Everyone loves high calorie/high fat food. Shit we were hard-wired to like that shit thanks to evolution. You better believe we'd jam ****ing fat down our throats 30,000 years ago and ****ing love it because we didn't know when the next meal was coming.

That is also why prehistoric men were binge drinkers. They never knew when their foraging would yield another 30 pack.

Exactly.

Bingo

Oh and Smitty, check your PM's.

So when I weighed 450, I ate greasy cheeseburgers and other fast food 3-4 times a day. Taco Bell made their 4th meal commercial specifically for me. When I decided to lose some weight I had a series of blood tests and panels done. They all came back and I was in perfect health. Diabetes runs on both sides of my family. I do not have superior genes.

I don't say this to brag. I certainly didn't have anything to do with it. I didn't earn that. I'm just curious if anyone has any idea why? How does cholesterol work? It's something I don't really understand. If no one feels like explaining it, I'll google it. :D

Actually, you DO have superior genes, apparently. Cholesterol is largely determined by genetics. Food intake has very little real influence on cholesterol. Your body produces cholesterol naturally. When it senses the presence of food cholesterol in the blood, it simply makes less. However, cholesterol and triglyceride levels will spike very high after eating, and come back down when fasting. That's why it's not a good idea to get any bloodwork done if you've eaten recently.

http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/

That blog has a ton of good info on how cholesterol works and why the body does the things it does in response to foods we eat.

Genes do play a huge role, but I wouldn't go as far as saying "very little real influence" when it comes to food.

/shrug

Explain people with horrible diets and good cholesterol scores. I'm not saying it's ZERO influence. I'm just saying that compared to the genetic factor, it's not very powerful.

Explain people improving cholesterol levels by eating more fiber rich foods and less cholesterol rich foods respectively? I'm pretty sure both (genes and diet) play a large role.

Explain people who live in other countries, eat more of a plant-based whole foods diet and have much better cholesterol scores than Americans. Then explain how those same people who then move to the US, adopt an American diet and have their cholesterol levels rise to US numbers.

The good cholesterol level was at 42 I believe, she said it was about 3 points low. I did fast for 12 hours. The info you guys have gave is very helpful.

I'd always wondered about that.

As a comparison, I had my total cholesterol measured at 271 three months ago. Having just turned 40 and already taking high blood pressure meds (runs in the family), I was determined to lower it on my own through a change in diet as well as exercise. I REALLY didn’t want to have to go on yet another med. So I started a daily regimen of slamming down fish oil supplements (6 grams/day), eating a handful of mixed nuts (almonds & walnuts), eating 2 different types of oat based cereals w/ low fat milk, COMPLETELY cut out fried foods, ate more veggies & beans, increased my fiber intake, been exercising 4 days a week and STILL fell short of lowering it enough. I just got back my 2nd blood test today. Total cholesterol is now 250. So, I'll be starting on the Crestor tonight. Sucks but I felt I had done everything naturally that I could do w/o meds. For some there's no other choice but to get on 'em if you want to lower it significantly. Besides fish oil and other supplements folks have posted here, there's this: http://www.cholestoff.com/ Most retail stores carry it, including Walmart. But now I can’t tell you how effective this is or how safe it is to take w/ other supplements and/or meds so do your research first and talk to your doctor before taking ANY of that stuff, sans fish oil, which I believe to be safe. Another interesting article about reducing it naturally: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/20...nts/index.html

Another important fact to consider: getting enough fiber is VERY important since a lot of the cholesterol in your body is retained in the colon and into the bloodstream. So, you may also consider upping your fiber intake.

Good luck! Hope at least some of this helps.

If you are feeling tired all the time have your blood sugar checked.
I agree with alot of people here no way diet and exercise are going to lower 700 ch to an acceptable level. Don't listen to the anti meds crowd here. You need to get this down.
Side affects and life >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> death