COPD and weight

[teresa297]

Does being overweight any bearing on your breathing when you have COPD

[stone-UK]

Hi

Being overweight can effect you breathing with or without COPD.

Check you weight with your respitory team to find your ideal weight for you size. They can then help and support you to reach your ideal weight.

[teresa297 in reply to stone-UK]

Thanks, Yes I know what my ideal weight should be according to the weight chart at my GPs not that I agree with it I would look anorexic. The sad thing is I knwo what I need to do I just dont seem to be able to motivate myself at the moment. The more I think about it the moe I comfort eat.

[jackdup in reply to teresa297]

I know how you feel. I need to lose some weight as well and it is difficult to get motivated to do what I know I should be doing. I don’t really eat in excess or overeat or have a comfort food as such.

I agree the charts I have seen would have me weigh far less than what I think my ideal weight would be. About 10 or so years ago I was quite sick and got down to 160 pounds which is what the charts say my ideal weight should be but I was very underweight in my opinion. Even at 175 pounds everyone told me I looked too skinny.

[BrianTaylor]

I find that eating a large meal and being a little bloated makes me very breathless, so yes I imagine being overweight doesn’t help. Your doctor should be able to give you the best advice.

[Hidden]

Yes.

[Caspiana]

Hello teresa297 .

I'm afraid being overweight is not good news for us with COPD or any lung condition. Carrying more weight means we have to work much harder to breathe, this in turn puts a strain on our hearts. With any chronic condition comes fatigue, made worse if we have to carry more weight than we ought, leading to us wanting to rest more. A sedentary lifestyle is a vicious circle. The more we don't want to move, the heavier we get, the worse matters become. So yes, being overweight makes breathing much harder. Sleep Apnea is also common amongst overweight people. If you feel you need help losing weight I'd definitely consult with your doctor and dietician. Please do let us know how you get on. Take care and please don't do any drastic dieting. It doesn't work.

Sending best wishes,

Cas xx 🌼🌱

[teresa297 in reply to Caspiana]

Thnks for you advice I have tried diets and speaking to my GP im afraid my willpower is non existent at the moment as I find myself comort eating quite a lot but I know what I need to do

[Collie4]

I agree with Caspiana. Being over weight doesn’t help if you have copd or any breathing problem.

It is difficult to stay a healthy weight but take care and ask doctor or nurse for help if you need to.

[Ergendl]

Curiously, though, it does generally help to be at the top end of a healthy weight range for your height, as it means you have some reserves when infection strikes or it's a struggle to eat or to cough.

Carrying a lot of extra weight means that there is a lot of suet-like fat all around your internal organs, preventing them from moving and working properly. It can act like an internal straightjacket. So it's a very good idea to reduce your weight to achieve a healthy weight as a lot of that will go.

However, my GP suggested to me that I should lose more weight even though I was in the healthy weight range, to control my resistant high blood pressure. It has helped: my blood pressure is now normal, and my weight is now in the centre of a healthy weight range.

The upshot of all these ramblings is, we are all different, and it's a good idea to get your doctor's or dietitian's advice about the best weight for you.

[SparkySW123]

As Cas says, being overweight is not good for your breathing. I'm at the other end of the scale and am grossly underweight due to COPD. This means I have no reserves to combat infection. Try as I may I can't put weight on! In my experience, those with COPD fare better by having a few extra fat reserves depending on your height.

[teresa297]

Thanks to everyone for your advice, now I know weight does make a differrence and it is down to me to change my eating habits

[Kristicats]

Yes extra weight will put extra strain on both heart and lungs. But also being underweight is a problem. Sometimes though I think ‘the charts’ are not right for everyone’s body frame and I believe one should try to aim to within the BMI range.

[teresa297]

Thanks again I will try

[vittorio]

BLIMEY - NOT HALF IT DON'T SUNSHINE ! =IT MUST FOLLOW NATURALLY , THAT IF A PERSON HAS A FAIR BIT OF WEIGHT TO SHIFT , ITS GOING TO NEED MORE OXYGEN IN THE LUNGS TO DEAL WITH IT ! ( FUEL )! .FOR PROOF = PUT A HALF TON WEIGHT IN AN AVERAGE CAR , THEN TRY AND PULL AWAY IN FIRST GEAR = THE ENGINE DON'T HALF GROAN !! ….AND SO IT FOLLOWS IF THE LUNGS ARE ALREADY DAMAGED WITH COPD ETC, , TO SUPPLY THE EXTRA OXYGEN NEEDED- THE OVERWEIGHT PERSON WILL SOON KNOW ALL ABOUT IT - PUFFING AND BLOWING ETC , !! ………….I KNOW A PERSON WHO WAS 15 STONE WITH COPD , - SHIFTING THAT LOT WAS A MAJOR EXERCISE ! , BUT HE LOST WEIGHT , AND AS HE SAID HIS " MOBILTY IMPROVED IMMENSLY ! - HOPE THIS ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION - TERESA 297 ….

[teresa297 in reply to vittorio]

Thanks That does answer my question I did know really I just wanted to hear it from someone else.