Testimony But Not A Success Story

Share your McDougall successes here in order to inspire others.

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Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby pblife » Sat Feb 09, 2013 1:57 am

Hello everyone,
I've not been on the site much over last 7 weeks. I've been struggling and can't seem to get a grasp on it. My wife and I have a blog in which we were documenting our story, it has been untouched for 7 weeks. Tonight I dared to update our weight loss journal and address the issue of our "lack of attendance". I've documented my concerns on our blog page. If any of you have the time we could use the encouragement. You can find the link to my confession HERE.
Thank you again for this community!
Aaron and Dannielle Patterson
Our Website http://www.pblife.org
Our Email [email protected]
Our Story http://www.pblife.org/journey/
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Re: Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby Katydid » Sat Feb 09, 2013 8:10 am

Following this way of eating and cooking your own meals doesn't have to be a chore. Yes, it may take some time to adjust to the more delicate flavor of clean, unprocessed foods, but you WILL adjust. Spices, onion and garlic - and even a little salt and sugar - are your friends. Don't be afraid to use them.

The best advice I can give is to take the money you are spending eating out and invest it in your culinary education instead. I recommend the following books and DVDs for their simplicity.

Dr. McDougall has a couple of cooking DVDs available in his store. Look for the McDougall Made Easy and Irresistible bundle.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/books_tapes.html

He also has an excellent cookbook. The Quick and Easy Cookbook contains 15 minute recipes that even a novice cook can make.

If you check out this book on Amazon, you can look inside it and download a sample to any device with a Kindle app.

http://www.amazon.com/McDougall-Quick-E ... y+cookbook

Jeff Novick has a series of 3 Fast Food videos. The first is mostly soups, stews and pastas, the second is bean burgers and fries, and the third a trip to the supermarket for a 'shopping school'. All three are excellent. Depending on whether you have free shipping from Amazon, they may be cheaper there, in the McDougall store, or on Vegsource.

http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Novicks-Fast ... =fast+food

You can get a preview of the type of recipes Jeff makes on his Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 7550385124

Click on a photo to get the recipe.

Changing attitudes and habits is difficult. Controlling expectations is difficult. Cooking is easy :D .

Kate
This diet can save your life - it saved mine! Read my story at:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/stars/cathy_stewart.htm
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Re: Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby TerriT » Sat Feb 09, 2013 10:09 am

Hi Aaron

Kate's given you some great advice. I would add that if you find a meal you like, don't be afraid to eat it over and over. Keeping things simple makes it easier to plan your meals – if you make the same meal often, you know what you need to keep on hand, what you need to buy regularly from the grocery store, and how long it will take to prepare.

One of my favourite meals is something I call Mexican salad. I have this 5-6 times a week, usually for lunch. It's a plate of brown rice, pinto or black beans, corn, lettuce, tomatoes and lots of salsa. I have the same snacks over and over too: grapes, carrot sticks, apples, baked sweet potato wedges, black bean brownies, and when the weather is cold like it is here now, lots of oatmeal, sometimes 3 times a day! Not letting yourself get hungry is one of the keys to resisting off-plan foods.

Don't be afraid to have something really simple, like a baked potato, a bowl of oatmeal, or a plate of brown rice for supper instead of ordering a takeaway.

I slipped too the first time I started following the McDougall plan. I joined the forums in 2008, learned to cook without oil, and did so for several months. Then I let off-plan foods sneak back in and because I didn't have any pressing health concerns, it was a couple of years before I came back to the forums. This time I was determined to give it 100% commitment. When I did, I found that I feel much better eating this way. It's been nice to lose weight, but the huge energy boost has been a great bonus. Feeling so wonderful has made sticking with this way of eating a non-brainer.
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Re: Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby f1jim » Sat Feb 09, 2013 10:38 am

Early on it's important to stay plugged in. While you acclimate yourself to the new foods and new routines make yourself do the blog entries, make yourself check in to the forum here, watch the videos and read the materials. Till you get over the hump it can be a struggle. Make sure the things that can throw you off are as far out of reach as possible. If you have anybody near you who can act as a sounding board take advantage of that. Feel free to use the forum to seek out nearby McDougallers.
You want to treat this as an immersion till it becomes the lifestyle you are looking for. Part of that is treating it like it's the highest priority item on your schedule until it becomes second nature. Lot's of people have traveled this road and be sure to use them as a guidepost.
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: Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby ProudMama » Sat Feb 09, 2013 10:45 pm

f1jim wrote:Till you get over the hump it can be a struggle.
f1jim


Roughly how long does it take to get over the hump? I've recently started and want have a sense how long the acclimation takes (knowing it's different for everyone, a rough estimate is good).

Thanks!
All the best,
Susan



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Re: Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby f1jim » Sun Feb 10, 2013 4:54 am

There are a lot of variables and we are each different in that regard. For me it was around 30 days and I felt there was no looking back. Some people say as little as two weeks. Others take several months. Personally, I think a lot has to do with how attached you are to the old ways of eating. Some people can't seem to sample a little bit here and there and ever make a clean break. Certainly some are trying to do that now and time will tell if it works for them. I couldn't do it any other way but all in. I have absolutely no will power and the minute I start in with something off plan it's all over for me. I am better off emptying the cupboards, restocking the house, and not attempting any little nibbles. You have to do what works for you. If whatever isn't working tack away and try something different. Only you can really get a sense of where you are stumbling. Assess where the troubles are and lay out a game plan to get you past that issue. There is lot's of help available here. Another key component is if you find yourself moving backward make the changes immediately. Eating patterns quickly become habits. Both good and bad. There is good news in that making the change and sticking with it will become habit rather quickly. My thing was always to make sure I wasn't dragging my old anchor and that I pulled it up and didn't try to sail with it still holding me back. Make some distance between you and what isn't working. Hindsight is a great tool.
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: Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby oregonmom » Sun Feb 10, 2013 9:02 am

Jim is right, it's different for everyone and can be overwhelming. I think preparation it's key. I started out with the 12 day plan. It gives you lists for things you'll need in your pantry and sample menu plans. It really spelled out what you need to do. I started out by cleaning out my pantry and restocking with things I'd need. I made shopping lists and set a start date. That's the day I started and I never looked back. In fact, 2 weeks in, my then 11 year old carnivore son decided he wanted in too. Once I learned I could do the 12 days, it was easy to continue.
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Re: Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby pblife » Sun Feb 10, 2013 12:32 pm

Yea when we started we took everything out of our Frig that was temping and then we cleaned out cupboards and cabinets and took that food to a local shelter. Here's our first blog post after we watched "Forks Over Knives". This picture is of just the Refrigerator not the cabinets but you can only imagine what all we got rid of. It took us 2 months of double our normal food bill to get restocked, but I'm so glad we did it! Now we really have all plant based organic products in the house. What we've been mainly struggling with last few weeks is eating out. But we made the first steps again and went to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market last night so were ready to hit the straight and narrow again!
Aaron and Dannielle Patterson
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Our Story http://www.pblife.org/journey/
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Re: Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby f1jim » Sun Feb 10, 2013 12:51 pm

There is a social cost to eating this way. It's not easy to eat out on this program. Finding people willing to put up with your "extreme" needs in food can be challenging to. For many, the social costs of the program outweigh the health benefits, though it may sound hard to believe. I'm not sure where exactly the problems lie for you guys but wherever it is you can work around it. We only have a few places near us that accommodate our choices, hence we eat out a fraction of what we used to. But we do enjoy it when we get out because we have really strict guidelines we keep to. Even that is second nature now. But I'm not going to fool myself into thinking I have full control of my food. I know that when someone else controls the restaurant pantry and stoves I am the least bit in control. I believe aiming for 100% really means I am somewhat less than that in restaurants. How much less? Even with very strict menu scanning and good working relationships with the restaurant staff I figure I'm probably in the 95% range. Perhaps even this is wishful thinking on my part. But I can live with that and it seems to be working in addressing my heart disease. Where you choose to draw lines and set boundaries is such a personal thing. Just make sure those limits are bringing you where your goals are. If they are not, reset those boundaries.
Most importantly, this should be fun. Don't let it become a drudging chore. I've learned some really cool ways to do that from others here. That's where plugging in is so valuable.
Enjoy the adventure to greater health and a brighter future as you get older together.
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: Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby BlueHeron » Sun Feb 10, 2013 1:41 pm

Two more points:

Dr. McDougall has referred to reactions like you had to the pizza after eating healthfully "McDougall's revenge."

Also, you mention financial struggles with eating this way, and you mention Whole Foods. Whole Foods is very expensive - depending on where you live, you might be able to eat much more cheaply at a different grocery store. I won't set foot in Whole Foods, and I get everything I need without going there. I find that avoiding prepared foods also cuts down on food costs. Dr. McDougall has written a newsletter article on doing this diet on the cheap:

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2008nl/mar/foodcost.htm

And if time is a consideration, I bought an Instant Pot pressure cooker, and it has changed my life. It was definitely an investment, but I use it three or four times a week to make soups and stews. It's the only way I cook potatoes now. Your library may have the cookbook "Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure." The recipes are vegan. You can leave out the oil. There have been several threads on pressure cookers and the instant pot in the food/recipes section.

I've heard of a Zen proverb: Fall down seven times, get up eight. You'll do fine. Just keep getting up.
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Re: Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby pblife » Sun Feb 10, 2013 4:38 pm

BlueHeron wrote:Also, you mention financial struggles with eating this way, and you mention Whole Foods. Whole Foods is very expensive - depending on where you live, you might be able to eat much more cheaply at a different grocery store. I won't set foot in Whole Foods, and I get everything I need without going there.


Our problem is finding organic foods and non-gmo food. We live in an extremely small town, we don't have a Walmart, if that tells you anything, or a farmers market. We live 45-50 mins from a large town (Charlotte, NC). So what we typically do is go to Charlotte every 7-10 days and get the organic foods, we found Trader Joe's and they have a lot of organic food too. We spend half the money there and get double the food (compared to WFM), then then leave there and go to Whole Foods to pic up what we can't get elsewhere. The trip usually takes us 6 -7 hours to complete, so you can see how that can be taxing at times. But we don't have very many options. In the spring and summer I have a garden but that only helps a bit because half my garden is just hot peppers :)
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Re: Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby BlueHeron » Sun Feb 10, 2013 5:05 pm

Definitely, it's going to cost more if you feel you need to buy organic food and you live in a place where it's not widely available.

If you look at the lists called "the dirty dozen" and "the clean fifteen," you might be able to decide that in some cases it's OK to buy conventional.

http://www.motherearthliving.com/natura ... lists.aspx

Also, there's a saying (I'm full of sayings today, apparently): The perfect is the enemy of the good. It sounds like your desire to eat organic and non-GMO, while admirable, might be making you more likely to go back to SAD. You might want to think about working on the plant-based diet until you really have that down, then working on building more organic foods into your lifestyle.

Just some thoughts.
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Re: Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby pblife » Sun Feb 10, 2013 5:24 pm

BlueHeron wrote: It sounds like your desire to eat organic and non-GMO, while admirable, might be making you more likely to go back to SAD. You might want to think about working on the plant-based diet until you really have that down, then working on building more organic foods into your lifestyle.


Thanks for all the tips, I really appreciate all the thought and time put into this thread! For us, we have made a decision in our hearts, not always in our brains, that GMO is really worse that we think it is. I believe the studies and truths of the effects of GMO's are as compelling or even more compelling than the evidence for a plant based diet. For me I can't see separating the two. I haven't researched a new list lately of foods in the US that are GMO, but when I first checked I believe there were only 9 foods/seeds that were on that list. Of course some of those are used to make other foods so you have to look at that too. But nevertheless, My wife and I believe that some of my medical conditions could have been linked to GMO's, we're quite aware that others were linked to a non plant based lifestyle. All and all I think we'll keeping doing our best at non-gmo. I loved the tips on crock-pots we use ours but only once or twice a month. I'm curious about the instant pressure cooker? Ive never used or heard of those.
Aaron and Dannielle Patterson
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Re: Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby BlueHeron » Sun Feb 10, 2013 5:57 pm

There have been numerous threads on pressure cookers. Search "pressure cooker" or "instant pot" in the lounge and in the food and recipe boards.

This is the Instant Pot:

http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-IP-LU ... nstant+pot
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Re: Testimony But Not A Success Story

Postby JohnLarson » Sun Feb 10, 2013 10:01 pm

Back in December I had four slices of pepperoni pizza. Besides "McDougall's" revenge, I also got lots of acne on my forehead. I can still see marks on my head from them. In January, I had lots of cheese dip. At one point I wanted to go to the emergency room, my wife still makes fun of my episode (she was laughing about it today).

Food tasting good is key to this WOE. Before, when I had a baked potato it had to have tons of butter on it and if we went out sour cream or even loaded with cheese and bacon. My wife ate hers with ketchup. Just ketchup. Potato with ketchup tastes great. I also like mustard, taco sauce and spaghetti sauce on top of potatoes. Potatoes are easy to make. I have a thing to cook them in the microwave. 7 minutes and they are done.

I have not tried too many of the recipes. I still have not made the burgers people talk about. I try to keep it simple. My meals are listed in my journal. I suggest finding some meals you like that you can cook in a short time. Also, I think people fail to get enough starches. The plan suggests 70% starch, 20% vegetables and 10% fruit. I think that if you start filling up on great tasting starches, you will find the desire for butter and oil to add taste leave.

I am glad you are back. The more North Carolina people here the better.
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The McDougall Program is not a "diet," and it was not designed primarily for weight loss – however, loss of excess body fat naturally results as people regain their health. - Dr. John McDougall
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