10 Months of Starcheo after 2 Years of Paleo

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10 Months of Starcheo after 2 Years of Paleo

Postby jamesapyrich » Tue May 28, 2013 1:55 pm

tl;dr - thanks for the work that McDougall and his colleagues have done to promote the science of this way of life :)

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! :)
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Re: 10 Months of Starcheo after 2 Years of Paleo

Postby jamesapyrich » Tue May 28, 2013 1:57 pm

Ha--I just saw that I "joined" here in September of 2012, so yeah--I could have gotten help earlier... I kind of forgot about it and had lots of other things going on.
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Re: 10 Months of Starcheo after 2 Years of Paleo

Postby ronald11103 » Tue May 28, 2013 2:12 pm

Welcome jamesapyrich! You are on the right road and found the right place (here!) I think your progress is great and the weight will come down, especially since you've cut out the oil (also cut out high fat plant food - nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut.)

And a good plan to limit vegetarian and vegan restaurants. It's been my experience that while they may serve vegan food, it's vegan junk food - usually bathed in oil. I was at a restaurant a while back (not vegan, but had vegan items) and two of their dishes actually contained cheese and they called it "vegan"!

Here are a couple of YouTube videos that may interest you:
Are humans designed to eat meat
Debunking the paleo diet
Ron in Oregon
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Re: 10 Months of Starcheo after 2 Years of Paleo

Postby jamesapyrich » Tue May 28, 2013 2:27 pm

Thanks Ronald :)

I have seen those two videos as well! I love me some Milton Mills, and I watched that Christina Warinner video just prior to posting here--courtesy of Jeff Novick's page on Facebook.

I have come to accept that "vegan" just isn't a very useful indicator of health. It would be nice if it were, but it's just less confusing to ask for steamed veggies and rice or a plain baked potato than to try to parse whatever "vegan" happens to mean on a particular menu.
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Re: 10 Months of Starcheo after 2 Years of Paleo

Postby misslynn56 » Tue May 28, 2013 4:31 pm

yes very easy to fall into the vegan junk food trap.thats why i coin the phase used by the child study community--whole food plant based diet.much more accurate!once you get over trying to replicate your former favorite meat meals it gets better.there is so much available to us right now....research and recipes. I'm having a great time with it. have only lost about 2 lbs but i am not really large. I think my weight is distributed better!but most of all I am feeling great with tons more energy.someone actually thought i was my grandbabies mom! (i handed them the card for my mothers eye surgeon!)
despite being a nurse for 18 years(or perhaps because of it) i realize that prescription drugs don't bring health. radical lifestyle changes bring health and wellbeing.i am having trouble finding like minded people!
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Re: 10 Months of Starcheo after 2 Years of Paleo

Postby Lesliec1 » Wed May 29, 2013 12:58 pm

So great to read about your lifestyle change. It's great to notice and enjoy some little benefits like better nails and hair. Me too! And I like not using deodorant.

I couldn't tell from your post if you gave up oil totally or just cut back.
Obviously you realized about processed foods. If you don't get the weight loss results you want, you can always try the MWL program. You're not hungry often now are you? You shouldn't hav to be.

Once in a while I have to have a burger too. Have you tried makng a Jeff novick burger yet? Put a lot of good condiments on plus cooked onions etc and it's so delicious.

Good luck, have fun, keep us posted.
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Re: 10 Months of Starcheo after 2 Years of Paleo

Postby JulieS » Wed May 29, 2013 2:43 pm

Hey James! Welcome! I wish my 19-year-old son would climb on board, too. His weight is 240 and he is 6'3 and only seems to eat "manly" food. He laughs at my persuasions to eat veggies. All he wants is beef in any form, fries, shakes, fried chicken, cookies, etc. Well, and most of his friends eat this way, too! Good for you for going against what must be peer pressure! Can I ask your height and age?
LOST 55 POUNDS! From pant size 14 to size 4, BMI:21
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Re: 10 Months of Starcheo after 2 Years of Paleo

Postby jamesapyrich » Wed May 29, 2013 6:03 pm

@Lesliec1 - I have discarded all oils in my home cooking and limit my eating out as much as possible to avoid added oils in that situation. If/when I do, I am training myself to have brown rice and steamed veggies and, what do you know, that works pretty well :)

My hunger signals are still a little off... sometimes I won't feel hungry but I'll feel the effects of blood sugar slipping off, which manifests as a fog-brain and disorientation. But it's not any more often than I would otherwise expect. If I eat an adequate meal, I won't feel hungry again until several hours later. If I eat lightly, I'll feel hungry sooner, and if I eat a lot, it may take that much longer for the need to eat again.

@JulieS - I once heard about beefshakes but I thought that was a myth! I am a bit older (almost 2x!) than your son--34, and I am 6'3" in height. I do have a few peers that are allies, but it is still disheartening to encounter such resistance from other peers.
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Re: 10 Months of Starcheo after 2 Years of Paleo

Postby skane9041 » Fri May 31, 2013 12:10 pm

Hi James - I just wanted to say I love your word "Starcheo" and I'm totally going to steal it. I dislike calling myself a vegan for various reasons and Starcheo is kind of a fun word! :-D
Sandi
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