I need to Lose weight to Lower My BloodPressure

[ShaySpeaks]

Went for a check up and my BP was 164/98 any one else battling hypertension? Any suggestions on what I can do besides lose weight to lower my BP? I already don't eat salt on my food and I have been working on cutting out processed food as I know they contain a lot of sodium.

Thanks

[Esya]

You might want to google for food advice. I just had a quick search (in Dutch as that is my first language) and found some more advice than just the salt. Like limiting sugars and increasing the amount of omega 3 in your diet to just name a few. There seems to be quite some info out there for food that might help in your situation.

[Gershon]

Read the Starch Solution by Dr. McDougall or Whole by T. Colin Campbell.

[emili]

Food and exercise work together to lower blood pressure. You have to move more not just eat right. You can walk or ride a bike or anything that is light cardio. Losing weight and improving the efficiency of your heart is what helps to lower BP.. good luck, I am sure you will do great.

[Bhuvana]

@ShaySpeaks: Hi, my mom is going through this phase. Six months ago, she was @ 221/140 (There was a possibility of stroke too... thank god !).  She does not have any other health issues other than hyper tension. After being on med for the same period and some dietary restriction, its under control now 118/85. Her step goal is 15k and she is making it possible day in and day out. It's not only salt. it's also related to stress, weight and sleep management. 

I think in one of the post here, has purple produce benefits (If I remember correctly, it was posted by USAF-Larry). I bookmarked the page to show it to my mom.

"Two daily servings of purple produce can lower blood pressure by about 4 percent"

http://samadimd.com/food-and-diet/eat-more-health-purple-produce 

I came across this article about the food which reduces BP.

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/slideshow/foods-lower-blood-pressure

Good luck. 

[SunsetRunner]

There has been a lot of recent research showing that interval training is excellent for lowering blood pressure, and it worked for me.

I had borderline high blood pressure even when I used to run marathons.  I read articles about interval training and found that 20-30 minutes of this had an almost immediate positive effect on my BP, as compared to longer, slower running.

Do a search for interval training, but understand that you're going to find a few different interpretations. Very competitive runners and body builders have a definition of interval training that involves extremely high intensity sessions that will be hard on your body and are only suitable for highly trained athletes.  This is NOT the definition you should use when you're trying to lower BP.

The version of interval training to check out is one where you're simply working hard (running fast, moving fast on an elliptical, biking fast, jumping jacks, etc etc) for a minute or a few minutes to get your heart rate up. My goal is the upper 150s, but I'm in my fifties, if you're younger it could be the 160's or so, but not much higher than that. After you reach this HR, slow down. Walk, take it easy, and let your HR get back down to where you've caught your breath. For me it's about 120.  This rest period should be at least a minute, but it could be 3 or 4.  Then do it again a few times.  Start and end with easy effort for warm up and cool down.

Important to note that I'm NOT a medical professional, and I'm only relaying what worked for me and what I've read about in published studies.  You should be absolutely sure that you're fit enough for this kind of exercise (check with a doc), and specifically that your current high BP doesn't make this a bad idea.

Note that some studies have even shown that even forgetting all the data and specifics, people who walk regularly showed improvements in health markers just by walking faster for a few sessions during their normal walks, as in "I'm going to walk fast to that tree."   And then walk normally again until you feel up to doing it again. 

[Dominique]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

There has been a lot of recent research showing that interval training is excellent for lowering blood pressure, and it worked for me. 

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There are plenty of studies (for instance, this one or this one) showing that increased exercise in general has a positive effect on BP. However, I wasn’t aware that the type of exercise would make a significant difference. For instance, this study suggests HIT (high-intensity interval training) and CMT (continuous moderate-intensity exercise training) have about the same effect on BP.

Maybe you’ve also dropped weight and the improvement in BP could have come from that?

[Dominique]

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@Gershon wrote:

Read the Starch Solution by Dr. McDougall or Whole by T. Colin Campbell.

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This is the BP of a full-fat cheese eater :

OTOH, I’m in the normal range weight (current BMI: 20.9) and reasonably active (average daily steps over the past four years: 18k). I think the combination of both goes a long way in ensuring normal BP, regardless of what you’re eating. So my advice to the original poster would be to do what it takes to drop the weight to (or closer to) the normal range and increase her activity (if she’s been sedentary so far). Fitbit can help with both.

Yes, I know I’ll soon get cancer from the dairy and my high-protein intake will kill my kidneys, but I’ll try to enjoy life to its fullest until then .

[SunsetRunner]

Hi @Dominique,

Any kind of exercise is excellent. But for me, HIIT started showing results within 2-3 weeks (I have a BP cuff at home), and by the time I went back to the doc a few months later, I had gone from the very highest end of normal (above normal on some charts) to center in the middle normal. This beginning period wasn't associated with significant weight loss.

I don't have time now to search the studies I've read about, but I did look at yours. I see the second one did show that people with a familial risk of high BP did show better improvement with HIIT.  I do have a history of high BP in my family. 

Again, exercise of any kind is most important, but if someone has 25 minutes a day 3-4 days per week, they might want to give intervals a try. Worked for me!

[y2kcrash]

You indicate something you can do besides loss weight.

You seemed to understand and working on the Diet Salt intake influence on BP

Exercise of any kind is an option for sure.

Some see the following as not exercise as such.

However just as effecitive when combine an exercise  routine especailly with if you have  busy sometime stressful life style

You may want to consider trying some  Meditation Techniques such as

Yoga,  Tia Chi,  Quiet Meditation.

Even having a dog to walk and just spend some quiet time petting it.

[J-flex]

Lots of walking.  Cutting back/eliminating fast food meal which are loaded with salt and all things bad.  Can’t go wrong with fresh fruits and veggies.  Hope you achieve your goal.

[stephen765]

you need to do a lot of exercise and cut off rich cholesterol food intake, drink green tea thrice a day eat fresh fruits and salad, quit fast food and snacks.

[RogerinVermont]

It's often difficult to get the results you need.  But you don't need to go alone.

If your medical insurance covers it (yes, I know, non-Americans, that it's crazy) ask to have one or two meetings with a dietitian.  Keep a food log (it always helps... And keeps you from lying to yourself).  Periodically have it reviewed.

If your medical insurance covers it, ask to have one or two meetings with a physical therapist or a personal trainer.

It's important to know that you don't have to do this by yourself.

Ask your physician it there are free services for you, including no or low cost gym sessions and counseling.

The BP numbers are not good.  

[RogerinVermont]

Spoiler

It's often difficult to get the results you need.  But you don't need to go alone.

If your medical insurance covers it (yes, I know, non-Americans, that it's crazy) ask to have one or two meetings with a dietitian.  Keep a food log (it always helps... And keeps you from lying to yourself).  Periodically have it reviewed.

If your medical insurance covers it, ask to have one or two meetings with a physical therapist or a personal trainer.

It's important to know that you don't have to do this by yourself.

Ask your physician it there are free services for you, including no or low cost gym sessions and counseling.

The BP numbers are not good.  

[DonnaR57]

I too battled blood pressure that was considered "high", to the point of two medications for it.  Losing weight DOES help. Cutting back on your salt intake DOES help, and part of that is trying to avoid processed and restaurant food -- yipes, difficult for many.  Exercise DOES help.  

I lost 50 pounds, did a LOT of walking and an exercise program that also builds strength, stamina, and lengthens the muscles (instead of bulking up). I'm still on BP meds but on lower doses. 

The exercise program is called "Classical Stretch", often on PBS channels in the wee hours of the morning, on www.essentrics.com via streaming ($), or buy the DVDs (new or used).  I'm lucky enough to have KPBS/San Diego, where the program comes on at 5am so I can put it on my DVR.  It's one exercise program that relieves some of the stress caused by my job, and I look forward to it every day.

Whatever exercise you choose, make sure it's one you like and that you should be able to do for 150 minutes (2-1/2 hours) per week.

Donna