I apologize, we are seeing a registered dietician, not a nutritionist. We have now been told to remove potatoes from our diet. I have a hard time believing by merely removing our once per week potatoe side dish is going to make a difference, but we'll give it a try . . .
AMAYSME2007 3/1/08 12:25 A
I will just say I have a hard time preparing meals for my husband who can eat just about anything and remaining so restricted in what I can consume and still lose weight. When he travels on his job and I can absolutely focus on my own meals, I can lose. I sympathize with anyone who has to cook for several nutritional needs in the same family.
APPRIL 2/24/08 9:53 A
Hi
It sounds like you need to see a registered dietition instead of a nutritionist. Good luck to you.
REDFLAME 2/21/08 4:24 P
The mayo is in one of those oblong plastic containers with the flip top, and the lid is an olive green. I cannot stand that fat free mayo, it is plain nasty! I now use 1 TBL of olive oil mayo one one slice of bread and mustard on the other side. I use Alli--It blocks 25% of the fat I consume, and I am on a 1800 calorie, 30% fat diet. So mayo can really add up quickly some days.
If I were in your boots I would start tracking everyones meals for a full week. Then print out the reports and take them to the doctor. Genetics plays a huge part in this and it may be that some of you may need to go onto meds. Medication is the last route I want to take, but when it comes to sticking around longer for my kids I have had to bite the bullet.
As far as the gymnast and that being the reason she dropped her numbers, I just guess that she was a gymnast before she needed to drop the numbers and when her cholesterol was high. The activity might help, but it is certainly not the only factor.
You are doing all the right things, and you need a pat on your back!
MIMI_SDF 2/21/08 2:28 P
No medications have been prescribed yet. We are really trying to avoid that but a 12-year-old boy who is 60" tall and weighs only 90# with a cholesterol of 257 is nearly unheard of! Everyday my step-kids are with us (we have about 65/35 custody split - us 65%) they have either plain oatmeal with a teaspoon of cinnamon or a bowl of Cheerios with 1/2 cup of skim milk for breakfast. Lunches are packed by me and include 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 3 slices of turkey or 1tbsp Omega-3 peanut butter, 1 fat free cheese stick, 1/4 cup of unsalted mixed nuts (on turkey days only), a fruit, a vegetable, and a bottle of water. I only use olive oil if I have to use oil at all. I LOVE the Omega 3 products . . . butter, popcorn, yogurt, Peanut Butter . . . they are everywhere. dinner varies obviously, but high in vegetables. I haven't heard of that mayo but my hubby is a mayo freak and complains frequently about fat free and reduced so I will definently be buying the olive oil one to try. I like the idea of a sparks account for each of them. I will try that too. My hubby thinks my sd decreasing hers so significantly is due to her extreme exercise regimine (competitive gymnast) but it seems it would have to be diet related as well. So, you have been so much help with the cholesterol . . . I have 2 girls who need twice as many calories as they consume. My oldest is also a competitive gymnast, as well as a competitive cheerleader, a dancer, and on and on . . . her coaches have her eating a tablespoon of Peanut Butter before each practice but that probably has more calories in it then the rest of her daily diet does. And my youngest is 8 years old and 46 pounds. How can I increase their calories and fats without adding a separate fridge for everyone?!?!
REDFLAME 2/21/08 1:43 P
OK, your SD reduced your chol by 23 points already, that is fantastic!
And I am sure with kids activities and the dairy you guys ARE moving! there is no way around that.
I am sure husb. does not agree with the doctor, that is common. On the outside they KNOW they can live life just fine, no matter what the doctor says. But on the inside, if he is really honest, he just might admit that he is afraid of dying of a heart attack! Most men will not admit to that until either it happens or they turn their health around and start on the right track, then they can admit how they used to feel.
It sounds like you already are addressing alot of the common issues. And as you say, since you cook and shop you are in control!
Here are some other tips to think about, although you might already be doing some of these things.
Increase soluable fiber, oatmeal (not instant--the real stuff) Cheerios, dired beans and peas, bran, brown rice, barley, apples.
Omega 3--6-8 ounces of salmon, halibut or tuna a week.
Nuts--- almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans...use snack size bags and mage snack packs with them, add dried cranberries, raisins, etc with them, make sure they are not salted. Small snacks like these 3-5 times a week.
Oils should only be olive oil and canola. Best Foods (Hellman's) now has a olive oil mayonaise, with less than half the fat of regular and does not taste like lite or fat free mayo.
Salt----well decreasing my sodium did not help my cholesterol at all, that was the first thing I did for 6 months and it did nothing.
Track what your husband eats on a normal day, as well as each kid. Set up a sparks account just for them, track over a week, then print out the report, The cholesterol should be under 300 grams in a day. They should also have a good balance of fat--protien--carbs. On the bottom of the report page you will see a pie chart that shows where they fall, it shouls be 15%p, 30% f, 55% carbs...........or there abouts.
Lastly, you saw results for one person in 6 months, hang in there, make changes as you can and keep being in control. If you ramp up on good cholesterol you should be able to flush our some of those bad cholesterols over the course of the year.
We did not get obese, or high in cholesterol, in a matter of a couple months.
What about medications? Did they perscribe any for the high cholesterol?
MIMI_SDF 2/21/08 8:46 A
I do alternate the meats, cooking our free beef everyother day and turkey, chicken, or seafood on the others. So it is a healthier meat 3 - 4 days per week. I have never bought chips, cookies, cakes, etc . . . that is one of the most confusing things about the high cholesterol and obesity issues some of us are facing. Fresh fruit and vegetables are all my family ever snacks on with the occassional Omega 3, butter and salt free popcorn or sugar free popsicle thrown in for the occassional treat. My kids have never even been allowed soda. I thought I was making good choices by keeping the junk away, but the nutritionist says the cholesterol of some, skinniness of others, and my obesity continues to be an issue. My husband does NOT agree with the doctor's regarding cholesterol so it has been a challenge but as long as I shop and cook, he hasn't much of a choice in what is served. My step-daughter was able to drop her cholesterol by 23 points that last 6 months but the boys, not touched. I thought I had been making good choices, but no one's health issues (other then my step-daughter's) are getting better. And yes, there is a TON of exercise going on around here. Between basketball, softball, tennis, gymnastics, dance, skiing, and the fact we own over 900 acres . . . we move quite frequently. So . . . be as hard as necessary, I need to figure out where I am going wrong.
REDFLAME 2/20/08 1:46 P
OK, so I am going to be the meanie and say this;
If you identify and focus on all the challenges and how you cannot do this you are RIGHT, you certainly cannot.
From what I see your family needs a healthy menu. Cut out the high cholosterol foods. Would it be more expensive to buy turkey, fish, and chicken for 4-5 meals a week or to lose your husband at an early age? Seriously......that's the way we have to look at it.
Hate to cook? Yeah, so do alot of people. Personally I hate to do laundry---but I have no choice in the matter. I dont wear dirty clothes or disposable clothes, I do laundry, like it or not.
So.....am I your friend yet? probably not, but I will continue.
Provide a balanced meal, 3 times a day for your family. Set aside healthy snacks, like fruit or veggies, for afternoon snacks. DO NOT buy the snack cakes, chips, candy etc.
Set a meal schedule, post it on the fridge, set your menu up for a week, and rotate it. Make two weeks worth, no reason to re-invent the wheel each week! Lay down the law, as Husband and Wife. If he is not behind you then TOO BAD, lay it down all by yourself. Sneaking, gorging, obesity, high cholosterol are no longer acceptable!
Ok, so I spoke my mind, now you just have to speak yours.
MIMI_SDF 2/20/08 1:14 P
My family consists of various nutrional needs. My husband and 3 step-children have VERY high cholosterol, my two daughters and my husband are VERY thin, and I am battling with obesity. My middle step-son is a food sneaker, my oldest step-son and step-daughter are gorgers, and my oldest daughter dislikes meat and milk. My youngest daughter and I have very sensitive stomachs. Every meal I make is wrong for someone. Additionally, we live on a dairy farm and have access to all the free beef we can eat. It's hard to buy turkey burger at $5.00 a pound when you have free meat and a family of 7. I hate to cook, so a variety of meals is out of the question. Any suggestions?
