Hi everyone,I haven't written on here in a while ,but follow discussions daily.My H.A. was back in February and I have had all the usual meds and rehab and all was going really well until I went on holiday.Every good habit fell to bits,hardly exercising and eating all the wrong things.put on loads of weight and feel really crap in body and mind.Before H.A.I was doing Slimming world for 3 years and lost 4 stones,but regained 1 stone in the last year as got really bored with the things I was eating.After H.A.got back into the diet and varied meals by introducing oily fish /nuts/green veg/wholemeal breads and grains and cutting down on portion sizes,so all was good .Exercise has never been my thing except in my 30s when I used to do step classes and circuit training about 3 times a week.Rehab was great though and I had built up reasonable fitness by the end.Hopefully I will re-commense after holiday.Trouble is this holiday is for 6 weeks and I have done a lot of damage in that time (I am on the last week now)I read on here so many of you that are runners /walkers /swimmers/ect that are doing great things but dont often see people like me who struggle with diet and exercise. I know it was this that contributed to my H.A. so why cant I stick to these things ?Its like I am just not thinking about the consequences anymore,I also know that a lot of it is my moods , I have always suffered from depression and after H.A.it got worse as was taken of my dep.meds. Now I am on a different one which has not been as good,and I get really bad mood swings and one way I have coped is by eating all the wrong things.Sorry for the long story but sometimes I feel in the depths of despair and think that dying from H.A.may not be the worst thing.As I write this I know that I need some help but not sure which way to go at the moment.Has anyone else been where I am at the moment,if so ,what did you do about it.
Is anyone else struggling like me? - British Heart Fou...
Is anyone else struggling like me?
Hi sorry to hear about problems I suffer with bipolar disorder and anxiety issues, since I have had all problems with my heart I've felt like giving up at times, and have at times just wished my heart would just pack in so I'm not here anymore, but I spoke to my Physiatrist about my general heath, the fact I've ballooned in weight and my how my moods fluctuate, I have since had my meds changed I'm on Depakote (mood stabilisers) bit by bit I'm getting my life back together the next step is my diet and an exercise plan, please try and speak to your Gp or ask for a referral to see a psychiatrist and get it all off your chest, MIND is a great mental health charity they have a helpline I from time to time speak to them just for a chat I find it helps me hope you feel better soon take care Stuart
Hallo junik53 and Stuart. I go to Slimming World & have lost 12 lbs there plus 11 lbs before then....since I was diagnosed with angina, cardiomyopathy & 2 leaky valves. I've been trying to lose weight for ......60 years!!! (Usually the same 7lbs goes off & later back on.) Holiday buffets are the most temptat ion for me. As i'm a complentary therapist & use crystals the last 59 years I find lithium quartz is the best anti-depressive crystal I've ever used. I could mail you a small or large one if you give me your address if you think you would use it. Also raising your serotonin level could help. Best wishes. Clare
Thank you for your replies I think I will first see my doctor when I get back and try to get back on track.When I see how well some people are doing It makes me feel such a failure,but I know that the only person that can help me is me.
Your not a failure at all we all have issues it's just learning the best way to cope with things trust me speak to your Gp and push for a psychiatrist referral app all the very best to you in moving forward, take care Stuart
Always here if you wanna chat 
Hi there..I too had my heart attack on Feb and at 74 been struggling with weight all my life. Five years ago I lost 3st by low carbing quite strictly but still had another 3 st to lose. I managed to keep the first loss off but until the HA wasn't really focusing. Now I eat much higher carb but only from veg and fruit, quinoa, lentils, chick peas......no bread or potatoes or sugar. And I am losing well again as I eat under 1200 calories a day. I now weigh less than when I was 13yrs old. But I have never ever liked exercise, gardening etc and have always "lived in my head" and love writing and reading, planning and dreaming. I sleep no more than an average of four or five hours but if I have less than an hour then the old blackness descends........it is very natural to turn then to sugar or fat or both but now I write it all out in poems. I can no longer tell what is a side effect of bp drugs or new heart meds or which is part of aging or part of my make-up. Insomnia, bladder, ears (tinnitus), swollen ankles, skin complaint, Ah well we keep taking the tablets and trying to look for moments of sparkle each day and not demand too much from ourselves??.
Thanks for your reply,I was thinking that low carbs will be the way to go after seeing the documentary on tv this week -The truth about carbs.I too have a long list of ailments that one never knows if are made worse by heart meds.I think while I am this difficult place I must live one day at a time and try to achieve my best for each day as it comes.I am feeling a lot more positive since my first post so am finding it all very cathartic to tell folks how I actually feel instead of hiding it all the time.x
I can absolutely empathise with your self frustration. I am really inconsistent with my attempts to lose weight/exercise more, so have been yo-yoing around the same overweight range for years. Like you, I get really annoyed with my lack of motivation because my heart condition should be the ultimate motivator, or so it seems. I think constant fatigue and occasional low mood (my mental health is much better these days than it was for a long while) are my major stumbling blocks, plus (as another comment said) I prefer living in my mind to living in my body and resent giving up time for exercise etc when I'd much rather spend it reading or writing or making... I think I might feel better overall if I would give up on the idea of trying to pursue fitness and ideal weight (my guilt and frustration is playing on a loop in my brain and I'm fed up of it) but I know I feel better in every way when I am more active/weigh less, so I can't let it go and I am stuck in this limbo. Sigh... Anyway, just wanted to let you know you are not at all alone in these feelings. As for depression, it must be so hard to have to change meds when you had something in place that was working well for you. I definitely think you need to keep talking to your GP to find an alternative solution. Good luck with everything and keep in touch x
Hi you are not alone in trying to lose weight and eat healthy. I too struggle I like a piece of cake now and then and a bit of chocolate and the odd multi bag 25gm of crisps . I need to lose 2 stone ... I worry every time I eat these things I beat myself up at night why oh why did I have ( whatever ) I let myself down and I worry I'm adding to my 80% blocked artery. I don't want to have heart attack . I have grandchildren I need to be with for as long as I can . I eat healthy otherwise lots of fruit and veg . Low red meat never smoked not really a drinker and I cook in healthy ways. I'm 65 yrs old. I have back and posture problems so can't walk as much or as far has I would like to. I get fed up and low so you are not alone . Chin up enjoy your holiday and get back into your health eating when you get back. Lots of luck xx
Thank you so much for your replies,it is helpful to know I am not alone .
Hope you feel better today. How lovely to have 6 whole weeks for a holiday! Where did you go?
Hi We are in Spain and unusually it has rained/thundered nearly everyday.We take our caravan down through France,up Andorra and down onto the Costa Durada and the Costa Brava.The weather in England has often seemed better than here.
You are not the only one! Since being diagnosed with HF 21 months ago I have slowly put on weight. I was with SW for 7 yrs on and off - diagnosed with breast cancer 6 wks after joining, so 6 months of chemotherapy then 5 yrs of tamoxifen. Managed to get to 2lbs of my target - almost 6 stone. However always so exhausted & wanting something sweet, and there’s only so much fruit you can eat.
So have managed to put on just under 2 stone and have now decided to go down the low carbs route. And also cut out the couple of glasses of wine a night that I got used to on holiday for the previous 10 days!
Oh my goodness,you have been through a lot,but to loose 6 stone is amazing!But I identify with you putting back on 2 stone,story of my life really always been trying to loose weight even when I didn't need to.I put on loads when I gave up smoking about 15 years ago,took me a while,trouble is swapped one addiction for another-sweets,its the only way I could do it.I thought that giving up the fags would make me healthier,that's funny now when I think about it,that's when all my health problems started,but I know it was the right decision and probs would have been dead by now if I had kept smoking.
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