Hello All, today we are going to look at this... Can Losing Weight Lower Blood Pressure – Here Is Why It Might Actually Help. You may have heard about this already but If you have high blood pressure taking better care of your health may be a solution. Giving up alcohol, cigarettes and cutting back on junk food is a no brainer.
However, hand and hand with this is a healthy diet and exercise. Whether you are overweight or not. But if you are this of course will make a huge difference. High Blood Pressure can be caused by many things but for this post, we will look at this, and how weight loss may help.
Let’s find out,
Can Losing Weight Lower Blood Pressure – Here Is Why It Might Actually Help…
What Should Blood Pressure Readings Be
A normal reading is 120 over 80 or lower
A high reading is 140 over 90 or above
Weight and Blood Pressure
Are you aware the heavier you become the more affected your blood pressure becomes?
Losing weight can lower your blood pressure considerably.
For every 20 pounds of weight you lose, you can drop systolic pressure by 5-20 points. This can be the difference between it being high and within the normal range, depending on how high it is in the first place.
If, you cannot afford to lose 20 pounds then don’t worry, any excess weight you are carrying can still lower your blood pressure if you can get the weight down. For every 2 pounds lost your blood pressure can lower by 1 point.
How Is Your Weight Measured
Weight is not only measured by how many pounds the scales say, it’s also measured by body mass index
Or BMI. Which is measured by height and weight. This determines what range you are in. Underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese.
Underweight your BMI Is less than 18.5
Normal weight your Body Mass Index is between 18.5–24.9
Overweight your Body Mass Index is between 25–29.9
Obese your Body Mass Index is 30 or higher
- If you are 5 foot tall and you weigh 107 pounds your BMI would be 21
- If you are 5 foot tall and you weigh 133 pounds your BMI would be 26
- If you are 5 foot tall and you weigh 153 pounds your BMI would be 30
- If you are 5 foot 6 and you weigh 142 pounds your BMI is 23
- If you are 5 foot 6 and you weigh 167 pounds your BMI is 27
- If You are 5 foot 6 and you weigh 186 pounds your BMI is 30
- If you are 6 foot and you weigh 162 pounds your BMI is 22
- If you are 6 foot and you weigh 199 pounds your BMI is 27
- If you are 6 foot and you weigh 228 pounds your BMI is 31
When losing weight it’s important to do it safely, Ideally, you should aim for 1/2 a pound to 2 pounds a week. don’t try to do it in a drastic way by being tempted to use unhealthy methods as this will have a detrimental effect on your overall health. (1)
Foods that Can Help with Weight Loss
- Try to eat 4/5 portions of vegetables a day.
- Try to eat fruit 4/5 times per day (you should choose to eat foods that are rich in potassium such as bananas, avocados, dates, tomatoes, raisins and oranges)
- 4-5 servings of nuts, seeds, and beans per week
- 5 or fewer servings of sweets and snacks per week
- Eating grains, preferably whole grains a few times a day.
- Eat low-fat or fat-free dairy 2/3 times a day
- 1-2 daily servings of lean meat, poultry, (such as chicken) or seafood
- 2-3 daily servings of fats and oils. (2)
If you can convince yourself this is not a diet, it’s a lifestyle change you will be able to stick with it more easily. Eating these foods and losing weight will make a tremendous difference to your blood pressure readings. They will become noticeably lower over a period of time.
Can Drinking Water Lower Your Blood Pressure
According to a study testing blood pressure levels among people who drank salinated water with those who drank fresh water every day. Even though sodium is known to increase blood pressure levels, study participants who drank the salinated water actually had a lower blood pressure reading.
Their average diastolic blood pressure levels were 1.26 mmHg lower. Which I found to be very surprising. (3)
The Effects Of Too Much Sodium In Your Diet
Salt has been used for a great many years to preserve food. To stop it from going bad. It’s usually found in large quantities in processed foods. Try not to eat these as much as possible.
The effects of salt intake on your blood pressure vary among different groups and ages of people. In general, reducing sodium to less than 2,300 mg per day or even lower is preferable.
If, you can manage a lower sodium intake of 1,500 mg each day. This would be more appropriate for people with greater salt sensitivity, especially for African-Americans, anyone aged 51 or older, or anyone diagnosed with high blood pressure.
Do not cut out salt drastically from your diet, do it over a comfortable period of time, otherwise it can have a detrimental effect on your eating habits. (4)
Read more: Why Too Much Salt is Bad for You – Plus Why Salt is Also Good
My Final Thoughts
As you have read, losing weight is a major factor in lowering your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is extremely high you may need to take medication prescribed by a medical professional.
Other ways available to you are to exercise regularly and you may also wish to take a natural supplement.
You could also have to take your own blood pressure readings at home and keep a record of them.
Try out some or all of the methods detailed above to achieve this in a safe and healthy way.
Losing weight in an unhealthy manner can cause many other health issues, so it’s very advisable not to do it.
I wish to thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to read this article. If, you have a question or would like to leave a comment you can do so below. I love hearing from you and I will always get back to you.
If, you know anyone else who would benefit from reading this then please feel free to share it.
Take great care of yourself because you are worth it.
Alex
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I could make a small commission if you purchase anything using one of the links. This helps to keep me in Coffee when writing. The price you pay will not be affected.
I am not a medical professional, the content contained in this article is for information purposes only. It’s not intended to replace advice from a doctor.
Sources of Information
(1) https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/heart/hbp_low.pdf?cid=GM
(2) https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/features/take-charge-of-your-blood-pressure
(3) https://braincheck.com/blog/how-to-lower-blood-pressure-10-things-women-now
(4) https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/05/07/could-adding-minerals-to-drinking-water-fight-high-blood-pressure
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