Dissolution's Solution

[lmggallagher]

FANTASTIC NUMBERS & GOOD HUBBY POINTS

[fulenn]

Your blood tests look great!

Fulenn

[Dissolution]

Thanks everybody for your kind words!

I was on cloud nine most of the day. What do you guys think my chances are, of getting my cardiologist to tell my wife, "If he continues eating this way and maintains his current cholesterol numbers, he will never have another heart attack."

Oh yeah, thanks Rosey and KirstyKay, I found the HDL comments in Esselstyn's book.

The first group averages;

Total: 137
LDL: 82
HDL: 36

and he says, "Our research suggests, in fact that lower than "normal" HDL levels are not worrisome as long as total cholesterol is well within the safe range---under 150..."

I get the romanesco broccoli from a super market called Wegmans. Looks like they are located from Virginia to New York. They don't always have it, I paid $2.99 for a head of it. I called it fractal broccoli for the longest time. I was also surprised to find out, it looks like that naturally. Here's how wikipedia describes the taste and texture, and I agree:

The texture is more tender than cauliflower, making it suited to raw use as crudités. Romanesco broccoli has a milder flavor, more creamy and nutty, and less bitter, than conventional broccoli and cauliflower.

[SactoBob]

Sorry that somehow I missed your arrival here and your great story. You are definitely doing the right thing, and there others here who have reversed the same issues that you face. You might want to look at my own Star McDougaller story, or that of our moderator, Jim Brown, aka f1Jim. Perhaps more impressive than our own stories is that of member rlandis who I believe was over 300 pounds and being recommended a heart bypass. That @#$%%^ is also off all meds and now looks better than me. If you wanted longer term info on my case, you check pictures of me and an updated history in the Star McDougaller's Forum - the thread entitled "Where Are They Now." If any of us heart patients can be of help or encouragement, just ask. You are definitely doing something great for yourself by learning about excellent nutrition.

[Anna Green]

Hi! I've been enjoying your journey. I haven't read your whole journal so I don't know if you've done this but I suggest asking your wife to help you create a few recipes that taste good and adhere to the plan. If you have to tell her you'd like it to be your Christmas present from her or get her to pity you for the potentially bad upcoming Thanksgiving dinner you might endure, then do it. At least I would. I wouldn't suggest anymore that she do the plan herself. Hopefully your example will be enough. And perhaps if she likes what she helps you cook she'll have some too and realize it's not awful. You might even bring her a couple of recipes to review and ask how she would make them better w/o the junk of course.

Just a thought. A little manipulative I know. If it's unwelcome advice please forgive.

[lmggallagher]

I was curious about the Estimated CHD of .5 too, so I looked that up. The American Heart Association has a risk estimator questionnaire that will give anyone who has NOT had a heart attack or diabetes a percentage reading for future risk of heart attack. This questionnaire and the rating percentile are based on the Frammingham study. As you have had a heart attack - I wonder why this number would be shown on your recent test results. I also wonder, why they say the test would not apply to you and would wonder further, if they just don't factor in that Coronary Heart Disease can be reversed! I think this would be an interesting question to ask Dr. MacDougall actually.

Anyway, I took it and even though my numbers are old & based on the end of my first week (haha - I so thought I was getting my baseline) I am in the 1% and your number is .5%.

If you want to do the test for the fun of it, and see if you get that.5% number again, here is the link - but mostly Dr. Esselstyn is your guy on info because you are doing all the things he recommends, I do believe

https://www.heart.org/gglRisk/locale/en ... ype=health

Also, I am still surprised that your Doc isn't just amazed by you. I sure hope it counts for you that we all are!!!!

[Dissolution]

Bob: Thanks for the welcome. I have read your story along with Jim's and several other star McDougallers. I spent a few weeks lurking on here before I ever posted. BTW you look great in the where are they now thread!

Anna: I do ask her for advice fairly often when I am cooking, I also asked her to make her special spaghetti sauce without oil for me once. She really does hate vegetables, I'm trying to think if I've ever seen her eat anything green without being covered in pork (green beans), hollandaise (peas). She even hates lettuce so much that even if it's only used for decoration, she get's upset at the kitchen.

Michelle: That was a fun link. It won't let you put anything in under total cholesterol that is less than 130. So with 130 as my total instead of 108 and my HDL being low it flagged that and shot me up to a 2.

Also I haven't seen my doctor yet, but I am looking forward to his reaction.

Hit 260 this morning, that makes for a total of 40 pounds. Can't wait to be int he 250s'.

A few days ago I had brought up the subject to my wife of us joining a gym again. She has a condition (undiagnosed) where she doesn't/can't sweat. She'll swell up some and then begin to suffer from heat exhaustion. So pretty much the only way she can exercise is swimming or water aerobics. So I stopped by the gym on the way home tonight, to get prices and take a look. The pool looks ok, but the rest of the place is pretty sad. We'll see, I got us a free 7 day pass.

[Dissolution]

Well that didn't take long, 258 this morning. I have no clue, it doesn't make any sense to me, but I'm certainly happy about it.

258 for me is a milestone number for me, it is the least I have weighed since I was 25.

Today's challenge is going to be dinner out with friends. Shouldn't be too difficult and a lot tastier than normal. We're going to an Indian restaurant. I've pre-scanned the menu and decided that while it might be impossible to avoid added oil, I can easily avoid animal fat and protein.

I guess I'm looking forward to tonight, not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. The wife and I have always considered ourselves to be "foodies", one of our favorite "hobbies" was finding new restaurants, and trying new dishes. I think I've mentioned before that since starting this WOE, I pretty much hate going to restaurants. So tonight will be the first time going to a restaurant where I can actually order a main course off the menu. That's comforting to me, most likely because I AM a food addict.

As someone who has literally spent years dieting (I'm sure many of us on here have) I'm somewhat aware that I have "triggers". I probably worry too much about going off this WOE. It just seems too easy, too healthy, too tasty, like it's a trick or something. I know it's not of course, the scale and the blood work do not lie. This is also the first time in my life that, in my mind, my goal weight, is just a matter of time. What I mean is, it's already a foregone conclusion, the only question is how long will it take?

So my experience of being "normal" tonight (ordering a regular dish), concerns me because it does seem to mean something to me. I'm probably not making any sense, but let's just say I'm jotting this down for historical purposes.

[bunsofaluminum]

ooh, careful with Indian restaurants! they use a LOT of oil. But, one meal shouldn't be too much of an issue. Just keep it in your mind that it's ONE MEAL and when tomorrow comes, you're right back on track.

[fulenn]

Hope dinner went well for you.

Fulenn

[Dissolution]

Dinner went well, we got to the restaurant a few minutes early and our friends are always late, so we went ahead and sat down and ordered masala tea. I stepped outside to take a phone call, when I got back the tea had come and my wife was sending mine back because it had cream in it. Then the waiter offered to bring paratha in addition to naan bread, because the paratha had been prepared without milk or butter.

I ordered the vegetarian combo platter that included Vegetable Biryani, Aalu Gobi, and Daal Makhani. I asked for them to all be prepared without butter or oil. My friend's wife expressed fascination with my diet and was going to order the same thing I did, to "see what it was like". My wife talked her out of it.

It was all very good, and yeah probably too much oil. I didn't finish everything on my plate, 2 months ago I would have eaten all of mine and helped the wife finish hers, not to mention probably eating a whole basket of naan bread.

The cool stuff happened earlier. I had an afternoon appointment with a client today, so because we had dinner with friends scheduled, my wife rode along with me, dropped me off and did some shopping. She went to a few specialty stores and markets, and she bought me some stuff:

Rome apples - My favorite!
Mung beans - look like little green black eyed peas, neat.
Bean noodles - Look like rice noodles. Not sure I trust clear food.
Buckwheat noodles - Yay noodles!
Red jasmine rice - Cool! Can't wait to try
Whole golden flaxseeds - Wow... surprised she got these. Will have to mill/crush/grind or something.

Anyway I though this was VERY sweet of her to pick up stuff for my "diet". I told her so and thanked her several times.

I think we are making progress...

[Dissolution]

Up half a pound this morning....Guess I deserved it....lol

Getting ready to leave for the gym with the wife to try out our 7-day trial membership.

Then to the cardiologist this afternoon.

Now back to the regularly scheduled program...

[bunsofaluminum]

congrats on hitting your current "weight goal"...it's pretty exciting to get to a place on the scale that you once thought would be a pipe dream. It was for me, when I got below 200, and you'll have other amazing scale numbers that will keep you encouraged and going strong!

Have fun with the bean threads...they are essential to fresh spring rolls...ooh, now I want me some of THAT...fresh spring rolls...mmmm.

I'm encouraged reading your journal. You are doing terrific! keep it up

[Dissolution]

Have fun with the bean threads...they are essential to fresh spring rolls...ooh, now I want me some of THAT...fresh spring rolls...mmmm.

I'm encouraged reading your journal. You are doing terrific! keep it up

Thanks! Can you make no oil added spring rolls? I thought they had to be deep fried?


So went to the cardiologist today. Everything seems good, he was very impressed with the weight loss and cholesterol numbers. He of course what I was doing, and I asked him if he had heard of Dr. Esselstyn? He said yes, had heard him speak before and had even recommended (or gave, I forget exactly what he said) his book to about 10 patients. He said only 1 of them even tried the diet and that person did not stick with it, and that I was the only person he knew of that had followed the diet. He was glad to see the results were as "advertised".

[MixedGrains]

Have fun with the bean threads...they are essential to fresh spring rolls...

Thanks! Can you make no oil added spring rolls? I thought they had to be deep fried?

"Fresh" spring rolls are hard to find a lot of places, but they are not fried and very yummy. Typically they have various crispy/crunchy vegetables, some sort of thin noodles, fresh herbs like cilantro or mint, and sometimes little shrimps, all wrapped up in a thin soft ricepaper wrap.

You can make your own with a whole grain noodle (or just veggies) and none of the shrimp, but it's a lot of fiddly work getting them wrapped.