Wife's weight loss, cholesterol plateau

K

ksteensma

New Member
Has anyone experienced this problem, or can offer some insight into this problem.
42 yr old female
5'-6", starting weight 190 lbs
Began Atkins Dec. 15, 2003, along with Jane Fonda excercise, and daily 3 mile, 5mph walking.
lost 23 pounds in the first 40 days, and has since plateau'ed.

before after
cholesterol 212 202
HDL 38 36
LDL 126 147
Triglycerides 291 114
VLDL 49 19

Daily caloric intake 1100 to 1300 per day
consisting of Atkins meal drink, tuna fish, meat and vegetables, cheese.
Obviously LDL have risen, HDL down, cholesterol unchanged, and she is on pravachol 10mg. and Altace for bp. as needed.
Bp just won't go down, though she is under alot of stress.
Weight won't move anymore either.
Can anyone help? She wants to continue the weight loss, but the blood results are not good.
Thank you for any help.
sad.gif
 
Getting a pet can reduce stress. Also, more and longer lasting sex can help. Anything that involves touch can increase oxytocin levels which help to normalize stress levels. Practice just touching and caressing eachother's skin for an hour a day. Try longlasting, gentle, lingering lip kisses. Green tea extract has been shown to reduce cholesterol too.
 
i'm only 19 so i can't offer exactly correct insight on a 42 year old woman, but as far as cholesterol is concerned, it may be the high sat. fat associated with atkins diet. In place of carbs, you have more protein/fats, and more specfically high protein sources that are atkins "approved" if you will are often animal, which has high sat. fat/cholesterol (cheese, red meat, etc.) This is nothing new, i'm not claiming its some theory i thought up, there was actually a big story on the news about it. I'm not a low carb guy, and so thats my opinion, eat more fruits/veggies/whole grains which most have fiber in them, no smoking (dont know if she does/doesnt), less alcohol (again, dont know). Also it seems that she may have lost it a little fast (approx 4 lbs a week) so maybe her body readjusted to the calorie restriction? Does she carbup/refeed anytime? Also a big one in my mind is does she incorporate weights into her w/o's? Tell her shes doing a good job on walking consisently, if i had the motivation to walk 3 miles a day every day i'd be much better off than where i am! Good luck, hope this helps.
Keith
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (ksteensma @ Mar. 16 2004,7:49)]Has anyone experienced this problem, or can offer some insight into this problem.
42 yr old female
5'-6", starting weight 190 lbs
Began Atkins Dec. 15, 2003, along with Jane Fonda excercise, and daily 3 mile, 5mph walking.
lost 23 pounds in the first 40 days, and has since plateau'ed.
before after
cholesterol 212 202
HDL 38 36
LDL 126 147
Triglycerides 291 114
VLDL 49 19
Daily caloric intake 1100 to 1300 per day
consisting of Atkins meal drink, tuna fish, meat and vegetables, cheese.
Obviously LDL have risen, HDL down, cholesterol unchanged, and she is on pravachol 10mg. and Altace for bp. as needed.
Bp just won't go down, though she is under alot of stress.
Weight won't move anymore either.
Can anyone help? She wants to continue the weight loss, but the blood results are not good.
Thank you for any help.
sad.gif
Click to expand...
As a whole the numbers have greatly improved. total/HDL ratio is improved, TG's are down (thanks to a keto diet), VLDL is down significantly (a greater risk for CAD than LDL's). May want to try some salt restriction. If that doesn't improve BP then she may just have a genetic predisposition for hypertension. A couple questions:
Is she still overweight?
Is she trying to restrict sodium? and/or increase fluid intake?
Is she getting enough Magnesium?
 
Personally I hate statins. I feel they negatively effect muscle tissue.

My question is, is she exercising? She must get at least 45 minutes of cardio 5 days per week.

Also, weight lifting is proven to temporarily reduce cholesterol levels. Regular weight lifting keeps it down.

I would also suggest getting off traditional Atkins, adding fish-oil supplements, CLA, and perhaps a garlic supplement.

If she is currently not exercising, have her use HMB for the first 3-4 weeks as she starts a workout program.
 
Thanks everyone for the responses. Debby is overwieght by most standards by 20lbs yet. She is a nonsmoker, and no alcohol.
Sodium intake is questionable due to the cheese she eats, tuna fish content, etc, we need to look closely at that.
She constantly consumes water.
Magnesium, I don't know.
Help me to understand:
Statins?
CLA?
HMB?
What is each of those?
Thanks everyone! Kevin
worship.gif
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (ksteensma @ Mar. 17 2004,10:29)]Thanks everyone for the responses. Debby is overwieght by most standards by 20lbs yet. She is a nonsmoker, and no alcohol.
Sodium intake is questionable due to the cheese she eats, tuna fish content, etc, we need to look closely at that.
She constantly consumes water.
Magnesium, I don't know.
Help me to understand:
Statins?
CLA?
HMB?
What is each of those?
Thanks everyone! Kevin
worship.gif
Click to expand...
Statins: A class of cholesterol lowering prescription drugs.
CLA: (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) A 'good' fat that is shown to have positive effects on body composition.
HMB: A dietary supplement also shown to be beneficial in improving body composition.

In the opinion of most, CLA and HMB have to be taken at above label rec's to have noticeable effects. At these doses they could get pricey.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (spartacus @ Mar. 18 2004,3:53)]more important than the absolute sodium is the sodium:potassium ratio.
Click to expand...
What kind of ratio is desired?

Debby's BP problems are high BP and what I feel is high pulse.
Previous to diet/exercise program, pulse was 89-101 bpm. Now it is in the 85-90 bpm. These are at rest measurements. An improvement no doubt.
Thanks everyone. Kevin
worship.gif
 
HDL 38 36

Dont mind about those to points of decrease. It's nothing.



LDL 126 147
VLDL 49 19
Total LDL 175 166

So you actually got a decrease in LDL.


Besides a minor deviation is common.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (ksteensma @ Mar. 18 2004,5:49)]
[b said:
Quote[/b] (spartacus @ Mar. 18 2004,3:53)]more important than the absolute sodium is the sodium:potassium ratio.
Click to expand...
What kind of ratio is desired?
Debby's BP problems are high BP and what I feel is high pulse.
Previous to diet/exercise program, pulse was 89-101 bpm. Now it is in the 85-90 bpm. These are at rest measurements. An improvement no doubt.
Thanks everyone. Kevin
worship.gif
Click to expand...
i don't know of the ideal ratio, but generally to improve bp you would like more potassium and less sodium. here is a link to a page iwth foods that are high in potassium. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=90

i think you can alos find salt that has both sodium and potassium so that might be useful too.
 
Thanks for the thread. the Atkins diet has some flaws such as encouraging high meat, cheese, dairy intakes. Cheese is huge in salt content, along with tuna fish, and the feeling that you can stop at Mcdonalds, and grab a burger or chicken, toss the bun, and loose weight. If you are a high BP person, these are all not good, but you get seduced into the mind set its all o.k.
We will continue to drop the sodium, and I would like to see more fruits and green vegetables in her diet even against Mr Atkins advice.
Debbys doctor has pointed her to the South Beach diet, and we are looking into it. I hope its not some fad but has some real merit to it. Thanks everyone. Kevin
worship.gif
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (spartacus @ Mar. 18 2004,3:53)]more important than the absolute sodium is the sodium:potassium ratio.
Click to expand...
not really worth messing with. Just increase H20 to compensate is a lot easier than worrying about proper K/Na ratio's. A lower sodium diet will have more natural foods as a whole and a subsequent increase in potassium. The food processing well.......process takes out potassium and increases sodium for preservative effect.

As Bryan said a supplement of resistance training has a multifaceted effect in regards to health indicies, I would guess with the her lipid trend that her numbers would improve even more with a little more weight loss. I see no need for any pharma. treatment option. Try to increase veges and reduce some sodium and she will be well on her way.
 
As a exercise specialist ( pro name for a gym instructor)
I set a lot of programs for people who want to lose weight
my advise is check your diet plus a good cardio program
The cardio routine is has to go for 20 to 30 min ,fast walking is ok
but interval walking eg walk 500 metrs and jog 200 metres and so on for 20 to 30 mins
which keeps the heart rate at 65 to 75 percent of max heart rate
220 - age (42)= 178 x (.65 to 75 ) = 115 to 133 bpm
going over 75 % a little bit over is ok but not for too long
going under 65 % is a no no .this will stop the fat burning cycle
try not to eat anything for an hour after the walk ,fat is still being used as an energy source,any food will stop this cycle ,just drink plain water
Mornings are usually best for this ,because you glycogene levels
are low and you body is forced to use fat as energy
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]going under 65 % is a no no .this will stop the fat burning cycle
Click to expand...



At no time, during either rest or exercise, does any single energy system provide the complete supply of energy.The extent of the contribution of energy sysstems depend on the intensity and duration of the activity.As exercise intensity increases, there is an increase in the carbohdrate metabolism, while as the intensity decraese there is a likewise dependence on fat metabolism.Fat is the primary source of energy source for low intensity exercise(< 30% VO2) max.


Anoop :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top