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Good Morning Friends,
It's been awhile since I've updated my status here or have been here on a regular basis. I've been in a bit of a funk and I need some advice. Most of the people here I've found very supportive and caring so i'm reaching out to you.
I've recently gone through some health issues, and it has derailed my atkins way of life. I had lost a little more than a hundred lbs in under a year on this way of eating, and I consider one of the best things I have ever done for myself. In late februaury I started experiencing an irregular heartbeat. It started a sa bit of an annoyance, and after about a week, it progressed to the point where I needed to see a doctor. I was never in any pain, just the weird feeling of palpatations, and weakness. I went to the dr, and he ran an EKG which didn't show anything right of the bat, but he ordered some blood tests and asked me to wear a holtor monitor for 24 hrs. (it's like a portable EKG)
I took the blood tests and wore the monitor, and my results were mixed. The blood tests were mostly good, except for my cholesterol. Here are my results
Component Your Value Standard Range CHOLESTEROL 243 <239- mg/dL TRIGLYCERIDE 61 <199- mg/dL HDL 34 >40- mg/dL LDL CALCULATED 197 <129- mg/dL
I was shocked to find that my bad cholesterol was so high. Immediately my wife and Doctor wanted to blame my diet, but I thought that was a rush to judgment. The truth of the matter is we can't say specifically that the diet is the cause. I've never had a Lipid profile done before so my high cholesterol could be hereditary, we don't know. In fact, I was in such poor shape before that my cholesterol level has probably dropped since being on this WOE.
Immediately my doctor wanted to put me on hardcore cholesterol medicine, and I refused. I told him, even if you say Atkins could be causing my high cholesterol, shouldn't i be given the chance to follow his recommended healthy diet to try and lower my numbers? Why are we so reliant on prescription meds to make us healthy? So since the beginning of March I have been on A whole grain, low fat diet. My wife was all over me to change my eating, and I have done that, and I am maintaining my weight pretty well, I am currently around 280.
I really would like to go back to Atkins and take of the rest of this extra weight, because I can tell you right now, although I am not packing weight back on, i know I am not going to be losing it either.
The Holtor monitor results did show some irregularities, so the Dr. ordered a echocardiogram of my heart (ultrasound image) I had to wait a week for the results which was torture. But in that week, whatever problem I had seemed to disappear as quickly as it had arrived. One day I woke up feeling like myself again. This was the second week of March, and I've felt great ever since. The Echocardiogram revealed a normal functioning and healthy heart. So I'm not sure what to think! My Dr. still wants me on meds, and I told him know, that I would give this new diet a few months and see what it did for my cholesterol levels.
I know that my wife wants me to follow the dr. advice, but I just don't know what to do.
Has anyone else here been in this same sort of position? Any advice would be appreciated. I feel like I achieved so much, and I don't want to jeopardize that, but my health has to come first.
Help.
It's been awhile since I've updated my status here or have been here on a regular basis. I've been in a bit of a funk and I need some advice. Most of the people here I've found very supportive and caring so i'm reaching out to you.
I've recently gone through some health issues, and it has derailed my atkins way of life. I had lost a little more than a hundred lbs in under a year on this way of eating, and I consider one of the best things I have ever done for myself. In late februaury I started experiencing an irregular heartbeat. It started a sa bit of an annoyance, and after about a week, it progressed to the point where I needed to see a doctor. I was never in any pain, just the weird feeling of palpatations, and weakness. I went to the dr, and he ran an EKG which didn't show anything right of the bat, but he ordered some blood tests and asked me to wear a holtor monitor for 24 hrs. (it's like a portable EKG)
I took the blood tests and wore the monitor, and my results were mixed. The blood tests were mostly good, except for my cholesterol. Here are my results
Component Your Value Standard Range CHOLESTEROL 243 <239- mg/dL TRIGLYCERIDE 61 <199- mg/dL HDL 34 >40- mg/dL LDL CALCULATED 197 <129- mg/dL
I was shocked to find that my bad cholesterol was so high. Immediately my wife and Doctor wanted to blame my diet, but I thought that was a rush to judgment. The truth of the matter is we can't say specifically that the diet is the cause. I've never had a Lipid profile done before so my high cholesterol could be hereditary, we don't know. In fact, I was in such poor shape before that my cholesterol level has probably dropped since being on this WOE.
Immediately my doctor wanted to put me on hardcore cholesterol medicine, and I refused. I told him, even if you say Atkins could be causing my high cholesterol, shouldn't i be given the chance to follow his recommended healthy diet to try and lower my numbers? Why are we so reliant on prescription meds to make us healthy? So since the beginning of March I have been on A whole grain, low fat diet. My wife was all over me to change my eating, and I have done that, and I am maintaining my weight pretty well, I am currently around 280.
I really would like to go back to Atkins and take of the rest of this extra weight, because I can tell you right now, although I am not packing weight back on, i know I am not going to be losing it either.
The Holtor monitor results did show some irregularities, so the Dr. ordered a echocardiogram of my heart (ultrasound image) I had to wait a week for the results which was torture. But in that week, whatever problem I had seemed to disappear as quickly as it had arrived. One day I woke up feeling like myself again. This was the second week of March, and I've felt great ever since. The Echocardiogram revealed a normal functioning and healthy heart. So I'm not sure what to think! My Dr. still wants me on meds, and I told him know, that I would give this new diet a few months and see what it did for my cholesterol levels.
I know that my wife wants me to follow the dr. advice, but I just don't know what to do.
Has anyone else here been in this same sort of position? Any advice would be appreciated. I feel like I achieved so much, and I don't want to jeopardize that, but my health has to come first.
Help.
What about following Atkins with a slightly different tact meaning eat more lean meats, poultry and fish/seafood as opposed to frequent fatty cuts. Limit fatty meats like pork bacon and sausage and reduce saturated fats like butter. Use more olive oil and eat avocado to get some good fats in. Watch amounts of dairy fats (cheeses, yogurt, etc.) and maybe scale back if you use a lot of these products.
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