Constantly Trying New Things

 Where in the heck has the first half of 2021 disappeared to! I just re-read my last post from January and had to laugh. Turns out it WAS the steroids messing with my triglycerides. Had a lipid panel done in March and my total cholesterol was down to 102 from 170 in June 2020 (before my “adventure “ started) with triglycerides down to 132 from 245 while in the steroids! My total cholesterol level last June was wasn’t nearly high enough to get me diagnosed with high cholesterol (under 200 is “desirable” and you’re considered “borderline” up to 239), but apparently for me, 170 is too high. Lesson learned — don’t put too much stock in comparing your numbers to the charts of normal ranges.

Clearly avoiding oil is is working. I’ve done a few things that are really helping me stay on track. I read constantly and will add a list of recommended books and cookbooks to the blog soon. I signed up for the Forks Meal Planner mostly because I love the help with the grocery list. But so many of the recipes have nuts and tofu that I’m using it a lot less than I did at first. But the Chunky Monkey recipe and a few others are so great that I have absolutely no regrets. 

Currently I’m participating in Chef AJ’s Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge. I’d been losing weight following Dr. Esselstyn’s Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease guidelines a tiny bit loosely, but had plateaued about 10 lbs. from where I want to be. AJ has convinced me to cut out salt and processed sugar and eating between meals. I’m also mostly eliminating flour in all its many forms while trying to lose weight. Not sure how much I’ll be able to add back once I reach my goal, but some, I hope. 

One of the things I love about the Whole Foods/plant-based approach is that the practitioners agree on so much. I don’t believe that Chef AJ is affiliated with Dr. Esselstyn, but she refers to him, respects him, and nothing she is recommending conflicts with what he has proven works. In fact, she’s basically just helping me stick more closely to his recommendations along with adding a bunch of pro tricks such as eating salad for breakfast. I feel confident that what I’m doing is based on science and is making me the healthiest I’ve been in my adult life. 

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