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Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 12:41 pm
by afreespirit
Wise words, Mixed Grains! It is true that once McD has become a way of life, it is easy to forget how we used to think and how others can still think as they do about food. Thanks for the reminder, as I think many of us (like me) feel as does Daffodil, forgetting that others do not see the stark choice between life and death that we do.

Also, as much as we long to impart to others our life-saving knowledge, it requires much more of an investment in learning than almost any would-be convertee is willing to make, as long as their health seems to be "ok"...or even not. :|

Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:10 pm
by frozenveg
That is so true--very wise words. I live at home with two beloved people--my husband and daughter--who defend me, understand what I'm doing, and love me. They are both obese and need to lose not just the weight but the various problems that accompany it. But DD can't wrap her brain around what she'd eat, and wants her meat, even tho she has cut back so far on her Weight Watchers diet. And DH tries, but he also can't wrap his brain around wanting to eat what he needs to eat. He's trying so hard, but the cheeseburger has flavors that call to him.

Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 2:31 am
by djunamod
MixedGrains, thank you for updating your story. I was nearly in tears when I read it. I so admire the fact that you were willing to go to any lengths to find a solution that was healthier than the ones your doctors were recommending (drugs, etc). I don't know if I would have the strength of will to do that if I were in that situation.

It's wonderful reading about your progress and please keep us all updated!

And I completely agree with you about Dr. Esselstyn's book. I also thought the heart images were very persuasive :D.

Djuna

Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 9:10 pm
by jld
frozenveg wrote:That is so true--very wise words. I live at home with two beloved people--my husband and daughter--who defend me, understand what I'm doing, and love me. They are both obese and need to lose not just the weight but the various problems that accompany it. But DD can't wrap her brain around what she'd eat, and wants her meat, even tho she has cut back so far on her Weight Watchers diet. And DH tries, but he also can't wrap his brain around wanting to eat what he needs to eat. He's trying so hard, but the cheeseburger has flavors that call to him.


I'm sure that's challenging, fv. And I'm sure you are an inspiration to them.:)

Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 8:36 am
by LauraW
Congratulations! What a great success story! I tried the paleo diet recently and all their websites and books say that carbohydrates - especially starchy carbs - are practically poison for diabetics. It's wonderful to see a real life success story that disproves those claims. :)

Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 1:01 am
by carollynne
MixedGreens, you are a great inspiration to us all here. Hope to see you as a Star McDougaller oneday too. So cool. YOU make me think of my dad in one respect, he was 6'4" and although he was thin, (190 lbs) and active he died suddenly of a heart attack at 63. He did not want to stop his smoking or beer or butter either. He had HBP and took one pill for it for 10 yrs.
Those numbers do not lie, so congrats to you for all doing!

Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 9:14 am
by grangran7
So very glad I found these posts! You're all an inspiration to me mostly for the stick-to-it-iveness no matter what and don't quit because of a plateau or bump in the road. Thank you all for your posts and thank you MixedGrains for starting it with your wonderful success story and continued success! Proud of you all!!!

Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 1:02 pm
by MixedGrains
Thanks everybody for the kind words!

I haven't posted here a lot because life has gotten crazy. Food-wise, I'm maintaining nicely on plant foods. Weight loss has essentially stopped -- I've been up and down 5-10 pounds but no real trends for change since before Christmas. But my fasting blood sugars are down in the 80s, my blood pressure remains good, and with spring coming I'm discovering all sorts of "outside energy" with respect to yard and property projects that I never even considered, formerly.

I'm four days out from the 1-year anniversary of starting to eat this way. In a few weeks I've got a doctor visit where I should get new lipids numbers, and then it will be time for a comprehensive update.

Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 1:35 pm
by Big John
Hello Mixedgrains

I just read this entire thread and it inspired me to join.

Been reading a lot but have not started.

My story is similar to yours, but my max weight was 411 and now around 350 which has been my "normal weight" for the last 15 years.

6'6" tall and around 340 rite now, would like to be at the 200 mark..... which I have not seen since High School.

Thanks for the inspiration and hope.

John

Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 7:57 pm
by dlee
MixedGrains wrote:
Daffodil wrote:I really do not understand many of the sheeple(SAD people) in general that feel they would rather die than give up their meat, dairy and oils. When in fact if they keep eating that way, they WILL die. (sooner rather than later)


Daffodil, I honestly don't think that's quite a fair statement of where most people are coming from.

It's really easy for us (for anybody) to get enthusiastic about something and lose our perspective -- by which I mean, to forget how we used to think.

It would be pretty remarkable if people deliberately chose death over a change in diet. But that assumes more knowledge than anybody has. Everybody here on this board knows (or thinks we know) some stuff about the benefits of eating "just plants". But we "know" because we tried it and we experienced the benefits.

I think back to when I weighed something north of 550 pounds. Here's what I knew:

1) I was fat;
2) I didn't like too many vegetables or whole grains.




Good post ! Well put. I now think I understand my overweight brother better from this perspective....like you were, he's very distrusting that any thing will work and I can not talk to him about this WOE he just thinks it's another crazy diet.Thanks for your thoughts, Dlee

Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 9:05 pm
by f1jim
I dare say most people don't put food together with health in any meaningful way. For 51 years I didn't relate one to the other except in a vary vague way. I have to work at remembering my previous state of mind lest I assume people make that connection. Ignorance is bliss.
f1jim

Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 6:50 pm
by Knut
Kris wrote:Hello Mixed Grains,

I hope you are doing well. I could relate to so much of what you shared here.

I joined here in 2006 - years ago and was doing really well then got off track and regained the weight I'd lost and more - eventually getting up to 433 pounds. I was too ashamed to return here and wallowed around at 433 until joining another plant-based forum where I was unknown.

I started out there in 2010 and began losing weight again, but didn't have a helpful mindset. I was looking forward to eating treats that I really don't handle very well. So, when the first celebration rolled around I ate cake, lots of it and a little of this and that and celebrated through the holidays and before long I'd regained all but 23 pounds of what I'd lost until I regained my senses last summer.

On July 4, 2011, I braved returning to that forum weighing 410 - yikes - but received welcoming support and have now lost 149 of the original 300 pounds, so I'm nearly at the halfway point with the weight loss - at 284. This time, though, I'm seeing the journey differently - as a lifetime health process, not a diet or weight loss process. Weight loss is a wonderful side benefit, though. I decided to check in here at the McDougall forum and was pleased to see how positive it was. I will continue to lurk about here, but haven't really seemed to make connections with my posts, so this may not be the place for me right now....



Kris... I must say, in a forum filled with much wisdom and informative comments, yours has to be one of the more honest and revealing comments I have read to date. Keep it up, you're doing great.

I was fortunate in that I only had about 100 lbs to lose and never had a problem with over eating. I was also fortunate to be in decent shape and between this WOE and exercising my butt off, I was able to drop the 100 lbs. in just a few months. I could only hope that I could approach your persistence and determination if I found myself in a similar situation that you find yourself. You really are an inspiration. Be well....

Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:52 pm
by Knut
No worries. No need to feel like a traitor either... I peruse several vegan forums myself. All that matters is that you're getting healthier. Take care and be well....

Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 12:06 am
by lmggallagher
MixedGrains:

I so appreciate your perspective on why people kind of get despondent over even hearing of yet another diet, when nothing has worked so far and so much has been tried. I completely relate to that.

I'd also add that I think folks just turn off to the old "Oh try my new diet, it's just great" and blah, blah, blah and then a few months down the line you've lost interest -- and they just see that you tried to drag them into your latest fad.

Last year, at just this time, I was having a dinner with family and one member exclaimed the virtues of her recent diet for a good long while, as many of us "cheated" over an extravagant Easter meal. She'd had a long consultation with an expensive dietician to help her loose I'd say well over 150 pounds. A year later I think she is up another 50 pounds and made us all a killer desert for Easter dinner. That diet is long forgotten.

I absolutely am not going to judge this woman or try to sell my diet to her. I haven't lost my weight and sustained the loss for a good long while.....yet. Still, I had a hunch she wouldn't be able to execute that expensive diet plan, as it was complex and minutely portion controlled. Sadly, that's how it played out too, this year she's up about 50 pounds above last year.

Maybe this is why our Doctors don't have faith either - they must see people try and fail over and over again. Even when consulting other "medical professionals" for tailored diets.

I just was so touched that your Doc showed you off around the office. Seriously, he must be grateful to you for being so tenacious to see this through. The way you described it, he sounded so like a proud parent. And now you two really are a team in this -- just as we hope are doctors can be with us.

You have said a great many things that I'll come back to as I go forward. Your example is very compelling, as are your sage observations and your fabulous numbers. Good grief, you still have a few to shed and look at the TC number, not to mention the glucose numbers, wow. We are all looking forward to your Star McDougaller write up one day in the not to distant future :nod:

Thank you for the inspiration - for me, us and especially for your Doctor- Michelle

PS: Did you say what you are doing for exercise these days?

Re: Lost 107 pounds in 9 months

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 7:16 pm
by MixedGrains
Hey everybody, I appreciate all the recent comments. Haven't been on the board in a while because of a rough time with family/elder caregiving lately. I know many of you have been there.

Was at the doctor today for blood labs, will get numbers on Thursday which will be time for a big update. My weight loss has slowed way down in the last six months but it does continue -- Friday was a new weekly low for me.

Exercise on a regular basis continues to be a problem for me -- I have a lot more energy for it, but a lot of distractions, too. Before things got crazy in my family life, I took advantage of a little video poker jackpot to buy an electric chainsaw, which I was using to trim some of the encroaching jungle around the edge of our property and clear out some of the dead wood. Lots of carrying, hauling, and dragging when I was doing that -- an amount of physical effort that would have been UNIMAGINABLE when I weighed over 500.