Been on MFP for 3 months and still need help.

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JaymeLS
JaymeLS Posts: 47 Member
in Motivation and Support
I'm looking for support and motivation. I'm 32 years old and have congestive heart failure. I know I need to eat healthier to live a longer life and you would think having one heart attack you would do your damnedest to try but I am failing miserably. I'm looking for some new friends that won't be afraid to hurt my feelings if I need a kick in the *kitten*. I am on a restricted sodium and fluid diet. I try to walk on my treadmill every other day like my cardiologist said. It has been ruff on me the past few days. I have been thinking alot of what I went through a year ago. I have almost beaten one statistic, 23% of women die after 1 year of having a heart attack. April 10 it will be 1 year.

Thanks :)

Feel free to add me.

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  • Graciecny
    Graciecny Posts: 303
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    Just wanted offer my support! Don't know how much help I can be with diet/choices as that certainly is not my strong suit, but I'd be happy to try and provide motivation whenever possible! Good luck on your journey - you are truly beating the odds!
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    Just log on everyday when it's good for you. All the friends in the world won't help if they're not on. There is always someone here to help. Good luck on your journey. :flowerforyou:
  • jcgrant43
    jcgrant43 Posts: 64
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    Ok, I'll help. Happily. I had a heart attack at age 37 on February 7th, 2007. I was very lucky to survive, as when I finally arrived at the hospital almost 30% of my heart muscle had been damaged. I was 250lbs at the time, a former hockey, football, and body building guy who had been very hard on himself.

    Here's the scoop though; its a slow process, and it should be. You need to make lifestyle changes, and they are hard! You're through the first part. Surviving a year. You, I hope, have dealt with the emotional, mental part. Now, you're ready to do the physical part. Joining MFP and giving the old tread mill a try are signs of that. Don't rush it, don't do anything you're truly not ready to do, and most of all, just make small incremental changes. Daily, weekly, monthly, whatever your comfortable with.

    Diet substitutions at first worked for me. Regular soda to diet soda to flavoured water to just plain water as an example of what I'm talking about. Another big one was white bread to brown bread to multi-grain bread to no bread at all. I did the same thing with fast foods.

    Exercise was the same way. Walking at first, then a little jogging, body weight training, then all of it together in the same week. What really helped was I went to the pound, and got a stray dog. Roscoe, my faithful companion, needs to be walked twice a day at a minimum. Having that responsibility got me moving in the mornings whether I wanted to or not!

    I'm in my sixth year post cardiac event, and I'm now down to 166lbs (GW 162) with a 12%body fat and a resting heart rate of 64 BPM. I can now kick *kitten* on the treadmill stress test!!!!!!! Which is great when I go for my annual check up with the cardiologist, because I'm in better shape then he is!

    Stick with it. Little steps lead to big changes. All the best to you in your recovery. I know you'll succeed! :bigsmile:

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