Those f you who have lost weight after starting CPAP...

magpie · Post by **magpie** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 5:01 am

How did you do it. Was it a conscious effort or did you just notice that you were loosing weight after a while? Please tell your story. I believe that apnea stress the body causing stress hormone levels to rise thus signaling our body to store fat. If this is a true hypothesis then many people would start loosing weight just by lowering stress levels. Effective CPAP therapy should accomplish some destressing in those that suffer from OSA. If the stress hormones are lowered significantly weight loss should occur without changing anything else. Now I wonder if the stats will support this hypothesis.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 5:21 am

Conscious effort on my part since early Jan 07. So far down about 25, would still like to lose about 20 more. Did it by eating less and exercising more. Walked stairs in my office building at lunch for about five months. Now that it is too hot in the stairs I joined the gym in my building. Exercise about 25 to 30 minutes 4 to 6 times per week. As for eating less, I substituted fruit (apple or banana) or vegetables (carrots or celery) for chips or pretzels, although I still break down every once in a while and buy a bag at work. I also started giving myself smaller portions at dinner and stopped cleaing my kids plates (on most occasions).

Have not really noticed any appreciable change in my pressure requirements for CPAP, however, I am not sure that I could sleep without the machine now anyway. I literally put the mask on and am asleep in about five to ten minutes until I wake up, which is usually around 5 or 5:30. I find that now I have trouble falling asleep without the mask and dread trying to do it.

TM

TM

magpie · Post by **magpie** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 7:41 am

Do you feel that your energy and resolve to loose weight increased with Cpap therapy?

SisterShotgun · Post by **SisterShotgun** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:02 am

I have dropped 9 pounds since starting CPAP therapy..Since I am feeling better I have gained my interest in swimming and I can't sit still anymore..I have to be doing something..I have been on my CPAP for about 2.5 weeks..

Treesap · Post by **Treesap** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 9:15 am

I've lost a few pounds without really doing anything different. But Ii've only been on CPAP for a short time now (6 weeks or so). I do see a huge difference in my coping skills, especially at work. It used to be that any small thing would set me off emotionally. I was stressed out MAJORLY. That is all gone. I think I've been severely sleep deprived for almost 2 years. I started having terrible tension headaches about a year ago. That is what alerted me to the possibility that Imigiht have sleep apnea, and got tested. I've seen improvements in my health. I hope to lose more weight as I have gained 40 pounds. I haven't changed my eating habits to even make myself gain 40. I wasn't doing anything to lose weight either. It just didn't make sense that I had gained it.

I know that I will have to incorporate some changes to lose the weight now that I feel back to normal. I won't expect to lose it just because.

magpie · Post by **magpie** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 10:05 am

Oh this question isn't about not doing anything and just watching the pounds melt away. I would not want anyone to adopt such an unhealthy solution unless they were already doing all the healthy things their body needs.

My question is about how sleep apnea triggers the release of stress hormones which in turn set us into a survival mode of storing energy sources in the form of excess weight. I have seen a few posts that referred to the idea that sleep apnea actually causes weight gain and wondered if there were actual statistical studies done to determine whether it was due to being too tired to move and the need to conserve energy or if it was rather due to a chemical process brought on by the stress of sleep deprivation.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 10:08 am

I do believe sleep apnea triggers stress hormones. I want to find more studies on cortisol and the effects of it in weight gain. There are studies showing if you don't sleep enough, it could lead to weight gain. With those stress hormones come a bunch of other ailments which I am sure many here have experienced.

topher · Post by **topher** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 11:10 am

When I started cpap in late feb I was 346 and had no energy after about 1 month I had a tone of energy so I started walking at lunchtime(NO MORE NAPS IN THE CAR WITH THE AIR ON) I started to feel and look better so I cut down the portion size and changed to water and fruit from candy soda,ice cream and chips and now I am 309 and have set a goal of 8 pounds a month for 18 months so on my part it now is a conscious effort but not when I started just seamed to snowball

sharon1965 · Post by **sharon1965** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 11:37 am

magpie said:

My question is about how sleep apnea triggers the release of stress hormones which in turn set us into a survival mode of storing energy sources in the form of excess weight. I have seen a few posts that referred to the idea that sleep apnea actually causes weight gain and wondered if there were actual statistical studies done to determine whether it was due to being too tired to move and the need to conserve energy or if it was rather due to a chemical process brought on by the stress of sleep deprivation.

if you search the effects of OSA on leptin and grehlin you will find lots of info on this very subject...in fact, not just OSA but sleep deprivation in general...start with http://www.about.com and search in the sleep disorders section and you will find some good info there; after that i found link after link, and the info i found was confirmed by my sleep doc...it's part of the reason i was finally diagnosed with OSA

i, for one am convinced that my 40 lb gain was directly caused by OSA and the chemical processes that are affected

treesap said:

I hope to lose more weight as I have gained 40 pounds. I haven't changed my eating habits to even make myself gain 40. I wasn't doing anything to lose weight either. It just didn't make sense that I had gained it.

this sounds just like me...i have to admit, 3 years after i gained 40lbs in less than 6 months with no changes to my healthy diet and very active lifestyle, i'm still shaking my head in awe that i could gain so suddenly and rapidly with no explanation...it's bad enough to gain weight, knowing that you've been sedentary and perhaps indulged in too many sweets or snacks(and who hasn't been here at some point in their life?), but to be a clean, healthy eater who exercises regularly and lives an active life in general and watch the scale creep up and up is just devastating

but, i finally got my diagnosis, and am 100% compliant with xpap therapy, so at least now i'm on the right track...i hope

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): clean

TXKajun · Post by **TXKajun** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 2:27 pm

[quote="topher"]When I started cpap in late feb I was 346 and had no energy after about 1 month I had a tone of energy so I started walking at lunchtime(NO MORE NAPS IN THE CAR WITH THE AIR ON) I started to feel and look better so I cut down the portion size and changed to water and fruit from candy soda,ice cream and chips and now I am 309 and have set a goal of 8 pounds a month for 18 months so on my part it now is a conscious effort but not when I started just seamed to snowball

magpie · Post by **magpie** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 2:32 pm

Thanks for the links Sharon. I too gained my weight almost overnight and my stressors were over the top at the time. But being close to the big M I believed everyone that said it was harmonal. I have always eaten well and exercise regularly. At the time of the huge weight gain I was walking 3-5 miles a day and doing circuit trainig 3 days a week. In addition I was physically active at play pretty much every weekend. swimming, windsurfng, skating, skiing and biking. (Yeah I was a major jock). My then twenty year old daughters and their friends couldn't keep up with me. Then boom! I had a major operation and next thing I know I have gained thirty lbs and cannot take it off. I do not loose weight easily anymore and in fact am still gaining. Before I could loose three lbs just by staying up an extra hour a couple of times in a week.

I hope that when I get into a good CPAP place I will be able to get a resonable facsimile of my previous figure back. I'm still on the little Fisher Paykel HC 200 but I have ordered a new mask. My physician is still on vacation so while I was able to get a copy of my pliminary results I have had my follow up and therefore have not gotten my prescription as of yet.
I had more blood drawn today and have my office visit on Thursday. I am looking foward to using a machine that has tracking capabilities so I can moniter my progress.

Last night was a rough night for me. I kept having apnea events that woke me so I adjusted the pressure up a bit on y machine and then had difficulty cause I was swallowing air. I ended up getting up at 5:30am after being up every hour on the hour. Sadly this is not unusual for me and has been going on for years.

Sergey45 · Post by **Sergey45** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 2:45 pm

I am down from 207 to 176 in 18 months.
Basically all my exercises
3 miles of walking (1 hour) 4-5 times a week.
Light weights 1-2 times a week for 30 minutes.

I am eating less of course. I could not say that my daily calories intake is about 2000 a day. Perhaps I eat a lot more than that. But I am not overeating. Trying not to eat fatty food, and limit candy-ice cream – doughnuts etc..

sharon1965 · Post by **sharon1965** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 3:05 pm

I'm still on the little Fisher Paykel HC 200 but I have ordered a new mask. My physician is still on vacation so while I was able to get a copy of my pliminary results I have had my follow up and therefore have not gotten my prescription as of yet.
I had more blood drawn today and have my office visit on Thursday. I am looking foward to using a machine that has tracking capabilities so I can moniter my progress.

magpie,
what mask have you got on order? the right mask can make all the difference
i envy you the new machine coming your way...i do not have a data capable machine and i regret it every day...not knowing what's going on is very frustrating

best of luck
sharon

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:29 pm

Sharon, I ordered the Optilife nasal pillow. I posted in another thread. It seems like a good option for me. It hasn't arrived yet I'll post again when I have tried it out.

Elle · Post by **Elle** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:55 pm

About a month before i saw the sleep doc I weighed 309. I now weigh 197. I had started to eat healthier before I actually got the machine. I think about 60 or so has come off since getting the equipment.

I lost quickly at first and then it slowed to about 3 a month which is fine with me because it gives the skin time to catch up (somewhat....not much really at my age).

Because I had lost 112 or whatever the math is (not sleep deprived just stupid), I expected my pressure to change. I did oximetry and it has not changed.

I have not felt hungry but I am not sure whether it is because of the chemistry of sleep or that I am eating healthier food and that gets rid of cravings. ???

Anyway, I guess that is not really helpful info but another weight related story.

Interesting stuff.

Those f you who have lost weight after starting CPAP...

Those f you who have lost weight after starting CPAP...

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Re: Those f you who have lost weight after starting CPAP...

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