How to Lose Weight With Hypertension

Blood pressure is measured in two numbers, systolic (top reading) and diastolic (bottom reading). A normal blood pressure should be less than 120 for the systolic and 80 for the diastolic. Higher numbers can have a devastating effect on your heart, kidneys and eyes. That is why it is so important to take care of hypertension. Some of the medicines that are used to treat the disease add to the difficulty of losing weight. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, weight loss can lower your blood pressure, so it is important for your health.

Things You'll Need

• Blood pressure monitor
• Food scale
• Notebook
• Calorie counter

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Instructions

• 1

  Identify the behaviors that cause hypertension and keep your weight high. Common risk factors are eating too much salt, drinking excessively, not getting enough potassium, lack of exercise and smoking. Once these factors are identified they can be controlled, and some eliminated. Two other factors, family history and long-lasting stress, are not as easily controlled.

• 2

  Start a diet; it can be as simple as calories in, calories out. The best way to lose weight, according to most physicians and specifically Cynthia Dennison Haines, MD, of St. John's Mercy Medical Center and St. Louis University School of Medicine, is 1 to 2 pounds a week for however long it takes. It becomes a lifestyle that way. General recommendations tell you to cut out foods high in fat and sugar, reduce alcohol consumption, eat fewer calories per day and stop smoking. Try to avoid stress, frustration and boredom. Any of those feelings can destroy a diet. Start by substituting healthy foods, fruits, vegetables, low-fat and low-sodium foods for foods high in fat, sugar and calories.

• 3

  Start exercising. It is your key to success. Not only does it burn calories, but it is also good for your heart. The exercise will help lower your blood pressure. Aerobic exercise three times a week for 30 minutes is recommended. Walk instead of drive, and use the stairs when possible. The more exercise you perform, the more weight you will lose.

• 4

  Keep a food diary and an exercise log so you can track what you are doing. Write down what you eat, including portion size and calories, in the diary, and log all your exercise every day. The recommended calorie intake per day is individual and depends on age, height, and gender. Use the diary and log to see how many calories you are taking in a day and how many you use in exercise. If you drop 500 calories a day, that will mean 1 lb. lost per week. Start out slow and build up. If you cut everything out, you will not last. Use your diary to determine what works for you. The National Institutes of Health has many free publications and charts that can help.

• 5

  Enjoy your success and be proud. As you lose the weight, you will feel better and want to be more active. The foods you eat will become your norm, and you will not miss the fat and calories of your previous diet.