cholesterol question - help!

[nurseygirl]

Hi all,
I'm 38yo, and went on Atkins 3.5 months ago to lose weight and help with insomnia. I lost 10# on induction, and pretty much haven't budged since then. I am currently owl-ing and at rung 5.
My main concern is that my cholesterol is CRAZY. I've never had a problem with it, and got it checked four weeks ago. My numbers were Total Chol 239/Triglyc 40/HDL 83/LDL 149. I talked with my internist, and she said to get a direct LDL. I did that last week, and just got the results today -
Total is 287/ TG 62/HDL 78/ LDL direct 224!!! SCARY . I am a nurse, and I'm not sure what to do.
I recently re-started exercising and am jogging about three times a week.
Any advice? I am convinced of the efficacy of this way of eating. My insomnia is much improved, but I was under the impression that it would be helpful, in general, to cholesterol. I am not sure what to do next.
This is my first post ever, so I'm not sure how to post stats, but here they are:
SW181
CW171
GW150
5'8"

Thanks for any input!
Julie

[phil h]

Total choles-doesn't mean anything, trig-outstanding, HDL -again outstanding, LDL-depends.Was this a VAP test? Were the LDL the larger, harmless fluffy type or the potentially dangereous very low density lipoproteins? I would tend to think with a very low trig level, the majority would be the harmless type LDL's.Unless you have a VAP test, it is guess work.

[msanjelpie]

I've read that upon starting Atkins the numbers can go up, so we aren't supposed to get tested until the 6 mos mark...

[sallyseachange]

I'd ditto what Phil says. Did you fast for 12 hours before your test? That's important and often not specified by docs.

There is a cholesterol forum here which might be helpful to you: High Blood Pressure/Cholesterol - Atkins Diet

Keep us posted and, by the way... Welcome!