Sleep Apnea & Weight Loss

[iMike]

Hey y'all Happy Thanksgiving!!!  Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday.  So my weight loss struggle has been up and down for years.  A couple of months ago I was officially diagnosed with sleep apnea and given a CPAP.  My doctor insisted my sleep apnea was a big deterrent to me getting healthy again.  It got so bad I barely had the energy to just go to work, get through the day, and come home to nap.  

Now that I'm using the machine on a regular basis (it was hard to get used to at first) I find I feel rested in the mornings and my energy levels are beginning to return.  I'm walking to and from work again, I even took a second job where I'm on my feet the whole time.  I'm sure it will take some time, but I am worried that my sleep apnea went undiagnosed for so long that I really don't know where to begin with my weight loss.  Has anyone else here experienced severe weight gain due to sleep apnea, and then lost weight after getting a CPAP?

[Dominique]

You may want to check this topic started by @SunsetRunner. Hopefully he’ll chime in (he was last here three months ago), as someone who both got a CPAP and lost a bunch of weight.

[makesmchanges]

For me I would say yes with a "but"... Short story and I'll explain the but. During a medical procedure that used sedation I guess I freaked out the doc when I stopped breathing. I had ignored the wife for years saying she kicks me to jump start the breathing. The doc made it real and I scheduled for a sleep study. Well as luck would have it the Monday before my Thursday sleep study I found myself being rushed to the ER and a quick trip from there into the Cath lab for a stent.. Lucky to only have minor damage and all the rest of my heart is good. PCP delayed sleep study for obvious reasons. Test results weren't a shock, ordered the CPAP and agree they suck getting use to but for me it was also part of a life changing transformation. 

 As promised here comes the "but", I had my heart attack 1/15/18, sleep study was moved to April and 3 more weeks to get machine. On 1/25/18 my first follow up doc appointment I weighed in at 384lbs @6'4. Mid March I began cardiac rehab, which included working out in a gym and diet consulting classes. I started that program at 377lbs. The first 2 months of rehab were a struggle being tired all the time, waking 4 to 5 times a night, falling asleep late afternoons etc. Once starting the machine use, my sleep corrected very quickly, I had so much more energy and the work outs got better. I completed the 12 week cardiac program at the end of May and at 362lbs. I continued in the maintenance program at the same location. As of my last weigh in 11/23/18 I was 311 lbs. I give credit to a few things that got me where I am today, one of which is the CPAP, "life changing" for me. I own the hard work and the dedication but that machine played a major role in the energy to keep working at it. Fitbit has been a big part as well. From seeing numbers improve as the weight came off to the rewards every 5 lbs. The rewards help me focus on baby steps, I started facing a goal to lose 109 lbs, seeing 5 turn to 10 and 10 to 15 turned my focus to the next 5lbs next thing you know I am knocking on 75... I am happy I listened to my doc and use one. I hope it works for you, weight lose can correct sleep apnea, I plan to retest in 6 months but for now the machine is part of my new life.. 

[Daves_Not_Here]

Hi @iMike -- I was on CPAP for about 2 years, eventually lost the weight, and now am off the CPAP with no snoring or sleep apnea for over a year.

In my case, the CPAP gave me better sleep and energy, but I lost the weight by changing my eating.  

There may have been an indirect benefit to CPAP in that having more energy probably made it easier to muster the will to change behavior patterns.

[Poder · Accepted solution]

My experience with CPAP was after weight gain. I was about 40-50lbs overweight and snoring terribly. I went to a throat doctor who had me do a home sleep study and then operated on me. I had tonsils, adenoids removed and my palate modified - quite a bit of work. 

It worked for awhile and then snoring started up again. I felt like a zombie when getting up in the morning.

I got a CPAP machine and finally was able to sleep. But I hated that thing and the last straw was dragging it on a vacation to Mexico. It was my carry-on.

So I went on a diet and lost 45lbs and the snoring stopped. The CPAP went into my closet and stayed there. That was ten years ago.

I also began an exercise program and it has been worth every drop of sweat. 

The weight pretty much stayed off, but recently I was up about 12 pounds and went on a low-carb (under 50 grams a day) and it's steadily going down. I am not hungry or weak and enjoy the foods I used to avoid while eating all those "healthy" carbs.

So get your weight where it ought to be and you will be pleased with the side effects, and get your butt in gear with regular exercise. It's all related.