Running progress over time

[rgh69]

Hello all,

I decided to post this here so I can keep a running progress over time. I will post every month or so and then we can see how things develop over time.

I started eating better after Thanksgiving when I started suffering from lots of heart palpitations. That's when I found out my BP was 170/110 and I weighed about 330 pounds. The Cardiologist put me on 50mg of Losartan daily. At this time I basically starved myself by only eating small salads (still with dressing, bacon, etc.). By the weekend before Christmas I lost about 10 pounds. My wife and I went on a road trip across Texas and to celebrate my 10 pounds weight loss I wanted to eat some meat. So we ordered a bunch of BBQ and I commenced to eat a half rack of ribs and a pound of sliced beef with a ton of BBQ sauce. That evening I felt like crap. We also watched FOK and Fat, Sick and Nearly dead. Then I checked out Dr. McDougall and I have been eating Starches since then. As of today at age 52 I am at 310 pounds and my BP this morning is 158/100 pulse 53. But I quit taking the Losartan a week ago, so I expected the BP to go back up. I hope it goes down over time.
Before Starch WOE:
Weight 320
BP - 145/90 - taking Losartan 50mg/day

2 weeks in Starch WOE - Health issues:
Hypothyroid - Hashimoto's (Autoimmune) - Taking 125 Mcg/day
Joint and tendon pains - this keeps me from walking as an exercise
Acid Reflux - But I just realized that I haven't had any acid reflux for a couple of days.
Obese - Weight 310 Waist 48 BMI 33.2
Lipid panel (taken 10-6-2014, I am certain it was worse after Thanksgiving)
Chol 253
Trig 218
HDL 38
LDL 171
CHD Risk 6.66


Goals:
Weight 270ish
Waist size - something beginning with a "3"
BMI - under 25
Be able to finish a half marathon

[pundit999]

This is great progress!

You may want to take a low dose statin for your cholesterol while you get to normal weight. And a baby aspirin. Both as insurance.

[viv]

Fantastic news, so glad you have found McDougall and now you can beat the odds and become healthy and fit. I'm so glad you didn't drop dead after that BBQ meal, because as Dr. Esselstyn says, we are only one meal away from a heart attack!

I also have Hashimotos and I have had my dose reduced a few times since I've been McDougalling nearly two years ago. So please be aware that if you get any palpitations as you are losing weight and getting healthy, it may indicate your dose of thyroid meds may need to be reduced. It's a good idea to get your TSH checked. I started out McDougalling at 150 mcg of Levothyroxine and now I'm at 112 mcg, a significant drop. The McDougall diet is a miracle, even with autoimmune conditions.

We are so glad to have you on this forum!

Viv

[rgh69]

Wow! I didn't think of the Thyroid as a possible cause. I had my Thyroid levels checked back in October. Although my TSH was in range it was at the high end I asked the doctor to up it a bit to see if it may make me feel better. That very well could be the cause of the palpitations and perhaps the very high BP. I just called the doc to have her order new labs. I will post the results whenever I get them.

Thank you very much for the idea!!!

[viv]

You're welcome! It's a good idea to check, just in case.

Viv

[rgh69]

I just got my blood tests back;
Lipid panel (taken 10-6-2014, I am certain it was worse after Thanksgiving)
Chol 253
Trig 218
HDL 38
LDL 171
CHD Risk 6.66

The one from last week
Chol 209
Trig 358 (Way up!)
HDL 30
LDL 107 (Way down)
CHD Risk 6.97

So overall my numbers are a bit worse. The Triglycerides are way worse. But they may have been much, much worse before the diet.

[viv]

Wow, that's fantastic that your total cholesterol level went down significantly after only a couple of months. I'm not an expert on the breakdown of the numbers like many others on this forum, but I do know that Dr. McDougall focuses on the TOTAL cholesterol number. Don't worry, you are doing great, keep going.

Viv

[rgh69]

Thanks, I also noticed that although my BP is high in the morning, it is still about 10 points lower than when I started. Also, it typically goes down later in the day, especially about an hour after I eat. I just ate an hour ago and at 1PM in the afternoon it is 139/93. This morning it was 154/100. When I started this it was 170/110. So overall I know I am doing better.

My son started this WOE about a week ago and my cousin-n-law started about two weeks ago. They are both sticking to it pretty good.

Thanks Dr. McDougall

Also, I see that there is a Journal board in this forum. Can an admin move this thread there since it would be more appropriate.

[rgh69]

It has been awhile so here is a quick update.

Just took my BP 148/87
My current weight is 310 lbs.
I still have heart palpitations. Sometimes a lot.
I also have some kind of joint , back , muscle or some kind of pain all of the time.

Since eliminating the animal proteins have not eliminated these issues over six months, I think that I may add some back into my diet. I know that part of the problem is that my current diet still has oil in it. I snack all of the time, probably because of stress. Most often the snack may be potato chips. And when I eat dinner, I eat a LOT. Although my wife has been cooking vegan she still uses oil. Perhaps I should cook my own food. Anyway, I thought that the animal protein caused the problems but I guess not.

Anyway, I am very disappointed with the BP numbers. That is the real reason that I got on this bandwagon and the numbers just won't go down.

[JaniceYvonne]

Glad you are even on this site, but you are enough "off course" that it makes sense you think eating animals will not affect you. Potato Chips are loaded with salt and oil and the oil in your meals is sabotaging your good intentions. I am a stress eater also, and if I want something crispy I get dried crunchy apples with nothing on them, and crunch my little heart out!! Costco has big bags and they are organic. No one is saying not to graze or even not overeat, but the guidelines are clearly laid out so no guess work on our part. I don't let others cook for me, I do it myself. I strive not to think and act like a victim
After being fat in my life and having gone through 3 back surgeries I am familiar with pain. Even if you follow this way of eating, living, by virtue of lugging around so much weight, you may experience pain (for awhile) until the weight starts to diminish,which it will.
Please have a talk with yourself and have everything YOU need in the house to make you able to progress out of the physical hell you find yourself in, mostly caused by what you have eaten over the years.
Good Luck!!

[Jeepsterhound]

It is definitely the oil that is holding you back. I have no pain from the arthritis I was diagnosed with a couple years ago, unless I eat some oily food like movie popcorn or restaurant tortilla chips, then I feel some soreness the next morning. Do whatever you can to ditch the oil and you will feel so much better.

[vgpedlr]

Not following the plan, you should not be surprised that you miss out on the benefits.

Straying further from the plan will not increase the benefits.

Time and adherence.

[rgh69]

Not feeling well today. Just took my BP....177/105

I suppose i should start taking the BP meds again.

I know that y'all are blaming the lack of progress on the oil. But I thought for sure I would see an improvement by eliminating the animal proteins and fats. I have had zero progress since about a month after going Vegan. I lost a bit of weight which was probably the reduced caloric intake of eliminating the animal products. But since then I have not lost any more weight. Although my cholesterol is lower my Trigycerides is way up from all of the starches. I am beginning to think that there is no one diet that is good for everyone. One of my problems is that I am Gluten intolerant. The makes it doubly difficult to find food to eat. My job has me running around town and I don't have time to prepare food for the day. I don't know of any restaurants that have anything significant that is starch based and gluten free. This situation is mighty depressing.

[FitTrey]

I am beginning to think that there is no one diet that is good for everyone.

That is not really fair since you aren't choosing to follow the guidelines of the diet. A junk food vegan diet is not healthy. You mentioned potato chips and meals cooked with oil; those will keep you overweight and unhealthy. We don't know what else you are eating but from my experience people who allow foods with oil often allow other things too like refined grains (even gluten free substitutes) and too much added sugar. Just giving up animal products isn't enough to get healthy; there are a lot of overweight and unhealthy vegans. Getting rid of the refined vegan foods like oil, added sugar, refined flours, and fake meats (and anything made with those ingredients), is crucial to healthy eating and your success. I know oil is the only one you mentioned, but I listed the others just in case.

It's a learning process. Don't give up -- just keep improving.

One of my problems is that I am Gluten intolerant. The makes it doubly difficult to find food to eat. My job has me running around town and I don't have time to prepare food for the day. I don't know of any restaurants that have anything significant that is starch based and gluten free. This situation is mighty depressing.

This leads me to believe you are not eating on plan very often because you are basically saying that you can't because you don't have time to prepare food and have to eat at restaurants which don't have any healthy foods available. Gluten is not a very big part of this diet and you can easily avoid wheat, barely, and rye. Preparing food doesn't have to take very long. If I didn't have much time I would pre-bake some potatoes and sweet potatoes and pack those with me along with bags of pre-washed carrots, pre-washed broccoli florets, apples, and bananas which you just buy at the store and don't require any preparation. Its very quick and easy.

I understand it feels like a depressing situation but you can do this. Change is hard at first but after awhile it becomes the new normal and is not difficult any longer. I wish you the best.

[viv]

Gluten is not a very big part of this diet and you can easily avoid wheat, barely, and rye. Preparing food doesn't have to take very long. If I didn't have much time I would pre-bake some potatoes and sweet potatoes and pack those with me along with bags of pre-washed carrots, pre-washed broccoli florets, apples, and bananas which you just buy at the store and don't require any preparation. Its very quick and easy.

FitTrey is giving you the best advice. This diet can be very simple, just remember it's based on STARCHES with the addition of fruits and vegetables, with NO ADDED OILS. Each meal pick your favorite starch and then add as many veggies as you want with one or two fruits for dessert.

I have eaten this same way for over two years now.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with cinnammon, little sugar and banana.
Lunch: (packed lunch for work) 3 med potatoes zapped in microwave, banana, apples cut up, bag of baby carrots.
Dinner: Potatoes or rice, bag of frozen veg, e.g. broccoli/carrots/cauliflower mix. Barbeque sauce or ketchup or can tomatoes etc.
Snacks: Have another meal, or fruit/cut up veggies, oven fries, corn tortillas cut up and baked in the oven with salsa, etc etc.
Drinks: Water, tea and one cup of coffee a day with almond milk.

Just keep it simple and make sure you are eating enough starch with each meal.

Good luck and take it easy.
Viv