All this and . . . high cholesterol too

OK - Who's bored with my bragging about how HEALTHY I ate last year? It's true. Aside from the obligatory biscuits and gravy I scarfed down (repeatedly) in West Virginia, I ate a diet high in fiber, fruits and veggies and low in fat and carbs. I'm putting myself to sleep just writing about this.

So doesn't it follow that my cholesterol would be at its lowest in history? I went in this week for my routine annual physical with my GP and just received the results from my blood test. My cholesterol is nearly 50% higher than it was a year ago. (Except for the "good cholesterol" - that's gone down.)

What the ****? How could this have happened?

And then I remembered the "special diet" that I've been on for the last month. In an effort to pack on the pounds, I've said "bring on the fat." I indulge in half-and-half in my coffee. I suck down Vietnamese French-pressed coffee with sweetened condensed milk. I add half-and-half to the rich homemade soups that friends have made. I slather butter on my bread with abandon. I gulp down 2% instead of non-fat milk. I shovel down cookies made with real butter; dips made with sour cream and mayo; and desserts topped with butter-cream frosting. And let's not forget that chorizo.

It hasn't exactly paid off on the scales. I think I've gained a pound, and, apparently, that's from the thickening of my arteries, not my waistline.

So now I'm back to healthy eating with daily supplements of calorie-boosting Ensure. The high-fat diet was fun while it lasted.

Clarification: My cholesterol was so low last year (good genes) that, even with a big jump, I'm still in the "borderline" category.