Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

I have been on the plan since Jan 1 -- was diagnosed with some heart problems and my lipid readings were:
Tot Chol: 256
HDL Chol: 33
Triglycerides: 542
Weight: 230

Just got back results three months of being on the plan:
Tot Chol: 146
HDL Chol: 23
Triglycerides: 225
LDL Chol: 78
Weight: 186.5

Not happy about lower HDL and the triglycerides are still way too high, but way better than it was. I am following the diet and not eating a lot of fruit (maybe two day) (no alcohol) hardly no simple sugars (maybe a little honey on occasion that is in a whole wheat muffin). It has been three months so maybe it will just take more time. I was wondering if the weight loss of over 40 lb in three months could be keeping my triglycerides from going down below 150. My blood pressure is down to 115/68 pulse 58. I feel good, exercise daily. In early January my heart calcium score was 229 with it all being in my Left Anterior Descending Artery (the widow maker they tell me). I have refused all medication at this time hoping that lifestyle changes would be enough. Hope the triglycerides go down soon or may be forced to take some meds.

Congrats! Great work! The numbers are looking really nice for only 3 months. As you lose more weight the numbers will continue to improve. I started in almost the same place as you and I saw improvements over the course of a year with most improvements coming around the 9 month point. But thats really dependent on how much you lose and how quickly and how compliant you are to the program. Take a look at my testimonial in my signature and you can see how my numbers changed over the course of a year as a comparison.

Your total and LDL levels look good, your trigs will continue to come down as use lose more weight. your BP is looking good too. On this program its quite normal to see your HDL's drop below whats considered "normal", but over time you will see that go back up a bit to generally sit at the low end of the normal scale (at least thats been my experience). But bottom line is there generally is no worries on the HDL side.

One suggestion...it might be good if you tracked your BMI as well. Healthy range is 18.5-24.9, but optimal range is 18.5-22.9. Just beware of comments about being too skinny

Whats geat is that your total cholesteral dropped 43% and Trigs dropped 58% in only 3 months and by doing nothing more than changing the food you eat. It still amazes me that the solution to these problems is just so simple, eat real food and get a little exercise. And btw, those numbers are equal or better than what you would get if you went on statins (and theres no nasty side effects or $$$ to deal with).

So definitely continue on plan and I think you will get to where you want to be this year, at least with your blood markers. Remember this is a lifestyle change for life and not just a temporary diet.

Again congrats and I look forward to hearing your next results!

Thank you geo that was very encouraging my bmi has gone from 33.4 to 27.1 - down to 34 inch waste but know I still have a ways to go. People are already saying I am skinny believe it or not - but I know there is more to lose. But thanks for the encouragement -

Wow! Your numbers look great. Congratulations.

One thing you may want to do is take a low dose statin to reduce your LDL even further. A number < 70 for LDL is likely to be better in reversing heart disease:

Findings from clinical trials support the idea that reducing LDL well below 100 mg/dL can have positive payoffs. Trials with acronyms such as PROVE-IT, REVERSAL, ASTEROID, and JUPITER have shown that using powerful statins such as atorvastatin (Lipitor) or rosuvastatin (Crestor) to lower LDL to 70 mg/dL or below halted or even reversed the steady spread of atherosclerotic plaque and also reduced the rate of heart attack and stroke.

I have been on this path for close to 2 years. Not sure if you had/have angina. I had angina and it improved over time. It is still improving but has not gone away completely. Many people report that 2 years is what it takes to be well on way to reversing heart disease.

You probably should be taking a low dose aspirin also. Note that most if not all of Dr Esselstyn's patients were on statins and aspirin.

Rest assured you will progressively feel better as time goes on. With the results you have seen, I don't think you need any convincing. But what you are already doing is the best known method to cure or treat heart disease.

Congrats rogerdavie . You have made considerable progress in just 3 months. I am sure things will improve even more the longer you eat the diet. Are you at your goal weight or would you like to reduce even further?

Met with my cardiologist this afternoon after I wrote the post. He was blown away. He said he has never seen such changes. He does not think I need to take any meds as long as I keep doing what I am doing. He thinks the triglycerides will go down over time. He told me he needed to start my diet. Very encouraging. He wanted me to consider taking fish oil pills to lower the triglycerides but left it up to me. He is amazed. To earlier questions: I don't know my ideal weight. I just promised myself that I would not let myself get hungry and would eat mindfully - not eat just to eat. My bmi should be at 174 to get out of "over weight" . Just happy I am not obese any more. Don't know where my weight will end up but I guess that will be my ideal weight. I exercise a fair amount and have a lot during my life, but have been pushing it a bit more lately just because I have the time. Don't think I'll take fish oil or niacin at this point - think I'll give myself more time to heal - I didn't get into this situation in three months so I don't expect to get out in three months. Thanks for the advice and encouragement. My cardiologists enthusiasm was overwhelming - think he may change the way he eats.

Congrats to you, RogerDavie, it's very exciting to see these results and to have your cardiologist so blown away and open to something different that he is considering this lifestyle You can be sure he will share this information with his piers, this is how the momentum gets going in the right direction!

Hi rogerdavie,
You might consider taking a vegan DHA/EPA supplement from algae which is where the fish get the omega-3s that are good for bringing down triglycerides. Three leading vegan dieticians, Brenda Davis, Jack Norris and Virginia Messina all recommend the vegan DHA/EPA.

Congratulations on the wonderful progress you've made!

Thanks birdie - will order some today

Congratulations, stay with the program. You are a inspiration. Get healthy and stay there.

Thought I would post an update. I have now lost about 53 pounds and I cut out all sugar (including vegan muffins and sugar) and stopped eating fruit for 4 weeks. It worked. My cholesterol is down to 122 my HDL is up to 29 (up from 25 a couple of months ago) my LDL is down to 73 and my triglycerides are down to 98. The triglycerides dropping so much really amazed me but it was difficult giving up anything sweet and especially giving up fruit. But it worked - thinking about adding back one or two pieces of fruit and see what happens. Hopefully they won't go up, but I will probably wait 2 or 3 months before I add the fruit. I have heard that if you can keep you triglycerides down for a few months you can sometimes add back a fruit or two without significantly raise triglycerides. I have done this all through diet. Absolutely no medication or supplements. No Niacin no nothing. Its been quite a journey but I am out 7 months and my weight is not going down much. I guess I'll see where I am at in one year, but I am finally at the BMI normal.

In reference to your calcium score, do you plan to have that rechecked? That is serious stuff to be messing with....just sayin'!

That is AWESOME news!!! You should be very proud of yourself! Wow, what a commitment to yourself and your current and future happiness.

Great news about your triglycerides. What a difference from over 500 to below 100. That's shocking without any medication, just all through diet change. You really are committed.

I also must say I think it's quite funny that your cardiologist is now getting health tips from you.

Where did you read about fruit affecting tryglrides? I would like to read more about this link.

Roger, great stuff! You rock!

elise, I think you should read this Mcdougall article:

Taming elevated triglycerides[...]