Hi all!

Right now I've been dieting for about a month. I'm down from close to 300lbs to about 285. (Give or take) I'm 29 years old, and I'm active (walking) at least 3 days a week. I also try to sneak Zumba in there once a week. But it's a little hard for me, being so overweight. And last time I got a splitting migrane right at the end so now I'm gunshy about attending again.

My problem is my blood pressure... Last month when I started dieting my readings would be like.. eh... anywhere from 140-150/90-105.

Lately my readings have been between 125-146/85-96.

My bottom number is just still too high. Consistently I get readings around 136/93 give or take a few points on the top and bottom. And it worries me greatly. I know I need to get that number below 80. I've gone vegetarian, I'm diligent about my sodium intake (sometimes I go wild but it's a rarity), I exercise... I try hard to keep my stress levels low. I'm currently not medicated for the BP. I'm trying to lose weight first.

What else can I do? Anything? I'm worried I've been damaging my heart and arteries. And I'm past the point of fixing myself. Some days I just want to quit because I'm not seeing the improvement I want. Also I don't have access to a doctor right now. *Sigh*

It looks you are doing great with everything, wt, BP coming down, exercise, healthy eating choices!!!! Just keep at it, one foot after the other--in hindsight it will not seem like so long, but it sure does seem to take forever while we're in the middle of it. Celebrate your success!

Can you increase your walking to more days? Try Zumba when you feel like it, but I think brisk walking should work just as well.

Fyi, I just read the current recommendations to lower BP. Limiting alcohol is one of the lifestyle changes that's been shown to help. Not sure if this applies to you, but if it does, it's something else to try.

Honestly, it sounds like if you keep at it, you'll have your BP down soon. Imho, the trick is to embrace the healthy choices so that you are not feeling restricted. Soon if not already, you will see better strength, energy, & and mobility.

Hope you get access to a doctor soon, not just for BP check but for your overall health. Meanwhile, keep up the great work!

Thanks!

I did cut out alcohol and caffiene completely. Although I've been managing stress I do suffer from anxiety and sometimes I get very anxious (like I am now) I just started therapy so hopefully that will get under control soon.

Just something about my heart and the BP makes me extremely worried and thus depressed.

How is your vitamin D status? It is inconsistent but some studies do show promise as long as you get your blood level up. I had constant 130/80 BP in my 20s and for the last 8 years down to 110/60. I even asked my doctor to check me out because I thought something might be wrong. Not sure why but, my guess is vitamin D status.

As far as heart damage, the biggest question is "how long have you had high blood pressure?" You're young, so the chance of heart damage at this point is low, unless you've had raging high BP for the last 10 years. My 60 year old sister went to a new doctor and they found high BP. Because they weren't sure how long she had it, the doctor ordered an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) to make sure her heart was good.

I think you are on your way to lower BP and healthier weight. For that, major congrats!

*hugs* Silent! I feel you on the anxiety. You are doing really really well. Please don't give up. Progress and results can be slow but they are 100% showing! That bottom number has come down! It's not touching the 100s any more, that's a huge achievement! Yes it could come down a little more, and it will as you progress, but you have already made a huge difference and your body will be thanking you for that!

I am coming down from 298lbs, so probably similar to you. I'm just about to hit 252 and i'm so excited about getting into the 240s! But I fret and get anxious and weigh myself multiple times a day sometimes. Then I stress because it fluctuates, even though I KNOW that's what happens and its totally normal! And with BP, the more stressed you get about it, the worse it's going to get (thanks, body, for that catch 22!) Perhaps try to set a day where you will take your BP and then try not to do it again for the rest of the week if you can. *hugs*

Best of luck and sparkles to you! You can do it! <3

I honestly have no clue what my vitamin level is. I should start myself on a multivitamin though. Seems like a good idea.

Thank you! I wouldn't say it's raging, I think it's always been high at the doctors... about 4 years ago at urgent care they said if it didn't come down they'd have to put me on meds. If anything it's LOWER than it has been in the past. I can't remember what that reading was but I feel it was triple digits both top and bottom.. or maybe the high 90s for the bottom. Once at the ER last year (when I was completely and utterly distraught because I hate hospitals and had been sobbing for hours) I was 172/110 something. I've never had a reading like that since. Last time at urgent care (about 3-4 weeks ago) it was 162/87.

No one seems concerned about my heart (blood test, xray.. no enlargement, ekg all normal) or BP except for me.

You can get it tested at your doctor. The important value is blood value. So you could take the RDA and still not get your blood value higher. Most humans on the planet are Vitamin D deficient and that is a bad thing. There is also some evidence that being deficient in vitamin d can make it harder to lose weight.

Just lose weight. 136/93 is not the end of the world but they will put you on medication if you cannot get it down. But you have time if you are making steady progress with your weight. I was in the same range and now my BP is fine, although I did go on medication first because that was before my weightloss and I was not interested in losing then. I am now off of my medication.

Another tip, I hope to dear God that you are using a large size cuff. A regular cuff with big folk pushes your readings through the roof!

Soooo here's the catch... I'm using a regular cuff. But instead of using it on my upper arm (because I burst out of that like a can of biscuits in the sun), I use it on my forearm. I heard that was a reasonable accommodation if you don't have a large cuff, but I have to wonder how off my numbers are. I get a feeling, not too much.

that is not a bad blood pressure for your weight. You have seen what happens with 15 pounds, I am betting another 10-15 and it'll be within normal range.

I was borderline hypertensive when I was in the 200s as well. It went back to normal when I lost a little weight.

Focus on the amazing accomplishment of dropping 15 pounds in a month! That is amazing. I have found that patience is key with weight loss. Once I developed that I am much less depressed and less likely to give up. Hang in there and congrats on your weight loss.

Hi there , I totally understand your worries, but here's the catch the more you worry about it the higher it's going to get. I used to suffer from very high blood pressure and found out through my doctor that every time I was about to have it measured , I stressed so much that I actually made my pressure go up! Also, she told me not to rely too much on the digital machines they can be off when used at home. The best and most accurate method, she said is the manual one.
I hope this helps!

I think testing yourself at home sounds like it would induce anxiety and you may not be doing it correctly.

Meditation does wonders for blood pressure and overall health. You're going to be fine, you're on the right track! I would definitely think about incorporating walking into your daily life and not just for weightloss, it has tremendous benefits beyond that.