An SOS

I had a blood test this week and I was happy with the results. Let me tell you the whole story.

I have always had high cholesterol. It 'runs' in my family. I've been taking Lipitor for several years and that always has controlled it well.

Until this year, that is. In my annual blood test this spring, the numbers had skyrocketed and the doctor wanted to increase my Lipitor dosage. I asked Dr. Davis to give me three months to try and bring it down with diet. And she agreed. I was already eating what I thought was a healthy diet. I tried to be low fat and watched my portions but I needed something new.

I went to Schuler's Book Store in Grand Rapids and starting looking through their food and diet sections. I came across a book called SOS Diet and it caught my attention.

The basic premise is that sugar in foods and also sugar added to food turns into fat immediately. It appealed to me because it made sense and it was simple to implement. I started as soon as I got home and have stuck to it all summer but certainly not perfectly. Eating at my mother's while we are up north has been hard. She insists on desserts and because she worked so hard making them, I always have a very small portion.

So this week, I was retested. The results were very encouraging. My cholesterol was 150-down 129 points. Also the other numbers were good, including HDL, LDL and triglycerides. But the best number for me is that I've lost 15 pounds.

The author, Dr. James Surrell, is a fellow Yooper. I found out that he is our good friend, Paul Williams, doctor. Paul is our neighbor's brother-in-law (at the cabin). Paul and Eileen keep their motorhome at Nancy's and we have a great time with them.