Had my annual physical last week, and here was the bad (if unsurprising) news: I've gained 15 pounds in the past year. I came home and immediately went back to my elliptical trainer, and except for Thanksgiving day, have been exercising a full hour every day since then.
But here was the unexpected good news. Said my doctor: "Your cholesterol was low last year, and it's even lower this year. I don't know how you managed that, having gained 15 pounds, but your cholesterol levels are excellent."
Here's how I did it, I think: steel-cut oatmeal and ground flax seed for breakfast.
I've long eaten steel-cut oats for breakfast every morning. Oatmeal is a proven cholesterol-reducer, and the steel-cut version is the best way to eat it for health benefits, given its extra fiber. I find it much chewier, nuttier and tastier, so I eat it for pleasure, but it's good to know that it's healthier. Oatmeal's cholesterol-reducing qualities are tied to its fibrousness, so the higher in fiber your oatmeal, the better for you. I'm pretty sure that's the main reason I've kept my cholesterol down over the past few years, since discovering the pleasures of steel-cut oatmeal at breakfast. (N.B., if you buy them in the bulk bin at Whole Foods, they're also really, really cheap).
But earlier this year, Julie convinced me to start adding ground flax seed to my morning oatmeal. I've known that I need to start eating a fish oil supplement for heart healthiness, but I hate the "fish burp" that accompanies those capsules. Flax seed -- but only ground flax seed, because the seeds themselves are indigestible -- is a good substitute. Because I love things to be chewy and nutty, I put about half a cup (WAY more than what is suggested) into my bowl of oatmeal every day, and have been doing so all year. Apparently, the oatmeal/flaxseed combo really has done the trick. You might try it sometime.
(It probably doesn't hurt that we use a lot of olive oil around our house, too).
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About two years ago I received the literally depressing diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. It was right after Thanksgiving. I was scheduled for Diabetes Management classes some time in January. For at least a month and a half I was left trying to desperately sort it all out on my own. By the time I took the first class, my blood sugar was better than normal. My other numbers (HDL, LDL, were terrific also). I am not making this up. My doctor says I am in the 99.999th percentile of his patients who have received a diabetes diagnosis. He has re-classified me as non-diabetic.
All I did was embark on a radical program of calorie and carb reduction, spreading my food intake out over the day instead of eating traditional meals. I probably flirted with hypoglycemia, but with trial and error I stayed above the line. I also began a simple but fanatically devoted workout regimen: intensive walking/hiking with basic weight training (two 20-pound dumbbells) on alternate days. I lost 70 pounds and now weigh roughly what I did when I was a college varsity athlete. I am 48 years old.
I am much less strict with my diet since hitting my target weight, but I insist on the workouts. If I miss more than two days, I get antsy. I resist the urge to take up running because many middle aged runners tend to be injury prone. I am in pretty good shape now. I have joked that the Reaper may take me, but not before I take a chunk of his bony a**. No hubris, really. I know where to place my hope and trust. But I am also resolved that if the coming decades bring crisis and decline, this will be my time to shine. This is the opportunity to transcend what I merely am.
Every morning: a modest serving of whole grain cereal, often with ground flax components or raw oats and maybe some dried fruit. It is the breakfast of existential champions!
P.S.-- I was regularly using an workout machine before I got the diabetes diagnosis. I have found that real-world exertion beats simulated exertion, hands down.
One more fish oil tip to avoid the burp ~ take it at bedtime.
What Elizabeth said, people.
Stop this hangup with cholesterol. The clinical evidence linking cholesterol levels with morbidity is very weak. If anything, it is about the ratio between LDL, to wit: Having very low cholesterol levels is worse than very high levels, so long as the latter included HDL significantly higher than the LDL.
Even so, the things you should be looking at are your triglycerides and Coenzyme Q10.
The reason why leaning on this particular pedantic point here-- at the risk of sounding like an intrusive crank-- is WHY we have been acclimated to being concerned about cholesterol (and by specious extension, saturated animal fat).
It is because of agribusiness, and corn and grain subsidies. It is also because of the massive amounts of money statin drugs make for pharmaceutical companies. As an aside, I will mention that agribusiness knows we're on to them, now. Soy is the new corn.
Rod, What a snotty remark, as if eating from a $2.50 bag of ground flax seed meal were some sort of luxury.
Well...God Bless you! To do my Christian duty and respond with reason:
I never said anything like what you claim. In fact, $2.50/lb - even $250/lb - would be a bargain for a cure. I merely doubt the cure. I guess on this blog I'm a Denier, not a Skeptic.
As for the exercise machine, I have to use it because it's the only reliable way I can get regular aerobic exercise, especially given that my knees are damaged and I can't go running.
My humble and crunchy suggestion: ride a bike to work. If you can't, buy a $80 bicycle trainer and use it at the house instead. Savings: 10X. It's easy on the knees. If you can't do that, walk uphill fast.
My doctor recommended it a couple of years ago, saying that diet is not enough, exercise is important too. Because the doctor prescribed it, I got a tax break
I knew I always avoided doctors for a reason!
For many people, being overweight is associated with being uncomfortable in their own skin. To assist with weight control, every time the urge to snack is felt, first drink a large glass of clear water. This simple act will help you to eat less. Water will soon become one of your best friends. The major reason so many people in America are overweight is because we eat too much for comfort! It does not hurt to treat ourselves with something special once in a while, what is necessary is that we limit our portions and do not overeat! It is also necessary to keep our body properly hydrated, so drink a full glass of water with each meal or snack. Being overweight ******, but after reading a book, I lost 85 pounds! Words can not express how good I feel! This is a comment which I recently received about the book Lose Weight Using Four Easy Steps
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