I have totally changed my diet since my first Stent and am now 95% Vegan,We have no Milk or cheese in the house and do not eat saturated fat Vegan alternatives. I use oat milk and rice bran or olive oil,i have been veggie since 18 now 61 but am according to my BMI obese. Before my meds i lost 3 stone but since have put it all back on. I have tried cutting down on calories at one stage 1200 to 1400 a day to no avail very lottle loss over 6 months. I have read Bisoprol can cause issues like this. Frustrating as i was a 12 stone Surfer who also dinghy sailed at least once a week. Now 26 stone and totally depressed.
Weight loss: I have totally changed my... - British Heart Fou...
Weight loss
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Andytriumph63
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In my layman's view unless you are virtually sedentary a calories intake of 1200 for an adult is a path to weight loss. So assuming you do move about(!) it could be water retention perhaps. Otherwise do you take any other medication in addition to Bisoprolol which may have a side effect of weight gain? So unless you have already discussed this with your GP I suggest you make an appointment . Hope you get sorted
there’s a point about vegan food. If you are just eating plants and getting protein from beans and so on, fine. But are you consuming vegan “alternatives” such as pretend burgers? From what I’ve seen, these manufactured foods have additives to make them taste good. I could be wrong, but it might be worth looking at this? Not that they contain too many calories, perhaps, but that they contain things that you wouldn’t have in a normal kitchen. These are thought to be difficult for the body to deal with.
There are books on the subject and I haven’t the room to quote it all! And I could be wrong in your case.
Anyway, you didn’t mention your exercise regime?
I have lost over 6 stone and kept my weight off. My diet contains saturated fat, I don't count calories, I don't restrict any foods other than ultra processed foods and do not eat foods that contain seed oils. It's food high in Omrga 6 that should be watched.
It's the seed oils and sugar that are toxic and do damage to our blood vessels that leads to plaque build up in our arterial wall.
Buy a CGM and see what your diet is doing to your glucose. I am very active and regularly exercise, walking and cycling every day.
I am off all drugs except for low dose asprin, and I am definitely not depressed.
There are many reports from doctors that have looked at indigenous people, some on high carbs so vegan, some on high fat diets, and the common link is no processed foods or seed oils.
Look up insulin resistance as a starter for 10.
On my 12 month follow up the first thing my surgeon said to me was that I was looking great.
NLGA• in reply to
hi
I use tape seed oil in my salads
Is that what you mean by seed oils ?
I thought it was good for heart health etc
Like most things, there are strongly differing opinions on Omega 6 .....zoe.com/learn/are-seed-oils...
Thanks for the informative and balanced link from Zoe.
All oil is high calories but I thought the omega outweigh the bad things like calories as long as you don’t go to mad
Like nuts massively high calories but good in other ways
MoretonCross• in reply to
Excellent reply, I think we are both of the same opinion.
I would say, go talk to someone at your local Health Centre and see if you can get some help from a professional. Medication can cause issues for some people. A vegan diet is not always as healthy as you think. If you want to stay vegan look at Whole Food Plant Based Eating. There is loads of info on Google.
I am vegetarian and have yoghurt and a cheese, no eggs, meat or fish. I have always eaten like this, even as a child. At my heavy weight and I weighed 109Kg. I am watching what I eat now, portion sizes and snacking are my downfall. I now weigh 78Kg and want to lose another 10Kg.
Good luck with everything
Calories in vs out is pure physics that is hard if not impossible to circumvent on any diet plan. Creating a calorie deficit really works. Well done on your weight loss 👍🏻
Totally agree. Also eating nutrient dense foods and not empty calories helps.
Unless you are creating all your own Vegan food much of what you buy in the shops is highly processed and full of calories and fat. Proxy milks like oats are full of various strange things.
I looked at the effect of bisoprolol some time ago but other than allowing a one or two pound weight gain initially, it then had no further effect.
Presumably you are keeping a food/drink and exercise diary?
Age has a lot to do with it as metabolism seems to slow down.
Try the food diary for a representative week (i.e no special occasions) and then look objectively at the results
Sorry to hear your problems I agree with what everyone is saying about processed food and cooking from scratch. I had to take hormone tablets which changed my metabolism and the weight piled on and would not budge so maybe a medication review would be a good way forward as well where you can sort out side effects. The NHS run a weight watchers group and I attended a session and lost 2 stone. I have since been to slimming world and shed nearly 4 stone. So a group might help you keep on target. Take care.
I have always been led to believe that to lose weight you need to eat 800 to 1000 calories a day. Your 1200 to 1400 is what you eat to maintain your current weight which is what you are saying is happening to you.Of course to loose weight you have to exercise a lot also.
You didn't mention what exercise you do.
We can all blame outside factors for not losing weight but first we have to be sure we are doing all the right things.
I have been majorly into health and fitness for many years, doing regular HIIT and weight training eating a healthy diet and kept a healthy weight. Despite this, after a few months of being on Bisoprolol, my weight has seriously soared and I am now obese, none of my clothes fit and nothing I do seems to get rid of this weight. I've spoken to the HF team and my GP til I'm blue in the face, as it's a well known fact that due to the beta blocker slowing down your heart rate, it in turn slows your metabolism down to a snail's pace and because I’m on a high dose, it's affected how my body processes food. So I know exactly how you feel. I've had an athletic figure right up until I started taking Bisoprolol. It's very frustrating.
If we believe the meds are causing changes then we need to make adjustments for our changes in our basal metabolic rate .
I've already done this. Having been in the fitness industry now for years, this was one of the first things I did. The issue is the meds.
Yes, agreed. So we still have to adjust nutrition or accept weight if we can’t change meds. It’s tough.
Yes, that's why I'm finding even more frustrating seeing as I know what I'm doing as regards to nutrition and fitness and know how to adjust my diet to achieve weightless through years of experience in the industry, but the meds are unfortunately out of my control. The cardiologist said it's a choice of choosing my ideal body or meds to keep my heart beating...it was a simple choice when he put it like that.. but I did say that we are all told that keeping a healthy weight helps contribute to a healthy heart...but he just shrugged his shoulders
Really frustrating! Eating less , being miserable , eating the same , feeling low. It’s a rotten situation. I hope there are alternatives meds that help . 👊🏻❤️
It really is miserable when you know you're following all the living healthy rules, but the meds is something you have no control over. There are alternative beta blockers they can try and I've seen others have success with them, but the HF team's argument is that they don't want to risk changing my meds because what I have been on has given me great results, so why take the risk of changing them up in case it causes a decline over a minor side effect of weight gain...so I really do get where they're coming from. As frustrating as it is having the extra weight, I'd rather that over taking the risk of my heart function declining 🤗
TELL your health professional that you want to stop taking Bisoprolol. There are alternatives!
I've said this to them several times, but they don't feel that the extra weight is a good enough reason to change the medication that has got me from severe HF to mildly moderate. They don't want to take the risk and I do get that even though it is frustrating.
Hi Andy
Maybe try watching your carbohydrate intake as well as keeping the calories low. Just eat protein and veggies. Maybe difficult on a vegan diet (tends to be higher carb) lots of tofu . Oat milk will spike your blood sugar as it is high carb ,maybe switch to soya milk.
I was vegan for awhile then became pescatarian . I avoid milk but eat fish and eggs and a little cheese. I feel well on the good amount of protein and it is rich in omega 3 essential fatty acids .I dont eat alot of carbs because I have been watching my weight (less than 100g carbs per day).
Hi, this maybe a silly question. But has Dr checked your Thyroid.. I gained weight several years ago over a couple of years and couldn’t lose it. Turned out I had an under active thyroid .
1200 calories will definitely create a calorie deficit in a 26 stone person . It is an extreme deficit that is probably not sustainable. I also ask how you track and calculate your calorie intake ? Do you use MyFitnessPal to track the foods you consume ? How long do you embark on the tracking ? I have done this for years and know my basal metabolic rate for my height , weight , age and activity levels . I also know , through tracking religiously for 6 months , what my portion sizes are and I can eyeball roughly foods for calories . I eat lean proteins , olive oils and cut out ultra processed foods as much as possible. I have beer and wine and don’t miss out on anything really but I have been consistent.
I had nstemi and quadruple bypass 2023 and on the usual cocktail of medicines, statins, beta blockers etc aspirin. No weight gain.
I have helped people lose weight , gain weight over the years and consistency is key as well as having knowledge and being able to make appropriate choices when deciding on meals , snacks , hunger , hydration .
Other than this , get thyroid checked , blood sugars etc
I hope you find your way.
Sorry did i say 26 its 15.5 stone.
It’s still an extreme calorie deficit at 15 stone , not a sustainable amount of energy.
I’d speak with your GP to see if meds could be the cause or fluid retention. Also look carefully at vegan food options as many contain higher sugar and fat content to improve taste. For instance I found a vegetarian butter/ spread contained more sugar and calories than lurpak. Sugar is the biggest culprit according to my gastrologist and cardiologist than fats for weight gain.
I’m not vegan but have to be careful what I eat due to my pancreas even though I take pancreatic enzymes.
I know there are medications that make it a lot harder to lose weight, however calories are king for weight loss. If you are not losing weight then you are still eating too many calories. Honest calorie counting, weighing, measuring and recording everything you put in your mouth (without changing anything), for a week will give you a baseline of how many calories you are actually taking in. Get a good kitchen scale and record everything even sauce and salad dressings. As a person who has struggled most of my life with being overweight I speak from experience when I say until you do this you will always underestimate your intake it is shocking how many calories we take in from food without realising it. I use a site called My Fitness Pal to keep me accountable, it's free (no need for the premium option) and it has a HUGE database of foods and a great forum on which you will find advice, tips and hints from people who are in the same position as you. The most important advice is be patient, losing weight is a slow process and we often quit out of frustration that the loss is not fast enough. I lost 40lbs and kept it off for years. I have recently started again to lose the last 20lbs. I am not a very active person either. I have noticed GP's are also recommending this site as it has all you need to keep yourself accountable and also, like on here, there is a huge amount of support from fellow users.
Please read this I know it was a ramble but there is a point and hopefully something I say will help you . I know how hard it is to loose weight from the age of 25 my weight was the lowest 18st -19st. When my husband died it went to to 19st+ and stayed there until 2017. I have a rare hereditary neurological condition and was very skinny as a child . I have been in constant pain my whole life with my legs and fell everyday. Since 1988 it was off and on in my arms as constant pain . But from 1988 until 2020 I had limb jerks and 4 seizures which took my speech for hours. But my husband had always loved me and desired me no matter my weight . When my health got worse in 1988 our children where 4 and 6 months old. My life has been taken up looking after others even though disabled from birth. So over the years I tried to loose weight lost 3-4 st but always put it back on and more.
I was 45 when my husband died he was 47 we had been together since I was 16 he was 18. After he died had both parents and mother in law to look after. Children left home it's what I wanted in 2006 as they had to live their lives. But I couldn't move to live closer to them. I am not the sort of person who abandons people who need me.
Mom was the last to died in 2017. Few weeks after her funeral my health got worse I thought it was life and my body was telling me I had to rest. In the end had to call my GP she came took one look at me and phoned for an ambulance but it would be 4 hours . She wrote a letter to get me admitted to an acute ward. I was yellow but I could see I was. Turned out I had jaundice caused by 2 tablets I had been on since 1992. I was seriously ill in hospital for 5 days and took me 5 months before my gastrologist discharged and he then told me I should have died as people with my bilirubin levels normally died. I was my wake up call.
I would never want anyone to have jaundice as a wake up call. It does awful things to your body and never been so ill. The worse thing for me was I needed someone with me 24/7 but there was no one . I have never been frightened living on my own till then. I could get myself anything to eat and had to what until either my brother or nephew came and did me a ready meal and they left a sandwich in the fridge for my lunch. My children lived over 100 miles from me and came when they could but had full time jobs and family.
I had a lot of time to thing what I wanted out of life as I was finally free . My husband's made me promise lot of things but the main one was live the best life I can. I had no life I existed . The moment he died our home was just a house . He was my home . I thought about what I wanted out of life it was only 3 things move ,loose weight and get fit.
I realised loosing weight is a marathon not a sprint and it's a life long commitment. You need to eat 3,500 per week less than your body needs to lose 1lb. I know what foods I have no control over so didn't buy them . And set myself a calorie intact of 1400 a day and weighted and measured everything I ate and drank and wrote it down and counted the calories. Increased the amount of veg and fruit I ate and cut down amount of meat I ate. If I lost quarter of pound a week I was happy . But if I had a bad day or put on a week I looked on everyday as a fresh start .
The important thing is not to give up. And loosing weight is hard work but you have to really want to do it and commit to a whole way of life. When I got to 15st 7lb I wanted to exercise so joined a community fit group run by age UK. The instructor adapted the exercises to use a chair . I held on to the back of the chair for leg exercises and sat for arm ones .
Now the funny thing about combining exercise with weight loose is the more you exercise the more you make muscle . Muscle weights more than fat and when my weight went up I could understand it but at the start of my weight loss journey I measured myself and found even though I put weight on for a few weeks I lost inches until my body got used to the exercise.
When I got to 14st reduced my cal intake to 1200 a day which I still do to this day. Took me 5 years but I lost 7st was a size 32 now a 16. Still battling to lose another couple of stone but haven't given up.
I moved to a bungalow to live closer to my children in 2019, and joined a sit fit class which I love . I exercise at home and have static pedals which I do 300 rotations a day . It's still a daily battle to not over eat but I do not want to put that weight back on.
Moving gave me a life I found me again and have a home again and live my life to the full. Have better health care here. So in 2022 after my neurologist having my whole genome genetically tested I know what I was born with and it's rare plus 2020/2021 found I was born with a hole in the side of my heart .
Loosing so much weight after decades of being obese my skin will never tighten up I am baggy and saggy but don't care. I will never be a slim Jim but would like to get to 11st one day could take years but one day I will do it.
You out the food in your mouth no one or drugs are to blame for being obese I know that only to well. If you truly want to loose weight then you have to control what you buy and eat no one can do it for you . There are no short cuts . A friend of mine has renamed eating less for life and that's what I do and if you want to loose weight then that's what you need to do .
Measure yourself and write it down . Decide which foods you have not control over and if you drink alcohol stop until you have lost at least 3st then just treat yourself to one drink . You can still have cake or biscuits but only one and count it in your calorie allowance. It's a life long commitment and I can't say that enough .
My brother has lost 8st by only eating once a day . Which isn't how I would do it .
He swims for hour 5 days a week and walks 10,000+ steps a day and has done from the start of his weight loss.
I have porridge for breakfast,homemade veg and red lentils soup for lunch and stew for dinner. I can't cook fresh everyday due to my disability and pain levels . So I made enough soup and stew for 6 lunches and 6 dinners.
At the moment having water retention of can put on 4lb in a day then next day it's gone. But I haven't given up my cal counting . On holiday I do eat what I like but still pick lower cal foods.
It's up to you . I hope something I have said will help you. But don't set yourself targets to loose a week it doesn't work and it's a marathon not a sprint and you will have to work at it the rest of your life . But it's worth it I promise. I am 66 now and happy and fitter than I have ever been since my husband died. Even though I grieve for him everyday and my grief gets worse as the years go by . It's been 20 years since he died and he was a slim Jim .
Good luck but it's down to you .
If you find a drug that can increase weight please let me know about it, as I need to put on weight.
All the best.
Roy
SORRY ALL JUST NOTICED IT SAYS 26 IT SHOULD BE 16.
Hi. I always thought that a woman’s calories intake was 1200 per day, therefore to lose the the weight you would have to take in less calories than that. I have been having 700 - 800 calories per day and lost a stone and a half. This has been very gradual and I am also rather inactive due to other health conditions. It doesn’t sound like a lot of calories I know, but actually if you look at all the calories as you go, you’d be surprised just how much you can consume in a day. I do try and add salad/veg with each meal to make sure I’m still eating healthily too. Also, as others have said…. go to your GP too, there are lots of things they can offer to help. In the BHF magazine a few months back, there was an article on WEGOVEY. I’m not sure what the criteria is but It’s an injection to help weight loss. Perhaps start the conversation with your GP that way.
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