IITian, 59, shares tips to get healthy after heart attack: Wake up at 5.30 am, manage stress

Mathew Gomes on his transformation after a heart attack.

A heart attack served as a wake-up call for Mathew Gomes. In April 2022, the former banker and IIT-Kharagpur alumnus experienced chest pains that he recognised as signs of a heart attack. Gomes drove himself to Hong Kong’s Ruttonjee Hospital, reported South China Morning Post, where doctors managed to stabilize him after a whole night. The next day, he had to undergo an angioplasty.

During his recovery, Gomes then began to study lifestyle diseases like hypertension and high cholesterol and the role they play in heart health. The 59-year-old spoke to South China Morning Post about the lifestyle changes he adopted after the major health scare.

Through significant changes like a healthier diet, exercise, stress management etc, Gomes took control of his own health.

In one year, the blockages in his arteries had reversed, his weight fell from 75 kg to 62 kg and his body fat percentage reduced from 28 to 13.

Why me?

In his mid-30s, Mathew Gomes began following the Mediterranean diet and took up cycling and hiking on the weekends. He considered his lifestyle to be relatively healthy, so he was surprised by the blockage in his arteries and the subsequent heart attack.

After his recovery, he asked his general practitioner: “Why did it happen to me?”

“I had done everything right in terms of medication, diet and fitness,” he told South China Morning Post.

The doctor told him that without all of this, he might not have survived at all.

“That made me understand the importance of lifestyle changes. Medications and surgeries could only do so much; the rest was up to me.”

A low-glycemic index diet

After his heart attack, Gomes began following a low-glycemic index (GI) diet. His diet is inspired by Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How the Body Can Heal Itself - a research book by Dr William Li.

Gomes’ breakfast consists of a lightly fried egg, half a slice of sourdough bread, a spoonful of apple cider vinegar and a portion of fruit. For lunch and dinner, he prefers grilled salmon or chicken with salad and grilled vegetables.

“I eat a healthy mix of protein, carbohydrates and good fats, and focus on probiotics and dietary fibre to enhance gut health,” says Gomes.

He has also eliminated processed food and sugar from his diet.

Exercise

Along with dietary changes, Gomes also began to include more exercise in his daily routine. He now goes on an after-dinner walk with his wife, Rekha. He also cycles three to four times a week.

“I started waking up at 5.30am to go cycling and built up my stamina gradually,” says Gomes, a resident of Sai Ying Pun on Hong Kong Island. For the former banker and management consultant, spending time with friends in nature are the two biggest perks of cycling.

The 59-year-old started strength training after his heart attack, with a focus on building his core and upper body strength.

Foundation of transformation

“Managing stress became the foundation of my transformation,” says Gomes.

He learnt that chronic hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascular diseases. With the aim of reducing stress, he attended three yoga classes a week and limited the time he spent on social media.

“I avoid hearing and reading negative news and focus instead on having happy moments and conversations with family and friends,” says Gomes.

The efforts he put into his lifestyle changes have borne fruit - on the first anniversary of his heart attack, tests revealed a halt in the formation of plaque in his arteries, as well as no new build-up. His blood pressure and cholesterol levels are also normal, and his medication has been reduced to the minimum, reported SCMP.

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