How can I lose weight and boost my energy levels?

How can I lose weight and boost my energy levels?

Question

I am suffering from hypertension and am a diabetic and am on prescribed medication. I am 47 years old female and am bit overweight. I take vitamin B6 complex, zinc, cod-liver oil capsules and I was wondering if you could advice me whether this would interfere with my medication. Also can you recommend anything else to help me to loss weight and boost up my energy level?

Answer

Thank you for your enquiry. I can reassure you that the supplements you take are not known to cause interference with the diabetes and blood pressure treatment you are being prescribed by your doctor. I would like to point out that vitamin B6 complex [pyridoxine] is not recommended to be taken long term in the sort of therapeutic dosages prescribed for pre- menstrual syndrome, e.g. 50mg - 100mg daily. This is because there have been cases of damage to the peripheral nerves reported under these circumstances. Indeed, there is disagreement as to the dosage below which there is no risk. Therefore it is probably best to use B6 complex for limited periods of time, allowing for a significant break before recommencing treatment, as you and your doctor feel necessary.

I congratulate you on wanting to lose weight and boost your energy levels. Most people are surprised to discover that the two can go hand in hand. Losing weight and maintaining it is never easy and often means changing the way you look at food and eating forever. At this stage I would simply suggest that you write out an honest dietary diary looking back over a typical week, with a view to reducing the amount of food that you eat. I appreciate that it is probably difficult to even contemplate significant exercise in your current condition, but as your weight reduces over time exercise will be a real option to aid change. If initially you can achieve smaller portions of the food you like, it will be a step in the right direction. Ultimately you can become more sophisticated as you gain knowledge about fat in food. Most food packaging nowadays is extremely helpful in this regard.

Being a diabetic, you will have a reasonably strict regime on the carbohydrate and glucose front, so the gain is going to be made in the fat balance and salt content of your diet, the total number of calories consumed and the amount of exercise achieved. Most importantly, new eating and exercise habits have to be maintained, bearing in mind that there will be set backs, owing to illness or special circumstances. Keeping your weight down can only help your co-existing problems and may lead to you being less reliant on medication. In a study conducted in my own practice, we discovered that a regular exercise regime prescribed like a drug for the patient by the doctor and reinforced by a nurse, had an effect on lowering blood pressure that was similar to that achieved by taking one medication on a regular basis. This occurred even in those patients who did not need to lose weight. When weight loss and regular exercise combine and the exercise is sustained, it is likely that reductions in anti-hypertensive therapy can be achieved under careful supervision from a doctor.

Best wishes,

Yours sincerely

Dr John Pillinger, GP

Article Source : http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ate/weightandnutrition/207488.html