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Belugabear

Updated 9mo ago

Need advice for losing weight with POTS

Any advice for losing weight with POTS? I have lost 20 pounds in the last month and a half and am super proud of it, but my fainting is a million times worse. I’m scared to drive or shower without someone else nearby for fear of fainting. I’m eating a lot less, especially during the day, and probably not getting enough sodium. I do drink lots of water and have added Powerade Zero which helped at first but not so much anymore. I plan on speaking to my doctor but wanted to know if anyone had any ideas!

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Xtine

1y

Wish i knew!!! I’ve only gained weight since starting a beta blocker and it’s so discouraging 😭. I know if I lose weight doctors will take me more seriously.
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Belugabear

1y

half of why I’m doing it is to make the doctors stop blaming everything on weight! And to feel healthier, if feels like one part of my health I can control. It’s so frustrating though. I finally stopped Lyrica which is what made me gain 100 pounds in the first place and I found a great diet that’s working well except for the whole fainting several times a day thing….
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styx

1y

i recommend counting nutrients. keep on your diet but try to make sure whatever you're eating you get enough grams of protein and fat in every meal. if you're worried about sodium too try eating pepporoni or cold cuts they have a good amount of sodium and little to no carbs.
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Belugabear

1y

that’s a good idea thank you! It’s five “fuelings” during the day and then a protein and veggie at night, but I think I’m going to do less fuelings and more protein and veggies during the day! Pepperoni is a great idea
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TunaGoon

1y

You can also look for sugar free root beer. Not all if them but a good number have whopping amounts of sodium. I drink that and take salt stick capsules (2 3x a day, without caffeine) and it helps a lot when I'm losing weight
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ChronicIllnessBabe

1y

My goodness I’m having this exact same issue. I’ve noticed that eating a bit less but more frequently helps (like a cracker in one hour and then just a slice of salty meat the next)
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55isMe

1y

20 pounds in 6 weeks seems like too drastic of a drop rate. I am a smaller person 125 lbs before pots started. 145 after a year and a half of pots and betablocker (metoprolol, 150mg) and cancer surgery. Just for comparison, that was higher than my max pregnancy weight. Anyway, my pots seems to be mainly fluid gain in the gut area during the day. So tried losing weight to increase midsection compression (i breakout or sciatica from waist high compression garments). I have lost 15 pounds in 5 months. To get any loss, i had to go all the way down to 1200 calories, nothing but essentials. I had some issues, but unlike you, nothing too bad. The benefit came after i leveled off and that 1200 was no longer dropping weight. I was able to increase my activity enough, i could up calories to 1400. Thats been a year now. Doing well. Recentky added weight back (with no change in eating), but i had kidney stones and that must had influenced metabolism. Bottom line, the weight loss, even as moderate as it was. Did really help. Maybe 25%. I'll take it.

The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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