Cholesterol: From 310 to 123!

All from diet and exercise over 2.5 years and 45 pounds lost. I hadn't had my cholesterol tested in a while (it was like 208 last year) so I can't really say it took me that long???

There's a lot of specifics and some generals, but here's what I've done (I'll try to put a summary at the bottom if you want to skip to that now)...

You can read previous posts to see some details of different things I've tried and why here - The Maker's Diet post and here - various foods and supplements I've tried.

But my current program is...

Exercise

I ride my recumbent exercise bike 1 hour basically every day. I watch movies while watching which makes it not only feel quicker, but quite enjoyable. I have a heart rate monitor (see trifuel.com for some good articles on heart rate) which I use occasionally.

I use a timer and normally ride for 4 mins and then put my feet on the ground, lean forward and "pedal" w/ my hands (using gloves) to vary my workout.

I worked up in the first couple months to the hardest resistance which on my bike is "8" though there's no measurement for that. I go 13 miles an hour, but I don't think that's accurate b/c I recent rode a road bike for an hour and went 18 miles.

Bottom line: exercise bike - 1 hour/day.

Diet

Eat healthy and as organic as reasonably possible.

Breakfast

---

4/5 days a week I have a...

• bowl of granola with
  
• raisins (and/or other dried fruit)
  
• walnuts
  
• local honey
  
• plain organic (sometimes homemade) kefir or yogurt
  
• blueberries
  
• bananas
  
• optional: strawberries, other fruit, nuts, etc.
  

Some other days I have Kashi oatmeal b/c it's good, organic and tends to have more fiber (soluble and insoluble) than most brands. I put a lot of the same stuff in that. The other days I have whatever.

I have my "vitamin cocktail" w/ it: (light) concord grape juice, liquid vitamins and super greens (this is a good one, but I try various ones).

Supplements

• Cinnamon Bark - 500 mg/day
  
• Fish oil - 1000 mg fish oil, 500 mg Omega-3 / day
  
• niacin - 1000 mg/day
  

Snacks

• (homemade) granola bars
  
• DARK chocolate - like 1/7th of a bar per day (2 squares of the Panther bars)
  
• Various Kashi cereals (handful or 2)
  
• fruit and such as needed
  

Drinks

Water: I try to drink at least a 1/2 gallon while at work and some more at home in the morning and at night.

Red Wine: A small glass every night.

Concord grape juice: A small glass in the morning (see "vitamin cocktail" in breakfast above)

Lunch and Dinner

I try to eat at the local "health food store" most lunches or bring my lunch from home. The store here has an organic salad bar which is great. BTW, that's also where I try to buy most of my supplements: The Cupboard.

I get it buy the pound so that motivates me to only get what I want to pay for. :) Usually about 1/2 a pound or so.

My wife usually cooks dinner and cooks good, healthy, light, organic, tasty food. I have that for dinner and often for lunch at work.

I often have another bowl of granola (see breakfast above) for a snack later at night if I get hungry.

Splurge

I splurge a lot. Probably every other day or so I'll get pizza, a burger w/ fries (not fast food), donuts, etc. Pretty much whatever I want a couple times per week.

I'm motivated to eat well and not throw away the exercise on just any treat ("Is this treat worth 45 mins on the bike?"). Also, I try to remember that I never regret making the healthier choices.

Soft drinks are pretty deadly. Diet soft drinks are basically cleaning fluid in my mind.

Summary

• Breakfast: oatmeal high in soluble fiber or granola w/ dried fruit, nuts, blueberries, etc. and kefir/yogurt.
  
• Lunch/Dinner: good, healthy meals (most reasonable people know what "healthy" means and if you're trying to eat that way, you'll find out) and reasonable portions
  
• Good vitamins and super greens
  
• Small glasses of concord grape juice and red wine each day.
  
• Cinnamon, fish oil and niacin supplements
  
• granola bars, healthy cereal, DARK chocolate and fruit for snacks
  
• WATER!!!
  
• EXERCISE!!!