And for those who like to read:
I switched from eating 2 years of a paleo-style diet (specifically, Sisson's Primal deal) to a plant-based diet in August of 2012. There were lots of little things that began to accumulate into growing concerns for me, all of which completely toppled over when I was introduced to a video featuring John McDougall's Starch Solution.
I have struggled with weight and diet for many years, topping out at over 310lbs. I've never weighed below 245 as an adult, unless you count weighing 240 when I graduated high school.
I have never been diagnosed with any long-term chronic diseases, though this might be a combination of a lack of regular checkups and simply just being damn lucky.
I am currently in the 260s, which is roughly where I've been for the past several months... I think I understand the reasons for this, but I'd be interested in any feedback.
Prior to the switch in August, I was getting just plain bored of food. The idea of cooking myself up yet another huge meaty meal was incredibly unappealing, despite the fact that I had become pretty good at making it taste not-so-bad. I barely had any sense of hunger--I just ate when I thought it was time.
I was also pretty severely constipated and had re-developed a hemorrhoid, so I was quite uncomfortable and in a significant amount of pain when I discovered the recommendations of McDougall and his colleagues.
But even these things (which are pretty serious) concerned me less than another thing I had noticed developing: small scratches and abrasions took a very long time to heal, resulting in dark scars.
When I saw a video on my Facebook friends list titled "The Starch Solution," I somehow figured it was going to be another "tell me how the Paleo diet is healthy" video (I don't think there was any reasoning behind this--talk about wanting to be consoled for one's bad habits). Boy, was I in for a life-changer!
I made the decision on that Saturday night, feeling lousy and just generally ill, to switch off from consuming animal products and pursuing this new dietary approach. I barely had enough information to get started, but I realized that continuing on my current trajectory could only get worse.
That first week suuuuuuuucked. I could have probably made a smoother transition or, if I had known about this community, had more information to make it easier on myself... but I was constipated and dehydrated and had been punishing my body for 2 years, all the while telling myself that I was doing the right thing.
I am happy to say that after a few weeks of cutting out animal products and focusing on plant foods resulted in some significant improvements. I became less dehydrated, I was finally able to poop, and some of the dark scars I had actually lightened, and future scrapes started to heal normally!
My weight didn't fluctuate too much, but I wasn't too terribly concerned about that. I am curious about your opinions, though I will say that I realized that I was consuming quite a bit too much oil and processed foods--that "moderation" bugaboo coming to the fore. I have recently cut back on breads and eating out at "vegetarian" and "vegan" restaurants.
There were other things that I noticed over time:
- my nails used to be quite soft, now they are quite firm and require more frequent clippings.
my hair was somewhat thinner and definitely more oily, it is now a little thicker (though this might just be subjective) and it is less oily.
my natural body odor has decreased (I still shower, don't worry).
my skin has become less oily and much less dry, though I still experience break outs.
It has taken several months for my hunger signals to get back to something resembling "normal." It's still not quite right, but I actually do feel *hungry* on a fairly regular basis, and my body tells me when it is *full* which is a rather pleasurable sensation, compared to the alternative, which was eating and eating and eating and *still* not feeling satisfied.
There has also been a significant switch in the area of cravings and food desires. When I was doing paleo, I craved starches to an almost single-minded extent. I chose to roll off the wagon on several occasions, which also had self-critical effects, as you might imagine.
Following this plan, I do find myself looking for a burger, but I now recognize that as a complex interaction of culture, old habits, and a lack of planning. I encountered this more often at first, but as I have been working on acquiring better habits and planning skills, I have had to struggle with this less and less.
At present, my main struggles aren't so much in the realm of my habits and planning, but in the friends and acquaintances who don't seem to be taking their health very seriously. I am pretty sure that it's not about the food (if it was, it seems that you'd just listen to the science). I just try my best to carry on and not burn my energy engaging with them if they are particularly recalcitrant.
So, hello!