Hi all it is a year since I started this way of eating and I am really happy with it and although I no longer count calories I have managed to keep on top of the 20lbs lost – yippee!
Today I had the results of my latest bloods. The HBA1C was good, 37, one point down on my last 6 month check.. But my cholesterol was up slightly at 6.8 from 6.5 6 months ago. That was disappointing – has anyone else had an increase ? Any advice on how to effectively tackle it please?
Also, not probably for this forum but here goes..the practice nurse casually mentioned my white blood cell count is lower than it should be and to pop back in two weeks for another test.mof course – straight to google and I am convinced I am bound to have something hideous. Has anyone had anything normal that has caused same? Looking for something to keep me sane for two weeks , thank so much lovely forum

Hi, my daughter has recently had a low white blood cell count but nothing evident. She has now presented with an infection so you may have had something lurking or maybe something brewing. Probably nothing to worry about but if you start to feel ill go and see a doctor. By the way, nothing to do with this diet. Dont worry about your cholesterol the change is minimal, keep to good oils to lower cholesterol and still cut out fatty foods, this is not the Atkins diet.

Thank you very much Sunshine girl, and in fact I did/ do have a stubborn ear infection which may explain it!. I knew it was not BSD connected in any way, no worries. But interesting about the fat as I have clearly misunderstood rhe diet to encourage free eating of high (good) fats in order to feel sufficiently full. I have rarely exceeded the recommended levels of fat v protein v carbs but perhaps , if you are saying I still I have to watch my fat intake, I should read the book again so thank you!
Jill

Hi Jillf, As you have done so well you must be doing something right. Yes the diet allows GOOD fats such as olive oil for salads and dressings, rapeseed oil for cooking, full fat dairy, butter, avocados and nuts but all still have to be kept quite low as they are also high in calories. As I dont eat a lot of the things I used to put butter on (bread, mashed potatoes) I really only use it for cooking things like scrambled eggs, one avocado per week is fine, I usually have half and give hubby the other half then maybe another half later in the week. Nuts should be a small handful or 10 pistachio, 10 almonds or 6 brazils per day avoiding cashews which are higher in calories and as much full fat dairy as you like as long as it is within your calorie allowance. Allowing the good fats should help reduce your cholesterol. You should still be cutting the fat off of meats, avoiding chicken skin and grilling rather than frying etc.

Hi Jillf,
I do exactly the opposite of what sunshine-girl suggests and I’m not saying either is right or wrong, it’s just the direction that I’ve chosen to take.

I eat fat freely – particularly saturated fat like butter, olive oil, coconut oil, fat from meat and avocados. I continue to eat low carb, moderate protein and high fat. It’s called a ketogenic diet (more info on http://www.dietdoctor.com). I stay completely away from any manufactured polyunsaturated oils due to their high omega 6 levels.

I’ve kept off the 30kg that I lost on the BSD since reaching my goal in September last year and have my bloods checked regularly.

My ‘total’ and LDL cholesterol has increased but my HDL has increased and my triglycerides have decreased.

My doctor has said that the total and LDL cholesterol are not really looked at anymore in regards to markers for heart disease, just the HDL (needs to be high) and triglycerides (needs to be low).

I read a lot and can suggest the following if you would like to know more:

The Big Fat Surprise – Nina Teicholz
Fat Chance – Dr Robert Lustig
The Case against Sugar – Gary Taubes
Wheat Belly – Dr William Davis
Grain Brain – Dr David Perlmutter

These books have really opened my eyes by providing the science and can help you decide which path you wish to take into the future.
Cheers
Linda

Thanks so much LindA – I must confess that was my, less informed, view so thanks again- I will carry on I think as my overall risk is very very low they say (heart attack/stroke and I do love the way I eat, so if it isn’t going to kill me I’ll enjoy it! I will follow up your links so thanks for those also.
Thanks both for your help – and the doctor not worried about white cell thing – just come back in 8 weeks for a retest he says this morning – phew
Jill F

Jillf, I have now noticed you posted in the Med style forum so maybe the calories are not so important to you. From my experience, trying to keep under 800 was not possible with so much fat. Also, my cholesterol went from 6.4 to 3.2 in the first 6 months of this plan until I brought a load of Cheddar cheese from the UK and started eating it on a regular basis, putting my cholesterol back up to around 3.9 but I realised I should not be eating so much fat and managed to stop before I did too much damage. I can only speak from my own experience. It seems your high fat way of eating has damaged your cholesterol or why are you asking the question. Also your cholesterol is extremely high right now, even at 6.5.

Sunshine thanks so much for the feedback about the cheddar! I have taken serious note. You are right, I am not trying to lose any weight at present so not calorie concerned. I agree that if 5 is the average for cholesterol then yes mine is higher than I would like. But my GP is not concerned he tells me – But you are right I would like to reduce it and now I know what tack to take so thanks so much to you and to Linda – much to think about 🙂

There is growing evidence that carbs cause higher cholesterol. When I re-find the research on this I’ll post the link. But several doctors and researchers say that if you lower your carbs you should increase your fats and oils but must remember that if you raise your carbs again later you must remember to lower your fats. People who remain on low carb eating are more likely to keep weight down. My blood sugar came well down but cholesterol went up after I had relaxed on the carbs (I was still calorie counting).