In July I turned 28.  I thought 28 would be a year of travelling, wine, fun, etc.  So far?  Travel (around the beltway, once a day), wine (I try to restrict it to once a week, but who really keeps track of that?) and fun (does house-hunting count as fun?)

I also thought this would be the year to actually keep my health in check.  Best way to start?  A trip to the doc for a cholesterol check.

I know I’m not supposed to eat or drink before the check, but I figured a few sips of coffee wouldn’t hurt.  OK, I DO like my coffee to be sweet (we’re from the Mary Poppins “spoon full of sugar” generation…how can we not love it?) but me and my pudgy stomach like the fat-free (and luckily cholesterol-free) half & half.

The day I got the call from my doctor, I’d had a lazy morning…this means something “instant” for breakfast (cereal, granola bar, or bagelful) and cup-o-noodles for lunch.  The dreaded moment came right before lunch…

My name is Katie, and I have high cholesterol.  209 to be exact.

The past week has been a whirlwind of information and confusion.  Things I thought were healthy are actually havens of cholesterol, and things I thought were awful for me are cholesterol-free.

Examples (percentage is % of daily recommended amt):
Eggs – 75% (I knew they had some, but 75%???)
Cup O Noodles – 0%
Candy – 0%
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – 20%
Butter – 11%
Peanut Butter – 0%

So basically when I try to live a healthier lifestyle, I basically go swimming in vats of cholesterol.  But when I splurge on junk and candy, I’m nice and cholesterol-free.

Still trying to figure it out, but the bit of research I’ve done so far gives me the impression that sugar/caffeine can also indirectly raise cholesterol.  So screwed either way.  I’ve read that South beach can lower it, so might give that a whirl (again).  Had to quit before the wedding because I was losing enough to go down a dress size but wasn’t really into the idea of doing another fitting.