High Cholesterol - EKK

Yesterday morning I went to the doctor for a physical and blood work. I have been meaning to do this for - oops 3 years - ya I know! My sister has been bugging me because she has hypothyroidism and so does my grandmother and therefore I have a high risk of developing it and need to monitor it. I have been feeling very tired lately and sluggish so she has been on me about it so I finally made the appointment and went.

I get the results from my full blood work next week and I'll share I promise. However, one of the tests they got back right away and where my bad news comes from - I have High Cholesterol. It's not surprising since my mom has it and basically her entire family - gotta love my Cuban genes! :) haha!

I got curious about cholesterol afterwards, as I really don't know what it really is besides bad stuff that can lead to a heart attack or a stroke. EKK! The doctor named off 4 levels and numbers which confused me even more - 4? I was good on 2 of the numbers and bad on 2 so I went and did a little research below on what these 4 things are.
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Types of Cholesterol

Cholesterol travels through the blood attached to a protein -- this cholesterol-protein package is called a lipoprotein. Lipoproteins are classified as high density, low density, or very low density, depending on how much protein there is in relation to fat.

• Low density lipoproteins (LDL): LDL, also called "bad" cholesterol, can cause buildup of plaque on the walls of arteries. The more LDL there is in the blood, the greater the risk of heart disease. 
• High density lipoproteins (HDL): HDL, also called "good" cholesterol, helps the body get rid of bad cholesterol in the blood. The higher the level of HDL cholesterol, the better. If levels of HDL are low, the risk of heart disease increases. 
• Very low density lipoproteins (VLDL): VLDL is similar to LDL cholesterol in that it contains mostly fat and not much protein. 
• Triglycerides: Triglycerides are another type of fat that is carried in the blood by very low density lipoproteins. Excess calories, alcohol, or sugar in the body are converted into triglycerides and stored in fat cells throughout the body. 

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The 3rd one is the overall number I believe which you want under 200 and I am over 200. I honestly don't remember the exact number but it's definitely over. When I get everything back I will share my numbers. My homework for the next 3 months is to work hard at getting it down. They want to retest then so I need to see about getting it back into normal ranges. I am young and that's doable according to the doctor. 


Here's my homework:
1.) Exercise 4-5 days a week for 30-45 minutes at least. Even if it is just a walk with the dog, get out and move! 
2.) Do my best to cut out as much of the "Foods to Avoid" over the next 3 months 
        -and-
3.) Do my best to incorporate more of the "Foods to Use" from the sheet her gave me. (Click for my sheet)

Well it's doctor's orders now so I definitely can't let excuses get in the way anymore of exercising becuase I definitely need to get my cholesterol under control and quickly. So "Project Make the Bride Sexy!" is now also "Project Make the Bride Healthy!"