Judge Judy at the McDougall Program

My name is Judy. I am writing an introduction to a poem that I wrote for the August 10-day McDougall program attendees and trainers. I delivered the poem at our graduation ceremony on August 14, 2010. I should start at the beginning. I had a “heart attack” in June of 2010. I needed to attend cardiac rehabilitation. A friend of mine had attended the National Institute for Fitness many years ago and had learned of Dr. McDougall’s program for cardiac health. My birthday was on July 31^st. She came to my birthday party and surprised me by gifting me with the McDougall 10-day program. I was not familiar with the program. I did not know that it recommended a vegan eating plan. Hence, the beginning of the poem which says that I didn’t “know what to expect.”

Upon my arrival in Santa Rosa, CA, I was accosted by a cab driver who told me that I could not share a ride to the Flamingo Inn with two women that I had met at the airport, Jane and Wendy. The cabbie cussed out our driver and was fighting with me over my suitcase. It was pretty unnerving, but Jane has quite a sense of humor and we laughed about the whole incident later.

I met a man named Richard while I was sitting in the back of the room during lectures. He had been on the McDougall program since April 3rd, 2010 and had lost 83 lbs. He looked great and said such wonderful things about the program. He came to visit my husband and myself on his way back home. I feel like I made a friend for life with him.

I didn’t realize until the second day of the program that I was not eating any meat. I had been living on McDonald’s before my heart attack and I wondered if I would have come to the program if I had realized what it entailed.

I refer to Dr. McDougall as my new “Big Mac” because he was an inspiration to me. His lectures were entertaining and informative and he is passionate about the subject matter.

I also met a woman named Stephanie, who came to the program to change her life. We talked about her struggles and she was someone that I truly admired.

While home in Phoenix, Arizona, my husband and I frequently go to the theater on Saturday night, but on August 7th, 2010, I found myself in a lecture with Jeff Novick,RD, the nutritionist for the program. He made reading labels funny, no hysterical and how could that be? He was intelligent, informative, and had a great sense of humor. He told us not to believe the claims on the front of packages. He kidded about the success of the book titled, Skinny Bitch. He said that maybe his books would be more successful if he included the word, Bitch. Anyway, he made a joke out of it and our class would frequently punctuate something that he said by shouting, Bitch, to him. I guess you would have had to have been there to enjoy this inside joke, but it got a great reaction when I delivered it at graduation.

In short, I went to a program, I knew nothing about and had the time of my life. It is now August 27, 2010 and I have lost 17 lbs. I am off all of my medications and I can’t wait to see my cardiologist.

Dr. McDougall and Mary McDougall are sincere, dedicated and enthusiastic about what they do. Tiffany Hobson runs a tight ship and makes sure that all of the guests are taken care of.

In closing, the salutation of the poem refers to me as the “Real” Judge Judy. That is because everyone has called me, Judge Judy, ever since I was appointed to the bench back in 1986 long before Judge Judy Sheinlin came along. Again, it’s an inside joke, so I guess you had to be there.

But, the truth is you can be. Don’t hesitate, participate. Go to the McDougall website and listen to the lectures, go do a 10-day program like I did. This has honestly changed my life for the better and it is the greatest gift I have ever received. A shout out to all of my co-attendees who may be reading this newsletter.

All the Best, Always, The “Real” Judge Judy, Phoenix, Arizona, August 27th, 2010.

2010 John McDougall All Rights Reserved