Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

Today was my periodic checkup at the doctor's office. She has been treating me for type II diabetes and high blood pressure for several years now (she has also bugged me to take a statin drug, but I have refused. She didn't mention it this time, and you'll see why).

The last time I saw her, in November, I was kind of meandering back and forth between regular McDougall and not very healthy vegan. In December I had some holiday weight gain. Since January 1, I've been doing MWL with very few deviations, and here are the results:

Hemoglobin A1c: was 5.9 in November, is now 5.6 (normal is 6 or lower -- so I have the A1c of someone who is not diabetic!)

Total Cholesterol: Was 202, now 169! No statins for me! My cholesterol has NEVER been below 200 before.

LDL Cholesterol: Was 108, now 87!

HDL Cholesterol: Was 48, now 43. That isn't such great news, but she didn't seem very concerned since there was such a big drop in the total cholesterol.

Triglycerides: Was 231, now 192. This is still higher than she would like -- she would like to see the triglycerides at 150 or lower. I should probably cut back on the simple sugars, and maybe the fruit, too (I allow myself to eat more fruit than is recommended for MWL, because it helps me stay away from junk)

My blood pressure was also nice and low -- 104/60.

Throughout this MWL period, I have been taking all my medications as prescribed. Today I asked the doctor if I could reduce or eliminate some. She agreed to cut my doses of blood pressure and diabetes medication in half. My hope is that if I show her more good results when I go back in July, she will take me off the blood pressure meds entirely. She believes I will not be able to get off the diabetes medication completely -- I have PCOS, and I didn't have periods for years, until I was diagnosed with diabetes and started taking Metformin, so she thinks I will still need it to keep my hormones organized. Being on a small dose of Metformin wouldn't bother me. The main thing is, I don't want the progression to more and more diabetes medication, and eventually insulin injections, that seems to be inevitable for people on the ADA diet. If I keep doing what I'm doing -- which I will -- it looks like I will be able to keep that from happening.

To anyone with type II diabetes who is wondering whether eating all those carbs can possibly lead to better blood sugar numbers -- the answer is yes. Get rid of the animal foods, get rid of the fat, get rid of the diabetes. It really is that simple.

I should note that my diabetes numbers got better just from going vegan, even when I was still eating a lot of rich (vegan) foods. But sticking with McDougall has made a big difference, especially to the lipids. Thank you Dr. McDougall!

So nice to hear of your progress. I know, for me, the lab results said more than just "I feel better." Placebo can be a powerful force, but rarely affects your blood workup in any significant way. This told me I was on the right track. Thanks for sharing this success with others here. When you win, we all win.
f1jim

tOAD, I am so happy for you. What great results and what good work you did to arrive at it. What was your Docs attitude and response?
Riva

that is fantastic, and thank God she/he is willing to decrease the meds.

On the Trigs - if you ate any sugars or white flours the night before the blood pull, then that is why they are still up, or even any fat. I've made those mistakes before. Had a subway sub the night before once, and wow the trigs were up.

The nice thing about reducing your meds is that you are now on the right side of a positive feedback loop. Those meds keep you fat. By reducing them, you will lose more weight more easily, which will reduce your blood sugars, which will lead to further reductions, and hopefully (as in my case) eliminations of those meds . . . which leads to further weight loss.

The SAD people, like I used to be, are on the other loop - more SAD food leads to more weight gain which requires even more meds, which makes you fatter, which requires more meds, etc.

Great going.

Thanks for the support, everyone! The support of this board has made these improvements possible.

Riva, the doctor was thrilled -- and she seemed stunned by the results, actually. I actually have not told her about McDougall -- although she knows I am vegan. I should have told her this time. Maybe I was distracted because I wasn't feeling well (this was a checkup, but she also treated me for an upper respiratory infection), or maybe I am feeling shy about educating her. I definitely have to make that a goal of my next visit (in July). I am thinking I will give her my copy of Dr. Barnard's diabetes book. For once she didn't give me any advice -- just told me to keep doing what I'm doing -- so maybe next time I will feel ready to give some advice to her.

Faith, thanks for that tip about the triglycerides. I looked back at my food journal for the day before the triglycerides test, and I did eat some simple sugar the night before, in the form of hard candy -- the equivalent of about 4 tsp of sugar. I didn't eat any refined grains that day. I guess I need to eliminate the added sugars and see what that does.

SactoBob, the only diabetes medication I take is Metformin, which does not cause weight gain and actually may help some people lose weight, so I'm not going to benefit from that positive loop. I AM going to benefit from never having to take those weight-gain meds, though!!!

So happy for you. As is said 'it works when you work it.' Wishing you continued success.

Congratulations Letha! Not only are the results you posted great news for you, but it's inspiring and encouraging for the rest of us. Thanks!

Thanks, Birdy! I'm not Letha, but it's flattering to be mistaken for her.

toadfood, you've really inspired me today. You've worked hard to get to where you are, and now you're reaping the benefits. Congratulations! And thank you for the inspiration.

Toadfood,

I'm so happy for you! You have been an inspiration to me and I'm sure plenty of others on this board. Stay on plan!

Hey Toadfood, I LOVE seeing numbers like this! I'm working on getting my lipids under control too, and I am so inspired by your success!

Congratulations, and keep it up! You rock!
=) Mairead

I've just read your post and just wanted to thank you for it, I'm always happy to see diabetes reversed! Thanks for the detail and numbers, it's a great testimony for others.