Long time McDougaller

[Neal]

What a great story, and a breath of fresh air. Thank you for sharing it!!!

So, how long, and at what temp do you cook your sweet potatoes?

[FranH]

I bake them at 400 degrees for at least an hour, maybe an hour and 20 minutes if they're big, and then turn off the oven and leave them in the warm oven while I cook some veggies.

[anni m]

great to read your story, and to read of long term adherence to this lifestyle.

i've been "low fat" vegan for the past 6 years (i was vegan back in the 70s as well but a SAD eating husband, and 4 children caused me --my choice of course-- to deviate from my preferred diet) and i just couldn't figure out why i couldn't get down to a similar weight to yours (i am 5'3 also, and very active),but with the new year i decided this was the year. after reading for hours and hours on this forum, especially the mwl forum, i realized how much fat i was really adding to my diet, especially since we've been on the road for the past 10 months, and restaurant food, no matter how much i try, has not been kind. and pizza in new jersey?! fogeddaboudit, HAD to have that! but now it's time to, as i posted in another forum here, feel comfortable in my own skin after so many years of just missing the mark. you and i are similar ages (and i'm stubbornly long haired grey as well!!) so i'm happy to see even women of a certain age can budge the scale (even though i know that wasn't your intent). i love not having the night time cravings anymore thanks to really ramping up my nutritional profile. and jeff novick's recipes work perfectly in the kitchen of our little camper van!
sweet potato as dessert is my favorite discovery so far! never liked them growing up and never bothered to try them again. what a revelation! as was the satiety aspect of potatoes, they fill me up like no other starch ever has!!

i love having the energy that i do and being able to hike, run, cycle, kayak as we travel the country. i want to increase this level of health and for me this diet is the way to do it; what a fulfilling and delicious way to eat! and economical, and easy on the planet, it has so much going for it!

someday i hope to volunteer to help others find their way back to good eating and enjoyable exercise (but only for those who ask, i'm averse to trying to force something on someone who does not want to hear it). i retired recently and look forward to many adventures, and in good health!

[FranH]

Hi Anni, 

It sounds like it will just take some minor adjustments to your diet, and it's always a good idea to take a step back and take an honest evaluation of what you're eating. In my heaviest years, I ate out more, ate more Amys frozen meals, used a little bit of olive oil in cooking, used salad dressings with oil, and ate Newnan-O's for dessert.  I was still vegan, and ate less fat and less processed food than most people I observe, but I was 25 lbs heavier than I am now. I still have my cheat days on the road (still vegan, but not oil-free) but not often. I just eat a much smaller volume of food when it isn't 100% compliant, and then make sure to eat huge amounts of no-oil veggies as soon as I get the chance.

That is great that you are so active! I love hiking, kayaking, anything outdoors, but don't get around to it very often. We have talked about how fun it would be to travel around the country in a camper, but we are currently tied down by 5 big dogs and 8 cats. Maybe one day...

Keep us posted!

[PineappleTraci]

I still have my cheat days on the road (still vegan, but not oil-free) but not often. I just eat a much smaller volume of food when it isn't 100% compliant, and then make sure to eat huge amounts of no-oil veggies as soon as I get the chance.

I completely agree with this!

[anni m]

thanks a lot for the helpful tips! we've decided to eat far less in restaurants but when i do i'll keep in mind the part about adding lots of veggies for my next meal to balance out the calorie density. it's so funny when i try to get restaurant staff to substitute more veggies when they leave off the cheese or whatever, they just don't seem to get that some people like *mounds* of veggies! i love the bags or boxes of prewashed greens available in every grocery store now, they've enabled me to have large salads with no fuss or muss!

we had five dogs at one time, but are down to the three who are traveling with us in our van, but they're italian greyhounds and a very elderly whippet so don't take much room!

i definitely will update as i go along. the potato challenge has really given me a jump start and i feel really optimistic!

[mfunk]

Thank you! Love this thread. Go Fran! The closer we eat to how the food pops up out of the ground the better. Great that you are such a great example of this way of eating. People can say whatever they want, the proof is in the tapioca! And I think people are hearing the vegan story more and more. It seems slightly easier than ten years ago to talk about veganism. (Of course I'm in the Bay Area, too. But even here I'm a minority)
Cheers!

[theresaann]

I'm a late poster, but this was so inspiring! I'm newly on MWL and sitting here at 9pm eating a baked sweet potato with a little cinnamon on it and a cup of roobios vanilla spice tea, and feeling guilty because it sure doesn't taste like diet food, but reading your post I had to keep pinching myself, food this good really WILL make me lose weight and get healthy. And I'm NOT missing the fat! SO inspiring! Thank you!

[spudlover]

Thank you so much for posting your experience! It gives me hope. I tried McDougall's about 10 years ago & it worked, my numbers were great & I felt great. Went on a regular cruise with my new boyfriend & I fell off of Mcd's hard. My numbers are back up & I feel my age. I just turned 60 & want to get my health back. I started McDougall's again the day after my SAD birthday celebration on the 4th. I already feel better! I'll be posting & reading for all the support that is here for free.
Thanks again for all your posts!

[risarisa]

by FranH
I try to explain that it's not about being vegan, it's about eating healthy foods and avoiding unhealthy foods. But you know how it is ... people won't hear what they don't want to hear.

FranH,
I truly enjoy your story. It is refreshing to read that it's a "healthy" food lifestyle not a diet. Thank you for sharing.

[eXtremE]

Great story. It inspired me. Ty for sharing.

[FranH]

Hey, thanks for all the feedback! I am continuously inspired by all the great stories on this board.

The latest update ... This month I turned 56 and my husband turned 69. I got a complete physical last month, and my husband got one today. We were both proclaimed to be in "remarkable health"! 

I didn't have my lipids tested, because I didn't fast and my doctor said there's no need. My numbers have been excellent the whole 10 years I've been going to her, and she knows I'm committed to a healthy lifestyle. But she tested all the other usual stuff, plus B12 and D. I got a notice in the mail that every thing was fine, no followup needed. I need to go into the office to request a copy of the results. 

My husband did fast and get the full lipid testing, as well as an EKG, because he did have borderline high cholesterol a few years ago, and his brother died at age 55 of his 3rd heart attack. As soon as his results come back, we'll request copies of both of ours, and I'll post here. I predict his lipids will be just fine. When he tested high, he was about 25 lbs heavier than now, eating lots of chips and cookies - salt, oil, and sugar. (But it's vegan! ) He took statins for a couple of months, then read more about them and quit. The next time he had it tested, after cutting back on SOS and losing a few pounds, he got the "no followup necessary" notice but never got the actual numbers. With the diet even more cleaned up and all the excess weight gone, I predict ideal numbers this time.

[MamaSistina]

Hey FranH- I've read your original post and other posts three times now! It's so inspiring to me, knowing that someone can do this long term. I love your hippy energy! I'm losing the diet mentality and am increasingly leaning into this as a lifestyle. I've lost 30 lb, and at 5 ft. 4", I'm down to 180. I'm 41 and optimistic that I can become slender and healthy. Well, I am healthy; I'd like to stay healthy as I grow older. So, thanks so much for sharing your life's story. I'm deprogramming my brain that vegans can't be healthy long-term. I know that can't be true; there are long-term vegans that work at the local co-op that are glowing with good health.

Thanks from Oregon!

[uncgirl]

Hi FranH! I just wanted to tell you how inspirational your story was for me. I've been McD'ing since 12/2009 and initially lost 35 lbs, primarily by MWL. However, life intervened and I was tempted by SOS. Reading this thread has reinvigorated my desire to just say no to the SOS. I've gained about 6 lbs and want to lose those, plus the additional lbs that I still need to release. I also need to get off my butt and exercise. I know it's healthy but I've never been one who enjoyed it, no matter what form of exercise I try. So, THANK YOU FRAN, for taking the time to write this testimonial about how it's possible to do this long-term! Today, 11/5/13, I begin again in earnest.

[FranH]

Wow, thanks uncgirl and MamaSistina! It was coming here that got me back on track too.

I promised an update on our recent physicals and lab work. It was all good news. I was more concerned about my husband James, because he is older (69), he lived a very unhealthy lifestyle until his mid-forties, and he still deals with food addiction, especially sugar. He has had high cholesterol, taken statins, quit the statins, and then cleaned up his diet and lost another 25 lbs.

The ONLY concern the doc had with his recent tests was his HDL, considered low at 38 (should be >40.) Our doc respects my knowledge of nutrition, and told James that she would refer him to a nutritionist if he wanted, or he could consult with me and let me research it instead. He chose me! Smart guy!

As has been discussed around here many times, a low HDL is not a risk when total cholesterol is low, so we're not concerned. His TC was 144. We've started using nuts a bit more - not as a snack (food addictions come into play) but a small handful added to stir fries or salads. I'm just curious if that'll raise HDL. If we start gaining weight, we'll cut back. And if HDL remains unchanged, it's still not something we'll worry about.