Do you keep track of your blood pressure/BPM?

[StuntMan12]

I haven't checked my blood pressure for a few weeks but last time I checked mine it was 140/80 I believe which is borderline high. I just went on an hour long walk, rested here for 15 mins and my heart rate is 82 beats per minute. Before when I would do a long activity it would take a long time for my heart rate to get back down to normal levels. Since new years I changed my diet and have been walking everyday. Now when I go to sleep I dont feel sick or shaky from too much coffee (since cutting back to only 1 coffee per day rather than my usual 2). My heart rate in the evening is usually about 75 when Im relaxed watching hockey and about 60 beats per minute when im about to fall asleep.

What about you guys

[StuntMan12]

I started the year at 298 and have lost about 6 lbs so far. I am just starting to ramp up how much I walk per day by going 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening. Keeping track of how much weight I lose per month.

My goal is to be under 200 lbs by years end. Not going to be an easy road but so far my life has really changed since changing my diet and not exceeding 2000 cals a day. Ive had a hard time sticking with weight loss plans before so I hope this one sticks and so far I feel the best I have felt since 2010 actually

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I started the year at 298 and have lost about 6 lbs so far. I am just starting to ramp up how much I walk per day by going 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening. Keeping track of how much weight I lose per month.

My goal is to be under 200 lbs by years end. Not going to be an easy road but so far my life has really changed since changing my diet and not exceeding 2000 cals a day. Ive had a hard time sticking with weight loss plans before so I hope this one sticks and so far I feel the best I have felt since 2010 actually

[doulos]

Good for you. Keep it up!

[Bass56]

SM, have you seen a doctor about your blood pressure? No matter what your weight is, you should not have the shakes or feel sick before going to bed, whether you drank 1 or 2 coffees in the day. Walking + lowering your calorie intake (while eating healthy foods) is a great way to lower your pressure gradually, but in the mean time, you should definitely get a doctor's feedback on the shakes and iffy feelings you are experiencing.

Some people have a ''walk/shake it off mentality'' when dealing with an injury or ailment (I'm one of them), but when your heart and blood pressure is in play, you don't want to mess around with that...

Glad to hear that you are already feeling better, but I would still get myself checked just in case if I were you.

[Daydream Nation]

Keep it up! 100 lbs in a year is very ambitious. Good luck.

In terms of blood pressure, whenever I go to my parents house I check it since my mother has a machine. It is always good so I don't monitor it any closer than that.

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Keep it up! 100 lbs in a year is very ambitious. Good luck.

In terms of blood pressure, whenever I go to my parents house I check it since my mother has a machine. It is always good so I don't monitor it any closer than that.

[StuntMan12]

yes ive seen the doctor in the past, said i drank too much coffee, suffered from anxiety and that i need to lose weight. when he checked my blood pressure he said it is borderline high but not to the point where he wanted to give me blood pressure medication. i figure i better make this change in my life before i die of a heart attack or stroke. ill probably see the doctor in the coming weeks since i also have asthma and need more inhalers soon , not severe asthma but i just carry around an inhaler just in case i have an attack.

[Bass56]

Ok, good stuff on having seen a doctor. Those issues (excess coffee consumption, weight gain and anxiety) are all linked to your heart problems. As you did in the past, you've taken the first step to better your life with exercise and proper food intake. I believe your problems stem with maintaining that ''lifestyle'' as you seem to be gaining the weight back and the health problems reappear. Outside factors linked to work and personal situations will continue to be present in your everyday life and they will continue to contribute negatively but also positively in your quest for a healthier life. What's important here (and easier said than done) is to focus on the positives and try to overlook or overcome the negatives that are thrown at you.

Kudos for continuing to want to better yourself and striving to reach your goals. You'll hit numerous bumps along the road but you seem tenacious enough that you will continue to dust yourself off and go on! Don't ever hesitate to reach out as you do in these posts for feedback, support and/or acknowledgment; peer support can make most of us climb peaks that we think are unreachable!

[StuntMan12]

thank you for your kind words. losing weight and working on your personal problems are a challenge for sure. I did lose 50 lbs in 3 months when i was 13. I know im more than capable of achieving my weight loss dreams and so far i think my head is in the right place. am very focused. also challenging myself to not eat over 2000 in a day for as many days into 2017 as i can. i will give an update on feb 1st when i do my monthy OFFICIAL weigh in. going to keep track month by month so at the end of the year i can look back at how fast this journey took me.

going to be a hard road but worth it!

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thank you for your kind words. losing weight and working on your personal problems are a challenge for sure. I did lose 50 lbs in 3 months when i was 13. I know im more than capable of achieving my weight loss dreams and so far i think my head is in the right place. am very focused. also challenging myself to not eat over 2000 in a day for as many days into 2017 as i can. i will give an update on feb 1st when i do my monthy OFFICIAL weigh in. going to keep track month by month so at the end of the year i can look back at how fast this journey took me.

going to be a hard road but worth it!

[everfeb]

140/80 isn't high. But if you are worried about BP buy a good monitor. Read ALL the instructions that come with it, then check 3 times per day...when you first get up (go to the bathroom, don't eat anything and check). Then 2x more through day, afternoon and evening. Then average them as BP through the day can vary wildly.

When I first saw (at a public machine in a drug store) my BP was 160/100 I went back to that same machine 3-4 times a week for a couple of weeks. BP was always 160+. So I bought a monitor. Sure enough, even in my home, under ideal conditions following instructions to the tee, averaging 3-5 readings per day my BP stayed in 160+ range average. So I started walking, 30-40 minutes a day...cut back my salt intake (used to eat a ton of frozen dinners and canned soups (just loaded with salt)...and I paid a lot of attention to cutting transfats out of my diet (reading nutrition labels), store bot cookies, cheezies, etc. Took about 2 months to get down to 125/80 range and after 6 months of walking and watching my diet dropped 15 lbs even though that was not my intention as I wasn't heavy to start with. Lost about 10% of my weight from 155 to 140.
Don't be too worried about losing 100 lbs in the next year...that's a lot, 33% of weight loss. Just by walking and watching diet (no crap) you should see your weight continue to steadily go down.

Good luck.

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140/80 isn't high. But if you are worried about BP buy a good monitor. Read ALL the instructions that come with it, then check 3 times per day...when you first get up (go to the bathroom, don't eat anything and check). Then 2x more through day, afternoon and evening. Then average them as BP through the day can vary wildly.

When I first saw (at a public machine in a drug store) my BP was 160/100 I went back to that same machine 3-4 times a week for a couple of weeks. BP was always 160+. So I bought a monitor. Sure enough, even in my home, under ideal conditions following instructions to the tee, averaging 3-5 readings per day my BP stayed in 160+ range average. So I started walking, 30-40 minutes a day...cut back my salt intake (used to eat a ton of frozen dinners and canned soups (just loaded with salt)...and I paid a lot of attention to cutting transfats out of my diet (reading nutrition labels), store bot cookies, cheezies, etc. Took about 2 months to get down to 125/80 range and after 6 months of walking and watching my diet dropped 15 lbs even though that was not my intention as I wasn't heavy to start with. Lost about 10% of my weight from 155 to 140.
Don't be too worried about losing 100 lbs in the next year...that's a lot, 33% of weight loss. Just by walking and watching diet (no crap) you should see your weight continue to steadily go down.

Good luck.

[MasterByte]

I don't have much to comment about blood pressure, however you have the right idea with 1hour walks. The secret to losing weight is prolonged exercise at a low heart rate, activities like walking are great for it. After about 30-40 minutes your body has burnt off its glucose stores and you have moved to burning fat. If you can't do 2 1hour walks, it better to do a longer one (>40 minutes) than 2 small 30 minute walks, etc. The walks can be nice and slow, as long as your heart rate is being elevated a bit.

And as others have mentioned, balance is the key. If you create a crazy diet, you may see fast success which will disappear when you diet reverts back. You need to find a sustainable diet that you enjoy that includes healthy food with foods you enjoy. Avoid the yo-yo diets.

Congratulations on your good start to 2017! Keep at it

[MasterByte]

Perhaps consider a fitbit type product to monitor your goals and success, as well as a details log of your heart rate.

[StuntMan12]

What would be a good target heart rate while walking? I was walking for 45 mins yesterday and checked my heart rate and it was at 120, then i walked another 15 mins, rested for 15 mins and my heart rate was 84. Am i not getting my heart rate high enough? or is 120 ok

[Bass56]

You typically want to be between 60-100, especially if you are resting. Light walking should not bring up your pulse that high up so I would say to try to keep pacing yourself and try to regulate your rate closer to 100. 120 is not bad per say but you still want to aim for a tad lower number; especially if you aren't doing very physical activities (i.e. running, sports, ...)

[MasterByte]

When I am walking at a medium-to-quick pace, my heart rate is at about 120. I am a distance-runner, and I don't like running in snow, and I live in Canada...so treadmills are a fact of life. If you maintain around 120/min while walking, I think that's a good place to be, but I am not a doctor.
My resting heart rate sitting at a desk is around 70/min.

There are websites that help you review and calculate heart rate zones, like this one:
http://www.calculatenow.biz/sport/he...te+Zones#zones

Obviously they are rough numbers and, as others have mentioned, if you are concerned about blood pressure don't be afraid to ask a professional.

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When I am walking at a medium-to-quick pace, my heart rate is at about 120. I am a distance-runner, and I don't like running in snow, and I live in Canada...so treadmills are a fact of life. If you maintain around 120/min while walking, I think that's a good place to be, but I am not a doctor.
My resting heart rate sitting at a desk is around 70/min.

There are websites that help you review and calculate heart rate zones, like this one:
http://www.calculatenow.biz/sport/heart.php?rhr=70&mhr=190&submit=Calculate+Zones#zo nes

Obviously they are rough numbers and, as others have mentioned, if you are concerned about blood pressure don't be afraid to ask a professional.

[StuntMan12]

today i clocked in at

111/73
93 pulse

DAM

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today i clocked in at

111/73
93 pulse

DAM