Big D in AZ

BigD4678

Hi everyone. I started this journey because 25 Sept 2023 I had my aortic heart valve replaced.
I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve which means I have 2 leaflets rather then 3.

I am a huge BBQ fan, and spent some time in competition too. Low and slow BBQ. Brisket, a pork Butt, Sausages, ribs, yes I loved that food.
Amazing enough my arteries are not clogged, just my heart valve needed to be replaced.

After my surgery I decided this would be my second chance at life, and I decided to choose the healthy alternative.
So here I am, counting carbs, tracking what I eat, and striving to live a healthy life. Too bad I almost had to die to realize it.
I started my journey at 235lbs, and this morning I weighed in at 202.4lbs.

I really want to take full advantage of this app so I also went with Premium, after all, if we don’t take care of our bodies, where will we live?

mtaratoot

Welcome Big D!

You've had quite the adventure. Will you still be able to enjoy some barbecue from time to time? Low and slow... Mmm. I was a vegetarian for about 30 years, and now enjoy a little meat from time to time. I inherited a smoker a few years ago from a friend who moved away, and boy did I have fun with that. Pork butt. Salmon. Even tempeh. If it's something you enjoy, you may be able to have some from time to time if your doctors say it's OK.

There's for sure some great tools here. Have you set some goals yet? It's good to set time-bound goals that can be measured and are specific. After a while, you can revise them if you need to. What goals are you working towards? Have you found some good strategies to get there?

If you haven't yet, check out some of the "Most Important Posts" to get a jump-start on all the great tools here, on some pitfalls to avoid, and generally how to enjoy using MFP. I'm thinking about:

• Most Helpful Posts - Getting Started (Must Reads)
• Most Helpful Posts - Health and Weight Loss (Must Reads)
  
• Most Helpful Posts - Success Stories (Must Reads)
  

I look forward to your success.

BigD4678

Thank you. Yes a little from time to time is okay. My Cardiologist and even the surgeons team said “everything in moderation”.
It’s okay to eat pretty much anything, yes even McDonalds, as long as it’s not a daily choice for food.
Eating healthier is my choice. Exercise is my choice.
As long as we realize the ramifications of eating unhealthy all the time causes our bodies to become obese, and our arteries to become clogged, which causes our heart to have to work harder then it should to pump the blood and therefore limiting our oxygen, as long as we understand that, and don’t go overboard with it, then yes, we can eat that stuff once in a while.
Believe it or not, that’s not why I had the open heart surgery.
They checked my arteries and said I was in good shape. My problem is that I was born with a defective heart valve.
But this whole process has made me realize that I was not taking care of my body, and if I continued down the road I was on, I would have eventually needed to go back for stents, and after what I have been through, no thanks.
As a competitive cooker I was eating that stuff at least 3 times a week. I have 11 smokers and at times several of them cooking at the same time.
It’s a miracle my arteries were not clogged.
So here I am, working to take care of myself.

mtaratoot

If you want to off-load one of those smokers.....

BigD4678

Going to hold on to them. Sorry.

mtaratoot

I wasn't serious, and even if I was, you're too far away for it to be practical. If I really wanted one, I'd go buy one. I actually do; my limitation is where to store it during the winter. My raft and trailer take up pretty much my entire carport; I have no garage.