This is how I reduced my Cholesterol level without any medication

It all started with Global corporate challenge at Ericsson it was the eye opener to note how little we physically moved during a busy corporate workday. The body is meant to walk 10,000 steps each day and I was averaging 4~6,000 steps a day. Second impetus came with the diagnosis of Prostate cancer the surgeon made it clear to me : fitter the body faster the recovery. I put some effort into it and it paid off I recovered in record time. Finally, after the surgery I wanted to get back my fitness levels. I started with gym work and it felt good. Then for weight loss I went on Atkins diet (eating mainly Proteins and minimising carbohydrates. Everything felt right except my Lipids (Cholesterol) which grew worse. I then switched to a portion control strategy that has delivered results.

Data
Lipids and HDL profile(fasting) Cholesterol Triglycerides HDL Chol LDL Chol 15/02/2011 5.6 1.6 0.9 4.0 10/04/2012 6.9 1.9 1.0 5.0 20/08/2012 5.3 1.5 1.0 3.6 Ref range mmol/L 3.9 5.5 0.5 1.7 0.8 1.5 1.7 3.5

Food : 3-prong strategy

Crowding out start buying the must eat foods everyday and you will have no space/time for must avoid foods Portion size eat exactly one plateful of food for 3xMeals a day and 2xSnack on the days you go to gym/exercise. On other days cut down food portion to 75% of normal intake i.e. eat only plateful per meal. Eat every 3hrs suggest 7am 10am 1pm 4pm - 7pm

Must eat foods everyday : (Buy Organic foods whenever possible) Rolled Oats , Linseed powder. Berries, Apples & other fruits Frozen or fresh Low-fat Soy in different forms : Milk, Tofu, Bread etc., Fish and skinless Chicken Low-fat Yoghurt fresh or flavoured Leafy greens Mixed nuts Dark Chocolate (70%) Black tea and plain water Fresh herbs and Spices All other pulses/vegetables/fruits/grains etc.,

Drink atleast 2lts of water every day i.e. 1 glass (~200ml) before each meal/snack

Must avoid do not buy : Reduce first by 50% then eliminate

Alcohol Coke/Fanta/Sprite all fizzy drinks Sugar and Sweets Egg yolk Cakes/Biscuits Fast foods Fried foods Rice very limited quantity

IMPORTANT : Its not gloom and doom 1 day / wk you are allowed to freak out and follow your own routine to confuse the system !

Exercise
Best option : Running everyday atleast 20mins then increasing to 40min ; or Gym 3 times/week : Mix intense cardio (must sweat and puff/pant) 20mins + weights 20mins + full body stretch

Meditation : Every morning 10-20mins My typical day :

6am : Meditation for 20mins 7am : Breakfast Rolled Oats cooked in water then add Soy milk and Low-fat milk + frozen berries + Linseed/Soy/Almond powder + 1 tsp Honey 8am : Gym 45~60mins x 3~4 times/week 10am : 1 Apple, Pear or Banana 1pm : 1/2 cup each of Rice + Lentil or fish/chicken curry + Vegetables + Yoghurt 4pm : cup Mixed nuts + Black tea 6pm : Walk our dog for 20mins. 7pm : 2 mixed-grain Chapattis + Lentil + Vegetables and 70% Dark chocolate 20gms

Other unintended benefits :

Weight loss : Waist reduction : Fitness level : 74 to 69Kgs in 12months 37in to 32in Moderate to fit

Alertness :

Moderate to Very