Hi gang

So my blood tests showed no change in my thyroid reading but it did show that my cholesterol had gone up to 5.2. it was in high 4s before when I only used to eat low fat everything and no meat. Now I eat butter and ff yoghurt but not every day. I don’t eat any red meat and I don’t like chicken skin. So any ideas why it has gone up? I thought it wasn’t supposed to happen?

Hi Janet, no idea as mine has come down and I eat FF yoghurt and far too much cheese every day and I’m rather liberal with the olive oil too.

My thyroid tests showed as border line – low TSH and T4 at 18 but I explained to him that for 10 to 15 years my test had come back like that and my hypothyroidism went untreated until I got a goitre. He said if I feel fine he will leave me on my current dose of 100 and see what Mondays repeat test shows.

I wonder how efficient the test was that you had done? The labs tend to use the cheapest tests and they don’t check everything. Since higher cholesterol readings go hand in hand with hypothyroidism it makes me wonder.

Have you seen your test results? If you haven’t already make an appointment with your GP to discuss it. TBH though a reading of 5.2 isn’t bad for someone with hypothyroidism. Mine was 5.5 and I was happy as I have had readings as high as 8 or 9 before 🙁

Oh if you got a message from a crazy person about a new phone number it was me!!! I forgot to add my name and have had a few messages asking ‘who is it?’ Apart from Lynne who asked ‘is that you, Judith?’

Have a good day, Janet 🙂

Hi Judith, thanks for this, what you say always makes a lot of sense to me. I did have to giggle to myself yesterday when I got your message – I hope you got my reply – fortunately, you gave me lots of really good clues as to who you were! I don’t know anyone else who is going to Australia so I guessed you were getting giddy with your new phone! I hope you are enjoying using it. For the most part, they make life a lot easier.

At three o’clock this morning I decided the sensible thing to do would be to ring my surgery and ask for more detail about the results. Last night I watched a video on the dietdoctor.com website that said it is good for hdl (good cholesterol) to go up and the only way to make that happen is through a low carb high fat diet. Great I thought. But then it went on to say that some people on said diet also get a raise in ldl (bad cholesterol) but they don’t really understand it why yet. So not so good. Of course, the thing I didn’t know was was it my hdl or ldl?

So I rang the surgery this morning and spoke to a lovely nurse who was very supportive of my weight loss and told me exactly what I needed to know – and also said the same things as the video last night – hallelujah! So both my hdl and ldl have gone up but both are well within acceptable ranges for now. She said that the ldl one might even rectify itself over time. But in the mean time I need more ldl-reducing foods. I should admit I still don’t eat enough oily fish etc. Walnuts are also supposed to be good so a great excuse to eat more walnut cake and walnut whips! (you know I’m joking right?).

So my new mission is to find lovely foods that reduce ldl and rejoice in the knowledge that the bsd has yet another benefit – it can actually increase our good cholesterol levels!

I hope you are getting the same lovely weather we are further south? Who is going to be looking after your garden while you are down under?

Hi Janet, so glad your mind is at ease over the cholesterol reading. Also good to know that walnuts are good, we could always make a kind of waldorf salad with apples, celery, walnuts, lemon juice and some FF yoghurt instead of mayo.
I have a vegetarian loaf recipe somewhere which has walnuts in it. I will have to search for it. I think walnuts are also lower carb than some other nuts 🙂

I didn’t get a phone message that I know of – but TBH I’m not very clued up about how to use it yet. 🙁

I’ll get there eventually!! 🙂

I’m sure you will Judith, I’ve resent my reply to your text so you’ll probably have two now. What kind of phone did you go for in the end?

Waldorf salad sounds yummy! I might also bring back porridge oats on a part-time basis now that I’m close to my weight target. The nurse reminded me that they are good for cholesterol too.

Hi janet1973,
How are things going with you? I haven’t seen any posts from you for a while, although I have been a bit distracted for a little while, I haven’t had a lot of time to read the forum threads, so forgive me if I’ve missed you, I hope you are still doing the bsd diet, or have you reached your target?
Christine.