:( I'm going on a diet.

[Sasquatch!]

Yes, I'm afraid I'm going to have to go on a diet. I know the whole Fat acceptance movement etc doesn't like this, but I'm not really aiming to lose weight, I just need to do something to reduce my cholesterol and salt intake, as I have found out that I have a history of heart disease in both sides of my family:doh: . I guess this means I have to eat healthier. :(

Anyway.
I'm not too unhappy with my size right now, Is there any way I can lower my risk of heart disease and not become stick-thin?

[BlondieBlue]

Nooooooooooo.... the D word!!! :)

[Blondeegrldd]

Yes, I'm afraid I'm going to have to go on a diet. I know the whole Fat acceptance movement etc doesn't like this, but I'm not really aiming to lose weight, I just need to do something to reduce my cholesterol and salt intake, as I have found out that I have a history of heart disease in both sides of my family:doh: . I guess this means I have to eat healthier. :(

Anyway.
I'm not too unhappy with my size right now, Is there any way I can lower my risk of heart disease and not become stick-thin?

You said it right there with "reduce cholesterol and salt intake"! That's all you gotta do, honey. Who says you have to eat like a rabbit or go low-carb just to improve your health? Yes, eat more veggies and less fried-in-oil foods, but still enjoy yourself on a regular basis. That can insure you keep that fat sticking to your ribs :)

I am not a nutritionist (obviously) but I have been a member of Weight Watchers for years now and they, who are created by nutritionists, teach us there is nothing wrong with eating any kind of food whatsoever, just control how much. And I also learned that even the smallest change in your diet can make a big difference in the cholesteral and blood pressure readings, without having to do anything extreme. Good luck

[LillyBBBW]

Eh, I'm on one too right now. I've sorta let myself go over the last few months and though my blood pressure isn't high, it is higher than it usually measures so I'm trying out a few things.

Today is a PERFECT example of why I hate diets and why they don't work. I'm doing low carb, right? And yesterday I did pretty well but today I had a traumatic experience with it. This afternoon was our departmental Christmas luncheon and we went to this fancy steak place. You'd think that a steak place would be fine for low carb, right? But it wasn't. I ordered a small caesar, a nice sized steak with veggies and two huge glasses of diet coke and left there still hungry. Everyone else had potatoes with their meals instead of veggies, salad and left there saying, "Boy am I stuffed." :eek: I was so hungry I wanted to eat my own brain. It was so uncomfortable. What the heck is wrong with everybody that they can eat like that and be fine with it? I felt like I was going to faint.

All was made up for once I got home, but I can't IMAGINE going though life living and feeling like that all the time DELIBERATELY - worrying over food and hobbling though the day with dry mouth and total distraction from hunger.

I'm not writing this to give you a hard time, just needed to get that off my chest. :mad:

[Jes]

Has anyone trying to lower cholesterol had success with the oatmeal, like on the tv commercials? I have fantastic cholesterol (thanks Dad's family!) so I have no anecdotal information, but i"m pretty sure oatmeal daily lowers your reading by several points if your body falls into the....Well, I don't know how to explain it. But I say: give it a shot. Cheap, good for you, not much of a lifestyle change.

[LillyBBBW]

Both my parents, my father especially, have high cholesterol and mine has always been just mildly over the acceptable line, depending on whose table you follow. We were never the salt or sugar sprinkling type and they live on shredded wheat, Cheerios, oatmeal, smart balance, shoots and leaves - any new ruffage product that comes out since my mother is also a colon cancer survivor. For all the effort it has had minimal impact if any at all on their health. It's still a good idea in my view. But at least for us it's been a whole lot of nothing. Both my parents are thin by the way.

[loves2laugh]

my mom uses sea salt instead of regular salt and tries to flavor the food with mrs. dash. i have actually gotten to a point that i dont use salt anymore just because it isnt needed for flavor with the mrs. dash. now cholesterol i cant give any advise on.... mine is 230 :(

[Obesus]

Got used to the low salt very quickly, been perky as heck, walk 2-3 miles a day up and down the hills o' Frisco...it's low salt, good cholesterol (like olive oil) and plenty of good ol' exercise! I have been vegetarian all of my adult life and it has definitely been a good thing..my coronary arteries are "perfect" according to the doctor folks and after last year's MRSA infection, my lymph nodes were damaged...originally, the Surgeon was going to do a little cut and paste for my mild lymphedema, but the last ultrasound of my legs came back much better than he expected...walking, walking, walking...and I weight 305 pounds and I will be 55 next June...I keep yelling "Get a horse, sonny!" to all of the skinny folk I pass up on the stairs! LOL :D By crackity!

my mom uses sea salt instead of regular salt and tries to flavor the food with mrs. dash. i have actually gotten to a point that i dont use salt anymore just because it isnt needed for flavor with the mrs. dash. now cholesterol i cant give any advise on.... mine is 230 :(