Who’s worried about cholesterol?
I realised that it’s been a while since I had my cholesterol checked. I normally do it every year but I forgot last year for some reason. Anyway I went and had the blood test last week and the results arrived yesterday.
| Recommended Range: | April 2007 |
April 2008 |
April 2010 |
|
| Total Cholesterol: | Less than 200 | 343 | 152 | 193 |
| HDL Cholesterol: | Between 35-60 | 58 | 36 | 55 |
| LDL Cholesterol: | Less than 130 | 266 | 101 | 225 |
| Triglycerides: | Less than 151 | 118 | 62 | 30 |
| Total/HDL Ratio: | Less than 4.5 | 5.9 | 4.3 | 3.5 |
My good cholesterol (HDL) is up heaps which more than offsets the rise in the total and the bad (LDL). My triglycerides are way down low as well so I think I’m in pretty good shape. My blood pressure was 108/57 and heart rate 52 (in the doctor’s office – it’s in the low 40s at home in bed). Overall, I think these are pretty great results.
Who would have figured that eating right and getting fit would make me healthier? I can only imagine how horrific my results must have been when I was at my heaviest.
Comments
24 Responses to “Who’s worried about cholesterol?”
Daily Mile
-
RoadID
That LDL cholesterol count went up heaps between April 2008 and April 2010. More than the recommended range. Are you sure that’s correct?
.-= Breaking Three Hours´s last blog .. =-.
Twitter: aaron_chai
Yeah…my Doc said it was more than offset by the increase in HDL.
Twitter: AndrewENZ
And even scarier thought, what if you were still at your heaviest a few years on (ie now), would have been even worse. Well done – awesome results – well deserved.
.-= Andrew(AJH)´s last blog ..Careful what you wish for! =-.
Congrats!!! Yes, the good stuff & triglycerides factor in. My total & bad cholesterol as always been higher than norm BUT my good stuff & Triglycerides have also always been way off the chart on the good end which makes it better.
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Push-Ups – All Kinds! Great Overall Body Work! =-.
Nice job. I struggle with my good cholesterol despite a mostly good diet and exercise — the nurse has basically said that since my bad cholesterol is low and that I’m “young,” that I don’t need to worry about it too much right now. My Triglycerides were still through the roof when I first lost weight, but have lowered drastically, even though I’m 10 pounds heavier than my lowest weight.
.-= David H.´s last blog ..What’s next is now =-.
Twitter: RunningBecause
I think that the Triglycerides don’t get enough attention as they are really the stronger contributor to artery blockage (from what I’ve read long ago). You’ve really made some amazing progress there!
.-= Kyle´s last blog ..Behold the power of cheese… =-.
great job! Those are looking good. I’d like to see my comparison stats in a couple months
.-= seth @ fitwithapurpose´s last blog ..The Mental Aspects of Running =-.
Twitter: MistrTyler
That’s a remarkable difference, Andrew. Any guesses as to how much is due to dietary changes vs. exercise?
.-= fit36.com´s last blog ..How to Lose Ten Pounds the Easy Way =-.
Twitter: fit36com
Awesome that you pay attention to cholesterol. I’ve historically had good LDL and marginal HDL. For a longtime I was confused on which one was good and which bad. Then I recalled a trick I learned in high school; for words that have a tendency to be confusing add visualization references to aid in memorization. In H.S. the example was Dessert vs. Desert. Desert being that hot sandy place and Dessert being that delicious after dinner treat. The visualization taught was that you want ‘more’ dessert than desert so dessert in your life and thus the difference between the two can be recalled with Dessert for having ‘more’ or twice as many S’s. Screwy I guess. But I applied the same logic to cholesterol; LDL id LOSER-DL and HDL is HERO-DL. Ok, maybe equally or even more screwy but it straightened me out.
.-= Patrick´s last blog ..Day 9 – Change #2 =-.
I’m not sure I’ve ever had mine checked. Hmmm…
I’ll trust you and your doc about what your numbers mean — nice job being healthy!
.-= Scott Keeps Running´s last blog ..Seaport River Run 10k =-.
Awesome improvements, Andrew!
.-= cammy@TippyToeDiet´s last blog ..Breaking News!! =-.
Twitter: tippytoediet
Those are some nice looking numbers! It is so great that working out, losing weight, and getting fit not only makes us look better, but BE better!
.-= Diane Fit to the Finish´s last blog ..How To Cook And Still Stay On Plan =-.
Twitter: fittothefinish
Nice! Cholesterol is one area I’ve never had to worry about strangely, but I am very envious of your resting heart rate. That’s incredible!
.-= Jeremy Logsdon´s last blog ..Aurorae Yoga Mat Giveaway! =-.
Twitter: stellarpath
Great numbers there Andrew! I have just finished watching a movie called “Fat Head” and it seems like cholesterol is more of a symptom than a cause for heart attack. It’s hard to differentiate between all the propaganda that we get fed by the lobbyists and government sponsored studies.
.-= Greg´s last blog ..Weekly Status, Week 26 =-.
Twitter: gregstransform
That’s great Andrew!
Gives me a glimpse of what I have to look forward to, if I keep it up!
.-= josie´s last blog ..Week 30 – Weigh-In =-.
Twitter: startlinejosie
Weird how that diet and exercise thing makes us healthy huh?
I’m pretty happy with my last doctors visit.. I’m doing well apparently.
.-= Jay´s last blog ..Snowball Effect? =-.
Twitter: jayloss
That’s for sure!
Twitter: AndrewENZ
I think its so easy to be concerned with how we look on the outside but not about how healthy we are on the inside.
=-.
Thanks for posting Andrew, makes me think more about how healthy my body is as well as if my jeans still fit
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..Australia or New Zealand
Congrats! Even though it’s nice to have a small behind, those numbers are what it’s all about! WTG
.-= Rita´s last blog ..Show Some Respect =-.
Twitter: thegigglybits
Man Andrew, this rocks!! Great work!
Those are some great numbers! All your hard work pays off in so many ways.
.-= Carla´s last blog ..Outdoor running vs. indoor running =-.
Twitter: therightfitblog
It’s interesting that the totals went up despite the weight loss. You must eat a lot of heart healthy fatty foods. Nuts and avocados?
.-= Greg´s last blog ..4 Signs You Suffer From Tanorexia =-.
Twitter: livefitblog
I had mine checked a few years ago for life insurance. Thought I was at least average fit – Nope. Huge numbers for being in my late 20′s. Down in the 160 range now, cut out some fats and started eating oatmeal like a horse. Also had good luck with fish oil. Just don’t like to burp – makes it taste like I have a trout in throat.
.-= Joe´s last blog ..Running Troubles =-.
Twitter: seejoerun
Anyone who says that cholesterol can’t be bettered naturally need only look at your progress chart. Those are some pretty amazing scores. Other than running what have you been doing (diet-wise) to lower your cholesterol?