Haven't checked in here for months but it's been 4 months now on the Starch Based diet and I feel awesome. Lost 13 lbs and have stabilized at 165 (6' tall male). Feel great. Now I just need to add more exercise. I'm also excited that my omnivore wife is very slowly coming around to the McDougall way. She helps me make soups and my general cooking techniques because I generally suck in that area. I seem to have been blessed with a natural discipline to follow the diet, even if I eat steamed potatoes or brown rice every day. But my wife is definitely not the same and will need some more time but there is definite progress which to me is very exciting to see. I was excited to find that I could request a McDougall dvd in the Library. Last weekend I dragged my family thru watching Mary do her thing with the Vegan recipes and I was pumped to see how much of a positive effect it had on my wife - so much so that tonight after my usual long tiring commute home, I was totally blown away to come home to a nice steaming pot of vegan Mexi Soup! She really blessed me and I feel so much more hopeful that she will eventually someday get serious and make the big plunge to go vegan all-out. I've become a bit of a vegan evangelist at work too, mainly because I'm so pumped about what it has done for me and the many articles and lectures I've watched about this WOE. My secretary at my office, for example, always complains she's so hungry all the time and can't lose her pot, despite eating greens and fruit like a rabbit during the day but downing the steaks, oils and glasses of wine at night. I'm telling her that she's starving herself from not eating starches and robbing herself of all that awesome comfort food. I was there too for most of my adult life so I know that she's brainwashed into thinking starches are bad. I'm hoping she'll come around one day. Just found out that we're having a potluck at the office on our last day before Christmas shut down. So I'm excited to bring a nice hearty vegan soup or stew that will hopefully show them how tasty this WOE really can be. Anyway, I've rambled on too much already but there you have my update.
Thanks all for letting me share all this.