[canadacatman]

Let me first start by saying I love this form and the help people get and give.

I have been a member for a long time asking for help and I would like help once again if possible.

My weight lose started almost 3 years ago when one day we bought a scale and I got on it and wow 371.2 pounds. Now right then and there I started eating right.

I started eating right drinking lots of water and after about 41 days started doing some cardio and weight training. I actually lost 50 pounds in just a bit over 100 days then being a bonehead uped my weights and hurt my neck.

I could not move my head barely at all so all exercises stopped and then before you know it eating right did as well.

I noticed the next little while I felt weird when I got up was dizzy or moved around fast same thing so I went to my family doctor to get my neck checked and told him about the dizziness and he checked my blood pressure was 150/100 so he gave me pills for it. And said I tore muscles in my neck and needed to go to physio but could not afford it so never went.

So the next 3 years gained all my weight back and a bit. I tried diet after diet but none worked like when I first started.

When I first started most of my advice came from muscle heads which I did not know at the time was wrong. I was eating 2000 calories 150 grams protein and a bit over 3 liters of water in 5 meals.

I want to go back to that way of eating as that was the only way I lost weight but I have it sunk in my head that that way of eating and all the water gave me my high blood pressure so I will not try it again.

I would just like a bit of advice is it was at all possible that the way I ate and all the water caused it. I was told no but I dont know what to think.

My doctor tells me nothing about what to eat not too eat what to drink what not to drink. Just gave me pills.

I would like to know how much protein a 382 pound male should be eating and how much water I should drink. When I was drinking 3 liters I had no problem drinking it.

And please keep in mind I have high blood pressure but no other medical conditions as of right now.

Thanks for any and all help and have a great day!!!!!!!

[Brandis]

Hi canadacatman- I remember you!
The excess weight contributes to high blood pressure by making your body grow extra blood vessels. If you have extra blood vessels, you have extra resistance from those blood vessels, and that is what contributes to high blood pressure in the obese, combined with a lot of other things. The length, diameter and distance from the heart of a blood vessel influence its effect on blood pressure. Add a bunch of small resistance vessels to supply oxygen to all of that extra body habitus, and you have a lot of increased workload on the heart. So it was probably the extra weight, and not so much the extra water, causing the hypertension. So while three liters of water at one time would increase blood volume and thus blood pressure, 3 liters over a day would hopefully be filtered out as excess by your functioning kidneys, unless you were suffering from congestive heart failure and it was building up in the lungs or body. In that case, you would have a lot of other issues besides just hypertension. That being said, I don't think 3 liters a day is necessary. Remember, you get water from the foods you eat as well as what you drink. If you are otherwise adequately hydrated, anything else is just overkill.

As far as the protein question, you will get a different answer from different people, depending on their style of eating and what they are trying to achieve. Many people say 1 gram per pound of body weight is right, but that would lead to you eating a tremendous amount of protein, which I don't think is a good idea( but what do I know? I am not a dietitian). Many of those recommendations are aimed at consuming the right amount of protein for each lean pound of body weight. As of now, it may be helpful to focus on reducing the amount of body fat you have before trying to overanalyze the macronutrients. Figure out how you are going to eat, and build a plan based on those foods at a deficit of calories for each day. Making sure your potassium/sodium levels are right, and exercising to build up cardiovascular strength will be important for regulating your blood pressure. Regular exercise will make your heart stronger and lower your blood pressure, as will losing weight. You may have to monitor your meds as you lower, as your needs may change; keep up your doctor's visits regularly.

Overall I think the best thing to do would be to eat a balanced diet high in potassium and low in sodium, with lots of vegetables, lean proteins and the right kind of fats(fish is great-especially fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring), as well as nuts(in moderation), and some fruits and legumes. Grains are controversial, but if you can eat them, great, just eat them in the least processed way possible. Whole foods are going to be more satiating and nutritious. Get a small plate, fill it with half veggies, one quarter protein, and the other quarter more vegetables or a healthier type of carbohydrate. Don't go back for seconds, especially if you are satiated. Eat slowly, mindfully, put the fork down between bites, and drink water during meals.

And for goodness' sakes, don't take advice from 'roided out meatheads. Design an exercise plan that you can do without hurting yourself. Remember that your body is already doing heavy lifting every day. Go easy on it. Just my (long) two cents. Welcome back!

[canadacatman]

Wow that is great advice and I appreciate it very much. I am going to try to go back to eating my old way and monitor my pressure daily and see if it goes up or down. I will also cut water to 2 liters or so I never took into account the water from the other foods.

I could never eat 1 gram protein per pound that's like 13 chicken breasts lol.

Would 100 grams of protein be a good start Thor me.

Thanks

[Brandis]

I usually end up eating a little over 100g most days, because I usually have some kind of protein at each meal, and I drink whey when I work out. It seems like I would have a hard time increasing much more above this, because it just seems like I am totally stuffed a lot of the time. I know many people here have diets way lower or higher in protein with no ill effects, even if they are doing heavier weights or whatnot. I am sure there is a wide range in the public opinion about what is "right".

I changed a lot of how I have been eating. I have been eating mostly whole foods, although I do still eat dairy. I am trying to greatly reduce my consumption of flour and wheat and some other grains in general, as I feel that I have addictive tendencies with these foods. I am also trying to avoid processed vegetable oils (soy, corn, canola), so I use coconut and olive oils, as well as butter (grass fed is great). Avocado oil is also good. Many people say that in industrialized societies, our ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids is way off, with too much omega 6; this contributes to widespread inflammation in the body, and the diseases related to it. Soybean oil and many other processed vegetable oils are very high in omega 6, and a lot of processed foods have these oils added as well. It is cheap to produce, whereas foods with omega 3 are more expensive.

Just remember that no matter what you eat, your body can take the excess and turn it into fuel. Protein is no different. It spikes insulin (although not as much as say high fructose corn syrup) and can be turned into fat just like anything else in the condition of a caloric excess. I also tend to eat the leaner choices of meat in animals that are fed a grain-based diet (supermarket meat). The composition of the meat can be skewed more towards higher levels of omega 6 than 3 in animals fed a traditional feed lot diet; not too surprising, if you are what you eat. I try to eat the leanest cuts of meat from these animals and add in my own fats, as well as supplement with fish or flax oil (I also take a multivitamin, b12, magnesium, and d3 with k2). The best choice if you could afford it would be grass fed, sustainably raised meats (and humanely killed). Ok I have rambled on about my own dumb diet too long now....sorry for the digression.

No matter what, though, you have to create a situation where you are in a caloric deficit. Good luck! You can do it, it just takes time and perseverance.