Top 5 Ways To Lose Weight And Lower Cholesterol
If you have found yourself in a situation where you are overweight and you have high LDL cholesterol levels, then your doctor has probably recommended medications to help you both lose weight and lower your LDL levels. However, medication tends to only treat the symptoms rather than the root of the problem. Therefore, I recommend that rather than taking the easy way out and asking for a prescription, that you think about making some serious lifestyle changes that will have a long term impact on your overall health, which in turn should help you both lose those unwanted pounds, and lower your bad cholesterol levels in the process.
To help you make these lifestyle changes and to know more about what options are available to you, we've come up with a list of the top 5 ways that you can lose weight and lower your cholesterol.
1. Exercise is the king of getting someone fit and healthy in a hurry. A lot of people tend to cringe when they hear the "E" word, but what they should do is ask how high and how far to jump. There is no shortcut to exercise, and this is by far the best way to become healthy over the long term. Even if you are obese, exercise can be done in a way that doesn't get in the way of your lifestyle. Try taking a walk 3 times per week with your dog, or spend extra time working outside. Simply walking up the stairs or parking in the back of a parking lot can start to help immediately.
2. Stay away from fatty meats and move towards more healthy lean meat and vegetarian options. Pork and Beef are two of the worst foods that you can put in your body if you are trying to lose weight and lower your cholesterol. Cutting out the red meat can be especially helpful. At most, have it once per week and use the rest of the week to try out new healthier recipes.
3. Move from dairy products towards more healthy alternatives. Start drinking soy or rice milk instead of cow milk. Use margarine instead of butter and when you eat eggs, stick to the whites. I know dairy products, particularly cheese, are difficult to give up all together, but it can be done.
4. Move away from the chips and junk food. Any food that is fried in grease is something that is going to make losing weight and lowering cholesterol difficult. Stick to fruits and veggies and give up the chips and crackers. You can not only give up bad foods, but you can get extra vitamins and nutrition in the process.
5. Lastly, stay away from cigarettes and tobacco, those are the quickest way to kill your health. Need I say more?
I hope you enjoyed the list, if all else fails you should definitely visit the doctor, but making a lifestyle change will benefit you now and down the road.