Starting again

[Kathy Fullmer]

Bought yet another copy of McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss, I keep giving my copy away, not any more!
I reread the chapters on self-motivation and exercise and browsed the receipies for those with ingredients already in house. I am ready!
This morning we ate Casbah toasted couscous with wild mushrooms- garnished with fresh orange chunks. It was very good. I left out the oil per Dr. McDougall's orders. It was refreshing not to start the day with even a little bit of sugar added.
Next on our agenda is a walk before the day's weather deteriorates. Kathy

[liam13]

I have reached that point where the weight has plateaued. It's because I've been doing the program half - a**. I'm starting to get more jaw pain, and have had this long standing pain behind the sternum which seems to be ramping up these last few months. My echocardiogram last week didn't show any ischemia, but the quality of my life is really taking a hit. I KNOW this program doesn't work unless I truly embrace it. Weight this am was 214. My goal is 185. Wish me luck and willingness. Liam

[Worfie500]

...try looking at the book by C. Esselstyn - Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease - it is now available in paperback. I recieved it as as "requested" present last week, and after gardening the last few days, finally looked at it. I like reading material at hand that re-enforces what I already do and believe - "preaching to the choir". You mentioned purchasing the MWL book again... so I thought I'd address this quick book review to you personally, and not on "the Lougne" - one of my lasts post, now that the long dark days of winter are gone and I will no longer be sitting two or three hours in front of the computer reading each day

The book PaRHD is written in a similar fashion to the 12 Day and MWL book by Mcdougall - a short intro, how medicine/doctors only make money from treating diseases - not preventing them through healthy lifestyle (one of the cardiologists mentioned said he wrote bills for 5 million last year...), how his outpatient study goals of success came about, few short patient stories, 150+ recipes complied by his wife,... It is written on the level of an elementary school child - which is good! - because what he suggests you do is SO SIMPLE. If you want to read scientific studies with all of the statistical data, you can look it up, but what he presents in the book is "eat a very low fat, nearest to whole food vegan diet" and perhaps some vitamins/meds if necessary. He also wrote the importance of not allowing his outpatients to feel "abandoned" during the entire time of the study - support is vital - I guess this "forum" could be a source of support. If your average person ate as he suggests, they would most likely not only improve their blood, they'd lose weight.

I have not yet finished the book, only a few more pages left, but I thought after a few chapters "isn't it stupid NOT to be eating this way all of the time?". I find the book motivating - by the way, I have no health problems and do not feel motivated to "prevent" future damage - I actually like eating/living this way!

The recipes are pretty much your basic rice, beans, salsa, tomato sauce... extremely simple and fast to put together. In the back are some "baked goods" - where someone might actually follow a recipe.

To end, on the back cover is a photo of Dr. E, probably pushing 70 and looking good - he claims (or was it his wife???), that he has been eating this way for over 20 years. If he, and he comes from TWO families of early death from lifestyle choices, can look so vital and beaming such energy- WITHOUT MASSIVE PHOTOSHOP CORRECTIONS! - more power to him and his message. Go out and spends the $10.00 if you need a little motivation to help you with "your new start".

[Worfie500]

The only thing I have to add and/or change is...

The book is an easy read, easy to understand, in everyday language for everyday people - I wrote "on the level of an elementary school child" - a child with a good vocabulary! Still, a non-medical person can read it and understand the information presented.

I read through a good portion of the recipes - there are a few others than the standard rice, beans, salsa... like potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli... If you are interested in the recipes in the book, go to amazon.com - the hard back issue has a "look inside" button - in the index are the recipes.

Overall a good "light" read with powerful information on the effects of lifestyle choices and your immediate health.

[Worfie500]

In the book are a few people who were crippled by angina, scared to nearly move. In chapter 5 "Moderation Kills", he starts out on vascular health, the role of endothelial cells, why people even on HIGH mega doses of cholesterol lowering drugs again suffered MI's (didn't change the cause of the arterial plaque inflammtion: high fat diets...), and then something very interesting: NITRIC OXIDE. On page 40 the role of nitric oxide is introduced -a finding that won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1998. The information on pages 42 - 45 are the only real "technical" in the book, BUT VITALLY IMPORTANT IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SUFFER FROM CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE/ANGINA! It expains how a plant-based diet nutrition facilitates nitric oxide productin - thus allowing all the wonderful things it does in the body to occur. Heavy fat/animal based diets "negate" the positive effects of the plant-based (talks about how/why/what anti-oxidants are in a few short words). Restoring the endothelium's capacity to produce nitric oxide is what is need to stop angina! Incredible...

[Caroveggie]

I appreciate the reviews for the Dr. Esselstyn book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. I heard him speak at a Veg festival and also saw his speech online, I think on Hawaii's Vegetarian site. Recently I've kept my vegan diet except for white cheddar popcorn, which is addictive to me, and I think this will be the incentive to really cut out the bad products and oils again. Hopefully the library has it.

[rogermoore]

I used to weight over 100 pounds than I do now. I was over weight as a child and did the yo-yo dieting always to gain more than I lost. 14 years ago thanks to Dr. John McDougall and Maximum Weight Loss along with hypnosis I was able to take the weight off and keep it off. I never thought it would be possible.

Today I assist people with weight loss using Dr. McDougall's common sense healthy eating stratedgies and I teach all my clients self-hypnosis. Follow McDougall's recommendations and you will be successful.

Roger Moore

[Worfie500]

What I like to do is to write down key phrases and sentences from books, newsletters, forums... on to post-up stickers and then hang them directly in front of my work area in the kitchen - written on multicolor paper, text marker, bold! I have four or five at the moment: 1. Whole Food, Vegan, Low Fat, Unprocessed Foods for optimal health!; 2. Esselstyn's book - think of nitric acid and endothelium for vascular health; 3. Bad food, even if only a little is eaten, still acelerates aging and causes disease! Low fat, exercise, and clean habits are the real fountain of youth; 4. Cold turkey is the best for changing habits! Abstain entirely from______! .... I like to read these when I'm working in the kitchen, I have have key paragraphs written on loose pieces of paper where I usually sit and read in my kitchen.

I'm going to re-read the Esselstyn book again tommorrow - the second time I always pick up things I missed the first. In it too, are pages dealing with "overcoming" the _____ habit - just a note. I really found the book to be motivational and inline with the basic guidelines of the Mcdougall program. The book is although, a report on his "study", not a "lifestyle" book.

[Worfie500]

.....5.Esselstyn: Aggressive plant-based diet for Heart Health. Somewhere in his book, he wrote "aggressive plant-based diet" as part of a treatment/prevention plan. I had never read "aggressive" in relation to an eating/diet plan - usually in relation to a "medical" treatment like chemotherapy. I can imagine someone sitting in a doctor's office and having a conversation in relation to their "threapy" plan(s) sounding much more "doctor-like" and "legit" if it ran more along the lines of "an aggressive plant-based therapy...", rather than "cut out all fats and eat celery".

The only "downer" in the book is written in several places: breaking the "fat" habit. I've read numerous times for changing habits "21" days... here he uses a reference to a published study (p.76) on "the fat habit" and his own clinical experience: 12 weeks! I can attest to "long term" abstinence as being effective, but I just need a maybe a week to get me going! ...and not to be at home, away from other "users"! Change of environment and social settings! Their are several chapters specifically - because the entire book is really about changing your habits if you think about it - that address habit changing. The FAQ starting on p.76 is "Can I change?" His answer is "You can change. while switching to a strictly plant-based diet may seem challenging at the start, all you have to do is stick with it." The more I flipped through and selectively read passages, the more I like the book - finally another winner in my collection!

[Clary]

...I'm going to re-read the Esselstyn book again tommorrow - the second time I always pick up things I missed the first....

I once studied under a teacher who encouraged us to "Master" the books which were part of our training. I asked her what that meant. She said to her, mastering a book and its intent and content meant to read the book again and again until the reading when nothing new was discovered in it.

That appealed to me. I continue to do that with the books containing information I want to "master". I date the readings, and usually I use a different colored marker for each reading, to see what stands out.

Thanks for the input on this book.

[rogermoore]

Walter - I love the idea of mastering a book. I use McDougalls books & CDs daily with my clients and sometimes I see the same video 3 times in a week - & I learn more everytime!