I see the table is difficult to decipher. So here are the numbers of note in
paragraph form. Total cholesterol went from 389 to 250, HDL went from 79 to
58, LDL went from 281 to 181, triglycerides went from 142 to 90. Chol/HDL
ratio is 4.3, LDL/HDL ratio is 3.1, TG/HDL ratio is 1.55.

I should also mention that the only other thing worth noting about my
bloodwork is that my phosphorous reading was high: 4.6. Does anybody know
anything about this?

Mike

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Knickerbocker" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 12:35 AM
Subject: cholesterol numbers


> Pardon the accidental e-mail with no message! Speculation is still
> welcomed
> and encouraged. Way back in October of 2003 I had my cholesterol checked
> and
> the numbers were a little concerning, especially because I had just spent
> the previous two months trying really hard to be "good," in a paleo kind
> of
> way.
>
> Well, after a whole lot of procrastination, I finally had my bloodwork
> done
> again. As you can see from the numbers below, they changed quite a bit.
>
>                             6/98     3/00     2/01     8/03     10/03
> 4/05
>
> Cholesterol               266      244      281      358      389      250
>
> HDL                            74        76        73        78        79
> 58
>
> LDL                             169      150      196      259      281
> 181
>
> Triglycerides                 113      88        61        105      142
> 90
>
> hs-CRP
> <0.50   4.24
>
> Homocysteine
> 6.01     11.1
>
>
>
> Chol/HDL ratio            3.59     3.21     3.85     4.59     4.9
> 4.31
>
> LDL/HDL ratio            2.64     1.98     2.68     3.32     3.56     3.12
>
> TG/HDL ratio             1.53     1.16     0.84     1.35     1.8
> 1.55
>
>
>
> Like many of you, I've read The Cholesterol Myths, so I'm not in any rush
> to
> see my doctor and get a prescription for Lipitor! Still, I'd like to see
> my
> HDL come back up, my LDL go down a little more, and my triglycerides come
> down a little more as well. The homocysteine measurement is questionable
> because LabOne screwed up the lab work -- both times!
>
>
>
> Anyway, not being a scientist, I manipulated more than one variable
> between
> my October 2003 measurements and April 2005. And I didn't keep records of
> the things I changed. This is where the speculation comes in. So here are
> all the things I can think of that I do differently now from what I was
> doing then:
>
> I exercise more. I used to exercise with great intensity at every workout,
> whether it was weightlifting, playing basketball, sprinting, whatever. So
> my
> workouts always made me really sore, and often so fatigued that I would
> feel
> rundown for a day or two. Now in between my more intense and vigorous
> workouts, I do less taxing exercise. Often my wife and I will take brisk
> 15
> to 30 minute walks, usually wearing our weighted vests (mine weighs 40
> pounds). I rarely go more than a couple days now without some sort of
> exercise. I think it's important for me to note here that I have not lost
> or
> gained any weight, nor am I in much better or worse shape. I ran a
> quarter-mile a few days ago with no intention of setting a personal best
> and
> managed to run it in only two seconds off my best time (oddly enough, set
> back in October of 2003).
>
> I ate more nuts in the month or so proceeding my most recent bloodwork. I
> made up my own mix of almonds, walnuts, macadamia's, Brazil nuts, and
> pumpkin seeds. Some are roasted, some are raw, and some are salted.
>
> I cut down a little bit on my coffee consumption in the month preceding my
> April testing.
>
> Those are the only things I can think of that I have changed. One thing I
> definitely did not change was my daily breakfast. Just about every
> morning,
> I have three eggs and six pieces of bacon. According to the packages, this
> adds up to 33 g of protein, 34.5 g of fat, for a total of 444 cal. I'm not
> sure how long I've been eating my bacon and egg breakfast, but it may have
> started after 2001, when my members started going up. Can't remember....
>
> Anyway, I'd like to get a follow-up test in a month or so and alter just
> one
> variable leading up to it. Things I'm considering: increasing the amount
> of
> Mono unsaturated fat I consume by adding more macadamia 's to my nut mix
> and
> more olive oil to various meals. Or perhaps I'll try cutting out coffee.
>
> Let the speculation begin!
>
> Mike
>