Not wanting to monopolize QVCfan's thread about High Blood Pressure

violann · ‎03-10-2010

QVCfan's story is the same as mine, but I may have been slightly worse. My top weight was 260, on a small frame. I had two children in my late 30's and my health then was good.time took its toll, and 3 years ago my average BP was at 135/75-80, not wildly high but definitely not desirable. I have an excellent internist, and after many refusals on my part, he finally INSISTED on a trial of medication, and I consented. There followed 7 different medicines. With each I either coughed, or couldn't sleep, or couldn't eat, or couldn't stay awake or combinations of those. With some, my BP was 70/50, with some not quite as low, but still not right. After the 7th failed trial, it dawned on me that if I wasn't doing ALL that I could to be well, I couldn't expect a drug to fix me if I didn't make EVERY POSSIBLE EFFORT to fix myself. I went to my trusty iPad and googled "Natural treatment for hypertension" "Foods That Lower BP" "How to lower your BP without drugs" etc. I also google "Food cravings" " Binge Eating" - whatever I could find to break the bad eating habits I'd lived with for SO long. Then I took all that I'd learned and de eloped my own no-holds-barred emergency plan for good health/reduced BP/weight loss. I learned that foods that foods that might be triggering my unstoppable eating and therefore ALSO MIGHT be causing my elevated BP were grains, dairy, salt, and sugar. I learned that foods that MIGHT help me get well were egg whites, greens, green apples, and berries. I learned that intermittent fasting can, in some people, reduce elevated blood sugar and blood pressure. I learned that women who eat nuts (unsalted and preferably raw) have better heart health. From day one I ate no salt, no sugar except in berries, no grain, and no dairy except for 2 Tbs of 1/2&1/2 in my morning coffee. Every day, I ate either a frittata or a huge green salad, with 5-6 scrambled egg whites and one whole egg, half a cup of nuts, one T of olive oil and 2 or 3 of Balsamic vinegar. Dessert was always berries or green apple. I decided to have my one meal at night, because night eating had always been a problem for me. I had my 2 cups of coffee in the morning, a cup of hibiscus tea EVERY NOON, and my delicious meal in the evening. I immediately noticed that my voracious cravings were almost totally gone. I ate exactly the same way EVERY day for about two months. When I was starting, I took my BP at home every 12 hours. Now I take it once a day. Qq I joined My Fitness Pal on my iPhone. In the third month, I learned that I could eat a large green salad if I went out, and come home to my nuts and fruit treat. I eat about 1,200 calories every day, but my focus is always on quality, not numbers. At my first dr. visit about 5 months in, my blood tests were perfect, a1c was 5.4, weight was down about 40 pounds. Now, after a year, all of my tests are in the average and/or normal range. My quality of life has sky rocketed. What I do is intensely focused, but I did what I had to do to GET BETTER. If you are thinking "I could NEVER do what she did" that may mean that you're not quite as desperate as I was. REMEMBER- You must have the support and consent of your medical advisor, or you can do yourself irreparable harm and ALSO you must do the research to find what will work for YOU , your body and your problems.

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

Too long a paragraph for me to even try to read.

hckynut(john)

Suzeecat · ‎05-05-2010

On 7/30/2014 hckynut said:
Too long a paragraph for me to even try to read.

Same here, sorry. My eyes glazed over.

Winkk · ‎03-15-2010

I agree with John. I would love to read your post but could you condense it down a little and break it up with paragraphs? That would be easier to read.

santorini · ‎03-09-2010

I read it. She's obviously typing on an Ipad and that's one of the glitches.

Violann, thanks for sharing your story. You sound like a remarkable woman. I'm so happy to read about your success! Smile

HonnyBrown · ‎11-23-2013

Violann, that is so awesome for you! I read every, single word and I'm glad I did.

I grew up with healthy habits; my parents being prime examples for me.

When I got married, I went to my DH's way of life, so to speak. All processed foods. I gained weight and he got HBP (after a lifetime of bad habits). Something had to change, so I brought us back to my good habits.

People underestimate how difficult it is to change lifelong habits. I made quinoa and beans the day that he was put on diabetes medication. He took one look in the pot and ran to McDonald's for a Super Sized Salt Burger and Sugar Soda. Really?

Get your flu shot...because I didn't.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

I did not read the entire post either but I can say that most doctors do not treat SBP that is <140 or diastolic that is < 90. That could have ben why you did not do well with the drugs - you did not need them in the first place. The newest standards the doctors are using now say for a senior citizen a systolic BP of 150 is ok. You did not mention your age during what I was reading.

FlowershopGirl · ‎03-30-2011

Good for you, I'm so glad you had great results. My brother was the same as you. He is still young and his BP was horrible. His job contributes for sure but that is something he loves and next year, he is eligible to retire the PD and he will, taking a job as a securities manager at a place in LV.

He did what you did and his BP has been really doing so much better. He also is taking food grade diatomaceous earth, which has many health benefits but is great for hypertension and bad cholesterol.

One thing he has done that really helped him too, he now eats only fish or poultry and only organic or wild caught. He cut out all the simple carbs and eats lots of veggies (especially the green leafy and cruciferous ones), switched to fresh fruit as his desert and he's getting #s like 115/70, which is good for him! He did take lisinopril but since he changed his diet, he no longer has to take that at all. Only on occasion when he may eat red meat (which always spikes his BP or salty foods).

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

On 7/30/2014 santorini said:
I read it. She's obviously typing on an Ipad and that's one of the glitches.

Violann, thanks for sharing your story. You sound like a remarkable woman. I'm so happy to read about your success!

Hi santorini

I know nothing about an Ipad, but I have used my wife's Galaxy Tab 2 on occasion to post here. What I do with it is put in ---------marks when a sentence becomes too long and same with a paragraph.

If that is exclusive to only the Ipad, I would think Apple might want to address that issue with their newer models. Posting on line with teeny-tiny fonts and one long paragraph are not conducive for many that might want to read them.

Think I try again on my wife's Tab 2 and see if I can separate the sentences and/or the paragraphs. I know her Tab 2 is using Android Jelly Bean Version 4.1.

hckynut(john)

Midnight11 · ‎03-18-2010

On 7/30/2014 santorini said:
I read it. She's obviously typing on an Ipad and that's one of the glitches.

Violann, thanks for sharing your story. You sound like a remarkable woman. I'm so happy to read about your success!

I agree! Healthy eating goes a long way, would rather do that than take meds.