Having trouble losing and on a statin?

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bcattoes
bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
If so, your statin maybe the problem.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_137127.html

Statins May Hamper Workout Results
Overweight people on cholesterol-lowering drugs saw less fitness improvement than others in small study

THURSDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Statins are proven drugs taken by millions to lower their cholesterol, but the medications also could hamper heart patients' ability to improve their cardiovascular health through exercise, researchers say.

A small group of overweight or obese people were unable to make any significant fitness gains while taking a 40 milligram daily dose of simvastatin, while another group not on the drug but undergoing the same exercise regimen did show improvement, found the study released online in advance of print publication in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
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    My husband has been on Crestor for several years now and he went from 210 to 170. Granted, he did it the slow but steady way but he is very pleased. He exercises mostly every day. He wants to get down to 165 and then his cardiologist has said he would take him off Crestor and see how he does.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    My husband has been on Crestor for several years now and he went from 210 to 170. Granted, he did it the slow but steady way but he is very pleased. He exercises mostly every day. He wants to get down to 165 and then his cardiologist has said he would take him off Crestor and see how he does.

    What exercise does (or did) he do?
  • fattofit20
    fattofit20 Posts: 86
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    I was on Crestor for the last couple of years. I recently stopped taking it (but haven't told my Dr.) because my legs were hurting so bad I could barely walk, much less exercise. I also had trouble losing any weight. I only stopped my Crestor 3 weeks ago but already my legs do not hurt anymore. I still have the problem with them feeling like lead but I'm trying to push through it and continue to walk as my exercise. I believe the Crestor not only inhibited weight loss but it contributed to my weight gain. I had no weight issues prior to taking it.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I was on Crestor for the last couple of years. I recently stopped taking it (but haven't told my Dr.) because my legs were hurting so bad I could barely walk, much less exercise. I also had trouble losing any weight. I only stopped my Crestor 3 weeks ago but already my legs do not hurt anymore. I still have the problem with them feeling like lead but I'm trying to push through it and continue to walk as my exercise. I believe the Crestor not only inhibited weight loss but it contributed to my weight gain. I had no weight issues prior to taking it.

    I hope it works out. You know there is a diet 'portfolio' of foods that is said to lower LDL as much as statins. It's almonds, soy, plant sterols and soluable fiber, but in specific amounts. I can't remember the amounts, but if you Google "portfolio diet" I'm sure you can find it. If you are interested, that is.

    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • fattofit20
    fattofit20 Posts: 86
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    Thank you. I've tried everything prior to medication. Nothing worked so I'm sure when I go back to my doctor in August she'll want to put me on something different. I hate medicine!
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,453 Member
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    I've just been reading about this study, so did a search for it. I don't think the participants in the study were actually "heart patients", but people at risk. It also seemed to be about fitness rather than weight loss. Here's another write-up about it: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/can-statins-curb-the-benefits-of-exercise/

    It's a bit of a Catch 22 for us heart people, who need the statins and need to exercise! Maybe we'll just have to accept that it's harder for us than some people. The participants did show some increase in fitness, just not as much as the ones not taking statins.
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
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    Oh well that explains a lot. I started taking a statin in April and my weight loss seemed to screech to a standstill. Not really, but it did slow down to a crawl when before I was dropping the weight. Also my muscles hurt so bad and it's very hard to walk because my feet are retaining so much water.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
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    Sorry it took so long to answer.
    The exercise he does is:
    Lots of walking
    Elliptical
    Lifting
  • kcpond
    kcpond Posts: 654 Member
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    I have been taking lipitor for the last couple of years but I have also managed to lose 18 lbs in the last 6 months. I wasn't losing much before that but I wasn't taking my eating very seriously so I wasn't losing much weight. I get a fair amount of walking in, do Hot Yoga once a week and try to run or go to the gym once or twice a week on top of that as well.
  • lgshipman78
    lgshipman78 Posts: 1
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    I am also on a statin med and have had trouble losing weight, so I did a little research. It turns out that statins deplete the CoQ10 that your body naturally makes, which explains why there's muscle pain and slower weight loss. Maybe try a good CoQ10 supplement?

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