Weight loss and exercise.

[Korkie123]

Just thought I'd drop a quick hello to you all. I hope your all safe and well. Looking for some advice on the best way to lose weight whilst living with Atrial Fibrillation. Finding it very tough to exercise without sending my heart rate into a high beat. Thanks.

[CDreamer]

I don’t believe that exercise, although an excellent thing to do for health, actually helps to lose weight. The only way is to eat very well and much less. I found 2 things helped - Intermittent Fasting - see the Mosley method - Juicing - replacing some meals with home made veggie juices.

You don’t say if you are on any meds - I found I put on a lot of weight which was very difficult to control when and after being on Bisoprolol. Medications interfere with our metabolism.

[Hidden]

Hi! May I offer some theory about AF first...? If the atria stop cooperating with ventricles while pumping the blood, the ventricles start sucking the blood in through the effect of creating the under-pressure in the heart chambers. This way of pumping is not very efficient, so the blood flow-rate drops immediately to 60% to 70% of the initial flow rate (official data). In the course to compensate for this drop, control center increases the bpm of the heart. In some people, with the sound and well trained heart, this increase may be moderate. My AF lasts during the night at the level of 80-90 bpm, without any additional bad symptom. In some people, the control center tries to find the "working point" increasing the bpm but, since the heart is insufficiently dimensioned for the body (usually in overweight people), the bpm goes very high, sometimes to 220-250, without reaching sufficiently large blood-flow-rate. Such people feel debilitating symptoms and generally feel very poorly when having an AF-attack.

Your case seems to be the border one. Your HR is not very high when you are without physical load, but as soon as you start exercising, the demand regarding blood flow-rate increases and the control center sends the HR in overdrive. The conclusion? Do not exercise, since your heart has no extra capacity for it. What can be done? Lowering the weight is the right decision and do not abandon this idea, whatever it may cost! It is the simplest and the most efficient way to improve your health condition.

If you are interested in the advise how to loose weight, I offer you to contact me via PM as not to load other people with the idea from different branch of the health (diet). Regards! Petar

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Korkie, I think we all know the answer to your question - eat less and exercise. I lost a stone in weight last year just through cutting fat out of my diet. I've also reduced the amount of food I put on my plate. I fooled myself into eating less potatoes, instead of 5 medium ones I now have 5 small. Also no matter how lovely what I'm eating is, when I know I'm full I stop. Now if I can leave half a plate of my dinner I can put it in the fridge for the next day.

Exercise - this doesn't mean having to use some kind of gym apparatus. Start with a slow level walk and gradually build up to it being a little more brisk, then add some slight inclines. You will be amazed at how much livelier in general this will make you feel. I find morning is the best time for exercise. Plus when out doing your walk say good morning to people you meet. It gives you the feel good factor, lifts the spirits and makes being out more pleasant. Losing weight has reduced my AF burden too. Hope this helps.

Jean

[Desanthony]

Only limiting your food intake will make you lose weight. Exercise can speed it up very, very slightly and firm up muscles that used to be flabby and help you look better but eating less will do it. Trust me I have spent 37 years a physical training instructor and can't tell you the amount of times young lads came up to me in the gym asking for exercise routines to help them lose weight in a couple of weeks for their weddings or holidays - might work if you spent every waking hour exercising frantically. A really good 15 minute exercise bike ride at about 80+ revs will probably use up 100 calories ( and this will be different for everyone) - absolutely nothing! When you can it might be a good idea for you to get on a phase III cardiac exercise class. Don't know if they are up and running again your local hospital and/or local authority gym should have details. This will teach you slowly how to up your exercise. you just need to take it easy - you don't have to -"go for the burn" "no pain no gain" type exercise. Be interesting to know if there is any YouTube videos of exercise for people like us - never looked. I wear a heart monitor chest belt and watch type read out and don't let my rate get over 120. after a while you get used to that amount of exercise and how to contain yourself.

[beach_bum in reply to Desanthony]

I hear ya. We have local pool classes for seniors here, and they are a wonderful way to keep fit without stressing joints. And it's fun and great way to meet people also in search of fitness and... swimming or floating in a warm poolm😋I had wrenched my back... badly... again...I was in the military, and you know...paratrooping isn't all the fun and giggles the recruiter says it is 😋...

...so I tried everything...physio, electro (tens unit) rubber balls, you name it.

Nothing worked...until I was sent to a "new guy" who specializes in aqua-therapy. Which involved me going to the pool 3 times a week, putting on one of those beggginer "floaties" around my waist, and just following his instructions...walking slowly across the shallow end chest deep to start...and eventually, weeks later, I was "running" in the deep end. I had lost hope, but it worked.

So, yes, burn more calories than you eat/drink, and avoid fad diets.

[Elli86]

As mentioned by cdreamer intermittant fasting is an excellent way to lose weight. I didn’t do it too lose weight as was already bmi of 21/22. I did it for health reasons but the weight fell off. I went from 12 stone to 10 in a few months.

I eat healthy and was eating between 1 and 5 in the afternoon and then fasting for the rest.

Once your body has depleted all glucose and slowly gotten used to running on fat ( usually takes 2/3 days) you will feel great and have more energy to boot.

Your body switches from burning glucose as your prime energy source to burning fat and runs on ketones. So technically you do not have to be at a caloric deficit to lose weight.

First 2/3 days you may feel a little light headed but nothing too bad. This is just while your brain is adapting to the depletion of glucose in your blood stream.

People think it’s difficult to go without food but it really is a doddle after a few days.

Actually gives you more time as well as you don’t constantly need to worry about getting or preparing food.

You eat all your calories in the 5-8 hour eating window. Again this might sound strange but trust me you will get used to it. Going without food is a hell of a lot easier than you think. I have done 3 day water fasts before and felt great.

I’m sure some people will tell you this is not healthy but there is a ton of science out there now that says the exact opposite.

Good luck 👍

[Hidden]

Please don't hesitate to contact AF Association for support & information should you need it: [e-mail] / 01789 867 502

[doodle68]

Hello Korkie123 Weight loss is one thing, maintaining it is much more difficult to achieve as many 'dieters' will agree.

For me the best way to lose weight and keep it off involved a permanent change of lifestyle and looking at food in a different way. I lost 1.5 stones when first diagnosed with P-AF and have kept the weight off.

I changed the timing of my main meal of the day to lunchtime so I was not eating then sitting around all evening, I now don't eat anything between 5pm and 7am I just have water . I learn to eat small portions and finally instead of basing my meals on what I wanted to eat I chose to eat what is good for my heart and overall health .

Strangely my body seems to have adapted to this and I no longer wish to eat large meals or in the evenings and I really enjoy my healthy meals. My eating is based on the Mediterranean diet .

If you look on the British Heart Foundation website you will find lots of helpful recipes ...

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

[Jonathan_C]

You lose weight when you burn more calories than you consume. So you need to get both right - if you are able to, cut out anything that contains wheat, barely and rye (or gluten) and you will start to notice a difference fast (i am not anti gluten, but when I go gluten free the weight drops off).

On the exercising while in a-fib. Do as much as you are comfortable doing. I go for decent walks and hikes and accept that on some hills that I used to be able to run up without stopping I now need to stop to catch my breath 3 times when walking up them - just plan for it.

I am also able to do a lot more exercise at home than I expected - like press ups, sit ups and so on - I used to do timed reps of press ups for 15 minutes (before a-fib), now I just do as many as i can, stop until i have caught my breath and start again. I do much less in the same time - but I know I am doing a lot more than many of my friends.

[opal11uk]

I joined Sliming World, ate a healthy diet and lost 5 stone with gentle exercise and it didnt take me long, the secret is a healthy diet in which you eat regularly stay away from fats and of course leave the confectionary alone. Good luck

[willec49]

After I was diagnosed with Afib about two years ago, I immediately changed my diet which now has become very simple and straight-forward. For starters, I steam all of my vegetables each week for the entire week. They usually include broccoli, carrots, brussell sprouts, string beans, beets, parsnips, etc.; maybe 5 for the week. Then, I only eat baked or grilled fish like salmon, etc. or chicken. No read meat. Carbs come from baked sweet potatoes/yams or brown rice. For breakfast, it's oatmeal and fruit with occasional eggs. Saturdays are "treat" days with toasted bagels, jams, poached eggs, and fruit for breakfast. We keep a lot of fruit around which we love.

I know that might sound a bit severe but I've lost 55 pounds on it or 3.93 stone which has made a big difference in my feelings of wellbeing, health, and stamina. As others here note, diet is the major component in weight loss. Exercise supplements it and helps build strength, stamina and endurance. We walk one to two miles most days which has made a big difference also. It's good to start small and work our way up.

I wish you all the best on this new journey.

[Mugsy15]

Read 'The AFib Cure' by John Day .Lots of dietary info in there, explained properly.

[Jonathan_C in reply to Mugsy15]

Thanks for mentioning this - I looked it up and read an interesting review on it (which helped to decide not to buy it). After reading that article and many of the posts on this thread my mind has been shifted to adjusting my lifestyle so as to make A-fib easier to manage.

Which is different to adjusting your lifestyle to accommodate a-fib.

[Hylda2]

As you can see there are as many ideas as there are plates of food. I joined the LCHF forum on HU. Lost nearly two stones and helped my AF no end. I try and walk for 30 minutes a day but if I can’t no sweat.

[Guitar335]

I’ve lost a stone in the last few months to help my AFI used a calorie counting app. That helped a lot

And walked around 20k steps a day

It really is as simple as eating less and knowing the hunger improves your AF 😁

[Jajarunner]

One thing you can do, in my experience, without sending the HR sky-high is resistance training, using body weight, bands or dumbbells. This will increase your muscle mass which will enable you to burn more calories even at rest and give a better shape too. Don't worry about bulking up, that takes huge amounts of work and testosterone! You can do many exercises seated if the HR is a problem and have long rests between exercises. Whatever method you use (band etc) do as many as you can with good technique. Rest than repeat that exercise again ( + add a third set as you get fitter). Breathe evenly. Have a look on YouTube for a beginner's routine. Try three times per week.

You can PM me if you want any help I'm a level 4 personal trainer and specialist GP referral instructor (look at me bragging 🤣). Enjoy!!!!!

[Ppiman]

I don't know whether this will help, but it is some advice that has helped very many local people over the years. My wife's late aunt ran the most successful slimming club in the area and many of her clients kept coming back years after she retired. Although I can see that her sunny and authoritative personality played a part, it was her clear and straightforward methods that brought the success people needed.

Essentially, she followed the basic science that the calories that are used up by the body must be no more than the calories that are eaten, or that weight, eventually in the form of difficult to shift fat, will increase. She understood the medical aspects of rapid weight gain and loss caused by water retention, but felt that for most people this wasn't the cause of their obesity. She had little time, too, for ideas about different, slow or fast metabolisms and the like, insisting that these were, in the end, of little consequence for what needed to be done. Recent science has shown her to be right on that one completely. She knew, too, how important exercise was, but she felt that it was a slow and discouraging way to lose weight in comparison with diet, so, although she promoted exercise, it never figured in her plan.

Her advice was simple: to continue eating the self-same foods that we do now, but to reduce the quantity of them on the plate, using a slightly smaller plate, if it helped. This worked well for all who came along to her club, and she would phone each twice a week for an encouraging chat. It worked, she used to say, because long-term habits and comforts weren't being challenged by crash or fad diets. Life, with its comforting food, continued much as before, only that that the weight of food eaten each day was reduced. It was a slow way to lose weight, but she knew how slowly that weight had crept on. Slow but sure and permanent was her mantra.

So, following the incontrovertible laws of physics and understanding the psychology of habit and comfort, she found a way to help hundreds of people over the years.

Steve

[Bring-on-the-bird in reply to Ppiman]

Totally agree with your wife’s Aunts guidance, I have lost 3.5 stone over three years and have maintained that loss for over two years simply by counting calories in and counting calories out and making sure out exceeds in. It can be a pain logging calories eaten each day but it is also an eye opener as to how many calories are in the things we eat and drink. I have not followed any diet plans where I cut out certain types of foodstuffs or fasted for long periods. Once you have reduced your daily intake your body soon becomes accustomed.I wear a Fitbit which provides an indication of calories burnt (errors can be large so I make sure my calorie intake is over 500 less than those burnt), I do not do any sporting activities just walking about 20000 steps daily.

[Ppiman in reply to Bring-on-the-bird]

That was good to read and, well, really - truly well done. Not many achieve that. You must feel some real pride in your achievement.

You’d be amazed how many people blame their metabolism or some tablet or other. It’s fully understandable, though. Beta-blockers and antidepressants get the most blame for “slowing” the metabolism and there is some evidence that they increase appetite, but not in a massive way.

But, no, the laws conservation of matter can’t be bent to fit human psychology. And the metabolism is fixed pretty much for life, it seems, dropping a little after 60, or so. The only condition I could find that altered metabolism was thyroid troubles.

I read a study recently that suggested weight could directly alter the structure heart to improve AF and more. But… there’s also a thing called the “obesity paradox” in which many overweight people live healthier longer. My grandmother got to 94 and she was a large lady!

Steve

[SuziElley]

Hi Korkie123

Ever thought of Slimming World? I’ve been a member for several years and yes, we do have several men in our group. We can eat all the things we like but it’s the optimising of different food that makes it work. Take a look online. slimmingworld.co.uk

[Jock68]

Eat one meal a day before 5:00pm cut out butter, bread, sugar and potatoes. Drink water and have a 30 min walk in the morning. It worked for me. You will get used to it. You can do a 2 day no food to kick it off, you just need to make things a habit and it will work.

[beach_bum]

Always consult a physician before starting any diet or exercise regime.Always. They will send you for a consult with a dietary expert and a physiotherapist if needed.

Diabetes, injury, obesity, and many other assessments, must be taken into consideration by these professionals, before making recommendations.

There are so many "diets" fad diets, weight-loss "programs" eat-this-burn-that advice that Google will present you. It can be and is confusing.

Most claim quick and easy weight loss... Sworn affidavits, happy happy clients. Beware.

[blulla1]

You can try this ... nothing to lose but some weight & your a-fib

carrafibdietinfo.com/

[Maggimunro]

Hi Korkie

I used to love walking with the dog, up to 60-70k a week.

Then my knee objected and. I struggle to do 2,000 steps on a walk now. One year later and 10 lbs heavier, taking my BMI to 25.2, I downloaded the NHS weight loss app and was merrily losing a steady amount of weight. Then we went to France for 7 weeks and boom, it all piled back on again. The app is a 12 week programme and I’ve blown it.

So, I then subscribed to Noom, on my iphone. Yes it costs, and yes it takes time every day to commit to learning about the psychology of weight gain and loss, but the food logging process is much easier than on the NHS app and you get continuing support if you lose your way and start to slide.

It’s worth thinking about.

[BillCook]

Well, here's my 2 penn'orth!

I've been in persistent AF for 2 years. Normally my HR is about 80-90BPM, but like you it goes up if I exercise much.

However, over the 2 year period I've managed to lose 9kg. I definitely feel better for it! I've gone from 85kg down to 76kg (70 yr male, 5' 8" since my back shrank!) and I still hope to drop another couple of kilos (I used to run long distances at 73kg & don't see why I can't get back there).

I've deliberately done it very gradually, and my technique could not be simpler. No diets or tricks, just eat the same food, but a bit less, and keep on eating the same reduced amount so that it becomes the norm. A bit of willpower required at first, as I felt hungry - but not excessively so as I was not drastically reducing my food intake. Because of the AF, and consequent motivation, I found it quite easy to persuade myself that feeling a bit hungry was a "good thing". I recorded my weight most days, first thing in the morning after visiting the toilet, so that it was as consistent as possible. The record of very slow weight loss also acts as motivation. I guess I'm lucky in that I pretty much cut out cakes, biscuits etc years ago when I was heavily into running, so my food is pretty good quality protein & veggies.

I have to say that I didn't feel much different until my weight fell below 80kg, but now there seems a meaningful improvement in wellbeing (of course, this might not be only due to weight loss - but I'm certain it's helping).

I do exercise (encouraged by our 3 German Shepherds!), but only walking. Running or cycling is beyond me at present, probably in the future as well! I walk for at least half an hour, up to an hour max, usually 4-5 times a week. Most walks involve moderate hills (Ha, I wouldn't have even noticed the climb 10 years ago!) My HR normally averages 110-120 on these walks. I try to keep it below 140 and pretty much stop if it reaches 150 (but I'm getting breathless by then anyway!).

Hope this helps.

Bill

[Redmakesmehappy]

I have problem of losing weight since taking Flecainide. Lost 13 lbs. I know I am not eating enough but everything taste like cardboard. Went off Flecainide for a month, gained couple lbs but my AFib was much worse so had to go back on. I weigh 93 lbs. drink a smoothie in the morning loaded with fruit, yogurt , orange juice and protein power , advice from EP, he even told me to eat ice cream, thought that was funny coming from a heart doctor but still a skinny rat. I think Flecainide is making me depressed, anyone else think that?

[Desanthony]

Yep all my aches and pains are from 30 years of being a Parachute Jumping Instructor! Still here though even though they tried to finish me off a few times times - and one or two times we were supposedly on the same side 😂. Good Luck with the exercise and weight loss. It’s only since I stopped all the physical activity which used to make up my days that I have lost a lot of muscle mass - helped by a bout of Bonhoms disease and Hormone Treatment for prostate cancer that I have finally got down to my correct BMI proving that muscle weighs more than fat. I’d rather be young and fit though,

[Snowgirl65]

Exercise never worked for me in losing weight, especially when I was on Flecainide which prevented it and actually caused weight gain. My method to lose was simply to count calories and keep mine under 1200 each day until I saw results.

[Ecki]

On August 1 2019 I started losing weight, with the aim of losing 1lb each week for a year, in oder to decrease my AF burden. I've actually lost 70 lbs, and my BMI has gone from 35 to 25. I've maintained at BMI 25 for a year now. I too feel that exercise is over rated in terms of losing weight but it does make you feel weller. I do walk about 3 miles every day with my dogs, and they won't alloe me to avoid going. During my weight loss period I was on a high dose of bisoprolol, also had an ablation, but still kept losing. For me, slow and steady works. I reduced fat and carbs but no foods were banned, and I ate, and continue to eat loads of fruit and veg. I planned occasional treats to coincide with birthdays etc but kept off sweets, cake, cheese etc at other times. The best diet advice I've ever seen was on this forum "eat food, not too much, mostly plants'. This works for me. Good luck.

[Ellie-Ann]

Hi Korkie

I’m 74 and have always been a keen Walker.

Nowadays, I can’t walk as far as I used to but I have taken the frame of mind that I’m just going to reorganise the way that I’ve always done things before now that I’m not able to continue as before.

I get just as much pleasure in making a flask of Decaff coffee, packing a small snack and walking 1-2 miles each way with a stop somewhere in the middle for a rest. Church yards in villages are a great place for a bench seat in a peaceful spot! Usually with gorgeous trees and birds in abundance. Also, the inhabitants are very quiet.

Don’t let what’s happened to you spoil you getting out and about. It’s free! There is nothing better for your health. Your heart is a muscle and needs some exercise even if it’s at a slower walking pace. Your mind clears and you can have a good think about things without distraction. It’s a ‘ no brainier’. Get an OS map of your area and sus out the public rights of way and ‘ Go for it.’ You’ll come back happier, more relaxed, and have more energy for doing so. GOOD LUCK. ( I’ve got angina too but I don’t let it stop me.)

[Ellie-Ann]

PS.My daughter is a Nutritionist. She told me to have three meals a day and to have protein AT EVERY MEAL. I’ve lost just over a stone in six months just doing that.

[beach_bum]

So sorry to hear that. 😑

[whats]

My 2 cents- I also am more likely to get ectopic beats or afib after intense exercise, but I also feel better in the long run if I exercise more. (Exercise is important for heart health, I believe that) My solution has been to build up intensity slowly, especially on days when I am calm and relaxed and feeling well. Its always experimental of course, but my afib usually goes away after a few hours or overnight so not the end of the world if it happens. As for weight loss, I also try to restrict eating to about 6 hours a day, though fasting all day seems to trigger afib- I understand that fasting triggers adrenaline, which may be why. I weigh myself regularly so weight doesn't sneak up on me. Comes off very slowly.