Discussion Board

Stupid? Sure. I suppose if we remove the human element involved and looked solely at the facts of the matter we'd have no conclusion other than stupidity. But it's not stupidity. You're running up against the brick wall of human emotions and attachments.
I'll be the third person in this thread to point out that I transitioned to this way of eating slowly. For some of us that is the only way we could have done it. You may be like us. It took rick 2 years. It took me several months. You can do this at whatever pace will get you there, dealing with your emotional attachments to your old way of eating as you go, until you are ready to let them go.

-Norm

Speaking of emotional attachments to food, I wanted to mention an interesting book I've picked up at the library. It was recommended to me by a fellow McDougaller, smart gal. I've only read the prologue so far, but already had a major AHA! moment in my relationship with food, especially currently while I'm dealing with discovering a lot of food allergies/intolerances. (Posted about that here.)

Anyway, the book is "Women, Food, and God" by Geneen Roth. You don't have to believe in God to get something out of what she writes.

One of my favorite sayings is "Life begins tomorrow."

I don't interpret this to be an argument for procrastination, but a realization that while we can't change what we did in the past, we can look to the future and attempt changes, seek challenges and so on.

So, if life truly does begin tomorrow, what's on the menu?

Does that work?

As others have already mentioned, finding your own pace to make this a lifelong success is important. And remember that each and every choice you make towards being plant strong is another positive step towards greater health! You are worth it!

Whatever the time frame to get to a place of eating very healthy and doing your best to nutritionally ease and repair the damage to your body, giving yourself a good beating in your mind is worse than useless. I have a friend that has beaten cancer and has full blown emphasema and he still can't quit cigarettes. Given that history one would think it would be a piece of cake. If someone were to breath cancer around me the cigarettes would be gone so fast it would make your head spin. Yet he struggles. Same with my mom and heart disease. She just can't move toward healthy eating even given the success she has seen in my life. So what's the difference in all of us that let's some people move ahead and some people run in place?
It's getting your motivational buttons push by something that is individual to you. For some just knowing there is possibly relief from RA is all the motivation they need. That would get them clearing out their pantry and not looking back. You have some internal buttons that will have that effect on you. Your job is to seek them out and exploit them. None of us know what that might be for you, and it might take you a while to uncover it but it's there just the same. I'd focus on what motivates you in other parts of your life and start there. Then look outward if you come up empty. Think of what you would tell a young person just out of high school that doesn't know what they want to do with their life. What would you say to them to help them on that path. My guess it would be similar advice to what would help you find the determination to move forward with this plan.
This may be controversial but I think the difference between those that immediately go 100% and those that work their way slower is the process of finding and exploiting those motivational buttons. Once you have found them and start using them everything falls into place. Ultimately all of us that find success end up eating very similar things and those very similar things bring us what we are looking for.
I have no idea if this way of eating will bring you relief from your RA. I have a sneaking suspicion it will be of great benefit to you in more ways than just your RA. I do believe it can't hurt. Read everything....The books of Dr. McDougall, Dr. Campbell, Doug Lisle and the Pleasure Trap. EVERYTHING!!!! Some things will click, others will not. Don't let the things that don't stop you. The answers for you are out there and are waiting for you to find them.
Good luck.
f1jim

I'm such an "all or nothing" personality that I just did it, although it was incremental, as I learned of "issues" with various foods. My motivation was initially for my child's health, but now I do it for me too.

I won't go into the whole story, but after McDougalling for a few years, I spent most of 2011 doing an elimination diet. It seems like every food I tested was problematic with my finger joints. Not super bad but I didn't want them to get super bad. I finally self-diagnosed that I had a "trigger finger", not known to be diet related, and returned to eating a "normal" McDougall diet (less gluten, soy, and corn which I had identified as problematic for me years ago).

After a couple of months of eating "normally" again, my wrists, fingers and hands became very painful and swollen. I had to inch my hands along the steering wheel of my car to turn a corner because it hurt my wrists to bend them. So I went back to eating my safe foods. It took over 3 months to resolve, and I still have some mild stiffness in my finger joints at times, but I'm back to bowling and I can do the weight machines at the Y without pain. Turning the steering wheel in my car is easy again!

Do I get jealous that my husband can eat a regular McDougall diet with no problems? Yes! Am I thankful that my husband eats a McDougall diet? Yes! Am I thankful we're raising our child on a McDougall diet? Yes! Am I thankful that I can eliminate problem foods and be pain free? Yes!

Believe me, you can do this. It's not easy to change, but it is possible. Believe in yourself.
If you fall off the wagon, just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get right back on the wagon. All these people on this board are in the same boat as you are. We all came here for a reason. None of us are perfect. We fail too, but the most important thing is that this way of eating is achievable and once you do it for awhile it will get easier. Many of us (including some of the Star McDougallers) have stopped and started several times. The most important thing is that you don't give up entirely. Just take it a day at a time and remember we are pulling for you.

Wow you guys! I was away from the computer for the weekend and what a bunch of wonderful supportive words to come back to! I can't thank you enough!

I had a decent weekend... Saturday my hubby was out of town and I usually feel sorry for myself (that I'm "left behind", and I don't have energy to go do something)... when I usually would've been headed back to bed for a "nap" at 10:00 a.m., I told myself I was not sleepy, I was BORED and I cleaned the kitchen. Sat night I really "wanted" some icecream and instead made the frozen banana+berries thing. The berries made it too bitter (I'd added a little vanilla & honey), but it helped me avoid the icecream.

Yesterday I did have subway, and a little icecream... but I didn't pile taco bell on top of it all for supper. I had brown rice w/ beans, onion & celery.

Thanks again for the words of encouragement!

Gina

Gina it is always progress not perfection:) Normally families aren't born under one roof, but Dr. McDougall has made it possible under one sky. Someone in face time, shared I must be very lonely the way I eat and i shared I eat with millions of people who eat the way i eat:) The power is at the end of the fork.

Aloha, patty

Have you tried the "ice cream" on the Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue DVD? It's wonderful, I have it far too often.

2 very ripe frozen bananas
dash of vanilla
dash of nutmeg
Almond milk to desired thickness

Blend!

I use my Blendtec and push the ice cream button, but on the dvd Rip uses a regular blender.

If you're feeling naughty, Happy Herbivore's Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie is really good too. http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/peanut ... -smoothie/ My Blendtec will make it into ice cream with that button.

You can also use a standard food processor ( I've had success with a small cuisinart FP) I don't use nut milk, just a little water to get the blades moving, and before I freeze the bananas, I slice them so they blend easier. If they aren't ripe enough I add a little agave for sweetness, but this should come out like the creamiest soft-serve you've ever had.

You (OP) are applauded by everyone on this board for even the willingness to consider this an option. We all know this works, most of us have been here for years. We all have different reasons for being here. Some of us are still losing, some fully compliant, some more lax, but ultimately deep down I think all of us feel better when we eat a low fat plant based diet. Take your own time and path to decide how this plan fits with your life. You might get quicker faster results if you dive into say the MWL program, but "if" it won't work for you long term I'd hate for you to discount it as just a diet and not a feasible way of life. There are some that might argue me, but I think even if you start to incorporate MCD compliant meals to get used to the diet, you will see results, and you can ramp that up when you are actually ready. One thing to keep in mind is you are _x_x_ years old, and you have had _x_x_ years to build your definitions and ideas on food, satiety, main courses etc. Which mean you have to break those years down and relearn what all your relationships and definitions of what food is. I welcome you aboard, and look forward to hearing about journey and how your health will improve (Cause all of us here know it will )
Take care!
Dee

Dee,
Thank you for pointing this out. I am trying to keep that in mind, in addition to the fact of how many years I have been damaging my body. It is not going to heal overnight.

You all are the best.

Thanks again,
Gina

Every day we make choices that determine our health outcomes. We can choose to be sick. Or we can choose to be healthy.

We can choose to be healthy by choosing not to consume foods that make us sick and replacing them with foods that make us healthy.

Remove the foods that make you sick from your home and replace them with foods that make you healthy. This eliminates the option of choosing to be sick.

After a few months your tastes will change and you will wonder why you ever chose to eat foods that make you sick. You will then begin seeking out foods that make you healthy and forget about the foods that made you sick.