I'm really hoping for some good news stories here as I'm struggling mentally with my recent AF diagnosis and really need something positive to focus on.
I have read various articles about the Legacy study, but would really love to hear from people who have personally managed to reduce or reverse their AF with weight loss. I managed to lose 2 stone between March and June this year, before my diagnosis in June, and have lost another stone since (helped by Bisoprolol induced food aversion). But I have another 4 stone to lose which I'm confident I can do by the end of the year. I'm waiting for a 7 day ECG and Echo scan so don't yet know what if anything other than weight has contributed to my AF, so for the time being I'm focusing on trying to stay positive and get the weight off as soon as possible in the hope it will make a difference.
If anyone has a positive story they are willing to share with me I'd be really really grateful.
Thanks for reading and stay safe all.
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KG70
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Well done you! I managed to get my BMI down to the requred 25 over the course of a year and regardless of anything else feel so much better. Even though I don't have AF these days my arthritic knees are very grateful!
Thanks Bob, and well done you too! I'm sure I'd be feeling better for it if I hadn't been put on Bisoprolol. But unfortunately the Bis is making me feel really unwell and exhausted, and I'm convinced it's wrecking my nights too, with the shaking, waking and heart rate all over the place. Desperately hoping that getting to a healthy BMI will enable me to get off the Bis and get my life back. I know that's probably unrealistically optimistic but I need something to hold on to. How come you don't have AF now? Did you have successful treatment, or just diet and lifestyle?
I took Bisoprolol. Horrible drug for me. If it is making you feel so poorly, I wouldn't wait until you have lost another 4 stone, I would see the medics now. There are plenty of other drugs on the market. Keep well and good for you on your weight loss.
Thank you for the message and wishes. I have tried to ask to switch but the GP's I spoke to are having none of it. I'm having a 7 day tape and Echo next week so I'm hoping that I may be able to change when they have the results of those, depending on what they are. I hope you are keeping well too
I hope they listen to you. We may not be doctors but we know how we feel. I have had AF for over 30 years now and I have come across those medics who have a 'favourite' drug and are very reluctant to hear anything negative about it. It is almost as if it's your fault if the drug doesn't suit you. I have often thought they may be getting a back hander from drug companies. Bisoprolol is a beta blocker so it will lower the heart rate. If that comes back as a problem from the coming tests I would put my foot down and ask for something else. I was taken off it due to an alarmingly low heart rate, especially at night. Since coming off it I feel so much better with lots more energy. At the end of the day, it is you not feeling well, not your GP.
I lost weight when my af started so I know how nice it feels to have clothes fitting better! You seem very focused in carrying in losing weight which will benefits all your health won’t it.
Try not to fret too much about the af diagnosis, I know it’s easier said than done...I fretted a huge lot, thought my life as I knew it was over...then I found this forum.....and it became apparent that life does go on....and it’s not a life threatening complaint....it’s just darn wearing whrn it happens.....it takes a while for medications to settle in and it also takes a while for us to take the shock of the diagnosis in board...come to terms with it and thrn realise thst it’s not as bad as we thought in the first place.....
I went from being scared to go anywhere in case it started up whrn I was out.....then gradually getting to do stuff and not worrying.....to eventually last winter flying to Australia fir a road trip....something I thought I’d never do again......I’m telling you this to try and encourage you to look forward and not think “ oh god this is my lot now” it isn’t, it’s normal how you are feeling, but it will pass as it settled down.......
In the future you maybe can look forward to an ablation.....that another trick up the sleeve for this AFib that is very worthwhile.
I do feel for you as it is such a shock, I was the same, but chin up.....you’ve gone thru the hard bit, that’s the shock of beung told......now it’s onwards and upwards.
Keep in touch in this forum everyone’s here to help each other,
Thank you so much Sue, thats really reassuring. I very much feel 'oh god this is my lot now' and that's the hardest part. I'm afraid to go anywhere in case something happens, but I'm hoping the longer I can go without episode that will ease. How amazing and wonderful that you flew to Australia for a road trip! I have been looking at our little camper on the drive and wondering if we will have to give it up as I'm afraid to be more than 5 mins away from a hospital. I'm praying that losing every bit of excess weight and possibly having an ablation will give me my life back as I rather liked it! Thanks again for your words of wisdom and encouragement, it means a lot!
I was the same KG, we have a camper, in fact mine happened on holiday in Spain and ended up ina Spanish hospital....I live in France....we scribed home afterwards and I thought thst was my lot, it doesn’t help feeling rough as well.....this forum I found and it gradually sunk in that indeed you do get back to normality.....it’s not life threatening which of course I thought it was till the forum informed me. It happened in May, and we ventured off in the camper in the August....I didn’t want to even go to the shower block alone, not sure what I was thinking really but doing everything was always a worry it would happen......we did go out once for a pizza and I forced myself to do that and didn’t feel at ease......but slowly slowly the confidence returns...I think the longer u don’t get bothered by it the less u think about it...........you will get confidence back trust me.
And if it happens don’t panic, try and relax, go lie down, some folk find breathing techniques help. Always try and think...it won’t last....
Well done with the weight...I lost weight and onky one dress size but it made a big difference in my feeling good....
Oh Sue it sounds like you felt the same way I do now. I'm literally following my poor husband around the house as I'm nervous to be alone.
Driving scares me as my husband is partially sighted so if anything happens he can't take over. I have to do a 2 hour round trip next week and the week after to get a 7 day halter and Echo and that's really scary. I have never had an episode when driving so there is no reason I should, but its just scary. I'm trying to keep my cool and I'm sure it will be fine. I really need the tests so I have to do it. I'm hoping that once its behind me it will make me more confident to do more.
Well done on your weight loss too! I'm glad to hear you're feeling the benefit.
The more u do and it doesn’t happen the more you will think of it less. Try not to stress with the driving . The halter u get used to it being there. I did think how am I gonna sleep with this thing??. But you get used to it dangling there!
We too have a camper. When I first started with the AF would only stay at sites like Cirencester, Henley places that had a hospital very close. Now I’m more in control, think nothing of 4 months in France! But not this year! 😷
Being overweight is cited by cardiologists as a risk factor for AF and we are advised to keep our BMI healthy. My weight loss was before diagnosis so I cannot draw any conclusions.
I know what you mean by struggling mentally with the diagnosis and needing to find something to concentrate on. Losing weight lifts the mood which make us happier which relieves stress and is a positivity in the journey with AF. I found that nothing was a magic bullet (which I sought desperately after diagnosis) but a combination of actions can have quite positive effects. For me it was overall lifestyle changes involving the usual list - alcohol, sugar, stress, exercise, happiness and goals - however small. Keeping my weight down at its present level was also important.
The thing about your weight loss programme is that it helps you to take some control back and it can do only good to your heart and body. Worry will try to creep in and tell you that it isn’t working - I think many of us have experienced this. This mental battle is the most difficult and my way of coping was to become quite ‘bolshie’, making up mantras to encourage positivity and using Mindfulness as relaxation.
Sorry I have digressed from your question, but I think that coping with AF is an all-body effort - weight loss being one of the more important facets of it. Best wishes with your continued programme towards your weight goal.
Thank you so much for that, I really appreciate your reply. I have like you ditched the sugar and I never drank, but have stopped having caffeine. Like you say, the mental part is the hardest to deal with. Trying to keep occupied and not let worry and pessimism creep in and take over is hard. I think the Bisoprolol is making it even harder as I seem to have quite bad anxiety in the mornings which feels medicine induced. This forum really helps though.
I changed from Bisoprolol to Nebivolol, started on Flecanide, lost 1.5 stone with the aid of the HU LCHF forum and 🤞crossed am fine for the time being. And that’s at 76👍 Di
Wow, well done on your weight loss Di! They say its harder on beta blockers, but I'm not finding that as the beta blockers are making me feel queasy so I don't want to eat so much. Thats the only positive side effect I can report as they are making me feel horrible!
I am 5'10 weighed 172 with a 33" waist and my cardiologist said I needed to loose the belly fat. So I got down to `150 and a 29" waist. I also dropped my drinking from 3 a day to 1-2 a week. My cardiologisist said I may never have another AF.
Like a damaged hip, knee, ankle any extra weight puts stress on it. Why would the heart be any different. So keep up the good work. Besides AF it will benefit everything. I have been an a plant starch heavy diet for a long time.
Wow, well done you! Thats interesting that even though you are small you were told to lose belly fat. I carry my weight on my belly so I know I need to get it all off. I have everything crossed that you never have another AF. I'm interested in getting more plant based foods into my diet. We have recently discovered Quorn burgers and nuggets which are lovely!
As I understand it, there is evidence that reducing weight (10% of body weight is a figure mentioned in one study) can considerably lighten the burden of AF for some people. Furthermore, progression to persistent or permanent AF is more likely if someone is overweight (or drinking g even moderately). See:
Congrats on such a fabulous weight loss. It doesn't fall off by itself so you have been really trying. We were told that every pound lost is 2 pound less strain on the heart so your heart is doubly pleased with you. I cant comment on the medical side of things but experience last year in our local cardiac ward was consultants are to easy to judge you by first sight and being overweight makes it easy to fob you off with blaming weight as the cause.
Thank you very much. The 2 pound off the heart ratio is very interesting and inspiring! Also interesting about consultants attitude, I hadn't thought of that! Even more reason to sort myself out for good! Thank you!
Certainly it helps. I've struggled to get my BMI down under 30 for years. I think I need to lose something like another 15 KG to be "ideal BMI" and to be honest I've not been that light since I was a teenager so I have to be realistic.
I have managed to lose 5kg during lockdown and going back to work and sweating my nads off in PPE which is a bonus, and we did eat a lot more healthily and regularly due to not being at work and having time to cook.
As some of my posts will show I've been up and down with my weight for 5+ years due to meds, in and out of work regularly, missing out on social walks in the peak district due to work and new baby 3 yrs ago (being tired with new baby seemed to have us reaching for sugar to get us through the day and make up for the sleep deficit)
I always struggled to do much heavy exercise because my AF was so unstable, if it was more stable I'd have done more and it would have helped make my AF more stable which would have meant I could have done more which would have meant the AF could have been more stable etc etc etc
I've not done anything drastic. I don't drink, I don't eat a high fat diet, I don't do drugs or smoke, I avoid caffeine, I am quite boring.... I love cooking and I love eating those are my guilty pleasures.
So the best I can say is everything in moderation, control portion sizes, if you're hungry - drink a pint of water or weak cordial first and wait half an hour. And get what activity you can to assist!
I'm not sure of the direct impact my weight loss has had on my AF but its certainly made me feel fitter despite my bulk.
Thank you so much for that, its really helpful. Weight has been a big struggle for me most of my adult life as I'm just hungry all the time. But that seems to have changed a lot in teh last few months since doing on online health and nutrition course. There were no shocking revelations in it, but it has somehow changed my relationship with food. I literally see food as fuel only now, which is different to before. If a meal wasn't tasty and satisfying I felt cheated. Now it just needs to have enough calories and nutrition to keep me going until the next meal, and if I don't particularly enjoy it I don't actually mind which is really odd for me. I don't even feel tempted by things that look delicious now as all I see is the ingredients and the harm they can do. Like looking at a nice piece of cake is now unpleasant to me. I just think I don't want that as I know what it can do to me. I'm really hoping it lasts! I'm hoping after my Echo and 7 day tape next week that I get the green light to exercise as that will really help. Good luck with your weight loss, I hope it continues. We try to follow the rules of the DASH diet if you want to have a look into it. Take care.
Fantastic effort! It will pay off. I lost much needed 2 stone which helped me exercise more too. My AF and Flutter and blood pressure are much much improved. I have had AF years now and it's much better and stable ( touch wood!)
I have battled with my weight most of my adult life. I have paroxymol A F, and am pleased to say haven't had an episode in 4 and half years.
I changed three things in my life 5 years ago, cut down on alcohol, cut out caffeine and gradually started losing weight. I also started soon after that time bisoprolol and flecanide, so can't say which of these actions was the magic bullet and suspect it was a combination of them all.
You appear to have a positive outlook, and very strong will, keep at it, you will get through this.
Thank you Diane, and well done you too! I'm on Bisoprolol 5mg and Riveroxaban and the Bis is making me quite unwell and anxious. I'm desperately hoping the side effects will wear off but its been 6 weeks now. So glad to see you haven't had an episode for 4.5 years, long long long may that continue!
Hi. Congratulations on your weight loss so far, especially as you have struggled with this issue for years. It IS hard psychologically. I'm 64 and was diagnosed 7 months ago and have had 3 episodes since. One yesterday as it happens. What others have said here about Bisoprolol is true - everyone starts out on it - do it's worth exploring with your cardiologist if there are alternatives that suit you. Losing weight and taking more exercise will take the load off your heart and improve your BP. I'm guessing BP is also an issue? I changed my diet to improve my digestion although I wasn't overweight. I lost over a stone and feel much better overall. As others have said here - work to improve your quality of life between episodes - that way you will cope better. Since I changed my eating habits and take regular exercise and when I'm not in AF I feel better that I have for years.
Hi, and thank you very much for the reply. Yes, BP has been up and down for about a year now. I have tried to talk to several GP's about alternatives and they are absolutely adamant I have to stay on Bisoprolol. But I am paying privately to have a 7 day holter and Echo scan next week as I'm on a waiting list to get on a waiting list to have it done by the NHS. The test results will be reviewed by the overseeing Cardiologist who will write to my GP, so perhaps when they know whats wrong there may be other options available. My AF is triggered by light exercise so I'm not sure what I can do exercise wise. I'm not trying at the moment until I know what the tests will show as I don't want to do harm. I'm glad to hear you're feeling well overall. You're so right about the importance of quality of life, and I'm doing my best to work on that! Thank you for your words of wisdom and encouragement!
Hi...just to enforce Hylda's post, I also had problems with bisoprolol and tried 2 other beta blockers before settling with nebivolol (1.5 gm/day) and 50gm 2ice a day...however, the hardest medicine to take is the advice not to worry so much as the worrying places you in a vicious circle... You can regain your confidence and I hope you do soon, as I did with the help of this forum...no episodes now this year, and back to hill walking...good luck...
Hi, thank you so much for the message and encouragement. I really appreciate it. I am trying not to worry and manage my anxiety. I love hearing reassuring stories like yours as its really reassuring. At the moment the bisporolol is making me feel so unwell I can barely walk down the garden and back. Fingers crossed I can get off it and start feeling better and more like me again. Take care and happy hill walking!
The first few months after an AF diagnosis are very frightening for most people. I truly thought my life was over and went into mourning for my old, medication-free life. Acceptance and moving forward is the next big step, possibly the biggest, and you are doing so well; congratulations on a really impressive weight loss!
I am really interested in the online health and nutrition course you took; may I have the details? Not for me but for my husband, who probably has about 30 kilos to lose and is also hungry all the time! (He doesn't have AF).
Hi Irene. Thank you for the message and words of wisdom, I really appreciate it.
Re the nutrition course. We actually did 2. The first was with Futurelearn which is completely free and just for interest. The one we did isn't listed on the Futurelearn site but there are some different ones that look really interesting. The nice thing about Futurelearn is its very easy to engage with as its videos and articles to read and only takes a couple of hours a week (you can do more and do the course quickly). This one looks similar to the one we did:
We then decided to get a formal qualification so signed up for a level 2 qualification. There are lots of colleges offering them. This style course is quite school like as you get booklets of information and have to log in to the assessment web site and answer lots of questions. But the answers are all in the material. Here is a link to one college offering the same course we did:
I think the key thing for us was to do a bit every day and it wasn't the information that was the breakthrough, it was the fact that thinking about it every day changed our focus to our nutritional needs rather than the enjoyment of the food. They say repetition is the mother of success, and that proved true for us. Also, learning that our hunger is programmable. Like with a new baby. If you feed on demand, you create the demand as the body just expects feeding constantly. Once you can persuade them to feed 4 hourly, they only get hungry 4 hourly. it works as adults too. If you can break the cycle of eating between meals, you eventually don't get hungry between meals. And if you reduce your portions to a healthy size, the body eventually starts getting full from the smaller portion as that's all its expecting. So for me, I now know that the reason I was so hungry all the time is because I was eating more than my body needed all the time, and that became a vicious circle. Its about mastering the hunger monster instead of being ruled by it!
Sorry for the crazy long message, but I hope some of it is helpful!
The answer to all and every medical problem, according to the current rash of doctors, is weight loss. All our ills are weight induced. It's nonsense in my view.
I was slim and fit and extremely active when my Afib started years ago. I'm now fat and sluggish because of my thyroid issues and a beta blocker and I still have Afib. By all means loose weight, you've done very well, but do it for you, for your sense of achievement and feeling better when moving around. I for one don't think it's the cause of your Afib.
Good morning - I stumbled on your post from 7 mths ago today as it resonated with me! Firstly well done on great weight loss achievement. Amazing. As I also need to lose a considerable amount of weight I’d like to hear how you are doing. Are you still on biso? Have your episodes reduced? What’s your current AF like? I too take biso 5 mg daily struggled at first but adjusted I guess but am so sluggish & AF much more frequent almost daily. Am on flecanide 200g daily. Struggled mostly mentally to be honest but this forum has helped eased my fears of ablation.
Hi! Sorry for the delay, I don't come on here every day. Thank you so much for your message and encouraging words. It shocked me that this post was 7 months ago. A lot has happened in 7 months. With regards to the weight loss, my current loss is 4 stone 10lb since 1 March last year. Frustrating as I wanted to see 5 stone by 1 March this year but at the speed I'm going it will be a challenge to lose 4lb in the next week. My weight loss has slowed down badly since I was switched from Bisoprolol to Diltiazem. I'm averaging 1-2lb a month which is annoying as I was losing 2lb a week consistently until I switched meds. Bisoprolol also made me sluggish but not anywhere near as badly as Diltiazem. I read that Diltiazem makes it hard to lose weight but thought as I had a good system I would be ok, but nope! Even though I exercise twice a day! What I have noticed since exercising more is that my fitness level is much better, even though my AF is still a problem. Like you, I have symptoms every day. But the symptoms have changed. I was having lots of runs of fast AF when on Bisoprolol and (touch wood) I'm not getting those now. I think they were caused by a combination of high blood sugars from the Bisoprolol, excessive adrenaline from a combination of anxiety and Bisoprolol generating anxiety (apparently some people get more anxiety on Bis), and also the fact that the only way to get the adrenaline out of your system is to burn it, and I was barely moving so it was just building up and playing havoc. Now I'm exercising I'm feeling much better mentally and my anxiety levels have much improved. So now my AF is mostly short runs of fluttering and buzzing in my chest, and an annoying rhythm of a few good heartbeats and a big thump and a pause and a few good heartbeats and a big thump - repeat. I never had this annoying rhythm when I was on Bis so I blame it on the Diltiazem but I have no way of knowing really. I'm hoping that by losing more weight and exercising I can get myself into the best possible shape so that if I can get an ablation I'm giving myself the best possible chance of it being successful. It's been a really hard slog to get to a point where I'm exercising effectively though as I had literally sat in a chair shaking with anxiety for months so when I tried to exercise I could barely do anything. at the start of December I could only walk on my treadmill at 0.5 mph for 5-10 mins. I have persevered doing as much as I could every day for 3 months and now I can do an hour on the treadmill mostly brisk walking at around 2-2.5 mph with 2-3 mins of running at 3mph a few times in the hour. I'm so glad I pressed on and kept pushing myself as I definitely feel much better for it, and my mood and anxiety are significantly improved which is amazing as I can't actually take any meds for anxiety as they gave me pregabalin and mirtazapine to try and help me but they made my HR and rhythm worse so I had to stop taking them. I do have a cheeky 2mg of Diazepam now and again to help me through the night if my AF is bad at bedtime. Its a shame the Flec isn't keeping you in rhythm. I tried Flec twice and both times it made me worse so I had to stop taking it. I was gutted as I had to beg for it.
How are you getting on with your own weight loss? Do you have a plan/system for losing the weight? If you are struggling to know how I'd be happy to share what I have learned with you. I hope that doesn't sound patronising! But I have struggled my whole adult life with weight and its only this last year I have learned the fundamental things I needed to do to 'get on it' and stay on it! I ended up doing a nutrition course and what I learned has stood me in good stead.
Anyway, sorry for the rambling reply! I do go on a bit! If I can help in any way do let me know.
What a lovely reply thank you! My god almost 5 stone wow total dedication I’m so inspired! I’ve taken hunger monster on & you’re right, I’m craving less & more satisfied with less food! Do share what you’ve learnt by all means - lifetime struggle for me too - up & down - all emotionally based!!I love exercise but thro dizziness I’ve been unable to but take on board your tips on exercise improving your anxiety & biosop excessive adrenaline- might explain restless legs! You’ve been really helpful thank you. Continue as you have been & that ablation will be more successful. I have mine in June & want lose 25 kilos - lost 2 so far & will try my best. Good luck too 😃
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