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Junk-Food Vegetarian found something better

PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 6:23 pm
by jbblack
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.

Re: Junk-Food Vegetarian found something better

PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 7:52 pm
by eri
Congrats! (From one former junk food vegetarian to another :) )

Re: Junk-Food Vegetarian found something better

PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 8:07 pm
by goldilocks
That's awesome! I loved reading about your experiences, jbblack. I'm so happy for you that you've been able to embrace such a healthy way of eating, and that you're already seeing such dramatic, positive changes. It's really wonderful that you were able to take charge of your health and turn things around. And now you're inspiring those around you too. You go, guy!

Re: Junk-Food Vegetarian found something better

PostPosted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 8:10 am
by geo
Congrats jjblack! You've made great progress and 33 lbs is nothing to sneeze at :) I bet your excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Stay the course and great things will happen for you.

Re: Junk-Food Vegetarian found something better

PostPosted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 12:22 pm
by jbblack
Oh, I am definitely feeling great. The only thing is that I've been asked by the most stubborn woman on earth (my grandmother) if this way of eating could work with someone that has recently developed type 2 diabetes. She's made it very clear that she's tired of feeling awful and wants to give this a try if it will help, pending the talk she'll be having with her doctor over the next few days.

I know that Dr. McDougall has mentioned that the research and his own experiences attest that it can be very helpful. However, there are two issues I'm painfully aware of. The first is that I'm in no way, shape, or fashion qualified to dispense medical advice, and the second is that diabetes and insulin are nothing to tinker with lightly.

If anyone is a type 2 diabetic and has experience in some of the changes and things to watch out for when making this dietary change, I'd be very grateful.

Re: Junk-Food Vegetarian found something better

PostPosted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 12:48 pm
by PineappleTraci
You know, I'd be so curious to hear how you made this way of eating work for you personally. What are the patterns that work for you? What are the meals, or types of meals, that you go to over and over again? What (meals, patterns) did you try that you *didn't* care for? Do you eat mostly MWL? Do you boredom/stress eat?

I'm just curious! I sometimes feel we leave out the important stuff by just saying, 'Hey everyone, this WOE is awesome and has given me great results!' without the "Here's how I worked it with *my* life and preferences."

If you're willing to share, I'm infinitely curious, and I'm sure others would be interested as well!

PS -- Doesn't it feel awesome??

Re: Junk-Food Vegetarian found something better

PostPosted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 2:32 pm
by geo
jjblack, See this link for Dr McDougall's info on Type II Diabetes: http://drmcdougall.com/med_hot_diabetes.html

Re: Junk-Food Vegetarian found something better

PostPosted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 5:02 pm
by John McDougall
Your story made my day.

Mary and I never tire of hearing that we have helped others.

Keep us all posted.

And congratulations not only on your health and weight successes but for also gaining a full understanding of the proper way to eat - which will last you a lifetime.

John McDougall, MD

Re: Junk-Food Vegetarian found something better

PostPosted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 5:04 pm
by John McDougall
Type 2 diabetes is usually easy to fix and very safely done as long as the medications are reduced in a timely (rapid) manner:

Read: http://drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/dec/diabetes.htm

John McDougall, MD

Re: Junk-Food Vegetarian found something better

PostPosted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 12:38 pm
by jbblack
Thank you again, Doctor! Will get this to her so that she can make an informed decision.

Traci, you've got a great point. There are so many ways to do this program, this is how I'm doing it:

Step 1: As far as the stuff that I don't need, there's a saying in the meditation practice I work with: "If you don't want the arrow to strike, don't set up the target". So when I started, eggs, cheese, and milk went out of the house. Oils got put in the cabinets under the sink. I know me; I'm lazy. And if I don't have it easily available, I'm not going to eat it.

Step 2: There are thousands of great recipes out there, but the average family has maybe ten that they circle through. I use that to my advantage, I found that beans and rice have multiple variations across cultures. I typically figure up how much beans I need for a week and then on Saturday load up the crockpot to make a batch from dried. I do around 1/2 to 3/4 c. of cooked beans per day.

So here's what my standard day looks like:
Breakfast: 1 c. shredded wheat with bran, 1/4 cup generic grape-nuts cereal, 1/8 c. of raisins, 1 c. reduced fat soymilk.
While I'm eating breakfast, I load up the rice cooker to do the rice for lunch, if that's what I'm having.

Midmorning snack: One apple, orange, or banana.

Lunch: Either 1 serving of brown rice (3/4 c when uncooked) mixed with 1/4 to 1/2 cup beans and different seasonings (hot sauce and cajun seasoning for cajun, or salsa, lime juice, and cilantro if mexican) OR I do soup and two thick slices of whole-wheat bread.

Afternoon snack: One apple, orange, or banana.

Weekday Dinners, I keep it simple (if it takes over 20 minutes, I don't want it):
-Brown rice and beans (see lunch, but just add about two cups of kale, either raw or steamed),
-Brown rice and steamed stirfry vegetables with a couple of tablespoons of asian mushroom, sweet and sour, or General Tso's sauce. Add srirachi sauce to taste if you like it spicy
-Baked sweet or white potatoes with beans or leftover lentil loaf and a kale salad
-Tacos, made of steamed corn tortillas filled with beans, kale, salsa, and lime juice (four to five and I'm good)

Weekend Dinners, I play around with recipes. Especially like reworking things that I loved so that they'll fit on the plan:
-Lentil Loaf with mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy and carrots or green peas
-Two barbecue sandwiches made of leftover lentil loaf and barbecue sauce on whole-wheat buns
-Cabbage leaves (or green peppers) stuffed with rice, lentils, and raisins, covered in tomato sauce and baked
-Burritos (beans, rice, kale, salsa, lime juice, cilantro, and chipotle sauce in a whole-wheat tortilla)

After I eat during lunch, as well as on my breaks throughout the day I go outside and soak up the sun. After dinner, I often go to the gym and set the treadmill for a 30-45 minute cross-country hike. On the days I don't go, I usually keep myself busy with housework.

Re: Junk-Food Vegetarian found something better

PostPosted: Sun Apr 21, 2013 9:36 pm
by veggie lover
Jbblack,
Thanks for posting your experience! I wish every person would be willing to give this way of eating a sincere try and they would discover, as you did, that it has power to heal the body and the side benefit is the weight comes off!!

I was able to "convert" about 4 of my friends/family to this way of eating but several other friends/family gave it a try, halfheartedly, and then gave it up and went back to their old way of eating. I wish they would have really jumped in with both feet for just a few weeks to see what would have happened and to feel the difference it would have made in their health.

Dr. McDougall, thank you so much for all you have done and continue to do!

Re: Junk-Food Vegetarian found something better

PostPosted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 9:03 am
by jbblack
Well, as far as converting folks, I gave up on that years ago. They're going to do what they're going to do. Now if they ask questions, I'm happy to answer. I just save them some embarrassment (and me some frustration) by giving them reign to decide for themselves. I figure when they want it bad enough on their own, that's when they're ready for me to speak up.

Re: Junk-Food Vegetarian found something better

PostPosted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 6:47 pm
by RSaucier
Thank you so much for sharing your story! I have been a vegetarian for about 8 years which was my first step to health. But now I'm struggling with many of the same issues you've mentioned: weight gain, high triglycerides/cholesterol, tiredness, joint pain.

I'm having such a difficult time letting go of the junk foods of processed wheat, some cheese and sweets! You, sir, have inspired me to press forward to changing my life for better health. I'll probably be reading your post many, many times in the coming days for encouragement.