Hi Taz
Belatedly catching up with threads! Sorry to hear about your BP problems and lack of HRT. Poor you!
My husband had high blood pressure readings at the docs and they gave him a home monitor - and it was so much lower! After this he bought a home monitor some time ago - an Omron like yours - so keeps checking it now and again - it is rarely at a high level now which just shows the white coat syndrome thing must be a factor and perhaps was also in your case to some extent.
He drastically cut out/down salt and this alone reduced his BP even from the home monitor readings - so he keeps this in check. I have pretty low blood pressure (this morning was 106/60something) so I just add salt to everything and have the problem of feeling dizzy sometimes! You sound like you know what you should do (ie take more exercise, keep weight down, reduce alcohol etc) but I can see it's a blow to have to do this all the time. I agree with what's been said somewhere - that if you can get it down to the approx right level like 120 something over 70 something then if your doc will prescribe HRT again for you - without too much of a break - you will feel so much better and perhaps more motivated to keep up the exercise. I sympathise re the alcohol!
One suggestion re the fibre - do you like eggs? If so how about having a one or two of boiled eggs for breakfast most mornings as well as what you normally have or cut down the carbs at the same time? Hope this isn't TMI but I eat lots of fruit and veg and therefore lots of fibre ( used ot eat lots of wholemeal bread, muesli etc too). I was always erm somewhat loose every morning. However since going on a diet to lose weight - where I cut down carbs/sugar and increased protein - I have been eating loads more eggs - and usually have one or two for breakfast - and this has totally changed my morning habit (don't want to go into details!!). This is despite not reducing (and maybe even increasing) the amount of veg/nuts I eat. Just a thought it might improve IBS? If you hate eggs - just ignore all of this
!!!
Anyway I do hope you manage to reduce it soon without too much sacrifice so that you can restart oestrogen to keep happy and healthy
Hurdity x