Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

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Lost 131 pounds in 13 months

Postby MixedGrains » Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:33 pm

4/19/2012 edit: Updated thread title. Title was: "Lost 107 pounds in 9 months."

12/29/2011 edit: Updated thread title. Original title: "Lost 88 pounds in under six months."

Picture this: Fifteen months ago I weighed something in excess of 550 pounds, maybe 600 or even more. I'll never know how much for sure. I don't have pictures, and the scales at my clinic read ERR above 450 pounds. (I last weighed 450 back in 2005.)

So there I was, diabetic, hypertensive, high cholesterol. Taking 2 diabetes meds, three blood pressure meds, and a statin. Family history of heart disease. Varicose veins in my right leg, edema from the meds, constant leg cramps, my shins sprouting patches of tissue that looked black and dead. Sedentary of course -- exercise is close to impossible when you're in that condition. Plus, it hurts. "Try to exercise more..." You might as well say "Try to hold your hand in the fire a little bit longer."

Every so often, the TV news likes to show the paramedics cutting the wall off of some poor dude's trailer so they can haul his 700lb ass out with a forklift and take him to a hospital. I was rapidly turning into that guy. I didn't have a future.

My diet was... well, it doesn't matter. Obviously it wasn't healthy. I could write a book about the changes I made in my eating patterns over the years; some of the choices were foolish, some were desperate, some were resigned. Some of them should have worked, based on the info I had available to me. Doesn't matter; whatever I ate, I kept getting fatter.

I've had a lot of doctors who've told me to lose weight over the years. But in June of 2010, I finally met one who was willing to engage honestly with my bitter "nothing I've ever done has worked, have you got any new advice for me?" response.

No, she didn't recommend a plant-based diet. She did offer me a choice of several powerful prescription brain drugs which she said had some modest off-label reputation as appetite suppressants. I chose one, which I'm not going to name here. Astonishingly, it worked... sort of.

It had side effects, but what it did for me was interrupt a bunch of my food cravings. For the first time in my life, I was prompted to eat by hunger. I used to stand in front of the fridge, holding an internal dialog about whether or not I'd digested enough food from the last meal that I had room to eat again. I'd FIND myself in front of the fridge having that conversation; it wasn't under my control. The new brain drugs got rid of all that, and it was a blessing. But the side effects were ... massive.

I took the drugs for about six months. I also worked to convince this new doctor to prescribe me something other than the Avandia diabetes med I'd been on for five years. My weight had been stable around 450 before Avandia, then I ballooned. In September, I finally got a change of meds.

Now I was losing a lot of weight. (Avandia is a vicious, vicious drug.) But I also had to stop the brain drug. It was messing with my speech centers, I was losing words. That was OK -- the months I was on it were long enough to break a lot of bad eating habits surrounding binge and habitual eating.

Unfortunately, I had to change doctors again. And the new one didn't like the sound of my congenital heart murmur. It sounded like... more... to her. We discussed whether I needed a cardiac referral, but I couldn't afford it (I'm uninsured), and she wasn't certain. I stalled.

Comes to be Christmas time. I'd lost substantial weight -- more than fifty pounds judging from my clothing. But I had no data. The love of my life found me a household scales good to 600 pounds, and that was my Christmas present (it wasn't exactly cheap).

On Christmas Day 2010 I weighed 511 pounds. I was encouraged ... I had thought it more than that. I didn't remove the meat or dairy from my diet, but I started eating a lot more fruits and vegetables. I was losing weight steadily, a pound or two a week.

Around Valentines Day, we took a special holiday excursion. There was a lot of rich food, more exercise than usual, and more caffeine. My heart started pounding and I began to wonder whether various faint sensations (possibly psychosomatic) qualified as "chest pain." Of course I consulted my doctor. We agreed it was time for that cardiac consult. But the appointment, when I got it, was for the end of March.

In early March, I was relating all this to a good friend who'd recently been through a false-alarm cardiac scare. He was working to improve his diet nonetheless, and he lent me a copy of Esselstyn's "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease".

Now you've got to understand, I've seen diet books. The world is absolutely full of persuasive medical doctors with a theory about what we should eat. Each one is different, and they certainly aren't all right. So my attitude upon being handed yet another medicalized diet book? Concealed derision: "Yah, here's another one." But a friend is a friend, so I looked at it. (It helps that this friend is one of the smartest people I know.)

One thing I'll give Esselstyn. His pictures of clogged coronary arteries, followed by pics of the unclogged ones: they are very persuasive.

But what caught my attention was that his claims were easily testable. Eat the plant based diet, he said, and you'll see prompt, almost immediate, improvements in blood pressure and blood sugar.

Give up all meat, dairy, oils, refined carbs? For life? It was to laugh. Never happen, not from the mental space I was in. But there I was, broke and uninsured and spending $400 bucks a month on blood pressure and diabetes meds, with a cardiologist visit I can't pay for coming up in a couple of weeks. And this book says I'll see improvements in my numbers in just a few days. That's a claim I can test! And when (so went my internal dialog) my blood sugar spikes through the roof after I eat so much fruit and grain, I can pitch this darn book as yet another product of yet another charlatan.

Hopefully by now you are all laughing at me. Because you know what happened. I'd been posting fasting morning blood sugar numbers between 125 and 140. The lowest I'd ever seen was 117. On March 21, it was 111. Then 113, then 112... I never saw 125 again, much less 140. An instant 10-25 improvement in my blood sugar. Now I'm routinely as low as 92 or so.

Blood pressure improvements were more chaotic, but the trend was clear within a week -- it was improving.

And weight loss? That first week I lost 7 pounds. Then it bounced around a bit, but when the dust settled, I was losing an average of 3.5 pounds a week (compared to a very respectable 2.4 pounds a week between Christmas -- when my data begins -- and March 19.)

At the end of March, I finally saw my cardiologist. Basically he took an EKG and and an echocardiogram, tsked and tutted, and told me to keep up the good work on diet and weight loss. I've got mild-to-moderate valve disease, and I'll be seeing him again soon to see if that is getting any worse. As for arterial blockage, he opined that if I have any, it's minor enough that the valve disease would make it hard to confirm without very invasive testing, and his initial treatment advice based on my symptoms would be the same with or without the testing: keep treating the diabetes and hypertension and cholesterol, plus lose weight. We discussed my then-new experiment in plant-based eating, and he basically said "that's exactly what you should be eating, keep it up."

My "three day experiment" never ended. I have been delighted, even astonished, by the continuing rapid weight loss. My staples are cooked whole grains and savory bean/legume mixes, supplemented with a ton of vegetables and fruit. After I discovered Dr. McDougall's slightly different and somewhat starchier take on plant based eating, I added in potatoes and corn tortillas. I continue to eat the same huge portions I've eaten all my life, and I enjoy the food I eat. My blood sugar numbers have continued to improve, my blood pressure is some better, and I've just received good news in the form of fresh blood sugar and cholesterol numbers.

Blood sugar first:

2005: Diagnosed with diabetes. AIC: 7.1

2009, October: A1C down to 5.9; on megadose of Avandia and Metformin. Diabetes considered "controlled".

2011, March 3: A1C at 6; Jenuvia and Metformin. 2 weeks before starting plant based diet.

2011, August 30: A1C at 5.5. Dropped the Jenuvia. Yay! (That stuff is expensive.)

But it's the blood lipids that are fun:

2005:
Total: 245
LDL: 188
HDL: 23
Trig: 169

2009
Total: 246 (wow, these meds really work, not)
LDL: 168
HDL: 25
Trig: 263

2011 (now):
Total: 142 (yay for plants!)
LDL: 75 (!)
HDL: 25
Trig: 211

Obviously those triglycerides are still high, but my doctor opines they will come down slowly with further weight loss. (I know I probably need to eat less fruit, too.) I am exhorted to exercise to improve the HDL. But would you look at those total and LDL numbers! It's astonishing.

Now, what about weight loss? Today I weigh 394 pounds. Yes, that's still morbid obesity, even for a 6'4" man. But I'm losing an average of 3.5 pounds a week! Without, most weeks, breaking a sweat. I haven't bought many new clothes yet, and it's almost comical how badly I'm falling out of my old ones.

I was 482 on March 18 when I started eating nothing but plants. That's 88 pounds lost in 25 weeks. And it's not a struggle, it's not a "diet" that I can't wait to be done with, it's just what I'm eating. Realistically, I know things may change in the future -- but even if I mess up and gain some, for the first time in my life I know how to lose it again. For me, that's epic.

Health effects: Obviously I feel better and move better. I never lost my mobility, but at my heaviest, I was limited to no more than half an hour of standing/walking before my feet would hurt too bad, which made a lot of simple things difficult, like grocery shopping. Today, the sore feet while "out and about" is a fading memory. Obviously the diabetes is better. My blood pressure is improved -- I'm now, still with meds, skating just below the basic 120/80 upper limit on healthy BP. Before, on the same meds, I was often seeing 150+/110 type numbers, with some as high as 180/120. I expect further improvement as my weight diminishes. And there's also the question of digestion. I was never plagued by sustained heartburn, but I certainly had it frequently; now, I never get it. I used to get unpleasant digestive symptoms my doctor thought were probably incipient gall bladder disease; those are 100% gone. I even had a few minor hemorrhoids, which have now completely healed due to the lack of need for what the doctors so delicately call "straining at stools." And two summers ago, walking 300 feet in the full heat of the day would destroy my wind and energy, leaving me out of breath and debilitated. This summer, the hottest on record where I am? None of that. I changed a tire at noon -- it was sweaty and unpleasant and I was breathing hard when done, but I didn't feel like I needed to lay down and die.

Oh, yes, and remember those black patches on my shins that looked like the area was dead? (Yeah, scary enough. Twice as scary when you're diabetic and nothing heals well below the knees.) Those patches are healing. They're not gone...yet. But they are much healthier looking, the color is now just a light brown, and they are vanishing from the outside in, in a fractal pattern that almost certainly relates to the restored functionality of various small blood vessels.

I'm still a hugely fat man with diabetes, hypertension, and some damage to my cardiac valves. But for the first time in my life, I feel in control of my diet and my weight. I feel better than I have in years, I'm lighter than I've been in fifteen years at least, and I've got some reasonable hope that I won't be dead by the time I'm fifty (which was my realistic expectation less than two years ago.)

Sorry to have written such a book. Now, if you'll pardon me, there's a bowl of curried peas and rice that's calling my name.
Last edited by MixedGrains on Thu Apr 19, 2012 1:55 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Lost 88 pounds in under six months

Postby Mrs. Doodlepunk » Sun Sep 11, 2011 3:07 pm

I think you SHOULD write a book! I loved reading your story and want to read the book when it's done. :unibrow:

Dr. E's pictures of unclogged arteries really hit me where I live, too.
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Re: Lost 88 pounds in under six months

Postby f1jim » Sun Sep 11, 2011 3:21 pm

Chalk up another victory for this way of eating. Kudos to the friend that gave you the Esselstyn book. You couldn't have a better gift or a more caring friend. This is the kind of story that keeps me going even after dozens of people tell me they wouldn't think of adopting this way of eating no matter what. Success is still spelled the same way and you must be very overjoyed at your results. Lot's of people will argue that your story isn't typical but based on my experiences it is very typical. The body is programed to heal itself if given a respite from the daily assaults and the nutrients necessary to complete the job. Is this diet a cure-all? No. But it is the answer for most people fighting the obesity and chronic disease rampant in our culture.
Thanks for sharing and contributing to the growing body of knowledge and experience here.
f1jim
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 88 pounds in under six months

Postby afreespirit » Sun Sep 11, 2011 3:23 pm

What a wonderful, hope-filled story. Thank you for sharing, and may you continue to succeed.
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Re: Lost 88 pounds in under six months

Postby sweetfruitlover » Sun Sep 11, 2011 4:37 pm

Congratulations, MixedGrains! That is so wonderful and so hopeful. I'm so proud of you for being willing to try this way of eating, and how awesome that it's working so well for you. It's not a surprise to those of us who are here, but there's such conflicting advice about diet out there that it makes sense that you didn't think this would work either. Yay for your caring friend who gave you Dr. E's book. It just goes to show that even though most people don't want to change, some do, and those people who are ready need to hear the message one more time from someone they know and trust and respect.
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Re: Lost 88 pounds in under six months

Postby Broadbean » Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:14 pm

This is a great story -- I'm so happy for you, Mixed Grains! Keep it up! I want to read more success stories by you.
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Re: Lost 88 pounds in under six months

Postby Love the Lorax » Mon Sep 12, 2011 1:53 am

WOW! Really, Wow. I am so impressed. You have so much courage to have really faced up to try something new, and to tell us. Thank you for that insight. Please, keep it up and someday we will read about you being a star McDougaller!

I never, ever tire of reading about how healthy eating has helped people to overcome health problems, and I appreciate that you took the time to let us know your background.

There are others on the board who have lost a large amount of weight, so you have good company here.
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Re: Lost 88 pounds in under six months

Postby Starchyme » Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:40 am

Can't add anything more than what everyone has already said. You are doing an awesome job. Keep on keeping on. Keep us apprised. Happy McDougalling!
Happy McDougalling!
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Re: Lost 88 pounds in under six months

Postby MixedGrains » Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:20 am

Hey, everybody, thanks for the kind words.

f1Jim, you're right about one thing: I'm very very happy with how things have gone for me since I started eating this way. In fact, just last night I had a thought that pretty much floored me. I was talking to my sister who lives about 2,000 miles away, when suddenly it occurred to me: pretty soon I might be able to get on an airplane again! I haven't flown since 2000, and figured I never would again. At six-foot-four I'll never fit comfortably in an airline seat, but possible? Maybe in another six months. :)

I also still have a long way to go with respect to getting rid of meds. My doctor is a meds believer -- he tried to tell me that my cholesterol decline was due to the statin I've been taking, and he doesn't want me to reduce any of my BP meds unless "you start getting so dizzy it's debilitating." But, you know, one thing at a time; I self-stopped the worst of my diabetes meds three weeks before seeing him, and based on my 5.5 A1C he's supporting that experiment contingent on checking my A1C again in six weeks to make sure it isn't going back up. One thing at a time, right?

My friend who gave me the Esselstyn book, by the way, decided to start eating plant-based despite having gotten a clean bill of health from his cardiologist; he was intellectually predisposed to improving his diet in some such manner anyway, and like all of us would like to live a long and healthy life. He didn't have a weight issue or any other medical problems, but last time I discussed it with him, he'd lost fifteen or twenty pounds anyway and was getting a little mock-concerned because he weighs less than he did in high school.
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Re: Lost 88 pounds in under six months

Postby janluvs2heel » Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:21 am

Wow-what a great story.

So nice to get up this am & read this.

Looking forward to new chapters in the future!!
Jan
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Re: Lost 88 pounds in under six months

Postby toadfood » Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:31 am

Thank you so much for sharing this. I, too, am looking forward to the next chapter!
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I have to stay with my turtle energy. Slow and steady wins the race. -- Letha
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Re: Lost 88 pounds in under six months

Postby Melinda » Mon Sep 12, 2011 9:32 am

Ditto for me! Your story is so inspiring - thanks for taking the time to write it, and I will look forward to the next installments! :-D
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Re: Lost 88 pounds in under six months

Postby ETeSelle » Mon Sep 12, 2011 10:14 am

CONGRATS!!!!! YOU ROCK!!!!! :mrgreen:
Elizabeth
Weight now: 124 (20.0 BMI)
Weight in 2010: 207 (33.4 BMI)
Star McDougaller Story
Testimonial thread

Trust me on this: One day you'll wake up and realize that it no longer feels like "being strict." It just feels GOOD. :)
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Re: Lost 88 pounds in under six months

Postby sagegirl » Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:03 am

Hey! Nothing like RESULTS! Congrats also.
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Re: Lost 88 pounds in under six months

Postby Emily » Mon Sep 12, 2011 1:51 pm

This is an AWESOME story. I enjoyed every word. Thank you so much for sharing! I look forward to hearing updates as they come, and I look forward with excitement to when you become a Star McDougaller, as you're certainly headed in that kind of direction with that kind of adherence and those results. :D
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