Down 28 lbs, but my LDL jumped — anyone else?

Same thing here. Down 31 lbs, LDL 104 to 149. My trigs dropped too. My doctor said losing fat releases stored cholesterol, but I never found a study.

Did you change your fat sources? I went from olive oil and avocado to more cheese and butter for protein, and mine spiked.

Not necessarily fat sources for everyone. I dropped 40 lbs on mostly low-fat and my LDL still climbed. What moved it back for me was time: about 8 weeks after I stopped being in a deficit, it fell from 151 to 121. Trigs stayed low. I think active fat loss can mess with the numbers temporarily, but I wouldn’t ignore 142 either. Did your doctor run ApoB or just standard panel?

My LDL did the opposite. Lost 22 lbs, LDL 130 to 105. Only difference was I kept saturated fat under 10g most days.

I’d kill for those trigs and A1c numbers. My A1c never budges until I sleep better.

I’m a woman in my 40s and my lipids bounced all over during a 35 lb loss. LDL peaked around week 20, then settled by month 7. What helped me track it was getting the same lab every 3 months, fasting, same time of cycle. One high reading during a deficit isn’t a trend. But if ApoB stays high after weight stabilizes, that’s a different conversation. What does your maintenance plan look like? I kept losing for 4 more months before I leveled off, and only then did the repeat panel look normal.

Same time of cycle matters a lot. Mine swings 20 points between follicular and luteal.

Did your protein go from low to 140g? That often means more dairy/meat, which can push LDL in some people.

Kept it mostly whey and chicken and the number still went up.

Did your thryoid labs change? Mine shifted around week 12 and my LDL moved with them.

I think the confusing part is that weight loss improves trigs and A1c fast, but LDL can lag or even rise while fat is mobilizing. I saw LDL go 96 to 135 during a 30 lb cut, then back to 108 at maintenance. I wouldn’t change everything based on one panel. But I’d ask for ApoB and maybe a repeat in 8-12 weeks. Are you still losing, or close to goal? For me the peak came right when I was losing fastest, around 1.5 lbs a week. It was definately frustrating.

Down 21 lbs back in 2023 and my LDL did the same thing — 92 to 138 — while my trigs dropped about 40 points. Mine came back to 104 roughly 10 weeks after my loss slowed to under a pound a week, eating basically the same food. The part that surprised me: my LDL tracked my rate of loss more than my diet. Weeks I dropped 2+ lbs it ran higher, plateau weeks it settled down. When you're burning fat that fast, stored cholesterol gets dumped into circulation and the number gets weird for a while. Since both your trigs and A1c moved the right direction, the overall picture is improving. Did your doctor run ApoB or a particle count? That told me way more than plain LDL did, and it's a better thing to watch at your next draw than reacting to this one.

142 at 19 weeks in would've wrecked my mood too. The sneaky lever for me was where my protein came from — I hit 140g by leaning hard on cheese, whole Greek yogurt, eggs, and butter-cooked everything, and when I finally logged saturated fat I was sitting at 26-30g a day without realizing it. I kept protein identical but shifted to chicken, tuna, cottage cheese, and whey, cooked with olive oil, got sat fat under 12g, and my LDL fell about 30 points over the next 12 weeks. Fiber type matters too — you're already at 30g total, but soluble specifically (oats, beans, psyllium) is the kind that binds bile acids. Worth logging two weeks of saturated fat before assuming it's purely the weight loss.

Mine jumped 40 points mid-loss then dropped back under my starting number at month 8. Bodies are so weird.

One thing I never expected: two draws three weeks apart during a rough sleep stretch (5-6 hrs, new job) came back 19 points different on identical food. Also worth checking you're genuinely fasted 12+ hours and well hydrated, since I was mildly dehydrated at one draw and everything lookd worse. I'd retest in 8 weeks instead of reacting to a single snapshot.

Mine tracked with my sleep, wirdly — bad weeks, LDL up. Any chance you're under-recovered?

Similar height and timeline here. For me it was the food swaps, not the loss — I traded my afternoon Greek yogurt for cheese and nuts to hit protein, and over 12 weeks LDL crept up 22 points while my waist dropped 2 inches. Went back to yogurt plus oatmeal and an apple most days, and it slid back down by the next draw. Worth actually logging what lnds on your plate versus the macro totals.

Not labs, but my ring size dropped a full size before the scale moved much. Bodies are so weird.

LDL is such a diva. Mine spikes every time I add mileage, then settles once my body catches up.

Mine went the same direction and it scared me more than the scale ever did. 5'6", 201 to 172 over about 22 weeks, LDL was 96 in January, hit 138 at week 17, 131 at week 22, then settled at 112 by month 3 of maintenance. What changed in maintenance: I stopped eating in a deficit (added roughly 300-400 cal, mostly carbs around lifting), sleep went from 5.5 to 7 hours, and I quit weighing food daily. Trigs and A1c also improved for me while LDL climbed, so my NP wasn't worried, but I still pushed for a repeat draw at 8 weeks instead of waiting a year. One draw during active loss is a snapshot, not a verdict. Are you planning a repeat at maintenance or sooner?

Sleep wrecked mine more than food did — two weeks under 6 hours and my LDL read 20 points higher on the same diet.

Mine swings 18 points between draws with nothing different except hydration and how close the draw was to leg day.

Honestly I'd slow down and re-draw before blaming the weight loss itself. My climb happened during the steepest stretch — 2 lbs a week, which is fast at our size — and when I dropped to 1 lb a week with protein and fat held steady, the next draw came back 24 points lower. Not saying that's your story, just that rate of loss is a variable worth watching.

Same thing hit me around week 16 — LDL 104 to 137 while trigs dropped from 130 to 88. For me the culprit was "healthy" fats: I was basically living on full-fat Greek yogurt, cheese, and a giant spoon of almond butter, and when I actually weighed and logged for two weeks I was at 34g saturated fat a day without realizing it. Swapped to 0% yogurt, cut cheese to an ounce, kept the nuts but weighed them, and my next draw 11 weeks later was 112. The part that kept me sane was my trigs/HDL ratio improving the whole time. Worth logging your real saturated fat for a week before you assume the weight loss itself did it.

Congratulations on 28 pounds — that is a lot of steady work. One thing I would examine in your logs is saturated fat, not just total fat or protein. My LDL rose from 96 to 134 while trigs and A1c improved, and the main change was leaning on cheese, butter, and coconut oil to hit protein. When I swapped some of those for fish, tofu, beans, and olive oil, my next draw came down. Did your fat sources shift during those 19 weeks, even while staying whole-food? I now track weekly averages for saturated fat alongside protein and fiber, and it explains more of my LDL pattern than weight change alone.

mine did the same around month 4. what got me was late-night “whole food” snacking while grinding ranked — cheese, nuts, protein shakes — so sat fat crept up even tho trigs/a1c dropped. also i’d lifted like 36h before the draw and wasn’t truly fasted, which can swing ldl for me. did your sat fat or late-night snacks change while you pushed protein? and was it a clean fasting draw?

Honestly, Nice work on 28 — that consistency is no joke. One thing I’d track for a week: saturated fat, since it often creeps up when we push protein. My LDL did a similar rise while trigs dropped, and I realized I’d gone hard on cheese, whey, and fatty meats. I just logged saturated fat grams alongside protein and leaned more on fish, tofu, olive oil, nuts, and psyllium. Did your protein sources or fat choices shift around the time of these labs? Also, were you fasted? Curious if it’s a pattern worth watching on your next panel.

Budget dorm angle: when I was hitting 140g protein via dining-hall eggs, cheese omelets, and whey (cheap, sad, effective), my trigs dropped but LDL crept up. Once I actually tracked saturated fat and swapped a few meals to tuna packets, beans, and chicken breast, my next draw looked less cursed. Sharp Q: did your protein sources shift while calories dropped — more cheese/eggs/whey/beef, less fish/legumes? Also, was that draw truly fasted? My “fasted” dorm labs were sometimes after a 6am lift and coffee, which I’m sure my cholesterol loved.

Mine did something similar around month 5, and what I hadn’t tracked was fasting vs. non-fasting. My “bad” draw was 14 hours fasted after a heavy lifting day and a very high-fat dinner; repeat 6 weeks later was 20 points lower. Not saying that’s your case, but I’d look at draw conditions before panicking. Also, are you still losing at the same rate? For me, LDL was wonkiest during the steepest loss and settled once I held weight for a month.

Same pattern here, but timing mattered: LDL 105→138 when I was down ~24 lb and losing about 1.5 lb/week. A repeat 10 weeks later, with loss slowed way down, came back 116. Trigs/A1c stayed improved the whole time. I now log labs next to my weekly weight average, not just the day-of number. Were your labs drawn mid-loss or after a plateau? That comparison might be more useful than one scary draw. Not saying ignore it — mine just looked different once I lined it up with loss rate.

yo this happened to me around month 4 too — trigs/a1c looked great but ldl did the opposite. for me it wasn’t total fiber, it was soluble fiber. i was hitting 30g+ but mostly from berries/chia/veg; once i started logging oats, beans, and psyllium separately, the ldl trend finally made sense. also my “lean protein” phase was sneaky high in sat fat from protein bars + way too much coconut oil. did your labs include apoB or just standard panel? asking because ldl alone drove me nuts until i saw the broader picture. not a doc, just a nerd with a spreadsheet and too many late-night soda swaps.

For what it's worth, Something that doesn’t get mentioned much: LDL often looks weird mid-loss because you’re actively mobilizing stored cholesterol. Mine went 105→139 around month 5, then back to 112 once my weight was stable for ~3 months. If you’re still dropping ~1.5 lb/wk, I’d consider tht the “loss phase” number, not your forever number. Did your doctor rerun a non-HDL or ApoB? That gave me a clearer picture than LDL alone when trigs were already good.

Did your labs happen right after a hard cut week? Mine jumped similarly around month 4, and my blind spot was soluble fiber, not total. I was hitting 30g mostly from veggies/chia but only ~3g soluble. I added 1/2 cup cooked oats and 1/2 cup black beans daily (still fit my cals) and rechecked after 8 weeks; LDL came down ~25 pts. Also, I had switched to more coconut oil/lean beef for protein, which I didn't think counted as "high sat fat." Worth checking your soluble fiber and cooking fats separately?

I’m the weirdo who keeps a spreadsheet of labs, and my LDL did the same around month 4–5 back in 2023. What finally explained it for me was the timing: my LDL was highest on draws during a steep deficit, then settled by month 8 once loss slowed. Past threads called it the “LDL rebound” phase — not saying that’s you, but I wish I’d tracked rate of loss alongside each draw. How fast have you been dropping lately? That’s the variable I overlooked for months.

28 lbs in 19 weeks is seriously impressive — don’t lose sight of that. One thing I’d ask: was your LDL calculated from the standard panel or directly measured? Mine looked much worse on calculated LDL right as my trigs dropped, and my doctor also looked at non-HDL/ApoB, which was calmer. Were you losing fast (like >1.5 lb/week) at the time of the draw? My lipids were weird during active loss and settled once I held steady for a few weeks. Not saying that’s your case, but it helped me stop panicking over one number.

Was your LDL calculated (Friedewald) or direct? Mine did the same around a similar loss, but non-HDL and ApoB were flat/improving while calculated LDL looked ugly. When trigs drop, the math can make LDL look worse depending on total cholesterol shifts. If you have ApoB or non-HDL on the same labs, that’s the number I’d track before changing the whole system.

Not a doc, but my labs trolled me too: LDL looked highest right after a rapid loss stretch + a heavy leg day + being kinda dehydrated. Recheck 6 weeks later, same food, it dropped ~25 pts. Were both draws fasted, same lab, and not the moning after lifting? Also dorm hack that helped me vary protein without more cheese/eggs: savory oats with cottage cheese + frozen spinach. Sounds cursed, tastes like green lasagna-ish mush. Cheap, high protein, and my fiber actually hit 30g that day.

Night shift here. My LDL jumped too, but it was partly lab noise. One draw was non-fasting at a different lab. Direct LDL vs calculated can differ a lot. Check your reports. Also look at saturated fat, not just protein grams. I was hitting 140g with cheese, butter, fatty beef. LDL dropped after I swapped to chicken, fish, Greek yogurt, whey. Trigs/A1c stayed good. Were both labs fasting and same lab? If not, don't panic yet. That's the first thing I'd verify.

Was that LDL direct or calculated? My labs only report calculated LDL, and when my trigs fell from ~130 to ~90, the Friedewald number jumped about 18 points even though a direct LDL later was basically flat. Since the formula subtracts TG/5, improving trigs can make calculated LDL look worse by math alone. In the trials they usually use direct or ApoB for this reason. If your report shows direct/nMR LDL, that might be the cleaner trend to follow. Did yours specify?

hi—brand new here, only week one, so I’m mostly lurking and learning. Congrats on 28 lbs, that’s amazing. One thing I’m curious about: was that LDL from a fasting draw? I had a non-fasting lab once that looked scary, then a fasting recheck was much closer to my usual. Also, did your saturated fat change at all when you pushed protein? I’m trying to track that now because I leaned harder on cheese/eggs and my numbers felt different. Not saying that’s your case—just wondering if you’d looked at those two things. Wishing you luck with your doctor!

one thing i track: when i pushed protein with lots of eggs/cheese/beef, my ldl crept up while trigs/a1c dropped. my soda swap was easy (mostly water now), but my “whole food” fats were sneaky—half & half in 3 cold brews, cheese on everything. i started logging saturated fat separately and it lined up with my ldl. did your protein sources or dairy/coffee creamer change around that draw? also curious if anyone checked your apob/lp(a), since my doc cares more about those than plain ldl.

Congratulations on the 28 pounds and the improved trigs and A1c — that is real progress. One thing I would track before worrying too much is saturated fat and soluble fiber, not just total protein. When I was hitting a high protein target, my LDL drifted up because I leaned on cheese, fatty meats, and protein shakes, while my oats and beans slipped. I only noticed by comparing weekly averages from my food log against my labs. Did your protein sources or dairy intake change alongside the weight loss? That might be a more useful next data point than the LDL number alone.

welcome and congrats on 28 lbs! I’m new here too, only week one, so I don’t have labs yet. One thing I’ve been tracking is where my protein comes from, because when I cleaned up my diet before, my LDL seemed to follow my saturated fat more than my total fat. Did your 140g protein shift toward more eggs, cheese, or red meat while you were losing? Or mostly chicken/fish/shakes? I’m jst curious because your trigs and A1c improving sounds really encouraging. Sorry if that’s a dumb question—still learning!

My LDL did the same little betrayal around week 20, then chilled out by my next draw. Bodies, man.