[Gerald Ash]

There are some of you that will say it was bound to happen and some that will say I deserve it.
    I say both, Saturday 14th felt a bit breathless, clean front of first house and had pains front and back crushing, hard to breath and feeling faint.
  Sat down for five mins felt better. Went to extend pole, pain was horrific and everything started to go dark. I immediately dialed 111. If i dial 999 it makes it real. within one minute they told me they are sending paramedics.
  I`ve not had a heart attack but angina attack. No damage done but finally I might take fing notice of what I`ve ignored for years.
I`m so angry with myself and I now realise I`m not invincible.
    Week before last I lifted a pump weighing nearly 100kgs into a van, today I can just about lift my backpack empty.
 I am an arse. But I`m still alive and I intend to stay that way.
  Doctors say my heart is strong but furring of arteries mean it can no longer deal with my weight and level of activity.
 Sorry guys bit of a pointless post but need bollardings to drive home what a complete and total k nob I`ve been. I`ve always been very strong and robust but now I am reaping years of gross neglect of care for the future.

[Perfect Windows]

The important thing is that you had the warning rather than the tunnel of light.

Do what your doc says.  Do it conscientiously.  You'll do just fine if you do.

Good luck.

Vin

[Gerald Ash]

I`m going to. I was so terrified I thought I was going to die but at the same time I was thinking you idiot.
  My business partner is carpping himself, he`s scared he`ll have to be a pawl bearer.
    

[deeege]

lucky that you had this warning. My old man had a heart attack aged 53, no warning nothing, didnt survive, wasnt pleasant to watch as you can imagine.

What kind of lifestyle do you lead Gerald? Eat well? Smoke? Drink?

Best of luck with your recovery.

[DaveG]

lucky that you had this warning. My old man had a heart attack aged 53, no warning nothing, didnt survive, wasnt pleasant to watch as you can imagine.

What kind of lifestyle do you lead Gerald? Eat well? Smoke? Drink?

Best of luck with your recovery.

This is Gerald.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2292095/Britains-unlikely-window-cleaner-35-stone-Gerald-big-ladder--scared-heights.html



Hope you make a speedy recovery mate

[Jonny 87]

Make it a dramatic comeback Gerald.

Get yourself on a serious health regime and within a few years you can be down to a healthy level.

It's all about will power.

[Tom White]

It's all about will power.

As a sober alcoholic in recovery, I disagree.  Will power is naff, it only ever got me so far, then the wheels come off; it's limited in it's value (though not useless).

My suggestion would be to get some strategies in place.  For example, I don't like running, but I run.  I'll do this by arranging runs with other people (and a dog); if I've got a set time and place to meet someone to run, I'll be there; it kind of removes the power of choice from me.  Left to my own devices, I'll probably not bother, because I'm lazy like that.

I also find that spending time with a bunch of folk who all suffer with the same problem as myself a great help.  For this I go to an anonymous organisation, which is actually full of smart and funny people.  One of these guys is also a member of Over-eaters anonymous, and he tells me they've helped him loads.  

http://www.oagb.org.uk/

At his heaviest he was 23 stone; now he's around 14 stone and has a very good diet; but more importantly, he has strategies that help him maintain a decent weight - and stay sober - and be happy about not abusing food or alcohol.

I personally think food is a tough one; it's 'easy' for alcoholics; they just have to stay away from the first drink - that's not so easy to do with food; obviously.

My suggestion wouldn't be to rely on will-power.  Even this shock you've just had, Gerard, will only last for so long.  In a few months, once the shock has worn off, you may find - without any good strategies in place - that you're back to doing the same old things and getting the same old results.

Find a bunch of people who suffer with the same thing as yourself, and learn from the guys who've solved their problem.  If it's anything like booze for alkies, it'll not be an eating problem, it'll be a thinking/feeling problem.

Whatever you choose to do, I hope it works out for you.

Regards

Tosh

[Tom White]

Here, Gerard, I think this is your neck of the woods:



It's an OA meeting.  Why not try one?

[8weekly]

Will you be getting stented?

I had a heart attack Gerald at 45. It's not a death sentence, but my understanding is that the furring of the arteries is not reversible. Obviously you need to lose weight as a matter of some urgency. Incidentally I now run 20 miles a week on average and run the odd half marathon, 10k and 5k races. Life got better for me.

Start with walking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja9BFx5Mhqo

[paulben]

Hope you continue to improve Gerald .Like I said a while ago I was lucky I went for a free health check at dr's . whats 20mins in dr's if it saves your life

[Walter Mitty]

Sorry to hear what's happened Gerald.  I hope you make a speedy recovery.  Be gentle with yourself.

[kempy]

Hope you succeed pal

[Elfyn]

Gerald.
My father had his first heart (angina) attach in his early 40s. After 2 heart by-pass operations and a lot of drama he finally left us three years ago at the age of 92.
Ignore what Tosh said about willpower and I'm sure you'll make it to 92 as well.

[Dave Willis]

I guess your Grandad wasn't thirty five stone though 

[dazmond]

id try what tosh has suggested gerald.it could help you immensely mate.bite the bullet and go to a few meetings.


best wishes



dazmond

[Tom White]

Ignore what Tosh said about willpower

He's welcome to.  And I can imagine he's tried the willpower method already, failed, and may try it again.  But one definition of being mental is repeating the same behaviour and expecting different results.

But for anyone with even a little knowledge in the field of addiction (and over eating can be an addiction), they know that willpower only gets us so far.  White-knuckles and toughing it out only can last for so long - it's like Japanese water torture - it grinds the addict down until they snap and relapse.  Willpower, by itself, isn't much cop. 

So the idea is we've got to be smarter than the addiction and get some good strategies in place, and we can learn what those are from people who've solved a similar problem to their own.

And we all have addictions, whether we're aware of them or not.  Some are just more harmful than others.

[duncan h]

Forget will power. GET THE OPP. Get gut stapled. It works

[Gerald Ash]

Here, Gerard, I think this is your neck of the woods:



It's an OA meeting.  Why not try one?

I am laughing so hard, together with my business partner TED who is the TED of the oagb in Gloucester. Now I obviously know about oa but until you mentioned it I hadn`t thought of it as a source of help.
     You been lambasted on here on  some things you posted but let me tell you this. You have hit the nail on the head. In a few weeks or months being a good boy which will alleviate my symptoms I`ll think one takeaway won`t hurt, then one day won`t hurt and so on.
  The freakiest thing of all is it happened 28 years to the day I buried my Mother who died of a massive heart attack. She`d had an attack exactly the same as mine a few years before.
  Thanks for all the support guys and I hope to be writing needlessly long and rambling post for many years to come.

[Gerald Ash]

My problem is why I eat and put that together with someone who loves his grub then I`m the result.
    Will power alone is not enough for long term so as Tosh says I need to put systems in place so as to make it a lot easier to stay on track.
   As to gastric bypass and other similar options I think my head is where the solution lies because you can cheat on these and believe me it can be more of a compunction  than a feeling almost like a voice urging you on to buy and eat those burgers or that pizza.
   I think I have a food addiction which is also driven by issues from my past but I guess that`s true for all addicts.
      I`m staying away from the windows for a while and just walking gently knocking doors. I`ll start back with the ground floor few weeks and build up gently.
  I`d just gone over the 200 good customers mark as well.
   Still plenty of oppertunities to get more.

[8weekly]

Here, Gerard, I think this is your neck of the woods:



It's an OA meeting.  Why not try one?

I am laughing so hard, together with my business partner TED who is the TED of the oagb in Gloucester. Now I obviously know about oa but until you mentioned it I hadn`t thought of it as a source of help.
     You been lambasted on here on  some things you posted but let me tell you this. You have hit the nail on the head. In a few weeks or months being a good boy which will alleviate my symptoms I`ll think one takeaway won`t hurt, then one day won`t hurt and so on.
  The freakiest thing of all is it happened 28 years to the day I buried my Mother who died of a massive heart attack. She`d had an attack exactly the same as mine a few years before.
  Thanks for all the support guys and I hope to be writing needlessly long and rambling post for many years to come.

That's pretty amazing isn't it. OA came up on another thread a couple of days ago on the other topics forum. But I'm surprised Ted never suggested it. Most of us can stop, but it's staying stopped that's the problem.