My Journey

[amarand]

It's good to get an update from you. I love to follow your journey.

Thank you!

I understand what you mean about eating out. I love to eat out because I like restaurants with a good ambience, but a lot of times it's difficult to get them to understand how to cook food without oil and dairy. The vegetarian options are usually full of those ingredients.

I've been a vegan for over three years now, and it's taken me just about that long to get used to ordering things vegan. Now, watching oil, it's like "could you please just steam me some veggies, and put a baked potato on a plate? Thanks!"

Before McDougall, eating out vegan was almost just as much fun as eating omnivorous, but it still wasn't healthy. After McDougall, eating out really isn't fun, except for VERY special occasions. The food that I can make at home is almost always far superior to any McDougall-friendly food I can get out. Most restaurant food simply isn't prepared to that standard of healthiness, unfortunately.

However, I think it'd be awesome to have a McDougall-friendly restaurant chain out there - for those times when I don't really want to cook and clean, but I still want to eat healthfully.

[dlee]

Just wanted to post an update. Eating at home, It's cheaper, and I feel a ton better.

I have a big work-weekend coming up, and I've already scoped out the microwave and fridge/freezer, so instead of pizza-and-soda (scary), I'll bring a potato, a small container of vegan chili and a fresh ear of corn. Yum!

Fun to read your story you're doing great, the oil thing is really a good key.
On week ends my hubby and I usually make a big baking pan full of baked potatoes, to have for lunches or snacks in the next week. Also a really big pot of good soup. It's so handy I take a big green salad to work with me and a couple of baked potatoes that I heat up in the micro in about 30 sec when halved. If I have time I put a scoop of soup in the blender to make a "gravy " for my potatoes. But I like them plain too.That and a fresh apple I'm good for the day keep up the good work. It's awesome how good you can feel. Dlee

[SweetPea]

Before McDougall, eating out vegan was almost just as much fun as eating omnivorous, but it still wasn't healthy. After McDougall, eating out really isn't fun, except for VERY special occasions. The food that I can make at home is almost always far superior to any McDougall-friendly food I can get out. Most restaurant food simply isn't prepared to that standard of healthiness, unfortunately.

However, I think it'd be awesome to have a McDougall-friendly restaurant chain out there - for those times when I don't really want to cook and clean, but I still want to eat healthfully.

Yes, yes, yes! I feel the same way. Fingers crossed that the growing numbers of low-fat, plant based-eaters will inspire someone to get such a chain going. I'd be overjoyed!

We recently tried out a restaurant "known" for its healthy portions and ingredients, yet no matter how politely and insistently I requested no oil, the veggies still came out with "a spritz" (sheen) of oil. Sigh. I have better luck at places that already offer some type of oil-free starch and oil-free steamed veggies on the menu.

Congrats on your consistency in eating! That is huge--it's how you build those great practices into habits.

[SweetPea]

On week ends my hubby and I usually make a big baking pan full of baked potatoes, to have for lunches or snacks in the next week. Also a really big pot of good soup. It's so handy I take a big green salad to work with me and a couple of baked potatoes that I heat up in the micro in about 30 sec when halved. If I have time I put a scoop of soup in the blender to make a "gravy " for my potatoes. But I like them plain too.That and a fresh apple I'm good for the day keep up the good work. It's awesome how good you can feel. Dlee

Great tips--I'm going to try some of these! Thanks.

[amarand]

We recently tried out a restaurant "known" for its healthy portions and ingredients, yet no matter how politely and insistently I requested no oil, the veggies still came out with "a spritz" (sheen) of oil. Sigh. I have better luck at places that already offer some type of oil-free starch and oil-free steamed veggies on the menu.

Yeah, this is a part of the "not fun eating out" thing. But not only that, when I do eat out now and have oil, my skin breaks out, I feel really icky for at least a full day, and with some foods, I have reactions like itchy skin, coughing, hot flashes, congestion, post-nasal drip.... I've been to the allergist who tells me I'm not allergic to anything they test for (and they test for a lot of things) and yet, when I stick to McDougall, most/all of these things go away. Almost like a light-switch, when I veer off the plan even for a single meal - especially with free oils - I feel crappy. The best part about this for me is that there's a chance of a psychological linking between "I eat this food, I feel bad instantly" which means I'm less likely to eat it in the future.

Oh, and sugary stuff is really hard to eat now. Eat oatmeal with water, a half portion (20g) of raisins and cinnamon every day for a few weeks and then try to eat pancakes with syrup. Whew!

Congrats on your consistency in eating! That is huge--it's how you build those great practices into habits.

Oh, for sure! I work really hard to stay consistent when I can, even when traveling, or - like this past weekend - when I'm working crazy long hours. Everyone else at the remote site was eating catered meals (no vegan options), and I brought my food along. Everyone was eyeing my fruit and food like I was an alien.

[amarand]

Oh, and a new recipe I just figured out. Forgive me if someone else already did this....

I love my oatmeal. 40g (one serving) of regular old oats (I prefer the old fashioned style), with a little more than enough water to cover. I cook that in my microwave for four minutes on 40% (your mileage may vary) until it's cooked but not dried out. I then throw in 20g (half a serving) of raisins, and some cinnamon on top. The best part of this is that when I have a banana that's getting close to overripe, if I mix that banana in just as the oatmeal's coming out, that with the mixture of cinnamon and raisins makes it almost taste a little like the fried banana dessert you get at some Mexican restaurants...for breakfast!

[SweetPea]

The best part about this for me is that there's a chance of a psychological linking between "I eat this food, I feel bad instantly" which means I'm less likely to eat it in the future.

Yes, that certainly is motivation!

Oh, and sugary stuff is really hard to eat now. Eat oatmeal with water, a half portion (20g) of raisins and cinnamon every day for a few weeks and then try to eat pancakes with syrup. Whew!

I've had something similar happen--but with salt! I've been eating no-salt-added meals for about three weeks now. (I seem to be salt-sensitive and I don't find it hard eating low-salt on this WOE, but back when eating all fruit for my carbs, it was almost unbearable!) Yesterday I added fresh chopped celery to my lunch and I did a double-take because it tasted so salty, for a moment I thought I'd inadvertently salted my food. And I used to think celery was bland.

I work really hard to stay consistent when I can, even when traveling, or - like this past weekend - when I'm working crazy long hours. Everyone else at the remote site was eating catered meals (no vegan options), and I brought my food along. Everyone was eyeing my fruit and food like I was an alien.

Good for you! You've given me lots of inspiration! The cool thing (as you well know) is that progress breeds progress and that starts to have its own momentum and motivation!! And with your "alien" healthy food, you were planting seeds--and no doubt making a few people healthfully envious of your fresh, whole-foods lunch.

[Atheria]

One of the weirder side effects of the severe hypoglycemia I developed in Nov. 2010 is that now I am EXTREMELY sensitive to sugar. I mean, I'm like the "Princess and the Pea". If there is a grain of sugar in a pot of food, I can taste it. I spit out my first bite of banana when this first happened because the sweetness gagged me. (And I loved bananas and ate them daily for years and years.) It literally tasted like someone poured straight sugar in my mouth.

Back in the 1990s when low fat eating was more popular, there was a restaurant in Brentwood, CA that was a godsend. The whole restaurant was nonfat. It wasn't a vegan place, but you could easily have things altered so that they were vegan. I miss that place!

Atheria

[proverbs31woman]

Oh, and a new recipe I just figured out. Forgive me if someone else already did this....

I love my oatmeal. 40g (one serving) of regular old oats (I prefer the old fashioned style), with a little more than enough water to cover. I cook that in my microwave for four minutes on 40% (your mileage may vary) until it's cooked but not dried out. I then throw in 20g (half a serving) of raisins, and some cinnamon on top. The best part of this is that when I have a banana that's getting close to overripe, if I mix that banana in just as the oatmeal's coming out, that with the mixture of cinnamon and raisins makes it almost taste a little like the fried banana dessert you get at some Mexican restaurants...for breakfast!

I'll have to give that a try!