Fats, red meats and cheese do not raise your cholesterol or triglycerides. Sugar, white flour, white rice, white mashed potatoes, white hominy, white bread .... now THESE will raise your cholesterol, lead to diabetes, and contribute to weight problems. First thing, you need to do some reading about lowcarb and cholesterol to ease your mind, ok??
Click here to open our Cholesterol and Heart Disease message list, which is in the Health Issues forum.... Lots of encouraging messages and testimony from members whose cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure all went down with lowcarbing, and they all ate red meat and fat!
Next, it would be good for you to check out our Tips pages (just click on Tips on the red bar at the top of this page). Especially read Lowcarb Basics, and Frequently Asked Questions.
Dr. Atkins has published his New Diet Revolution in 1992, and it is quite different from the original back in the 70s, I know because I did the original back in the 70s too ..
.. You are allowed more carbs now, more salad and more cooked veggies like broccoli and asparagus. Check your public library to see if they have a copy of his Newer book; he also explains a bit how the diet will help to improve your cholesterol.
The important thing is that it's sugar and carbs that make your cholesterol worse, so remember that when you have the urge to cheat ..
.. Sticking faithfully to lowcarb program will bring your levels down, and very likely you will be able to get off the Lipitor --- make frequent follow-up visits with your doctor, to have your cholesterol checked. That would be great wouldn't it??
Keep us posted of your progress
Doreen