Discussion Board

I started this way of eating on roughly August 20th after watching Joel Fuhrman on pbs. I was impressed by what he said, and of late had been fearing I simply wasn't going to live a long life.

I am fat. I'm also relatively old. But I've been lucky and did not have any serious conditions that required significant medical intervention. But I also beleived that was just a matter of time. 'Old' and 'fat' are mostly incompatible.

I'm in moderately good shape for an older woman - I still am athletic and play an active sport several times every week with moderate proficiency. I can still run and am pretty agile for my age and shape. I also garden a lot.

When I started eating this way, I was doing it for health and had pretty much given up losing weight. I'd tried too often and jsut wasn't up to feeling deprived again, especially for a long haul. And then probably gain it back again anyway.

Much to my surprise after eating this way for a few weeks, my clothes were simply getting noticeably looser. I decided to weigh. I would guess by the extra 4 inches in the non-stretchy waist band, I had lost at least 10 pounds that first month. And another 9-10 the next several weeks.

I have more energy, am happier, and don't feel deprived at all. I do not consider myself to be on 'a diet'. My BP is also now in a very good range. I am not following the program to the letter. I do a combo of Fuhrman and McD. My version of it (it would probably horrify purists ). There is still much for me to give up, but I'm so pleased with my results so far.

This morning I was playing my game, and one of the men regulars, after I had done several things particularly well asked "Did you have spinach for breakfast?"

Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I did.

Congrats on changing to healthier eating. Look forward to your next posts.

I love the name of your thread!! Congrats on your new lifestyle and welcome!! I think it's great that you've kept active!

Me, too.

Glad you're here and enjoying the benefits of eating healthy food.

Yes, I love the journal name! Spinach is awesome!

Good luck to you!

mmmm ---I love my greens! I guess people's tastes really do change over the years, because as a kid I hated most vegetables except potatoes and I only liked them because I could put gravy or cheese on them. Well I still love potatoes, but once I grew up I began enjoying all vegetables. In fact there aren't too many I don't like. I am having turnip greens and beans for lunch in fact. I am about the same age and weight as you are, so I will be visiting your journal from time to time. Keep up the good work!

Thank you all for the kind words.

Today was a really nice day here and I was able to work several hours in the garden. It was mild, consistent exercise - lots of bending, carrying, digging. I don't keep track of movement, I just make sure I do some almost every day.

Eating has been quite pleasurable today. Veggies, rice, and a bit of grated strong cheese for breakfast. Yes, I know cheese is forbidden, but I am not doing this WOE 100%. I'd guess about 80% and that's enough for now. I like eating this way, or my version of it. It has to be something I can live with for years to come. I don't intend to fall by the wayside though some will think I already have.

For lunch I had a big bowl of scrumptious lentil/veggie soup over fancy rice. Also some apple/fresh cranberry nuked with lemon zest, cinnamon and sweetener. And later two small squares of 85% chocolate. Yes, I know that's forbidden too.

For dinner, I just finished a large green salad with avocado dressing. Will probably finish the apple/cranberry stuff later.

I've just felt happy all day, both mentally and physically.

I'm thinking of setting some goals. Years ago I heard someone say that more, easier to reach goals make one arrive at their final goal faster because of the incentive of reaching smaller intermediate goals makes one 'work harder'. For example, dividing weight loss into a bunch of 5 pound goals works better than one 70 pound goal.

I have several goals. In general, I'd really like to lose about one pound/week, but don't know if that is sustainable. I'd also like to make it through the holiday season not gaining, but instead actually losing some weight.

My way of eating falls somewhere between McD and Fuhrman. When I started, I had only heard about F from pbs. Then I found this board, McD, and more starches. Which I added to my diet, while concurrently removing nuts, added oils, etc.

When I was following my version of Fuhrman, my weight was literally melting off, and I felt satiated and physically very good. But having added more grains, the wl sadly has dramatically slowed. I know all bodies are different, and they go through phases (or something). Perhaps it's just my impatience, but I've decided at least temporarily to go back to more of my version of Fuhrman's suggestions. I really like the grains/potatoes, but right now wl is more important to me. I hope to add 'unlimited' back to my 'diet' again however.

So from today, I'll limit (not eliminate) the amount of grains/starch I eat, and add back a few nuts. And see what happens..

I've decided to make Friday my 'official' weigh-in day. And next Friday to be my first 'mini' goal to work towards.

Hi Dendra,

That is what I do, I break down the total amount into 10 lb increments. I have my mini goals, it makes it much easier to focus on that than the whole picture. In fact I just made it to one of those mini goals today so that is exciting, now I am going to start another one.

I only do the MWL plan, I have never even tried the regular plan, I might experiment with it during the holidays, I will see. I just dont want to confuse myself, though, going back & forth between the "other" plans. This one works, I dont crave on it, I lose weight, more consistently than any other plan I have ever tried & it is cheap. Mainly though I dont want to be hungry, especially this tie of the year.

Good luck with your weight loss goals, I am sure you will make the 1st one before the end of the year.

Grains are higher calorie density. Potatoes are much lower in calorie density. I lean toward potatoes. I lost 22 pounds in October, 2010, eating TONS of potatoes daily.

Time and adherence is what it takes to make this work. Like Mike T says, the program does not fail us, we fail the program.

Good luck to you!

Yes, since deciding to aim for next Friday as the next mini goal, I feel more grounded or something - that there is a purpose for every food/eating thing I do, that everything 'counts'.

Congrats on reaching your mini goal.


I love feeling hungry heading into a meal, but not an hour later. I far prefer feeling satiated and not even thinking about food until my body tells me it's time to eat again - and that's what I've been feeling for the most part.

As to this plan or that one, in the end I pretty much will eat what I choose to. I rarely follow recipes to the letter, and I know myself enough to understand that anything I eat must be a free choice. Or I'll rebel very quickly. As Dirty Harry would say 'A (wo)man has got to know (her) limitations.'


I hope so. At the moment 'goodies' do not seem very appealing.

Thanks for relating your experience with potateos. I love potatoes. I found some absolutely darling little potatoes at Costco last week. Baby ones, about an inch across, in mixed yellow, red, and black colors. LOL, I'm finding them too cute to eat.

Absolutely. I know this in my head. And after jsut one week of 'only' losing a pound is sort of stupid to consider a tweak. In my best of old dieting days, I never kept to a 10 pound/month rate. Why am I expecting that now as a much older woman? I pay lip service to not expecting more than 1 pound/week loss, but that mindset seems to change when the scale doesnt move as fast as the month before. Maybe I don't need a diet tweak, but rather a lobotomy.

In the end it is 'time and adherence', and I'm not planning to go anywhere. I can envision eating this way for the rest of my life jsut because of how good it makes me feel, weight loss or no.


I'm not totally sure about that. One size generally does not fit all. But then I have a 'non-compliant' heart for just about everything.

I'm planning to go shopping today. Think I'll hunt me up some less cute yukon golds and give more spuds a whirl.

I did go shopping, and am so surprised by how many veggies I am buying every week. More will come out of the garden too, though not so many now - just the last of the zucchini, cukes, lettuce, and a few straggling tomatoes. And citrus.

I purchased kale, carrots, celery, pears, frozen lima beans, frozen spinach, a head of cabbage (for the cabbage roles mentioned elsewhere), lovely fresh cauliflower and broccoli... Also some flax seed, rye berries, steel cut oats. I did not buy 'taters - the ones at the store did not look very good and were very pricey. Next time.

I also stopped at my favorite thrift store and got a nice pair of shorts, and two pair of cozy, warm winter pants. They fit very nicely. I had not purchased clothes for a long time, and it felt good. I had forgotten how much I enjoy that. As I continue to lose weight, that is one thing I'll start doing again.