Details

I received my official heart risk report in the mail just now.  It really isn't pretty.


                                   My Numbers          Desirable Number
Total Cholesterol               244                          < 200
Triglycerides                     133                          < 150
HDL                                   31                           > 40
LDL                                  187                          < 130
TC/HDL Ratio                   8.0                           < 4.5

So today I started my day with two packs of heart healthy Quaker apples and cinnamon oatmeal.  If one is heart healthy, two has to be double as good.  Right?  I picked up some baby spinach to add an extra olive oil vinaigrette salad to my daily routine, some Smart Balance butter substitute, and some supplements.

Details include:

"Trust your heart health with Nature Made Fish Oil 1200 mg, Burp-Less. Every 2 softgels deliver 720 mg of Omega-3s. Burp-Less Fish Oil has all the heart healthy benefits of regular fish oil and is specially coated (enteric coated) to help control fish burps, fishy odor and aftertaste. The Omega-3s in Burp-Less Fish Oil protect the heart by keeping cell membranes flexible and healthy.

• Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA Omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.  (See nutrition information for total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol content.)
• EPA and DHA are the two key Omega-3s for heart health 
• Every 2 softgels deliver 720 mg of Omega-3s, including 600 mg of EPA & DHA (360 mg EPA/240 mg DHA); more than the 500 mg of EPA and DHA recommended by some experts for heart health.
• Specially coated to help control fish burps"

I'm not even going to lie.  I totally giggled at all the fish burp references.  Maybe I'll be able to compete with my husband now.

Broken Hearted

You know how sometimes it seems like everything is going well and you just sit waiting for something to go wrong?

That was me.

I've been doing pretty well overall in my efforts to get healthy physically by slimming down and getting stronger, and mentally by kicking that fat chick in the mirror in the butt in an effort to actually like myself.  I've been watching everything I eat.  Sure, on high-stress days i probably don't eat enough to keep up the weight loss but that's not often and I'm not slipping back into my old ways of not eating enough to survive.  Well, enough to survive but not enough to really live.  I've hit roadblocks and overcome them. 

Then today I got news that has shaken me.  My cholesterol screening came back and it appears I have the cholesterol levels of a fifty year old, male, pound of bacon a day, never exercising, two pack a day smoking, couch potato.  I have no family history of anything  heart related.  I'm rattled.  I've made SO many changes to get healthy.  I researched healthy options to loved foods so my husband wouldn't have to suffer during my weight loss.  I exercise and had even started training for a 5k.  I can run a 5k but I want to do it well.  I want to really race.  Completing a race is amazing!  BUT  I wanna beat people.  Anyway...  so I'm at a point where I really don't have that many things I can do in an effort to fix this cholesterol problem myself.  After an informal consultation with my favorite nutrition guru and some independent research talking to friends and using Google, here is my gameplan:

• oatmeal, fruit, egg whites, or a combination of the three for breakfast
• add Benefiber to everything I can
• take fish oil and niacin capsules daily
• switch to all low or no-fat dairy  (goodbye 2 year old, black label cheddar in my soup)
• eat more quinoa and brown rice for the whole grain
• no butter, just SmartBalance plus Calcium
• eat beans at least twice a week
• eat wild-caught fish at least twice a week
• avoid juices with added fructose
• only lean meats (goodbye favorite cut of meat: ribeye)
• use sunflower oil instead of vegetable oil
• add an extra 15 minutes of aerobic exercise per day

You know what sucks about that gameplan?  Can you see it?

It cramps my holiday style!  I rarely see anything that at holiday buffets that look like they are heart healthy.  "Heart Healthy".   I never figured I would be overly concerned with that sorta thing for at least another decade or so.  My doctor would prefer medical intervention and drug therapy immediately but dang it!  I'm not seventy!  I insist on trying to manage this all myself for a little bit first.  If no change in three months, I'll accept the doctor's opinion.  I'm too young for heart meds.