I am interested in hearing about anyone's experience with weight loss and Afib. Did help or do nothing? So far I have lost 13% of my original weight when diagnosed three months ago. Thanks.
Weight Loss: I am interested in hearing... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Weight Loss
Well done but keep it up. Percentage loss means not lot without figure which I wouldn't ask about. Aim for a BMI of 26 or better. Anything over 30 is not good for AF. Look up LEGACY trials in Australia.
I weighed 256 the day I went to the ER. Yesterday I weighed 220. I want to lose at least 20%.
it surely works , it affects the probability of FA to renew
Hi
No.
Concern yourself with waist measurement only. 35" for woman and 40" for man.
Its far easier and will take in the fact tat some of us have heavy bones.
They say some more weigh keeps with more oestrogen.
The weight thing means I am 2" over but I feel good.
cheri JOY. 74. (NZ)
Heavy bones! I've always struggled with my weight. I had a hip replacement twelve years ago. Surgeon says afterwards, don't think you can use heavy bones as a reason for being heavy, the smallest hip replacement that is made is what I used for you, your bones are tiny.
Hi
Ha ha.
My Mum had no broken bones until she slipped and fell at the net at aged 60ish.
Then at 85 years Dad weighing less than Mum @ 10 stone and Mum @ 11 stone fell on her and broke her hip trying to catch up with her - first day on holiday in Cairns. Why you have travel insurance!
No stooping, upright and confident. I continually transported Mum from a walker to elbow crutches. I don't like walkers at all.
I'm saying that when a Dr tells you that you are obese, its rude but to have a measure tape is better. Get the person to measure their own waist. It's easier to measure. and exclaim you have lost "such and such" "an inch" etc.
We have majority of Maori and Samoan ladies at our clinic. Obese yes definitely. Some will say "my husband likes me this way!"
Oestrogen is hidden in the 'extra'. If you don't have "extra" then oestrogen is lacking.
I hate to see folks with their shoulders curving over and nearer the floor. Standing up straight and confident is best, looks good and with less falls.
My Orthopaedic Surgeon had to 'burr' 1" of bone spur off my shoulder to get the rotor cuff moving again. I do have big bones. I've never broken anything! Instead he found full thickness tear and other smaller and did a reconstruction of my rotator cuff. Long op and intricate he said.
He had put it down is a routine operation but if I ask him he will need to admit it wasn't. MRIs don't seem to show actual damage on me. A camera sent is better.
Cheri JOY
Aren't our bodies weird and wonderful. I had a large V out of the ball of the hip joint at 47. Genetics is great! I was definitely a good 8 inches down from where I started as my clothes were tiny then compared to what they had been. Unfortunately that EP telling me I was rather a big lady when I was hugely smaller than what I was wrecked my head and I'm back to where I began. It's in hand. Joined a new weight loss plan that my second ep recommended as he'd lost weight with it. And he gently brought up the subject and listened when I said I was down x , but if I was interested try Bodyslims. It's now all online before that it was in Dublin only. Seemingly hard but it's ten weeks. And more importantly the guy who runs it gets in your head! Won't be long finding out. Hopefully he can get in my complicated head space. Weight is all to do with that mental health. If my head isn't in the right place then lbs go up unfortunately.
Hi
Ha Ha you are funny.
I see the positivity to move forward. Drs, Specialists others should know to adjust their talk to think about the person receiving same.
I know that it's only a matter of time before my weight will drop, as being in the older age group, my parents did just that.
When I'm back to my fishing, outdoor bowling, fix-it in me, gardening when my arm is moving freely, I will lose more.
I get to the stage where it not worth the bother of worrying about weight as it will shed sometime and eating less is a good start.
You can do it MaryCa!
cheriJOY
Thanks CheriJoy
I have orthopaedics on Monday. Torn meniscus in both knees. Did one last June and the second one Christmas week. Wait and see the first thing he will say is "lose weight". Absolutely guaranteed. I'm in Ireland btws. We definitely do not have a good relationship with the weight issue and how to tackle it. Then again if I ate like I did as a child I'd be grand.
Hi
So easy to do!
I was busy stuffing a huge amount of hedge clipping into the van up onto a bed - it was wrapped in an old sheet!,On my sloping driveway. It came down to knock me as I was twisting.
Ouch!
My knee remained fat for the 3 plus years after told that I had a small tear.
I was lucky that the knee has remained stable.
Are you having the meninscus cut out or is he replacing your knees.
Don't specialists etc know that ones exercise regime is curtailed.
I was never told that I was obese then. I know that I attended a prediabetic course. The nurse was 3 times my size!!!! She was telling me no to a whole cob of corn! I do not add sugar so I continue to have a whole corn with the top given to JAZ. Done in the greenery wrap. 2.5min high in microwave.
I've been to Ireland on a Comp.... trip from UK staying near a Lake and tripping across through Keri route. Beautiful. Parents back here thought I may get killed in the warring duo Cathlics against the Anglicans.
We are in summertime mode. Too hot 28 degrees here yesterday!
Take care, JOY
You can't have ibuprofen so what pain killer? Codeine?
Hey Joy,
The surgeon sees no evidence to support going at the meniscus. His opinion, 1/3 of people it helps, 1/3 of people it makes worse and the rest stay the same. It also logically reduces the amount of cartilage in the joint if they shave some off. Very logical. Pain injections if it happens again. I take palexia. As little as possible and as few as possible with paracetamol. Not enough osteoarthritis to consider a knee replacement and my knees are good at the moment, thank god. I got to weight before he could mention it and therefore it was off the table.
This new diet, because it is ten weeks, is 1400 calories a day, one hour walking keeping heart in moderate zone and lots of checking in with the course leader re hypnosis session at night, lecture on a Wednesday, two minutes morning and evening of video support and another few bits. His saying "weighing on the kitchen scale is more important than weighing on the bathroom scales". This week the talk was on habits. And how we use food with our habits to deal with stuff. My dogs did a job on my shoulder three weeks ago. My arm was totally restricted for 48 hours then it freed itself with pressure. MRI done since Sun. I'm just a walking disaster but at least I'm walking. We were in kilkee in county Clare on Sun for a walk on a very windy beach. It was wild. Kerry is fabulous. Great scenery and great people.
Hope you're doing ok.
Hi
Ring of Kerry lovely like our NZ scenery.
Knee reduced in size. Still shows a little bigger inside. I lost 6kg over the last year but have stuck there. Tummy flattened!
I can't be worried about my knee as pain goes. 75 years plus my knees have done an amazing job.
Never carry and turn as it is so easy to hurt them again. The surgeon has retired. He also saw the spur lingering in my right shoulder. "keep exercising it he said otherwise he would need to burr it down. I was playing tennis in 1989s.
Gee love badminton but had trouble bending down to pick up shuttlecock. Progressed to outdoor bowling.
Right shoulder repair just needs strength tolerance. I have 1 kg hand weights. Surgeon said I'm doing an amazing job to let myself back to bowling, fishing overarm, fix-it lady - able to change fire alarm batteries, gardening when I couldn't use hedge clippers.
I'm getting there. But walking for an hour with AF too much. 1/2 hour my limit and slow rhythm.
I'll get there. A2 milk and sour dough I great start.
Really great when your decrease in weigh stays off.
Cheers JOY
Fingers crossed the lbs stay off this time. You're doing great. You remind me of my friend, nothing could stop her, still cutting her own grass on a ride on mower at 82. I met her forty years ago in work and still friends.
Shoulders are essential to do overhead stuff. It's easy to lose strength and slow to build it back up. Afib is a bummer for tiring people out. I've had two short fifteen minute runs in the middle of the night in January. They never woke me. Both on the same night. Nothing to be concerned with, not like before the ablation. That was awful. My daughter's best friend from college is a Kerry woman, absolutely chilled girl.
The current weight loss program is ten weeks. He says no bread in the ten weeks. Obviously no junk.
But no alcohol, no bread and no simple carbs. Working so far. But sure any diet is only worth its salt if the weight loss can be maintained afterwards. He does two lectures on maintenance. That will be interesting. He's definitely in my head. As by the time I got back from walking this morning I was soaked to the skin as were the dogs. Ah well, at least it was done. I'm not speedy, too heavy to be, but I'll get there. I was there before.
Mind yourself. Take it handy walking.
Xx
Hi
Doesn't your lecturer know about sour dough?
The way out of bread if you still crave for it.
A2 milk costs less $6.39 only for 1.5 as against $6.89 .700L full organ milk homogenized same brand. It lasts me 2 weeks.
I love cold milk. Or hot milky coffee or cocoa.
I forget my diet and enjoy life. Still could lose another 6kg I reckon but not bothered. Back fitting into clothes, buttons done up again. Tummy fat the worse they say.
I'm not sure a regimentaled diet works.
I still push my batterifed Enviromower around. small lawn outside council land and bit inside. If I need to stop I do.
I'm 1.7 (lost the .05) and weigh now 87kg but I'm heavy boned like my Mum.
cheri JOY
I don't know what A2 milk is? Our milk in our local stores is all €1.05 a liter. Regardless whether it's full fat, low fat, or zero fat.
Lecturer doesn't care what bread it is. As long as it contains flour it's the devil incarnate! Lol. Because flour is processed, madly, and it is a simple carb, therefore spikes our insulin to deal with the increase in blood sugar.
I'm definitely heavier than you. I weighed a lot less, I'd worked hard to get the lbs off and one comment from one doctor just got in my head, and I stopped watching what I ate.
Hopefully the mental coaching on this will help more. He doesn't give a diet other than the alcohol, bread and simple carbs.
Hopefully, this time, the mental work will deal with the myriad thoughts that turn me to food when I'm not hungry.
No matter what it will be interesting!
Xx
Hi
Research milk. Now they either separate or A2 comes from A2 COWS!
It's refreshing, not fatty and I love it. I like the Kapiti Brand, Wellington. I tried the Fonterra 2L of it. No not good and it turned off as soon as the date came up whereas mine has never gone off even when it goes beyond the date.
Its the natural fermentation instead of yeast for sour dough bread. Better for your digestion and stomach.
Eat lots of soup with beans, veges, onions etc. That will fill you up.
Once you are on the road surplus will disappear, AF will smooth over and you will be a happier person.
Get a inch sewing tape and measure your middle. Gents 40" and ladies 35". I am 37" so a bit more to go.
Laugh about it. Dance your heart out. Move to the music.
You can do it! We can all do it to have a healthier life. Blow the genes excuse. Eat a filling meal so fill up with water first.
cheri JOY O
I'm generally enjoying the food. It's just good healthy food. Plenty variety. Plenty veg and plenty fruit plus good lean protein.
Part of the start week was to measure anything we wanted. I'm three inches down on stomach and hips, but plenty more to go. Sure I had it down. I was living my best life. Then I got afib after a hip replacement. I definitely think it was related to the inflammation after the op. As it was a new type procedure where they don't cut muscles, they just pull them apart. Recovery was very fast. . crutches were fully gone at 3.5 weeks. I felt awful with afib. And my now ex partner just decided he couldn't deal with me being sick and spent five nights a week in the pub. Most certainly didn't help pref fresh good food. The first decent dinner we had after my hip replacement was when I was able to cook. No wonder he's my ex!
My clothes were tiny compared to now. But I'll get there again. Just have to stay plodding along. I'm down a good bit in three weeks so I cannot complain.
Mary
Hi
Rapid reduction doesn't work. It piles back on so steady goes is the answer.
What 3" in 3 weeks! That's rapid.
I bought some fruit last week nectarines 50c each, peaches 70c, bananas $4.99 kg, etc toms $5.50 for 300g.
How do you survive?
I tend to get food from a friend and his rhubarb is a stable with oats a tiny raw sugar each morning.'
Weight lose will help your AF.
The ex may have been attributing to your weight gain. Criticism or sarcastic ways you can do without.
Good time, JOY
Thanks Joy. I have porridge with skimmed milk and a pear or apple grated in for breakfast.
Chicken, salmon or eggs with salad for lunch. Definitely plenty food.
And the usual Irish dinner, meat, two or three veg and potatoes or gluten free pasta.
No starving. Just clean food. Nothing processed.
This plan was recommended by the EP and I can put up three inches in three weeks so I can definitely lose it.
His last two weeks deal with keeping it off. The mental health and the exercise have to stay.
I'm going to a counsellor post relationship ending and that is definitely helpful. A friend of mine got me to read "why does he do that by Lundy Bancroft ' sweet lord. I didn't realise how much crap I was putting up with.
Stress definitely affects weight. Too much cortisol makes it nearly impossible to lose weight.
Stress free is good. Walking every day is good for the body and the brain.
Just have to make it a habit. There's the trick. To change our habits.
And look after myself first for a change.
Mary
Hi
So you are English and live in Ireland or UK?
Meat, tatties and 3 vegetables! No gravy eh!
Onions good. Beans good.
A break up is very stressful. Your house or do you have to sell up another upheaval.
We have a rule if you have been together in relationship at 3 years here he can ask for 1/2 of relationship assets.
I hate the rule and I'm very careful. I left my last marriage before 3 years although we had our own assets. He changed to be an acoholic which developed when I needed a left shoulder inner cuff accident on honeymoon. I opted to stay at my comfortable home. His was a 2-storey rat ridden very hot or very cold shed with cobwebs everywhere.
I went home after I sold my heifers - off to works.
I hope you sort out your changed circumstances.
Your daily menu is very nutritious.
cheri JOY
Are you trying to lose weight or is it just happening?
No, I am very much making it happened. I think the main reason it is happening is I have totally eliminated gluten and eating less of everything.
Interesting. I was diagnosed with coeliac disease around the time I was diagnosed with Afib. The coeliac disease was causing lose of weight as i could not digest my food well...unbekowing to me and no other real symptoms as mine was linked to dermatitis herpetiformis..a rare form of a coeliac connected disease.
Did you give up gluten, and if so, did it improve things?
I messed around for a few years and was not totally gluten free. I was diagnosed by hospital I have now been gluten free for a few years and feel much better on the whole ...infrequent Afib' attacks' and associated problems.I am 85 and quite active. I have a non functioning tricuspid valve and enlarged heart .I take very few meds on prescription and have a very low meat diet. I eat some fish. I generally drink only warm water aand some fruit juice plus usually 1 coffee a day.
So you believe the non-gluten diet improved Afib? What is your reason for the low meat diet?
I had for part of my life been 100% veggie.Felt I would help the planet if I cut down on the meat and it does not bother me much whether I eat it or not. Husband still is veggie .Yes. i do think the non gluten diet helped with the Afib as i generally feel ok .I must add I do quite a lot.lectures, concerts and courses online and in person where i live.So pretty busy .I am far from being a couch potato.
Hi
Keep up the bisoprolol as my latest ECHO showed no enlargement now but I have a severely dilated left atrium and RVentricle regurgitation as a result.
Wow you are doing well.
My friend, she was 84 with MS was 2 mths ago told that she was prediabetic. You have to stop this and that!
Honestly she was angry. No longer could she have her honey, her vogel toast and this and that. About 6 weeks ago she had a am fall, then got Covid. She couldn't arrange her 5th jab while I was having my 6th jab.
4 weeks ago she passed.
Instead of giving her a list of what foods had in them she and the dietitian should have sorted what her diet could be and alternatives.
I read that there was no such thing as prediabetic.
Statins will up your diabetic state. When she was put on Avorstatin 40mg I was astounded. I said 10mg is enough.
It was too late when her Dr finally halved the dose.
What we should be told about different meds.
cheri JOY. 75. (NZ)
Excess weight will place more strain on the heart so loosing it is a great idea. Congraduations! I have to say it didn't change my Afib. Nor did being gluten free as was diagnosed as coeliac...... But I do feel a lot better without the gluten and my digestive track has settled down.... No more tummy bloating or indigestion. And that is truly wonderful!!
Yes my husband has lost two stone and his stubborn heart is still in AF . Stopped a drinking alcohol etc , hasnt made the slightest difference . We’re hoping for an ablation , will be his second, at some point .
Why do you think the changes have not changed things? Thanks.
I weighed 204 the day I first experienced AFIb. Within a few weeks, after some trial and error, I found meds that worked for the afib…however, they have caused me to gain weight steadily over the past 15 years. At one time I had gained 103 pounds and am still close to that. Always fighting to lose weight.
Hi
Changed milk to A2.
Changed bread to Sour Dough.
I lost 6kg over year.
Af med improved Now 60s H/R Day. From 88-96 H/R Day.
Same meds Dilthiazem 120mg AM
Bisoprolol 2.5mg PM
Also thyroxin
Reduced...........
Synthyroid 125mg daily instead of having 3-4 days adding another 25mg it became opposite so decreasing synthroid 3-4 days to 100mg.
Now BP & H/R. 110-130/69 60s.
TSH. 1.5-2.5
Of course helped AF to become controlled.
Cheri JOY
When I was having regular bouts of very symptomatic Af I decided to lose some weight. Over a year I lost 2 stones and was better although the Af didn't change until I had an ablation. Now I am in sinus mostly because of reduced meds I am finding it hard to shift som of the weight that I've put on. I think the Af put a strain on my body and so it was easier to lose the weight while I was having it.
Well done on the weight loss. I had weight lost before I was diagnosed. Obviously it made no difference to me. I'd lost five stone with slimming world two years prior to diagnosis and more or less maintained. Then the EP I saw told me I was too heavy for an ablation. That wrecked my head. Changed EP weight wasn't mentioned and at this stage I'd put on weight. Just in the process now of getting it back down. No afib since ablation.
Goodness, you have done well. I'm only about a stone more than I would like to be but, my, that would be hard for me to shift. I'm tall, too, adding, I gather to stress on my heart. Excess weight and AF are inextricably linked, but in a complex way, it seems. Here's a quotation from a recent study:
"Obesity is a major risk factor for AF. Obese individuals are more likely to develop AF than normal-weight individuals. Adipose tissue leads to left atrial enlargement and electrical remodeling through various mechanisms, including inflammation and oxidative stress. This induces AF development and promotes type switching. Weight loss reduces AF development and is associated with a reduced rate of AF recurrence after ablation...".
Losing weight seems to help with AF in two ways. One, I gather, is that, because the heart has a fixed number of irreplaceable cells, these must expand, rather than increase in number, as the body size increases. They then shrink as the body size decreases (although they sadly lose this elasticity as we age, it seems). Secondly, and perhaps more importantly for AF is that, being overweight causes fat cells to develop on all major organs, including the heart. Both changes have been shown to stress the heart cells which react by becoming arrhythmogenic.
Fascinatingly, from the study linked below, it seems that it is the kind of fat that matters, which, strangely, can be white, beige or brown. This is why BMI, per se, seems not to be an ideal indicator of healthiness since some people can be healthily overweight. My guess is that the genes play a role, but because we can never know what kind of fat we lay down when we become obese, BMI remains a useful guide.
This is the study:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Steve
I weighed 202 (BMI 31.6) when I had my first AF episode 09/29/22. It woke me up at 1:00am and lasted 11 hours. I captured an ECG on my Apple Watch. I was put on Eliquis. I had another nighttime episode 12/16/22 which was very short. I had rolled over to my right side and AF started. I laid still and an ECG was captured on a 30 day holtor monitor and also on my Apple Watch. When I rolled to my back AF stopped. Through research I decided my weight had caused AF and it was vagal nerve related so I joined Weight Watchers and started losing weight. I’ve lost 37% and now weigh 128 (BMI 20). I am AF free since the second AF episode. In August 2023 I became a patient of Dr Wolf (Minimaze cardiac surgeon Houston Tx). He said the weight loss is excellent and encouraged me to get a cardiac monitor implant to confirm. His care plan was if I had no AF for several months then stop Eliquis. I bought a Wellue monitor to self-monitor. I have had no AF while monitoring so with his consent I recently stopped Eliquis. I’m determined to keep my weight off. A side note is that I know Covid can also cause AF. I am strict about masking and have masked 100% of the time since Covid started. This is to protect myself (fear that Covid could restart AF) and also to protect my 93 year old mother who has AF, takes Eliquis and who lives in a memory care facility. I visit her every day. She is unable to mask.
Well done on weight loss
I lost 4 stone felt brilliant heath wise became much fitter going to gym, swimming and paddle boarding. I don’t feel it improved my AF I have persistent it’s always there sadly.
Just had 3rd cardioversion and lasted less than a week and sadly back to persistent AF. It has however oddly improved my sleep apnea since having done.
I lost five stone £70. It didn’t stop the AF it lessened the severity and reduced the blood pressure while I was in the episodes of AF so it didn’t stop the AF but still aren’t positive effects and I feel a lot better for losing the weight
Why do you think it didn't stop the AF? Thanks.
From what I’ve read in the various posts AF has a life of its own. What helps one person won’t help another, losing weight, didn’t stop it with me, but it has reduced the severity of the attacks and lessons my blood pressure during the attacks of PAF, which I’m really thankful for so reducing my stroke risk during every episode
Did/Do you take any medicine like Flecainide?
Yes, originally 300 mg as a pill in the pocket. I’m now taking it at 50 mg twice a day but it’s no longer controlling the AF for myself. I don’t think weight is a factor my AF has got to mind of its own and no matter what I do or triggers I stop it doesn’t seem to be stopping the AF But it doesn’t mean it won’t work for you and any slight reduction in the symptoms of AF is still a bonus. It’s worth the effort
Staying away from Gluten is key, which you are as I read further down. Also recent studies say, eliminate PUFA's (poly unsaturated fatty acids) or seed oils. I too stopped the gluten and lost weight very easily but I still wanted to loose that last 5 pounds. I listened to some of the experts, (so called) ones. I tried low carb, intermittent fasting for awhile. I totally believed calories in calories out was the way to loose. NOT!
I have recently learned when we do that we really mess up our system. I was having a lot of AF. I stopped all that, added fruit juice and fruit back into my diet. Still stayed away from gluten and cook with only butter and coconut oil and olive oil. Yes that will raise cholesterol, which is not what is causing heart issues, new studies show. Since that little change in diet my AF is in remission it seems. BP is fine also.
What I learned is I have to eat a balanced diet, no processed foods, my system isn't triggering off the 4 stress hormones. I did gain back a few pounds but I don't care and I don't care what my dr says I feel better. I am not stressing myself out. So be careful to not fall victim to calories in calories out. Muscle weights more than fat, so keep that in mind. Muscle keeps the metabolism healthy.
"Stress hormones are secreted by endocrine glands to modify one's internal environment during the times of stress.[1] By performing various functions such as mobilizing energy sources, increasing heart rate, and downregulating metabolic processes which are not immediately necessary, stress hormones promote the survival of the organism. The secretions of some hormones are also downplayed during stress. Stress hormones include, but are not limited to:
Cortisol, the main human stress hormone
Catecholamines such as adrenaline and norepinephrine
Vasopressin
Growth hormone
Eating a balanced diet which is, good carbs not gluten containing foods like pastries, breads, or bagels. (in the book wheat belly he calls it just that, Wheat belly, muffing top, and bagel butt. that is where the fat is put on with these foods.
So a balanced diet, IMO is any food that doesn't cause you gas. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, those are your good carbs, meat of less fatty type, chicken and beef. Saturated fats from those foods. In balance which means, no low carbs diets, no vegetarian diets, no Keto diets, no intermittent fasting. In the short terms all these diets will work, in the long term they are stressing our bodies and causing heart conditions. We are depleting the liver and thyroid and cardiovascular systems to a huge degree. Also underrating and over exercising is also harmful in the long run, Its why so many athletes have heart problems and especially Afib.
It would be good to do some research on all of this. Be your own advocate. Learn what your body responds to good or bad. like a huge amount of gas by eating something your body doesn't like.
I can drink milk some people can't. some of us have our gal bladder some don't, only you can know what you need to do.
I think I am on the right path for now, until I learn more.
I had PAF, also Kidney issues, gave up sugar, which is key for some people, went vegan, got slowly down to normal weight, for 3 years now. Used to have AF once a week-ish, can't remember my last AF episode, 6 months, a year? now. So, yeah it works, do some trial and error, figure out what you can and can't give up, food and drink-wise, use a smatter of self discipline, involve whoever could help, trick yourself, whatever works for you.