Discussion Board

So, my husband and myself are both 31 years old. I am a housewife and we have 2 amazing children ages 12 and 8. My husband will be medically retired from the United States Marine Corps on 30December2011 (Oohrah!) because of several medical ailments.

Last week we watched the documentary Forks Over Knives (The day AFTER grocery shopping... LOL) and it changed our lives.

My husband was always a fit and trim kinda guy, exercised 3-5 days a week, at 5'9 he was a slender 185 pounds. Then he was injured and the blood clots started. They put him on a high dose Coumadin and supplemented with Lovenox for the first couple of months. We went on a vacation to go see my parents and he developed another clot. Because of that, they have told him that he will have to be on blood thinners for the rest of his life. He is currently taking 15mg of Coumadin daily.

Because of the clots, the MC has told him that he is not allowed to do any high impact activities, nor is he allowed to stand for more than 10 minutes or sit for more than an hour. This has caused a rather rapid weight gain. He is now almost 270 pounds and the vibrant, healthy, high energy, fun loving man that I once knew now sleeps anywhere from 10-20 hours a day, would rather sit on the couch and shovel food in his mouth and watch a movie than go to the beach with his wife and kids, and hates to leave the house for anything.

Last year he was diagnosed with high blood pressure and takes medication for that.

He also has sleep apnea, which I'm sure is mostly caused by the large amount of weight that he has gained.

Along with all of this he has Traumatic Brain Injury and that makes life very difficult.

I'm hoping that by changing our life to almost 100% plant based whole foods that we will be able to reverse the cycle of diseases that are ravishing his body and prevent him from developing diabetes, which is what ultimately claimed his fathers life, and will more than likely claim the lives of all of his siblings (they all are diabetic). I would also like to prevent my family history from happening to myself and our children (cardiovascular disease runs on both sides ranging from uncontrolled blood pressure to congestive heart failure!).

I would love to say that we can commit to being 100% vegitarian, but I'm trying to be more realistic about what I know will happen! I know that every once in a while we are going to throw in a meal of meat, or have a small amount of meat in a meal. (I'm just trying to be honest! )

Eventually we want to have our very own farmette and be close to self sustaining in the food department.

My one big question is what about goats milk? Does it contain the same carcinogenic properties as cows milk? I do know that it mimics human milk more closely than does cows milk. I have always loved the taste of goats milk, but I REALLY love some milk!

Hi Nachoqtpie and welcome. Forks over Knives was a wonderful documentary, I'm glad you had a chance to see it. I found this way of eating when I read Dr. Campbell's book The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Health . It changed my life - I was disabled with autoimmune disease attacking my muscles and my joints so I could barely move, I had a ton of other chronic diseases and was 200 pounds over weight. Today I am a completely different person - almost all my chronic diseases are completely gone and I lost over 200 pounds and feel fantastic. You and your husband are going through a lot with his health issues - clots and Coumadin are both scary. I know if you and your husband can commit to this new lifestyle, you'll be amazed with your changes too

Given the worry for heart disease, I highly suggest you read Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure by Caldwell B. Esselstyn. I have a strong history of heart disease in my family and I want to be the exception - this helped me understand the impact of diet on the heart.

As for your question about goat's milk - same problem as cow's. There are many vegan milks available such as oatmeal, hemp, soy, nut etc. If you have health issues and need to lose weight then keep in mind that drinking only water will help you meet your health goals more quickly. I found The Mcdougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss book extremely helpful to understand how to fully implement this way of eating. Jeff Novick has a series of DVDS which clearly explains why and how to lose weight quickly- I'd start with this one: Calorie Density - How to Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer

It's hard to make these changes, but the faster you do, the sooner your taste buds change and you'll start to really enjoy your food and the sooner you'll feel the benefits.

Thank you for the wonderful resources!

While the husband and I both do want to lose weight, both of the children were blessed with the fast metabolisms of our youth and are on the super skinny side! Our son, at the age of 12 (almost 13) weighs in at less than 80 pounds (at almost 5' tall) and our daughter is 8 and weighs in just over 50 pounds. THEY don't need to lose weight in the slightest!

I guess another big question is how do we make meals for both ends of the spectrum? I mean, if we're not cooking with "high fat" "high calorie" items, how do we take care of the needs of both sides?

We already make our own breads and try to use as few processed foods as possible, even before we watched the documentary. Even tho they were made with all purpose bleached flour, I do believe it's healthier than what you buy in the store.

I do plan on getting unbleached flour and healthier items as soon as the items run out tho.

Another thing that I'm looking at is cost. I know that healthier eating is going to cost more, but how do you make it so it's not cost prohibitive? We are a 1 income military family, we don't make a lot of money. How do you guys manage the money portion? Do you find it less expensive to eat more whole plant based foods than meat based? Any suggestions in this are are more than greatly appreciated!

Hi,
As far as the economic side of the question, if you want to eat cheaply, this is the way to do it. Of course, you could blow the budget on fancy fruits and such, but you can eat for much less than you would spend on meat and junk food. Go to Jeff Novick's page and read up on his SNAP meals, for starters.
I'd post more, but have to head for home now. Welcome to McDougall! You're going to like it here.

Welcome aboard, Nach!

Have you studied the information at this site [http://www.drmcdougall.com/free.html]?

I think you can find the answers and guidance you need here.

Since I do not know how much you have been spending on food, I do not know if you will spend less McDougalling. You can keep it relatively cheap by selecting fresh produce in season, buying frozen veggies when they are cheap, buying brown rice in bulk etc. Please let us know if you save any money by McDougalling. I think most here do.

In regard to the kids, here is where I would make a distinction: Let the kids enjoy more of the refined starches--bread and pasta. Your husband should probably avoid all refined products until he has met his weight loss goal and you may want to join him in this discipline to encourage him.

Best wishes for success and health!

Please keep us posted on your family's progress!

Hi,

You are lucky that you and your husband will be on the journey together. My husband is not on board with me and not interested at all. I do have 2 kids about your age. My son is 13, 5'8" and 120 lbs. My daughter is 10 and also tall and slim. Yes, they are skinny now, but my goal is to keep them that way and teach them how to each healthy. It is really hard to go vegan especially with a 13 year old. Here are a few things I do to keep my family happy. It is sort of a middle ground. I still fix separate meals, but I try to keep mine simple.

I usually buy one organic chicken a week and bake is in the oven. That runs about $14 dollars a week. It last a week or more. Then, I make stir fry rice with onion and carrot and a little chicken. One night I'll cook pasta and have pasta and chicken. I can make a huge pot of chicken noodle soup with just a little of the chicken. I will buy sauces at TJ's that have very few additives and preservatives and mix in with just a little chicken and lots of pasta or rice. I think you get the idea how I stretch the chicken.

I make a meal at least one a month for my family called chicken in a pot, no pie. You'll find it in a google search. It is a Rachel Rae recipe. I leave out most of the fat and use whole wheat flour, and easy on the chicken, very kid friendly.

Burritos and tacos are great. Lots of veggies, beans, and your kids can add a little chicken. I will also make home made bread and slice is lengthwise and add pasta sauce and just a sprinkle of cheese. I don't know how you make your bread, but have you tried the book Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day? I love that technique for my kids. Guess my point is use a lot of grains, legumes, whole grain breads and pasta with your kids and use the meat as the condiment. It took me a long time to figure that out but I think I have found a happy medium with my family. I always put 2 veggies on the dinner table and keeps lots of fruit around.

Kris

Regarding 'both ends of the spectrum'; we went McD with a thin child in grade school (now college). Kids need enough starch, not just green and yellow vegetables, and they are fine. They don't need high fat foods. Our child ate what we did, just with more fruit, some fruit juice, more treats like cookies; both fat-free from recipies like the ones in Estleton's book and regular ones at school on occasion. Also peanut butter sandwiches for school lunches.

I guess mainly, I didn't prepare two meals at dinner.