hi there, i have been banded since october of 2009. to date i have lost 99pounds. i am feeling great. had a fill in january and still in a sweet spot. so i get blood work done and my regular doctor is upset at my cholesteral numbers. it is only 30 points high. my lap band doctor wasn't concerned about it. my regular doctor says i should try a vegan diet for a month and see.... i was like a deer in the headlights. WHAT THE HECK!!! she said since i love cooking that i would do ok with this Engine 2 diet. it is pretty strickly vegan. and i am so not into that. i like cheeses and creams and yogurts and milks, etc.... my husband said no way. i eat about a cup and half total per day. i squeek by, with getting all my required items in. i eat about 700 calories a day. get most of my proteinin. but if i switch to all veggies, i will cut my calories by almost 300.. that will surely send me into starvation mode, as i have been told. has anyone had an issue similar? everyone else i talk to says that the 30 points may have been from something i ate before my tests. i do take red rice yeast as a natural cholesteral helper....any suggestions would be appreciated. waiting for that last pound so i can hit the big 100 loss... and then only 19 to go.. thanks in advance for any help or ideas.... sorry to any vegans reading this,, i get where you are coming from,, but it just isn't for me.. thanks again everyone

You might check out a book called The Great Cholesterol Con: The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It (9781844543601): Dr. Malcolm Kendrick. You can see a review of it here. The person reviewing it pulls a few highlights from the book which should've been titled "The Great Cholesterol Scare". After reading the book, I'm a bit horrified at how much of the 'science' behind our medical community's beliefs is not based on 'science' but badly skewed small group studies.

Anyway, just one more bit of knowledge in the arsenal of people who take charge of their own health rather than turning it over to whatever their doctor believes.

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I'm not against veganism or vegetarianism, but I'm quite suprised that your doctor would recommend something so drastic right away. Though I'm glad she didn't automatically slap meds on the problem right away, too! I agree with ElfiPoo; some research on your part could be of benefit, possibly some changes in your diet, but if you don't want to be a vegan, you don't have to be--that is not the only option to lower your cholesterol.

I'm speaking as a by-choice 16 year vegetarian and I do not recommend going vegan cold-turkey (per se).

You'll hate it and you won't stick to it. Instead of totally altering your diet just make a few minor modifications (recommended by the Mayo clinic):

Eat more: oatmeal, high Fiber foods, fish, walnuts, almonds, and other nuts, olive oil, and any foods with added plant sterols (margarines, orange juice, yogurt drinks).

Eat less: full fat dairy (switch to low fat or half low/no fat and half full fat), processed foods like Cookies, crakers, and cakes, fatty cuts of meat, and eggs.

You can still eat what you normally do, just alter the quantity and type slightly.