What to Expect from a Life of High Cholesterol

If you’ve been diagnosed with high cholesterol, what does that actually mean? Chances are you’ve heard a lot about high cholesterol. You might be feeling nervous about the lifestyle changes that invariably need to come from having high cholesterol.

What can you really expect from this kind of diagnosis?

==> Dietary Changes

One of the first things you’ll probably have to change in your life is your diet.

You’ll want to start lowering the amount of cholesterol you take in, as well as reduce the amount of chemicals you take in which can cause your liver to produce extra cholesterol.

To make a long story short, you’ll have to start eating healthier. You’ll need to cut back on fatty foods, processed foods and preserved foods, and increase your intake of greens, fruits and whole grains.

==> Medication & Treatments

You’ll likely also need to start taking one or more medications regularly.

These medications can range from very mild with no side effects to extreme kinds of medications for drastic changes to your cholesterol.

Taking medications works a lot faster than dietary changes or lifestyle changes. However, it doesn’t actually affect your overall health and other health complications can come up.

==> Regular Check-Ups

Another change in your lifestyle is regular visits to your doctor.

If you’re at a moderate to high risk level, you’ll need to see your doctor regularly for tests, for prescriptions and for check-ups.

You’ll also want to see your doctor regularly just so you can discuss your options and measure your progress.

==> Exercise and Activity Recommended

Your doctor will probably tell you that you should start exercising if you don’t already.

The American Heart Association recommends working out 30 minutes a day, four days a week. Of course, in the beginning, it might make sense to only work out twice a week for a few minutes at a time to get your body used to exercise again.

If you haven’t worked out for a while, starting to work out again can be quite a change in lifestyle. Though it’ll be tough at first, getting exercise is good for your overall health, in addition to your cholesterol.

==> Can High Cholesterol Actually Be a Good Thing?

Having high cholesterol can be treated as a kind of a wake-up call. It’s not as serious as cancer or other kinds of health conditions and is more or less curable.

The main cure is to live a healthier lifestyle, as well as to take the necessary medications.

In other words, though having high cholesterol can be very dangerous for your health, it can also be treated as a wake-up call to get healthier overall.

Lowering your cholesterol helps prevent all kinds of other health diseases. Researchers have estimated that a 1% reduction in cholesterol results in a 2% to 3% reduction in your likelihood of cardiovascular diseases.

Being diagnosed with high cholesterol definitely means some lifestyle changes. It might mean several months or even a couple years of paying a lot of attention to your health. But in time, even this will fade into the background.

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Understanding BMI And How To Calculate Yours

If you’ve ever wondered whether your weight is healthy, then you may have stumbled upon the term BMI. You may have heard about it from your doctor or colleague, and that it could be an indicator that you need to lose or gain weight. If you want to know what it is all about and how to calculate your own BMI, then read on.

What Is BMI?

BMI stands for Body Mass Index, which is a number that you calculate from your height and weight. This number takes into consideration the ratio of your weight to your height, to roughly calculate the percentage of body fat that you have. A high BMI suggests that you have a higher percentage of fat in your body. Experts have come up with a method of calculating one’s BMI together with a BMI chart that represents one’s body fat content. However, it’s far easier to use an online calculator such as this one: http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Men and women generally carry different amounts of body fat and therefore cannot refer to the same chart when calculating their BMI. Women naturally tend to have more subcutaneous fat than men do, so they may have a higher BMI than men. To obtain the best results when calculating your BMI, you should refer to a chart designed for your gender.

Calculating Your BMI

Calculating your BMI is quite a simple process. To calculate it by yourself, you first need to measure your height and weight (both in inches and pounds). You then calculate the square of your height (multiply your height with itself). Now divide your weight by your this number, and multiply that value by 703. The number you have now is your BMI. Alternatively, you can also use meters and kilograms to calculate your BMI. The method is exactly the same but you do not need to multiply the number by 703 in the end.

A BMI of below 18.5 suggests that you are underweight; whereas a value of 25 and above suggests that you are overweight. You should try to adjust your weight so your BMI is always within the normal range which is 18.5 to 24.9. If your BMI is above 30, you are then considered obese. If this is the case, then you may need to work at losing weight.

Remember, however, that the BMI measure is just a starting point. If you’re muscly, you may have a higher than average BMI but actually still be healthy. And, those with a good BMI are not always healthy. To get a better measure of body fat, you can use tools such as calipers. However, as an easy to calculate starting point, your BMI is a good place to begin.

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What to do before you start any weight loss progra...

So, you’ve found the perfect weight loss program for yourself and you’re ready to get started! Congratulations! Assuming you’ve chosen a realistic and healthy way to get control of your weight and your health the process should be successful. However, there are a few things you should always do before embarking on any new regime, especially if you already have underlying health issues.

Ask your doctor — Let your doctor know that you’re going to start a new lifestyle. Do this to inform the doctor but also to ensure that your choice is a good one for you. Everyone is different and has different nutritional requirements. This is especially true if you are using any medications such as diabetes meds or blood pressure meds. If you’ve picked a healthy way to lose weight such as adding in more fruits and veggies, eliminating processed foods and counting calories you’ll find that your doctor will be very supportive.

Set Goals — Now that you have your doctor’s approval it’s time to set some reasonable goals. Remember that when you set a goal it needs to be challenging but possible. It’s also important to write down your goals in a substantial way. Don’t just write, “I want to lose weight.” Instead, write down exactly how much weight you want to lose in total, then move backwards on the calendar to figure out how much you’ll need to lose monthly and weekly to reach your goal. Then also write down how you’ll reach that goal. By filling in your calendar with exactly what you’ll do you’re automatically creating a step by step guide to get you to your goal!

Assess Yourself — You can’t set good goals without knowing where you stand today. Much like setting your monthly financial budget you’re going to need to find out where you stand right now compared to where you want to be. It’s a good idea to write down the numbers so that you can periodically check to see that you’re being successful. You don’t need to do anything too fancy, just write down in a notebook (or use your computer) to track your current measurements and weight. Then once a month or so check your progress and write it down so that you can track what is happening. It’s a good idea to also take a picture of yourself so that you can see for yourself how it’s all working for you. Oftentimes our minds don’t catch up to the change in our body without seeing it.

Plan for Success — Don’t forget to plan each week’s meals in advance. Have plans in place for parties, socializing, and guests. The thing is, you’re doing this for life, not for a certain time until you lose weight. Instead, this is your new life so plan in “cheats” that fit into your new healthy lifestyle instead of depriving yourself. If you know your best friend is getting married in a couple of months, save up calories and plan for enjoying that day, otherwise you’ll fall off the wagon and punish yourself with more bad choices.

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What is fiber and how can it help you with weight ...

Not a day goes by when you don’t see a commercial extolling the benefits of a high fiber diet. Fiber is an indigestible component of many foods such as fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grain. Even though our bodies cannot digest fiber it is a very important addition to our diets that helps us maintain our good bacteria and proper hormone balance in our gut through regular elimination.

People who eat plenty of fiber are typically healthier weights than their counterparts. By eating enough fiber you’ll lower your chances of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer, and breast cancer. In addition, you’ll control your weight better because fiber makes you feel full longer. Think about how full you feel when you eat a large apple. It’s the fiber doing it because apples are very low in calories.

Eating fiber rich foods have less calories per serving than non fibrous highly processed alternatives. Eating them will cause you to eat less over all because you’ll be full on less calories. A good example is store bought fruit juices such as apple juice. Many people serve apple juice as a healthy alternative to soda but the sad fact is, most pasteurized fruit juices aren’t really that healthy. You’re better off eating your fruit than drinking it. Drink healthy filtered water instead of fruit juice with the exception of high pulp natural citrus juice and you’ll find that you’re full longer, and you’ll get more nutrition from the fruit.

Replacing items on your dinner plate with high fiber content sources will go far in helping you maintain a healthy weight. Keep the foods as close to their natural state as possible. For instance, instead of boiling broccoli, try eating it raw or just lightly steaming it until it’s bright green and still crunchy. This will maintain the most fiber content as well as water content which will add to how full you feel when you eat it.

Start every meal with either a raw fruit plate, veggie plate, or mixed salad. Remember to be light on dressings so that you don’t ruin the added fiber with high fat ingredients. A good idea for limiting the fatty salad dressings that often ruin the nutritional aspects of a good garden salad, is to not put the dressing directly on the salad, but just dip the tongs of your fork into the dressing in a side cup, and then stab your fork into the crunchy salad, making a nice bite. That way, each piece gets the taste of dressing. Doing this, you’ll likely not even eat an entire tablespoon of dressing. Alternatively, you can make lovely dressings by blending various fruits together such as a mango, tomatoes and some spices such as onion, basil, and garlic. You can do this in a simple blender or the magic bullet.

When you are reaching for a snack always choose raw foods such as any fruits and veggies in their whole raw form that are crunchy. You cannot over eat on these crunchy raw foods and the added fiber will satisfy you a lot better than crackers and cheese between meals, and for less calories, not to mention more vitamins and minerals too! There is no need to go hungry or suffer when replacing processed foods with high fiber natural foods for weight loss.

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Beware of Fad Diets

Marketing strategies based on complex studies and simplistic solutions are the best tools in the hands of marketers. This is because sifting reality from hype becomes extremely difficult in product solutions that are backed by complex incomprehensible researches.

Moreover, it is far easier to sell an idea based on what people want to hear. Most of the consumers do not want to hear facts that remind them of the maxim ‘no pain, no gain’. Fad diets and their easy acceptance is the unchallenged proof of this. It is no surprise, therefore, that natural weight loss remedies are less popular than fad diets that promise fast weight loss. A weight loss supplement is also easier to sell than promoting the idea of regular exercise, simply because people are reluctant to get up early and sweat it out.

A fad diet is defined as a diet that enjoys temporary popularity. It is temporary because after the initial euphoria caused due to marketing, the craze dies down. The decline in popularity is obviously because initial adopters find the diet to be ineffective. The goal of the marketer, however, is met since the promotions attract a vast majority of takers in a short time to cover costs and provide for profits. However, just because a diet is termed as a fad does not necessarily mean that it is a failure or ineffective.

The key, therefore, is to be able to distinguish a fad diet ineffective diet from an effective one. Beware of diets that:

• Promise a quick fix solution.
• Make claims that sound too good to be true.
• Make recommendations based on single or doubtful studies.
• Eliminate one or more of the five food groups.
• Claim that no exercise is required.
• Guarantees a great amount of weight loss.

Long term maintenance of weight is critical to good health. But this does not mean that you have to reduce your calorie intake, carbohydrates, proteins, fats or vitamins and minerals to less than the optimal level. High protein diets reduce calcium in the body, which can increase risk of osteoporosis. High fat content increases bad cholesterol increasing vulnerability to heart disease. Low carbohydrate diets carry the risk of metabolic changes like ketosis that can ultimately damage kidneys.

Healthy weight loss plans must include nutritional counseling, exercise, a permanent commitment to change in lifestyle from sedentary to active and avoidance of junk foods. Diets should strike a healthy balance between all groups instead of eliminating a particular group of foods. Nutritional counseling is necessary because changes have to be made considering an individual’s level of obesity and a preexisting disorder, allergy or disease. Achieving weight loss can ensure that you do not gain weight later can be achieved through a diet that is rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fat free or low fat dairy products coupled with regular exercise. The mantra is to eat every thing but in moderation and rely only on fresh foods.

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Eat Natural for Beauty

You are what you eat? Well maybe mom was right because what you put into your body plays an extremely big role in what you look like on the outside. Dryness, puffiness, and discoloration of skin can all be a sign of a poor diet. The good news is, the effects of a poor diet can be changed. You really can eat natural for beauty.

Some of the best natural ways to eat for beauty are:

.. with water – This is the most essential part of any diet, and a skin care diet is no different. Your skin is made up of cells and all cells work better when you’re properly hydrated. Water helps get rid of toxins and actually leaves your skin less puffy! This is because if there’s not enough water to go around, cells tend to hoard what they can get. By getting enough water, your cells stay clean and don’t swell up as much.

.. with a balanced diet – A healthy person has skin that reflects this. Though there’s no one single secret “miracle food” to make your skin perfect. A good diet for skin is pretty much the same as a good diet for staying healthy in general. Eat a diet rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy products, and whole grains for beautiful healthy skin and health.

.. with antioxidants – These are chemicals like vitamins C, E, and A that help counteract free radicals. Free radicals damage and age skin, so it’s important to eat plenty of antioxidants to keep them at bay. Eat a variety of rainbow colored fruits and vegetables, the more color the better. The color in your fruit and veg basically represents the amount of antioxidants it contains.

.. with avoiding – fast food, processed foods, alcohol and smoking.

A healthy body and healthy skin go hand-in-hand. Fuel yourself with nature and your body will thank you by looking it’s most beautiful. Generally, just remember that you can eat natural for beauty simply by eating a rainbow diet abundant with fresh health-giving foods in their most natural, purest state possible. Cheers to your natural beauty!

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