high cholesterol? i am only 24 but my doc told me to eat more fruits, less alcohol and more excercise. I honestly feel ashamed as this is an old mans condition. The big problem to me is i already eat a lot of fruits but eat a lot of fatty foods at the same time.
I always thaught this was only for old guys. I had 2 tests done and this was the same conclusion.
I'd say hit the gym, and hit it hard. Diet and exercise to get rid of any extra weight you carry. If you can cut down on excess fat in your body you can potentially put a huge dent in your cholesterol without too many other lifestyle changes. All by itself that might solve the problem, depending on your current physique.
Second, is this a one time test? My wife had a cholesterol reading come in sky high. She went back a few months later and her cholesterol was normal--she concluded that she miscalculated and probably didn't fully follow the "don't eat within X hours" advice before her last test. Failing to follow that advice can REALLY skew your results--so if this is ONE test, get it done again in a few weeks, and be sure and fast properly before going in for the blood test.
Next go after the "high value" items in your diet, switch from fries to salad with your meals, avoid fast food. See if you can cut down on the fat without cutting down too much on the enjoyment. When I go on a diet I make myself feel better about cutting out all the burgers and fries by eating more expensive food--I go out more for expensive meals, where I feel pretty good eating the smarter choices, because they're so damn good.
If I were you, my goal would be to preserve as much of my lifestyle as possible. In my case, I would be loathe to give up alcohol. In order to control my weight I've generally stopped drinking beer in favour of lower calorie alcoholic drinks--a vodka martini packs a hell of a lot fewer calories for the alcoholic punch it carries, versus beer.
In any case do not under-estimate how much of a difference exercise can make in your life. The govt. recommends 30min three times a week, but that should be considered a MINIMUM. You'll hit your optimal level of health if you can get 180min of exercise a week instead of only 90. Try and build it into your life and make it something fun--maybe hit the gym for some of it, and for the rest do something you enjoy like squash or cycling or some other sport.
