High Blood Pressure

[robin304]

My husband has high blood pressure. (180's/90's) and we have been eating the plant based diet for two months now. He has lost 20 lbs in that time frame with now effect on his blood pressure. We are very good about not adding oil or salt to any food we prepare at home. If we go out to eat it becomes a little harder, but that may be once every two weeks and still adhering to a plant based life style. He sees a renal doctor to keep an eye on his kidneys and had a check up yesterday. The doctor wanted to put him on more medication which got my husband even more frustrated. My husbands BMI is a little elevated still even with the drop in weight he did not see a change. Can anyone offer suggestions?

[openmind]

My husband has high blood pressure. (180's/90's) and we have been eating the plant based diet for two months now. He has lost 20 lbs in that time frame with now effect on his blood pressure. We are very good about not adding oil or salt to any food we prepare at home. If we go out to eat it becomes a little harder, but that may be once every two weeks and still adhering to a plant based life style. He sees a renal doctor to keep an eye on his kidneys and had a check up yesterday. The doctor wanted to put him on more medication which got my husband even more frustrated. My husbands BMI is a little elevated still even with the drop in weight he did not see a change. Can anyone offer suggestions?

Not everyone can get off medication. He can switch to Maximum Weigjt Loss to see if that helps, but if he has to take medication, he has to take medication. Regardless, eating this way should make your husband healthier.

[Mom+Me]

robin304, I can understand why it can be frustrating to you and your husband to not see his blood pressure lower in the past two months. I would encourage you to give it more time. He will end up losing some more weight and with continued adherence, his body will continue to heal. A lot of us have abused our bodies for decades with our poor food choices. While making good dietary choices now, it sometimes takes awhile to rebuild our health.

I would also suggest he severely scrutinizes every single thing he eats. A mouthful of a "goodie" at work, a sample at the grocery store, or a sandwich made with bread that contains oil all can still be hindering the lowering of his blood pressure.

As much as I don't like the reality, like openmind said, sometimes people still have to take medicines. But I believe with more time at this, and adhering 100%, he will see improvement! Hope that helps, and please keep us updated--thanks!

[Mom+Me]

Thought of some things to add:

--It has been said here that the McDougall Plan does not have to be all or nothing. However, especially when people's health is still not ideal, the closer to total adherence, the better the results.

--Similar to what openmind said (following Maximum Weight Loss), he may want to try a Mary's Mini to help jump start that lowering of blood pressure.

--Usually following the McDougall Plan is enough to lower one's elevated blood pressure, but if extremely high or it just won't budge, you could read about Dr. Walter Kempner: https://www.drmcdougall.com/2013/12/31/ ... rice-diet/ or watch Dr. McDougall speaking about he and his work: https://youtu.be/plpiRcVMbg0?list=PLrjf ... TmoJ6HnVpE

--As I mentioned in my previous post, decades of abuse (wrong foods) can require a significant amount of time to heal. My mom had decades of bad eating (6 decades), and she was disheartened that her b/p was not lowering anywhere as fast as others' did following the McDougall Plan. So, chin up, but nose to the grind stone.

[schnyd]

Cardio exercise made the difference for me. I now jog 10 to 15 miles a week and I've watch my blood pressure fall gradually to an acceptable level.

[Poison Ivy]

Cardio exercise made the difference for me. I now jog 10 to 15 miles a week and I've watch my blood pressure fall gradually to an acceptable level.

I agree......exercise is crucial along with the healthy diet. I can not really run anymore but I do stationary bike daily.

@robin304, you said he lost 20 lbs? Has he reached his weight loss goal? What does he weigh after the 20 lb loss?