Blood pressure success stories?

rhonda6374

I have lost 20 pounds (not all shown on MFP), started at 224 and am now 204. My blood pressure usually was in the 140/90s range, but I did not take medicine for it. I have been doing the elliptical, walking and free weights for 3 months and the last time I checked my blood pressure it was 117/80. My resting heart rate has gone down as well to 57. It works for me!

navygrrl

I was put on HCTZ and amlodopine due to HBP about 2 years ago. My doctor wanted me to lose weight and lower my salt, but I was stupid and didn't start back then. Even on two meds, my blood pressure was 140/100. Off meds I would go up to 176/110. Since I started counting calories and exercising at the end of February, I've lost 20 pounds. I'm only on one blood pressure med and am slowly being weaned off that as well. My blood pressure now is 116/74.

BobbieLee1959

138/110 and he says you dont need meds? I think I would see another doctor...

tildastwistedlife

I have had low BP all my life but when I went to the doc in November it was high. I don't remember exactly but similar to yours or maybe a tiny bit lower. I have only lost 18 pounds but I check it in the grocery store at those things by the pharmacy and it was normal the last two times I checked. The last time was 102/62 (My past BP was always like this to about 110/70).

psmd

Absolutely! I am 34, 5'2, and weighed 150 (well higher than that before, but at least the past two years I was around that). My bp was consistently 142/88ish, and this was unusual for me over the past few years. Hypertension also runs in my family.

I lost 10 pounds in the last 4 months, and now my last bp reading was 118/75, the last few times it had been normal so I feel a lot better about it!

Good luck!

annie61702

I had been on BP meds for a few years, but last summer after losing 60 pounds and working out regularly, my doctor took me off them. It was one of my happiest moments! She also took me off cholesterol meds. My BP and cholesterol levels are good now, and I want to keep them that way.

divainsneakers

A lot of things brought me to MFP, but it was high BP found after I badly cut the back of my foot significantly impacted my motivation to get fit and lose weight. I realized that I was treating my car better than my body and that was no longer acceptable! - After I hurt my foot I had to go to the cardiologist and they put me on BP meds. I go back to the cardiologist in late June and my goal is to have my BP meds reduced and ultimately eliminated.

airangel59

When I started here (BMI 44%) I was on Lisinopril & Hydrochlorothiazide for hypertension (also was on 2 meds for cholesterol/lipid issues & metformin for type 2)

I was taken off ALL meds in Sept 2013 and per my MD, no longer carry those 3 diagnoses. So yep, losing weight & exercising works wonders, at least in my case, ymmv.

BMI now 22.9% and my BP today at MD appt was 114/58

katherines2230

YES! A little over a year ago after I had given birth to my second child I was out on BP meds for pressures of 160s/100s. It runs in my family so I had ALMOST accepted that it was just something I'd have to live with the rest of my life. I started meds and it made me feel awful. I started logging my food and working out regularly. I'm so happy to say that I have been medication free for 8 months! It can be done!!

h7463

I was wondering if some of you have had some radical changes in your BP as a result of exercising more and eating a healthier diet.

I'm currently at 138/92, I'm 40 y.o, 6'2" and about 230 lbs (on a good day, ha!). I ve tried BP meds before, and while they do a good job lowering the BP, I found my sex drive floundering. Anyone else experience this?

Thanks

Hi there! Your introduction made me laugh...you trying to wiggle your way out of exercising and eating healthy..? There is no doubt about the benefits! Get moving....lol

About your blood pressure reading: Best done early in the morning, before breakfast, properly seated on a chair with a back rest, feet flat on the ground, arm relaxed on the table not higher than your heart...breathe easy and keep your mouth shut. That's how you get the best and most comparable results, because BP can jump crazy throughout the day. Also, if you have it done at the doctor's office, take a few minutes after the first reading, have a second reading done. It's very likely better, because the anxiety is gone. There are people who's BP goes through the roof just by walking into a healthcare facility...
About your seize/weight: Not so much a problem as such, BUT the real question is 'what's your body composition?' I suggest you get a fitness/body composition assessment to find out where you carry the fat, and what body fat percentage you carry. If it's around the midsection, it has to go, because that's where a bunch of health problems originate, not only for guys. And your sex drive might be hidden there..right there with your 6-pack. That's were the healthy eating comes in, because you can't out-exercise junk food....

You didn't specify which BP meds you were taking, but something as simple as water pills shouldn't be causing any problems, as they are only helping to remove excess water from your system. However, you would still have to drink up during the day, any day to prevent dehydration, medication or not.

I never had a problem with high BP myself (female, 50 yr, 5'5", 134 lbs, 17 % BF, training 6x per week, eating about 80% clean), but the rest of my family has always been on and off some kind of medication, mostly because they refuse to change even minor eating habits, like reducing sodium intake. It works for a while, and then they just give up again. They get a lot of exercise around the farm, but they are still pushing a big gut around in front of them...and they just wonder about me....hahaha... I have to add, that high BP does not run in my family. It always came with bad lifestyle choices.

Just a few of my personal experiences...maybe you find some of them helpful. Good luck!

ItsjustBrettM

I used to get very anxious before going to the doctor as I knew I was obese and basically worried about what he would find.

With the anxiousness, the numbers used to rocket up to 170/120 or so. I started my diet on my own and have lost 25kg (55lbs) so far. My wife bought a machine for home and my numbers are now 122/78 with a resting heart rate of 59 bpm. No medication.

alliebeth88

I'm 25 and am around 190 lbs, trying to lose weight. I was doing mostly lifting, but my BP was still going up. I started doing 30-40 minutes of elliptical cardio (3 to 4.5 miles, depending on pace), 3 to 4 times per week and within 3 weeks my BP dropped from 120/95 to 105/70. I've always run low, around 95/60 for most of my early twenties, so the past couple years seeing my BP creep up has been a major issue for me. Glad to see it go down. Also, my HR doesn't spike as quickly or as high when I do HIIT, and then it comes back down much faster as well.

ncmedic201

I had great success coming off 3 BP meds by exercising, but mostly by increasing my potassium intake and lowering my sodium. I was using a 2:1 ratio with a good outcome. When I brought my potassium/ sodium ratio to 3:1 it was unbelievable! My BP went down to about 110/68 without meds. I've been off this site for awhile and have been eating poorly so I'm back to get on track again.