Higher cholesterol at 7 months Carnivore

[mdunavant]

I just went to the Dr and had my blood work done. Many numbers were good including glucose which was way down. Triglycerides were also much better.  HDL was better but LDL and overall cholesterol was way up. 

Any advice to get these numbers down? 

I have seen many benefits since starting. I've lost almost 90 pounds. My BP is now down and under control. Sleep apnea is MUCH better. Ankle swelling is much better, almost nonexistent. I have more energy and my head is clearer. 

Having more energy now, I want to. Start working out again, mostly cardio. I figure this cardio may help get my cholesterol down. 

[Scott F.]

I'm close to 7 months. I have lost 79lbs as of this morning. I have an autoimmune issue and I get my blood checked more often. I have never had blood pressure issues and my glucose never got out of the mid-90's and fasting was less than 90. I'm 2:1 on my cholesterol. It is not great but not all that alarming.

My cholesterol moved up a little and I was thinking it would drop with the weight loss at the time, maybe 30-40lbs at the time. I started reading (some great comments on here as well). You are now fat adaptive and using fat or energy. In layman's terms instead of the fat laying around in stores it is up and moving. That same fat carries cholesterol so it is more showing in your bloodwork. 

I have a doctor who is becoming a big fan of carnivore. She said in her limited experience shoe would suggest that it will take a lot more time (at the time three to four months in) than 4-6 months to make huge changes in numbers. I have a blood test this upcoming week so I will see the difference between 3 months and 7 months. Then again in March. I will be able to actually 'trend' the bloodwork.

Best of luck as you continue.

Scott

[Geezy]

Why do you want your cholesterol to go down? It’s only natural that your cholesterol would go up when you are eating a diet in which all of your energy comes from fat and  LDL is not a cholesterol but only a transporter of the fat. If I’m only using fat for energy I’d be worried if there wasn’t very much cholesterol running around veins. 
There is absolutely no science that shows that higher cholesterol is detrimental to our bodies. 
Without sufficient cholesterol you will die. All of the cells in your body are made up of cholesterol therefore cholesterol is vital for proper human function. 

80% of the cholesterol in your body is made by the body so you don’t need to eat it to have it. 

[Meathead]

Your brain is/uses 10% of the 80% made by your liver. 

Don't believe me or @Geezy I suggest you look into this.  Mortality rate goes up the older/with lower cholesterol levels than higher cholesterol levels same ages. 

Dr Chaffee,  Dr Cywes and Dr Barry will show you why cholesterol is important. 

[Orweller]

LDL is not causal in heart disease. There is no evidence that suggests a causal relation between LDL and arteriosclerosis and heart disease. The real question should be, why is my LDL high? Am I losing weight? Am I overconsuming carbs? Lack of exercise? Am I a smoker? Am I taking medications? Genetics? Thyroid issue? So many questions to ask oneself. 

Now to answer your question: Eat nothing but Oreo cookies for the next three days. (Do not attempt!) 

 

[Orweller]

On 12/6/2024 at 8:08 AM, mdunavant said:

I just went to the Dr and had my blood work done. Many numbers were good including glucose which was way down. Triglycerides were also much better.  HDL was better but LDL and overall cholesterol was way up. 

Any advice to get these numbers down? 

I have seen many benefits since starting. I've lost almost 90 pounds. My BP is now down and under control. Sleep apnea is MUCH better. Ankle swelling is much better, almost nonexistent. I have more energy and my head is clearer. 

Having more energy now, I want to. Start working out again, mostly cardio. I figure this cardio may help get my cholesterol down. 

Strength exercise (resistance training) can help lower cholesterol. It may also improve metabolism (much more than cardio). You create less reason why the LDL would be a bad thing for you.  

[Bob]

On 12/6/2024 at 8:08 AM, mdunavant said:

LDL and overall cholesterol was way up.... Any advice to get these numbers down? 

I'm currently listening to "The Great Cholesterol Myth" in Audible. It's a fantastic publication, and would address your concerns.

Here is a recent study on "The Lipid Energy Model", which demonstrates that LDL goes up on a low-carb diet, especially if you are lean. 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9147253/

[Scott F.]

Mine just dropped from the 180's to the 150's from late August to early January.

I went into the diet basically ignorant and just thought my cholesterol would get better with weight loss. I will admit I was somewhat disappointed around three months when I had dropped a bunch of weight and the numbers really didn't change all that much.

Then I did some reading and it is sort of the norm to see some numbers go up on meat, salt and water. 

I was expecting an uptick and for the most part they stayed the same but the LDL dropped for what I think is a pretty good chunk in three months or so.

I was ignorant, read some stuff, thought I knew some things and now back to being ignorant.

But all things considered, ignorance is bliss.

Scott

[Geezy]

4 hours ago, Scott F. said:

I was ignorant, read some stuff, thought I knew some things and now back to being ignorant.

I’ve seen you post some things that would prove that wrong. 

[Scott F.]

Thanks.

I had just watched a few videos and read some articles about the carnivore diet and an increase in cholesterol numbers 'on average'. 

I was hoping the carnivore diet would help me lose the weight and drive the numbers down to prevent the need for medicine. The more I read the more I felt comfortable with where they were at, not great but not totally horrible either. 

When I eased into more than OMAD I was eating a lot of eggs, sometimes 6-8 a day. I was thinking more protein for muscle growth from lifting and off setting some of the weight loss. Several others have mentioned it and at times I catch a glimpse in the mirror, and I look sickly. 

With the increase in eating and especially the big jump in egg consumption I thought I might see the uptick in cholesterol and, all thing considered, I think I was going to be OK with that part of the diet/lifestyle approach.

Once I accepted that as fact, or a part of the approach, my LDL dropped from the 180's to the 150's in just a hair over 3 months. 

I was more than pleasantly surprised but it did leave me with the WHY? and the HOW? questions.

I have read some more and re-read a lot of posts on here and my best non-professional medical opinion seems to be the answer to most every question posted: Results are based on the individual. We can have a lot in common and can go down the really similar paths, but I have yet to read cookie-cutter type results from any two people. We may eat the same, but our daily lives differ from work to family to habits, etc., etc., etc. I think it all factors which provides enough variables to prevent cookie-cutter outcomes. 

Weird at times.

Scott

 

 

[Orweller]

14 hours ago, Scott F. said:

Mine just dropped from the 180's to the 150's from late August to early January.

I went into the diet basically ignorant and just thought my cholesterol would get better with weight loss. I will admit I was somewhat disappointed around three months when I had dropped a bunch of weight and the numbers really didn't change all that much.

Then I did some reading and it is sort of the norm to see some numbers go up on meat, salt and water. 

I was expecting an uptick and for the most part they stayed the same but the LDL dropped for what I think is a pretty good chunk in three months or so.

I was ignorant, read some stuff, thought I knew some things and now back to being ignorant.

But all things considered, ignorance is bliss.

Scott

I have never ever checked my cholesterol. And reading a lot about how the story around cholesterol constantly changes, good cholesterol, bad cholesterol, total cholesterol, etc. Remember when all cholesterol was supposed to be bad? It seems to me what we know about cholesterol is purely theoretical. I am not convinced that cholesterol could tell me a whole lot about my health unless I had symptoms. 

We are not being ignorant, they are. And they use it to sell pills. 

[Scott F.]

I'm not sure I ever really bought in to the need for a pill for this or that. I attribute that to mostly being just lucky. Until I got sick in 2018 I had filled only 7 prescriptions, and I was 49. Along the same lines, I never had to go the doctor for being sick or having an ailment. Lucky, I guess. I however had to have physicals every 12 months for my work and HAZMAT. Like most companies they were not smart enough to do them on the same day and had them spaced about six months apart. I can trend most of my blood work and panels over 20+ years on six months increments. 

I had a doctor come in once and tell me we needed to get started on medicine for pre-diabetes and possibly blood pressure medicine. I asked why? I have no issues with either. He had just seen me for the first time ever. What he saw was a 12 hour swing shift working stiff who was a hundred or so pounds overweight. He hadn't even looked at my chart. My glucose reading was 92 and my blood pressure was 110 over 60. He then tried to back track and say, "in time" you will need to be on medicine. I replied that when 'the time' arrived we could talk about it but I had no intentions of taking medicine for a problem I might have down the road. I asked since I would need them because of 'in time' was he already taking the same prescriptions. I said, "You didn't read my chart and you were ready to give me a prescription and you are fatter than I am. I have to assume the medicine is for what I look like, and we look alot a like". He was deeply offended. When I got back to the plant, I told the nurse that was my last trip to that quack.

Babbling. I never reacted to the results but I have had access to them for a number of years. 

Just this morning I found out I actually have a rib cage. The last time I knew for sure I had one was around '93 when I got out of the service. I have kept them hidden ever since. And this morning I also took the second dose of 'gut dumper' for a colonoscopy later today. I'm not sure why they need another prescription for this procedure. If one were to go on a fairly strict carnivore diet of meat, salt and water then one day haphazardly drink a Nestle Kwik vanilla drink.....the results are absolutely the same. Maybe the only difference is the carnivore and Nestle Kwik is a tad more violent, and one would need to be a bit quicker on the draw when heading to the bathroom.

Again, babbling as I am a bit nervous about today's procedure. 

My apologies.

Scott

[Orweller]

1 hour ago, Scott F. said:

The last time I knew for sure I had one was around '93 when I got out of the service. I have kept them hidden ever since

I found myself to be in an even better shape than when I got discharged in '95. So keep going at it. 
 

1 hour ago, Scott F. said:

Again, babbling as I am a bit nervous about today's procedure. 

My apologies.

We're here to listen to one other's story. This is exactly the place to do so. 

[Geezy]

3 hours ago, Scott F. said:

Thanks.

I had just watched a few videos and read some articles about the carnivore diet and an increase in cholesterol numbers 'on average'. 

I was hoping the carnivore diet would help me lose the weight and drive the numbers down to prevent the need for medicine. The more I read the more I felt comfortable with where they were at, not great but not totally horrible either. 

When I eased into more than OMAD I was eating a lot of eggs, sometimes 6-8 a day. I was thinking more protein for muscle growth from lifting and off setting some of the weight loss. Several others have mentioned it and at times I catch a glimpse in the mirror, and I look sickly. 

With the increase in eating and especially the big jump in egg consumption I thought I might see the uptick in cholesterol and, all thing considered, I think I was going to be OK with that part of the diet/lifestyle approach.

Once I accepted that as fact, or a part of the approach, my LDL dropped from the 180's to the 150's in just a hair over 3 months. 

I was more than pleasantly surprised but it did leave me with the WHY? and the HOW? questions.

I have read some more and re-read a lot of posts on here and my best non-professional medical opinion seems to be the answer to most every question posted: Results are based on the individual. We can have a lot in common and can go down the really similar paths, but I have yet to read cookie-cutter type results from any two people. We may eat the same, but our daily lives differ from work to family to habits, etc., etc., etc. I think it all factors which provides enough variables to prevent cookie-cutter outcomes. 

Weird at times.

Scott

 

 

Very well spoken Scott. 
 

 

1 hour ago, Scott F. said:

If one were to go on a fairly strict carnivore diet of meat, salt and water then one day haphazardly drink a Nestle Kwik vanilla drink.....the results are absolutely the same.

You might be on to something there.

[Bob]

I was just looking over my blood labs history, and my total cholesterol and LDL went way up during my weight loss, but now that I have been weight stable for over a year, both my total cholesterol and LDL have dropped down significantly.

All this lends to what I read before, that cholesterol, including LDL, is stored in adipose tissue and gets released into the bloodstream as you dissolve fat.