Big guy, high BP, need guidance

[NickGosu]

Hey, so I just got back from a visit with the doctor and my BP is ~176/110. I'm 29, I weigh roughly 325 lbs and am 5'11.

My doctor and pharmacist both told me I need to cut out the sodium and sugar immediately otherwise I will have to go on medication (I already am on meds for anxiety, so I don't want to add more pills to my days)

Right now I am trying to figure out what the hell am I going to do, how will I survive this.. I'm pretty scared because I'm being told that this is a dangerously high BP reading.

At home I have a stationary bike and a treadmill, which should I use, how long and how 'hard' should I go at it?

As for my meals, well, I bought myself some raw chicken breasts which I've cooked and in the oven and will use later today for a sandwich.

Here is a list I've bought (or I believe?) could help with my journey, if anyone could let me know if this is a good list I would greatly appreciate it.

Raw chicken breasts to cook in oven
brown bread
swiss cheese
low fat/sodium mayonaise
brown sugar and honey oatmeal (quaker)
bananas
baby carotts
sliced deli chicken (though this might have quite a lot of sodium, I'm not sure? I got it from the place at the grocery store where you can ask the guy to cut you up x amount of grams of something and bag it for you)
frozen veggies (carotts, brocoli and cauliflour)
V8 low sodium
Cheerios multigrain
skimmed milk

I've been told to try and avoid red meat a bit since it can contain lots of sodium in it, but once a week would a cheeseburger be fine?

Thank you in advance

[Tourden]

Get a food scale, weight everything including oils and other spices that have calories and follow this http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=129247741

http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html Find your TDEE, aim for 2lb loss per week and don't have cheat day, have a cheat meal that still fits into your caloric deficit.

Also track everything you eat by using Myfitnesspal or other calorie counting apps

[EjnarKolinkar]

My doctor and pharmacist both told me I need to cut out the sodium and sugar immediately otherwise I will have to go on medication (I already am on meds for anxiety, so I don't want to add more pills to my days)

Id work with my doctors on that topic.

Here is a list I've bought (or I believe?) could help with my journey

Calorie Counting 101
How to lose fat for noobs II
Emma Leigh's Calculating Calories and Macronutrients


You can read those links for some basics. Fat loss is driven primarily by calorie deficit. Moving more to the extend you are able and authorized by docs can be helpful too.

Buy a food scale, log and track your meals. Assure you are in a calorie deficit. Start a fat loss journal here in the log section to track your progress. Welcome to the forum OP.

[NickGosu]

thank you for the replies guys

you said I need a scale, should I get a digital scale or analog?


And as for tracking my calories, I'm currently using MFP, it says I should'nt go above 2600/day.. how reliable is that? Should I aim lower?

[Luclin999]

Hey, so I just got back from a visit with the doctor and my BP is ~176/110. I'm 29, I weigh roughly 325 lbs and am 5'11.

My doctor and pharmacist both told me I need to cut out the sodium and sugar immediately otherwise I will have to go on medication (I already am on meds for anxiety, so I don't want to add more pills to my days)

What you need to "cut out" is about 150 pounds worth of fat.

Do that and the other physical problems will likely go away.

Read the stickies in this forum and start losing some weight the right way.

[Hanger]

Digital scale and weigh everything!!! Don't trust the palm of your hand size rule you're bound to read about.

Write down everything you eat- I use my fitness pal, but beware that there are issues with some nutritional info- so double check what you select.


Go slow- if you try to rush it, you'll fail, find a nice variety of healthy foods you enjoy. Drink a ton of water, and try to find a balance.

Dive yourself into the forums, talking about health and nutrition even with strangers helped my mind change my thinking.

Best of luck and welcome!

[unplugged]

Digital scale and weigh everything!!! Don't trust the palm of your hand size rule you're bound to read about.

Write down everything you eat- I use my fitness pal, but beware that there are issues with some nutritional info- so double check what you select.


Go slow- if you try to rush it, you'll fail, find a nice variety of healthy foods you enjoy. Drink a ton of water, and try to find a balance.

Dive yourself into the forums, talking about health and nutrition even with strangers helped my mind change my thinking.

Best of luck and welcome!

Not necessarily in his case as he is quite large and can afford to be loose more per week then someone smaller however you are right in that it's always best to strike a balance.

[3maj]

You've been given good advice here. I just want to reinforce the point that sodium/sugar is not your problem, nor will avoiding it make any difference. You need to lose fat and I can pretty much guarantee (barring any genetic/hereditary issues) that your BP will get in line.

[NickGosu]

Thank you so much everyone. I appreciate it

[cherrygarcia80]

I'd recommend starting a fat loss log as it's a great way to stay accountable to yourself, there's loads of great people on there starting at higher weights and we're all walking the same journey.

There's lots of great advice (and useful links) that have already been given by others. I'd say the most important as already mentioned is weighing everything you eat with a digital kitchen scale and logging/tracking your calories with an app to be sure you are eating at a deficit, and you will begin to see the weight drop. Wishing you all the best on your journey

[Hanger]

Not necessarily in his case as he is quite large and can afford to be loose more per week then someone smaller however you are right in that it's always best to strike a balance.

yes I was just trying to limit a crash approach. Definitely wouldnt expect a man of this size to stick to 2lb/wk rule.. Changing to a healthy lifestyle might see 6-9lbs the first week.

Nick- we have a fat loss threads going for 2 months at a time- it is a great tool for short term goals while working towards a long one, we keep it all publicly and trust me when I say people will be honest if you want it, diet critiques, motiviation, its hard to start this by yourself, but stay with it for a few weeks and lets make it a lifestyle change- I have and I feel better for it, you can change your entire life by losing weight, especially at your age, get ready to start your 30s in a healthy manner!!