A rather glamorous friend of the family who’s in her sixties went to the doctor a couple of months ago for a check-up. While otherwise healthy, she was told that her cholesterol level had gone up from 6.2 to 7, with 1.25 of it the bad type that clogs up the arteries. As the average healthy person’s level is around 3.5 to 5, she was told to lose a little weight and reduce her fat intake.
Initially a bit put out, nonetheless she had to admit that she had gained a few pounds (“boobs back and front, my dear”) and gave her diet an extremely honest appraisal. It was not great. Although an active lifestyle had helped cut down the effects of a sweet tooth and high-calorie intake, the damage was clearly on the inside more than the outside. It was time to take action.
“Cholesterol” was the “C” word that had to be reduced – and listing her daily intake revealed a host of other “C” words that could well be reduced. And so she set about doing exactly that – cutting out all the “Cs” (or, as the wonderfully succinct lady herself says, “Crap”). And here they are:
Cakes
Candy (sweets)
Canned foods (especially fruit with high sugar contents)
Carbohydrates (fat-filled ones, i.e. batter, doughnuts, roasted potatoes)
Cereals (except Special K)
Cheese
Chestnuts
Chicken (pre-cooked, i.e. basted in fat and roasted, is a no; freshly cooked is fine)
Chinese/Cantonese/Curries – all take-aways (check the contents: boiled rice and steamed vegetables are fine; battered bananas and pineapples are not)
Chipolatas (all sausages)
Chips
Chocolate
Christmas pudding/cake
Chutney
Cocoa/drinking chocolate
Coconut
Coffee (a maximum of two cups a day; otherwise, decaffeinated)
Cola
Cookies (biscuits)
Corned beef
Cottage cheese (with chives, pineapple, etc. no – plain is totally fine)
Cottage loaf (i.e. all white bread is out; brown/wholemeal bread is OK)
Crackers
Cranberry sauce (home made is allowed)
Cream (including all the main dairy items: full fat milk, butter and full fat sweetened fruit-filled yoghurts are out; semi-skimmed and skimmed milk are fine as is natural yoghurt and olive oil spread)
Crisps
Crumpets
Custard
In seven weeks, she has lost 12 pounds. I was impressed. I asked: So, what can you eat and how much? Are you doing any exercise? Are you taking any supplements? And are you finding it difficult – is it boring or hard work? The answers were straightforward:
1. “You can eat a varied diet and as much as you want
2. Dancing for pleasure – anything you enjoy that raises your heart rate a couple of times a week – and walking for necessity
3. A daily spoonful of cod liver oil for my joints
4. And it’s been dead easy; I feel 100% better and, because I haven’t lost weight quickly, my face doesn’t look like a balloon a week after a party”
And this is the kind of thing that she does eat:
1. Breakfast can be Special K with semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, or wholemeal toast, or natural yoghurt
2. A snack can be any of the range of 90 calorie bars; she likes a Special K bar at 11:00, when she’s at work
3. Lunch can be a ham or tuna salad, or a jacket potato with salad or tuna
4. Dinner can be salmon or chicken with boiled or mashed potatoes, boiled rice or vegetables; sweet and sour dishes with low-fat sauces; and she has also now learned how to make a mean fish pie
Any treats?
“Well, you need a bit of self-control and you can be strict on yourself. But I occasionally treat myself to a Sunday lunch, which can include fish, but without any batter, or lamb chops. Just stick to the rules. I also have one low-fat cake a week, every Thursday. I look forward to that. Anything else now just tastes too sweet, which – after spending a lifetime loving chocolate – is just amazing!”
Would you go back?
“No way. I’ve bought a load of new underwear and I can rock ‘n’ roll for longer.”
Here’s to the next cholesterol test. I’ll keep you posted.
And you can follow the quest on Twitter @The_RTM
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