how hard (and easy) it is with FH

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The hardest parts are the lifestyle changes needed.

Here is a summary of my lifestyle, ie more general information on why I do what I do.

I think that the two major problem areas are diet and exercise. I often find it hard to stick to a low fat, low cholesterol diet and to exercise at least 30 minutes a day.

If I was a hermit, it would be easier as there is no social eating to deal with, or the time constraints of caring for others. However, being a hermit can be lonely, which can bring its own problems of mental illness which then leads to poor lifestyle choices. 

Dieting alone is not the best way to be healthy. You must exercise to preserve muscle mass, and the heart is the most important muscle you have to save as a person with high cholesterol. A lean and toned body also makes life easier as you carry out daily tasks with more ease, and your quality of life will be better.

The three groups I divide my exercise regime into are; incidental (the movements you naturally make as you go about your day), aerobic (the heart pumping, fast breathing kind of exercise), anaerobic exercise ( which mainly consists of strength training, though HIIT, sprinting can also be included), and stretching exercise (to keep your body limber and flexible).

The best thing I can advise is to always work up a sweat and get the heart pumping for 30 minutes a day. I do this by taking a brisk walk or two every day. (My smartphone has an inbuilt pedometer and its factory setting tells me to aim for at least 6000 steps a day.) Occasionally, I jog a bit. 

I can also achieve a good exercise session in my bedroom or tv room by doing bodyweight exercises. This includes but are not limited to doing push ups, sit ups, squats, burpees, planks, dumbbell lifting, step exercises, doing yoga-inspired stretches.

Since 2025, I have achieved a totally low-fat vegan diet.

The basics of nutrition and diet:

Evidenced, researched and tested dietary and nutritional advice is what you must rely on to guide your daily habits. Basically, not all foods are created equal. Some foods have a lot of calories but few nutritional qualities, whilst other foods are nutritional without the empty calories. A diet that is balanced in the calories that you take in and the calories that you spend in activities means your weight will stay the same. Put simply, to lose weight, you must eat less calories than you burn off. To gain weight, you eat more calories than you burn off. Always aim to eat nutritionally dense foods, with plenty of fibre, and avoid processed foods.

Things to avoid:

Saturated fats

Trans fats

Cholesterol

Salt

Sugar

Additives like preservatives, colours and flavours.

Things to eat more of:

Foods of all different colours, as each colour has a different nutritional quality, these include red, purple, green, white and yellow.

Plenty of vegetables, legumes, fruits, wholegrains (where the bran and germs are both used), lean and mostly plant-based proteins (I am promoting the best diet in my opinion, which is a vegan one). Choose or create complete proteins (where all 9 amino acids that the human body cannot produce and must derive from food are present). Tofu, some types of mushrooms, and a combination of legumes or lentils with whole grains are examples of complete proteins. Plant-based, low fat and calcium-fortified milks are great options to keep in pace with your calcium needs. A small number of nuts and seeds are also needed.

When choosing one product over another, pick low fat, low sugar and low salt options.

Organic, local and seasonal foods are excellent choices.

I watch my waistline and BMI carefully. The most dangerous fat is visceral fat, this is the fat that is located around your belly, and corresponds to how much fat surrounds your organs, the most important of which for an FH sufferer is the heart. If you hold up your fist, your heart is about the same size as your fist. The heart is not big, in this respect, so you don’t want it to be overwhelmed by fat.

Keeping a healthy BMI and waist circumference, when in combined with a good diet and enough exercise will keep your body functioning at an optimum level. I always try to cook everything I eat for myself and weigh myself daily. I aim to get my BMI down to the middle of the healthy spectrum. Drinking water, sleeping well, and staying positive are also important.