56 years old, a lot of weight to lose

[tinabrul]

Hi all,
I am 56, 5'3" and weighed in at 228 this morning. I have been a vegetarian for at least 15 years. For the last year I have gone back and forth being a vegan, but when I go off, I pile on the cheese and sweets. I am committing to Dr. McDougall's way of eating. I feel rotten at this weight. There are health issues staring me in the face. I have got to change.
I have a couple of questions.

1. Coffee. Is it ok to have a few (2 or 3) cups a day, with soy milk? I was using splenda, but I think a tsp of sugar would be better..or honey.
2. I know that diet soda is horrible for my health, but will drinking one a day or one every day interfere with the weight loss? I'm not talking a big gulp here either..maybe 12 ounces.

Any thoughts or words of encouragement would be appreciated.

thanks
tina

[tinabrul]

Thank you so much for your answer. I am guessing you had a typo in your first paragraph when you said you were 140, etc...am I right?
I will take all your suggestions, including the soda one, although that might be tough..as long as I can have coffee..I should be ok. And I know I will love the food, since they are all the foods I love.
Looking forward to being healthy,
thanks
tina

[Atheria]

I will defend coffee (although I drink mine black) as it keeps me alive... Ha Ha! But, sodas are horrid in oh so many ways. You'd be better off drinking coffee or tea instead of soda.

Atheria

[ronald11103]

Drop to one cup of coffee per day with soy milk if you can. I drink a cup a day and have no issues with blood pressure and my cholesterol is down to 155. If you use sweetener, sugar or honey is better than chemicals. Ditch the sodas, diet or otherwise. Keep a large glass or bottle of water with you at all times and drink that. The sodas are dehydrating you. They are diuretics, diet of not. They are also highly acidic. The bubbles, carbonation, come from carbonic acid.

[TerriNC]

Hi Tina,
Glad to hear you are on your way back to health! I'm with everyone else on this--ditch the soda, and a little bit of coffee shouldn't hurt. I used to be a Dr. Pepper and sweet tea person. I also used to drink nearly a whole pot of coffee, everyday, by myself. I don't drink any soda or sweet tea now. Actually gave those up years ago, even before starting WFPB. Now, I drink a little coffee a few times a week, but not everyday. After I broke my addiction of needing A LOT daily or risking headaches, I didn't want to allow my body that addiction any longer. I like being able to take it or leave it, without withdrawals. I'm actually having a cup right now--it's Monday and very early, so I'm indulging myself. If it brings you comfort as you make this transition with everything else (food wise), then I say, by all means, have a cup.

And YES to the water! I drink a whole lot, all day, everyday. Well...I taper off in the evenings so I won't be up going back and forth the potty all night.

[Hapsy]

I'll just kick in with encouraging you to stop the soda. Yuck, it's an acid, drinking it with meals just ensures your digestion is off, and it builds a sweet craving, which is not good if you are overweight and having blood sugar problems. Your body needs water, not sugared phosphoric and carbonic acid.

I feel sick just taking a few sips of it. So does my husband, we avoid pop and have done for years.

Here's a thing: I don't drink alcohol but I find the tinkly sound of ice cubes in a glass of liquid sounds very special, very elegant, so I put a bit of ice in my water--makes me feel like I'm at a party.

You can put a bit of fruit (like a bit of raspberry) in the water in the ice cube tray and make a cube that flavours the water a bit if you feel desperate. Or use the old standby, a thin slice of lemon or lime (without any sugar) in the water. I find that works nicely with hot water too.

I like plain water (with ice) myself but to wean yourself off pop you could try the fruit ice cube trick for a bit.

[PineappleTraci]

Hi tinabrul! Glad you are here.

I am always happy to hear when someone views their present situation as undesirable -- it means that on many levels, they are willing to do things different.

The good news is that, coming from a place of being fairly overweight, you only need to shift in the right direction to start improving your health. There is a lot of wiggle room to continue making nutritional mistakes and still experience an improvement in health! So perhaps that is what you're trying to say? That you're going to get the ball rolling, and fine tune things later? That would be totally reasonable -- work on the biggest problem areas now, deal with the lesser problems later.

The bad news, coming from a place of being fairly overweight, is that there is quite a lot of work to be done. Cardiovascular disease is likely already present, joints are already suffering, and you are already at that age where things start to catch up with you. So, as much as you are able, use every trick in the book to allow your body to heal.

I know Dr. M likes to say "It's the food", but when it comes to success, it's also the emotions, the confidence, the fears, etc. And also the strategy. So, take care to put your emotions on the right path. And take care to experiment until you have an effective strategy for yourself. Meaning:

What do you have to do to build confidence, to break this down into manageable steps, etc. What do you need to do to make the transition effective and sustainable?

Back to the smaller picture:
PS - Have you tried Pero, my favorite brand of coffee substitute? It tastes wonderful by itself, and does not need soy milk added. You never know, might be your solution!

[ccharspen]

Hi Tinabrul,

Congratulations on taking charge of your own health destiny. Everyone else has given you good advice, I just wanted to welcome you and also mention a product I've used in place of coffee. Teeccino is an herbal/chicory product that tastes like coffee to me. They have several different flavors too. Best of Success!

[PineappleTraci]

ccharspen,

While we are at it, which flavor of teechino is your go-to?

Lord knows I am not one to branch out, but sometimes I like to get wild and crazy!

[nayasmom]

I bounce between Pero and Teechino these days. I tried Cafix but found that pretty much tasting the same as food coloring in hot water.
I really like the Teechino with the chocolate and the chili spice. Right now I'm using the medium roast Teechino without added flavors. The pero is a great everyday hot drink, and I get the darkest roast one.
Robyn

[Risto]

I know that diet soda is horrible for my health, but will drinking one a day or one every day interfere with the weight loss?

A diet soda habit didn't stop me from losing weight (which was not on the McD plan) or keeping it off (on McD plan, more or less), but it definitely maintains the addictive behavior around the overly sweet taste. Never mind the damage to the teeth and the rest of it. I think I've now got rid of the habit, and I feel that losing it has made it easier to avoid other addictive foods.