Losing weight is a great way to reduce cholesterol levels and improve overall health. But how much weight do you need to lose to make a difference? Studies have shown that even a small amount of weight loss, as little as 5-10%, can have a significant impact on cholesterol levels. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of having high LDL (bad cholesterol) and low HDL (good cholesterol). Fortunately, losing weight can help lower your cholesterol.
Here are some tips to get you started:1.Reduce your portion size. Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables, a quarter with whole grain starch, and the other quarter with lean protein. Avoid calorie-rich drinks and snacks.2.Increase physical activity. Aim for an expenditure of 700-2000 kcal per week through intense or vigorous exercise.3.Monitor your hunger levels.
This will help you avoid extra calories from meaningless snacks. When we lose weight, our fat stores are reduced and the fat and cholesterol that are normally stored in adipose tissue have nowhere else to go but the bloodstream, which causes an increase in cholesterol. This effect is not permanent and cholesterol levels tend to decrease as weight stabilizes. Medications used to treat high cholesterol may not be effective in controlling cholesterol when it comes from adipose tissue stores. During active weight loss in overweight people, levels of good cholesterol (HDL-C) decrease, but once weight loss stabilizes, HDL-C levels may return to baseline values (original levels) and often rise above. To reduce cardiovascular risk, dietitians and exercise physiologists recommend lowering cholesterol through diet and exercise. Making changes in what you eat and how active you are can help you watch your weight and lose fat from the middle. Keep in mind that, according to the American Heart Association, these strategies may not be enough, especially if you have a family history of high cholesterol.
Reaching a moderate weight decreases triglycerides in the liver and the amount of cholesterol it produces. If you are losing weight and your blood cholesterol levels have increased, even though you have lost weight, don't panic. While weight loss is an effective tool for lowering cholesterol, it can temporarily increase cholesterol, although this effect is not permanent. If you carry extra weight around half (apple shape), you are more likely to develop heart and liver disease than if you carry the weight all over your body or around your hips and thighs (pear-shaped).The first step a person can take to lower cholesterol is to achieve or maintain a moderate weight. Keeping your weight low and taking care of your waist has never been easy, but it will help you take care of your cholesterol and protect your heart.
