5 Months after my HEART ATTACK!!!

Rakesh Jacob

Rakesh Jacob

Veteran
I had a heart attack on Jan 2nd 2010. I was in the ICU for 5 days and was discharged directly from there because I was refusing further intervention. 5 doctors including 3 cardiologist told me, my wife and my father that I was gonna drop dead if didn’t get a heart cath and let them do angioplasty or stenting or more if needed. Matter of fact my primary doc is a very close family friend and told my wife to try to find me life insurance and get all my things in order. But at the time I believed that the heart attack was God answering my prayers to finally have the motivation to become healthy. I have been diabetic for at least the past 10 years. I used to weigh over 300lbs in the late ‘90s. I dropped to about 250-260 by the time I had the heart attack, not because I was trying but because of my uncontrolled diabetes. The last 2 years my symptoms had been very bad and my life was very painful both physically and emotionally. Being unhealthy is the unhappiest thing I have ever been through. Lying there scared in the ICU bed I resolved to become a strict vegan and exercise every day. I knew that was my only chance at a happy long life without further complications. I guess only time will tell but I feel like my life is finally becoming what I expect it to be and I am becoming the man my parents wanted me to be and that my wife deserves.

I started at around 250lbs, 48in waist, 3x shirt and on several diabetic and blood pressure meds. With a strict vegan diet and daily exercise I was off of my meds in about 4 weeks. And in 5 months I’m down to 192lbs, 38in waist and in between L-XL shirts. My eventual goal is to weigh about 155-160lbs and to compete in Triathlons, my ultimate goal is to compete in an Ironman competition; probably the half ironman though because a full marathon scares the crap out of me especially after biking 112 miles!

ThnxGiving 11.26.09 5 Weeks before my heart attack
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06.02.10 Exactly 5 months after my heart attack
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Well it’s been an absolutely amazing journey so far and I look forward to being on this path for the rest of my time cruising through the galaxy on this little rock we share :)

Just for kicks here's what I looked like in '07 at around 270lbs!
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I AGREE
 
Good for you man.... keep at it and we'll all be rooting for you in that Ironman competition!
You can do it.

You're and inspiration!
 
Stay with us man. Not only do your family need you

but this forum needs shooters with your talent.

You are built out of what you eat. Food revolution!
 
I'm so glad to read this post - congratulations to you for making the changes, and fantastic results so far.
Keep it up!
:thumbsup:
 
I don't exactly know what's going on in that video but......har-larious.

Glad you are doing well.
 
glad to hear you're doing well now :)

surviving a heart attack! very happy for you man
 
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THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!! Your words of encouragement and support are amazing to read. Honestly I can't take any credit, it was pure fear that brought me here! I just didn't want another heart attack, it's a shitty way to die when you know how easily it's preventable.
Of course the other big component of this transformation has been faith. I'm not a dogmatic person, I have my personal beliefs but I don't try to apostalize cause I believe that Faith is an Universal function and that there is no one way that we get to our "ultimate goal." Tired, sick and frustrated I decided to step out on my faith; I stopped TRYING to get healthy and just started believing that no matter what, at some point, my life would change and I would finally get healthy. And that's all I thought about for the last year or so. After I had my heart attack and even though I was scared shitless, I knew my prayers were being answered, I also realized becareful what you ask for LOL
In the end it was the bizarre combination of faith and fear that brought me here, because that's what I needed. God, the Universe, yourself, your family, whatever you choose to believe in, as long as your intent is sincere, you will get what you believe! Don't worry about if you deserve it or not, whether you've worked hard enough for it or not or even if you're good enough of a person or not; whoever or whatever is in control only wishes for you to be happy, succesful and blessed. Open your hearts, confess your desires and be blessed :)

Deepfocus88 said:
I don't exactly know what's going on in that video but......har-larious.
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LOL that's me and one of my best friends Grady. I was directing and shooting and he was booming. We always pick on each other; after we wraped I told the actor in the scene to run the cam cause I felt a bit of douchbaggary coming on. So I told Grady just stand there, look annoyed and at some point throw a punch at me, and that he would know when the time was right.
 
Truy inspiring. I'm glad to see that you are doing well. After your incident a lot of us were concerned about you but I see that you are heading on a positive path. Don't be suprised if I PM you cause I have a bunch of questions for you.

Oh....and that video was funny. if it were not for the giggling I would have sworn ya'll were serious. lol
 
Rakesh Jacob said:
Tired, sick and frustrated I decided to step out on my faith; I stopped TRYING to get healthy and just started believing that no matter what, at some point, my life would change and I would finally get healthy. And that's all I thought about for the last year or so. After I had my heart attack and even though I was scared shi*less, I knew my prayers were being answered, I also realized becareful what you ask for LOL
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Stop caring for your health -> poorer health -> heart attack -> reminded of the importance of caring for your health -> resume caring for your health -> improved health

...is that the correct sequence of events?

Strictly in terms of economy I don't see the need for divinity in that sequence; your health will decline without proper care, whether a deity decides to get involved or not, and caring for your health is likely to stabilize or improve it, whether a deity decides to get involved, or not...

I'm not suggesting that you rule out participation of a higher power, but I don't really see how the addition of a higher power to the mix is actually required, save by one's interest in adding one.
 
Sad Max said:
Strictly in terms of economy I don't see the need for divinity in that sequence; your health will decline without proper care, whether a deity decides to get involved or not, and caring for your health is likely to stabilize or improve it, whether a deity decides to get involved, or not...

I'm not suggesting that you rule out participation of a higher power, but I don't really see how the addition of a higher power to the mix is actually required, save by one's interest in adding one.
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Hey Sad Max though I share his sentiments and as much as I would love to address this myself I suggest before we break any forum rules and delve into that type of discussion to just accept his personal testimony of recovery. Just a suggestion. :)
 
Sad Max I understand, I'm just saying the more I tried the more I failed. What I needed was a catalyst. And wether or not you believe in a higher power is irelevant to me. Theist, deist, agnostic or atheist... what is, is and our personal beliefes can't change that. But what is, is also outside of our ability to know or even comprehend if we could know. So I simply choose to believe and receive what I desire. And yes it's a lot of work but when I focused on the work it seemed impossible. Now everything seems within my grasp and it was a creative transformative force that sparked my new emotional, physical and (for lack of a more mutually acceptable word) spiritual change.
I'm not saying that divinity is needed or for that matter even exists. In the natural it is a very physical and logical process I underwent. We all understand cause and effect, we live under this grand illusion of time and causality. I guess I have actively chosen to percieve things outside of these boundries, to my feeble ability to do so and even though it is ever so so so slight, in the grand scale of the Universe, I think it's working.
I choose not to define "higher power" or seek it's definition. It's a loaded word with a lot of history, superstitions and prejudices involved. And wether some one feels the higher power is extrensic, intrensic or non-existant at this point in my life no longer matters. I am happy to have what many consider a cosmically random chance at existing and choose to precieve it as a blessing :)
 
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