And the Numbers Are?

The labs are in, and the numbers are fantastic. Really, I couldn't have hoped for better. While I do sometimes mope about all that I have given up, especially pizza, when I see the positive results from having done so, the clouds part, the sun shines brightly, and I dance around the house with the dogs (which gets Sunny all riled up and he ends up peeing on the couch). 

It took several years, but all of the numbers are in the green. The last time I had blood work done, my liver enzymes were elevated, and my cholesterol total was nearly 300. I asked my then-doctor what I needed to do to get my cholesterol under control. Her answer was nothing, that the numbers were fine (they weren't). She said the same thing about the liver enzymes (they weren't). What she should have said was, "Let's look at your diet." She didn't. She didn't do anything except suggest medication if I was worried about the numbers. That was the moment I said I'm done with her.

I never understood why my cholesterol numbers were high given I don't eat eggs or anything else that contains cholesterol. Even then, when looking at my diet, it was 98% whole foods/plant based, with the occasional crappy vegan food thrown in, like Impossible burger or Impossible sausage. I was indulging in crappy vegan cookies and candy, as well, not realizing these are most likely what was contributing to the high cholesterol numbers. Once I started reading about sugar, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. I had to bite the proverbial bullet and remove as much sugar as possible.

The cholesterol number now: 196. When I consider that I was able to reduce my cholesterol by nearly 100 points, I'm stunned. And it makes me furious that my doctor at the time suggested medication instead of actually listening to me and discussing what I could do with my diet. I've since started seeing another doctor, and so far, I'm happy with him. He took the time to talk to me about being vegan and about what supplements I should make a part of my routine. 

After I saw the lab results, the part of me that was lingering in mope world became excited. Excited to see what happens as I continue to reduce the sugar intake. I'm still amazed at how well I'm sleeping. For years I struggled to sleep through the night, oftentimes waking up at 2 am and remaining awake for two hours or longer. Now, I sleep hard for seven hours, and when I wake up I'm ready to get up. No dragging myself out of bed. That alone is worth giving up the sugar.