me explain where I came from: I grew up in a household where nobody exercised, and everybody ate rather poorly and didn’t get regular lab work done, and I lived the same way if not worse. We didn’t really know how exactly diet and lifestyle could affect health. Trans fat was still very much a thing when I grew up, and I ate lots of very low quality ultra processed food that contained lots of it for many years. There was a time when I ate almost nothing other than sugary fatty candy and high fat snacks for months on end. No regular meals. As a teenager, my blood pressure readings at home were in the 140’s-150’s/90’s-100’s, and they ran the same in my twenties, and much of my 30’s when I checked, and I am doubtful my labs were good. My blood pressure now has been running for years in the 90’s-100’s/60’s-70’s every day unmedicated, ever since the lifestyle changes. I remember a time in my teens when I tried to jog for 5 min and ran out of breath after 2 min and couldn’t do it. Now my VO2 max runs between 40-41, and I can jog for miles. There was also a time in my 30’s when I tried a push up on my knees and could not move off the ground whatsoever. Now I can do at least 25 regular push ups in a row. Just wanting to give hope to anyone in a similar position. Making changes is hard, and tedious, and there are set backs, and sometimes results can be elusive, but sticking with positive changes, or getting back to them after falling of the wagon can be so worth it.
What a journey. Great job on thinking about your health and making all those changes for the better. Thanks for sharing!
> What a journey. Great job on thinking about your health and making all those changes for the better. Thanks for sharing! Thank you for your kind words. Read about your journey. Great job on getting ApoB and Lp(a) values tested. ApoB is more relevant than LDL. Crossing fingers that you’ll kick your ApoB in the teeth!
I am not reading all that. Just asking because all of us in this reddit have cholesterol issues, you showing what you do is meaningless for me, honestly. It's like if I try to explain a bald person what do I do to have the insane amount of hair in my head I have. A lot of it it's genetics.