Just ran out to the mailbox to grab the mail…and when I got back, my phone was blinking. It was a message from my doctor’s office. If you’ll recall…when I spoke to her by phone last week, I asked if she thought it was wise for me to come in for a blood draw so she could evaluate my current levels, just in case we could drop any more of the prescription medicines…since some are known to inhibit weight loss (we had already cut my blood pressure meds in half…and I had completely dropped an antidepressant that I’d begun taking in November, with no ill results). She thought the blood draw was a great idea…so I went in the next morning, they confirmed the weight loss to that point (about 36 lbs on that particular day)…checked my pulse and blood pressure…and took some blood.
So today’s call was regarding my test results…and I quote:
“…your cholesterol profile is VERY GOOD. She says go ahead and stop the Zocor…and we’ll check your cholesterol levels again in 6 to 8 weeks….”
And why is this significant? Because since January 3rd of this year…I have switched the process by which I select my foods to focus FIRST on fat intake, SECOND on protein intake…and then, to eat for taste and cover my nutritional needs in terms of vitamins, etc. Thus…whereas quantities may or may not have varied (I clearly AM eating less of EVERYTHING than I was two months ago…), the percentage of fat and protein in my diet is signficantly higher than it was at the first of the year.
So, you might say: “Some fat is fine…unless you’re trying to lose weight. Protein is good…although the USDA guidelines say to treat meat like a garnishment rather than a main course. But…what about the vegetables?? There OUGHT to be vegetables. SEND IN THE VEGETABLES!!”
And to that, I say: “That’s fine, if that’s how you prefer to eat. But for me, I need BOTH to eat in a healthy way AND to lose weight…a LOT of weight. And what I am doing now has helped me shed 39 lbs over the last seven weeks. Without hunger. WITHOUT FEELING DEPRIVED. NOT EVEN FOR AN HOUR.”
“But…all that FAT…all that MEAT! Your cholesterol will be SKY HIGH!!”
Well, based on what I had been reading, I did not expect that to be the case. In fact, when I set out my copious quantities of prescription meds and supplements for this week…I was down to 3 pills left of the statin. Under normal circumstances, I would have re-ordered the prescription then, so that when I ran out this Friday I’d have some at the ready. But…as I predicted last week in a blog post, I did expect expect my cholesterol to be higher…and maybe it would even DROP some. So, I just decided I’d wait and see what happened.
The doctor’s office says my cholesterol profile is VERY GOOD…and that I can stop taking the statin I’ve been taking for the last year to manage my cholesterol!
I’m not a doctor. I’m not a nutritionist. In addition to a few other things for which I am paid and somewhat known…I’m a fat guy who’s trying to shed a couple hundred pounds of body fat accumulated over the past 25 years. So…no…*I* wouldn’t take my word for it, either. But now I have some hard data.
And I hope you might find this news as enlightening…and encouraging…as I did. 😉