For three years or so now, I’ve had border-line high cholesterol. For the last couple, my doctor has suggested I might want to consider cholesterol-lowering medication. “No,” I answered, “I want to try lowering it by diet, first.” But I couldn’t get the numbers down. My thought was that I could do it by sticking to a vegetarian diet. But that wasn’t working. I got the numbers down a little, but not enough.
Fast forward to my new Eat to Live way of eating. I told my doctor I was following this plan and asked him to check my cholesterol numbers while checking some other things. He said I wouldn’t see results this soon. Well, both of us were surprised. My total cholesterol went from 215 to 172! Finally, I did it. I just had to use food as medicine. The right food.
172 is still the highest range of normal, but it reinforces that I’m on the right track. And I’m glad to have that to hold onto, because sometimes I just can’t figure out what I feel like eating. The rest of my family is eating bakery French, Italian, Sourdough breads. Oh man. They’re eating meat, which doesn’t do anything for me, but the smell is sometimes very enticing. They are eating cheese. I miss a nice grilled cheese and tomato sandwich on bakery bread.
So, I will be diligent. I will figure out what foods are pleasurable on this diet that satisfy me like a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich used to. I love a nice baked sweet potato. It comes close. I sometimes have to go off the diet when I’m out and there are no other options and I don’t feel as good afterward. It’s hard eating different than most of the rest of the world.
I CAN do this. And my numbers are down! Not only my cholesterol, but my weight. I’ve lost 12 pounds, and I like my slimmer figure. All positive reinforcement. I WILL Eat to Live!