Fat loss for blood pressure

[S11m]

My blood pressure was a bit low, I thought at 127/something.

Now I have lost nearly four stone and it is 108/70 (having walked 3km)... and I suppose that that is why I am getting postural hypotension more now?

Blood sugar (HbA1c) down from 40 to 39.

How much change have you seen losing weight and since?

[kleineKerze]

Hi S11m

Sorry, I can't help you re: lowering blood pressure by losing weight because I'm still on my way to losing it yet, but I can say plenty about the opposite.

Having had extremely low blood pressure all my life (midwives used to get particularly worried about it till they realised I had always been like that), my blood pressure is now resolutely in the normal range. Given I'm now about four and a half stone overweight, normal is obviously not "normal for me".

I've recently started on LCHF and enjoying it greatly, though yet to see any appreciable weight loss from fat loss, but I don't doubt it will happen. I'm looking forward to having low blood pressure again.

As my GP used to say, so long as the postural hypotension doesn't bother you much, low blood pressure is better than high, and carries fewer risks.

[S11m in reply to kleineKerze]

Thanks, kleineKerze - so, it seems that reducing fat reduces blood pressure, so optimising bodyfat can make blood pressure almost too low?

What was your blood pressure when the midwives were concerned about it?

[kleineKerze in reply to S11m]

I'm not a medical expert by any stretch, so I wouldn't be able to tell you that optimising bodyfat could make blood pressure almost too low. All I know is that getting fat raised my bp from its usual low state to a normal level. My new GP blithely said, "Oh, that's fine, your bp's well within the normal range", and I was slightly alarmed and said, "You're the first person ever to say mine was normal, as it's usually low", and then she asked if I'd changed my diet, put on weight, all the usual questions, and of course my answer was that I'd put on weight over the space of only a couple of years.

When I was pregnant both times my bp dropped a bit and the midwife made me come in twice a week to get my bp checked, till she was able to look back over my record and realise it was always recorded as low. When pregnant my bp measured variously 75-80/40-50.

On one hilarious occasion, she looked at the reading with alarm and exclaimed, "Oh goodness, that's lower than normal!", and I responded, "Mine's normally low, but that's a bit low for me", and she joked, "That's low for low, and normal for dead", but she was from Glasgow.

[TheAwfulToad Visitor in reply to kleineKerze]

You should ask the admins to set you up with a badge that says "clinically dead"

[kleineKerze in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Ha ha!

[TheAwfulToad Visitor]

I doubt it's anything to do with weight loss per se. Are you taking diuretics or beta-blockers?

[S11m in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Hi, TheAwfulToad ... Thank you for your response.

I thought that high body-fat caused, or is associated with high blood pressure, and reducing blood pressure was thought to be one of the advantages of losing weight?

I am not taking diuretics or beta-blockers.

[TheAwfulToad Visitor in reply to S11m]

I don't think it's as simple as that. The lifestyle and diet that lead to high blood pressure also lead to a whole cluster of other problems - pathological insulin resistance, heart disease, etc.

Low blood pressure is a different thing entirely and AFAIK might have multiple possible causes. Drugs to lower blood pressure (or otherwise interfere with your circulatory system) are apparently a common culprit ... hence the question. If it's really troubling you, I reckon a visit to the doctor is in order to make sure there's nothing seriously wrong ...

[S11m in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thank, TheAwfulToad .

I am interested, not bovvrd.

I thought that it was interesting that a medic finally realised my blood pressure is low... but low is good.

When I was slightly concerned (before I had a pacemaker) I used to wake up paralysed from the neck down, and I had persistent AF, a sleeping pulse rate of 35, and an SPO2 of 75!

[TheAwfulToad Visitor in reply to S11m]

um... yeah, that would make me slightly concerned too!

As kleineKerze suggested, as long as it isn't causing you big problems, maybe it's not worth worrying about. I've met a few people who have "abnormally" low blood pressure - with no known cause - but they function normally.

[Stoozie]

S11m you could try adding some high heme iron foods to your diet.

Do you like black pudding?

[pauluk60 1st 7lbs]

hi s11m are you dieting may cause your bp to be low are you on medication for bp maybe if dieting hard slacken off dont be to hard on yourself 4st great massive loss how much more to loose you will need food to keep physical or your going to get things happening like this i am no doc and i think your doing great but dont overdo good luck

[S11m in reply to pauluk60]

I had a review appointment with the GP as I had got to my target weight.

I felt better when I maintained for a week and then did a two-day fast, see:

healthunlocked.com/fasting-...

No medication for bp.

[pauluk60 1st 7lbs in reply to S11m]

missed reply sos have you asked about your low bp

[S11m]

A bp of 120/80 is normally considered optimal, for 20-year-olds - and I am 70!

Normal (not ideal) bp was thought to be 100 plus your age, so 127 was typical for a 27-year-old! Not low, perhaps be (be)low average?

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to S11m]

Maybe this will put your mind at rest, S11m. It's for all age adults

bloodpressureuk.org/BloodPr...