Anxious

[Hope41]

Hello Everyone . I had a heart attack in Sep 2019 and had 2 stents into my main artery . I am 48 yearly old man. I have recovered well and back to normal . I have lost about 1 1/2 stone but I’m finding it hard to maintain my regime . I have been working from home for the last 9 weeks , we also have a 4 year old child it’s not proving easy . I feel anxious , I’m eating the wrong things also not excersing that much . I just feel it’s all affecting me and can’t help but worry .

I also wanted to ask . We have life cover in place before I had my heart attack . We did not have critical illness cover in place. Has anyone took out critical illness cover after having heart attack and had surgery ie stents. I guess will not be easy to get this kind of insurance for an existing condition but I thought I ask just in case there are providers out there that can insure us. Any advice would be appreciated.

M

[gilreid1]

Go to the BHF main web page. Search insurance. There is a lot of good advice on there. Many companies offer good policies tailored to meet your needs and what you are willing to pay is a factor.

Good luck. Keep calm and stay safe

[Hope41 in reply to gilreid1]

Thank u for your help . I will look at this .You stay safe too .

[Amaya2106]

Hi Hope 41, Firstly congratulations on losing a stone and a half, that's great!! Are you on counting calories? Are u able to get out for a gentle walk once a day? I understand it's hard especially with children. What kind of food do you eat in a given day? Anxiety is a cycle and I experience it myself, it is very difficult. I need to lose about 6 stone and struggling with first few pounds but I'm trying to keep mind busy and not thinking about food. If I'm hungry I will have a glass of water.

[Hope41 in reply to Amaya2106]

Hi . Hope you are well. Thx for your message . It’s just hard . After I had my heart attack it really affected me . I was doing really well then this lockdown started and then it’s just gone a bit wrong . I do walking and excsercise in the evening and on average I try to burn maybe 300 calories a day . I eat home cooked meals and don’t really eat junk as such but recently I let slip and just feel quilty. I just don’t want to go through the sane thing I did in September .

Good luck with your goal as well . Hope you reach your target .

[Amaya2106 in reply to Hope41]

You sound like you are doing really well, sometimes you feel though you are slipping out of routine with it but it affects us mentally then thinking one or two bad days we sort of give up , well I'm same really. I had a bad day today, started off ok but one thing and another u know how it is. I'm just going to write down my my menu for tomorrow and go for a walk for an hour. I dont burn as many as you do I only burn off approximately 200 cals but that may not be every day even. Try not to let one or 2 days ruin your progress u know. Just think to yourself how much u have lost and that's the positive isnt it. Even if u stuck to calories all week and had weekend off to have your treats, it's something to strive for and gets you through. I wish I could take my own advice lol x

[gilreid1]

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

[benjijen]

You need to find your own method to stop worrying; everyone is different. Don't count calories just eat real food. If you resort to processed/junk food now and again (as we all do) then just go back to eating properly the next day. Motivating yourself to exercise can be difficult but perhaps you could involve your 4 year old to help you? Bit of football, cricket, dancing etc?

[Joliv61]

Hi there, I had my HA and stents in November 2019.

Congrats on losing the weight that’s a lot to lose.

Imagine filling a rucksack with that and carrying it around all day?

With the working from home, I presume it’s on a pc or laptop, you’ll need to take regular breaks from the screen. Plan in a meeting with yourself and go out for a stroll. Just a few minutes at first and build up gradually, some days you will only feel like a short walk, that’s ok. Don’t worry too much about the odd slip up on the diet either,, try making a list for shopping of the stuff you need, the good stuff and maybe plan your meals.

Lots of good help and advice in hear to support your cardiac team and GP.

Best wishes

John

[Ianc2]

Get a fitness tracker and a regular pattern of exercise going. As you have a sedentary job you will be up against it in terms of keeping fit. Organise a lunch break for yourself and try and get a 20 minute walk in every day, 10 minutes out 10 minutes back. Time yourself . Don't push but when it starts getting easy extend your range a bit, and so on.

Get a diary and start recording your activities. You have had stents fitted to unclog your arteries so your strategy now must be to stop them clogging up again. Start a file and record your sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels every time you have a test.

One and a half stone is an impressive start, 21 llbs , which equates to 10 bags of sugar, very impressive. Are you following any particular diet plan?