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Find a Dialysis Center

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    1. About Kidney Disease
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease
      3. Kidney Disease Stages
      4. What Is a Nephrologist?
      5. What to Expect with CKD
      6. Kidney Disease Management
      7. Understanding Acute Kidney Injury
      8. How Kidneys Work
      9. Take a FREE CLASS on Kidney Disease
    2. Treatments
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Dialysis Basics
      3. Benefits of Home Dialysis
      4. Home Peritoneal Dialysis
      5. Home Hemodialysis
      6. Sign up to Talk to a Home Dialysis Expert
      7. In-Center Hemodialysis
      8. Transplant
      9. Insurance & Managing Costs
      10. Choosing Not to Treat
    3. Life On Dialysis
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Your Emotional Health While on Dialysis
      3. Staying Engaged
      4. Staying Healthy
      5. Dialysis Travel Services and Information
      6. Tips for Loved Ones
      7. PatientHub
    4. Recipes & Nutrition
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Recipes
      3. Managing Your Diet
      4. Fluid Management on Dialysis
      5. Dialysis Diet Planning
      6. Cookbooks
    5. Thrive Central
      1. CKD
      2. Dialysis
      3. Diet & Nutrition
      4. Stories
      5. Wellness
      6. See All
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    Find a Dialysis Center

    Find a Dialysis Center

    Find a Dialysis Center
    Permission to detect location was denied Current location could not be determined
      Try a detailed search

      Need help? Call 1-888-373-1470

      1. About Us
      2. Contact Us
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      1. About Kidney Disease
        1. Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease
          1. Symptoms
          2. Risk Factors
          3. Causes
          4. Diagnosis and Testing
          5. GFR Calculator
        2. Kidney Disease Stages
          1. Stage 1
          2. Stage 2
          3. Stage 3
          4. Stage 4
          5. Stage 5
        3. What Is a Nephrologist?
        4. What to Expect with CKD
        5. Kidney Disease Management
          1. Kidney Diet Basics
          2. CKD Medications
          3. Your Kidney Care Team
          4. Diabetes
          5. High Blood Pressure
        6. Understanding Acute Kidney Injury
          1. Acute Kidney Injury Treatment and Recovery
        7. How Kidneys Work
        8. Take a FREE CLASS on Kidney Disease
      2. Treatments
        1. Dialysis Basics
          1. How Does a Hemodialysis Machine Work
          2. Starting Dialysis
          3. Types of Dialysis Access
          4. Your Care Plan
          5. Dialysis Medications
          6. Monitoring Your Lab Results
        2. Benefits of Home Dialysis
        3. Home Peritoneal Dialysis
          1. What to Expect
          2. Getting Prepared
          3. PD Access
          4. PD Training
          5. PD Monitoring
          6. Your Care Team
        4. Home Hemodialysis
          1. What to Expect
          2. Getting Prepared
          3. HD Training
          4. HD Monitoring
          5. Your Care Team
        5. Sign up to Talk to a Home Dialysis Expert
        6. In-Center Hemodialysis
          1. In-Center Treatment Options
          2. What to Expect
          3. Types of Vascular Access for Hemodialysis
          4. Your Care Team
          5. How to Choose a Center
        7. Transplant
          1. Finding a Kidney Donor
          2. Considering Kidney Donation
        8. Insurance & Managing Costs
          1. Understanding Medicare Coverage
          2. Understanding Medicare Advantage
          3. Understanding Employer Plans
        9. Choosing Not to Treat
      3. Life On Dialysis
        1. Your Emotional Health While on Dialysis
          1. Managing Your Emotions
          2. Talking About Dialysis
          3. Intimacy
          4. Body Image and Dialysis
          5. Building Your Dialysis Support Network
        2. Staying Engaged
          1. Tips for Working While on Dialysis
          2. In-Center Activities
          3. Hobbies
        3. Staying Healthy
          1. Managing Your Time on Dialysis
          2. Dialysis & Exercise
          3. Weight Management
          4. Avoiding Infection
          5. Managing Multiple Conditions
          6. Fighting the Flu
        4. Dialysis Travel Services and Information
        5. Tips for Loved Ones
          1. In-Center Hemodialysis
          2. At-Home Hemodialysis
          3. At-Home Peritoneal Dialysis
        6. PatientHub
      4. Recipes & Nutrition
        1. Recipes
        2. Managing Your Diet
          1. Eating Well on a CKD Diet
          2. Eating Well on a Dialysis Diet
          3. Salt and Kidney Disease
          4. Potassium and Kidney Disease
          5. Phosphorus and Kidney Disease
          6. Talking With Your Dietitian
        3. Fluid Management on Dialysis
        4. Dialysis Diet Planning
          1. Kidney-Friendly Shopping
          2. Eating Out
          3. Holiday Diet Tips
          4. A Chef’s Advice | Chef Aaron McCargo on Kidney Friendly Meals
        5. Cookbooks
      5. Thrive Central
        1. CKD
        2. Dialysis
        3. Diet & Nutrition
        4. Stories
        5. Wellness
        6. See All
      Staying Healthy
      Staying Healthy
      OVERVIEW Managing Your Time on Dialysis Dialysis & Exercise Weight Management Avoiding Infection Managing Multiple Conditions Fighting the Flu
      1. Home
      2. Life On Dialysis
      3. Staying Healthy
      4. Weight Management

      Why Watching Your Weight Is Important

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      Weight management on dialysis

      For people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or end stage renal disease (ESRD), extra weight also increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Yearly kidney screening tests are suggested for everyone that is overweight, particularly those with diabetes or high blood pressure.


      Making a few changes to your diet could prevent or lower your risk factors. And in some cases, it may even be the key to slowing down or stopping chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. If you are overweight, it’s important to manage what you eat along with help from your renal dietitian. 

      Managing Other Health Conditions

      Why all the weigh-ins?

      It’s no secret that going through dialysis treatment is going to affect your weight—and you’ll need to control it as much as you can. It’s important that your dialysis team weigh you at every appointment and keep track of any changes.
      • Weight icon


        Your weight affects how much fluid to remove during dialysis.
        Your doctor and nurses will determine your dialysis estimated dry weight without extra fluid.
      • Water drop icon


        If your kidneys start to put out less fluid than you take in, fluid will build up in your body, which is not good.
        Dialysis can remove most of this extra fluid, but not all.
      • Measuring cup icon

        Large weight changes can cause blood pressure changes, headaches, leg cramps, breathing problems and other issues.
        To prevent these problems, you may need to drink or eat less than 4 to 5 cups of fluid a day.
      • Overweight icon

        Some people lose weight before starting treatment.
        However, you will start to feel better and regain your appetite. Just know that you should only expect to gain perhaps 1 to 2 pounds a week of actual body weight, not fluid weight.
      • Glass icoin

        Controlling how much you drink isn’t always easy, but you can do it.
        Just be mindful and follow the plan that your dietitian has created for you. Managing your fluid intake will help you feel better on dialysis and keep you in better health.

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      REQUEST A HOME DIALYSIS CONVERSATION

      Home dialysis can mean fewer food restrictions, less medication, and more flexibility with treatment schedules.
      Speak To An Expert

      MY FOODS TO CHOOSE

      Shopping gets easier with a list of kidney-friendly foods to choose.
      Foods to Choose for ESRD

      MANAGING FLUID INTAKE

      Excess fluid in your body shows up on the scale. Limiting fluids will help you feel better and stay healthier.

      Learn More
      Choosemyplate.gov helps manage your portion control.

      Proper portions for weight control

      The United States Department of Agriculture’s new MyPlate strategy offers a simple visual for how much real estate each food group should take up on your plate. One easy cue: Fruits and vegetables together should take up half your plate. 

      Nutrition for people on dialysis

      Because of the impact that dialysis treatment has on your body, the nutritional needs of people treating ESRD with dialysis are quite different than those living with earlier stages of CKD. While many of the dietary guidelines for dialysis are similar to those of chronic kidney disease, there are two key differences once you’re on dialysis treatment: more protein and limited fluids.

      Along with receiving your full dialysis treatment on schedule, managing what you eat and drink is one of the biggest factors in your long-term health and your success on dialysis. Your renal (kidney) dietitian will work with you to develop a CKD diet plan that’s customized to your exact nutritional needs—and incorporates all of your favorite flavors.
      LEARN MORE ABOUT EATING WELL ON DIALYSIS
      Get your free kidney-friendly cookbooks

      GET YOUR FREE COOKBOOKS

      Looking for cooking inspiration? Find delicious, kidney-friendly recipes in our downloadable cookbook collection.

      Sign up now
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