I was wondering I am over 300 pounds and have high bp. I was wondering if anyone else here is over 300 pounds with high bp and lowering it through diet would you be kind enough to share some of your meals. Thanks

Catman, most of us here either are or have been over 300 pounds, and I'm sure I'm not the only one with high bp.

Although my bp is under good control with medication and exercise, I don't really hope that I'll be able to get off meds until I've lost a considerable amount of weight.

But, I was impressed and encouraged by the recent study of a (specifically designed) Mediterranean diet, which wasn't associated with either gaining or losing weight but WAS shown in a large-scale, long-term, controlled study to be associated with decreased risk of death from heart attack or stroke. So I'm working to adopt as many of the principles of that diet as I can: 5 fruits and veggies daily, olive oil daily, legumes 3X weekly, fish 3X weekly, avoid red meat.

I'm also following WW, so I'm trying to do the above while staying within the points limits (which is a little challenging, since the nuts and olive oil recommended would take up nearly half my daily point allotment). Here are some meals I make often:

Greek salad (lettuce, lots of cucumber and tomato, onion, fresh bell pepper and roasted red pepper, a few Garlic-stuffed olives, 1/4 c feta cheese) with fat-free Italian dressing (or with oil and vinegar, depending on how many calories/points I want to spend)

packed for work lunch: hummus (about 3 T) with baby carrots and pepper strips, 4-5 whole grain crackers, low-fat yogurt, maybe an apple, 1 small piece dark chocolate

pasta dinner: 1/2 c. whole wheat pasta with homemade sauce (tomato, onion, garlic simmered in 1-2 T olive oil, cooked till thick, with a healthy splash red wine), w/ 1 grilled chicken sausage sliced and tossed in. Eat with a large salad or crudité

vaguely Indian dinner: I cook lentils with onions and garlic and add turmeric and cloves; in a separate pot, chickpeas with canned diced tomatoes, seasoned with cinnamon, ginger and black pepper; a cup of each served over a cup or less of brown rice

fast week night dinner: grilled veggie burger with a slice of cheese, nuked frozen veggies and whole wheat pasta

peanut butter cup oatmeal: I make steel-cut oats, add 2 T peanut butter and a squeeze of Hershey's sugar free chocolate syrup

antioxidant oatmeal: Steel-cut oats with berries (blue, straw, rasp, black, whatever you like) and a tablespoon of slivered almonds

egg beaters with garlic, a little grated parmesan and onion/peppers, veggie "sausage" pattie, whole wheat toast

Hope some of this is of use to you.

I'm not over 300 pounds now but I WAS (and a lot of people here are). But yes, eating healthfully and exercise has lowered my blood pressure considerably. Mine was so high my doctor considered medications but supported my efforts to get it down naturally. My last reading was 120/78!!

I stopped eating most processed foods and avoid chemicals, fake sugar, artificial ingredients, etc. Eat mostly organic, with lots of fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, eggs, Greek yogurt, etc. It's delicious!!! And I work out a lot, mostly in the pool since I have degenerative arthritis in my hip... bought an underwater iPod which makes my workouts fun!

Go for it! You can do it!

I'm over 300 working my way down. I have hb too, which I take 3 medications to keep it down. I'm hoping with weight loss it goes down too. I also have diabetes which I take 2 medications for. Because of the diabetes I have bad neuropathy in my feet, which I take Lyrica to try to help with the pain. The last pill I take for the night is Ambien...because I can't make my brain shut off and rest and get some sleep without it. I would love to get rid of at least 1/2 of these meds. I doubt I will ever totally get off the bp meds, family history too...we will see. I think a huge step is coming here to this wonderful group for support and love from others who can relate to your problems. Stay and post often.

Vortex_VVV Thanks for all that information I will look into the Mediterranean diet and will try to adapt some of the things you mentioned. Thanks to you all...

OP - I can't specically help you with meal suggestions other than to say (1) you should be sure to limit your salt intake; and (2) make sure you take your medications every day. I was bad about taking my meds and ended up with heart disease as a result. Hopefully when you lose weight your blood pressure will go down.

Sandy - may I ask a personal question about your neoropathy if you don't mind... I have neuropathy and perippheral artery disease. Can you describe the neuropathy pain. I have numbness and pins and needles in both my legs. Also I have trouble lifting my legs....if I'm sitting in bed, I can only lift my legs a few inches above the bed... do you have that issue also? Sometimes when I'm getting into my car I have to actually lift my leg by putting a belt or tie under the arch of my foot and "lifting" it into the car. I'm wondering if these issues are related to the neuropathy or the perippheral artery disease. I've got to make a doctor's appointment, but I was wondering about it. Thanks.

forreal: My feet feel like they are on fire a lot of the time. Pins and needles...and hurt to the touch if someone else touches them. I like to massage them when I can and it feels better for a few minutes. Night time is the worst when I lay down and relax. Sometimes if I have had too much sodium in a day they swell and are bad too. I don't have a problem trying to lift them though. Good luck to you.

I'm on medication to keep my BP in check. I'm hoping at my next visit that my doctor might consider reducing it (it will be the first time they've seen me since I was 281lbs). They have already cut my lipitor in half which is good. It sucks to have high BP and high cholestoral at age 38.