6 weeks ago my dr put me on Effexor XR for GAD and Depression. One of its common side effects is lose of appetite, although that he switched me from Diltiazem to Norvasc but blood pressure is great now. I don't think that the reason for that is the switching from one med to another CCB, but the lose of appetite makes me eat healthy. I drink no more soda, I don't eat refined sugar products, I don't eat bread, rice, pasta. Most importantly I don't eat fast food and I eat a lot of fruit.
That is what really got my blood pressure down. I'm weaning myself off Effexor XR, because of the many bad side effects. But I will continue with my great diet to keep that bp down.
By the way, I have lost 10 pounds but it had no effect on my readings. Few years ago I was slim and my bp was high so I guess that weight lose doesn't do much for me. Anyway, I want be slim again . I need to lose about 20 pounds.
Thanks,
Michael
6 weeks ago my dr put me on Effexor XR for GAD and Depression. One of its common side effects is lose of appetite, although that he switched me from Diltiazem to Norvasc but blood pressure is great now. I don't think that the reason for that is the switching from one med to another CCB, but the lose of appetite makes me eat healthy. I drink no more soda, I don't eat refined sugar products, I don't eat bread, rice, pasta. Most importantly I don't eat fast food and I eat a lot of fruit.
That is what really got my blood pressure down. I'm weaning myself off Effexor XR, because of the many bad side effects. But I will continue with my great diet to keep that bp down.
By the way, I have lost 10 pounds but it had no effect on my readings. Few years ago I was slim and my bp was high so I guess that weight lose doesn't do much for me. Anyway, I want be slim again . I need to lose about 20 pounds.
Thanks,
Michael
I've read that BP drops 1 point (systolic) for every 2 pounds of weight. Some effects of weight loss and a radical change in diet may be more quickly apparent in your blood lipids. This should knock your total cholesterol and triglyceride levels down, as well as have a positive effect on you glucose levels.
With Lotrel, diet, exercise and weight loss, my BP is down significantly. My reading this morning, after exercise and before the medication was 100 / 62. However, I get readings in the afternoon that might be as high as 139 / 85. I'm starting to believe there is an anxiety component in all of this, raising my BP each time before I take it. I've still go 50 pounds to go to be in a "normal" BMI range. Sometimes we have to remember the cliche "Rome wasn't built in a day". It took me many years to get to where I am, I should be patient about allowing 1 year to try and reverse the effects.
... I drink no more soda, I don't eat refined sugar products, I don't eat bread, rice, pasta. Most importantly I don't eat fast food and I eat a lot of fruit.
Way to go!
Sounds like you are well on the way to better health, and lower blood pressure levels.
You've said what you "don't" eat. If you don't mind saying, what makes up your current diet?
Sure, I eat red meat - bananas - peanuts - salad - fish and I drink coffee and milk. I have added eggs but I think it raised my bp by 5 points, not sure yet. I think that losing weight doesn't help in my case, but diet changes are doing a great job. sometimes I get readings like 123/72, 72 is not someting I have seen in many years .
health is a treasure and we should take care of our treasure, or someone will come and take it away from us .
Thanks,
Michael
I'm curious as to why you don't eat bread etc. In the Dash diet for HBP, bread etc are advished. In fact, I can't possibly eat all the bread group in the Dash diet.
I'm doing pretty well counting my calories & eating at least 3-5 veggies, 2 fruits, 3 servings of protein, 2 breads, 3 servings of fat, & 4 servings of the milk group. I limit my calories to 1200. Fam
Hearing how much of a difference your weight loss has made to your well being is truly inspiring. I will try to follow the suit and lose a few pounds. I know I need to. I'll have to choose between reducing the carbs (don't want to!) or the fruit sugars. I have to do more research. I would not have a problem eating less fruit!!!
It sounds as if your diet includes all food groups, which is great.
How is the 1200 calorie/day diet working out for you? Do you feel energetic?
I read an article about weight loss in one of the health newsletters last night. It cautioned people about the effects of an insufficient calorie intake for an extended period of time. When not enough nutrients is supplied to the body, it will not function properly. Are you sure you are getting enough calories every day?
Thanks , I really want lose weight because I have a torn cartilage in my right knee. The more weight I lose the better health I get and yes flowergirl when we lose weight, if we are already overweight, we feel great!!!. I want lose 30 pounds in the next 2 months so I guess it's a very difficult task, and I have one big problem. When I take Vitamin B Complex Supplements I get hungry all day long , I don't know why that happens. So I want reduce my food intake and exercise more to lose weight, but I think I will need supplements. Anyway, I take vitamin C, Omega 3, Zinc, Vitamin A and E and I want take B Complex but it makes me so hungry so I will not take it daily.
fam, I don't eat bread because the bread in Egypt contains a lot of salt . I think about 1 gram for each loaf (100 g). I can cook rice at home and also I can eat oats for carbs but I really want limit my carbs, and focus on protien and fruits.
I hope I can do this, my knee is killing me and I don't have health insurance to have the surgery. So wish me luck all .
Thanks,
Michael
By the way, I forgot to say that I stopped consuming refined sugar 2 days ago. Also in my diet I started adding some salt to my food and so far so good . I just took a great reading, 123/73 and heart rate is 81. Today I also have eaten some bread but it's not going to be in my diet.
Michael
I hope I can do this, my knee is killing me and I don't have health insurance to have the surgery. So wish me luck all .
Thanks,
Michael
Hey, Mike!
Seems like every time you solve a problem, another one pops up!? (kind of like the rest of us, huh?)
Have you ever tried rubbing a MSM Cream (Methylsulfonylmethane) all over and around your knee? My wife has experienced some success using on her bad knee. It allows her to power-walk each day with limited discomfort. Before the MSM Cream, the pain in her knee was preventing her from power-walking each day.
OTOH, I am looking forward to reading about your progress, with both your diet and your BP.
By the way....... if you are going to eat bread, EAT 100% WHOLE WHEAT!
Actually I do cardio exercises with no problems . My knee hurts me only when I do squats with weights and when wear bad shoes. I wear high shoes which makes me walk with no problems, also I wear knee support most of the time. I hope that there is a surgery for fixing that torn cartilage. My dr told me ignore the pain for now, if it persisted have an MRI done and come back to me. I think I will do that in few months .
By the way, I drink coffee and it has no effects on my BP. Now I take 2.5mg of Zebeta around 8 AM and 5mg of Norvasc around 8 PM.
I hope there is a small procedure to fix that torn cartilage.
Thanks,
Michael
Thanks for your concern. I sure would like to be able to eat more & lose but it just doesn't work like that way for me. I'm only 5'3" so I just don't that many calories. I tried the Dash diet but just couldn't tolerate more than two servings of the Bread group (got bloating & fatigue). Then there is the issue of my slow digestion which I think makes me absorb more calories.
Every article I've read says 1200 calories is the lowest one should go as far as diet as long as it is balanced & no food group is left out. I've taken two college level nutrition courses which have detailed ways to figure out how many calories one should take in whether trying to lose weight or maintain. Even with all my exercise, I just don't burn many calories.
Interestingly enough before I was 14yrs, I could eat anything I wanted & how much I wanted & couldn't gain an ounce if my life depended on it. I have two sons who are still like that in their 30's. They don't do much exercise either. So there is another factor in all this weight stuff.
I've never been one to go on crazy diets no matter how much I weighed. Losing weight is the only thing left for me to do to lower my blood pressure. Oh, I have much more energy when I eat less.
Fam
If you don't mind, how old are you?
I'm different, since I was a little kid when I eat more I put weight and when I eat less I lose weight. that's happening with me since I was just 10 years old. I have been never obese though, just overweight by 10 to 20 kg. I'm 186 cm, I guess it's like 6 feets, and I weight about 89 kg, about 187 pounds. My target weight is 78 kg, I know it's not easy but my diet seems to be great now.
I consume between 1,000 and 1,500 calories per day and burn between 2,400 and 3,000. I had sugar craving which caused me to eat donuts and drink soda, now I consume 0 g of refined sugar . I try to eat healthy at the same time, here is what I have eaten yesterday.
2 orange, 1 cup of coffee (sugar free), 1 cup of milk, aboud 100 g of red meat and 200 g of fish meat. I will start to limit my red meat intake because it has double the calories of the fish meat, maybe even more.
So far so good
Thanks,
Michael
I'm in my sixties so I just don't burn as many calories because of age. Because I am on a heavy dose of Labetalol (apha/beta blocker) I can't exercise at a heavy intensity. But I swim 1 1/4 hrs & walk for 1 hr plus ride my exercise bike for 1/2 hr.
I eat a vegetarian diet which I love. Yesterday I had a cup of navy beans with vegetable soup plus a Rueben sandwich (kraut & cheese on rye bread). For dessert I had a baked apple. I eat my main meal at breaksfast & then have a salad & 16 oz of milk plus yogurt for my evening meal. So yesterday, I had 7 vegetables, 2 fruits (orange juice was the other one), about three servings of protein & 4 servings of protein plus fat in the salad & on the sandwich. I drank about 10 glasses of fluid in the form of tea, juice, milk & plain filtered water. I have to drink extra water
because I'm on a diuretic which can cause Gout.
I make most of of my food except for bread etc. so that I can control what is in it & have it taste great. Fam
That's a great diet, I hope that I can do something similar to that. I exercise 3-4 times each week, although I have a dislocated shoulder and a torn cartilage in my knee. Each exercise session is between 45 and 60 minutes, I do cardio and weight training. With my current diet and medication I'm getting the best readings in the last 8 years .
Good luck,
Michael
Today I weight 15 pounds less than 2.5 month ago , actually I can't say that this is a very restrict diet. I just eliminated my fast food, my heart (chocolate), soda, rice and bread. In those 2.5 months I ate fast food 4 times only, I call this a great improvement
Michael
I would agree!!!! Congratulations and keep up the good work!!!! A 15 pound loss in 2.5 months is a very healthy rate to lose weight! When you lose less than 10 pounds per month, your body should be losing fat (not muscle), and the weight is much more likely to stay "lost".
One of the very best things we can do for our blood pressure and our heart is to pass up "fast food" as it is high in sodium, fat, cholesterol, and calories. I suspect for many of us, we wouldn't have weight problems if we did didn't eat fast food.
Thanks for your support, actually I have 3 health issues that draw my attention to exercise and lose weight. HBP, Dislocated Shoulder and Torn Cartilage in my knee. The exercise helps with both my BP and shoulder issues, and the weight lose will help with my torn cartilage. I have about more 20 pounds to lose , it's not a big deal but it will take like 3 months.
Bethsheba could you tell me more about what that means "When you lose less than 10 pounds per month, your body should be losing fat (not muscle)". I don't want lose any muscles while losing my bdy fat, so could you help me and explain that a little more?
....
Bethsheba could you tell me more about what that means "When you lose less than 10 pounds per month, your body should be losing fat (not muscle)". I don't want lose any muscles while losing my bdy fat, so could you help me and explain that a little more?
Michael
I'm not sure I can answer your question "technically" but most nutritionists, fitness people, body builders, etc. emphasize the importance of slow weight loss. As we age we normally lose muscle mass, but combined with reduced calories, we can actually lose muscle instead of fat if we lose weight too fast...if we take in too little nutrition, our bodies go into "survival" mode and slow down our metabolisms, making us burn fewer calories. That's why some overweight people don't lose weight even though they eat like "birds".
To avoid losing muscle, you need to use/exercise your muscle, and you need to get a minumum amount of calories and nutrition. I'm sure that there's better info than I have to offer on the weight loss boards, so you might want to do some reading there.
Lifestyle Modifications work great 
. I need to lose about 20 pounds.
.
, I don't know why that happens. So I want reduce my food intake and exercise more to lose weight, but I think I will need supplements. Anyway, I take vitamin C, Omega 3, Zinc, Vitamin A and E and I want take B Complex but it makes me so hungry so I will not take it daily.
