I've only been on this list a few weeks, but I can already tell there are a lot of knowledgeable people participating. So, I'm soliciting help to understand a jump in my cholesterol levels. Background: I started eating low-carb about 2/11/03, and went mostly to paleo within two weeks are so. I'm not "pure": diet soft drinks, 2 cups decaf and 2 cups regular coffee most days (with Splenda), bought salad dressing that contains soy, but that's about it. I also buy regular meat and eggs and bacon from the store, not "grass fed" or "non-antibiotic", etc. But no flour, sugar, grains, starchy vegetables, etc., and I've eaten less fruit than before, probably no more than 2-3 pieces per week on average. Since beginning in February, I've lost a little over 30 pounds (from a starting point of 237 and a height of just over 6'1". I'm exercising several times a week, doing as much as 5 miles in 45 minutes on a treadmill. I'm 48 years old. Over that stretch, my daily averages have been: 1978 calories69 total grams of carbs (don't have a figure on fiber)96 g protien141 g fat39 g saturated fat888 mg cholesterol For other reasons, I had a checkup in January, and a follow up last week, and, on learning of my weight loss and approach, my internist suggested (I was going to ask anyway), to do a cholesterol check. The results showed a significant increase, from the 220 - 230 range to 305. Other data were: Triglycerides 178 mg/dLHDL 73 mg/dLVLDL 35 mg/dLLDL 196 mg/dLLDL/HDL Ratio 2.6 Based on what I'd read, I expected my cholesterol level to go down. My internist's note with the results said, "Weird. Cannot explain the jump up. Would not change what you're doing." BTW, he did not have the data on my diet I put in above, just my general description of it. He immediately recognized what I was talking about, saying "the cave man diet", and did not seem hostile to the idea at all. I have felt good. I have not been hungry, even in the early stages when I often had trouble even getting to 1600 calories a day. I can go longer between meals if need be without feeling famished, and I do not have the cravings I had before. Can anyone help me put this in perspective? Dave
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