Weight Management in Congestive Heart Failure

It is important for people who have suffered from congestive heart failure to start turning their life around and begin managing their weight to lessen the risk of future heart failure. People who have had congestive heart failure should consult with their physician and ask for recommendations for a cardiac rehabilitation program. A cardiac rehabilitation program is vital in guiding patients toward a heart healthy lifestyle. Their diet will be modified to that of a balanced diet that eliminates or reduces intake of fats, cholesterol and sodium. Patients will also be provided with an appropriate exercise regimen to keep the body physically fit, strong and flexible.

Exercise is as important as a proper diet to weight management in congestive heart failure. Before starting an exercise regimen, a physician must give their go signal to the patients. Recommended exercises for CHF patients are cardiovascular exercises and strength training. Depending on the doctor’s recommendation and on the energy levels of the patient, it is often ideal to have three moderate work outs every week. However, in order to produce a more positive outcome, patients must start with the most basic exercises with a much lower intensity and activity and then gradually progress to a more moderate type of exercises. Most physicians and physical therapists advise that patients with CHF progress with their exercises in terms of duration rather than increase in intensity.

Initially, it is best for CHF patients to engage in low impact activities such as stationary bike cycling, elliptical training or seated steppers. For muscle training, therapists or professional trainers will work all the muscles of the body by training weights according to the patient’s capacity. CHF patients should not strain their muscles when exercising. When doing exercises, CHF patients should pay close attention to consistency and frequency rather than intensity. Moderate intensity is ideal for patients with heart conditions as extreme intensity may result to a worsening of the patient’s condition.

Eating properly through a balanced and heart healthy diet is also very important for the weight management in congestive heart failure patients. Because a CHF patient’s physical activities can be very limited due to their condition, attention to proper diet is essential. Patients should consult their physicians or dieticians about what kinds of food to avoid, which foods to eat more of and how much.

Generally, a CHF patient’s diet should consist mostly of green leafy vegetables and fruits, most especially ones that are high on Vitamin C. CHF patients should also know how to control their blood sugar. Sugars and white flours should be eliminated from the regular diet and be replaced with whole grains. Foods high in fat and cholesterol must also be cut off or should be no more than 30% of the daily calories from fat. Initially, most patients cannot tolerate the taste of a fat free diet. To be able to adjust to this diet, patients may start eating foods that have reduced fat and then they could work they way up to having a fat-free diet.