Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

>> I would guess that they think you are a genetic anomaly.

You hit it! That's exactly what they've said. Apparently all of us who have succeeded at this change in diet/lifestyle are just mutations

For the plantar facsiitis, my doctor's first recommendation was to get better shoes. For me, the problem was having narrow heels that moved around a lot in most shoes. I got a good pair of New Balance walking shoes that held my heel in place, and wore those any time I was doing any serious walking. He also showed me some stretches and recommended icing it, but I was pretty lax on both of those. He said the next steps if it continued would be a custom orthotic, and/or one of those socks to wear at night that holds your foot at a right angle to your leg so you don't point your toes all night. What worked for me was good walking shoes and limiting myself to short walks for awhile, gradually increasing the distance. And icing it if I ended up doing more walking than usual. Now, many years later, I still feel the p.f. if I do a lot of walking in flimsy shoes, but it's not nearly as bad - usually just bothers me when I first get out of bed the next moring. I just consider it a reminder to not do that again.

Thank you for sharing, Fran! I really enjoyed reading about your experience. I especially like this observation you made:

It does NOT require an absolute 100% commitment to never eat meat again, or to avoid every drop of olive oil. But as you cut way back on those things, you may find you'd rather eat something that makes you feel good.

For the plantar facsiitis, my doctor's first recommendation was to get better shoes. For me, the problem was having narrow heels that moved around a lot in most shoes.

I thank you for posting also, Fran! PF is nasty pain! I messed with it for 7 years before finally having surgery! Avoid THAT if possible! But I did learn a lot that helps. The sock that holds the foot at a right angle all night is actually extremely helpful. Dansko clogs are miracle shoes--shock absorbing sole, but a nice stiff platform so tissues don't stretch out and "tear". If mine came back I would just live in my clogs.

Laurie

FranH wrote: She also tested my iron, b-12 status, and anything else she thought might be a problem with my diet. No problems found. The doc says don't change a thing.

So you take no supplements at all?

Oops, sorry, didn't see the question above until now...

I take B12 and D.

Since all the B12 supplements I find are megadoses compared to what is needed, I take it daily for a while until the bottle is gone, then quit for a while until I remember to pick up another bottle at Costco. No formal schedule - I just make sure to take some from time to time.

I just started taking D a couple of years ago because I tested very low ("below detectable limits"). It came up to normal range fairly quickly. Now that I've retired from my indoor office job, I'm trying to get my D from mid-day sunshine. I'm going to start cutting back on the supplements to see if the serum levels stay up (at least detectable!)

Thank you thank you FranH for sharing your journey with us. I am a newbie, starting on week 3, so I am looking for all the info and inspiration I can find.

PJ

Birdy wrote:Fran,
I have had plantar fasciitis for several months now and it's a drag because I can't walk as much as I would like. What did you do to resolve it and how long did it take? I've been to a physical therapist twice and have exercises to do and was told to ice it. She wanted me to come back for an unspecified number of treatments, but I just can't afford it at $100 per session. How did you gradually build your walking back up?

Hi birdy I had plantar fascitis that nearly crippled me with bone spurs in my heels, in the mid-90's. I had a procedure done...out patient right in the dr's office...and when I went back in for the post-op check up, a substitute dr was in the office, a younger fella.

He mentioned orthotics, and I signed up for them. The younger dr said that his practice always was to recommend the orhtotics before the operation, and see if they work, because sometimes they do, without having the surgery.

Well, they're pricey, no lie. I paid more than $100 for them 20 years ago BUT...they are unbreakable, non-warpable, non-chippable, and I still have the same set AND I haven't had any more troubles with plantar fascitis or bone spurs or anything. The dr made a mold of my feet in a neutral position, then formed the plastic/resin over the plaster molds and voila! I put them in my sneakers and have ever since.

Ask your podiatrist about orthotics. It might make a huge difference for you. I remember the agony of those bone spurs...it was horrific pain.

Fran, thank you so much for sharing your story

Wonderful post, and a huge help for someone who is still trying to go from LFV being a temporary fix, to a long term lifestyle change.

Thanks so much Fran. You are an inspiration!

This is inspirational, thank you so much for sharing.
I'm 21 now and would love to continue being healthy and slim 30 years from now!

All of you are an inspiration to me too! By the way, someone said to me recently, "How old are you, early 40's?" The guy asking me is 56. I'm 55. He was shocked. I think if I dyed my grey hair (ain't gonna happen) I would get carded!

Since reading through all the inspirational stories here, new-comers and old-timers alike, I've gotten more committed and cleaned up our diet a little more. Instead of Newman-O's for dessert, we have fruit. Instead of munching on whatever is around for lunch (baked Tostitos, which have some oil, peanut butter on sort-of whole grain bread, etc.), we now save enough dinner leftovers to have for the next day's lunch. And we are almost never resorting to Amy's frozen dinners anymore - they are tasty and vegan, but not low fat unless you're comparing them to McDonalds.

My husband, at 5'10.5", has had his weight fluctuate between 155 and 180 over the 20 years he's been (sort-of) following this WOE. When I first posted here, we had started cutting back on cookies and his other weaknesses (potato chips, french fries) and he was down to 160. He is now down to 148 for the first time in his adult life, at age 68, and he's held it there for a few weeks now. He has been posting about it on Facebook, and SO many people are telling him to be careful, he is being too restrictive, he looks too skinny, he will have health problems, it's unhealthy to focus on your weight so much, he should just accept his weight as it is (or was), etc. Funny thing is, NO ONE (except me of course) would ever dare tell him he looked too fat, was eating too much junk, or was risking his health and his life back when he was 180 (or, before he started this WOE at all, at 220 or more) with a protruding belly and high cholesterol.

And at 5'3.5", I'm now down to 110, and just bought a size 6 pair of jeans to replace my old size 8's. I wan't really trying to lose, just cleaning up the diet for his benefit. I call it the codependent diet

And, especially for newcomers, I should point out that we are not blindly trying to push down the number on the scale by starving or depriving ourselves. We have just gotten rid of the last of the junk in our diet, and eat all that we want of oatmeal, berries, bananas, melons, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, yams, potatoes, kale, broccoli, squash, spinach, tomatoes, all kinds of veggies. We still sometimes have a little avocado, or some tofu or nuts in a stir-"fry", but only maybe once a week.

Thanks for updating us with your dietary changes.
I weigh 110lbs now and would love to maintain this weight years from now
How many calories do you eat in a day? If you don't count your calories, can you at least give me an estimate?
Thanks love,
Aylin

Hey Aylin, I just got back here and saw your question. I have never measured my portions of food or tried to count calories. I did once input a typical day's menu into Cronometer, but I think I'm really bad at estimating amounts. It ended up at about 1200 calories, and I know I'm eating a lot more than that. I went back and increased all the portions by about 50% to get it up to 1800 calories (just a guess) to see how the nutrients stacked up. One day, I'll actually measure to see what I'm really eating. Oh, and the nutrient levels, once I got it to a more reasonable calorie level, looked great. 

Thanks Fran for sharing your story.

I think if I dyed my grey hair (ain't gonna happen) I would get carded!

Love that!