Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

KatherineUK wrote:I've had the priviledge of meeting Vanilla Orchid, Jim and their lovely partners and friends, encounters that were memorably emotional. I may be coming to visit Vanilla Orchid next year and hope to meet some of the amazing people and others not yet met when I do.

Katherine

How about we have a McDougall reunion at the Flamingo Resort this summer! Wouldn't THAT be a hoot!

landog wrote:

KatherineUK wrote:I've had the priviledge of meeting Vanilla Orchid, Jim and their lovely partners and friends, encounters that were memorably emotional. I may be coming to visit Vanilla Orchid next year and hope to meet some of the amazing people and others not yet met when I do.

Katherine

How about we have a McDougall reunion at the Flamingo Resort this summer! Wouldn't THAT be a hoot!

I would love any kind of a McDougall get together in person. Not sure if Dr. McDougall or his group is doing much at the Flamingo person. I think Dr. McDougall is mostly hanging out in the Portland area (which is also beautiful). I'd be willing to gather there, if others are interested. We might have a better chance of a John and Mary sighting if it were closer to their home.

It would be great to meet other McDougallers! I live in Georgia so it's a bit of a distance to cover! I wonder if there's any others in the Southeast?

Michael

Vanilla Orchid wrote:

landog wrote:

KatherineUK wrote:I've had the priviledge of meeting Vanilla Orchid, Jim and their lovely partners and friends, encounters that were memorably emotional. I may be coming to visit Vanilla Orchid next year and hope to meet some of the amazing people and others not yet met when I do.
Katherine

How about we have a McDougall reunion at the Flamingo Resort this summer! Wouldn't THAT be a hoot!

I would love any kind of a McDougall get together in person. Not sure if Dr. McDougall or his group is doing much at the Flamingo person. I think Dr. McDougall is mostly hanging out in the Portland area (which is also beautiful). I'd be willing to gather there, if others are interested. We might have a better chance of a John and Mary sighting if it were closer to their home.

Tell me when and where and I'll do my best to be there! When are you coming, Katherine?

Chumly wrote:It would be great to meet other McDougallers! I live in Georgia so it's a bit of a distance to cover! I wonder if there's any others in the Southeast?

Michael

I've never been to Georgia, but I have an old friend in Atlanta who I have not seen since we were in our 20's living with two other women in Honolulu.

Get something together, and post it the invitation on this board, and you might be surprised to see who shows up.

Thanks Vanilla for your motivating post! When I started the McDougall Diet in March of 2013 I never anticipated how profoundly it would change my life. I lost 60 pounds and have kept it off give or take a couple of pounds. I am still teaching high school and dancing at 73, both attributed to the McDougall Diet. I got my teaching license at 65 and began ballroom dancing a few years later. Honestly I am in the best health of my life. I don't believe it myself, but I just keep going enjoying the benefits of this lifestyle. (I just ate my daily delicious breakfast of oatmeal with sliced bananas).

When I began ten years ago, I joined this forum and loved the interactions and daily support I received from all of you. It was this forum that motivated and supported me in the journey. All the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of many who had walked the path before me propelled me ever forward and answered my numerous questions. I don't think I would have been as successful if not for this forum because I knew no one who followed the program except for my friends in cyberspace.

Thanks to you all and at least we can go over previous posts and relive our wonderful conversations of the past. I wish everyone well and yes I will meet you here more often.

Viv

viv wrote:Thanks Vanilla for your motivating post! When I started the McDougall Diet in March of 2013 I never anticipated how profoundly it would change my life. I lost 60 pounds and have kept it off give or take a couple of pounds. I am still teaching high school and dancing at 73, both attributed to the McDougall Diet. I got my teaching license at 65 and began ballroom dancing a few years later. Honestly I am in the best health of my life. I don't believe it myself, but I just keep going enjoying the benefits of this lifestyle. (I just ate my daily delicious breakfast of oatmeal with sliced bananas).

When I began ten years ago, I joined this forum and loved the interactions and daily support I received from all of you. It was this forum that motivated and supported me in the journey. All the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of many who had walked the path before me propelled me ever forward and answered my numerous questions. I don't think I would have been as successful if not for this forum because I knew no one who followed the program except for my friends in cyberspace.

Thanks to you all and at least we can go over previous posts and relive our wonderful conversations of the past. I wish everyone well and yes I will meet you here more often.

Viv

Viv, your post made my day! Looks as if we have a lot in common, same age, both dancers, both still working in our chosen profession (I retired in 2018, but came back to work part-time during the pandemic, and also still take some pro-bono cases). I went from 167 to 122 plus or minus a few pounds over the years. In addition to my cyberfriends, quite a few other friends have either adopted this lifestyle, or are moving in that direction. I think that may be since at our age, quite a few people I know have health problems, and it truly does get old watching them go downhill. Pre-Covid, we hosted brunches at our house for anyone who was even minimally interested.

Do you now have in-person McDougallish friends?

If you ever get to the Bay Area, I hope you will let me know. I would love to meet you. Also, if you ever get to the Mendocino Coast, I highly recommend you check you http://www.tangomendocino.com You will find a small and very welcoming group of dancers, many of whom are familiar with our way of eating. Also my absolute favorite restaurant, The Ravens at the Stanford Inn.

What area do you live in?

OK, so now we have a little activity in the Lounge. What's happening in the Food and Recipes section? Where is my friend Plumerias who used to hang out there? I posted a string of my favorite pumpkin recipes there a few days ago, and nobody has even looked.

Yeah, I know Dr. McDougall says boring food can help, but on the other hand, I just cannot face the same meal day after day after day. It makes me want to jump off the wagon, not just fall. So, I promise these recipes are really good and also compliant. And you can serve them to company. Go throw a party instead of complaining that you have no friends because nobody eats your way. Just invite your guests and serve something that looks and tastes impressive but is actually pretty easy.

Hi my name is Kat. I live about 1 hr. north of Charleston SC. I'm 66 female married to a SAD diet husband. I've been on and off of Dr. Mc Dougall diet for some years. Can't seem to stick to it for some reason. I could stand to lose 30-40 pounds.
I enjoy working in my gardens riding bikes and warm weather. Moving from Maryland was one of the best things I've ever done, only wish I could have made it here years ago.

Hi Kat & welcome! I have a SAD-diet husband too. He is at least open to ***sometimes*** trying compliant food, just won't hear of an every day, for any length of time, kind of commitment. I've been vegetarian since I was a tween, but have only been trying the MCD way (also like you, on and off) since my early 20s. My current goal weight is to lose 11 lbs. Maybe we can encourage each other to stay the course this time

Best wishes to all, whether you celebrate any, all or none of the winter holidays.

I'm grateful for all of the friends I have made through this board both locally in Pacifica, the rest of the Bay Area, and other parts of the world. We are all heathier and richer for the teachings of the McDougall family and other plant-based professionals we have met through them, whether in person, or via the magic of the Internet.

It would have been so much harder to make our changes permanent without social support. With this board, we are never alone. Someone somewhere is sure to be lurking 24-7 and they are probably willing to share with us.

It still is connected to the doc mcdougall.com but you have to be a genius to find it....way way down at the bottom of the home page there is a list of things and Forum is one of them. I wonder why it is hidden. Maybe because bad people were getting on?

In any case I have been a member - even before this platform was used. I think the discussion board was hosted by veg something group!

Anyone else been around that long?
Riva

Rivaleya wrote:It still is connected to the doc mcdougall.com but you have to be a genius to find it....way way down at the bottom of the home page there is a list of things and Forum is one of them. I wonder why it is hidden. Maybe because bad people were getting on?

In any case I have been a member - even before this platform was used. I think the discussion board was hosted by veg something group!

Anyone else been around that long?
Riva

Riva, I haven't been around that long, but I know I felt like quite the newbie when I joined in January 2010 (I lurked until May 2010), and saw all the folks from the Vegsource days. I was in awe of all of you and hoped beyond hope that I could lose my weight & keep it off, that I could hang in as long as you folks did and be a good example as you long-term folks are!

You are so right that the forum has been buried--and I wonder if it was just too random-looking for the new main site's appearance. Also, you can no longer request an email when your comment is replied to, or when the thread has activity. That was so incredibly helpful when I was active on the forum. I requested that be considered when they first revised the platform, but they didn't bring back the feature.

I stopped visiting the forum for the most part because things got busier in my new life here in Oregon, after we left Alaska. And with the pandemic, I started doing all my accounting work online from home, which took me away from spending that time online for my own pursuits.

I do know I miss having the forum to visit when I'm feeling unsupported--which is most of the time, since my husband of 54 years is a carnivore. He loves eating some of my food, he just wants to add butter and meat or fish to whatever I make. And he hates my soups and stews, which I love and which are my daily go-to. But that's an old story, and I hate to whine. For my part, I have to lose a little over 15 pounds to get back to the weight I want to be, so I need to find some support to help me stop that nighttime searching for the "little something" which always leaves me feeling stuffed and guilty.

Vanilla Orchid, thanks for starting this thread! I remember when you visited Alaska & we got to meet!! I met Jim at both Flamingo-based things I went to, and he & his wife also visited us in Alaska! I blush to say that I can't recall if I met Plumerias, because I've forgotten the avatar names. Or have I switched Plumerias & Vanilla Orchid? Now I've confused myself.

I hope the forum can stay more active--so I'm adding this comment to the thread.

Rivaleya wrote:In any case I have been a member - even before this platform was used. I think the discussion board was hosted by veg something group!

Anyone else been around that long?

Yep.

For those who never saw it, you can still read all the original posts from the board on VegSource through the Wayback Machine site.

Page 1
https://web.archive.org/web/20000815070 ... mcdougall/

Page 2
https://web.archive.org/web/20140619175 ... ndex2.html

Back then, Boca burgers didn't have any oil or dairy and were listed in the allowable packaged foods list and in a number of recipes there, but since then Dr McD changed his rules about processed soy, so even without the additives it's not an allowed food.

Gosh, I love seeing people I have personally met posting on the boards.
Faraway places but with people and their big hearts.
f1jim