High blood pressure

Kinya4571
Kinya4571 Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Came from the dr. and now I have to check my blood pressure 3 to 4 times a week. Even though I have a long way to go to my weight loss goal. I Really could use all the encouragement that I could get right now.

Replies

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,755 Member
    You may have a long way to go, but studies have shown the every bit of progress will positively benefit your health. So just keep going! One day at a time.
  • DFW_Tom
    DFW_Tom Posts: 220 Member
    I doubt you will need to reach your weight loss goal before seeing a drop in BP from some light cardio and reduction in calories. Whatever it takes to get it down is worth doing. It gets easier to change your movement and eating routines the longer you change them to something healthier. It doesn't have to be all at once ... and it doesn't have to be drudgery. It is a lifestyle change that you can make permanent that you will want to make. The BP and weight issues will take care of themselves, and you'll feel a heck of a lot better for it.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    edited June 2022
    Yeah, I have a blood pressure device and use it at home due to a couple high readings at the doctors' offices.

    Turns out my BP at the doctors' is waaaaaaay higher than at any time I do it at home. They take it after you've walked to the exam room; in my case it's after I've just been weighed, and after answering a bunch of questions by the nurse. It's always high at the doctors'. They even call it "white coat syndrome."

    I'd say spend the $30 and buy a home test device. It's worth it for the peace of mind. I was already a healthy weight, I did cut my salt intake and make sure not to skip my long walks, and at home I'm well within normal limits.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Maybe instead of thinking of your ultimate goal weight, just focus on creating healthy habits and losing 10 pounds at a time?

    "Losing even 10 pounds can lower your blood pressure."

    https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/heart/hbp_low.pdf
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,067 Member
    when i started, my blood pressure dropped a few points for about every 5 to 10 pounds i lost, so you may not need to lose as much to get your BP down as you think.

    also, like cmriverside, my blood pressure is way higher at any doctor's office, so it may not be as high as you think.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Kinya4571 wrote: »
    Came from the dr. and now I have to check my blood pressure 3 to 4 times a week. Even though I have a long way to go to my weight loss goal. I Really could use all the encouragement that I could get right now.

    Even just 10 Lbs of weight loss will improve your BP. Also, regular exercise is huge in controlling BP. I'm hypertensive and regular exercise was the biggest game changer for me along with losing 5-10 Lbs. I lost a total of 40, but my BP was normal (with meds) long before I hit my goal weight. I still have to take meds regardless, even with healthy living as my BP is largely hereditary...the extra weight and lack of movement just compounded the issue.
  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
    My BP is 40 points higher at the doc. One time he tricked me by having a long relaxed conversation about non-BP stuff and then at the very end of the appt quickly slipped the cuff on and took a reading, and it was still 40 points higher. He said it was to see if it was just white coat hypertension (i.e. the stress of being at the doctor and getting measured), and it apparently wasn't. For whatever reason, my BP is off the rails at the dr and not so bad on the home machine.

    My BP came down a lot through weight loss. Continued diligent exercise keeps it in an OK though high range. Stopping exercise even for 3-4 days makes it go up again. Other things (salt, etc.) don't have anywhere near the impact. I can eat smoked salmon, a pretzel, and a ham sandwich and not see much of a change in BP, but three days without exercise and bam, I'm a stroke waiting to happen.

    One point being, exercise is very important for high BP people. Another being, find out what makes your BP increase, because it might be different for you than other people. And a third being, if anything, taking home BP readings is comforting, because you'll probably get better results than at the doc. And finally, keep plugging away at the weight loss, because it goes without saying that weight loss is the single best thing you can do for your BP.

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