The biggest thing to happen during week 2... LOW, low, low blood pressure zapped my energy for most of the week and made exercising a challenge. Many of you know that I was diagnosed with high blood pressure a little over a year ago. It is a genetic thing that runs on my dad's side of the family. I have done a lot of work in the last year to lower it... I watch my sodium, increased potassium, increased exercise, decreased fatty foods, and as a result have lost weight. The bp I had last week was kind of ridiculous. It was measuring around 93/60 for almost the whole week. (Really good bp is around 105/65... lower than that is not great.) When I would go out for a walk, I would start to get a tight headache and feel dehydrated. This is despite the fact that I am drinking over 60 oz of water a day. Then I would sometimes see black pulsing in my eyes, which can be a sign of low blood pressure. So I had to cut down on my exercise. I still walked almost every day, but I didn't have the ability to walk at the speed or distance of the week before. It was very frustrating. I also passed out in the Safeway parking lot. It was after that that I finally made an appt to see my doctor. More on that later.
What I accomplished this week:
- Although I had a voracious appetite, (I think it was my body looking for energy because of my lowered bp,) I still managed to leave 8 points available in my weekly point bank. My calorie, sodium and fiber intake remained healthy every day - averaging 1489, 1545, and 15 respectively.
- I started strength training for half of the week. It was at that point that my bp made it a bad idea to continue for the time being.
- I faithfully kept my food journal every day. (Even when I didn't want to write down the fact that I ate 3 brownies on Friday.)
- I walked 6 days, traveling 14.63 miles in 2.20 hours. The day that I did not walk I spent 2.5 hours in my yard raking moss out. I figured that was enough for one day!
- I successfully split my fruits and veggies intake almost 50/50.
- I lost 2.1 more pounds!
- Most exciting - at my dr appointment on Monday, we created a plan to see if I can go without one of my bp medications. This week I am taking only 10mg of lisinopril. (I used to take 30.) If all goes well, next week I will try to cease the medication. I will still always take HCTZ, which is a water pill and helps ensure that water retention will not raise my blood pressure. I am really hoping that it works and that I do not have to rely on lisinopril for the time being. If I ever decrease my exercise intensity, it will most likely affect my ability to stay off of the medication.
Goals for next week:
- Lose another 1.5 pounds.
- Try to increase my exercise intensity again.
- Eat less candy.
3 comments:
I've been working out more than I used to lately, and my blood pressure seems to have fallen as well. Low blood pressure runs on mom's side, so I guess our family rarely knows normal blood pressure. ;) Did you take any blood tests? Low blood pressure can be caused by anemia, which can be solved by treating that. Anyway, it sounds like things are going great!
Ok - I am wanting to hear the story about the parking lot!! I have problems with low blood pressure too -- I also get headaches when I walk but I thought it was allergies -- maybe it is both?
It's not that great of a story... I was going to get stuff for Andy to grill because it was a really nice day. I didn't feel great before I left, but usually my bp rises as I drive, so I figured I'd be fine. Instead I kind of had a little panic attack. When I got there I just really wanted out of the car. So I opened my door really quick and jumped out. And then hit the floor. The car next to me was putting their groceries in the car, so they helped me up and back into the car. Charlie thought I was playing some game. (He was in the backseat.) And I called Andy. End of story. :)
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