Why I need to lose weight?

Excess body mass is correlated closely with an increase of blood pressure. This leads to high cholesterol, makes exercise more difficult, and is a risk factor for diabetes mellitus (high blood sugar). Therefore, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), losing even a small amount of weight can help you to control hypertension and lower your blood pressure. A weight reduction of 4.5 kg is effective in reducing blood pressure and lowering the risk for many diseases which affect the heart and blood vessels. 

However, there is a study explains that it is not just about weight loss in controlling blood pressure but, it’s also about the activities you participate in to lose the weight. “You can be normal weight or underweight and still have high blood pressure if you remain sedentary and do not watch your diet,” (Malia Frey, 2012).. This means that you need to be active in your daily activity to lower and maintain your blood pressure. “But when an overweight individual begins to adopt healthy weight loss habits they are likely to see an improvement in their blood pressure.”

How to lose weight with hypertension?

Four simple steps to lose weight

# Step 1

Consuming less sodium (example food sources: table salt, meat, sauce) is a good way to

start to reduce blood pressure and bloating in the body caused by heavy salt intake. A

person with healthy blood pressure only needs 2300 mgs of sodium per day. However, a 

person with high blood pressure should limit their sodium intake to 1500 mgs of sodium per

day (Familydoctor.org).

#Step 2 

Consume at least five servings per day of fresh fruits and vegetables (Americanheart.org).

Increasing these foods in your diet gives you more potassium, magnesium, calcium and

protein, while lowering your total intake of cholesterol,

saturated fat and total fat. 

Diet high in potassium rich foods (banana, date, kiwi,

watermelon, honeydew, orange, spinach, tomato)

reduces blood pressure. Intake of > 3500mg per day

of potassium may help to lower blood pressure.

Always make sure that any dairy you consume is low in fat to also help control your fat

intake.

#Step 3

     Limiting intake of alcohol (one tin of beer or a glass of wine/mixed drink per day) helps control your blood pressure. Ideally, when you are trying to lose weight, you should eliminate alcohol as it is a source of calories with no nutrients.

 # Step 4 

Regular exercise helps lower your blood pressure. Excess weight adds stress to the heart

and can increase blood pressure. Adults should get about 150 minutes of moderate

intensity exercise every week. For some people, weight loss is the only treatment they need

to bring their blood pressure back to normal. Type of exercises:

  

1. Moderate-intensity exercises include gardening, walking briskly, bicycling, or other aerobic exercise. 

2. Muscle-strengthening activities (bicep curls, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups) are recommended at least two days a week and should work all major muscle groups.

3. Isometric exercises such as heavy weight lifting can have an presser effect and it should be avoided. 

Regular exercise activity has been documented to lower the systolic blood pressure by

about 4 - 8mmHg.  

 How can I lower sodium in my diet?

~ Keep track of the sodium content in the foods you eat. Use a food diary to write down the food, serving size, and amount of sodium.

~  Aim for less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day (about 1 teaspoon of salt per day).

~  Ask your doctor if you should go lower to 1,500 milligrams of sodium each day.

~ Read the nutritional facts label on every food package. The amount of sodium is listed on the label.

~ Select foods that have 5% or less of the Daily Value of sodium (this percentage is listed on the nutritional facts label)

~ Avoid foods that have 20% or more Daily Value of sodium.

~ Avoid canned foods, processed foods and lunch meats, and fast foods

~ Use salt-free seasonings in food preparation

BEST OF LUCK!!