Cholesterol -- Oatmeal-- Success!?

[LHSmith]

I've been messing around with retiring for the last few months, and that means a lot less activity. I quick like put on a few pounds and didn't like the way my jeans were fitting, so I decided that I'm not gonna go heavier than 190 lbs. I'm six feet tall, and 190 didn't used to be fat for me. Now it seems like I've got about ten pounds of gut on me.

Does your gut get in the way when tieing your shoes? Can you get up from the floor without grabbing on to something ( beached whale syndrome)? Must you stoop forward to locate things when relieving yourself? These are my thresholds where I take drastic measures and make more of an effort to control my diet.
After reading your thread, it inspired me to go back to oatmeal for breakfast - the unsweatened kind in the big round containers - not the instant packets. I had been eating Cheerios for breakfast ( a big portion) for a long time -only to find out plain jane Cheerios has sugar added. A fiber supplement definitely helps- problem is I forget to take it. Ditto on the prescribed meds.

 

[CharlieNC]

Well I'm going to toast an English muffin and heat Jimmy Dean sausage for breakfast. Eating light before a big family lunch today, pizza and beer. At 73 I'm going to enjoy it!

 

[hedditch]

I couldn't handle Statins. A drug called Nexletol was approved about 2 1/2 years ago and it worked wonders on my cholesterol. A new study just came out and it was found to reduce heart attacks by 20%. I have been on it for the 2 1/2 years without any side effects. Insurance and/or medicare covers it.
Dave

 

[Shooter13]

A drug called Nexletol

THIS! Just read an article on it and getting high praises!

 

[jds holler]

Does your gut get in the way when tieing your shoes? Can you get up from the floor without grabbing on to something ( beached whale syndrome)? Must you stoop forward to locate things when relieving yourself? These are my thresholds where I take drastic measures and make more of an effort to control my diet.
After reading your thread, it inspired me to go back to oatmeal for breakfast - the unsweatened kind in the big round containers - not the instant packets. I had been eating Cheerios for breakfast ( a big portion) for a long time -only to find out plain jane Cheerios has sugar added. A fiber supplement definitely helps- problem is I forget to take it. Ditto on the prescribed meds.

Yeah, I kinda just use the waist size of my jeans as my guide. There is no reason that an otherwise slender guy like me should have to wear 36" waist.

As far as my oats, I prefer the Old Fashioned un-cut type and my sweetener is stevia powder that I buy bulk from EBay. I use a scooch of it in my coffee also. I guess I don't really add sugar to anything that I eat or drink. jd

 

[Shooter13]

I have high cholesterol but take a statin, going to ask dr to change to the Nexletol. (just checked GoodRx.com and it is over $400 a month!) My biggest problem now is pancreatic/gallstone problems, I've always been a guy that could eat pretty much anything, not now! Major life changing event. Still learning. Can tell you the pain is extreme but not as bad as kidney stones, did I say the scan shows I have 3 non-obstructive kidney stones? one is 7mm! Life goes on with us or without us.

 

[LHSmith]

Yeah, I kinda just use the waist size of my jeans as my guide. There is no reason that an otherwise slender guy like me should have to wear 36" waist.

As far as my oats, I prefer the Old Fashioned un-cut type and my sweetener is stevia powder that I buy bulk from EBay. I use a scooch of it in my coffee also. I guess I don't really add sugar to anything that I eat or drink. jd

I hear ya. I went from 28" waist in high school to now 35" (yeah they make 35" wranglers but they're hard to find). I refuse to buy a 36" pair even though I got to struggle to close the pant button- and suspenders are a must even though pants hanging below the ass seems to be the style in some parts.

 

[Shooter13]

pants hanging below the ass seems to be the style in some parts.

Wrangler does make a "regular" jean, George Strait cowboy cut "high waisted" or something like that, I can not stand the ones that are falling off my butt!! I cinch up my belt so tight I can't breath!! LOL

• Fit: Original
• Rise: High
• Front Rise: 11 1/8"
• Leg: Fits over boot
• Leg Opening: 16 3/4"
• Front Closure: Zip-Fly with button closure

 

[SKWERLZ]

I'm going with meat only 4 times a week ..View attachment 1417512

That’s how you make it to Vice President!

 

[Richard308]

So, about a month ago I went to the doc and blood work showed my cholesterol way too high; Total @ 265. LDL was186, HDL @ 62, VLDL @ 17. (don't know what VLDL is) Doctor wanted to slap me with a prescription for Statin drug, and send me home. I'm kinda reluctant to start popping pills, and wanted to see if I could do something with diet.

Anyway, I started having oatmeal for breakfast every day, (1/2 cup) and today we had a free health fair where I went and got another screening.

Short story is that my total number dropped from 265 to 166.
LDL dropped from 186 to 86
HDL went from 62 to 52
didn't mention VLDL on todays test.

Anyway, am I lookin at a WHOO HOO moment? Did just eating oatmeal do this?

my triglycerides were 139 which is high, but within the limits.
Blood Glucose was 96 which also is high, but not quite in prediabetes zone.

Now it's time to see if I can fix those two things. jd

jd,
I have been eating oatmeal everyday for several years. My LDL hung around 300.
Since, I've been able to keep it around 170. Not eating a bunch of junk.
It must have helped one way or another. I do take a statin drug.

 

[jackieschmidt]

I eat oatmeal for breakfast every morning. And I don’t put much in it, just a little milk and sugar. A hot cup of coffee tops it off. I keep my weight at 175 lbs.

Another tip is I do not drink soft drinks.

around 12 years ago, my weight had creeped up to around 190. I worked a lot, ate vey little in the way of fried foods, worked out, but something was butting on the pounds. I was also developing migraines. .

I had gone to a cardiologist to get a work up, and I was fine, except the weight. Then it dawned on me. My Vice was Dr Peppers. I loved them. I drank way too many.

So, I told my wife…..”no more soft drinks, no diet, none”. She said I couldn’t do it.

But I did. I went cold turkey, I have not drank any kind of soft drink in over 12 years.

Within 3 months my weight dropped into the 170’s. It stays there.

I don’t know what it is in soft drinks that are bad, but you will never see me drinking one.

here is me on a job. Still working at 76 might also be a plus.

 

[LHSmith]

When I saw guys cleaning their grills with Coca-cola that was enough for me. I get enough heartburn without that extra acid. I too gave up on soda- replaced it with water. When I was younger, I couldn't get enough Coke or Pepsi.

 

[swd]

I have as they say “a strong family history of cardiovascular disease” on both both sides of my family. In my mid 40’s I had to have 3 stents during a bear hunt in Alaska. Then 9 years later a triple bypass. After the stents they put me on a statin which I hated and stopped taking. After the bypass surgery I’m on a statin and I no longer have any side effects. I also take Vascepa for triglycerides. Now my cholesterol numbers are great.

About 5 years ago I went camping and met a new friend and his 84yo father who was a retired cardiologist and had a very similar cardiac history to mine. He said he also for long time didn’t like taking statins but only a few months before we met the results of the longest statin study had just been released and it found that people with cardiovascular disease lige significantly longer taking them.

There is also some interesting information on Vitamin K2 mk 7 about it being the molecule that controls plaque build up in arteries.

 

[hoz53]

I hear ya. I went from 28" waist in high school to now 35" (yeah they make 35" wranglers but they're hard to find). I refuse to buy a 36" pair even though I got to struggle to close the pant button- and suspenders are a must even though pants hanging below the ass seems to be the style in some parts.

was just looking at my boy scout belt. it measures 29 overall. must have been when i was teenager. Im a whole lot bigger now. i can wear 36s but my waist is bigger than that. i wear bibs alot these days i have from working back when. they are comfortable and no hitching up ect. no plumbers crack.

 

[jds holler]

was just looking at my boy scout belt. it measures 29 overall. must have been when i was teenager. Im a whole lot bigger now. i can wear 36s but my waist is bigger than that. i wear bibs alot these days i have from working back when. they are comfortable and no hitching up ect. no plumbers crack.

Heck Hoz, a 36 inch waist isn't at all unreasonable --- if you're 6'8". jd

 

[Rocketvapor]

I got up to about 185, 36 inch waist. Started working out more and eating better.
These southern Florida camping/shooting trips would add at least 5 pounds.
Older, slower, but not fat no more.
Here's what I looked like back when

Was still about the slowest out there, but used less ammo than the younger ones.

 

[jds holler]

RV, you are indeed an amazing hunk of man flesh, but what was really amazing was to see that you were able to get back off your knees after shooting station 4. That HAD to hurt. Good job dude, and you could tell that folks were impressed at your frugal use of ammo. jd

 

[hoz53]

Heck Hoz, a 36 inch waist isn't at all unreasonable --- if you're 6'8". jd

ha ha jd- according to the height weight chart Im only suppose to be 6'6"-so there-- just cause i got a few pairs of jeans that have shrunk up some dont meen im fat

 

[jds holler]

ha ha jd- according to the height weight chart Im only suppose to be 6'6"-so there-- just cause i got a few pairs of jeans that have shrunk up some dont meen im fat

I quit putting my jeans in the drier, and it made about an inch of leeway.

What pisses me off is that I used to weigh in at between 190 and 200, and didn't have an ounce of fat. Now I weigh 190, and have twenty pounds of fat.

 

[jds holler]

I'm thinking of getting sump thin like this for photo shoots. It sure beats spending hours on the "Abdominizer".