hey all.
just wondering if anyone has managed to lose any weight being on a cocktail of heart medication. I eat well with the odd treat, I walk a fair bit and have 2 young children that keep me busy. I have tried different types of exercise but due to my heart I really struggle. I take bisoprolol 7.5mg, dapaglaflozin 10mg, furosemide 40mg, entresto 24/26mg and warfarin.
heart nurse just says light exercise but I am 5ft tall and 10st so told to lose weight.
any help is appreciated xx
Yes, I lost a couple of stone following open heart surgery. Bisoprolol is often quoted as preventing weight loss. I disagree, Bisporolol may not help us lose weight, but if we want it badly enough we'll find a way. You're right to identify weight loss as a key step to securing your future health, the medical evidence is overwhelming.
There are however some other medications, things like insulin, which genuinely do make weight loss extraordinarily difficult. But the standard cocktail of heart medications is no barrier to weight loss.
Good luck!
thank you. Yes I've been told bisoprolol can slow things down. I will keep trying
First question is do you feel you need to lose weight? You BMI is 27.3 as in 'only' overweight, but that does not take into account your frame (as in square or beanpole). Next you say you eat well, but that covers a wide area from eating healthily to eating plenty. If its eating plenty just cut down first of all without going hungry. Otherwise my suggestion is to first discuss your medication with a pharmacist or your GP to find out whether any of the meds you are on encourage water retention. If they do your weight loss programme is going to be more difficult. However a quick fix to lose some weight is to cut out or significantly reduce your intake of sugary stuff like cakes, biscuits, puddings, cola etc etc, plus snacks like crisps and peanuts, and typically fill up on veg not pasta, then take it from there. Finally aim for a steady weight loss say 0.5 to 1 kg per week to you get where you want to be , rather than a crash diet which makes you feel miserable.
i take furosemide and dapaglaflozin so they stop fluid retention. I don't have sugary drinks anyway and have a lot of wholemeal things etc. Doctors and nurses want me to be under 9st so my heart doesn't have to work too hard as it doesn't pump very well. But yes I will speak to the doctor's again
Did you mean 1 lb (pound) per week as opposed to a 1 kg? 🙂🙏
I definitely meant kg not lb. Over a three to four month period earlier this year I lost 13kg, which started out at about 1 kg per week loss which then tapered off at the end as you might expect. I was at the higher end of BMI 'overweight' and ended up with a BMI of about 25, where it has remained for about 4 months. . A few basic adjustments to diet and other lifestyle changes were not a huge challenge for me and that remains so. It just requires some application and a little self discipline which are a small price to pay for the benefits it has given me. And finally I take an array of meds for several medical conditions, although perhaps not as many meds as some, and am not as active as I would like to be due to advancing years plus arthritis in some key joints.
Sounds like a reasonable challenge - thanks for clarifying. With thanks and best regards - Mark 🙂👍🙏
I have put weight on after being on a cocktail of heart meds. I have cut down on sugar and portion sizes, and stopped gaining weight, but losing it is difficult.
thank you
yes it is possible. I have lost 2 stone and am taking bisoprolol, amlodipine, atorvastatin and apixaban. Main thing is take a long term view and if .25 or .5 of a pound comes off in a week - great. If you set yourself up to lose 1 or 2 lbs a week and it doesn't happen, it'll throw you off course. Opinions are divided on how often to weigh but what worked for me was weighing every day and not being swayed by the number, then each week working out the average weight. BMI is a ridiculous tool but it can be useful as a guide. 9st for you would be around 25. Caloriewise start at 1700 a day and see what happens. Good luck.
thank you so much that is really helpful
My husband and I are both on Bisoprolol and I have a cocktail of other meds following HA . I have slowly lost a stone in 5 months but coming to a bit of a plateau . However as I’ve now returned to work being tempted by the office feeders occasionally.
We’ve done it from cutting out the treats and total diet change and considering the fat content and calories. This hasn’t stopped us having no treats or foods we like but limited them.
Good luck and remember slowly and small changes make it more achievable
thank you so much. I have cut out sugary things and have changed certain things like changing to wholemeal. I have the odd treat but nothing too crazy. I will keep going
I believe the best way is to focus on eating better. I have been on a cocktail of heart meds a long time, no change there. But 2 years I ago I found I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and pre-diabetes. GP recommended the pre-diabetic course and I changed my vegetarian diet to eating small and more often, minimal fat, minimal sugar, same exercise, and lost 10k, which I have kept off.
My angina is much reduced.
Go for it!
thank you. never thought of little and often. Will definitely try that.
In case you are suggesting it (apologies if you aren't!) …..I dont think ‘little and often’ would work on its own…….I believe it was the whole ‘package’ that worked, particularly cutting out sugar and fat.
i have cut out sugar and as much fat as possible, I make most things from scratch too but thank you very much
Good style! Hope it works for you.
I take Pradaxa, Nebivolol, sprirolactone, Bumetanide and Flecainide and still have managed to lose two stone and keep it off. I have followed the LCHF diet on health unlocked. Every now and then I find the odd slice of bread or packet of crisps pops in then it’s back to the drawing board
Hi Cherrelleford,
When I had my heart attack, I had two stents which made a significant improvement in my metabolic rate and I lost 6kg in a week. Looking back, I am sure the heart medication helped me keep my weight stable and I have since managed to take a few more kilograms off by exercise and diet. I do have the odd treat and certain foods (pizza and pies) make my weight spike upwards for a day or two, but generally it comes back down inside a week or so.
I hope that you are able to make a reduction in your weight as it will encourage you to be a bit more active and that in turn helps reduce weight. It is kick-starting the process that is the hard part
With my best wishes,
Gerald
In the year after my heart attack I Lost 2 stone without trying. I didn't even realise until it came to summer and I got out my summer skirts and they all fell off me. I was also suffering bad constipation because of my tablets so I went to the doctor about that. OF course he asked about my weight and when I told him, he panicked and sent me for numerous tests for bowel cancer- all negative of course. I still don't know why the weight fell off me. I can only assume it was the change of diet. I had cut out all cakes and biscuits, crisps, pies and such; increased vegetables, cut right down on red meat for a more healthy heart diet. I wasn't trying t o lose weight. IT just went.
thank you for all your replies. Some great stuff. I will keep trying
It is possible! This popped up on my local news page the other day derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/d... Good luck!
hi Cherrelleford. I’ve been slowly losing weight by spending 45 minutes a day on my exercise bike, trying to burn off 300 calories a time, and eating less. My bmi is a bit high and I’ve been told I’m pre-diabetic, waiting and waiting for a referral to happen. It’s interesting to know that the meds could be causing the weight gain in the first place — I thought it was pandemic inactivity. And I don’t eat cakes and things like that and try to avoid sugar. I have 2 kilos to go until I’ll be satisfied. It’s been a hard, hard slog. Good luck!
Yes, it's possible, I lost 3 stone just over a year ago (had a mild HA five years ago). It's important to be in a calorie defecit but you will lose faster if you exercise. That exercise doesn't have to be strenuous, walking briskly will do. I'd also look into mindfull eating as that will help you develop good eating habits so you can maintain your weight after you've lost it. I recommend an app called Nutracheck that's not too expensive and has a help group on facebook. I originally started on the Noom app which really helped - but it was pricey and US based. Nutracheck is British. Good luck!
Hi Cherrelleford….I’m finding it very hard to loose weight, in fact I’ve put on weight. I take Apixaban,Bisoprolol,Losartan and Simvastatin, since having my pacemaker fitted for AF 8 months ago I’ve put on 5kg. I don’t take sugar, trying to follow low carbohydrate diet, so stop eating bread and potatoes, only have the occasional G&T at weekends. Exercise is difficult I’m 77yrs old with a BMI of 32 and still get breathless when I walk so desperate to loose weight. …Help!
oh bless you. I noticed my weight piled on when I had my ICD fitted. I have dizzy spells all the time as my blood pressure is all over the place. I get breathless on inclines and I can't jog or run which is hard with two young kids. Fingers crossed we can both shift a few kg. I have cut down and cut out a fair amount of things too. Read through some of the replies I've had that have some good and useful ideas
After my major heart attack and associated strokes I had three stents fitted and ten nights in hospital. On the usual cocktail of heart medicines I lost a stone in that week. I didn't eat for the first three days in hospital but ate like a horse for the other seven!My BMI was twenty six prior to the HA and I was a regular twice weekly cyclist.
I also noticed post HA all my aches and pains and sore joints which I had put down to ageing (64) seem to have disappeared! Not sure if it was the medication, improved metabolism or increase in blood flow perhaps...but I will take it!!
Some eighteen months on still cycling but BMI has crept up to 25.5 and have put about six pounds back on.
Heart failure has improved from severe to mild and my ejection fraction from 35 to 48.
Future looks a lot better..best wishes to you all...john
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