Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

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Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

Postby lmggallagher » Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:11 pm

Oh my, yes, to elder care - I know how draining that can be and it's so hard to juggle your own life then. None-the-less, you still seem to be making progress. As for exercise - all that pruning, dragging and hauling - then you've been getting some really good work outs!!! We've got fingers crossed for more good news Thursday :nod:
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Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

Postby MixedGrains » Thu Apr 19, 2012 1:55 pm

OK. Time for another substantive update.

It's been approximately 16 weeks since I got my last blood numbers at my last doctor visit. In that time, there have been several changes in my lifestyle and habits. For one thing, I've picked up a video poker hobby, so I've been spending quite a bit of time in casinos. That probably hasn't changed my level of exercise -- time spent there displaced time spent playing computer games at home -- but it does expose me to a lot more second-hand smoke and a lot more food and beverage temptations. I've done fairly well ignoring the free popcorn and ice cream, but I've drunk a lot more caffeinated beverages, which I was completely off for awhile. Mostly coffee, mostly black or with just a hint of sugar, but at a self-serve beverage bar I've been known to put an inch of hot cocoa in the bottom of the coffee cup. That means some dairy and oils. (Shame on me.) For dining, I'd say my total visits to commercial buffets has gone up, but I've gotten better (in my own estimation) at finding food combinations that are completely free of meat, dairy, and oils. Nonethless, any buffet eating includes some risk of hidden oil creeping in.

Also, for most of the past month I was struggling (pretty much alone) with a family elder-care challenge that landed in my lap. That's mostly behind me now, but the stress levels were extreme, as were the demands on my time. There were days I missed meals, and a great many more when I was facing time challenges with respect to preparing meals. It got so "bad" for a while there that I was just eating crock pot beans from the fridge over my mixed grains from the fridge, with a chopped tomato or stalk of celery mixed in if I had time. I put "bad" in quotes because the eating was healthy -- it just got monotonous the second or third time in a day.

Diet wise, I would also say that over the period in question, I started eating more celery and sweet potatoes (good) and more whole grain breads and peanut butter (not so good at least on a calorie density basis).

OK, so what happened to me? Let's start with weight. Using the clinic weights (which always differ from mine due to extra clothing, cell phone, keys, wallet, and pocket change) I went from 378 to 358 over 16 weeks, for a net of 1.25 pounds of loss per week. That's slower than formerly, but it's not bad for a period when my focus was mostly elsewhere. (It was actually nowhere near that steady -- there was a lot of up-and-down, although the ups were never an upward trend, just a lot of bouncing around in fairly narrow bands.)

Using my own numbers (weekly post-toilet pre-shower in underwear) I went from 375 to 351. Close enough to the clinic numbers for a sanity check, anyway.

Also significant is that during this period -- a month ago on March 18 -- I passed the one-year anniversary of plant-based eating. At that time, I weighed 370 by my numbers, for a year-to-year loss (down from 482) of 112 pounds. My total after 13 months of plant-based eating is (again by my home numbers) 482 minus 351 or 131 pounds. That's the number I'm using to update this thread title today. Remember that my total weight loss (the start of which pre-dates plant-based eating as detailed in the first post of this thread) is upwards of 160 pounds -- that's the documented number, but the true number is probably another 50-75 pounds higher than that.

But you know what? Yeah, I want to lose at least another hundred pounds, but that's not really what this has come to be about for me.

Remember that when I started this, I was in a place of fear with cardiac symptoms and BAD diabetes, on meds I could not afford and taking handfuls of blood pressure medicines. The last time I saw my doctor, he was very positive and said we'd revisit my meds this time.

So, this time. Let's look at the numbers, all as compared to four months ago:

A1C: 5.2 (down from 5.3)
Total Cholesterol: 126 (down from 133)
LDL Cholesterol: 71 (up from 69)
HDL Cholesterol: 29 (up from 27)
Triglycerides: 130 (down from 185)

The only "out of range" number is the HDL, and it's trending up; remember that six months ago it was under 15 and thus too low for my lab to measure. My doctor says "exercise more" and all I need to do is figure out how to make that happen. But to me, the big news is the triglycerides number -- this is the first time it's ever been in the recommended range.

But for me the very best news is with respect to meds. I got the doctor to drop two of my blood pressure meds completely, based on an in-office reading of 122/70. Yes! He also offered to cut my last diabetes med in half (metformin 2x1000 down to 2x500) and gave me a diagnostic target for eliminating it completely -- when my A1C stabilizes at 5.0 or below. I can't imagine not getting there if I keep losing weight.

So that leaves me on one diuretic blood pressure med, a statin, and a low-dose beta blocker to help with my often-excessive heart rate. (Which has been getting better also.) At the rate this doctor moves it will be awhile before I'm free of meds, but if I keep seeing weight loss and improving numbers, I can actually imagine that happening one day.

Next doctor visit and labs: August.
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Re: Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

Postby lmggallagher » Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:04 pm

MixedGrains: considering all you have been through recently and the changes you you couldn't help at times - you must have thought this wasn't going to be as completely SPECTACULAR as it is!

Getting off those drugs is a HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT and the day will come when you won't even remember having to keep track of all of that!

So, today is another RED LETTER DAY FOR YOU and we all will be celebrating your good news - Michelle
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Re: Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

Postby Starchyme » Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:21 pm

Congratulations, Mixed Greens. That was wonderful news any way you look at it....lowered meds, BP, lab stats, weight. Keep on keeping on. We're rooting for you. Happy McDougalling!
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Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

Postby Norm » Thu Apr 19, 2012 11:08 pm

MixedGrains wrote:But for me the very best news is with respect to meds. I got the doctor to drop two of my blood pressure meds completely, based on an in-office reading of 122/70. Yes! He also offered to cut my last diabetes med in half (metformin 2x1000 down to 2x500) and gave me a diagnostic target for eliminating it completely -- when my A1C stabilizes at 5.0 or below. I can't imagine not getting there if I keep losing weight.

Congratulations on reduciing/eliminating your meds! It's a great feeling. :)

-Norm
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Re: Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

Postby grannyguru » Sun Jul 01, 2012 9:34 pm

Great post!

Thanks. I think it will help a lot of people.

The part where eating a diet of death looks so safe and normal is especially difficult for me; I know but cannot believe it will kill me.

Dr. Barnard said something like if you go back and try the food you had been eating after eating the plant based diet, you will not like the food you used to eat.

I had been craving fried cod for a few weeks. I kept winning by staying away from it... Finally I went crazy and deep fried a pound of it and ate it all. Each bite was wonderful. All during the meal my body kept cheering "Yes!" and for a day and a half afterwards it was singing "Allelujah!", and I felt better, not worse.

I wondered: maybe I need to eat fat and fish.....

Then my blood pressure went from 124/70 to 159/90.

That got me back to reality.

cod is an addiction for me. The cravings were probably brought on by my repeated consumption of sugar added to my inability to make mashed potatoes that taste like and look like the ones I used to eat...

I went to an all you can eat cafeteria with my son, and I really looked silly not eating all that good food everyone else was eating.

I'm surrounded by restaurants I can finally afford. And no, I don't want to go to KFC and eat only salad!

So your post was really helpful to me.

When I started this, I lost 12 pounds in the first 3-1/2 weeks, and my blood pressure went down to about 120/70. Eating potatoes and home made pasta and rice. So I know it works.

Getting on this diet is like quitting smoking was: I kept slipping off the path, but eventually won.

With all the conflicting diet advice out there, it's very confusing. I am banking on Dr. Esselstyn's heart patient study, plus the years of continued success of Dr. Mcdougall and other like minded doctors, and all you folks here.

Thanks again.
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Re: Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

Postby MixedGrains » Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:57 pm

grannyguru wrote:I went to an all you can eat cafeteria with my son, and I really looked silly not eating all that good food everyone else was eating.


I know just what you mean -- but you'll get past that I predict.

I've had to get pretty brutal with myself about making my own food choices without worrying what other people will think. The waitress may or may not be judging my bizarre order of two plain baked potatoes and some corn and beans off the sides menu, with a dish of salsa on the side -- but I can't afford to care.

Likewise at the buffet. I used to think my goal at an all-you-can-eat buffet was to make them lose money on me by eating lots of the most expensive stuff (meat). That was -- in hindsight -- a weird and self-destructive attitude. It's healthier to focus on getting good value -- for me.

In your case, I suspect you'll be a lot happier at a buffet if you can stop thinking of "all that good food" you're not eating -- if it were actually good food, you'd be eating it. If you can reprogram your thinking so that you're marveling in faint disgust at all that horrible greasy food those other people are eating, it will make things easier for you. Plus, you'll be so busy judging all of them you'll have no time worrying about them judging the content of your plate. :-)
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Re: Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

Postby MixedGrains » Fri Aug 31, 2012 12:51 pm

OK, it's time for another update. New blood numbers from last week (8/21) -- about 18 weeks after my previous comprehensive update.

This round has components of good, bad, and ugly. It's the first update where I haven't had huge improvements to brag about, too.

First, the good! My cured diabetes stayed cured -- A1C remained rock solid at 5.2, prompting my doctor to reduce my last diabetes med (metformin) from 500mg twice a day to 500mg once a day.

The bad? My weight loss has stalled completely, at a level that's still much too high for good long-term health. Using the clinic weights (including clothes and considerable pocket contents) I went from 358 to 364, a slight gain. My own numbers are more chaotic, showing me having bounced around between 351 and 360 (endpoints) with lows as low as 347 and highs up to 366.

And now, the ugly: my blood lipids numbers have mostly gotten worse, where they were formerly improving (remember that I am also on a small dose of a statin):

Total Cholesterol: 195 (up from 126)
LDL Cholesterol: 130 (up from 71)
HDL Cholesterol: 31 (up from 29, only one still improving)
Triglycerides: 169 (up from 130)

Perhaps "ugly" is too strong a word; these are not ugly numbers, and they remain uniformly better than before I started eating plant-based. But the arrow of change points robustly in the wrong direction. Ugh.

One potentially confounding factor is that I had some weird symptoms in early August, and spent a week or two not taking any meds in order to see if I was having side effect issues. So that may have affected my blood lipids at the time of the lab. I won't worry unduly until my next lipids panel in three months.

However, when combined with the lack of ongoing weight loss, I'm not content to rest wholly upon comfortable excuses. Last update I noticed slowing weight loss and wrote about changes in my diet, including minor blemishes in the oil-free program relating to buffet eating and free refreshments at casinos, as well as a shift toward more breads and (more often than "rarely") some peanut butter. This time around I would say that I'd made great strides in sharply reducing (not quite eliminating) the peanut butter, but a few more nuts crept in elsewhere. The free ice cream I said last time was no temptation has been sometimes slipping into the bottom of my coffee cup, nor did the cocoa stop doing so. Breads I have managed to sharply reduce, compensating with more potatoes. Though I didn't notice it at the time, I think I may have become less fanatical/suspicious about inspecting buffet foods for oily sheen, when it's foods that shouldn't have oil anyway. And another thing, possibly relevant, was a shift in how I eat my signature mixed grains; for quite awhile this summer when fresh fruit was most plentiful and cheap, I was making the mix with more brown rice (and less of other, more fibrous grains like spelt and kamut and rye and oats) and eating it mixed with cut fresh fruit (rather than my savory bean mixes as formerly).

Resolutions going forward, which may or may not be successfully implemented, include:

1) put more chewy grains (especially oats) back into my grains mix;
2) eat just a bit less fruit (winter will force this anyway);
3) drive the last nail into the coffin of the peanut-butter habit (difficult, as an active jar used by others is always within my field of view in the kitchen);
4) strive for an Esselstyn-like level of zealous zero tolerance for adding dairy/oil adulterants to my coffee cup when drinking free coffee in casinos (not gonna be easy; "it's just a tiny bit!") or switch to tea, which is easier for me to enjoy as-is.
5) shift my habits when eating out still yet further along the spectrum from "possibly oily but looks OK" to "clearly and verifiably oil-free". (I've already been making progress here, by finding more ways to enjoy eating the clearly oil-free items -- salad bar cut raw veggies, baked potatoes, rice still in the steamer -- so that I'm less tempted by the beans and cooked veggie items that ought not, but so often do, have oil. Basic strategy: better improvisation of flavorful toppings and dressings using safe condiments.)

Absent from this list are "get more exercise" and "eat more sensible amounts at more sensible times" -- not because these aren't essential goals (they are) but because they are unchanged from previous reporting periods, and I was achieving good weight loss and blood numbers despite my problems in these areas.

So, work to do and backsliding to avoid. But I'm not demoralized in the slightest; I'm still vastly healthier than I was, enormously happier with the way my body functions and serves me, and delighted to be on just a few, ever-diminishing, $4.00-generic meds.
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Re: Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

Postby geo » Fri Aug 31, 2012 2:14 pm

No worries Mixedgrains! Look how far you've come. You've analyzed the issue and made a new plan...now its time to execute. Forget about the past, its just history, remember where you came from and look forward at where your heading. Commitment and consistancy will get you where you want to go. Start now, right now, recomit and 3 months from now, you'll wonder why you ever felt bad.

Success is yours for the taking!
geo

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Re: Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

Postby f1jim » Fri Aug 31, 2012 3:24 pm

I agree. You have a handle on issues that you can cointrol and a plan on how to adjust. Make those adjustments and let time and adherence work for you. I have no doubt you will be moving forward to your goal.
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While adopting this diet and lifestyle program I have reversed my heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, and lost 54 lbs. You can follow my story at https://www.drmcdougall.com/james-brown/
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Re: Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

Postby Norm » Sat Sep 01, 2012 12:01 am

MixedGrains wrote:So, work to do and backsliding to avoid. But I'm not demoralized in the slightest; I'm still vastly healthier than I was, enormously happier with the way my body functions and serves me, and delighted to be on just a few, ever-diminishing, $4.00-generic meds.
I like your ever present positive attitude and determination to stick to it. You know what will keep you where you're at and you know what'll move you further on your journey. I know from personal experience how much better your body feels and functions at your current weight as compared to 100+ pounds heavier. Imagine how much better that'll be another 100 pounds lighter! It gets SO MUCH BETTER! Keep your eyes on the goal and get it done!!

-Norm
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Re: Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

Postby MixedGrains » Sat Sep 01, 2012 4:28 pm

Geo, just had a fast skim through your journal. You have had some very nice results!

I wasn't feeling bad when I posted my last update, just a little bit sheepish about having gotten over-complacent. I'm so much better by every measure that it's easy to forget just how far I still have to go; to me, 360 pounds is the lightest I've been in decades and I'm enjoying the extra stamina and energy it gives me.

Jim, you're absolutely right -- time is on my side as long as I don't get stupid. And, actually, given my history, three months when I wasn't gaining weight steadily is something of a miracle all by itself.

Norm, I still can't -- utterly, literally cannot -- imagine what it will feel like to weigh 250 or so. Last time I was that little, I was a foot shorter and just entering puberty, and my memories of that era have faded with time -- I don't have many sense memories from then.
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Re: Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

Postby Norm » Sat Sep 01, 2012 11:00 pm

MixedGrains wrote:Norm, I still can't -- utterly, literally cannot -- imagine what it will feel like to weigh 250 or so. Last time I was that little, I was a foot shorter and just entering puberty, and my memories of that era have faded with time -- I don't have many sense memories from then.
It will feel like Christmas! Every day!

-Norm
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Re: Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

Postby carollynne » Sun Sep 02, 2012 4:08 pm

I am so impressed by your journey of getting healthy and sticking to this WOE!! you can do this! Never give up, and you will reach your goal!
I have lost about 60 lbs and never thought I'd be in the 150s ever again. cured my NAFLD!! Feel great!! Wt loss is so good for the knees and back, ankle, that I know I will never start back to the SAD way of eating again.
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Re: Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

Postby dlee » Wed Nov 07, 2012 7:30 pm

MixedGrains wrote:OK, it's time for another update. New blood numbers from last week (8/21) -- about 18 weeks after my previous comprehensive update.

This round has components of good, bad, and ugly. It's the first update where I haven't had huge improvements to brag about, too.

First, the good! My cured diabetes stayed cured -- A1C remained rock solid at 5.2, prompting my doctor to reduce my last diabetes med (metformin) from 500mg twice a day to 500mg once a day.

The bad? My weight loss has stalled completely, at a level that's still much too high for good long-term health. Using the clinic weights (including clothes and considerable pocket contents) I went from 358 to 364, a slight gain. My own numbers are more chaotic, showing me having bounced around between 351 and 360 (endpoints) with lows as low as 347 and highs up to 366.

And now, the ugly: my blood lipids numbers have mostly gotten worse, where they were formerly improving (remember that I am also on a small dose of a statin):

Total Cholesterol: 195 (up from 126)
LDL Cholesterol: 130 (up from 71)
HDL Cholesterol: 31 (up from 29, only one still improving)
Triglycerides: 169 (up from 130)

Perhaps "ugly" is too strong a word; these are not ugly numbers, and they remain uniformly better than before I started eating plant-based. But the arrow of change points robustly in the wrong direction. Ugh.

One potentially confounding factor is that I had some weird symptoms in early August, and spent a week or two not taking any meds in order to see if I was having side effect issues. So that may have affected my blood lipids at the time of the lab. I won't worry unduly until my next lipids panel in three months.

However, when combined with the lack of ongoing weight loss, I'm not content to rest wholly upon comfortable excuses. Last update I noticed slowing weight loss and wrote about changes in my diet, including minor blemishes in the oil-free program relating to buffet eating and free refreshments at casinos, as well as a shift toward more breads and (more often than "rarely") some peanut butter. This time around I would say that I'd made great strides in sharply reducing (not quite eliminating) the peanut butter, but a few more nuts crept in elsewhere. The free ice cream I said last time was no temptation has been sometimes slipping into the bottom of my coffee cup, nor did the cocoa stop doing so. Breads I have managed to sharply reduce, compensating with more potatoes. Though I didn't notice it at the time, I think I may have become less fanatical/suspicious about inspecting buffet foods for oily sheen, when it's foods that shouldn't have oil anyway. And another thing, possibly relevant, was a shift in how I eat my signature mixed grains; for quite awhile this summer when fresh fruit was most plentiful and cheap, I was making the mix with more brown rice (and less of other, more fibrous grains like spelt and kamut and rye and oats) and eating it mixed with cut fresh fruit (rather than my savory bean mixes as formerly).

Resolutions going forward, which may or may not be successfully implemented, include:

1) put more chewy grains (especially oats) back into my grains mix;
2) eat just a bit less fruit (winter will force this anyway);
3) drive the last nail into the coffin of the peanut-butter habit (difficult, as an active jar used by others is always within my field of view in the kitchen);
4) strive for an Esselstyn-like level of zealous zero tolerance for adding dairy/oil adulterants to my coffee cup when drinking free coffee in casinos (not gonna be easy; "it's just a tiny bit!") or switch to tea, which is easier for me to enjoy as-is.
5) shift my habits when eating out still yet further along the spectrum from "possibly oily but looks OK" to "clearly and verifiably oil-free". (I've already been making progress here, by finding more ways to enjoy eating the clearly oil-free items -- salad bar cut raw veggies, baked potatoes, rice still in the steamer -- so that I'm less tempted by the beans and cooked veggie items that ought not, but so often do, have oil. Basic strategy: better improvisation of flavorful toppings and dressings using safe condiments.)

Absent from this list are "get more exercise" and "eat more sensible amounts at more sensible times" -- not because these aren't essential goals (they are) but because they are unchanged from previous reporting periods, and I was achieving good weight loss and blood numbers despite my problems in these areas.

So, work to do and backsliding to avoid. But I'm not demoralized in the slightest; I'm still vastly healthier than I was, enormously happier with the way my body functions and serves me, and delighted to be on just a few, ever-diminishing, $4.00-generic meds.

Just read your amazing story mixed grains.....terrific and inspiring to see how well this WOE works. Any updates lately??/ thanks Dlee
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