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    Does anyone have any success stories of losing weight and curing their osa? I've been advised to lose weight but how much do i have to lose for it to have an effect? I'm currently 5' 3" and weigh 12 st 6lbs, anyone have any idea how much i should lose? Another thing that worries me is that I don't think i eat very much anyway so i don't want to starve myself, i suppose what i really need to do is more exercise, but would walking be enough? I have problems with my knees and the last time i joined a gym it crippled me for a few weeks so i gave up

    I don't want to have to wear a mask every night for the rest of my life? Is there hope? I need motivation! Help!

  • #2
    Hi Feather (good positive name by the way, given your question). Welcome to the forums!

    Your BMI is currently 31 which tips you into the "obese" group but not far off being in the 25-30 group which are called "overweight". In principle, the more fatty tissue you carry, especially on your chest and around your neck, the more severe your OSA is likely to be. Also, your tongue gets fatter and thicker when your body gets fatter. This also has a direct influence on OSA.

    The link is clear and well documented. However, exactly how much you need to loose is probably different for each person. You should probably aim for a healthy BMI of 25 and below. That means dropping to 10 stone. At that weight, most likely your OSA is almsot entirely gone.

    Walking is a great start and people here have had good success managing their weight with walking alone. If your knees find it difficult to cope, you can try swimming perhaps. Swimming uses pretty much all muscles and is a great work-out without the strain on the body. There are a lot of swimming for weightloss type groups around if you're more comfortable that way than with the rest of the public.

    You can read some OSA specific food tips here: http://blog.cpap.co.uk/2007/09/nutri...pnoea-patients

    If it's just the mask and not your weight that's bothering you (though the weight also puts you at different risks aside from OSA), you can also look at CPAP alternatives like this. The mask and pump isn't the only solution.

    Comment


    • #3
      Hi Feather
      There are several people on this forum (including myself) who can report good weight loss after being on CPAP a while. It is not the machine that causes the weight loss, it is you! Because you are sleeping better you will have more energy and so will feel better, you will not comfort eat and you will develop a more active life style because you have more energy

      Comment


      • #4
        Actually, there are also suggestions that better sleep reduces internal stress, inflammation and cortisol. Cortisol promotes storage of fat. So less of that means less of a fat-storing habit.

        Sticking with some form of sleep-improving therapy and then combining it with weightloss hence works much better than attempting weightloss alone. You'd simply not have the energy and keep the cortisol issues.

        Comment


        • #5
          thanks James and Les, i never thought of my name like that i just chose it cos it rhymes with my real name hehe

          i think walking is my best bet atm for exercise as my knees don't so sore when i walk, swimming's out because i don't enjoy it, i'm also hoping my knees get better as i lose weight as my doctor thought that might be a possibility, there are other reasons i want to lose weight too, for my heart and organs and general wellbeing

          i won't stop wearing my mask until either i have a good alternative or lose enough weight that i lose the osa as i am concerned about the lack of oxygen, the somnodent looks interesting, do you know if it's available on nhs in uk? and if not how much would i pay for one of these? i have problems with dry mouth (i wake up a lot because of that) and marks on my face so the somnodent might help me get an even better sleep and have clear skin

          James how did you get my bmi to 31? when i calculated it it came to 29.5 just under obese lol

          Comment


          • #6
            I need to lose weight.

            I am 61 yr old and 5 ft 5 inches tall and weigh 16 st. 2 lbs. I do aqua aerobics at local leisure center but as I have two total hip replacements I find some fast movements difficult. I have bought DVD of BIGGEST LOSER and I am now trying to do a few workouts at home each day. I hope this helps. I have a tebitan terrier and I look after my sister's dog a lab/collie each day while she is at work, the dogs Tim and Kia go to the park a few times each day. I am trying to be careful about what I eat. I have suspended my driving licence
            till I get my machine about 4 weeks but this is difficult as I drive a car on motability and at present one of my 2 sons is driving me about, will it belong before I can apply to get my licence back. I miss the driving a lot. Can any of you help me.

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            • #7
              Help to lose weight.

              countyDownMum;8591]I am 61 yr old and 5 ft 5 inches tall and weigh 16 st. 2 lbs. I do aqua aerobics at local leisure center but as I have two total hip replacements I find some fast movements difficult. I have bought DVD of BIGGEST LOSER and I am now trying to do a few workouts at home each day. I hope this helps. I have a tebitan terrier and I look after my sister's dog a lab/collie each day while she is at work, the dogs Tim and Kia go to the park a few times each day. I am trying to be careful about what I eat. I have suspended my driving licence
              till I get my machine about 4 weeks but this is difficult as I drive a car on motability and at present one of my 2 sons is driving me about, will it belong before I can apply to get my licence back. I miss the driving a lot. Can any of you help me.

              Will I not have sleep apnea if I lose a lot of weight and has this caused it.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by James @ Intus View Post
                Hi Feather (good positive name by the way, given your question). Welcome to the forums!

                Your BMI is currently 31 which tips you into the "obese" group but not far off being in the 25-30 group which are called "overweight".
                Is this too general a statement? I am 5ft 9 and weigh 13 stones so I am overweight according to the BMI calculator, however as I go to the gym 3 times a week and lift heavy weights, I have a good percentage of muscle mass which weighs heavier than fat. I don't consider myself to be overweight.

                Comment


                • #9
                  losing weight

                  Hi dream catcher good to know how you are doing. You are making good progress so keep it up.

                  Unfortunately as I have 2 total hip replacements and had walking difficulty since birth it is not so straight forward for me. I have trainer at Avoniel but we all have to be careful as there are movements in the gym I am not allowed to do but I manage to get round the equipment very well. Indeed the fact i can walk without any aids is a personal feat for me

                  I am watching what I eat so weight watchers is a good help to me.
                  Last edited by countyDownMum; 14 May 2010, 13:53. Reason: left letter off at start of reply

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Hi Guys,

                    I think what everyone needs to remember here is that as James says it is fairly well documented that less weight = less OSA. How much weight depends on the individual. The BMI is a loose indicator I find, as Dreamcatcher rightly said, it doesn't really take in to account muscle mass.

                    But I guess if we look at ourself's in the mirror then we have to be truthfull and say could we loose a few more pounds. I myself am not fat by any means, I am large and broad with reasonable muscle but when I look closely at just my throat I do carry too much weight.

                    I think as long as you are honest with yourself and look at the area in question, not really your man handles in my case, then you can see if you need to loose a bit and probably how much will depend on how quickly you can loose weight in that area.

                    The problem with exercise is that we all have varying levels of capability. What I would wreckon is that you need to find a way to get your heart rate up, feel some burn in your muscles and try and eat healthy. Things like swimming or cycling area a good way of doing that without putting too much pressure on the joints.

                    Anyhows just my 10p worth but hope it helps.

                    Jip

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      ilosing weight

                      Hi Jippi, I am still exercising and swimming but I now wonder if there are any exercises I could do to reduce weight on my neck as I think this would help me, Has anyone any ideas,

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Hi County Down Mum,

                        I have taken the extreme way to loose weight and have had a stomach-by-pass. I did not like the idea of facing the future being as fat as I am and getting more and more compications.
                        I had the surgery 2 weeks ago and am doing very well! I have already lost quite a bit and am looking forward to the future where I will be more active and hopefully live longer!

                        It is not everyones idea of the perfect diet but I had tried so hard over so many years, at least this one won't fail.

                        One thing I have learnt is rather than meals 3 times s day split it up into 6 smaller portions, that way your body will not go into storage mode and so aid your metabolic rate to be more efficient.
                        Good luck
                        Lorraine
                        APAP: F & P Iconaax auto
                        Masks: Resmed Swift FX, Sleep Weaver, Mirage Liberty and most other makes and models.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Weight loss

                          hi Lorriane, I am still attending weight watchers and find this is helping as I need the support of others. So far I have lost 15 lbs. and although I need to lose a lot more this is a great feeling to know I have started losing weight.

                          I hope you are keeping well and it is nice to hear from you, let me know how you are getting on.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Hi CountyDownMum,

                            I'm not too sure how relevant this will be to you but I'm hoping it might at least point you in some direction.

                            One of the things that dawned on me was that to loose weight around the neck you preferably need to exercise that region which is pretty damn difficult.
                            One of the things I have done to suppliment this area was increase the amount of weight bearing exercises I do on my arms/shoulders and chest.
                            I use free weights and lift them, with straight arms, straight up sideways from hip to above my head 10 times. Then from the hip straight up front ways to above my head ten times.
                            I also lie on my back and bring my arms from flat on the floor to together above my chest again with straight arms.
                            You can also place the weight ear you shoulder with your arm fully bent then drive the weight up above your head untill your arm is straight then bring it back down slowly.

                            Obviously you don't want to do this with large weights unless you like the uild of a shot putter. But you might find that doing those often and many with a light weight will help to tone the whole upper body which in turn tightens the neck skin and tissue.

                            Hope that maybe helps. If you can't follow the exercises let me know and I will find them on the net then post a link.

                            Jip

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              losing weight

                              Hi Jip, lots of thanks for your help i will try the exercises you mentioned as I think they will be effective. i have a set of ladies weights which I use at home also I go to avoniel Leisure Center regularly where I go into the gym/training room and they have light ladies weights also, so I will have a go. i also do 20 mins on walking machine and exercise bike with back support. I will do your exercises as well as I would like to loose weight on my neck if poss. I enjoy aqua fit here as well.

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