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I had blood tests done a few weeks ago and all the numbers came back good except my cholesterol. Which isn't particularly surprising given that my fairly slim mother and average sized sister also have high cholesterol. What really pleased me was that my iron levels were good. I've been pretty anaemic for a long time because of my B12 deficiency problems (pernicious anaemia to be precise) so apparently eating what my body asks for rather than "what I should be eating" is a good thing in that department. The cholesterol issue though, well, when it was measured about a year ago it was significantly lower. And I know why. That was back when I'd been diligently avoiding saturated fats for a fairly long stretch of time. So clearly there is something I can and should do about that.
Here's what I figure I need to do:
- No takeaway food! - Meal planning is the answer to this one, when I have a plan the groceries get bought and the cooking gets done even when I'm not at my best. There's something about not having to make a decision that makes all the difference. I've been posting my dinner plans here occasionally and I'll do that each week plus I'll make sure I keep the pantry and fridge stocked with a good selection of breakfast and lunch options so I'm not tempted to drop in at Maccas instead of coming home and making something.
- Make sure I'm getting my 2 fruit and 5 veg a day - This happens best when I track my eating, I won't be counting points, agonising over whether something is core plan or not, or worrying about portion sizes, I'll just be writing it all down at the end of each day as a reminder to myself to fuel my body properly.
- Avoid saturated fats like the plague - this is mostly addressed by the no takeaway point, apart from that, the main thing is I need to give up butter again (stop pretending I'm buying it for baking and then using it on my toast :P), pretty much everything else I buy is ok already.
- And finally, lots of walking - Clara should be pleased about this :)
For now I don't really care whether or not I end up losing weight, I just want to see that cholesterol reading heading down again. I like the way I feel when I've been eating well and exercising regularly but I don't like the stress and pressure I feel when I'm constantly calculating points and having to assess every bite I put in my mouth, I just can't keep that up for too long and when I cave I binge. And that really sucks. Not going there any more. Just not. Luckily, eating well and exercising don't depend on doing the other!
11 comments:
Happy eating. :)
Hope that cholesterol heads on down. Dame shame butter isn't cholesterol free...
The only guidelines I find I can actually follow is 3-4 carb serves a day (using a generous definition of carb), 5 veg, and 200g of protein for the evening meal. Fruit tends to happen on its own so I ignore it. If I try to get more specific it all goes to pot. But oh, the need for meal plans! I just get it under way again and Crash is helpful and cooks, and he throws it out the window!
Yes, I did, didn't I. I just complained about Crash cooking. Hmmmm...
You do baking?
i like a happy and healthly girl :-)
I agree with the making yourself miserable and then binge eating - I do the same if I'm dieting.
Luke recently had a cholesterol test and has moderately high bad cholesterol and as there's a family history of heart problems the doctor told him to lower it.
I found that there are some good recipes at http://recipefinder.ninemsn.com.au/recipes/low-cholesterol
and http://www.logicol.com.au/consumers/keepingitdown/recipes.aspx
tasty things that don't make you feel like you're depriving yourself and hopefully the kids will eat.
From what I've read eating fish twice a week is helpful too which is big change for us but mostly I'm actually enjoying it.
Good Luck
My family, and me, are all natural slimmies, and we also have chloresterol problems. The interesting thing is that even though no one seems to lose all that much weight when they reduce chloresterol in their diets, everyone seems to feel much better in themselves.
I went through all that....dieting and binge eating.
It felt like such a relief when I said "no more!"
Dieting can be such a pain.
I'm on a new kind of diet now. So far it's working...physically and psychologically. No binging....yet
Well I'm ready to start harassing you to walk again when you're ready to stop making excuses about dodgy sinuses and bung ankles... Honestly, it's not like someone ran over your foot or something ;)
I'm in the same position. The best thing that's come from WW is meeting you.
I'm going to try cook more next week
Tonight will be the second day We've had a home cooked meal ALL WEEK!!!
Monday- Roast Lamb
Tuesday - Bowling Ally Pizza
Wednesday - Steak and the inlaws
Thursday - Fried chicken and Roast Pork from the local Roast shop
Smack bum!
Mim - you've got to do what's working for you - and if it's not working, then ya gotta stop doing it right??? Good luck getting the cholesterol down.
And you're right, life is so much more than Weight Watchers or any other food/diet programy thingy.
Hugs...Nat
Good luck with it all. I had to do the diet thing, not for cholesterol (although that will come as my mother has a really big problem with it) but because I wasn´t fitting into my clothes anymore and couldn´t afford to buy more..... I used not a diet plan, but The Australian Woman´s Weekly lifestyle plan from Jan 2008 issue. I have given it around to all my friends here who also use it. It just tells you portion sizes as well as how much of everything (eg 2 serves oils). It doesn´t say cut it out, just look at what you are eating and how much. I give myself Fridays off. Again, good luck.
Andrew has got reasonably high cholesterol and so my mum (who's a retired dietitian and nutritionist) lent us a copy of the "The Omega Plan" by some woman with a long Greek name. I found it helpful and with lots of practical hints and recipes. She extolls the virtues of a Mediterranean diet (so yes, butter's out, canola, olive and fish oils are in). My favourite recipe (and popular with Reuben too) is fresh tuna marinated with lemon juice, olive oil, sundried tomates, coriander, capers and garlic and then I just shove the whole lot in a small baking dish in the oven (the same dish I've marinated it in).
Andrew underwent some horribly expensive CTG type thing of his heart the other day and apparently his arteries are free of gunk, so high cholesterol doesn't necessarily mean anything (he has heart disease on both sides of the family). Prior to that his GP had told him he'd have to take statins for the rest of his life (at vast expense to us and the PBS).
Oh, and in reference to a more recent blog, I'll keep you in mind as I teach my year 1 Scripture class on Thursdays.... I certainly try hard to convey the idea that God loves each of them just the way they are right now :). Hope this doesn't make you angry; I'd love to chat to you sometime about it...
I've never been to Hillsong, but much of what I hear from there makes me (a Bible-believing Christian) uncomfortable.
Juliette I'm sure you make an excellent scripture teacher and I can't imagine you ever making me angry :) I should mention that my 3 kids do go to scripture though I have given them the choice of opting out if they'd prefer. Mind you, if there was a course in the history of religions and comparative religion available I'd switch them over to that in a heartbeat.
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