Discussion Board

This is at least my 3rd attempt to keep a journal, but hopefully I can stick to it this time. I am calling it "Gramma Jackie's Journey" because for me it is a journey to better health as well as weight loss. I first became acquainted with the McDougall Program about 6 years ago. I got on this message board and enthusiastically tried to eat a plant-based diet. Problem was I was simply trying to lose weight and did not look at the bigger picture. I was fairly healthy even though I was overweight. I didn't stick to it because I thought it was way too drastic a change for the rest of my life. I loved meat, cheese, eggs and the occasional dessert. My favorite foods were Mexican and Italian food as well as hamburgers, pizza and KFC. However, after I turned 60, I started to have some health problems--nothing major, but I began to see the handwriting on the wall. I had normal to low blood pressure all my life, but during one routine doctor's visit I found out I was slightly hypertensive. The doctor wanted me to try to lower my blood pressure through lifestyle changes rather than medication, but warned if I didn't she would prescribe blood pressure lowering medication. She said I should lower my fat intake and get more exercise. Also after slipping on the ice a couple of times during the winter, I banged up my knees and developed osteoarthritis. My excess weight didn't help my knee problems either. I knew that the McDougall Program was low fat, so I decided to give it another try last year. This month is the one year anniversary of my return to McDougalling. Even though I needed to lose about 100 lbs., I decided to do the regular program instead of the Maximum Weight Loss program. I had tried quick weight loss programs before and knew that for me anyway, it was better to lose weight at a slower pace and let my body adjust gradually to the changes. So far I have averaged about a pound a week for a total of almost 50 lbs. in one year. I have learned a lot of lessons this year. For one, I learned I don't have to compare myself to others. Each person is unique and what works for one person may not work for another. I have also learned that listening to my inner voice is really more important than listening to others. No one else is living inside my body but me. There are always people who think others need to march to the beat of their drum, when in fact we all have to march to the beat of our own drum. I have also learned that I am a turtle, not a hare when it comes to losing weight. I kinda like it that way. I am not really in a race with anyone else anyway. So I expect it to take another year for me to reach my goal (2 years total). I am OK with that as long as I am staying on track and losing weight and getting healthier. The most important thing I've learned is that the McDougall Program, thanks to the emphasis on healthy starches, is a plan I can live with the rest of my life. At first I made the mistake of thinking this plan was simply replacing meat and dairy with vegetables, but once I got my head wrapped around the importance of eating wholesome starches as well as fruits and vegetables with a little sugar and salt for taste, I have been able to stick to the program. Even though it took me several attempts to get it right, I am now at a happy place in my life. I am also at peace with letting other people find their own path. Dr. McDougall has said that "it's not our job" to set others straight about eating and even though I am concerned about the way other members of my family eat, I know that I cannot change them until they want to change. Plant-based physician Dr. Neal Barnard said in one of his books that going vegan is not a "religion" and Dr. McDougall states in his book, The McDougall Program that "food is personal business" so we shouldn't be "missionaries." He goes on to say that "you'll find yourself having a bigger effect if you don't say a word about your great discovery and just let people notice the changes in you." That's great advice. For those of you here on this message board who are still stuggling, I hope you will stick with it, but if you don't, always remember you are welcome back and that no matter how long it takes you to lose weight or get healthy, any step you take in the right direction is better than doing nothing.

k thank you for sharing your journey to health with us!

i'm afraid that i'm guilty myself of "preaching" about nutrition to others without any visible changes in myself so i just shut my big yap and started my plan to be living proof!

that's great, grandma Jackie! we've been on so many diets and to find this one that works is fantastic.

and good for you, mrspotatohead. funny but true what you said. I seldom "preach" anymore but even being a good example and losing the extra weight hasn't made friends and relatives change their eating habits. but I do think it's made them realize my way is better.

A pound a week is fantastic! I wish you luck at keeping at your journal, I have had trouble doing that in the past as well. Third time's the charm!

Congrats to you Gramma Jackie!! I also think that a pound a week, is excellent.
You have done wonderfully great, and losing at our age, since I am almost 60 myself. is truly something to crow about right there. this is the only program, too, that has enabled me to lose wt and keep it off. I need to lose the last 20 lbs and it is a slow go of it.
good luck with the second yr now of the rest of your life!

Congratulations on your 50 pound loss and half-way mark! Your persistence is admirable. The turtle won the race in the end (and probably enjoyed the journey too.)

Like you, it's only now that I've gotten older that I'm getting (and listening to) the little wake-up calls as my health declined. It would be nice if the weight all came off quickly, but probably slower pace means steadier for the long run. A pound a week every week sure adds up. With your story and Katydid's recent post about slowly losing the last 10 pounds, something is knocking on my head trying to get the message in!

Glad to see you posting again. I've always enjoyed reading your comments. 1 lb per week is great! I am losing more like 1 lb every 2 weeks now, but I think that the most important thing is getting a good regular eating habit going. The weight is coming off steadily--you will be at goal this time next year if you keep on like this!

I agree about not preaching, but I always wish I was a better poster child so I could feel GOOD about preaching. lol I just don't do it right now. Hopefully I'll just let people bask in the new, healthier me and stay busy answering all of their questions.

Fulenn

Thanks for the replies everyone. I hope I didn't mislead anyone. I didn't lose a pound every single week---it averaged out to about a pound per week. Some weeks I actually lost as much as 4 lbs., while other weeks I lost nothing. But over a year it averaged about a pound a week or 4 pounds a month. I have hypothyroidism and even though I take thyroid hormone replacement it is still a struggle to lose weight. It seems my body is fighting me every inch of the way, but I am determined to stick with the McDougall program until I lose at least 100 pounds, no matter how long it takes.

That's such a great story. Would you mind sharing what an average days eating would be like for you? I also don't want to do maximum weight loss and would be thrilled with a pound a week. I'm only in my first week, but seem to be putting on rather than losing though I know I have lost the ability to know what a proper portion of food should look like. I was wondering if you do any kind of calorie count as I was wondering if this would help me not to overeat. Also, do you eat any bread or wheat products as I was wondering if this would cause a weight gain. Thanks for your help and good luck.

Thanks for your reply. I don't count calories, but I do count fat grams or percentage. I can usually eyeball it when it comes to fresh food, but I have to look at the nutrition labeling on packaged food. I can't eat wheat. I buy gluten-free pasta and cereal and I eat a lot of rice cakes, because I like something crunchy. I try to find the kind with very little sugar. Here is what I generally eat:

Breakfast: Hot cereal like oatmeal, cream of rice, etc. or cold cereal, usually rice puffs or corn puffs. I try to eat packaged cereal with little or no added sugar or fat. I usually have 1/2 banana and 1/2 c. of Silk Almond Milk (the low fat kind)

Morning Snack: 2 large rice cakes or a few mini rice cakes with hot tea.

Lunch: Rice or baked potato with frozen vegetables or vegetable soup and a salad

Afternoon snack: Raw carrot sticks or celery and homemade hummus or homemade tortilla chips and bean dip.

Supper: I like bean burritos or enchiladas, Asian food such as vegetarian stir fry without oil, vegetarian Pad Thai, chow mein, broiled vegetable kabobs, spaghetti with meatless sauce, homemade veggie burger with baked French "fries", bean chili, acorn squash stuffed with wild rice and one of my favorite dishes is ratatouille.

p.s. I recommend Dr. McDougall's books as they all have recipes in them. Also I have a Healthy Eating & Recipe blog (see below) with recipes and I add to it from time to time.

My husband and I go out to eat a lot and like to try new places. Yesterday we ate at Cap City Diner here in the Columbus, OH area. The food was great--none of the packaged and microwaved stuff you get at some of the chain restuarants. I had a wonderful vegetarian plate---roasted eggplant, cauliflower and other veggies, red pepper hummus made there in the restuarant and a wonderful wild rice salad with pine nuts and fresh cranberries. Everything was delicious. You can also request gluten-free bread, although I didn't have any.

That sounds SO YUMMY! I wish we had a place like that around here!

My doctor scheduled me for and hearing test which I had this morning. I have a moderate to profound hearing loss in my left ear, but my right ear is still within the normal range. I haven't been inconvenienced yet by the hearing loss, since my right ear compensates for it. So I guess I better take good care of my right ear. I guess it's a good thing the era of rock concerts is pretty much over.

I made the lasagna in The Starch Solution last night using gluten-free rice lasagna noodles and accompanied by ratatouille. I love it that I can still eat Italian, Mexican and Chinese food on this plan.

Congratulations Gramma Jackie on the 50 pound weight loss.I have been reading all your posts this past year and you are doing great.
Do you still have family living with you.That must be so hard,with everyones different likes and dislikes.RAS