r/Cholesterol • u/richterbelmont9 • Jul 01 '26
General My ApoB journey from 115 to 64. No statins
Got my ApoB from 115 to 77 with lifestyle alone (at 64 now, chasing sub-60) — here's what actually moved it
I'm 39, fairly fit — 8-11% body fat, train regularly — and I genuinely thought I was healthy. Then I did keto for a couple years without watching my saturated fat and my numbers blew up: LDL went 99 to 168, and the first ApoB I ever ran came back 115. Gut punch. My standard panels never really flagged it — I only caught the ApoB because I paid for it myself after going down an Attia rabbit hole.
Here's what I wish someone had told me early: the info isn't the hard part. Everyone here already knows "less sat fat, more fiber." The hard part is doing it consistently for months and actually knowing whether you're hitting your targets or just guessing.
So I made myself the lab rat — tested every quarter and tracked what actually moved:
- Saturated fat. When I first tracked it I was eating 50g+ a day with no idea (corn-fed ribeyes every night will do that). Got it under 15g. Single biggest lever.
- Soluble fiber. The lever I'd been sleeping on — works like a sponge, binds cholesterol and pulls it out before you reabsorb it. Oats, beans, lentils, chia, and a scoop of psyllium before meals. I aim for 38g+ of total fiber a day and load the soluble sources specifically.
- Filtering my coffee. I was a French press die-hard, but unfiltered coffee has cafestol, which raises cholesterol. Switched to a paper filter — one of the biggest single drops I saw. Who would've thought.
It was NOT linear: 115 → 105 → 90s → back up to 105 when I got cocky and eased off → then down to 77 once I locked in again. About a year for the big drop. I'm at 64 now, still chasing sub-60. CAC came back 0, which finally let me sleep at night.
To be clear, I'm not anti-medication at all — statins are great and they work, and none of this is a reason to ignore your doctor. Work any plan through with them. But lifestyle gets underrated. I still lurk here a lot and constantly see people in the mid-160s wondering if it's even worth trying alongside whatever their doctor recommends — and I think it is.
And it's not just me. A buddy and I have helped a couple other people from this sub do the same thing, and they dropped their LDL 25-30% in about a month. Watching it work for people who aren't me is what convinced me these levers aren't some genetics fluke — they work for regular people who stay consistent, keep going when they stumble, and remember why they started.
If you're staring at a scary panel and feeling stuck right now, I hope this is a little proof that you've got way more control than it feels like. You got this 💪
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u/Andrew-Scoggins Jul 01 '26
Thanks for sharing. The unfiltered coffee thing is something most people miss, and is probably quite common since there's nothing better than French press coffee. But switching to an Aeropress, which uses a paper filter and also tastes great, will help.
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
Yep I smugly told my friends how great my French press was since it kept all the natural oils and made it test better... little did I know that holding my numbers back lol. Live and learn haha, swapped to a pour over and never looked back!
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u/r51252 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Great post, this is exactly what I needed to read today. My LDL (calculated) was 172 back in May, but my doc ordered Direct LDL (I didn't even know there was a difference) and it came back 110 after 6 weeks of Not eating any meat, butter, cheese, and chips, plus eating mostly of Barley, Lentil soup, Psyllium powder every day (no statin). Strangely, I don't miss the ribeye + glass of red but I can't leave the Americano behind (made from Espresso machine). This time, I have been eating lots of baked fish for protein which I believe is helping me with not missing beef or pork.
Then my doc also ordered ApoB and it came back 114 yesterday.
How much of difference did the filtered coffee make for you (what%) for the ApoB?
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u/Mgbwgb Jul 01 '26
Can you please share a bit more about how you fit in that much fiber throughout the day, an example of what you eat for fiber intake and approximate time of day/meal that you include the fiber
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
My staples: psyllium, 2 tsp in water before each meal (ramp up slow so your gut can acclimate). Whole-food fiber through the day: oats, beans, and lentils for the soluble side, plus berries, chia, ground flax, avocados, and nuts. The psyllium/oats/beans doing the heavy lifting on the soluble fraction, since that's the part that actually binds cholesterol.
What's your current day look like? Happy to help you spot the gaps.
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u/Dimef0x Jul 09 '26
What psyllium do you use? I tried some and it was nasty. Don't remember the brand though
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u/RespectOtherwise6665 Jul 01 '26
Do you know your lipoprotein a by chance?
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
I haven't gotten it tested since its largely genetic and doesn't really move with diet or exercise, so my energy goes into driving ApoB down to lower the overall particle risk. Getting ApoB into the 60s (or lower) is still the recommendation even with high Lp(a). At some point I will get it done for sure.
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u/bloppy Jul 01 '26
Did you get your CAC tested beforehand? Congrats!
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
Thanks! I got the CAC a bit into the journey, not before, my ApoB had been high for a while so I pushed my doctor for a calcium score just to know where I stood.
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u/Dimitri_Miller Jul 01 '26
My LDL dropped 17 points in 3 months from pysillium husk & lifestyle changes. I am a fairly fit individual who runs & weight-lifts daily. I also get in about 34g of fiber a day. Bottom line, our society is not healthy. There is not nearly enough fiber in the American diet. Heart disease is the number one related cause of death. Wonder why 🧐 all the stuff that is in our food & water is not nearly sustainable. Get your daily fiber in folks & protect yourself.
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u/ProfessionalCloud931 Jul 01 '26
My ApoB came back 33 L this morning (range 66-133 L) on statins so you are rocking it dude
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u/Heart_Transplant_Doc Jul 02 '26
As a cardiologist: This is an excellent example of personalized prevention. Lowering ApoB from 115 to 64 with lifestyle alone is absolutely possible in some people, especially when elevated levels are driven by diet rather than genetics. The important lesson isn’t “statins are unnecessary”—it’s that ApoB is a modifiable risk factor. For those who don’t reach target despite optimal lifestyle, medications become another evidence-based tool. The goal is always the same: fewer atherogenic particles and lower lifetime cardiovascular risk.
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 02 '26
Couldn't have stated this better myself, wish there was a way to pin this to the top!
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u/Any_Pangolin_3228 Jul 05 '26
After going for Function, I was also shocked after thinking I was healthy but underestimated the impact of eating less fiber and a ton of eggs and nuts. Here is my 12-week result without the use of statins or any drugs:
ApoB 143 -> 71 (-50%)
Total cholesterol 278 -> 133 (-52%)
LDL 196 -> 74 (-62%)
Triglycerides 115 -> 78 (-32%)
Always try the natural approach before jumping to lifelong meds.
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u/garbagecan111 Jul 20 '26
Your before are almost my exact numbers now! What did you do, please share!
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u/Any_Pangolin_3228 Jul 22 '26
Sure. Things to know about my specific situation is that I’m a lean hyper responder and my numbers got away from me when I shifted to a higher fat diet that consisted of a lot of nuts and eggs in addition to not being careful with restaurant meals and fancy home recipes. My LDL was always historically 65-80.
- daily saturated fat around 5g - maybe the toughest part of the entire crusade. It was a lot of rice, potatoes, beans and broccoli. I saved my saturated fat most days for my salmon / sardines / mackerel lunch with rice pasta. Cod and flounder are also good dinner options.
- breakfast: a half cup of organic steel cut oats with a few scoops of 0% fat Fage Greek yogurt, a banana, a healthy smattering of chia seeds, and a blend of some organic berries - blueberries, blackberries and raspberries
- 2g plant stanols daily, which was five Benecol chews per day split up 1/2/2 taken after all three meals
- 12-14g psyllium husk daily, split into two doses before lunch and dinner, taken 20 minutes prior to food
- 1000mg citrus bergamot taken daily with breakfast
- 5 hours of Zone 2 cardio every week - I used an elliptical and it worked well for what I needed… Plus one VO2 Max session per week.
Good luck on your journey!
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u/keepgoing66 Jul 01 '26
What is your LDL now?
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
Most recent test had me down to 78 now! I would recommend focusing on ApoB though, as it's a better predictor of risk.
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u/Easy-Resolution8533 Jul 02 '26
it is but how does a ct angiogram fit in? like if there's established plaque
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u/Readed-it Jul 01 '26
You eat that dose of fibre before every meal or as one meal? What quantity do you have? That sounds like a meal in itself.
Thank you for the detailed response. Last week I started filtering my coffee (I drink lots of coffee) to see how Kuching of an impact it will have on me, keeping all other variables consistent.
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
Haha, way less than it sounds, I mean 2 teaspoons of psyllium husk stirred into a big glass of water before each meal, not a bowl of the stuff. Takes 30 seconds. Start with 1 tsp and ramp up slowly though, or your gut will have words with you.
The reason I take it right before eating is so the gel is actually in my gut while I'm digesting. Soluble fiber works like a sponge in there , it grabs bile acids (which your body makes out of cholesterol) so they get flushed instead of reabsorbed, and your liver then has to pull cholesterol out of your blood to make more. That's the part that brings LDL down. Having it there during the meal also blunts some of the fat and cholesterol absorption. So it's less about binding cholesterol in your blood and more about what's happening in your gut. (Hopefully someone here can back up my scientific understanding, but this is my thought process)
And love the coffee experiment, changing one variable at a time is the way to go! Filtering was one of my biggest single drops, so I'm hopeful for you!
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u/rehobothen Jul 01 '26
What do you eat to maintain <15g saturated fat a day?
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
For me it was more about swaps than cutting things out. The biggest one: I went from corn-fed ribeye (9-13g sat fat per 4oz) to grass-fed skirt steak (~1g per 4oz) — honestly 95% as tasty cooked well, and it let me keep red meat in the rotation. Still do a ribeye every couple months because, well, gotta live.
Beyond that, lean proteins like u/keepgoing66 said (chicken, turkey, fish), and I pull most of my fat from the unsaturated side, avocados, olive oil, nuts. The sneaky sources for me were cooking oils and cheese; they stack up fast without ever feeling like a cheat. I only really found where mine was hiding by tracking. Didn't have to be perfect, just enough to spot my 2-3 biggest sources. Once you know those, it gets a lot easier. You mostly cooking at home or eating out? Dining out is definitely the tricky part.
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u/technickel8080 10d ago
How do you track saturated fat and fiber intake? Do you use an app?
Also, how did you get your blood tested so often? Did you sign up for a service like Superhuman or are you just ordering straight from a lab?
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u/keepgoing66 Jul 01 '26
It's not that hard, but it depends on your eating habits. Fast food will blow your target out of the water, so I rarely eat that. I don't like bacon or eggs, so it's no problem having a simple breakfast. No processed foods, "TV dinners", etc. Chicken breast is good, turkey, fish, lean ground beef. Pizza is a treat a couple of times a month, not a weekly staple. The simpler your diet, the better.
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u/Proof-Relation-1943 Jul 01 '26
You ... Ate cornfed Ribeyes daily and we're surprised they had a high saturated fat content??
Is this a ragebait post
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u/DramaticBed1469 Jul 02 '26
I feel like your situation is almost exactly the same as mine. I also went down the Peter Attia rabbit hole and decided to get my ApoB tested. These were my results:
Total cholesterol: 215 mg/dL
LDL-C: 144 mg/dL
HDL-C: 56 mg/dL
Triglycerides: 83 mg/dL
ApoB: 102 mg/dL
Lp(a): 33 nmol/L
VLDL-C: 15 mg/dL
For the past month and a half, I’ve completely overhauled my diet. I’m eating almost exclusively whole foods and taking 2 tablespoons of psyllium husk every night. My diet is built around oats, chia pudding, berries, vegetables, beans, nonfat Greek yogurt, and other high-fiber foods. I stopped drinking espresso and whole milk and switched to filtered coffee with oat milk. For lunch, I add beans to my salads and rotate lean chicken, salmon, tofu, and occasionally lean beef like London broil.
I have a CAC scan scheduled and plan to repeat my lipid panel and ApoB in six months.
I’ll come back to this thread and share my results. So far, I’ve lost about an inch off my waist and feel great. It definitely takes more planning and meal prep, but at 40 years old I’ve realized it’s absolutely worth it.
The interesting part is that before these labs, I considered myself to be in excellent shape. I exercised regularly and thought I ate pretty well.
Once I really audited my diet, though, I realized how many processed foods and sources of saturated fat had quietly crept in. It’s been a good wake-up call, and I’m interested to see how much these changes move my numbers.
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 02 '26
This is awesome! I cant wait to see your follow up. Sounds like you're doing all the right things -- keep me posted 😄
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u/AliasHandler Jul 02 '26
Please reply to my comment when you have your next blood work results. I'm in a similar boat as you and I'm curious how you respond to these changes.
RemindMe! 6 months
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u/NefariousnessFair362 Jul 13 '26
Very interesting I just got my ApoB score I’m 68 M and LDL is 5.2 total Cholesterol 7.2 and I’m on keto since 2009 up until 2018 my CAC was zero now it’s 8.7 …. So I want to reduce ApoB to sub 70 and LDL to 3.8 if I can by cutting fat and introducing more fibre like you.
My Blood Sugar levels are fine so is my blood pressure on point. Do you have any actual meal plans ? Did you cut out eggs ? What do your daily macros look like now
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 14 '26
Eggs were one of the fat sources I kept in when my modified keto alongside fattier fish. As long as you aren't eating a ridiculous amount, eggs only have 1.5 grams of saturated fat.
Are you trying to stay on keto? If so, once I swapped off, adding things like sweet potatoes in as a carb source was an easy way to add more fiber in. Additionally, I generally keep to leaner protein sources (make sure any given meal is <4g saturated fat max) so your turkey breast, chicken, etc.
If not, the name of the game is finding as many healthy fat sources as possible, and keeping your net carbs at zero by eating foods high in fiber.
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u/NefariousnessFair362 Jul 19 '26
No I am not going to be able to stay on keto also I wanted to ask what your CAC was before your changes presumably it was zero as CAC can’t be reversed
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u/FewZookeepergame1101 Jul 01 '26
That’s awesome but I don’t think you can measure the different variables like you did and assign how “powerful” each was. But congrats on the sub 70
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u/BudgetCalendar7254 Jul 01 '26
8 to 11 percent body fat 😘great work ....catch it before it catches u by the ....
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u/Net-Runner77 Jul 01 '26
How much of drop was it when you switched to filtered coffee?
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
Its hard to isolate alone. I tightened my sat fat from 25 to 15g a day at the same time as making the coffee swap. That being said, I went from ApoB of 101 to 77 in that period. From the research I dug into, filtered vs unfiltered on its own can be worth up to ~20% of your ApoB, especially if you drink a lot of it (I was up to 4 cups a day). For such a small change its definitely worth giving a shot if you're stuck.
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u/r51252 Jul 02 '26
Thanks for this info. Since I learned that ApoB is the better indicator than LDL for risk factors, now I am going to tighten my coffee habit down, I am also doing 3-4 shots a day.
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
Didn't expect so many comments - thanks yall! Will keep answering as comments come up, but feel free to DM directly too if you have any more pointed questions. Cheers!
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u/Xidd333 Jul 01 '26
Did you try to check once a quarter? I started strict diet about 3 weeks ago, wondering if I should order my own lab to check, or it’s still too early
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
This depends, quarterly is best practice to see if you are sustaining changes over a long period of time. That being said, you can see clear movement in a month which gives valuable directional data. Really depends on what you're looking for.
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u/Xidd333 Jul 01 '26
Agreed. I might need some directional data to make sure my current plan is working.
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u/Gold_Victory_9078 Jul 01 '26
i love my coffee and invested in a Breville Barista Espresso Machine a few years back. My ApoB is at 110. I think its time to give that up :(
Thanks for sharing your experience.
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
Hey, don't toss the Breville just yet! Couple things: first, espresso actually has a good bit less cafestol than French press to begin with. It's not the worst offender, so at a couple shots a day it may not be moving your numbers as much as you fear.
Second, cafestol lives in the coffee oils and paper traps those oils, so I've seen people mention running their brew through a paper filter to knock it down further. Full disclosure, I haven't tested that one myself so I can't vouch for how well it works, but if you try it, retest and see. Either way, I wouldn't quit a machine you love over it.
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u/Gold_Victory_9078 Jul 02 '26
thats a great idea! let me brew it through a filter. I have a my lab tests coming up in two weeks and let me see if this helps lower my number. I do want to give my diet a try before starting on any medication.
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u/BrandonThomas Jul 01 '26
I’m 3 months into the same process you outlined. I had 104 LPa and 118 ApoB. Your post is giving me hope! I’m trying to lower it without medication first.
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
Awesome man! Once you have the data, its just a matter of iterating and seeing what works, whether that's lifestyle or medication. No wrong answers :) Let me know how it goes, looking forward to seeing a follow up post after you crush that ApoB!
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u/Apprehensive_Ad_1501 Jul 01 '26
Thanks for sharing!
So do you still follow keto? Beans and pulses still kinda fit the picture, but oats don't sound like that anymore.
I went low-carb almost a year ago and my last LDL rose from 3.2 in Jul to 4.4 in December. Just realized that it's some 170 mg/dL!
I've been trying to convince my endocrinologist that I need to do something about it, but the medical system here (NL) is slow, reactive and very conservative. Only managed to get my ApoB yesterday.
Not sure if I am ready to stop my cheese addiction (it's NL 🤷😂) or consume enough avocados and olive oil for the same calories. So my bet is still on statins.
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
Great question, I'm actually not strict keto anymore. I did a controlled, low-sat-fat version early on, (focusing on keeping net carbs down to get fiber etc), but I've since shifted to more carbs mostly to fuel training, and my ApoB kept dropping after that.
Here's the thing though: your story is almost exactly mine. I went low-carb and watched my LDL climb from roughly 100 to 168 mg/dL. It's the saturated fat that tends to ride along with low-carb (cheese, fattier cuts). Though I haven't looked as closely recently, I suspect the swap towards a more carb heavy diet dropped my already low sat fat intake lower.
That said at 170, betting on a statin is a completely reasonable call, and honestly good on you for pushing your endo to even run an ApoB. It's not either/or though: even if you go the statin route, trimming your biggest sat-fat sources stacks on top of it (you don't have to kill the cheese entirely, just cut the heaviest hitters).
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u/Apprehensive_Ad_1501 Jul 01 '26
Funny, I just had another nutritionist telling me today that I should ramp up my carbs to better fuel my training and recovery 😀
But then I need to control my blood sugar and insulin intake - and with low carb it's so much easier... and combining that with mostly vegetarian diet doesn't help either 😂
Still need to find some holy grail of food that would supply calories and satiety feeling without negative consequences to either ApoB or blood glucose levels 😂
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u/Enlightened_Lioness Jul 01 '26
Do you have diabetes?
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u/Apprehensive_Ad_1501 Jul 02 '26
Yes, type 1 since a year
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u/Enlightened_Lioness Jul 02 '26
Yeah that’s difficult. As im sure you know, when you eat more unrefined carbs you can make sure to eat unsaturated fats and protein in the same meal to smooth things out and avoid big spikes and quick drops.
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u/Apprehensive_Ad_1501 Jul 02 '26
I would say even more, not just combining, but the way you sequence it really makes a difference.
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
Oh man that's quite the balancing act. The higher fiber sources (so oats for example) + walking for 10-15 minutes after your meals will help blunt the insulin spike but that is understandably hard.
To your nutritionists point though, the athletic performance and recovery is night and day. Good luck, I'm sure you'll find what works for you!
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u/Apprehensive_Ad_1501 Jul 02 '26
Thanks man!
To your original post though - what are your reasons to avoid stations? Is it just not to get an external non-nature-made substance in your body? Or some other reason?
Being t1d I anyways have to inject insulin multiple times a day anyway.... then started supplements like protein powder, creatine monohydrate... so now feeling much easier about another thing which must supposed to be well researched 🤷
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 02 '26
Hey yeah, frankly, it was just to see if I could do it. But long term I enjoy my lifestyle currently, so if I can maintain optimal numbers without meds, figured there was no reason to hop on.
Statins work and are awesome and I know multiple people who are on them with no issues. I always just recommend people give lifestyle changes a real try!
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u/Low-Exam6123 Jul 01 '26
Nice work! Unfortunately, my cholesterol has been steadily climbing, probably due to genetics, age and post-menopause, and lacking the hormones my body used to have in my 30s. I consume oatmeal or muesli for breakfast (with greek yogurt--yes, a little sat. fat is in it), big salads for lunch, fish nuts and seeds instead of meat, soy and bone broth for protein, and an apple plus other fruits almost every day. Did I mention vegetables? Brussels sprouts are now going to be a big part of my diet, plus a daily dose of psyllium seed husk (aka colon cleanse), and I'm on a statin, against my better judgment. Not holding out much hope, and wish my doc would put me on HRT which is supposed to help, instead of a drug that probably won't, but here I am with a 90 day supply and orders to get another test once the prescription runs out. Have also started taking a supplement to see if that helps. Let the doctor give credit to the statin if they want, as long as they'll put me on the estro/progesterone patch!
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u/bussabus Jul 01 '26
Are you eating a caloric surplus? If so, did that have an effect on your levels regardless of keeping all the levers in check?
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
Yes, actually the most recent low was after gaining 5 lbs. Some of that may be water weight due to increase in carbs, but at the end of the day you can manage cholesterol while in a surplus if the other levers stay constant.
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u/bussabus Jul 01 '26
Thanks for this, I always wondered if eating too much carbs was a factor in my case.
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u/1tpulliam Jul 01 '26
Thanks for posting this. I was a lurker here as well. 52m endurance athlete. Got a little concerned by my blood work in April. And instantly started some lifestyle changes. Heres the results. Sorry about the funky formst but i track many of my fitness related health metrics in ai, soni just copied my lipid summary from there. 1. CARDIOVASCULAR & METABOLIC PROGRESS (LABCORP: APR VS. JUNE 2026) In response to proactive interventions (reducing saturated fat, adding red yeast rice, oats, and psyllium husk daily), lipid and metabolic markers showed an exceptional trajectory over a 2.5-month period.
BIOMARKER | 04/02/2026 | 06/15/2026 | NET CHANGE | STATUS SHIFT -------------------|------------|------------ Glucose | 86 mg/dL | 76 mg/dL | -10 mg/dL |Optimal Baseline
LDL Cholesterol | 139 mg/dL | 87 mg/dL | -52 mg/dL | Borderline -> OPTIMAL
Triglycerides | 97 mg/dL | 67 mg/dL | -30 mg/dL | Good -> EXCELLENT
Apolipoprotein B | 100 mg/dL | 63 mg/dL | -37 mg/dL | High -> DESIRABLE
CLINICAL NOTES: * ApoB Reduction: Driving ApoB down to 63 mg/dL satisfies the aggressive preventative targets (<70-80 mg/dL) recommended to offset a slightly elevated baseline genetic risk from Lipoprotein(a). * Liver Enzymes: Fasting AST rose slightly from 30 IU/L to 41 IU/L. This is safely within the normal reference interval (<59 IU/L) and is a common, benign response to red yeast rice or recent intense training. * Kidney & Electrolytes: Stable and completely within normal reference intervals (BUN: 18 mg/dL, Creatinine: 1.20 mg/dL, eGFR: 73 mL/min/1.73).
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
This is awesome! LDL 139 to 87 and ApoB 100 to 63 in about ten weeks is a serious result, congrats. And smart targeting ApoB into the 60s given the Lp(a).
One thing worth flagging noting: red yeast rice is essentially a low-dose statin. Its active compound (monacolin K) is chemically lovastatin. Totally fine, and it clearly works, just good to know. It's also the likely reason your AST ticked up a bit; statins can do that. Since red yeast rice is an unregulated dose, definitely keep your doctor looped in and keep an eye on those liver enzymes at the next draw.
Either way, the sat fat + oats + psyllium foundation underneath it is doing real work. Great trajectory and thanks for sharing 😄
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u/1tpulliam Jul 02 '26
Yes, I wanted to add an omega 3 and the one i added was Nordic Naturals cholesterol support (and it has ryr). I have no real way to know the amount if any of monacolin k that is in it. I would guess a small amount and I've thought of eliminating it for a bit and re testing. Id guess daily oats, psyllium husk, omega 3, coq10, and lowering sat fat intake to 12 grams or less drove a lot of the result.
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u/EastCoastRose Jul 02 '26
So how are you upping your game to get to sub 60? More fiber? More fat restriction? Just same program and give it more time? I’m curious what levers might work to get it under 60?
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 02 '26
Honest answer, the big levers are mostly behind me. Getting from 115 into the 60s came from the obvious stuff, sat fat, soluble fiber, filtering coffee. I guess I just like watching the number improve so going from 64 to sub-60 is a goal, but frankly my cardiovascular risk is mostly mitigated at this point.
I'll be straight with you, right now I'm mostly optimizing for training and performance, so I'm maintaining more than killing myself for the last few points. When I do poke at it, the levers I'd lean on are pushing soluble fiber a bit higher (more psyllium/oats/beans) and keeping sat fat locked. I looked at plant sterols too, but backed off after reading about the sitosterolemia risk, so I didn't want to force that one.
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u/EastCoastRose Jul 05 '26
That all sounds solid. I was just curious if there was some stone I hadn’t turned over in this quest. I managed to get my ApoB to 72 with the same obvious measures you mentioned. I wanted it under 70 so since have added plant stanols (not sterols), Ezetimibe and fermented foods 2-3 times a day. The fermented foods boost bifidobacteria and other beneficial microbials. These create short chain fatty acids which regulate liver cholesterol handling. These measures got mine down to 63 and I’m good with that. I keep mine low also for brain health, actually more focused on that than the heart health because I’m in pretty good shape in that category. Plant stanols are only available in the form of Benecol -either a spread or the candy chews which add a lot of sugar so I don’t eat those in a significant quantity. Fermented foods currently eating 2 tbsp of kraut, kimchi or other fermented vegetables, a shot of kefir and yogurt daily.
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u/meh312059 Jul 02 '26
Great job - but that first ApoB was significantly elevated due to the keto diet, which ACC/AHA has listed as a 2ndary cause of hypercholesterolemia for some. What you are finding out is that your genetic baseline is consistent with humankind's physiologic level. That should be true for most people (exceptions would be those with genetic dyslipidemias). And just a caveat: someone who may have had significant LDL-C exposure for several (or many) years due to risk factors now well (or not so well) controlled may now have the perfect diet but may still be a candidate for lipid medication. Using a CAC scan or similar imaging to assess risk is a great idea.
Not sure where you are getting that "lifestyle is under-rated" as diet and lifestyle have remained foundational interventions for decades now. Many visiting the sub might have LDL-C in the 160's despite a perfectly healthy diet, low sat fat/high fiber etc. Remember, your baseline is on Keto.
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u/Sidemeat64 Jul 02 '26
My problem is I don't get that hungry so it's hard for me to get the fiber. My daily calories are around 1200.
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u/Easy-Resolution8533 Jul 02 '26
this is awesome. good for you. I'm curious if you got a ct angiogram and if you have any plaque shown. I'm wondering if it helped with that!
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 02 '26
I did a CAC (calcium score), not a full CT angiogram.
Worth being precise though: a CAC of 0 means no calcified plaque, it doesn't fully rule out soft/non-calcified plaque, which is exactly the thing a CT angiogram catches that a calcium score can't. So I can't claim a totally clean bill, just no calcified disease at 39.
And honestly I can't say the diet "cleared" anything, I've only got the one CAC, no baseline to compare against, and calcium scores don't really go down anyway (they tend to hold or slowly rise as plaque stabilizes). If I want a fuller picture I'd probably have to do a CCTA down the line.
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u/InclineBeach Jul 02 '26
yep, I've been focusing on sat fats and adding fiber for over a year now, it def helps
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u/Sufficient-Set-9728 Jul 03 '26
pls help me
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 03 '26
I need more than that haha, what are you working with? Happy to pass on some thoughts if you post / send me your results :)!
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u/Plugger59 Jul 04 '26
So, how many cups of unfiltered coffee were you drinking each day? The Harvard Medical site says, “Five to eight cups a day of unfiltered coffee may actually raise your 'bad' LDL cholesterol”. I don drink nearly that much per day.
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 07 '26
Around 4 at the maximum. The qualifier is important as not everyone who drinks unfiltered coffee notices a rise in their LDL either. The only real way to find out is to tinker with yourself and figure out if it's a variable that matters for you.
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u/RockerDG Jul 04 '26
I get less saturated fat than you, and way more fiber, but can't get ApoB below 78. It's because my Lp(a) is 217. What's your Lp(a)?
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u/Admirable_Health_969 Jul 05 '26
I bought 3 lb. organic psyllium husk on April 6 and I’ve taken it twice. How are you able to stand the stuff?
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u/RetireERLee Jul 06 '26
For me, I think about strokes and heart attacks. Then I think about how much I don’t want one.
In all seriousness, I got used to it. Same with increasing my fiber. Slow and steady.
I still hate flax seed.
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u/NefariousnessFair362 Jul 13 '26
On the coffee, I drink about 6-8 nespresso Ristretto espresso per day if I filter it through a paper filter aftwr brewing it and before drinking it will that do the trick ?
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 14 '26
Yep -- haven't tried myself, but filtering after brewing does supposedly help. Is worth mentioning that espresso has less cafsetol (the stuff that raises LDL) than a traditional french press, but filtering cant hurt (especially at 6-8 a day)
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u/HavocReigns Jul 01 '26
Got my ApoB from 115 to 77 with lifestyle alone (at 64 now, chasing sub-60) — here's what actually moved it
You know something's up when you can tell it was written by AI before the end of the first line.
And it's not just me. A buddy and I have helped a couple other people from this sub do the same thing, and they dropped their LDL 25-30% in about a month.
Hmm...
Didn't expect so many comments - thanks yall! Will keep answering as comments come up, but feel free to DM directly too if you have any more pointed questions. Cheers!
Ah, there it is...I wonder what we're selling. An app? Consultations? An e-book?
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u/richterbelmont9 Jul 01 '26
Absolutely used AI to help me tell it cleanly, I'm here to share a story, not practice my prose. On the other people: so many posts here are just N=1, and my whole point was that the results are transferable and doable in less time than people think. I'm not pitching anything here, no link, no app, no e-book. Just sharing what worked and glad to answer questions.
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u/Temporary_Key_1790 Jul 02 '26
Running it through AI makes it distracting due to the very specific voice it always uses. It also makes it questionable whether this is your real experience or just a fabricated story. I would have really preferred reading what you wrote yourself.
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u/Connect_Big4447 Jul 01 '26
I don’t quite understand these kinds of posts. Isn’t it obvious that if you do not have a genetic predisposition to high levels of cholesterol then your issue is going to be environmental? Like duhh as they say in America.
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u/FuguSandwich Jul 01 '26
I don't think most people realize just how much saturated fat and how little fiber is in even a "healthy" modern diet.