by jbblack » Thu Apr 18, 2013 6:23 pm
Hello, everyone! I've been a vegetarian (lacto-ovo) since I was sixteen (almost twenty years now). I'm thirty-five and it has always been my experience that losing weight is extremely difficult at best. I'd read T. Colin Campbell's "The China Study" before, but put off the idea of being a vegan as impractical at best and possibly dangerous to my health. My meals consisted of high amounts of TVP, lots of oils, and cheese--almost like a plant-based version of the Standard American Diet.
As a result, by time the holidays rolled around this past year, I had gotten up to 226 pounds, my cholesterol was surprisingly high for a vegetarian, and I was becoming very concerned as I had begun experiencing sudden drops in my blood pressure when standing (POTS, we later found, or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). Since my immediate family (parents, grandparents, and siblings) has an extensive history of obesity, heart attacks, diabetes, and cancer, I decided that the least I could do is start taking care of my body since it was the only one I get.
By time March of this year rolled around, I had managed to drop ten pounds, and it wasn't at all easy. Then, I stumbled on the film "Forks Over Knives", and started looking into the work of some of the physicians interviewed for the movie. I ended up deciding on the McDougall plan mainly for economic reasons (starches are cheap!), cleaned out my fridge and pantry of cheese, milk, eggs, and oil, and started working with the plan.
My only regret so far is that I wish I had listened sooner. For starters, to say that you can get by on the food is the understatement of the year. The meals are very easy to prepare, very filling, and taste amazing--epecially when I try out Mary's recipes! That alone is enough to get me to stick to the plan, weight loss notwithstanding.
After the tenth day, I had bloodwork done, and my total cholesterol was 98. It's usually nearly twice that. My blood pressure, normally in the 135/90 range has stabilized to 108/79, and I do mean stabilized; the sudden drops I was experiencing due to the POTS have almost entirely disappeared. My weight has dropped from 216 to 183 in the past 48 days. I look years younger, I sleep more soundly, and actually feel the urge to go walking, hiking, and even some running. And the weight is still dropping; I figure once I get down to 170, I'll just add another meal to keep the weight stable. Economically, I'm spending about a third on groceries than I had before starting the plan.
So, does it work? All I can say is that Dr. McDougall's plan has worked very well for me, so much that I'm getting pulled aside by coworkers and family members (all of whom have said they could never be a vegetarian, let alone losing oil, dairy, and eggs) wanting to know what I'm doing, how it works, and if the food is any good. I'm also having to explain time and time again that childhood favorites like potatoes, pasta, bread, and rice are not and never were the villains that the low-carbers have made them out to be. They're even more perplexed when I reiterate that they're the backbone of my diet.
Dr. McDougall, I'm not sure if or how often you read these testimonials, but I just want to express how grateful I am. Granted, the 33 pounds that I've lost so far is a drop in the bucket compared to some of the success stories on here (these folks are AMAZING.) You've also given me peace of mind: the risk factors in my family history aren't so troubling now, I feel better about myself, and I no longer have to worry about whether or not I'm going to black out when I stand from the POTS. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much, and you'd better believe it that I'm happily going to spread the word to anyone that wants to listen.