Thread: Diet Advice

Originally Posted by pjreiff

I've been training for 20+ years. Started out powerlifting and competing then started bodybuilding about 10 years ago. Competed in a couple shows and did well. I've kept my diet strict over the years but as I aged, the same diet had different effects. Stored fat to the point where I had about 20% bf or 37 lbs of bf. Radically changed my diet about 7 weeks ago where I tripled my caloric intake eating high protein, medium fat, low carbs. 6 meals a day consisting of sirloin, chicken, fish, eggs, and low starch vegetables. I've lost 7 pounds of bf and gained 4 pounds of muscle, so this appears to be working and the mirror shows positive change. Problem is my bad cholesterol has shot up from 85 to 145. Good cholesterol stayed steady at 57 and all other levels were optimal.
Any suggestions on staying on this plan or changing it up and if so to what? I've never been a huge guy when bodybuilding and estimate my competition weight to be about 168 lbs. I'm 5'8". Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Nothing wrong with your diet.
Add some niacin (500mg) to your daily supplement intake. I works well for knocking down LDL levels. Don't get the NO FLUSH crap though. It's more expensive and doesn't work. If you get the flushing effect it is working.

Originally Posted by prografika

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Originally Posted by pjreiff

,,,my bad cholesterol has shot up from 85 to 145. Good cholesterol stayed steady at 57 and all other levels were optimal.

Elevated LDL

Your elevation in LDL is due to increasing you saturated fats, as you know. Generally, they want you to keep you LDL at or below 100.

While 145 is high, it may not be as much of a problem as you think.

Types of LDL

There are two types of LDL.

Particle A LDL

This type is benign. It cause no damage.

Particle B LDL

This type of LDL will clog your arteries.

How Do I Know Which LDL I Have?

A medical lab can break it down for you, if a medical doctors orders the test.

Another Inidicator of Which LDL You Have

Your HDL and Triglycerides also are great indicators of which LDL you have more of, Particle A or B.

Elevated HDL and Low Triglycerides

An elevated HDL reading (which you have, 57) and a low Triglyceride reading indicate there are more of Particle A than Particle B.

Low HDL Reading and Elevated Triglycerides

If you HDL reading is low and your Triglyceride reading is high, you most likely have more Particle B than A.

"You are a heart attack waiting to happen."

Saturated Fats Increase HDL

Saturated fats not only increase your LDL reading.

Saturated fats also INCREASE your HDL reading.

What Is Your Triglyceride Reading?

Your low carbohydrate intake tells me that your triglycerides are low.

However, I'd still like know what your Triglycerides are? Could you provide that information?

145 LDL

Have another blood test run and see if it comes up with 145 for your LDL. That number could be wrong.

Niacin

As Powermaster stated, Niacin is effective at lowering LDL.

Kenny Croxdale

Thanks for the feedback and information. Kenny Croxdale, Triglycerides are 47, Sugar 74. Another note... my previous diet that I stuck to for years was primarily lean with Turkey, brown rice, high glycogen fruits, and egg whites. Calorie intake was way too low, as I've discovered, at around 1300 and was about 60% carbs, 30% protein. Caloric intake now is around 3600.

Bro you used to eat only 1300 cal's?

Why would you triple your cal's? Shouldn't you go up slow. Try 2300-2400 cals 40/35/25. You will eventually gain fat at 3600 cal's IMO

Originally Posted by BP2000

Bro you used to eat only 1300 cal's?

To clarify... I got down to 1,300 from somewhere around 2,000+ which was still too low. As I was having difficulty shedding fat I made the mistake of adjusting calories down instead of looking at type of calories. In any event, my current diet is doing the trick. Belly fat is not reducing as quickly as everything else but it's always been the last to come in for me.

Originally Posted by Powermaster

Don't get the NO FLUSH crap though. It's more expensive and doesn't work. If you get the flushing effect it is working.

Not true. The no-flush stuff is likely more expensive, but has the same action. And unless you really just want to feel the flush, it's not necessary. Take some aspirin or ibuprofen before it and you're set.

Originally Posted by Hubauer

Not true. The no-flush stuff is likely more expensive, but has the same action. And unless you really just want to feel the flush, it's not necessary. Take some aspirin or ibuprofen before it and you're set.

I suggest you google this. There are many articles stating the same that no-flush is a scam.
The inositol hexaniacinate niacin (no flush) is worthless.

Originally Posted by Powermaster

I suggest you google this. There are many articles stating the same that no-flush is a scam.
The inositol hexaniacinate niacin (no flush) is worthless.

Yeah, you're right man. I was confusing the no-flush niacin with Slo niacin.

Originally Posted by Hubauer

Yeah, you're right man. I was confusing the no-flush niacin with Slo niacin.

Slo niacin is good stuff

Originally Posted by pjreiff

I've been training for 20+ years. Started out powerlifting and competing then started bodybuilding about 10 years ago. Competed in a couple shows and did well. I've kept my diet strict over the years but as I aged, the same diet had different effects. Stored fat to the point where I had about 20% bf or 37 lbs of bf. Radically changed my diet about 7 weeks ago where I tripled my caloric intake eating high protein, medium fat, low carbs. 6 meals a day consisting of sirloin, chicken, fish, eggs, and low starch vegetables. I've lost 7 pounds of bf and gained 4 pounds of muscle, so this appears to be working and the mirror shows positive change. Problem is my bad cholesterol has shot up from 85 to 145. Good cholesterol stayed steady at 57 and all other levels were optimal.
Any suggestions on staying on this plan or changing it up and if so to what? I've never been a huge guy when bodybuilding and estimate my competition weight to be about 168 lbs. I'm 5'8". Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Take olive oil with your protein shake, it should take care of it over the time.

Originally Posted by Chubby

Take olive oil with your protein shake, it should take care of it over the time.

Olive oil on a cutting diet? Maybe you meant fish oil?