Runningwater

My blood pressure is really high - i know I should probably go to the doctor's to get some meds to get it lowered pretty quickly. However, I don't have medical insurance right now and won't for another 2 -3 months. I'm 26 and my blood pressure is about 167/96, with an average heartbeat of about 82...it's getting me kinda worried.

I was wondering if anyone knows any good ways to lower my blood pressure safely and if possible quickly.

Baraka_Guru

• Exercise
• Quit smoking
• Cut back alcohol
• Reduce sodium intake
• Cut out bad fat, replace it with good fat
• Exercise some more....

There is no "instant" solution. But doing all of this should help.

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Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
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thespian86

think unsexy thoughts.

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snowy

With existing hypertension, you should probably avoid overly strenuous exercise off the bat. Start by walking for 30 minutes every day, and consider taking up yoga.

And a few more pieces of nutrition advice:

--Eat more whole grains.
--Eat more fruits and vegetables.
--Cut back on meat, especially red meat and meats high in fat. Eat more beans and legumes instead.
--To reduce sodium intake drastically, stop eating processed foods, and stop eating out. Also, be careful when using canned vegetables and beans; both often have salt added. Look for low sodium alternatives, or give the canned item a good rinse before using to remove excess sodium.

EDIT: Also, are you on any OTC medications that might raise your blood pressure? I was dealing with a cold earlier this year and using Afrin; the active ingredient in the Afrin caused my blood pressure to go through the roof. Once I quit using it, it returned to normal quickly.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Lasereth

Start eating 1/3 of the calories you're eating now and watch the sodium. That is way high. You will lose weight and the pressure will go down without even exercising. There's no quick way to do it though.

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Redjake

Mine used to be pretty bad too, 142/117 when I was 293 lbs. I was eating fast food every single day. All you have to do is start eating better (i.e. cut out the major fat food, like fast food and basically all eat-out restaurant food) and jog or go to the gym every once in a while.

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Runningwater

No, I don't take any meds and I don't smoke and I rarely ever drink alcohol. I'm just pretty lazy, i guess I'll start the walking thing and break out the old Wii Fit. I'll start keeping a record of my blood pressure at the same time every day to see any progress.

is about equal to

So would it be safe to say I should be eating more chicken/turkey/fish. instead of hamburger and steaks...and yeah shying away from the fast food places - and the vender "Wheel o' Death" at work?

I'm assuming I should stay away from noodles and stuff like that too? I suppose I could get the all natural "whole wheat" noodles or whatever...what do y'all think?

Willravel

There are a lot of good steps listed here, but don't discount a visit to the doctor's office. It may cost a bit, but it may also prevent something that costs a lot more. Worst case scenario you pay a bit too much to get a lot of the same advice you got here.

Speaking as someone that's had heart issues, it's better to be safe than sorry.

ratbastid

Are you a mammal? Then try this.

Willravel

Whoa, ratbastid, that's fascinating!

Runningwater

You've solved my problem...I'll eat a huge ass steak, wait 30 minutes and then go diving!

aberkok

That's horrible advice. I don't even think the OP mentioned how many calories were being eaten in the first place.

Focus more on improving the quality of the calories you are eating, and gradually cut back... or eat more maybe? I don't know how much you're eating. Also, I don't think quality of sleep has been addressed. Try to improve your sleeping conditions and state of mind before you go to bed, i.e. stay off the computer or TV an hour before bed.

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Willravel

Actually, the average American eats about 4000 calories a day, iirc. If you remove 1/3 of those (which is what I'm assuming Lasereth meant), you're down to 2,666 calories which is more healthy for an average American lifestyle, with 30 minutes of exercise a day or less.

tooth

This seems to explain why little kids that are trapped under ice can survive longer without brain damage setting in.

Seem to remember a case a few years ago where a young boy was trapped under the ice in a pond for an hour, and came out OK after being revived.

Or maybe that was an ER episode. My memory isn't what it used to be.

Edit:Not an ER episode....
http://www.recordcourier.com/article...News/793704230

Found a few other similar stories

ratbastid

I DID first learn of the Divers Reflex from ER, but not from that episode.

The hospital was contaminated with benzene from an industrial accident. They'd evacuated the ER to the cafeteria. A patient had tachycardia and was going to stroke out. Dr. Carter looked around, then went and filled up a bus tub with ice and water, and dunked the patient's head in it. Voila--instant heart rate recovery.

Lasereth

If you eat out a lot, or snack a lot, or eat fast food a lot, I can see someone with that blood pressure easily doing 5,000 calories or more per day. 2.5 years ago I was taking in 6,500 calories per day by drinking soft drinks constantly and eating out for most meals. Drop those figures down 66% and you're in the 1800-2150 range which is what you should be at if you're trying to lose weight and lower blood pressure without exercising. I've battled obesity my entire life and it's not as easy as "gradually cutting calories" or "eating better quality calories" for some people. Reducing the caloric intake drastically is how you lose weight if you're not willing to go apeshit at the gym.

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Runningwater

I don't mind working out...but hell i sure would like to eat good food still I wish I were one of those people who could eat whatever they wanted and not worry about it and still stay skinny (a friend from college comes to mind). Those types of people make me sad.

genuinegirly

The key to eating what you want and losing weight is eating tiny portions of everything you love. Eat at set times, and keep your body to a schedule no matter how hungry you become. Adjust the frequency that you eat, or schedule in definite snacks if your body can't handle the typical 3 meals/day.

You're remembering a friend from college. College. A young, healthy body is able to absorb a lot of junk and keep moving. As anyone ages they are forced to deal with reality. Establishing healthy food habits at a young age makes it easier later on.

__________________
"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

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snowy

Yes, chicken, turkey, and fish are all better protein choices than eating hamburger and steaks.

Regular noodles are fine in moderation. White bread is fine once in a while. Think about it this way--you want to make sure that most of your carbs also have fiber. You don't need to go overboard in getting on the whole grain bandwagon; going to extremes often backfires. And be sure to read labels--right now, everything out there says it's a "good source of whole grain" when most of those foods don't have much fiber as you could be getting if you read labels and make good decisions.

An easy way to work more fiber into your diet is 1) choosing a bread that's packed with it, and 2) eating a bowl of high-fiber cereal for breakfast. I can get half my day's fiber (15g worth) from 2 slices of bread and a bowl of cereal.

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cadre

Make an account on something like mypyramid.gov or fitday.com. They will allow you to track your food and make changes where needed. I've used mypyramid.gov and thought it was pretty easy and helpful. I have heard that fitday.com works well also.

Lower sodium, lower fats and probably lower calories all together will help you. Keep in mind that fast food and all that other tastey stuff is loaded with sodium which will keep your blood pressure high.

Start with easy exercises, walking is a good one.

Meditation is proven to lower blood pressure as well but that's not easy if you want a permanent solution.

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Lasereth

It could be worse!! Look at me! I have to eat 1,500 calories a day to MAINTAIN my body weight; if I increase it even 300 calories then I immediately start gaining weight, and this is with me working out every single day. You didn't eat healthy, nutritious meals all the time in college and you were still in great shape. I think the problem is eating out all the time and portion problems. It snowballs...the more you eat, the bigger you get and worse in shape you get, and then that makes you hungrier and hungrier until you have to eat 5,000 calories per day without getting sick. I was like that for 4 years and I know how it is. The only way to turn it around is to simply stop eating large quantities of "good" food combined with exercise.

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Runningwater

Yeah, I really do need to make myself not eat as much. I feel like I'm starving like 2 hours (sometimes even less) after just eating...even if it's a huge meal. Spaghetti I can eat 2 HUGE platefuls and still be hungry afterwards. Limiting myself is the hardest part I think. I need better willpower; I suppose my motivation would be "do not get a heart attack/stroke". You'd think I'd learn after seeing my dad have a heart attack.

Hell I know if you can do it so can I. Do you have any tips on putting that "hunger" away to the back of your mind...or do you just say "fuck it...i'm not eating"?

genuinegirly

I chew fruit-flavored gum. It tricks me into thinking I'm eating a delicious fruity desert.

__________________
"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

"violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

Baraka_Guru

Are you balancing your nutrients? What would the proportion of fat/carbs/protein be for that spaghetti? Is there any fibre in there?

Healthy fats and fibre encourage satiety, meaning you won't get hungry as quickly. Ideally, you should try eating every 3 or 4 hours anyway. I always tell myself that if I've gone 4 hours without eating, it's been too long (not counting sleep time).

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Runningwater

I have never counted or measured any servings I've ever made/eaten. I always figured that was for those "health freaks". My grandparents do it all the time and it annoys the crap out of me - **Turn over a box to show the label** "oh this only has 2 grams of fat and 1 gram of sodium!".

I've always been - if it's good then I'm eating it.

I might try chewing gum more often - problem I have with that is the packs always get mushy in my pocket. I'm too macho for a "murse" (man-purse).

I was also wondering about fruit snacks...good chance they're probably terrible for you but does any one know if there are some healthy ones out there?

aberkok

Okay so now it looks like you meant "drop by 1/3" which is a huge difference. But you still didn't know how many calories were being eaten in the first place. If he was on a 3000 calorie diet, dropping to 1000 would have been a very bad idea. I was only warning against what you said in the first place... not what you meant.

There's a lot of speculation here.

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genuinegirly

How about fresh fruit as a "healthy" fruit snack?

If you're really opposed to reading the back of your box for serving sizes and nutritional facts, then here's another trick: Make a fist. See the size of your fist? Eat no more than that in any one sitting. Sounds like from what you've described with your eating habits, you'll cut down a LOT.

Have you tried whole grain pasta? I find it's more flavorful than normal pasta.

__________________
"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

"violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

Baraka_Guru

I was more or less asking because if your spaghetti was 90% carbs, that's why you're getting hungry again so soon. You should aim closer to 40-60% carbs 20-30% protein, and 10-30% fat depending on how your body responds. Most low-fat diets don't work very well, if at all.

Most fruits are good. Try not to eat too many...maybe 2 to 4 servings a day. Remember that they're mostly sugar, water, nutrients, and fibre. Vegetables, on the other hand, are practically a free-for-all, as they have a really high water content and a much higher variety of vitamins and minerals. Try to eat a variety of colours of both fruits and veggies.

Good choices for fruits are berries, apples, bananas, oranges, grapes.... This is partly because of their availability and convenience. Try to eat seasonally and locally. Go organic if you can.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Lasereth

Sorry, I know Runningwater IRL, we are actually extremely good friends and went through high school and college together. I know his situation and his history so that's why it seems like I'm speculating a lot.

__________________
"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

Runningwater

Thanks Baraka! And yeah my spaghetti is probably 90% carbs. I put super lean hamburger in the sauce and pour it over regular spaghetti noodles, I usually make corn or a salad to go with it and garlic bread.

I was only asking about fruit snacks because they're easier to take to work and eat when I need a snack. I can't stand when people bite into an apple at work and all you hear is them smacking their lips. I'm in a training class right now and everyone stays pretty quite...I don't want to bring attention to myself.

Also, is it a good idea just to skip lunch if i forget to make and bring my lunch? or should i "try" to find a healthy alternative fast food place?

Lasereth

For me, the only way I did it was soft drinks, in particular Diet Mountain Dew. 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 carbs, 0 sugar, extremely low sodium. When I get hungry, I drink one and it keeps me full for at least an hour, plus it tastes good. Any diet soft drink will do it, I think DMD is the best though. Recently I switched to caffeine free DMD which tastes good also. You can get 5 cases for $10 or $11 when they're on sale.

It sounds stupid, but your appetite is really the biggest problem with losing weight (it was for me anyway), and if you can suppress it with something that TASTES GOOD, you might as well.

---------- Post added at 10:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:13 AM ----------

Wendy's grilled chicken sandwich + a small chili + diet soft drink is around 650 calories which is way low for fast food. Try that.

__________________
"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

Baraka_Guru

It is never a good idea to skip a meal: it is an invitation to binge eating and poor choices later on. There is always something out there as a healthy alternative. Even America has come that far in fast food, right? (Try Lasereth's suggestion.)

Another choice is Subway: Get a 6-incher or a wrap — loaded with veggies (try to cut out the salty ones: pickles, green olives. If you're really hungry, get double meat instead of double sandwich. Don't get a combo.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Runningwater

Awesome I got that sandwich yesterday - it was decent i didn't like the sauce on it though. I gotta remember to substitute the fries for chili. That sounds really good.

It's really hard for me to believe that any soda - diet included can be good for you. I've been drinking a ton of water lately. I know you've lost a ton of weight from when you completely stopped drinking soda's and even now when you're just drinking diet.

I would try that at work - only draw back is communal refrigerator. I know if I bought a pack and stuck it in the fridge it would be gone by the end of the day. Whether I put a sticker on it or not...

Maybe I can get those green tea packets you can stick in your water

Lasereth

I never lost a single pound from drinking water, or not drinking soft drinks. I actually gained weight this year when I stopped drinking soft drinks because my appetite went up. There is nothing clinically proven bad about diet soft drinks. Aspartame is the worst that comes from it, and the results from that are BS anyway. It's basically carbonated orange juice (DMD is). Well, you do have to piss a lot.

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"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

Jetée

For the past two days it feels like my heart's been in a vice, and I'm quite sure it is directly related to the amount of sleep I've been receiving lately. It's usually the first thing to be overlooked when opting to get more work done in the day, eventually becoming toils during the night, but it is perhaps the outset cause of many ailments that can be easily avoided by scheduling one's day appropriately, and alotting enough time for a restful night's sleep.

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genuinegirly

Green tea sounds like a great idea in place of soda. Something else that's pretty handy - if you really don't like the thought of giving up on snacking, you can pack little bags of chopped vegetables: Snow peas, carrots, celery, broccoli, and bell peppers add vitamins and fiber.

__________________
"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

"violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

Baraka_Guru

Runningwater, we haven't discussed exercise much yet. This is actually a key tool when it comes to reducing your blood pressure. Getting in shape reduces your resting heart rate and decreases blood pressure, generally. Plus it reduces stress which is a contributor to high blood pressure.

What are you doing now for exercise? If you are doing very little now, you'd be surprised how doing a little more can go a long way.

I've seen how exercise helps. There are people whose blood pressure comes down within a few weeks of starting an exercise program.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

snowy

I lost 45 lbs. a couple years ago, and one of the major diet changes I made was switching from regular soda to diet. I'm still drinking diet soda, and the weight is still off. I do drink less diet soda than I used to. Also, I cut out drinking alcohol for the most part. I still have a beer or a glass of wine now and again.

I think if you're seriously committed to eating better, you do have to make compromises, or else you are setting yourself up for failure. One of my compromises was to make one weekend day a week my "bad day", where I could eat the fast food or whatever, so long as I'd eaten well that week.

cadre's suggestion of tracking what you eat is an excellent one. I've used both MyPyramid (for nutrition class) and FitDay (for personal use) and found them useful. Personally, I spent the money on a computer program called DietPower. I think it's easier to use. You can find a free 2-week trial at their website: Calorie Counter Diet Software Guaranteed... Food Diary Try FREE.. It really helped to make me aware of what I was putting in my mouth, how much, and how often. These programs will also allow you to track your physical activity.

What's funny is that I actually eat more these days because I eat healthy food and exercise. Like Baraka, I also try to eat every 3 hours. I prefer to keep my blood sugar at an even keel; I can feel it now when it's out of whack. I don't eat a huge meal.

As for fast food--you should check out a feature in Men's Health called Eat This, Not That: Eat This, Not That - The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution From Men's Health There are some good options out there, if you know what to look for.

EDIT: Baraka posted while I was posting. Exercise is vital! I too am curious to know what you do now for physical activity, Runningwater.

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Runningwater

At the moment I haven't done much. For about the past year I've been very recluse I haven't gotten out much and don't do many exercises. I used to work out a lot at least 3-4 times a week for 1-2 hours each time (I never noticed great improvement on body sculpting though - always have the flabby belly, and thats the area i always tried to focus on).

I'm going to start incorporating walking daily - at least for now. I also have a Wii Fit that I was using for awhile - haven't broken it out in a few months though, I'll get that back out and start doing the Yoga on it (as yoga was suggested above). Only problem I have with the Fit is that once you do so many exercises you unlock new ones - increasing the time you work out. I mean i seriously was on that thing for 3 hours one day.

Baraka_Guru

What sort of exercises comprised your workout? This matters because 1 to 2 hours might be too long. Sometimes intensity is more important than duration, and there is the problem of overtraining too (which can sabotage your goals).

And about the flabby belly: it might be the last thing to go when "sculpting." The belly is where fat accumulates first on most men. A balance of proper diet and exercise is the best remedy for that.

Going on daily walks is a good start. I try to walk where I can fit it in. This sometimes gets me 30 minutes to and hour each day, just as a mode of transportation.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot