How To Lose Weight For Asthma Patients

How To Reduce Your Risk Of Complications

In general, working with your doctor can help you find the appropriate treatment to control your asthma symptoms and reduce your risk for these complications. And once you find a treatment that works for you, its important to stick with it.

Most people with asthma know the importance of staying on prescribed treatment, Rosenstreich says. Because if they dont, they know theyll see an increase in their symptoms. But your doctor will remind you that symptoms are only the start. These complications are, in most cases, rare and totally avoidable simply by staying with your treatment.

If you have trouble controlling your symptoms despite following your treatment plan, you may have a more severe form of asthma. Let your doctor know about your struggles so he or she can help find a more appropriate treatment.

With additional reporting by Markham Heid.

How To Exercise With Asthma

Last Updated: June 4, 2021References

This article was medically reviewed by . Dr. Ziats is an Internal Medicine Physician, Researcher, and Entrepreneur in biotechnology. He received his PhD in Genetics from the University of Cambridge in 2014, and completed his MD shortly thereafter, at Baylor College of Medicine in 2015. This article has been viewed 10,505 times.

When you have asthma it’s still important that you still exercise daily and stay in shape. Regular physical activity is important for chronic disease prevention and maintenance of a healthy weight; however, exercising regularly with asthma can be difficult. Exercise may set off symptoms or make them worse . Fortunately, with proper medication and routine doctor visits, most people with asthma can exercise frequently without any problems.XResearch source Just make sure you know how to control your asthma before doing any exercise and how to treat symptoms if they arise.

Track Your Food Calories And Activity

Many experts agree: Keeping track of your calories, nutrition, and activity can help you achieve greater success with your weight-loss effort. Todays technology makes it easier. Linda was able to lose 20 pounds recently. I downloaded the app MyFitnessPal, and it helped keep me on track. Another popular tracking app is LoseIt. Also, if you wear a Fitbit device, some models have built-in calorie counters.

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Dont Let Setbacks Stop You

Weight loss is a challenging endeavor, even more so if you also have asthma. There are many obstacles ahead. Some are easier to conquer than others. But dont let any of them stop you from continuing what you have started. For example, you may notice the regular exercise and a healthy diet helped you slim down and improved the management of asthma symptoms. However, asthma attacks still occur from time to time? Thats not a reason to give up or lose motivation. Setbacks are bound to happen in different forms for different people. But you just need to change your perspective. Instead of considering them as game over, you need to step it up even more and take them as a challenge for you to overcome. This is when the biggest weight loss results are achieved. And with improved weight loss, you can expect asthma symptoms to improve as well.;

Weight’s Connection To Asthma

Research indicates that asthma is somewhat more common in people who are overweight and is significantly more common among those who are obese .

It’s unclear why, but the risk of asthma is even greater among women who are overweight or obese. About 8% of women considered “lean” have asthma, compared to almost 15% of women considered obese.

Rates are also higher in obese African American and Hispanic men.

Studies show that simply having more fatty tissue can increase your overall amount of inflammation, and metabolic abnormalities may lead to changes in the lungs that contribute to respiratory diseasesincluding asthma.

Carrying additional weight in and of itself can make breathing more difficult by compressing your lungs, potentially making existing asthma worse and symptoms harder to cope with and manage.

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Preventing Asthma Symptoms From Worsening

When it comes to controlling asthma symptoms, prevention can go a long way. Since asthma may be life-threatening, its critical to identify your triggers and avoid them.

Tobacco smoke is an asthma trigger for many people. If you smoke, talk to your doctor about quitting. If someone in your household smokes, talk to them about quitting. In the meantime, make sure they smoke outdoors.

You can take more steps that may help prevent asthma attacks if you:

• Create an asthma action plan with your doctor and follow it.
• Get a pneumonia and flu shot each year to avoid illnesses that could trigger asthma attacks.
• Take your asthma medications as prescribed.
• Track your asthma and monitor your breathing to identify early warning signs that your asthma is worsening.
• Use an air conditioner to reduce your exposure to dust mites and outdoor pollutants and allergens such as pollen.
• Use dust covers on your bed and pillows to reduce dust exposure.
• Reduce pet dander by regularly grooming and bathing your pets.
• Cover your nose and mouth when spending time outside in the cold
• Use a humidifier or dehumidifier to keep humidity in your home at optimal levels.
• Clean your house regularly to eliminate mold spores and other indoor allergens.

Try A Ketogenic Diet And Intermittent Fasting

Many people with thyroid problems praised the effectiveness of the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting. Jill gained 80 pounds and, now in her 60s, found she could not lose a pound. After I started the keto diet with intermittent fasting, Im down 22 pounds so far! Fifty-something Alexandra is down 30 pounds in just two months combining intermittent fasting and a keto diet: This works for me. As an added benefit, my blood sugar and sleep have improved significantly.

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In Review: Asthma Patients

Sonia Greenwood09 Aug 2019

Sonia Greenwood, asthma nurse specialist, gives an overview of the importance of the asthma annual review, stressing that it should be meaningful to the patient and not a tick-box exercise.

Key learning points:

• ;The asthma annual review should be meaningful to the patient rather than a tick-box exercise

• All patients should receive a personalised, asthma action plan that is supported by regular professional review

• Patient education and inhaler technique should be offered at every encounter

The essentials

• Inhaler technique.

• Adherence, including use of oral corticosteroids, overuse of SABAs, and poor compliance with preventative therapy.

• A personalised asthma action plan .

• Check adherence: look at the patients repeat; ; prescription;history.

• Do they not like, or struggle to use, their inhaler?

• Do they understand the importance of their treatment?

• Do they pay for their prescriptions, and would they benefit; ; from a pre-payment;certificate?6

• Do they have asthma triggers and know what they are?

• Do they have an underlying comorbidity contributing to their poor asthma control, such as allergic rhinitis? If other comorbidities are identified, ensure the patient receives suitable treatment and is referred to the GP if necessary.

• Is there an occupational element to the poor asthma control? If occupational asthma is suspected, consider a;referral to a specialist.

• ;Peak flow readings.

• ;Symptoms.

• ;A combination of both.

Medications

Lifestyle

Recall;website.References

What And How You Eat

Reducing your calorie intake is hard, but it may help to think in think in three-day cycles. Tell yourself that you only need to fight the temptation to eat more or indulge in high-calorie foods for the next three days.

If you can get through those first 72 hours on a reduced-calorie intake, you’ll likely feel some sense of accomplishment that can propel your success in completing your next three-day goal.

Eventually, this will get a little easier as you adapt to fewer calories and healthier meals.

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How Losing Weight Can Help You Manage Asthma

Even though researchers do still have some questions about the mechanisms behind how asthma and obesity are related, its important to know that in terms of preventing and managing either condition, maintaining a healthy weight can help.

A study published in October 2018 in the Journal of Asthma found that obese patients with asthma who lost weight experienced improved breathing function and quality of life particularly when they shed more than 5 percent of their weight.

Weight loss would certainly be a recommended part of any asthma treatment plan for someone who is obese, particularly for patients with poorly controlled asthma requiring frequent hospitalizations, notes Dr. Miller. While its critical to consider other factors, such as smoking and allergies, which also need to be managed, obesity shouldn’t be overlooked in asthma management.

“It’s definitely an important component of their disease that needs to be considered,” stresses Miller.

Additional reporting by Lisa Rapaport

Keep An Eye On Pollen Counts

Places where you exercise are equally important as the workouts themselves. Does the area have a high pollen count? If yes, it could be difficult for you as pollen is one of the most common triggers for asthma attacks. The same applies to exercise areas with a lot of allergens. You wont be able to do your best, obtain the benefits, and enjoy your workout. To fix that problem, you need to check pollen count before every workout. If the count is too high, you may want to avoid exercising outdoors. Also, home workouts are a practical and effective tool, but avoid doing the exercises in dusty basements with “stale” air.

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Ask The Allergist: How Weight Loss Helps Asthma

Ask the Allergist, Asthma, News

Q: I recently lost 10 pounds and noticed my asthma improved. What is the connection between weight and the respiratory system?

Maeve OConnor, MD: This is really a question of body mechanics. When you are overweight or obese, most excess weight is usually in the central area of the body, or the midsection. This can reduce your lung volume, making you not able to breathe as well.

Also, the foods you put in your body are an important factor. With obesity, theres often a pro-inflammatory diet that includes sugary, starchy foods. This can cause your body to release inflammatory hormones, such as leptin, that increase inflammation in the lungs and can lead to asthma symptoms.

Diseases that often occur with obesity, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease , diabetes and hypertension, have also been found to worsen asthma. So losing weight can also help you reduce the risk of developing these conditions.

Q: So losing 10 pounds can make a huge difference in a persons asthma symptoms?

Dr. OConnor: Absolutely. And as an added benefit, weight loss allows patients to be better able to exercise obviously the less weight you have, the easier it is to move around. Regular exercise has been shown to improve not only asthma symptoms but also asthma outcomes.

Q: What are some ways to lose weight so that it helps your asthma?

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The Mechanism Driving The Obesity

Researchers are currently investigating the mechanisms that would explain exactly how asthma might cause obesity or how obesity might cause asthma. But they do not yet have a completely clear answer.

Excess weight around the chest and abdomen might constrict the lungs and make it harder to breathe, according to the American Lung Association. Fat tissue also produces inflammatory substances that could impair lung function and lead to asthma.

Obesity can also trigger the development of so-called cardiometabolic risk factors, like high cholesterol and diabetes, all of which can also contribute to breathing difficulties. And obesity may also make people more susceptible to many of the strongest risk factors for asthma, like exposure to allergens, chemicals, cigarette smoke, and air pollution.

How obesity contributes to asthma in any one individual is likely dependent on a variety of factors, according to the American Lung Association.

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Best And Worst Workouts For Asthma

Team sports that involve short bursts of exertion — like volleyball, gymnastics, baseball, and wrestling — are good, and so are solo or group leisure activities like walking, biking, and hiking. Swimming is also a good choice because you usually breathe in plenty of warm, moist air while you do it. Itâs also a great way to build upper-body strength.

Activities that involve long periods of exertion, such as soccer, distance running, basketball, and field hockey, may not be as easy. Also, cold-weather sports, such as ice hockey, cross-country skiing, and ice skating, may pose challenges. But many people with asthma are able to fully take part in these activities.

How I Lost Weight With Asthma

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Im going to pat myself on the back here. I set a New Year’s Resolution in 2016 to lose 30 pounds. I succeeded. I set a New Year’s Resolution in 2017 to maintain my new weight. I succeeded. So, Id like to share how I did this even though I have asthma. Because, asthma can pose a challenge here, as all my asthma friends well know. So, how did I do it?

So, thats how I lost weight. I do a combination of diet, resistance training, and aerobics. I mainly use the two programs linked to above. But, I tweaked them to fit my asthmatic life.

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Consider The Link Between Obesity And Asthma

Its fairly well known that people who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop asthma. What we dont know for sure is why. Scientists havent pinpointed the exact connection between and asthma. Some research suggests extra fat tissue can produce inflammatory substances that can affect the lungs, but experts caution the association between asthma and obesity seems to be very complex.

However, we do know losing weight can help people better manage their asthma. Weight loss is associated with better symptom control and better lung function.

Exercise Is Not A Quick Fix

This is why reputable, science-backed organizations wont offer you a three-week program, try to sell you a solution, or sell you a fancy machine that claims to only require 7 minutes a day to lose weight .

Reputable organizations offer guidelines, not fixes or solutions. In the United States, the American College of Sport Medicine is responsible for developing and promoting exercise guidelines for optimal health. In Canada, the same is done by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology . The guidelines offered by ACSM and CSEP are similar, so today, well explore both to make understanding these guidelines straightforward and applicable to life with asthma.

The quickest breakdown available from CSEP for exercise for individuals 18-65 are the following1:

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Best And Quick Weight Loss Tips For Pcos Or Pcod Patients

Weight Loss Tips:;If you have PCOS or PCOS problem and you are trying to reduce weight , then we are telling you

Weight Management

Weight Loss With PCOD or PCOS:;Weight loss is usually a little complicated but not impossible. But if you are suffering from PCOD or PCOS and taking medicines for it, then weight loss becomes quite tricky and challenging. PCOD is caused by hormonal imbalance, irregular period problems or the development of small lumps in the ovaries. Despite a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise, women find it very difficult to reduce weight in PCOD and PCOS. However, every kilogram of weight you lose can help improve insulin resistance, hormone levels, periods, etc. But the question here is how to reduce the weight?;How can women with PCOS lose weight? Explains;Dr Neha Khandelwal

• Women with PCOS can lose diet by regulating their and exercising correctly.
• They should eat a low carbohydrate diet and choose foods with a low glycaemic index.
• A fibre diet is right for weight loss too because it keeps one full.
• A high protein diet containing foods like eggs, nuts etc. is also suitable for weight loss.;
• Healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, coconut oil are also suitable for patients with PCOS.
• The importance of Limiting processed foods and refined sugars cannot be emphasised more for PCOS.
• Exercising regularly is the form of cardio workouts, and weight-bearing exercises help in losing weight.

When To Consider Weight Loss Surgery

Several studies have suggested that weight loss from bariatric surgery improves asthma control in obese patients.

One study stated that asthma medication refills decreased by as much as 50% following bariatric surgery, and asthma patients have shown a decrease in;symptoms;and improvements in pulmonary function tests five years following their procedures.

While these reports are promising, bariatric surgery is a fairly radical step and shouldn’t be viewed as an easy solution. The procedure comes with considerable risks and complications.

For starters, surgery isn’t really an alternative to diet and exercise, but rather something that’s added to them. The post-surgery requirements are a big commitment, and the surgery’s success largely hinges on how well they are adhered to.

On the other hand, if you have severe asthma and haven’t been able to lose weight through diet and exercise, this may be the right step for you. Discuss the risks and benefits with your healthcare provider. It’s a decision that bears thoughtful consideration with an eye on what’s best for your overall health.

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