Warfarin

[Randy Fecteau]

15 months ago I had my aorta valve replaced and was placed on Warfarin. Was just wondering if anyone else is putting weight on even while
exercising and eating well. And has anyone found a way to lose their extra weight, like weight watchers or something else.

 

[pellicle]

Hi
Well I didn't put on much weight after the surgery, but I was putting it on before. There was a little moment to this and so it took a while after the surgery to start back towards getting back into fitness again.

Small steps towards fitness are good. Don't over do it but don't slide backwards either



PS I didn't catch the connection to warfarin but I don't think there is a relationship

 

[dwhist]

I am 14 months out and not having issue with weight, although doc told me to drop 20 pounds. I am down maybe 10 pounds from before surgery. I did just start a new diet based on taking wheat out of the diet. It is not totally gluten free, but no wheat and you cut down on other carbs. Supposed to help drop weight and also reduce inflamation in the body and other things. Not sure if it will work. At this point I am still working on getting last 5% of wheat out of diet. If interested, look up "Wheat Belly".

 

[Cooker]

15 months ago I had my aorta valve replaced and was placed on Warfarin. Was just wondering if anyone else is putting weight on even while
exercising and eating well. And has anyone found a way to lose their extra weight, like weight watchers or something else.

Join the Throwdown!!!! The official zany weight loss thread!!!!

 

[epstns]

Randy,
I'm nearly 2 years out from aortic valve replacement and even with increased activity I have only lost about 4 pounds (that I could keep off - some up and down action). In my case, if I read the possible side effects of the various meds I am or have been taking, several of them can lead to weight gain. I think it is all about finding the new "normal" and then exploiting it. In other words, we have to start all over at figuring out what our usual weight is and how we can affect it to be what we want. I am trying "portion control" at dinner (only one helping, and moderately sized at that) and slightly higher exercise intensity. I have also convinced my cardio to reduce my dosage of metoprolol (beta blocker) which may also help.

At my age, size and weight I don't think there are any "magic bullets" out there. I just have to adjust the things I can to gradually get where I need to be.

 

[RobThatsMe]

Are you taking a Beta Blocker type medication?
These are designed to lower your blood pressure, and also slow your heart rate.
Due to this, They do slow down your metabolism, and as such, you would not be burning as many calories.

 

[tom in MO]

From my experience, the only way to lose weight is to eat less. Exercise is good for you, but the devil is in consumption. You will always lose weight by eating less, but many don't lose weight by exercise alone. My doctor was brutul...you've got to get used to being hungry. There is nothing wrong with hunger, it's your friend. At cardiac rehab, they said the same thing, but give all kinds of helpful habits to cut done on compsumption. Substitute nuts and fruit for chips and cookies. Drink diet sodas and seltzer. Use a smaller plate. No seconds. Don't eat sweets unless home made and high quality. Never eat anything w/o looking at the label. Legumes are your friend. Eat fish twice a week. Vegetarion is less calories. Fiber helps keep you full and is good for your colon. Don't starve and eat big, three smaller meals are better.

 

[DavesMom]

I have never read about Warfarin causing any weight gain - I've been on it since '99 and have actually lost weight. But as someone else mentioned, Beta Blockers are notorious for causing increased weight. This hasn't happened to me (I'm on Coreg) but I have seen my mother and others have weight problems after going on a Beta Blocker.

Good luck!

 

[ski girl]

I agree with Tom about eating less - weight loss is 80% diet, 20% exercise. However, hunger is NOT your friend! Hunger will make you miserable. You need to change how you eat PERMANENTLY and although you can maybe deal with being hungry to see short-term losses on the scales, can you deal with being hungry for the rest of your life???

Ask slim fit HEALTHY people about what they eat and their exercise and try to be more like them. I bet none of them are hungry, they eat 5-6 times a day, they don't eat rubbish or drink diet soda (that's a crock, google diet soda health effects and you'll be horrified about what that junk is doing to you) and they MOVE. Both structured and incidental exercise.

BTW I'm 5'8" and 130lbs, about 18% body fat, most of the food I eat doesn't come with a label, I walk or cycle to as many places as possible, and I get about 7-8 hours of exercise (I call it 'training') a week. I generally eat three times before lunch, snack on fruits, nuts, and yoghurt in the afternoon, and have a smallish dinner of fresh fish, chicken, or organic steak with vegetables for dinner (and a glass or two of wine!) Works great for me!

 

[Jkm7]

Age is also a factor.
I have been reasonably slim my whole life but (for some of us), when we get to a certain age, the weight goes on despite healthy life style and careful eating. Some is genetic I suppose and some is slowing of metabolism but whatever it is, the older you get the harder it is to maintain weight and the harder it is to lose any you might gain.

 

[pellicle]

Humans are hugely energy effieicent with food. Eat more low energy foods. You know, like vegetables not muffins, water not diet softdrinks, less sugar...

 

[Guest]

Medications will cause weight gain, especially anti depressants, some statins for high cholesterol, some beta blockers.

This is information I received from a Personal Trainer who works at the Y: she is a brick house and knows what she is talking about: for women, you must do some type of weight training to increase your metabolism, diet, and exercise, including cardio, even if it's speed walking. You won't lose weight by diet alone, you won't lose weight by cardio alone, and you won't lose weight by weights alone, you need to combine all three, and three times a week is sufficient for the cardio and weights. Weigh yourself first thing in the morning after you do your duty and with nothing on, this is your dry weight, same scale every time for consistency, don't weigh every day, try weekly at first. You know when you are retaining fluid, your wedding rings are tight, or if you are not married, your watch may fit tight.

I joined the Y in 2009 and have maintained my weight over the last three years. I'm over 50, I feel good, eat what I want in moderation of course, try to eat healthy, eliminate as much bread as possible as carbs will put the weight on, so will pasta, I love pasta. Watch your sodium and salt intake, both cause fluid retention, sea salt is supposed to be better. You can buy Land o Lakes butter now with Olive Oil and Sea Salt, found it over the weekend. Studies also show that if you go hungry, your metabolism will slow because the body thinks you are starving and will conserve what it can.

I also truly believe that our heart issues have a lot to do with fluid retention and weight, if you don't have adequate blood flow, how can your organs function properly?

 

[Jkm7]

Good advice and pretty universally known and accepted.
Nothing new or earth shattering. But that is what makes it solid advice.
Thanks.

 

[OldManEmu]

Randy
Weight gain as the doctor said to me is a mismatch between input of calories and output. Very simple, however the output side of the equation can be effected by various medications and as Rob has eluded to Beta blockers

They do slow down your metabolism, and as such, you would not be burning as many calories.

are a well know cause of weight gain. So even if your weight was stable before taking beta blockers and your diet hasn't changes beta blockers can cause weight gain. Beta blockers also limit weight loss through exercise as they restrict the elevation of heart rate I couldn't get my heart rate above 120's while taking them.

 

[TheGymGuy]

I agree with Tom about eating less - weight loss is 80% diet, 20% exercise. However, hunger is NOT your friend! Hunger will make you miserable. You need to change how you eat PERMANENTLY and although you can maybe deal with being hungry to see short-term losses on the scales, can you deal with being hungry for the rest of your life???

Ask slim fit HEALTHY people about what they eat and their exercise and try to be more like them. I bet none of them are hungry, they eat 5-6 times a day, they don't eat rubbish or drink diet soda (that's a crock, google diet soda health effects and you'll be horrified about what that junk is doing to you) and they MOVE. Both structured and incidental exercise.

BTW I'm 5'8" and 130lbs, about 18% body fat, most of the food I eat doesn't come with a label, I walk or cycle to as many places as possible, and I get about 7-8 hours of exercise (I call it 'training') a week. I generally eat three times before lunch, snack on fruits, nuts, and yoghurt in the afternoon, and have a smallish dinner of fresh fish, chicken, or organic steak with vegetables for dinner (and a glass or two of wine!) Works great for me!

I could not have put it better. Very sound advice here. I, personally, think being in shape is 50/50 diet and exercise. With great diet (eating habits) ONLY you will loose weight but not maintain good lean mass to bodyweight ratio. With great exercise ONLY (I mean lots of good, different stuff like weightlifting and cardio, etc), you will burn many more calories, but due to bad diet your fat mass will not go down while lean mass will go up. Thus, to me, it's 50/50.

Best way to get in better shape is to seek help from nutritionist and from exercise professionals. Someone that you can share your goals with and someone that will write a program that you will follow to the T and also hold you accountable. At the end, a dedicated to you plan is what you need written up and from there it is up to you to commit and follow.

 

[Jkm7]

Where did anyone mention the need for motivation?
The older I get, the longer time since surgery, the other interests and pulls on my time...... I find it is getting harder to stay committed and motivated to my exercise routine. Anyone else get to a certain age and point when you are accepting of the fact we have less energy, less motivation and eagerness for exercise? I was very commited for years but finding it's harder these days.

Some of us simply are not gym rats and don't LOVE exercise the way others do.

 

[TheGymGuy]

Motivation, eh? I totally know what you mean. I think women can relate better to this post from me, but looking in the mirror every morning and trying on slimmer looking clothes is all the motivation some need. To me it's about living a slightly longer, healthier and more able life. You do not need to be a gym rat (I'm guilty of it) or exercise twice a day. However, 30-60 minutes of moderate activity which could be as simple as interval walking or some exercise with weights and a more sensible eating habit with less processed food is all that is needed to get things going in the right direction.

 

[Jkm7]

I was seeking the tricks some use to keep their interest and motivation high not to be told how much exercise we should be doing. Most of us are aware what we should be doing. But thanks for mentioning it.

I had a good exercise routine for years, as I stated. I am having a hard time forcing myself to continue with that routine and hoped someone could share what techniques they find useful.

Vanity and mirrors are not high priorities for me.

 

[ski girl]

We've all been given a second (third, fourth . . .) chance at life thanks to the miracles our surgeons performed - how much more motivation do we need to keep ourselves and therefore our hearts healthy?? This should be especially true for those whose bad diet and lack of exercise contributed to the need for their heart operations.

My trick to motivation is to find an event I want to do and train for it. Then there is a purpose. I can't handle hours in the gym either, but if I know I have a race coming up I'm very happy to find the time to train.

 

[pellicle]

. Anyone else get to a certain age and point when you are accepting of the fact we have less energy, less motivation and eagerness for exercise? I was very commited for years but finding it's harder these days

I cycle into town rather than drive and try to do some light weights at home every day. I'm about 90% successful at this

But then I'm usually pretty good at driving myself