Good-bye Sweet Carbs

Can I even describe what a bummer it is to get discouraging lab results back right smack dab in the middle of the holidays?



By Brit Abroad in USA



Triglycerides. The Curse of my family tree for generations. Some in my family have "elevated" triglyceride levels, some have "high" levels. Some of the lucky family tree climbers have "very high" triglyceride levels, meaning greater than 500. Some have never had an accurate lab result because the poor lab tech apparently just can't count that high.



The Bean Feast, by Jann Steen via Golden Oak Inn



So yea, back in November, almost exactly halfway between Thanksgiving (oh sweet pumpin pie and gingerbread ) and Christmas (mmm, my precious Toffee Bars and Stollen), I get the news. For the first time ever, Triglycerides over 200. Is it the beginning of the slow, insidious creep upward, the first glimmer of the ancient family curse? Am I doomed? Or is it the medication I'm taking that can sometimes lead to elevated lipids? I'm hoping that's it but in the mean time, while waiting for that next appointment to hash it over with my MD, I've been trying to adjust, just in case I can't blame it on the meds. That means, for triglycerides, a sharp reduction in processed sugar and flour.



By olya via Flickr




OK, I love snackies- tortilla chips, cookies- oh I love cookies- bread of any kind except white, brownies, pasta in all of its shapes and sizes. I can live on a reduced diet of sugar, no biggie, in spite of my Olympic class sweet tooth. I don't care for hard candy, pastry-things like donuts do nothing for me. But all those lovely carb-laden things like mac & cheese, Granny's homemade noodles, wheat rolls, homemade cookies, ad infinitum with the carbs. My special weakness is the homemade variety of carbs.



By kevindem via Flickr

 

But I've been doing fairly well. Lost another two pounds. I was thinking I had found the perfect middle ground- watching the white sugars and processed flour without being one of those obsessive nutsy types. Then one night my husband tells me he got his blood work back. Triglycerides over 300.

Ha-ha! I won!



Via PlaneBuzz



Oh, I mean, bummer for you too.



Via webMD



Oh, I could be a super healthy eater. I really do love whole grains and fresh veggies and though I do have a pretty healthy sweets-jones, I am picky about my sweets- no super frosty kinds of things, no glazed foods, no Chips-Ahoy, no white bread, for crying out loud! Homemade goodies are always the way to go. But there are times, usually in March, when it's simply difficut to eat within reason. You know how it is- you just start munching' and all of a sudden you realize what you've done.

Damn Girl Scouts.