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I'm 41 and starting to think that sleep apnea and weight has been very tightly linked throughout my adult life.

I first started to really pack on pounds in college when I drank a lot of alcohol and was staying up cramming all week and partying all weekend. That lead to fatigue and poor rest, which lead to a sharp decrease in physical activity, which lead to weight gain, which probably exacerbated my sleep apnea. I was ~185 when I started college and was ~265 when I hit rock bottom in graduate school.

Then I got a normal job with very regular hours. I stopped drinking and partying. Started sleeping better. Started exercising. Found a nutrient regime that worked well for me (low carbs, no bread/sugar/rice/potatoes/corn/etc). Got back down to 175 and felt great!

Then I changed fields and started working Swing shift, graveyard shift, day shift, whatever shift they wanted me to work. My energy levels went down, I started to gain weight, vicious cycle time again. Now I'm up to 300 lbs, and I am once again hitting rock bottom.

I never really paid attention to my sleeping because through most of the bad times...I was still able to "be unconscious" in bed for several hours per night. So I assumed I was getting enough sleep and that something else was wrong with me. What finally "broke me" was moving from 270 lbs to 300 lbs (5'10" male). Now I sleep about 5 hours, and wake up gulping air like a fish, with headaches, sore/stiff muscles, lightheadedness, and feeling much worse and much more tired than when I went to bed.

My sleep study is in 2 weeks and if the suspected OSA is confirmed, I will be a very happy camper. I know I will lose a lot of weight if I can sleep well again.

With all due respect and no intention of insulting or hurting feelings (by the way I am 265 lbs and 5' 8") perhaps its because we overeat and eat the wrong things and add inactivity to the mix...voila obesity. I do believe that yes Sleep Apnea maybe a small part of the picture.

By the way our weight and height would define us in medical terms as Morbidly Obese. Morbidly obese is defined as:

From University of Rochester:
Obesity becomes "morbid" when it significantly increases the risk of one or more obesity-related health conditions or serious diseases (also known as co-morbidities). Morbid obesity—sometimes called "clinically severe obesity"—is defined as being 100 lbs. or more over ideal body weight or having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or higher.

http://www.stronghealth.com/services/su ... besity.cfm

Kiralynx wrote:I had flashes of the hip pain which I now know was a sign of the sleep apnea back in 1981 when I weighed a normal 135 pounds (9.64 stone). Then I had a fall, and a back injury, and lost my ability to take long walks or ride my bike or much else, plus my gut issues went nuts, and I gained over 100 pounds (7 stone). Curiously, the hip issues did not get worse.

I struggled with weight and gut issues over most of the next 20 years, and my weight went absolutely out of control in the late 90s. I found the Specific Carbohydrate Diet in 2001, which solved my gut issues, and began to solve my weight issues.

Ironically, it was after losing 60-75 pounds (4.5-5.25 stone) that my hip pain -- and hence, my unrecognized sleep apnea -- went crazy.

In the last seven years, I have lost 180 pounds (12.85 stone), and have about another 100 pounds (7 stone) to go. It's going much slower, but it's going. Perhaps therapy for the apnea will make it possible to get the rest of the weight off.

WOW!!! congratulations on the amazing weight loss. I have been off and on with Atkins over the last few years. I love the diet and lost over 80 lbs on it. Last year I went on a cruise and lost control of myself. Only recently have I been able to control it. I am now firmly back on the diet.

Laura

OceanGoingGal wrote:

Kiralynx wrote:I had flashes of the hip pain which I now know was a sign of the sleep apnea back in 1981 when I weighed a normal 135 pounds (9.64 stone). Then I had a fall, and a back injury, and lost my ability to take long walks or ride my bike or much else, plus my gut issues went nuts, and I gained over 100 pounds (7 stone). Curiously, the hip issues did not get worse.

I struggled with weight and gut issues over most of the next 20 years, and my weight went absolutely out of control in the late 90s. I found the Specific Carbohydrate Diet in 2001, which solved my gut issues, and began to solve my weight issues.

Ironically, it was after losing 60-75 pounds (4.5-5.25 stone) that my hip pain -- and hence, my unrecognized sleep apnea -- went crazy.

In the last seven years, I have lost 180 pounds (12.85 stone), and have about another 100 pounds (7 stone) to go. It's going much slower, but it's going. Perhaps therapy for the apnea will make it possible to get the rest of the weight off.

WOW!!! congratulations on the amazing weight loss. I have been off and on with Atkins over the last few years. I love the diet and lost over 80 lbs on it. Last year I went on a cruise and lost control of myself. Only recently have I been able to control it. I am now firmly back on the diet.

Laura

If you haven't checked out this site, you might give it a read:http://www.livinlowcarbdiscussion.com/index.php It is owned by Jimmy Moore who also has a great series of podcasts and a blog covering just about every aspect of Atkins and other low carb plans. He has a lot of doctors willing to step up to the plate on these podcasts. Several members just got back from a low carb cruise . The information is invaluable, and it you like support in the form of cheering you own, that is there also. There are a lot of low carb support sites out there, but this has quickly become my favorite. I like the way so many people there take charge of their own care just as people do here at cpaptalk.

gasparama wrote:

OceanGoingGal wrote:

Kiralynx wrote:I had flashes of the hip pain which I now know was a sign of the sleep apnea back in 1981 when I weighed a normal 135 pounds (9.64 stone). Then I had a fall, and a back injury, and lost my ability to take long walks or ride my bike or much else, plus my gut issues went nuts, and I gained over 100 pounds (7 stone). Curiously, the hip issues did not get worse.

I struggled with weight and gut issues over most of the next 20 years, and my weight went absolutely out of control in the late 90s. I found the Specific Carbohydrate Diet in 2001, which solved my gut issues, and began to solve my weight issues.

Ironically, it was after losing 60-75 pounds (4.5-5.25 stone) that my hip pain -- and hence, my unrecognized sleep apnea -- went crazy.

In the last seven years, I have lost 180 pounds (12.85 stone), and have about another 100 pounds (7 stone) to go. It's going much slower, but it's going. Perhaps therapy for the apnea will make it possible to get the rest of the weight off.

WOW!!! congratulations on the amazing weight loss. I have been off and on with Atkins over the last few years. I love the diet and lost over 80 lbs on it. Last year I went on a cruise and lost control of myself. Only recently have I been able to control it. I am now firmly back on the diet.

Laura

If you haven't checked out this site, you might give it a read:http://www.livinlowcarbdiscussion.com/index.php It is owned by Jimmy Moore who also has a great series of podcasts and a blog covering just about every aspect of Atkins and other low carb plans. He has a lot of doctors willing to step up to the plate on these podcasts. Several members just got back from a low carb cruise . The information is invaluable, and it you like support in the form of cheering you own, that is there also. There are a lot of low carb support sites out there, but this has quickly become my favorite. I like the way so many people there take charge of their own care just as people do here at cpaptalk.

Thank you so much for the info. I will check it out and probably join it. I am always looking for low carb recipes and different ideas for cooking.

Laura

Chris61 wrote:When I first found out that I had sleep apnea i was at 250+ that was June of 07. Iam now down to 170 as of Sept. 08 and had another sleep study down and all my numbers are way down. I also use a dental device. Keep in mind that everyone is differant and relusts are not allways the same. The doctor did say that if I did not wish to use the machine or dental device that I would be ok. He said that if I even lost some more that the numbers would go lower. If you go to some of my WLS/Herbest Retainer post you will see the numbers there.

Chris

Great to hear Chris. I weight about 253 now down from a peak of 260. My normal weight is around 185-190. I am trying to get back there. Then there was no snoring or symptoms of apnea present. Hopefully, when spring arrives my cycling and golf activities will be consistant enough to see the pounds drop. Nice to hear.

Fredman wrote:With all due respect and no intention of insulting or hurting feelings (by the way I am 265 lbs and 5' 8") perhaps its because we overeat and eat the wrong things and add inactivity to the mix...voila obesity. I do believe that yes Sleep Apnea maybe a small part of the picture.

With all due respect, I am sick to death of people hypothesizing that I am obese because of my "choices". And that if I would just "choose" to eat right and exercise, my obesity would be cured! Who chooses to be morbidly obese? Really?

It's all a "chicken and egg" argument. Why do I overeat, eat the wrong things, and why am I inactive? I'm too tired to shop, I'm too tired to cook, I'm too tired to do dishes, I'm too tired to exercise. Hell, I'm too tired to have a girlfriend, have sex, or even maintain an erection! If I'm too tired for sex...what chance does the gym have?

I'm 41 and 300 lbs. Nine years ago I was 32 and 175 lbs. Here's a brief example of how my life is different:

Mornings 32/175:
I slept ~7.5 hours/night. I could fall asleep on my back. I slept through the night w/o waking.
When I woke up, I would go to the bathroom and make myself breakfast. I was too hungry to wait until after my shower, to eat.
I'd take a quick shower, shave, and head to work. Time between waking and leaving for work: 1 hour.

Mornings 41/300:
I sleep about ~5.5 hours/night. I can only fall asleep on my side.
I wake about 5 hours into the night, desperately needing to urinate, and often feel so horrible I can't even try to sleep any more.
I have a headache, my muscles feel weak, stiff, and crampy. My mind is foggy. The thought of eating is repulsive.
I take an hour-long scalding hot shower, where I lean against the wall half-awake/half-asleep, trying to wake-up and rehydrate.
I need about a ten minute break between putting on my socks, and putting on my shoes.
Time between getting out of bed and leaving for work: 2.5 hours.

Is my obesity increasing the severity of my sleep apnea? Absolutely!
Could I help my sleep apnea if I lost weight? Absolutely!
Can I achieve and maintain a healthy weight, while suffering from sleep apnea? No, I've tried for years.

Bottom line: Nine years ago I shopped for food, ate 5 small low-carb meals per day, and exercised 10 hours/week. I will happily do that again, once I have the rest and energy to do so.

Well, I think a better poll would include a category for "Not Overweight" and the 0-20% range should be broken down into 0-10%, and 10-20%, because there is a vast difference between being 5% overweight and 20% overweight. For me 20% over weight is almost 40 lbs, while 5% overweight is less than 10 lbs. These two scenarios should not be giving the same response.

OceanGoingGal wrote:WOW!!! congratulations on the amazing weight loss. I have been off and on with Atkins over the last few years. I love the diet and lost over 80 lbs on it. Last year I went on a cruise and lost control of myself. Only recently have I been able to control it. I am now firmly back on the diet.

Thanks... now if I could just get the other hundred off. I am unlikely to do any cruises, for instance, despite living in a point-of-departure port. The reason is that all food is provided in my fare, and I don't trust anyone to provide safe food unless they have demonstrated (usually by doing it wrong and my getting sick) that they understand that "just a little flour on the meat" or "just a little sugar on the fruit" or "it doesn't matter if we give her margarine instead of butter" is a critical issue. (They wouldn't take comparative short cuts if my meals had to be kosher.)

I went to a writers' conference in 2007. I spoke with the chefs and gave them written information on what I could and could not have. To their credit, they didn't make any major goofs. But: four shrimp and a pile of lettuce is not a $35 lunch. 3 ounces of grilled chicken, 4 asparagus spears, and a pile of lettuce is not a $65 dinner. My husband had to go out and buy some cheddar cheese, some walnuts, and some avocados for me to snack on. We couldn't do that in the middle of the ocean. I resent paying for food I cannot eat.

Last Saturday was a zoo. We ate out. I sent my hamburger back four times before the (new to us) restaurant got it through their heads that "No bun" means NO BUN, that "No french fries" means NO FRENCH FRIES and "no onion rings" means NO ONION RINGS. Oh, and don't try to pass off the same burger by dumping it on a fresh plate.

Atkins is a good diet for many people, and most people understand the concept of a low carbohydrate diet. It's a little harder for them to grasp the concept of a SPECIFIC Carbohydrate Diet.

You haven't done badly yourself, with 80 pounds off!

What I really wish I could figure out is a weight transference device -- people with gut issues seem to be either very underweight or very overweight. Now, if I could just transfer the pounds from the plus-sizes to the minus-sizes... I'd make a fortune! (Most people who are overweight have no concept that it can be a painful struggle for those who need to gain weight for their health's sake to do so.)