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A Heartfelt Decision to Eat Right
How a diagnosis of heart disease changed one woman’s life
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Although Marivic V., 36, of Madison, Wis., is busy chasing after a three-year-old and keeping tabs on her four older children — including a set of twins &mdash she doesn’t complain. “I’m lucky to be alive and able to enjoy time with my family,” Marivic says.
That’s because during the first trimester of her fourth pregnancy, she was diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy, a disease that causes inflammation in the heart’s muscle, making it work improperly. The diagnosis came completely out of the blue. “I was shocked and I panicked, wondering what this meant for my life,” she says.
Still, it was two years before Marivic had what she calls her “aha” moment. “Years of raising a family and focusing on my career led to putting on a lot of excess weight. I didn’t want to be fat anymore and decided that this was the perfect time and reason to get going on losing the weight,” she says.
To prevent her condition from progressing and to turn her life around, Marivic took a somewhat unusual route. “Most people start to lose weight by exercising, but for me it’s very hard to maintain a healthy heart rate. I can’t do a lot of cardio-based exercises,” Marivic explains.
Instead, she went on a strict, heart-healthy diet, increasing lean protein and cutting out sugary foods, starches, bread and pasta. She also ate more heart-healthy dishes, including broccoli and foods with omega fats.
With her new diet, Marivic lost 37 pounds and dropped from a size 18 to a size 6. As an unexpected perk, the new lifestyle also helped her clean out her medicine cabinet. “I was on beta-blockers, but I don’t need them anymore,” she says.
Weighing less also makes it easier for her to be active. “I feel good and energetic these days, instead of lethargic and unhealthy,” Marivic says.
Though hearing her life-threatening diagnosis was scary, Marivic sees a silver lining. “It was life-changing, because without it, I might never have developed this healthier lifestyle,” she admits.
“I feel like I’ve slowed down, if not reversed, the progress of my heart disease,“ Marivic says. Her doctor seems to agree. “I had a Holter monitor, a portable device that measures the electrical activity of the heart, about six months ago, and it didn’t detect any arrhythmia,” she says. “My doctor said he’s happy that he won’t have to see me for a while!”
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Everybody knows what they have to do but it's always wonderful to hear about the people who, instead of just know, do!