| |
"Finally winning the weight battle"
In September 2006 at age 58 I found myself sitting in the
parking lot of my favorite fast food restaurant, crying to God
to help me with my food addiction. I was stuffing down a
sandwich, fries, brownies and a Diet Coke. I had failed again to
keep the promise to myself to do something about my weight, but
I felt helpless to do anything about it. I felt like I was 98
instead of 58. I weighed 282 pounds.
 My life-long struggle
with weight started early on. I remember dieting before I was
even in high school. I was taking amphetamines--a popular drug
in the 1960's for weight loss--while still in my teens. They
worked, but only with short-lived results. It was during this
time that I became truly addicted to sweets and fats. I could
eat an entire one-pound bag of M&Ms or a half-gallon of ice
cream at one sitting. Once, in college, I actually went
without any food for one week in order to get into a particular
outfit by the following weekend. I continued dieting off and on
into adulthood, going on the occasional low-calorie diet to get
the pounds off. It was during my first pregnancy in 1969 that my
weight really ballooned, and before the birth of my second child
three years later I hit 200 pounds. I tried the Atkins diet
and lost weight in 1976, but I had no idea at the time how much
damage I was doing to my body by following his program. I ate
primarily meat and eggs for a year straight until I felt sick
and run down and just couldn't do it any longer. And, of course,
the weight quickly came back when I added carbohydrates back
into my diet. For the next 20 years I continued the weight
battle. I tried Weight Watchers, TOPS (Take Off Pounds
Sensibly), the grapefruit diet, jogging--you name it, I tried
it. I also switched to skim milk and began weighing everything I
ate with a tiny kitchen scale. But my compulsive eating only
intensified, and my weight climbed higher and higher until I
could no longer weigh myself on a regular bathroom scale; the
numbers didn't go that high. Instead I would weigh myself at
work on our freight scale. The first time I did this, my heart
sank. In 1996 at the age of 48, I saw that I was at 306 pounds.
Finding the key In my never-ending quest for help, I
picked up Dr. McDougall's book, The McDougall Program: 12 Days
to Dynamic Health. Even though I adored meat and was absolutely
addicted to fatty foods, after reading about Dr. McDougall's
plan, his reasons why we get fat and stay fat made sense to me.
The health aspects of his starch-based plan appealed to me, and
I thought it was important that all of his claims were backed up
by decades of research and study. His honesty and concern for
his patients was also very apparent. So, meats-and-sweets-lover
that I was, in April of 1997 I decided to give his plan a try.
 My husband was not interested in changing his diet, so I decided
to go it alone. I avoided all meats and added fats, and ate a
lot of the McDougall soup cups for lunches (and I was never
without them when I traveled), but I continued using skim milk
on my cereal. Meanwhile my cholesterol hovered stubbornly around
200. It wasn't until I gave up the milk that my cholesterol
levels dropped below 160. The McDougall Plan was so much
easier to follow than I thought it would be. I was surprised at
the amount of food I could eat and still lose weight. My weight
loss was steady and consistent. My doctor was ecstatic about my
improving blood pressure and cholesterol readings. A little
over a year after I started the McDougall Plan, I had gone from
weighing 306 pounds to 146 pounds, a loss of 160 pounds. I
couldn't believe it; I had changed from someone who was
miserable, embarrassed and could hardly move to an energetic,
happy woman. I left a 23-year career with the power company to
work for my church and was never happier. Prior to losing this
weight, I never would have had the courage to make such a
drastic change in my life. A detour Then, in August
1998 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I opted for the
lumpectomy and really struggled with the decision regarding
chemotherapy and radiation. From my reading, I knew that Dr.
McDougall felt that such procedures could be dangerous and of
limited value. But in the end I succumbed to the pressure from
my doctors and started on chemotherapy. Despite my decision I
had few of the usual side effects from the chemotherapy, except
for a little loss of energy. I'm sure this was due to the
health-promoting effects of the way I was now eating. I never
even missed a day of work during that year. However, as is
usually the case, the chemotherapy drugs played havoc with my
blood tests, and I was put on steroids for several months to
combat the side effects. The steroids caused a huge increase in
appetite, one that I could not fight. At first I added a few
sweets, then it was a little meat, and before I knew it my
compulsive eating kicked in and I was out of control again. My
eating remained out of control for seven long years until that
day in 2006 that I cried in the parking lot and begged God for a
miracle. During this time I would receive occasional calls
from my doctor's nurse, telling me in a grave voice how the
doctor wanted me to go on cholesterol-lowering medication
because my cholesterol was in the 250's. They also insisted that
I take Fosamax due to Bone Mineral Density scans that indicated
the beginnings of osteoporosis. I knew I was heading for a heart
attack because my chest hurt all the time, and I had numbness
and tingling in my feet that pointed to diabetes. I felt sick
and miserable and had uncontrollable diarrhea after every meal.
I ate and ate and was never satisfied.
 Although I had pains in
my right hip that kept me from sleeping at night, I refused to
take any prescription medication. I was convinced from reading
Dr. McDougall's books that most prescription medications carried
significant health risks and that a starch-based, low-fat diet
would eliminate my pains and problems. My doctor offered to
send me to a nutritionist, but I refused to go. All the advice
about dieting I received from his office was wrong. It was the
usual: dairy products were needed for calcium, "healthy oils,"
like olive oil, were recommended, along with skinless chicken,
etc. But I already knew from past experience that the McDougall
Plan was the safest, easiest, and most health-supporting way of
eating in existence. I had lost weight and regained my health
with Dr. McDougall once before, and I knew that it was the key
to getting back on track. Starting over God heard my
prayers that day. I was able to get back on the McDougall Plan
and stay on it. And now, less than two years later I weigh 133
pounds, having lost 149 pounds. Just this week I bought a size 8
pair of pants. I have never been a size 8 in my entire life!
My blood pressure has gone from 146/86 to 105/64 and my
cholesterol has gone from the mid-250s to 163. I've even reduced
my thyroid medication by half. And I did it all by eating lots
of healthy starches, fruits and vegetables. I've always been a
volume eater, so it is important to me that I never have to go
hungry. The McDougall Program allows me to eat until I am
satisfied. No more white-knuckled, calorie- and
portion-restricted meals for me. Now I try to ensure that
everything I eat advances my health. The recipes from John and
Mary's Quick & Easy Cookbook have helped me in my efforts to
stay focused, and the newsletters, DVDs, website forum and Star McDougaller stories help keep me motivated. I am also motivated
by the fact that after a very painful gallbladder attack last
year, my husband decided to join me on the McDougall Plan. He
has lost about 60 pounds and looks and feels great.
 Recently,
when I came across my "before" picture, I remembered feeling
like a sad and ill woman. At 282 pounds, my face was swollen and
I was trying to smile a little. It reminded me of all the social
consequences of being morbidly obese, such as missing weddings,
funerals, and social engagements because I didn't want people to
see how much weight I had gained. I now exercise on the
treadmill for 30 minutes a day, and the pain in my hip has
disappeared. And while the weight-loss and health benefits of
the McDougall Plan are terrific, the psychological and emotional
payoffs are immeasurable. Now, my being conscious of my weight
doesn't get in the way of everything I do. The self-respect I've
gained is worth the social cost of eating differently from
others. I now feel younger and more energetic than I ever
have. My mood is elevated, and I'm no longer depressed. My life
is manageable because I don't resort to bingeing for comfort and
tension relief. I simply eat good food and go on with my life.
And that's a wonderful place to be.
Nettie Taylor
Lexington, South Carolina
September 2008
Dr. McDougall's Comments:
Nettie Taylor, wrote, "I could eat an entire one-pound bag of
M&Ms or a half-gallon of ice cream at one sitting." She has an
uncontrollable urge to satisfy her sweet-tasting sensory buds on
the tip of her tongue and her appetite. She, like all of us
human beings, is physiologically designed to be a carbohydrate
(sugar) –seeker and consumer. Carbohydrate is our primary,
preferred fuel; unfortunately, food industries know this well
and have capitalized on our nature by manufacturing "junk foods"
loaded with sugar, but deficient in essential nutrients.
Because most of her previous meals were made of
carbohydrate-deficient beef, chicken, fish, cheese, and oil,
Nettie left the dinner table hungry, anxious, and unsatisfied.
Her unfulfilled needs to obtain pleasure and satisfaction were
so powerful that they were totally irrepressible. Her mind
quickly latched on to the only carbohydrates in the house, M&Ms
and ice cream. She ate. The rewards from these sweet foods were
quick and intense, like a narcotic addict's heroin, an
alcoholic's shot of whiskey, and a smoker's cigarette.
In addition to being half sugar, to make matters worse,
Nettie's M&Ms and ice cream were half fat. The sugar spiked her
insulin production, pushing the readily available fat from those
handfuls and spoonfuls of dessert right into her belly, buttock,
leg, arm, and face fat depots. In a matter of months she added
another whole person—150 pounds—to her body weight, and as long
as her carbohydrate sources were candy and ice creams, she
stayed obese and sick. The basic metabolism of the body is
genetically encoded, and no amount of willpower will ever change
the fundamentals of the human workings. Fortunately, the sources
of satisfying foods are entirely a matter of choice.
Nettie learned from the McDougall Plan the importance of
satisfying her carbohydrate dependent drives with an abundance
of starches—rice, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, and white
potatoes—with a few fruits and vegetables. Please note how she
refers to her diet as "starch-based." Carbohydrates are found
only in plant foods (except for milk and honey). The
carbohydrates in fruits are simple, very sweet, and intensely
pleasurable, but the satiating effects are relatively
short-lived (compared to starches and vegetables). Green and
yellow vegetables contain only small amounts of carbohydrates.
Starches contain large amounts of complex, slowly digested,
delicious carbohydrates, delivering prolonged satisfaction. We
are "starch-eaters," just like cats are "meat-eaters." (The
cat's tongue has sensory buds for proteins, not carbohydrate.)
Like Nettie, until you discover the central role of starches
in your life, you will remain out of control, and likely
overweight and burdened with bad health. Once starch becomes
your predominate calorie source, then the appetite correctly
regulates the amount of calories consumed. The body, as in
Nettie's case, will innately recognize the need to shed excess
body fat—and on this proper fuel (starch) it is now able to do
so. Because these basic starchy foods contain no cholesterol,
adequate protein, little fat, and an abundance of phyto-nutrients,
the body thrives, which is reflected in an improvement in risk
factors (numbers)—cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides,
sugar, etc.
Lives are ruined by food, to the same degree, as are the
lives of a smoker, alcoholic, or narcotic addict destroyed by
their misguided choices. Fortunately, once the truth is
internalized, changing to oatmeal, bean burritos, spaghetti, and
rice pilaf sets you free to heal and stay healthy; and this
change should be far easier than quitting tobacco, whiskey,
cocaine, or opiates.
|
|
|
|
