I was diagnosed with AF about two years ago and was given amiodarone and a lot of other medicine.. None of which helped very much. And I had long periods of leaving me out of breath. I I then read on the Internet that losing weight and getting back to normal weight could reduce AF by 65%. I was so desperate that I gave it a try. Using the 5:2 diet I succeeded in getting my weight down by 35lbs and I have kept it off. I've had no problems with AF ever since and I'm not taking any medicine other than 80 mg of valsartan, which I have been taking anyway for several years. This weight loss had another very good effect on my COPD with my pulmonary function test (spirometry) much better than ever before.. It was very hard to get the weight off, but it was very well worth the effort.
AF seems to have settled down. No mor... - Atrial Fibrillati...
AF seems to have settled down. No more problems
Very inspiring Tony, will try and do the same now. Thank you for posting.
Well done good for you
Well done. I hope to do the same.
Well done Tony,
After all that effort to lose weight, I hope you keep it off. You have found the secret many of us wish that we had. Who was it who said weight gain was purely the fact that 'more was going in the top end than was coming out the bottom'! Bit more to it than that I know.
To lose the AF must be a fantastic relief for you. Well done and "CONGRATULATIONS"!
I was so pleased myself to see it go but after ablations.
The "Michael Mosely --- 5:2 diet" book, has just been mentioned in the Radio Times and I am reading" John Yudkin's, Pure White and Deadly" -- a man well before his time. His explanation of the various types of sugar and the way they "hit" the body in different forms is a salutary lesson and well worth a read. Knowing the basis of your weight gain is really a big encouragement.
Keep well, Dave.
Just for interest since it's been raised, I'm currently on an extreme form of Michael Mosely's 'fast diet'. 'Five for a Fifth' - a five week programme designed to shed one fifth of bodyweight (for me that's a little more than 3 stone.) The regime calls for a total fast (apart from water or tea/coffee black no sugar) for 7 days, repeated in Weeks 3 and 5. In Weeks 2 and 4 - eat lightly and sensibly, avoiding sugar entirely. Week 6 is dedicated to buying new clothes!
The problem with fast diets, we are constantly told, is they don't work; you just put it all back on again at the end. I don't believe that. If I look and feel great in 5 weeks time the motivation to stay that way must be greater than the desire for a cream cake.
Sorry, I know this is an AF forum but hey, I didn't bring it up!!! lol
Health Warning: Apart from being overweight and my AF (which has probably been cured by ablation), I am in otherwise good health. For me the only problem with this programme is maintaining the will power - it's not easy. But it certainly isn't for everyone. Consult your GP if in any doubt and of course, he will probably say you're mad.....
Well done ACN! I'm sure I would pass out or away on a weeks fast .The trouble with any diet is that once you go off it the weight creeps back on. Groups like Weight watchers make their millions from rejoiners.
Incidentally , I went on the Dukan diet a few years back , lost weight rapidly and ended up in hospital with Acute kidney failure ( a one off ). Just saying!
Best of luck anyhow.
Is anyone doing the 5:2 diet whilst on warfarin? I lost a stone doing it before I was diagnosed with paroxysmal AF. The doctor has told me it would upset my INR so I have tried other methods very unsuccessfully. I have now put that stone back on and am very frustrated. I eat less and exercise more but I am only losing 1lb every 2 months at best.
I am not a doctor but I'm quite sure that the 5;2 itself could not possibly alter your INR. It just does not make sense. It is what you eat that can alter your INR, not how much you eat.
A starvation diet can alter your INR but the 5:2 diet is not one. it is a slow weight loss diet and at no time are you depriving yourself of the necessary vtamins necessary to keep your INR under control.
Quite frankly, I don't think your doctor really knows what the 5:2 diet really is . He probably thinks it some quick weight loss very low-calorie diet , which could affect your INR.
I have been on wafarin and the 5:2 diet more than a year and I have my own home coagulation meter. I take my INR every few days and it is always been within the proper limits
I personally think you should start the diet again.
I want to dostarted allready started it is very hard I just count the calories not more than 1500 and possibly 1200 as my afib is getting bad I'm steady 100 / 95 HB par minute right now I hope I'm not heading a cardio version !!!!
Well done!
I lost nearly three stones through changes which I have built into my lifestyle and this includes giving up all alcohol.
I don't think that short term crash diets work longer term.
The need to take flecainide on an empty stomach has stopped me snacking in the morning and evening, which has also helped.
My last AF episode was 10 months ago so I think this strategy is working. The only downside is that I had to buy a lot of new clothes (and my wife says that I now have more wrinkles!)
I'm just about to start a Ketosis diet. Low carbs no sugar more fat. It's taken me a while to get My head around how it's supposed to work but I'm going to give it a good go. Shopping lists and meal plans available if anyone wants to join me. Merry Christmas x
I found the Atkins diet and then the Primal diet highly effective for weight loss, 18 mgs over 12 months. Made my lipids worse though. The cardio was not bothered about the lipids as long as I took the statin.
Ketosis? Maybe a bit extreme and for some not a great idea. Also likely to make you feel rotten. And not necessary, you will still shed the weight, just not too quickly
Yes it's not going to be for everyone but will try . Tried lots of other things and can't shift weight even using the gym everyday. If it's not for me then at least ive tried lol
It's surprising how a moderate amount of fat in the diet helps to reduce the appetite. That makes it easier to stick to the diet. Combining heavy cardio sessions with dieting was counterproductive for me. Regular walking makes sense though. And a few nuts between meals helped.
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