The inflammatory marker Quirt mentions is something specific to inflammation of cardiovascular vessels and thus heart disease. I'm familiar with C-reactive protein and ESR, and it's not that. His was at a concerning level. Mine was borderline, but my A1C was also marginally concerning so I'm focused on trying to get it down so my doctor will shut up about it so that it doesn't edge up into the danger zone.

The upshot is that we are both seriously cutting back on carbohydrates. I opted to go the keto route, which has been excruciating for a Coca-Cola-lover such as myself, but has resulted in an 8-pound weight loss and, interestingly, a reduction in clothing size that seems outsized for eight pounds. Whatever. I'll take it.

Thus, I'm with you on no-sugar November, Jodi, except I won't start until November 4.

I'm at a convention right now and it has been difficult to impossible to stay keto. Right now, I'm eating a scone and drinking a grande latte with one measly sugar, because the hotel Starbucks doesn't have the egg bites that would keep me keto. And I've cheated here and there in similar ways since I left home. I'm taking the not-healthy route of trying to compensate for going off the diet by keeping myself to two small meals a day and far-underdrinking my peers at the hotel bar.

I'm in. I got tricked into this about 15 years ago by a naturopath in Missoula. I was nauseated every time I ate, or even when I didn't eat. I was bloated. And I had severe reactions to anything scented. She diagnosed me as having a yeast overgrowth in my gut and a toxified liver.

The trick was that she said all I had to do was be extremely strict about added sugar intake for just 7 days. So for 7 days i read every label and was scrupulous about avoiding sugar and eating only whole foods for a week. On the eighth day, I tried eating a muffin. It tasted like poison.

My taste buds changed. I still crave sweet things but many things without added sugar are naturally sweet tasting and now satisfy me. Every rare once in a while i go off the rails and have a sweet dessert. And i have not given up chocolate. 77% cacao or higher only. The more bitter the better.

I'd like to lose ten pounds. I tried doing keto but now my BUN number is too high and I get gout so I've had to back off high protein. I am still low carb. I try to avoid yeasted breads. I love pizza with a cauliflower crust! I've started eating steamed greens with my eggs for breakfast.

The only real weight loss I've ever achieved as an adult was when I started eating butter and whole fat dairy. It improved my metabolism. Also weeklong wilderness treks living on freeze dried food works.

quote:

Originally posted by Mary Anna:
The inflammatory marker Quirt mentions is something specific to inflammation of cardiovascular vessels and thus heart disease. I'm familiar with C-reactive protein and ESR, and it's not that. His was at a concerning level. Mine was borderline, but my A1C was also marginally concerning so I'm focused on trying to get it down.

Might the unremembered tests have been homocystine and/or CRP "high sensitivity"?
I was tested for the latter a few times at considerable expense (my insurance company wouldn't cover it because they said there was no known treatment for it, so why bother testing it - paraphrase).

An early Creactive protein test was elevated but the CRP high sensitivitiy and homocystine (what I have on record at my current practice anyhow) were normal, but then again the last one was ten years ago. Perhaps it's time for a retest.

However, if Quirt's special markers were something different I'd much appreciate it if you or he could come up with a name. It's seemed to me many of the cardiac issues and dietary situations he has described over the years much ressembled mine (also hereditary). Thus it would be great if I could be tested for these esoteric markers before I see my cardiologist again. His last words were that my last lipid profile was so bad, if I didn't improve it he'd be forced to finally prescribe me a (long-avoided) statin.

For that matter, also wondering which statin (if any) is considered "best". (Or does it depend on the patient?)

(Going now to google AiC which Mary Anna mentioned, as I never heard of it.)

Aha. Something that estimates ones blood sugar over a period of months! Hmm.

Have you tried phytosterols to help with high cholesterol? Mr wtg has had good success with just using a product called CholestOff Plus. He takes one with each meal; their recommended dose is two with each meal but he doesn't need that many.

His doctor had insisted that he go on statins , and after three tries Mr wtg finally gave up. Too many side effects. He tried CholestOff Plus and got good results. His total cholesterol came down from the mid-200s to 175, with a good improvement in his HDL/LDL ratio, too, just on CholestOff Plus.

Some people find that it may upset their stomachs a little; hasn't been a problem for him. We buy ours at Costco but it's available elsewhere.

Worked well for my mom, too. Her cholesterol was through the roof (likely hereditary) and she used a combination of a low dose of a statin (she had side effects if the dose went up) and a phytosterol product to get it reduced. She liked the Benecol chews; the CholestOff didn't sit well with her tummy but she was fine with the Benecol chews. One with each meal.

https://www.benecolusa.com/softchews

From the Cleveland Clinic:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org...ols-sterols--stanols

For the record, it’s no added sugar. So I’m still eating some fruit. Today I had a clementine with breakfast, a half a banana with lunch and a half an apple after dinner. I was absolutely craving a crunchy snack before dinner (which would normally be crackers and cheese) so I chopped up some carrots and threw in my tomato pickles and added a little salsa verde, and was surprised that the physical act of crunching those veggies made the craving go away. The hardest thing yesterday was Not eating anything after dinner, but I’m hoping that will get easier. Snacking is my absolute downfall.

Thanks so much for your advice about the phytosterols, wtg! I'd never heard of them and it's certainly worth a try especially as most of the potential side-effects can apparently be felt and noticed symptomatically. - and soon after trying them. (Exception, some of the liver effects but then again statins affect the liver too.)

I only knew about niacin and I only hope the niacin supplement I've been taking lately ("no-flush") is really an effective dose.

You've only reinforced my horror of taking statins, although I didn't know the bad side effects could be noticed so soon after beginning them. I thought they were long-term effects - specifically, rhabdomyolysis (both brothers suffer from it - after taking statins for around two decades) and cognitive effects (still more dreaded).

That your family members could tell statins were having bad effects that soon surprises me. May I ask what effects could they have felt that rapidly? Muscle pains?

BIG help, and I thank you. I sure would love to avoid statins, for what they do and because I would SO much rather avoid taking yet another prescription pill!!

Only one reservation.

I've read that Cholestoff is made of a pine tree extract. I can't know if it's the same thing, but a decade or so ago, I had a violent allergic reaction to a pine tree product purchased at GNC - don't even remember what I was taking it for, but I REALLY had a bad response. NOT that it was necessarily the same pine tree product.

Perhaps the best approach would be to start with a minuscule dose prepared with plenty of benadryl on hand!

Mr wtg had three side effects.

First, he started to get sore muscles within three weeks of starting a statin.

Second, he had memory problems within a week or two of starting to take a statin. In his job he had been able to remember 9 to 11 digit part numbers without a problem until he started taking the statin. Suddenly he found he could only remember the first four or five digits and had to start writing them down. I've heard it referred to as "statin fog". And I just looked it up, and apparently there are now warnings on statins about confusion and/or memory loss as possible side effects. edit: There were no warnings back when Mr wtg tried statins. In fact, he got the "it's your imagination" from the doctor. But memory problems that came on suddenly and went away just as quickly when he started/stopped the drug was compelling enough evidence for him. Especially when he repeated the cycle with different statins.

Third, he got really cranky, which is not like him AT ALL.

Every time he started the statins, all three symptoms would show up in less than a month. When he'd stop the drug, the symptoms would resolve within a week or two. Lather, rinse, repeat three times on a couple of different statins and he finally gave up.

Mom complained of muscle aches when her dose went above 10 mg of Lipitor. Her "normal" total cholesterol approached 400. She ate a very healthy diet, so I'm guessing there was some genetic component.

With Lipitor it came down to 240 or so. With the Benecol chews we were able to get it down to about 200. Her doctor and I called that a win for someone in her 90s.

I didn't know that CholestOff is derived from pine trees. You could always check out some of the other products to see if they are pine tree free if that's an allergy concern.

quote:

Originally posted by jodi:
Snacking is my absolute downfall.

Mine, too.

I bought a bunch of dark chocolate/coconut/pumpkin seed/sunflower seed/chia seed candy things at Costco and finally had to put the open bag down in the basement on our food pantry shelf. When it was upstairs in the kitchen I was reaching for it multiple times a day. When it's in the basement I'm less likely to grab a few bites. And if I do, at least I have to go down and back up a full flight of stairs and I burn a few calories....

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
Have you tried phytosterols to help with high cholesterol? Mr wtg has had good success with just using a product called CholestOff Plus. He takes one with each meal; their recommended dose is two with each meal but he doesn't need that many.

His doctor had insisted that he go on statins , and after three tries Mr wtg finally gave up. Too many side effects. He tried CholestOff Plus and got good results. His total cholesterol came down from the mid-200s to 175, with a good improvement in his HDL/LDL ratio, too, just on CholestOff Plus.

Some people find that it may upset their stomachs a little; hasn't been a problem for him. We buy ours at Costco but it's available elsewhere.

Worked well for my mom, too. Her cholesterol was through the roof (likely hereditary) and she used a combination of a low dose of a statin (she had side effects if the dose went up) and a phytosterol product to get it reduced. She liked the Benecol chews; the CholestOff didn't sit well with her tummy but she was fine with the Benecol chews. One with each meal.

https://www.benecolusa.com/softchews

From the Cleveland Clinic:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org...ols-sterols--stanols

I don't tolerate statins well. However, you can reduce the side effects by taking a CoQ supplement with the statins. And I've been using a low dose of one of the latest and most expensive statins (Livalo). The side effects on Livalo are less.

I'm also on a PCSK9 inhibitor.

I've been reading this thread with interest. I'm not sure I can join the "no added sugar" group, but I'm willing to give it a try.

I'm also thinking of no processed foods, but I know that realistically I can't do that. So I'm thinking about "no junk food," and trying to ensure that the carbs I eat are whole grain.

So I'm half in?

Edit - Jodi, I know what you mean about needing crunch. For me, it's those little baby carrots. I can munch away on those and they seem to help with the need to just snack mindlessly. Now it's more like "mindful snacking." LOL

Those "little baby carrots" - I don't know.
I've really enjoyed the REAL ones, sweet and organic.

Seems that increasingly, though, they're really just carved down from giant overgrown carrots to look like baby ones.

Those I find - ugh! crunchy or not.

Yep, those baby carrots are just carved down from full-sized ones, for sure.

My favorite ones are the organic multi colored ones.