Inpd

These two statements are opposed to each other. It would help everyone a lot to know the answer or even if the answer is "we don't know as yet".

Drew Eckhardt 

Way to go on the weight loss.

A 20% drop in LDL is a good start.

Cholesterol also depends on exercise. Mine got better at essentially the same weight (186 vs 190) eating the same things but increasing from commuting only to 6-7 hours a week. After that I ate fewer carbs but more fat of all sorts now except trans-fat - I don't do processed food apart from energy bars.

[TABLE]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]2012/12/18[/TD]
[TD]2014/05/19[/TD]
[TD]2015/09/04[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]weight (pounds)[/TD]
[TD]190[/TD]
[TD]186[/TD]
[TD]136[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]weekly hours riding[/TD]
[TD]1-2[/TD]
[TD]6-7[/TD]
[TD]10-11[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]total cholesterol[/TD]
[TD]244[/TD]
[TD]185[/TD]
[TD]181[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]LDL cholesterol[/TD]
[TD]166[/TD]
[TD]131[/TD]
[TD]112[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]HDL cholesterol[/TD]
[TD]61[/TD]
[TD]55[/TD]
[TD]74[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Drew Eckhardt 

It depends on build. Although my height is average at 5'9.5" I'm not too big and at 180 pounds have an extra 40-45 pounds of fat or 22-25% body fat beyond cycling fit.

Inpd

Thanks but realistically there is little left to lose. I am 180 now and could get to 175 if I tried really hard, but that's pushing my high school weight.

ciderguy

My guess is that you don't consume enough fiber and that you eat too much protein.

jsigone

congrats on the weight drop!!!

Numbers can be skewed by a varity of thing, some things you can't change like genes. What was your last meals before the blood draw?

Inpd

Perhaps not enough fiber but I don't eat much protein at all. Protein tastes good, but its high caloric and I've been focusing on filling but low caloric food like green vegetables.

Inpd

I purposely ate my regular diet and didn't eat too good or too bad since I wanted to get a realistic reading.

79pmooney

Look at your balance between the Omega 3 and Omega 6 proteins. Without a focus on the Omega 3s, the usual foods will be very Omega 6 skewed. This country has done a rather impressive job of weeding (rather literally) Omega 3s out of the food chain.

Ben

ciderguy

The fiber/ protein thing is just a general guess, since I have no idea about your specific diet. Something like 97% of Americans eat more protein than they need and don't eat enough fiber. If you are eating lots of fruits and vegetables, like enough to double the minimum of 35g of fiber you'd need (35g @ 2,500 calorie diet), then you might just need to give your body time to adjust to the new weight. Try to cut out any processed foods, if you eat any. Substitute beans for some animal protein. Get rid of any added fats or oils and eat more nuts & seeds. Try to eat more flax seeds.

Sayre Kulp 

You can be skinny as a rail and still have poor health if your diet trends that way.

Trevtassie

Don't forget to look at Glycemic Load as well as Glycemic Index. Glycemic load indicates how many carbs are in something versus the rate at which it gets into the blood stream. So a food can be low GI and have a high GL. Like beans for example. Low GI, but they still contain a shed load of carbs and aren't good for your blood sugar levels unless eaten in moderation. The carbohydrate might get into the blood slowly but there is still a hell of a lot for the body to deal with.
It also depends on your exercise level. My partner is type 1, when we are on tour she can eat just about anything she likes whilst cutting down her insulin to 25% of normal. Icecream, potato chips, whatever. But she needs to be riding a loaded touring bike 6 hours a day, extreme exercise level really. At home she doesn't eat things like swedes, beans or anything like that much. Anything with a medium or above GI or GL, even if they are vegetables.

Of some interest is her bodies reaction before she goes on a ride. For a while she had a problem with hypos during rides. Eventually we figured out what was happening. Her blood sugar would spike before a ride as her body got prepared by dumping a lot of glucose into her blood stream in anticipation. She'd go oh, better get that down and inject some insulin, then she'd crash, because the glucose all got used up and not replaced.

dagray

Remember type two diabetes (I myself am combatting this) is different for every person. What works for me may not work for you. Foods I can eat might take and spike your blood glucose levels.

I have found quality of sleep, exercise, and diet (no not I need to lose weight so I am going on a diet, but watching what I eat and drinking lots of water kind of diet) all work together.

Glucose levels also are effected by your overall health... getting a cold and your glucose levels could be higher than normal (at least it is for me).

Also sometimes you will lose mass while not losing weight as you gain muscle.

Good luck on figuring out what works for you, drink lots of water, and get on that darned bike

RR3

The Framingham study demonstrated no correlation between cholesterol levels and heart health.

The brain needs cholesterol.

McBTC

Not sure about what's being eaten but lower triglycerides may not be possible if the intake of read meat goes up...

Black wallnut 

What happens if you ride double what you are now weekly? How often are you cheeking your BG? Riding more at an even lower intensity may improve your numbers. Find out for you.

Catinella

Animal products contain cholesterol. Eliminating or significantly reducing your intake of animal products such as meat, cheese, milk, etc., will help you reduce your cholesterol.

Reduce your carb intake, or time your higher carb intake to coincide with bike rides or exercise. Choose lower Glycemic Index foods when you can.

I had figures similar to yours, and by exercising, reducing my carb and animal product intake, I brought all my blood work to normal. My A1c went from 6.8 to 5.4. Yes, a little high but managed.

Good Luck!

Black wallnut 

Wrong! It has been demonstrated that there is no link between the two unless it is a positive one such as eating the whole egg will improve the balance between hdl and ldl.

Catinella

It has always been my understanding that animal products do contain cholesterol. It makes sense to me that if you are prone to high cholesterol levels and eat fewer animal products your cholesterol levels should go down. Results vary I'm sure, but in my case I went almost vegan for about 4 months and saw my cholesterol levels plummet. I am now not eating anywhere near as many animal products as I once had, and my cholesterol levels are still good. Yes, I have heard about whole eggs and cholesterol, but I will have to take science's word for that. I doubt I can confirm the link myself at home by eating eggs, but I can confirm that going vegan lite for a few months got my cholesterol levels in check.

Rowan

I am sorry, but either you have the nomenclature wrong, or you are posting entirely incorrect information.

Omega 3 and 6 are fatty acids -- that is, polyunsaturated fats -- and definitely are not proteins.

scrming

Well, losing weight and getting off the couch definitely worked for me.. We just had our health screening at work and my number improved dramatically! Not following any specific diet other than cutting all the junk/fast food out and watching my calories. Also started pedaling, both indoors and outdoors. I'm doing a lot of higher intensity stuff. I was pretty shocked at just how much my number improved!

jazzgeek79

OP, Based on the info you gave on your current diet and weight, I'd be pushing for more investigation on the medical side. It sounds like you are getting a good amount of fiber, and plenty of exercise. Maybe a re-test to check for error? Maybe a regular check of your fasting blood sugar and then blood sugar after meals, exercise, etc. Your AC1 suggests that you have some level of insulin resistance or your pancreas isn't working properly. I'm by no means a doctor, but I am dealing with being pre-diabetic myself (with a family history of type-II on both sides). I wouldn't ignore that test.