I've been learning....

about how to lower cholesterol. A good place for information is
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/chd1/how.htm I have learned a lot there. It gave me some numbers to use when planning my meals. I have to have specifics. I need to keep my daily intake of cholesterol to less than 200 mg, saturated fat to less than 8 grams and my intake of soluble fiber in the 10-25 gram range. Apparently with fiber the more the better.

In a nutshell it tells me to eat a lot less, exercise daily, lose weight and cut down my intake of saturated fat and cholesterol in my diet. It also tells me to add fiber, especially soluble fiber. I never even knew there was a difference between dietary fibers. It also said to add 2 grams of plant stanols or sterols to my diet. The things I read also said to cut down on sodium but I'm ignoring that right now. I need to have something to look forward to and a dill pickle seems to be it. I have to have one vice.

Over the last few days I have been doing all, okay, most of the above. I bought orange juice with the plant stanol, or is it sterols. I don't remember which and I am too lazy to go into the kitchen to check. The jug promised me that it would lower my cholesterol and I am holding the OJ company to that. I have been adding fiber to my diet. I'm thinking about starting to exercise. I have been following the Weight Watcher plan for the last few days. I think that I have lost some weight because my shoes feel looser. I will take weightloss where ever I can get it. I just hope that I start losing weight in my top half soon so I don't tip over.

I like Weight Watchers because it is much easier for me to think about points than calories. WW tells me points and I can get an idea of the number of calories I eat but I need more than that. I find that http://www.fitday.com/ is good for calculating the fiber, fat, etc that I eat.

Wednesday is my day to weigh in. I hope it goes well and that my feet aren't lying to me.

Everything is going fine and then you.......

find out that it really isn't.

I have had such a hard time getting motivated to lose weight and to get healthier. When I was in my 40s and before I had motivation, but in my 50s it is hard to find. Weight seem to go on so easily and goes off so slowly.

Vanity, outgrowing my clothes, etc haven't been motivations. Several months ago I found out that my cholesterol is 300. Now I am facing more than external things to motivate me, I am looking at my mortality. I have joked for years that I doubt if I ever have to worry about cancer. With my family history I will be dead from a heart attack a long time before I will be diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly it doesn't seem like a joke. I am taking medication for high blood pressure and now for high cholesterol. I seem to be on the road to heart problems. Actually, death doesn't seem that bad, but the possibility of surgeries, being a burden on others, etc. does.

So, now, I realize that playtime is over. I have to get busy. I have been researching and planning my attack on the fats that are trying to shorten my life.

I am starting my journey. I don't plan to give up. I will use this blog to record my successes and failures. This is where I can report on what I am doing and how it is working.