So it was the 27th February 2023 when I had my Heart attack and 3 stents fitted.
What a total shock that was !
It took me a long time to come to terms with what had happened to me !
However, having moved on from those negative thoughts I have been determined to take whatever action I needed to try and give myself the best recovery.
When I came out of hospital I weighed 13.5 stone (I am 5'8")
After a lot of work I have now got that down to 11 stone 3lbs 🙂
That’s great news! Can you share any tips with us? I appreciate they might not be suitable for everyone.
Tos 
The first stone was lost by having low carb no added sugar .It then stalled for a bit so I kept the same diet and introduced intermittent fasting.
And very regular exercise of course
This works for me too. Generally I never eat anything between 7pm and noon the next day. I am fortunate that I am rarely hungry in the morning.
I was told by the hospital and read many medical journals that people who have suffered heart attacks should never undertake in intermittent fasting due to the medication that has to be taken which, in my case are... aspirin, bisoprolol and atorvastatin.
And I have been told by the hospital and cardiologist and many seminars that say the opposite.
It was actually a seminar by a cardiologist that got me onto it 🙂
Hi HelainaYes I read that too, personally I would faint without breakfast !
I always had breakfast, lunch and dinner! I never changed that!
But it was a difficult time when doing night shifts in a Care home for 2 years! It did alter my eating pattern quite a bit !👌
Glad I am retired since July 2023, so if I want to do a night shift 😉 it's on my terms, "Go to bed, when too tired to stay awake!" 🤣🤣🤣
God bless and night night 🌃🌇
That's a great result, Instructor - here's to many more future health & happiness achievements! Carol👍😀
Thank you , it's been an interesting journey 🙂
I'm sure it wasn't easy, but you've significantly reduced your risk of another heart attack. Plus it's a banker's bet that you feel a whole lot better.
In other words you've achieved the double, as well as adding years to your life you've also added life to your years!
Congratulations on a tremendous achievement.
Hello
Had to just say after all the wise advice you give on here it is nice to see your picture and who is behind all the wisdom you share x
Thank you , my determination made it easier."Added life to your years" love that 👍
Hello
Well done that is a great achievement you have done so well and certainly took control x
Thank you !I feel so much better for it 😁
Well done, you've done really well.
I had a heart attack on 16th May, admitted to hospital on the 17th. I've come out with 2x stents, 1x AVR and 1x CABG!
When I went into hospital I was 12 stone 11lbs, I'm the same height as you. When I was discharged after 5 weeks I was down to 12 st 4lb, I'm now 11st 11lb 8 weeks after discharge and would like to lose a bit more. At one point not that far in the past I'd hit 13st and my doctor said I shouldn't be concerned.
Brilliant!Well done .
But yes, some GP's appear not to care !
Fortunately mine has been great 👌
Well done that is brilliant! I have been put on a beta blockers for atrial ectopy and have put weight on! I'm the heaviest I've been. I've joined the gym and I'm.doing 3 coach lead sessions a week but finding it almost impossible to lose weight!
Certainly worth discussing diet with your health professionals.For me low carb no added sugar worked fine and then introducing intermittent fasting, however, it may not suit every one .
Good luck 👍
You must be so proud of yourself, what a fantastic achievement!
Hope this accomplishment spurs you on for a happier, healthier and heartier life 🙂
Sending best wishes
Soap 🧼
Well done. I’ve just been on a weight loss journey myself, so I know how hard it is.
Thank you , and well done 🙂👏
That’s brilliant! Well done on the weight loss 👏
I’ve been trying to lose the weight I put on whilst on beta-blockers for 18 months. (On Verapamil now). Calorie restriction is only making me tired and grumpy, so I need a different approach. Your post is the second time someone has mentioned the helpfulness of a low carb diet this week, so I’m going to look into that as it seems the universe is trying to give me a prod 😀 Any tips you could share would be much appreciated, thank you!
All the best, TC
I don't think about or restrict calories at all .I just avoid the obvious simple carbs like bread, potato, rice and pasta .
I always check for added sugar and won't eat anything that contains any.
And I keep well away from any processed foods .
And I only eat within my eating window.
If I want a snack and it's within my eating window I will have a handful of cashew nuts.
If it's outside my eating window I will just drink water
Oh, I did however have a day off last Saturday when I went to a party ! 😁
Thank you for the diet info, useful to know. I’m certain an occasional day off for a special occasion is permitted. Hope you enjoyed the party!😀
Good work! You are similar to me and it always amuses me that it suggests that 8st 7 would be an acceptable lower weight.
Thanks , I'm 11st 3 now and don't think I want to go below 11 🙂
well done on your achieving your goal of weight loss. 👊👊👊 I’m recovering from quadruple bypass (25th July) my goal is retain /recover my muscle mass .. I need strength to (eventually get back) to lifting farm machinery onto my tractor , lifting feed bags , hay/straw bales and manual work aroundd do our small holding. Way off that at the moment.. being strong and healthy is a must for me, I’ve seen my parents shrink over the years , sarcopenia, no muscle mass and become frail. I went I. At 80kg , came out a swollen 88kg full of post op fluid , looked like I had swallowed a swimming pool 🤣🤣.. thankfully that’s gone and I’m 76.5kg looking a bit like Gollum 🤦🏼🤦🏼🤦🏼. Plenty of time to rehab, just applied for a supervised rehab program, I had been missed off their list .. typical NHS admin ..🤣..
Good luck on your journey!My initial rehab at a more local hospital was a joke !
Basically a phonecall and being told to get out and walk !
I then got on to the hospital that treated me and they put me on a online course which was brilliant.
I completed that and now on a local stage 4 rehab course at my local gym
Yeah I’ve heard mixed reviews of rehab classes from fantastic to totally inappropriate.. I’ve got gym kit in my brick barn, tread, plyo box , TRX , bench , squat rack , pull down , Oly bar , plates , dumbbells etc. , turbo trainer for road bikes … Judy need some numbers and sensible targets to work with. I’m not a frail 80 year old 👍… glad you found a pathway 🙌🙌🙌
That's brilliant, well done 👍. I've shifted over 2st since my HA last November. Was 18st 7lb on discharge. I'd chunked instead of hunked during lockdown and although I could walk miles and regularly swam 2-3km 3 x a week I was in denial about weight and diet. Now down to around 16st 4lb. I'm 6' 2". Stalled a bit as not been exercising as much due to a recent "blip," and loss of confidence but hopefully can get back on track soon.Well done again and all the best for your continued recovery.
Well done, I wish I had your will power. 🙄 x
I actually don't see it as willpower, I see it as something that had to be done .But the more I saw the results the easier it was to continue
Well done Ian. Great to hear how well you’ve been getting on. Keep going 😊
Thanks !It's not been without problems.
When I started walking more I was struck with plantar Fasciitis!
So I went out on my bike instead then put my back out which resulted to 3 sports physio appointments.
I'm back walking now (and running)
But it's a fine ballance with the Plantar Fasciitis 😐
I can imagine. I am 43 and 8months post HA and 2 stents. Definitely changes things. We have to stay positive and keep battling ☺️
Congratulations, what excellent results.
I lost weight when I stopped drinking alcohol, but I only weighed 10.5 st to start with; now I'm down to 9st, my weight as a teenager and now I'm in my 70s!
Good luck and I hope your example encourages others.
Henry
Ahh, I was never really a drinker.Just the occasional Christmas drink 😊
Well done on getting back to your teenage weight 😊👍
That is brilliant, well done. My husband has actually put on 2 stone and is finding it very difficult to shift.
I actually had the added incentive as my blood sugar levels hit the diabetic threshold!
They are now back to normal, so even lower than what is considered pre diabetic.
That's great. My hubby quit smoking after his HA. The medics said that was more important than worrying about his weight. Its been 18 months now, we both walk 2.5 miles a day but he knows he needs to look at his diet soon. Good luck on your journey.
Absolutely!One step at a time !
I used to smoke, but stopped when I was 40 ... So 26 years ago now .
It would have been so hard to do the weight loss and stop smoking at the same time .
Good luck to your hubby on his journey 👍
Well done!! That's brilliant. I've heard a lot of people say they struggle with weight gain through being on beta blockers. I'm lucky I havnt had that problem. My diet is based on the NHS diet where you don't exclude any thing . So I eat carbs fats protein fruit and veg and milk, but all in moderation. No sweets or snacks and no saturated fats at all. No processed foods, and I watch our for hidden sugars. We are all different and this diet works for me. If I were to cut out major food groups I don't think.i would stick to it. Well done to you for your willpower!!
A great diet to follow! 👍The only reason I cut out carbs was to get my blood sugar levels down asap as they had hit the diebetic threshold.
Now they are normal again my diet will slowly become more like yours .
Well done 😊👍
sorry to hear that and yes I get the shock - life changing event - BUT great to hear you’re positivity has kicked in and you’re tackling the areas to give yourself the best chance of keeping healthy - same response, same journey for me - good luck to us all 🏝
Absolutely!Good luck with your journey 👍
inspiration!!!
This has helped me - given me a boost. My bloods are also short of diabetic (46) and I am doing low carb. Scales not showing much yet but tape measure is. MI 5 weeks ago & 2 stents
As you say it is not willpower it is something that has to be done.
My BMI is over 40 🙈 but determined to get it down to less than 35 initially as a goal.
Well done to you 👏 it does take a little time to understand what’s happened. It’s took me a while. I was so frustrated at first as I couldn’t do my normal stuff as it used to wipe me out. My partner and children kept reminding me to take it easy. I eventually listened and I did everything that was necessary. My recovery was slow but I got there. Im nearly5 yrs on. I always say to people who have had a heart attack not to be too hard on themselves and to give it 18 months and all will improve.
Once again well done 👏
Thank you !
And yes, it took a while before my waking thought was not 'Oh, I've had a heart attack'
I've certainly moved on from that now and feeling significantly better than I did before the attack!
Hopefully now onwards and upwards 🙂🤞
Nice one Ian sounds like you've got things under control,yes rather a shock when these things happen.Keep up the good work.
Chest pains 6 months after HA and triple CABG 
Feeling reflective after my 2nd HA
Marriage after HA
45 HA and Stent Fitted
Six months after AVR
