perfect blood pressure AND 40 lbs overweight?

Options
onek9lover
onek9lover Posts: 58
in Health and Weight Loss
Does this make any sense??? Yesterday I had my blood pressure tested and it was like 115/64 or something like that... I know they said it was picture perfect.. and even last year my bloodpressure was good (its better now, and now I work out regularly)... does this make sense? Maybe its just good fortune... but I am having issues with getting the weight off along with being extremely active.. FYI I'm 5'6" weigh 178... I play tennis once a week, volleyball once a week and go to the gym 3 times a week doing 30mins of cardio on the elliptical each time.. I also stay around 1200-1500 calories a day... Why am I not losing more? Why am I so overweight and still have such stamina?

Also if you are a fitness professional, trainer, or have a pretty expert opinion... please friend me...

Replies

  • ImaSongbird
    ImaSongbird Posts: 126 Member
    Options
    At 5'6 when I weight 250 lbs, my blood pressure was 100/70. I've never had high blood pressure, but anyway, that is just one measure of health/fitness. The reason you have so much stamina is probably because of all the exercise you do, and that may also be why your BP is good.

    Those things have little to do with weight loss. Look at what you're eating and see if you need to cut some calorie-dense foods and replace them with lower calorie foods, such as veggies.
  • bed2883
    bed2883 Posts: 92 Member
    Options
    I don't have an explanation for you. I'm 83 pounds over my goal weight/healthy weight, but other than my BMI I'm in perfect health. I have ideal levels for everything. It's really weird.
  • mrsdizzyd84
    mrsdizzyd84 Posts: 422 Member
    Options
    A lot of it has to do with genetics. I was about 30 pounds overweight with HBP. As a matter of fact, I am still on meds even though I'm only 10 pounds overweight right now. Having said that HBP runs in my family, and I have always had a BP at the high end of normal (120/80) even when I was in the best shape of my life.

    Count your blessings.

    ETA: As to your difficulties losing weight, it doesn't relate to your blood pressure. When people have trouble losing weight it generally has something to do with their food intake. In other words, you probably aren't eating enough especially if you lead a very active lifestyle. Are you eating 1200-1500 net (total food intake-calories burned)? If not, you might start there.
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,829 Member
    Options
    Makes perfect sense, happens all the time. I'm about 30 lbs overweight and have always had perfect blood pressure. In fact I had a full workup done (blood work) at my heaviest, 170 lbs, and everything came back perfectly healthy...in fact, I had LOW cholesterol!

    However, just because it's good now, doesn't mean if you stayed overweight, you would still be healthy in 10 years. That's a lot of work for the heart. Although I'm technically in perfect health, I'd rather have a great body fat percentage and be physically fit. There is a difference in being clinically healthy and being physically fit.
  • ImaSongbird
    ImaSongbird Posts: 126 Member
    Options
    I don't have an explanation for you. I'm 83 pounds over my goal weight/healthy weight, but other than my BMI I'm in perfect health. I have ideal levels for everything. It's really weird.
    My blood pressure and resting heart rate have always been in the healthy range, even when I weighed 250 lbs. What those reading DON'T tell you is what's going on around your midsection, or in your joints, for example.

    If you are carrying extra weight, you are causing extra wear and tear on your joints and ligaments. If you are carrying belly fat, you are causing damage to your liver, pancreas and heart. These things are not determined by your BP or RHR.

    Don't worry about the numbers. Get fit, get healthy, get moving. Not for your doctor, but for yourself. Eat well, sleep well, you'll feel well and stave off heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, knee replacements, etc.
  • amyallenstockwell
    amyallenstockwell Posts: 26 Member
    Options
    I think you should just count your blessings.
    Before I started losing I was 300 lbs and my dad was 280lbs. His blood pressure has always been borderline stroke level on the strongest medications they could give him (180/120). I have always been a easy 100-150 lbs. overweight and my blood pressure has always been low (110/70). However, I think with age and the long term effects of carrying all of that extra weight on your body, it will eventually go up.

    I think this is the perfect motivation for you. Lose it while you are healthy. Don't be so stubborn that it takes a major event (becoming diabetic, etc knees give out, back injury) to motivate you. It will only be harder to lose it if you are not well.
  • onek9lover
    onek9lover Posts: 58
    Options
    I am eating 1200 to 1500 calories... on average is about 1300-1600 calories.. maybe I need to take it down a little more than that... I kind of thought that was fine given the exercise that I do but maybe not - I am also trying to eat more protein... and try and stay low carb except for my protein shakes...
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    Options
    Blood pressure by itself doesn't affect weight loss, but medications to control the blood pressure can. Count your blessings on your good pressure. I have always had low blood pressure, even when I was near 300 pounds (5'5"). My mother had uncontrollable (even with meds) high blood pressure and she only weighed 100-110 pounds (5'2"). My father also had high blood pressure, as do all 5 of my brothers who are "normal and active". Kinda makes me wonder if I came from the milk man...:wink:

    My guess is that you may need to increase your intake. Up it by 100 a day for a couple weeks and see what happens.
  • bed2883
    bed2883 Posts: 92 Member
    Options
    I don't have an explanation for you. I'm 83 pounds over my goal weight/healthy weight, but other than my BMI I'm in perfect health. I have ideal levels for everything. It's really weird.
    My blood pressure and resting heart rate have always been in the healthy range, even when I weighed 250 lbs. What those reading DON'T tell you is what's going on around your midsection, or in your joints, for example.

    If you are carrying extra weight, you are causing extra wear and tear on your joints and ligaments. If you are carrying belly fat, you are causing damage to your liver, pancreas and heart. These things are not determined by your BP or RHR.

    Don't worry about the numbers. Get fit, get healthy, get moving. Not for your doctor, but for yourself. Eat well, sleep well, you'll feel well and stave off heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, knee replacements, etc.

    I don't take the fact that I have healthy numbers/lab results to mean I don't need to make changes. As someone else said on this post just because we're healthy now doesn't mean we will be 10 years from now.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Options
    Being overweight increases your risk of high blood pressure. It doesn't guarantee it.
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
    Options
    Genetics.

    Obesity is the biggest risk factor for high blood pressure, but genetics plays a pretty big role too. It's a role of the dice. Did you inherit a propensity for high blood pressure or didn't you?

    Same goes with high triglycerides, cholesterol, diabetes, etc... being overweight is not a guarantee that you will have problems with any of these... but it does significantly increase your risks.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
    Options
    On the opposite side of the coin, I had borderline high blood pressure when I weighed 130 and was at my fittest. It was basically the same then as it is now. Blood pressure isn't always directly related to weight and fitness. Some people will always have good numbers, and others will always struggle to stay in the normal range.
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
    Options
    I've always had excellent blood pressure, but have almost always been overweight. Good genes? Calm demeanor? Not sure.
  • JimieLou
    JimieLou Posts: 273 Member
    Options
    When I weighed in at 314 pounds, I had high blood pressure. My doctor put me on meds and that was what kickstarted my lifestyle change...I wanted off those darn pills. Three months into, the meds were dropping my BP too low so she took me off them. Regular exercise is what did it for me. Today, I am still considered obese, but I have a normal BP.
  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
    Options
    I have the opposite problem. When I was weighed around 130 in high school and was a swimmer my blood pressure was high!
  • echoica
    echoica Posts: 339 Member
    Options
    at 300lbs my blood pressure was normal! i have always been active though...and perhaps it's my mostly vegetarian diet?
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    Options
    Being overweight increases your risk of high blood pressure. It doesn't guarantee it.

    Exactly. Not everyone who is overweight is going to have all the same problems that accompany it. I've been obese pretty much my whole life. I actually have low blood pressure "hypotension" and normal cholesterol. I do consider myself lucky, most of my family has died from obesity related issues and heart disease.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    Options
    Does this make any sense??? Yesterday I had my blood pressure tested and it was like 115/64 or something like that... I know they said it was picture perfect.. and even last year my bloodpressure was good (its better now, and now I work out regularly)... does this make sense? Maybe its just good fortune... but I am having issues with getting the weight off along with being extremely active.. FYI I'm 5'6" weigh 178... I play tennis once a week, volleyball once a week and go to the gym 3 times a week doing 30mins of cardio on the elliptical each time.. I also stay around 1200-1500 calories a day... Why am I not losing more? Why am I so overweight and still have such stamina?

    Also if you are a fitness professional, trainer, or have a pretty expert opinion... please friend me...

    When I was at my 'ideal' weight, my blood pressure was high. At 70+ pounds over, my blood pressure is ideal. It isn't just your weight that contributes to your blood pressure rating.
  • SCUBAMomofTwo
    SCUBAMomofTwo Posts: 189
    Options
    My brother is super morbidly obese and his blood pressure is normal.

    There is a lot more that goes into health/heart disease than weight.

Categories