Weight Gain-Heart Attack

[green4th]

My husband is 39 and had a heart attack 2.5 years ago. He is taking an immense amount of medication for blood pressure, cholesteral, and his heart and has actually gained weight, even though he watches his portion sizes and works out at the gym. He says he feels "puffed up". He can't get his ring off of his finger anymore! He seems very bloated. His regular doctor told him to eat only 1200 calories a day. His cardiologist told him to keep working out and eat right. I am very concerned because nothing seems to be helping and he is very depressed. Is it possible that all of the medication he is on is making him gain weight? His doctor says no. We even had his thyroid checked and the doctor said it was normal. He can't keep gaining weight. What advice do you have? Thanks!

[PghPanther]

its hard to imagine anyone trying to get enough healthy food on 1200 cals a day where just getting a reasonable amount of protein will add significant sodium and thus bloating to the diet without offsetting it with potassium rich foods.

more like 2000 to 2500 cals a day which would be concentrated in low fat protein from chicken breasts, fish and cooked egg whites, yogurt, cottage cheese (no red meat or very very little of it).....

then good whole grain pasta and cereals....

Also lots of good green vegetables and whole fruits...

Drink water as much as possible..........

Dried Prunes, raisens are high potassium and the best antixoident sources on the planet......

Get you fat intake from extra virgin olive oil and eat a handful of shelled walnuts a day.....

As much of this as he can incoporate should help his body deal with the bloating.............but drugs can supercede it all if they are the issue...

Make sure you doctor is away of any diet changes that he incorporates..

Hope it helps.

[Buaidh No Bas]

As I'm sure you know, diet isn't just a question of calories, especially when it comes to cardiac patients. The 'tight rings' makes it sound as if your husband is retaining fluid. The biggest culprit in this, diet-wise; is sodium. Se if your husband can limit his intake of sodium to a maximum if 1500mg a day for a little while (a week or more, anyway) and reduce his intake of fluids to 1.5 to 2 L a day at the same time, and see if this makes any difference.

This is an extremely difficult diet to stick to, given that a teaspoon of salt contains 1800mg of sodium, and any/all processed food is also loaded with sodium for "preservation" (ie: flavour, since all processed food tastes like cardboard until phoney flavouring is added). If this has no effect, then you can be pretty confident that his weight gain/bloating is not as simple as being heart-related (when it comes to diet, etc) and could very well be directly attributable to a drug he has been introduced to.

If on the other hand, it does improve the situation, it MAY point to the possibility that your husband is suffering from mild/early-stage CHF, and needs to get checked out thoroughly once again by his (or perhaps a different) cardiologist.


BNB

[Momto3]

I'm sorry to hear that you and your husband are dealing with heart issues at such a young age.  Has your husband had any recent echocardiograms?  I know that medicine can cause different side effects in different people, but the way he feels is certainly not right.  Has he discussed his "bloating" concerns with his doctor? 1200 calories vs. "eat right" - no wonder you are confused! Perhaps a second opinion is in order.  It sure doesn't seem right that he is retaining water, especially given his cardiac history.

Try posting your question on the Heart Forum where a CCF doctor will address your concerns.  I have found a good time to post is between 7:30 - 10:00 EST.  It can be difficult to get a question in, but it's worth a try.

Please keep us posted.

connie