Weight Loss with a heart condition

Austinperkert · September 12

Hey y'all I'm austin I'm 30 years old and I have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
So basically I'm looking for any and all tips on how to lose weight besides the basic dieting which I truly am starting to work on but I want to supplement this with exercise but everywhere I read is cardio cardio cardio and for my concern is the point of cardio is to get sweating and blood pumping which for your average person is ok but im at high risk for a cardiac problem if I were to try and do a "normal" cardiac workout

AnnPT77 · September 12

Austinperkert wrote: »

Hey y'all I'm austin I'm 30 years old and I have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
So basically I'm looking for any and all tips on how to lose weight besides the basic dieting which I truly am starting to work on but I want to supplement this with exercise but everywhere I read is cardio cardio cardio and for my concern is the point of cardio is to get sweating and blood pumping which for your average person is ok but im at high risk for a cardiac problem if I were to try and do a "normal" cardiac workout

Just change on the eating side absolutely can trigger weight loss. I understand why you might want to add more activity, though.

Any additional movement is added exercise, and burns extra calories. It does not need to be a punitively intense exercise in order to have benefits. (In fact, punitively intense exercise can be counterproductive for weight loss or for fitness improvement.) There's a lot of nonsense in the blogsphere of a "no pain, no gain" or "go hard all the time" nature, but that's what it is: Nonsense (as generic advice for beginners, especially).

Is there any type of added movement that is viable for you? Even walking at a manageable pace for a manageable distance is good, and it's doable for many (not all, of course). Many people find mild pool exercise more tolerable than land exercise. What about yoga or tai chi? Chair exercises?

Even moving more in daily life, doing daily life stuff, burns extra calories: Standing when we would usually sit. Walking casually when we would usually stand. Moving arms through a range of motion. Things like gardening or other mild home chores. Even sitting while bouncing one's foot burns more calories than sitting absolutely still! While these aren't massive calorie burners by any means, any new movement has benefits.

Sweating is not the measure of what constitutes a good workout. A little extra heart pumping is involved in cardio by definition, but it needn't be super-hard extra pumping.

If you're concerned, can you get a referral from your doctor to a physical therapy practitioner or specialist personal trainer who can help you identify safe activities for you?

Best wishes!

Retroguy2000 · September 12

Most of your weight loss will come from diet. While additional exercise is helpful, it is not necessary to lose weight.

If you can do some exercise, it doesn't need to be "sweating and blood pumping". Zone 2 cardio is ideal, such as walking, cycling at moderate pace, elliptical, etc. More strenuous activities burn more calories in the moment, but you can't do them for anywhere near as long, and they result in more fatigue.

From Google:

[Zone 2] is at 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate, so it's a low-intensity, basic endurance pace without intervals. Basically, it's a slow, steady effort that you could maintain for a long time while having a casual conversation with a friend or singing a song to yourself.

abstractedbrown · September 14

Mild weight training can help adjust your metabolism if you do it right. I don't know how to do it right but there are lots of advice online good and bad.

Corina1143 · September 14

A quick internet search brought up walking, stretching, less sitting.
After surgery I sat in my recliner and played with resistance bands. It was very helpful to me, and. I definitely recommend it!

boflexn · September 14

You should ask your cardiologist to give you an exercise plan. Any heart specialist should be able to give you guidelines for your condition tailored just for you, If you haven't all ready done cardiac rehab, you should ask for it, exercise is actually good for you, but you just need to know the how "for you". Also if you have a large amount to loose most cardiologist are recommended Glp-1's,(mine put me on Wegovy & ins approves 100% for cardiac patients) hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and exercise can be an individual thing based on if you also have blood pressure issues, or if you faint when exercise, family history etc, its not 1 size fits all info you can just google, good luck.

LoganBennett715 · September 15

It would be best if you had a professional to help with this. You should consult a good doctor or dietitian so that they can guide you on your journey of weight loss.

oakster69 · September 16

I would ask your physician about weight lifting. Building muscle mass increases your calorie burn so you burn more calories every day, sitting still. Make sure you can do that safely and build muscle. Muscle will add to the scale, but its about health, not weight.

Retroguy2000 · September 16

There are many good reasons to lift, but increased calorie burn from higher muscle mass is very low on that list. A sedentary pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day.

AnnPT77 · September 17

Retroguy2000 wrote: »

There are many good reasons to lift, but increased calorie burn from higher muscle mass is very low on that list. A sedentary pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day.

Yes. And fat is also metabolically active, burning perhaps 4 calories per day (sedentary). At rest, the difference in calorie burn from a pound of fat vs. a pound of muscle is truly trivial. On top of that, the pound of muscle requires hard work and patience to build.

If there's a meaningful payoff from adding muscle mass, it's more likely to be from the fact that someone who's a bit more muscular probably finds it easier and more fun to move in daily life.

Moving more - even non-exercise or spontaneous movement - is going to burn more than a couple of calories daily. A couple of hundred more isn't out of the question.

yirara · September 17

Yes, please discuss this with a cardiologist if you can. Also, it's possible you don't want to lose weight too quickly as your body might start munching on muscles instead of bodyfat. But again, if you're severely overweight and your doctor has recommended losing a lot as quickly as possible then ask for their guidance and a referral to a registered dietician.

springlering62 · September 17

@kiteflyer105

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10902242/does-anyone-else-have-heart-failure-here#latest

kiteflyer105 · September 23

Please ask your doctor if you have a weight restriction before lifting weights. Cardiac rehab is the best way to go. They take your blood pressure before and after. Nurses are there if anything happens. The doctor was not far away either.

https://www.eatright.org/for-women

I follow meal prep by dieticians/nutritionists on You Tube It will give you healthy ideas. Take out a food scale and the measuring cups. Start using them for portion control. Get used to drinking 8 glasses of water a day, and 10 glasses a day when you exercise.

Please stop drinking your calories. This is waht has helped me. See if your insurance covers seeing a dietician/ nutritionist--I would highly recommend it. Also, now, I am sticking to 50g of carbs or less a day.

I was shocked at normal portions sizes. Especially when salads have 1000 calories in eating out. No thanks. I will make it at home.

Make sure you have some of your favorite dishes incorporated in your food plan. Otherwise, it can be a long road. You need something to look forward to...for me, it is chicken tacos or soup.

Feel free to reach out to me by email if you need to...Good luck.

Weight Loss with a heart condition

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