After my initial diagnosis with absurdly high cholesterol, I have made some significant changes. The first being that I need to add (and have added) more fruits and vegetables into my diet. Already, I have lost three pounds without even trying. That's a great start, but it's not the end.
In addition to adding more to my diet, I have also decided to cut out red meat entirely. That's actually not a huge sacrifice for me because I don't eat it a lot anyway, and usually it makes me feel like crap, sooooo...problem solved. Much more difficult for me to give up is chicken and fish. I loooooove fish in particular. Being the daughter of a fisherman and all, that would be the biggest hindrance to me going entirely vegan.
I also love dairy, but I recognize the dangers/consequences of eating too much of it. Cheese, which I adore, is high in fat -- and not the good kind of fat. Cow's milk is often full of crap like rBST and whatnot. Ice cream (the love of my life) is high in cholesterol. In all honesty, I don't think I could give up on dairy entirely -- I really, really don't -- so I have resolved to merely cut down on it when possible. I think that's reasonable. I bought coconut milk and almond milk today for the first time -- I've never even tried it. The verdict: LOOOOOOVE!!!! I'm pretty sure I love coconut more than life itself, so that was an easy alternative for me. It is high in saturated fat, but, being coconut, it's a "good" type of fat. The almond milk was surprisingly rich and creamy, very thick, but it was good. Very nutty, of course. I liked it less, but I still liked it. Double-win!
Other things I have added to my new lifestyle: a daily multivitamin and a 3x daily dose of "Hair, Skin, & Nails" vitamin. The latter I have chosen for several reasons: 1) each of the body parts mentioned in the name are brittle, dry, and damaged on me; 2) the vitamin contains 25 mg (or 125% DV) of niacin, a natural cholesterol-lowering element; and 3) it contains 3 mg (or 1,000% DV) of biotin, an element that has weight-regulating properties in addition to its aesthetic qualities (of making hair glossy, clearing up skin problems, and strengthening nails). Overall, I see this combo as yet another win!
To be frank, I thought I would have a much more difficult time with this transition that I have had. The hardest part has been not eating bread. At some point, I think I'll add bread back in, but I have found that most grainy foods give me severe heartburn. I mean, get-me-some-milk-now, put out the flames type of heartburn. So I'll forgo it for now, until I figure out what the issue is. For the time being, I'm loving my array of broccoli and fruit that I have piled up in the refrigerator.
To boot: I feel my depression lessening. I have felt a lot less anxiety and worries over the past few weeks (could also be that I'm on vacation from work...), but I am encouraged by the changes that I see. Here's to a healthier, happier 2013!!
Weight: 183
Cholesterol: (In transition...going down)
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