Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Share your McDougall successes here in order to inspire others.

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Re: Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Postby geo » Wed Mar 27, 2013 9:23 am

Geez, all this time and I never realized the link didn't work...ok hopefully it does now. Thanks Eteselle!
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
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Re: Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Postby goldilocks » Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:34 pm

Congratulations Geo! I just read your Star McDougaller story. I already knew the details from this thread, but it's so great to see you recognized and for your awesome results to reach even more people. Thanks for inspiring us all!
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Re: Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Postby Lizzy_F » Mon Aug 05, 2013 7:33 pm

Hi Geo. I came across this thread via a link to it in another thread. I've been reading and reading around here and LOL I think I'm dizzy!!! :mrgreen:

Anyway..Congratulations on your awesome results and thank you so much for this post. I especially thank you for sharing the side by side comparisons of your blood work each quarter for that year. You made a real difference for me in being able to *trust* that eating a starch centered, plant based, low fat diet can indeed lower BG.

I'm a low carb brain washee. I know it doesn't work for me anymore and my body is rejecting it. But I keep hearing about low carb and BG control. My Dad died a horrible death last year of diabetes complications (including heart disease and vascular problems). I've had a hard time processing and accepting that Dr. McDougall's dietary recommendations really CAN reduce/control BG and prevent diabetes.

Thankyouthankyouthankyou for putting this last piece of the puzzle in place for me. I hope I can have the courage that you did to JUST DO IT by the book for a full year and see what happens.

Best wishes to you for continued success!!

Lizzy
Beth

"Long-term sustainable change is what we are really after." ~Jeff Novick
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Re: Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Postby geo » Fri Aug 09, 2013 2:16 pm

Thanks Lizzy_F!

Glad I could be of help :D This program will most definitely work for diabetics. Just remember though, time and compliance to the program is what makes it all work so well :nod:
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
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Re: Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Postby chickpeas » Sun Aug 11, 2013 12:28 am

thanks for posting your story and the results. Your photos are amazing!! really inspiring.
Image

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Re: Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Postby BYPASSWIZ » Sun Sep 29, 2013 9:18 am

:-D good work!
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Re: Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Postby eXtremE » Mon Sep 30, 2013 10:57 am

ImageAmazing transformation. Huge congrats. Image
On 7/8/2013, I decided to change my diet to a "mostly" WFPB diet. I have always been somewhat lean and muscular due to being a lifelong exerciser. Change in diet due to feeling crummy all the time despite a healthy outward appearance. Image
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Re: Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Postby docscience » Mon Oct 07, 2013 10:20 am

To geo - A great read. When I was getting a lot of long distance running, more than a decade ago, My morning pulse was around mid 40's, and sometimes a bit lower. It seams most doctors are so unfit that they think that 45 pulse is unhealthy.
This link is just my latest (out of shape) test results. (sept,23,2013)
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=39555
I have been sitting at the computer for more than an hour, at the moment,
at the date of this post, and measured my pulse.
I measured for 2 minutes length, just to be sure I was seeing it correctly.

Pulse measured 46 beets per minute.

I finally stopped using the 18% coffee cream, on sept 30, 2013, and a few days later, I stopped using the 2% milk that I was putting into the coffee. Therefore, I have been almost totally animal free since Sept. 30.
TO ME, IT IS SHOCKING THAT MY PULSE RETURNED SO RAPIDLY TO THE OLDER LOWER VALUE.
I really HATE my profile picture, but it reminds me to watch my eating. For me, that is a good motivator.
MyTest results viewtopic.php?f=7&t=39555
Image
5'8" , started- sept. 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Postby Blackstar » Sat Nov 23, 2013 7:00 pm

Hi.

Thanks for sharing your journey.

I found the improvements in the tests impressive. Looks like you healed many health problems by diet.

If you don't mind me asking, what foods did you used to eat most often?



geo wrote:...

Test Date................................02/28/2012.....05/26/2012.....08/25/2012.....11/26/2012......02/26/2013

Weight..................................261..................213..................180...............162...............154.8
BMI......................................35.4.................28.9.................24.4..............21.97.............21.0

BP.........................................153/92.............120/71..............98/54............96/64............96/62
Pulse.....................................88.....................48.....................46.................46..................45

Glucose, Serum....................131...................77.....................72..................74..................79

BUN......................................14....................11....................13..................13...................13
Creatinine, Serum................1.50.................1.40.................1.30.............1.30...................1.11
eGFR....................................52.....................56....................61.................61....................74
BUN/Creatinine Ratio..........N/C..................8......................10................10.....................12

Sodium, Serum.....................140..................140..................143...............139..................145
Potassium, Serum..................4.3...................4.4...................4.6................4.9...................5.0
Chloride, Serum.....................102...................103..................106..............102.................104

Carbon Dioxide, Total...........26.8.................29.2.................32.2...............31.4.................27
Calcium, Serum......................8.7...................8.7...................9.0.................9.3..................9.5
Protein, Total, Ser...................6.9..................6.2....................6.3.................6.5..................6.1
Albumin, Serum......................3.7..................3.6....................3.6................3.8..................4.1
Globulin, Total........................N/C.................2.6....................2.7................2.7..................2.0
A/G Ratio................................N/C.................1.4....................1.3................1.4..................2.1
Bilirubin, Total........................0.8..................0.7....................0.6.................0.8..................0.5

Alkaline Phosphatase,S...........98...................85......................93.................87...................59
AST (SGOT)...........................19...................14......................17..................19..................21
ALT (SGPT)............................42....................34......................39.................46..................31

Cholesterol, Total....................273...................170...................148..............131.................141
Triglycerides............................559...................173..................125................101.................112
HDL Cholesterol......................37.....................29....................34.................39...................42
VLDL Cholesterol...................N/C..................34.6..................25.0.............20.2.................22
LDL Cholesterol......................N/C..................106...................87.................72...................77
T. Chol/HDL Ratio..................N/C.....................6.....................4...................3....................3.4

C-Reactive Protein, Cardiac....7.15..................2.46..................1.30..............0.83..............0.58

Those results speak for themselves!

But if you can’t be bothered by the numbers here’s what they show:

0. 106.2 lbs lost
1. No more obesity
2. No more high blood pressure
3. No more high pulse rate
4. No more diabetic blood sugars
5. No more chronic kidney deficiency
6. No more low ALT levels
7. No more high Total cholesterol
8. No more high LDL
9. No more high VLDL
10. No more high cholesterol ratio
11. No more high trigylcerides
12. No more high CRP
13. Normal liver function
14. Normal kidney function
15. Normal electrolyte levels
16. Normal calcium levels
17. Normal protein levels

...
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Re: Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Postby geo » Sun Nov 24, 2013 9:36 am

Hello Blackstar,

What I ate everyday of that year can be found in my original journal in my sig.

To be more general I followed Dr McDougall's MWL plan.

My main starches everyday were oatmeal or other whole grain cereals (with flaxseed) for breakfast, and for lunch and dinner, russet potatoes and sweet potatoes. Secondary starch source was brown rice. Beans were eaten only on occasion (not a real fan of them).

Vegetable sources were primarily the usual "stir-fry" type vegetables (tomatoes,green beans, corn, peppers, peas, celery, mushooms, onions, carrots, sugar snap peas, brocolli, cauliflower, spinach, collard greens, turnips, turnip greens, yellow squash, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, cucumbers etc...). Vegetables were generally simply nuked in the microwave. One inportant point in my veggy selection is that it was almost always frozen veggies...pre cleaned and cut and ready to nuke in a few mins.

Seasonings were generally a little sugar for oatmeal and a little salt for the veggies. Also used plenty of Mrs Dash and other no salt seasonings as well.

Fruit sources were the usual, apples, bananas, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, berries of all sorts, mangoes, etc...

All pretty simple really, nothing fancy or expensive. Just plain, whole, real foods. Most of my meals could be simply made in 10 mins.
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
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Re: Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Postby Spiral » Mon Dec 09, 2013 4:46 pm

What is most interesting to me, especially in light of the concerns we often hear that a "high glycemic index diet" like the McDougall diet would just take ones glucose levels to the moon, is that the blood glucose level dropped to under 80 by the second blood draw. That's amazing. Fat really is the villian in type 2 diabetes, not carbohydrate.
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Re: Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Postby geo » Mon Dec 09, 2013 6:49 pm

Thanks PerryB! Glad I could motivate some people.

@ Spiral - I'm an experimenter at heart. When I did this I tried to conduct it as an experiment of n=1. I wanted to keep detailed records of everything I was doing to see if I could pinpoint more than just corelations. If you look at all the data I provided by the blood tests and my journal you'll find a lot of interesting things going on that refute so much of the low-carb psuedo-science.

The fasting blood glucose drop is interesting, in just 3 months I was able to go from diabetic glucose levels to what some might say are low glucose levels. I was still over-weight yet I managed a 42% drop in glucose levels while eating >80% carbs. So while the weight loss may have had an effect on dropping glucose levels you would think that the high carb diet would have made them rise instead of going even lower. And despite the fact I was still over-weight I had full control of my glucose simply by eating carbs and avoiding fat and protein. What was even more interesting to me was when I was hospitalized earlier this year and was given no food or calories for 7 days. During that time my blood glucose only dropped another 10 points. Which means that all those carbs were really keeping my glucose levels to a bare minimum. So lots of carbs actually minimize your glucose levels not maximize them.

Low carbers also say that carbs cause inflammation, the great satan in the low-carb world. Yet in a year I was able to drop my hs-crp (inflamation level) an amazing 81% again eating >80% carbs.

Notice also my serum protein levels, they remained remarkably stable despite eating a low protein diet.

Also notice my high triglycerides, low carbers say carbs raise your tri's and keep them high. Yet eating >80% carbs dropped my tri's 82%!

My creatine and eGFR levels clearly show a long term kidney deficiency (some would say kidney disease). Many doctors think there's no return from failing kidneys. Yet after a year my kidney function not just stabalized but returned to normal and continued to get progressively better during the year. No one would expect that simply by eating >80% carbs.

And look at my calcium levels. Despite not eating any milk or cheese or other High-calcium sources, my calcium levels were completely stable and even increased a bit.

And of course a 52% drop in cholesteral levels in 9 months without the use of any statins or other drugs or focusing on those foods known to reduce cholesterol levels.

All in all, the claims Dr McDougall made for this woe were exactly what I saw and was able to prove. Of course this didn't happen by simply trying to adhere to this woe. It took a high level of compliance. I estimate I was about 99% compliant with the MWL during that year.

I now wonder what would happen if I went even a step further and followed all of Jeff's suggestions too. No processed food, no added salt, no added sugar, even lower fat and protein levels, a further drop in calorie density, and a drop to a minmal BMI of 18.5. Would that prove to be even healthier? Intriguing question...and a new year coming up :unibrow:
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
geo
 
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Re: Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Postby Rick Over » Tue Dec 10, 2013 1:33 am

Congratulations ! yes indeed it is very motivating !
Recovering cancer and fighting obesity.
My testimonial:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=40480
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Re: Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Postby geo » Tue Dec 10, 2013 7:40 am

Thanks Rick Over!

I think the one point I fail to stress enough in all this is that my results are nothing special. I believe that anybody that follows the Mcdougall program to the letter, over time can achieve the same results. Fuel your body properly and it will run at optimal health and efficiency and all its self-repair mechanisms will do everything they can to bring your body back to that level.

If I can do it, trust me, anybody can.

All you have to do is try it!
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
geo
 
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Re: Metabolic Effects of a Starch Based Diet...

Postby jewagar » Tue Dec 10, 2013 5:57 pm

Geo,
Can you tell me which posting that you posted your before and after photos? I've seen them a while ago, but I need to see them again for inspiration.

Thank you,
Jean
"If you want peace, be sure everyone's dignity is intact." - Archbishop Desmond Tutu
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