“You eat eggs for breakfast? Every day?”

Of course not.

Only on the days I eat breakfast.

“But what about your cholesterol levels? Isn’t that bad for you?”

Let me show you from my medical records.

I wasn’t getting my lipids checked all that regularly in my 40s, but from about age 46 to 53 my breakfast routine was essentially the same, usually having Corn Chex, or occasionally Cheerios or another gluten-free cereal.

So I have to believe that these results from July 2012 are representative of my lipid values during that period. And it’s interesting to compare them to the results from September 2018, after I had restored eggs, butter and cream to my diet:

After replacing cereal with eggs as my breakfast staple…

  • My LDL (bad) cholesterol went from 149 to 126
  • My HDL (good) cholesterol went from 47 to 64
  • My Triglycerides went from 87 to 57.

My blood pressure, which previously had been in the 130-140/90 range, is now consistently around 120/80.

Part of the explanation for better lab values is obviously that I’ve lost 40 pounds (at least) of fat while also gaining muscle.

But that’s kind of the point, right? I mean, that was the goal.

We’re told we should avoid animal fats because it will raise heart disease risk. We shouldn’t do the Atkins diet because it is’t heart healthy.

But isn’t being overweight (or borderline obese) a bigger risk?

As I look at my lab values, they’ve all moved in a positive direction.

I enjoy eggs. I don’t get hungry all day. And my blood tests look better than when I was eating “healthy whole grains.”

Seems like a win-win to me.

See the whole series about my health journey. Follow along on FacebookTwitter and LinkedIn.

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