losing weight and pressures

[Walla Walla]

Well the wife told me it's time to go on a diet. A result of quitting smoking is I ate too much. So going to try Nutrisystem and see if Marie Osmond can drop 50 or 100 pounds off me.  

The question is how much does losing weight effect the pressures used on CPAP.  I'm guessing a drop of 1cm for every 20 pounds or so.

Of course I have no idea which is why I come to you with hat in hand asking for your experience and expert input.

 


No butter and salt.

[Gary1of2]

Do yoh thinkwatching yoh sleepyhead charts you could tell by them ? I think that might give you the ansnwer you are looking for.

[Walla Walla]

Thanks for the help there Gary.

[Gary1of2]

No problem . I see my problem is typing.

[HalfAsleep]

No problem . I see my problem is typing.

I'll put out a short term alternative.

I belong to a fitness club, though I'm not really a fitness club kind of person (it's my town's recreation facility). They have a program this month where you take a bet that you're going to lose weight in one month. They weigh you on the 1st of the month. The goal is 4% weight loss (they don't want people to adopt unhealthy habits or go on a crash diet). At the end of the month, they weigh you again.

If you miss your goal, you lose your $$$ wager. It goes in a pot.

If you make the goal, you get all your money back plus you share the pot with the other winners!

IMO this is a great way to start a weight loss program with an achievable goal. It takes motivation, food trimming, and exercise to meet the goal (a capital idea), but it's achievable nonetheless.

End of the month: you've made progress. You get some bucks.

I really recommend a program like this to get started. For anyone.

Last time I did this, I ended up an extra $40 in the black.

This time, I'm gaining weight! All that fussing over CPAP crises. I have only one week left to do a whole lot of trimming and/or put in ALOT of walking. My CPAP crises had better become minor instead of major at this point. A whole bunch of aerophagia might really help me with the need to be weightless.... Who'd have thunk?

Anyway, good luck with your mission! Like CPAP, like losing weight: give it time. 

[Sleepster]

The question is how much does losing weight effect the pressures used on CPAP. 

Weight may have no effect, but there are lots of other reasons to lose weight.

Just check your data and see if you're spending more time at the lower end of your pressure range as you lose weight. If so then you can lower your pressure range as needed.

For example, your pressure range is now 20-25. If it stays at 20 all the time then you can lower it to something like 16-21 and see what happens. Repeat as necessary.

[SarcasticDave94]

My brief history on weight loss: 2016 I entered the path for bariatric sleeve surgery. My max weight I'm aware of was 300#. To qualify for the insurance to pay for this surgery, one needed to have 6 months of an approved dietician directed weight loss program. And one had to be diagnosed with comorbid medical condition, of which my AHI of 70 + supplied. Edit: forgot my BMI had over 40 w/o comorbidity, but mine was 41 anyway.

OK, after successfully qualifying, and getting the surgery, I lost 60# roughly 6 months. Surgery date 9/19/16 I was down from 300# to 277#., so the 6 month mark I was about 215-220.

At that weight and time, March '17, I went in to enter the BiPAP therapy path. PSG revealed in 345.0 minutes of sleeping, I had 124 centrals, 24 OSA, 3 hypopneas, 0 RERA. I know AHI was over 30, as it's listed as severe, I just can't find AHI numbers listed.

OK rambling on, the answer from me is yes weight loss can cut AHI down, but IMO that alone won't ELIMINATE apnea unless your AHI is very low already. My guesstimate is my 100 pounds off nearly halved the AHI.

[Walla Walla]

Thanks Dave! That gives me some hope. The reason I ask about the pressure is I'm close to maxing out my BIPAP. I figure losing weight is the easiest way to drop my pressure down at least a few pressure points.

[SarcasticDave94]

Welcome. IMO it's doable, both weight loss and your goal to correlate weight loss and pressure reduction. Best wishes on success.

FWIW my weight loss means I must eat 3 meals per day, 1000 calories per day intake, no sugar added to anything, soda and other carbonated drinks expected to be off limits, limit caffeine   and must take multi vitamin daily.

[PaulaO2]

It depends on where the weight is lost. Pay more attention to how slimmer your neck measurement gets.

Good luck on the weight loss. My bro just started Nutrisystem. His A1c 4 mos ago was 7.7 and yesterday it was 6.5. He's lost weight but the deal is the portion control. Of course, they learned all this by going to a dietician's classes several years ago but can't seem to apply it so instead they fork over the money for nutrisystem instead of doing it themselves. Whatever. If it gets him to stop eating so much pasta, anything will work.