~My Journey To Good Health~

[Pacificfords]

Hi my friendly McDougallers! Just stopping in to update my journal and see how everyone is doing. I have been very focused these past few months and getting comfortable in my new gluten free life. It is going fabulous. I am maintaining my kidney disease and my doctors are still raising eyebrows at me. My doctor has quit using the word "unlikely" when I talk about my recovery. lol... He just smiles. I was eating vegan for the past few months, but not doing strict McDougall until this past week. I have maintained my weight, but have not lost anything more. I talked with my transplant team and I have to lose 50 pounds before we can proceed. So... I am giving the MWL another go and hoping to reach my goals over the summer. I feel great. Giving up gluten changed my life!!! I had no idea I even had any issues with wheat and now that I am not eating it - what a difference. The only thing that I can't seem to keep under control is my anemia. I get iron infusions for a few weeks at a time, but they don't last long. That can be challenging with my energy levels, but considering what I am dealing with - it's not a big deal. So, I had to come back and refresh on some good MWL tips. I am going pretty strict and keeping focused on my goals. It hasn't been much change. I really only had to give up using oil to cook and cheese. I haven't even missed it. I guess I will go catch up now and see how everyone else is doing.

[sksamboots]

Hey, glad you came back--keep on keepin on

[frozenveg]

Good to see you back! I am glad you are doing so well gluten-free. I look forward to seeing more of you on the boards here!

[kkrichar]

I always love seeing you here!! Welcome back. You sound great.

[RAS]

I was just thinking about you the other day wondering how you are doing.....& here you are. I am glad things are looking up for you.Yes you can do this. You've over-come so much already. You Rock!! RAS

[Pacificfords]

I got an email this morning from a site that I subscribe to and I found it very helpful and educational. In all my research and all my dietary changes this past year, it seems there are still a few things I need to fix. I went through my kitchen this morning and got rid of any corn products and will shop for only organic corn after today. The video was done by Robyn O'Brien and she also has a website and book, if you google her. It was an interesting video, so I thought I would share. Some great information that is very much in line with McDougall eating.

http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=2343

[Pacificfords]

I keep trying to come back to this board because I want to join in the great discussion and update my health information and success... BUT... I realized this morning why I get so completely frustrated here and have yet again. Probably why many others get frustrated as well.

Dr. McDougall created an awesome program to help people find health and wellness. Others come in and tweak that program to something that worked better for them or even experts come in and share their knowledge and experience and tweak the program. All of the tweaks being just as healthy and good as the original Dr. McDougall Plan. Then new people come in and get confused... and are made to feel bad because they don't follow the most strict guidelines that people have concluded are so much better. Then people are talked down to with things like "well, if you can't make those adjustments and be strict - you really don't want to be successful."

This is SO not true. I have had more success since leaving this site than I ever had watching the confusion of it. I enjoy some of the posts and people - no doubt, but I think the militant people that want people to follow their "enhanced" version of the McDougall plan make it difficult. To read one of Mary's recipes and then find a thread that says "no, no, no" to some ingredient she has used - just seems so contradictive to me. I am finally successful because I am overweight and I am doing the "regular" plan. I am staying on it consistently, losing weight consistently, and feeling great about myself. However, when I was here regularly - so many posts spoke against this. "You should be avoiding ____ ____ if you really want to lose weight." NO - I should be doing what works for me - LONG TERM!!! Dr. McDougall works!!!!! He stated himself that the MWL Plan "in his own study" led to a greater weight loss that the regular plan by a couple of pounds a week - BUT you lose weight consistently on both plans if you are careful and moderate the high fat foods.

I just feel like there are some people that have succeeded "their way" - by being super strict - and they continually put down the "regular plan." Just because someone does not or can not stay on the MWL plan - and even more strict - Jeff Novack's revision of that plan ~ doesn't mean they can't be totally successful and healthy.

[Chile]

I completely understand your frustration and agree with your sentiments. The atmosphere that can prevail here is one reason that I do not recommend people go to the discussion board when I am telling them about this way of eating for the first time. In fact, I warn them that the board is filled with rather opinionated people that do not necessarily represent the McDougall Program so just stick with the books, videos, and archived newsletters, at least in the beginning.

I no longer read many threads that I would have in the past. My preference now is to hang out with the foodies in the recipe forum.

[Pacificfords]

I completely understand your frustration and agree with your sentiments. The atmosphere that can prevail here is one reason that I do not recommend people go to the discussion board when I am telling them about this way of eating for the first time. In fact, I warn them that the board is filled with rather opinionated people that do not necessarily represent the McDougall Program so just stick with the books, videos, and archived newsletters, at least in the beginning.

I no longer read many threads that I would have in the past. My preference now is to hang out with the foodies in the recipe forum.

Thanks! Glad to see I am not alone. I love this way of life and I love a plant based diet based on the McDougall program. It has given me such good health and I am looking forward to reaching my goal weight. I hope that others will stick to the actual plan that Dr. McDougall created and realize that it works!!! And not be discouraged by the people that take it to another level. Those people have a great way of doing things, but it certainly doesn't work for everyone.

[f1jim]

Please forward any examples on the forum here of where the regular plan is being talked down or given as an example not to follow for dubious reasons. I will see that that is clarified and that the regular program is put forward as the preferred plan for anything but swift weight loss. I'll make sure that isn't happening. Complaining might feel good but gets nothing resolved. Following the regular plan would be all the answers most of us need to resolve the health issues we face.
f1jim

[Adrienne]

Pacificfords your comments reminded me of something Dr Lederman once said: He encourages his patients to eat whole foods and avoid processed foods so he tells them that he would rather they eat the soybean than pour soymilk on their processed cereal for breakfast. However, he adds that if consuming a little soymilk on cereal for breakfast helps make this plant-based diet possible then by all means have the soymilk! But he would not recommend that as an ideal breakfast. Dr Barnard said something similar about one of his patients in his diabetes study eating Twizzlers- they are low fat and vegan after all. Allowed, but not ideal.

That to me is the main difference between the recommended vs allowed foods, which is what I am assuming you are referring to.

Pacificfords if you are doing well and happy doing what you are doing then keep on doing it! But so many here come with a lot of weight to lose and health issues to resolve, whether its high cholesterol or diabetes, and MWL can get them there the fastest.

How many Star McDougallers reversed their obesity on the regular plan? I'm curious about this one. EteSelle and Frozenveg would not be at star mcd status without MWL. I suspect there are others as well. Also many here have arbitrary numbers as their goal weights when perhaps they would benefit from losing a few extra pounds more and they would need to incorporate at least some aspects of MWL to do so.

So yes I agree that everyone most definitely benefits from the regular program - who wouldn't benefit from cutting out oil and animal foods - but I also think that there is nothing wrong with people like Bob, EteSelle or others stressing the fact that bigger dietary changes will lead to better results.

[Pacificfords]

Please forward any examples on the forum here of where the regular plan is being talked down or given as an example not to follow for dubious reasons. I will see that that is clarified and that the regular program is put forward as the preferred plan for anything but swift weight loss. I'll make sure that isn't happening. Complaining might feel good but gets nothing resolved. Following the regular plan would be all the answers most of us need to resolve the health issues we face.
f1jim

It does feel good to express feelings, but honestly I wasn't looking for resolve. I have seen others try and fail in that regard. I was simply feeling the need to express myself and the experience I have had on the site. I have a genuine desire to see people reach their goals and feel healthy and strong. I appreciate your response and I will take your advice and forward any examples I see from this point on.

[Pacificfords]

So yes I agree that everyone most definitely benefits from the regular program - who wouldn't benefit from cutting out oil and animal foods - but I also think that there is nothing wrong with people like Bob, EteSelle or others stressing the fact that bigger dietary changes will lead to better results.

Thanks for your response. You definitely described what I am feeling about "allowed, but not ideal." There are definitely two sides to the coin in that aspect.

I think what trips people up, and definitely tripped me up on my journey, is that the people that are so passionate about doing something that leads to better results do more than just stress it - it is pounded in - time and time again and that results in some people just giving up and walking away because they don't feel like they are doing good enough. If I wouldn't have experienced it myself - I probably wouldn't have noticed others going through the same. I even had a few messages from people expressing how similar they felt. I did not become successful until I stopped listening to people tell me what I needed to do and just followed the regular plan on my own. All of the "discussions" on the board can cause so much static and take us away from what is really important. I won't deny that the "Star" McDougallers have achieved great things, many of them with a very strict approach, but I think there are many that have achieved those same results with just a moderate approach and it would be great if people could see both sides when they come to the board. We are all individuals and what works for one, does not always work for another. I guess I just wish there was more people giving encouragement and less people being critical.

[f1jim]

Yes that would be excellent, as simply complaining without any examples is useless for anyone that may be curious what you are talking about or for anyone trying to see that examples of this behavior are not tolerated. Either way, keeping silent helps no one. I'll keep my eyes out for your PM.
f1jim

[Pacificfords]

Yes that would be excellent, as simply complaining without any examples is useless for anyone that may be curious what you are talking about or for anyone trying to see that examples of this behavior are not tolerated. Either way, keeping silent helps no one. I'll keep my eyes out for your PM.
f1jim

Complaining was not my intention. I was merely expressing a frustration that I have experienced on the board. I have resolved this issue for myself and my lifestyle, but I know there are others that have simply walked away in frustration. I just want to see a balance... as expressed so well in another post ... of "ideal versus acceptable." What I see is ideal, ideal, ideal, and acceptable being pushed aside. I was one of the people that ideal didn't work for and I know there are others. Acceptable has changed my life and I am glad that I figured it out on my own. I hope others are able to do the same.