Overview
Heart valve disease and your weight
Managing your weight is important when you have heart valve disease. If you’re overweight, adjusting your diet and doing more physical activity can help you reach a healthy weight.
Risks of being overweight
Being overweight increases how much oxygen your body needs. This makes your heart and valves work harder, which makes heart valve disease worse.
If you’re overweight, there’s a higher chance that you’ll need heart surgery.
If you do need surgery, being overweight can make surgery more dangerous and less effective. Replacement heart valves are less likely to work.
Being overweight also increases the risk of many other conditions like:
- heart attacks
- high blood pressure
- some types of cancer
- type 2 diabetes
Getting to a healthy weight can help you reduce these health risks.
Checking if you’re a healthy weight
Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of whether you're a healthy weight for your height. You can use the online NHS BMI healthy weight calculator to find out your BMI.
For most adults, if your BMI is:
- below 18.5 – you're in the underweight range
- 18.5 to 24.9 – you're in the healthy weight range
- 25 to 29.9 – you're in the overweight range
- 30 to 39.9 – you're in the obese range
- 40 or above – you’re in the severely obese range
How to achieve a healthy weight
There are lots of physical and emotional reasons for people being overweight. Weight gain happens when you eat or drink more energy (calories) than you burn. This can be caused by:
- eating large portions
- having lots of snacks or sugary drinks
- not doing exercise
Change your diet
Healthy eating is about eating the right amounts of different types of foods. The Eatwell Guide on the NHS website explains the 5 main food groups.
A balanced diet is made of:
- at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day
- starchy foods that are high in fibre, like brown rice and brown bread
- protein, like lean meat, fish, eggs, beans and lentils
- moderate amounts of milk, dairy and non-dairy alternatives
- small amounts of healthy fats
Avoid food and drinks that are high in sugar or fat.
The best way to get started is to make small, realistic changes over time. Set goals you can measure so you know when you’ve achieved them.
How to eat
- have 3 regular meals each day and avoid skipping meals
- use a small plate instead of a big plate
- fill half your plate with vegetables or salad
- sit at a table to eat meals instead of eating in front of the TV
- eat slowly and concentrate on your food
- stop eating while you still have room for a little more food, instead of eating until you cannot eat anymore
What to eat and drink
- cook with olive oil instead of butter, ghee, lard or palm oil
- eat fish twice a week, including 1 portion of oily fish, like salmon, sardines or mackerel
- eat brown bread or rice instead of white
- eat healthy snacks between meals, like fruit or a handful of nuts
- have fruit for dessert instead of puddings or cakes
- try diet or sugar-free versions of drinks, or drink water instead
- try having tea or coffee without sugar
- use semi-skimmed or skimmed milk instead of full-fat milk
- cut down how much alcohol you drink and try to have some alcohol-free days
Exercise
Exercise helps you burn the calories that you eat or drink.
Any physical activity is good, even walking. It will not make your heart valve disease worse.
Do
- walk upstairs instead of using escalators or lifts
- get off the bus a stop early and walk the last part of your journey
- walk every day – if you have a smart phone or watch, set a target and gradually increase your daily step count
- try to be physically active for at least 30 minutes on most days
Tracking your progress
Keep track of your progress by writing down your:
- weight record – weigh yourself every week or every 2 weeks
- food diary – write down everything you eat and drink each day
- goals – review your goals regularly, for example at the end of every month
If you’re struggling to lose weight, speak with a GP or ask to be referred to a dietitian for more support.
Useful information
- The British Heart Foundation has information about heart valve disease and tips for exercising with a heart condition.
- The British Dietetic Association, explains how a dietitian can support you to lose weight.
- The NHS Better Health website has free tools and weight-loss programmes to help you achieve a healthy weight.
Resource number: 5219/VER2
Last reviewed: December 2025
Next review due: December 2028
