Protein Power and Blood Pressure question

[georgex5]

I am using PP mainly to bring my blood pressure down to the normally accepted range. It may be working but very slowly, whereas the book says the process should be fast.

My biggest problem following the plan is that it is very hard to reduce carbs to the levels required. I did the body measurements and ended with a target of 70 grams carb and 55 grams protein per day. Four ounces of V8 juice and 1/2 cup of coffee with 1/2 & 1/2 gives 5.8 g carb and 1.1 g protein. An 8 ounce glass of red wine is 12 carbs and no protein. I added a whey drink recently and that will pull up the protein/carb ratio.

I have lost about 10 pounds (140 now vs 150) in a period of several months. I am not out to lose weight, also some loss if ok.

Has anybody else tried to lower blood pressure?

[LisaS]

I can't imagine that you did the math correctly and got 55 g PRO per day - I think that either you made a math mistake or you made a typo in this post.

for the carbs - eat vegetables. forget the wine and the juices.

also - where exactly did you get 70 g of CHO as a calculated number for a target?
Most of us here use the PPLP guideline of 7-10 ECC / meal with a max of 40 ECC / day.

[Doctari]

I have to admit I was thinking the same thing. I only have the original book but maintaince is 40 carbs a day or so I thought.

My BP has gone down quite a bit since being on the plan but I started at a completely differnt place then you did so I dont know that my experience could compare/contrast to yours.

Welcome by the way!

[maxlharris]

Hrm:
70G of carbs seems high. For maintenance, the Eades suggest that you might be able to have as many carbs as your protein requirement. Assuming correct number on protein, 70 would be more than 25% over, which would be extremely unlikely.

Red wines are not all 12G per 8 ounce pour. They are different depending on varietal and many other things. There are some that are as low as 5 grams to a 6 ounce pour. I should mention that an 8 ounce pour of red wine is a very generous pour. You don't get this at very many restaurants. With 8 ounce pours, you're talking 4 glasses to a bottle.

I think the 55g could be possible if you are sedentary. If you're working a 140 lb frame with 20% fat, that's 112 lbm * .5 for sedentary = 56g/day. So, I think the 55 is right.

70g of carbs is too much to start with though.

In the original PP, they had people who didn't need to lose weight start at 55g carb. You might try that. Or you might try 40 for a couple of weeks. Might drop your BP pretty suddenly.

[georgex5]

Thanks for the info. Yes I did make typo in my post. I went back and recalculated my LBM and food requirements. Apparetly I need 66g/day protein and 55 g/carbo.

[maxlharris]

That seems a little more like it. Remember, 66G protein is a floor, not a pinpoint. You can go over. Also, 55G carbs is a ceiling, not a pinpoint or a floor. You can go as high as 55. You don't have to go to it. You shouldn't go over and consider yourself on plan.

I hope this has been useful and I hope you get the results you are looking for.
Good luck.

[georgex5]

I am having a very difficult time getting carbs below 55. Can anybody recommend a book with low-carb recipies? The recipies in PP are not very precise.

[Mitra]

The Eadeses have written/co-authored a couple of cookery books:The Low-Carb Comfort Food Cookbook, The Low Carb CookwoRx Cookbook

another book I've heard a lot of people mention is Dana Carpender's 500 Low-Carb Recipes: 500 Recipes from Snacks to Dessert, That the Whole Family Will Love

There are also lots of recipe ideas in the let's cook section on this board.

It's not that difficult to get below 55g. But you won't be eating bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, sugar, flour, corn and the like. If you eat meat (and eggs, cheese ...) with low starch vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, green beans, salad, and some of the lower carb fruits, like berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries) then you'll find you can get plenty of food, plenty of variety, and not too many carbs. Regina Wilshire did a blog entry called Low Carb Menu Planning Made Easy (http://weightoftheevidence.blogspot.com/2006/03/low-carb-menu-planning-made-easy.html) that you might find helpful.

[maxlharris]

http://www.atkins.com/articles/atkins-phases/phase-one/acceptable-foods

That's from the Atkins book, and is more restrictive than PP's list, but it might be a good place to start if you are looking for what low carb foods might look like.

http://www.atkins.com/articles/atkins-phases/phase-two/how-to-follow-phase-two-part-2
At the bottom, has a series of food portions at 5g.

You can do it.

[Gaelen]

Welcome, Georgex5!

First, I've moved your post to the Cholesterol and Heart Health Forum, where you'll find several other discussions about PP and blood pressure that you might find helpful.

Second, if you're having a tough time reducing your carbs, why not post your menus in the menu thread each day for a week or so, so that we can see what you're actually eating. When you write it down, other people can often spot the areas where you could more easily cut carbs.

Third, if you're working on lowering your BP, make sure that, among other things, you are getting enough exercise, enough water, eliminating added sodium from your diet and eating as few processed meats (which tend to be high sodium) as possible. Exercise, water and sodium intake are all things which demonstrably affect BP levels, whether you are low carbing or not. You may also need to pay attention to your intake of caffeine and/or artificial sweeteners, and the levels of stress in your daily life. In fact, this month's challenge is about incorporating ways to de-stress into your day--and stress is another thing which demonstrably affects BP regardless of diet (as well as subjecting your immune system to continuous challenges.)

So jump in to the menu and challenge threads, and let us help out.
Also, in the first forum areas (Getting Started) is a thread called "Carb Bargains" (http://www.proteinpower.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62) which Mitra compiled from the original PP book. It will help point you at the types of foods you CAN eat and fit within the per meal or per day ECC guidelines.

Hope this helps!