1 month on diet, 30 lbs lost - and a new challenge

[Poison Ivy]

Keep on going! I have no idea what my HBA1C was pre WFPB, but’s now 3.8 after 8.5 years following this way of eating. It’s all about time and adherence. Great work so far! Keep sharing the YouTube updates too.

@ Drew, 3.8 is incredibly low. I congrat. you. Please tell me what your diet consists mainly of.

Thanks--

[Grammy Ginger]

Mine is 4.2. I eat whole plant foods.

[Poison Ivy]

Thank Granny. Can you tell me what you eat mostly? I use to eat oat groats but they were driving my BG levels through the roof while also driving my cholesterol levels way down, (go figure) for some strange reason. I had to then switch to beans. I only eat the oat groats once per week now. I posted the question in several different forums Including this one on (Jeff Novick's board) for a possible explanation as to why this might be happening and got zero replies....go figure. 4.2 is really good. How long have you been eating PB? What is the main plant food you eat? What was your A1C prior to changing your diet and how long have you been eating the way you are eating now. Thanks for your response.

[Spiral]

Thank Granny. Can you tell me what you eat mostly? I use to eat oat groats but they were driving my BG levels through the roof while also driving my cholesterol levels way down, (go figure) for some strange reason. I had to then switch to beans. I only eat the oat groats once per week now. I posted the question in several different forums Including this one on (Jeff Novick's board) for a possible explanation as to why this might be happening and got zero replies....go figure. 4.2 is really good. How long have you been eating PB? What is the main plant food you eat? What was your A1C prior to changing your diet and how long have you been eating the way you are eating now. Thanks for your response.

Maybe you are too concerned about short term after meal blood glucose readings and not focused enough on the long term goal of reducing insulin resistance?

Just a question?

But I have read that our obsession with after meal blood sugar results can steer us away from healthy foods, to our long term detriment.

[wycoff]

Today I went and saw my sleep doctor. I've been on a CPAP for 20+ years. But after losing 64 lbs since going on McDougall back in July, I have gone from the high end of the machine's capacity down to the low end. I'm getting better sleep, longer sleep, deeper sleep, and waking more refreshed, and now my machine doesn't have to work as hard.

This is just amazing. To think a diet change could have so many sudden and obvious effects. I just wish I'd started sooner.

Anyway, I just posted my Week 14 Roundup. I live in the Great Redwoods in Santa Cruz Mountains, and we went for 3 days without power, without internet, without 911, and with a 1-lane partly collapsed road (still waiting after 2 years for the county to fix it), and the partly collapsed road is the only way in or out for thousands. Add to that the hundreds of generators running in my canyon, and it was smoggy like Los Angeles back in the late 60's. Power came back on today, and internet just a few moments ago. I can't see how it is safer to shut down PG&E service only to allow thousands of untrained people with many illegal hook-ups to their home run generators under the canopy of a "HIGH DANGER" dry forest with 1 partly collapsed road out, no 911 access, no cell. Seems a recipe for disaster, but opinion no doubt will vary.

[Ltldogg]

Wycoff,

Congrats on your continued success. Keep it up for the rest of your life. Don't ever stop strictly following the program because it will always work for you and stopping will not. Results are expected!

As for your situation, I'm sorry that you and the others in that area have to endure such extremes. Just be prepared, plan ahead and keep putting pressure on your county and state to fix the road, electricity, etc.

Cheers to your improving health,
Scott

[Grammy Ginger]

I'm happy that you're having success. Most of us likely wish we had begun this WOE sooner, but now is better than never. Yes?

Last summer our well was out for 38 days. Like your blackout, it was frustrating. But my increased health seemed to help me weather the stress and inconvenience better than otherwise. I like the benefits of eating well as they reach all parts of my spiritual, emotional, and physical being.

[Poison Ivy]

Thank Granny. Can you tell me what you eat mostly? I use to eat oat groats but they were driving my BG levels through the roof while also driving my cholesterol levels way down, (go figure) for some strange reason. I had to then switch to beans. I only eat the oat groats once per week now. I posted the question in several different forums Including this one on (Jeff Novick's board) for a possible explanation as to why this might be happening and got zero replies....go figure. 4.2 is really good. How long have you been eating PB? What is the main plant food you eat? What was your A1C prior to changing your diet and how long have you been eating the way you are eating now. Thanks for your response.

Maybe you are too concerned about short term after meal blood glucose readings and not focused enough on the long term goal of reducing insulin resistance?

Just a question?

But I have read that our obsession with after meal blood sugar results can steer us away from healthy foods, to our long term detriment.

No, Not short-term...I have been eating whole food PB mostly about 6 years now. The oatmeal was driving my BG up and I have no idea why. No other PB foods effect my BG like oatmeal does. Go figure!

[Grammy Ginger]

Thank Granny. Can you tell me what you eat mostly? I use to eat oat groats but they were driving my BG levels through the roof while also driving my cholesterol levels way down, (go figure) for some strange reason. I had to then switch to beans. I only eat the oat groats once per week now. I posted the question in several different forums Including this one on (Jeff Novick's board) for a possible explanation as to why this might be happening and got zero replies....go figure. 4.2 is really good. How long have you been eating PB? What is the main plant food you eat? What was your A1C prior to changing your diet and how long have you been eating the way you are eating now. Thanks for your response.

I've been eating WFPB no oil, low salt, low sugar for over a decade. I eat a wide variety of starches: oats, brown rice, corn, corn tortillas, beans, squash, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. I also eat a rainbow of veggies and fruit---lots of these. I used to check my blood sugar regularly but not since going plant-based. The no oil part is key to getting past carbohydrate intolerance as it cleans the cells of the fat that causes the cells to be insulin resistant in the first place. Jane Esselstyn's Youtube video about diabetes is eye-opening on this subject.

When I consulted Dr. Esselstyn last year about a different issue, he said to be extra vigilant about consuming not even one drop of oil in bread, crackers, tortillas, etc, etc. A decade ago, when I consulted Dr. McDougall for a different issue, he said pretty much the same thing. BTW-both of the issues resolved. The one last winter ended up being a torn rotator cuff that first presented as chest pain, which I thought was a progression of my congenital leaky valves. 4 months of PT was hard but not nearly as difficult as surgery to fix valves would have been.

[Poison Ivy]

Thanks for your reply. I still don't know why oatmeal causes my BG to spike so much, but oh well! I simply can not eat this one food regularly anymore.

[Ltldogg]

My advice is stop worrying about the numbers as long as overall everything is moving in the right direction and you are losing weight. And the reason why the numbers could be wonky is that you are losing FAT, which means that fat is circulating in your blood stream on a regular basis. Once you are down in the healthy BMI weight range, those numbers will stabilize.

Great work; keep it up!

Cheers,
Scott

[Drew_ab]

Keep on going! I have no idea what my HBA1C was pre WFPB, but’s now 3.8 after 8.5 years following this way of eating. It’s all about time and adherence. Great work so far! Keep sharing the YouTube updates too.

@ Drew, 3.8 is incredibly low. I congrat. you. Please tell me what your diet consists mainly of.

Thanks--

While there is some variation, a typical day might look something like this:

6:00 am - breakfast - lentils or barley with berries, a banana, raisins, flaxseed, and a large serving of vegetables (carrots, arugula, broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers, etc. - probably about 8 oz.), sometimes green tea/coffee

Noon - Lunch - oatmeal with berries, perhaps some seeds (chia, hemp, etc.), half a small avocado or some nuts, and a large serving of vegetables (carrots, arugula, broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers, etc. - probably about 8 oz.)

4:30 p.m. - Supper - starchy blend - usually brown rice, quinoa, sweet potato, corn, peas, etc., with some spices thrown on top and a large serving of vegetables (carrots, arugula, broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers, etc. - probably about 8 oz.), sometimes I'll have half a small watermelon for dessert and a few nuts (pecans, brazil nuts, walnuts, etc.)

I don't snack between meals and after supper that's it until breakfast. This just happens to be an approximation of what I'm eating. I'm very generous in portion sizes and it's working for me.

[wycoff]

Back in July I started the McDougall diet. As of today I have lost 73 lbs. There have been a number of improvements, the principal one being my knees. I started this diet because I was not able to talk regular walks anymore due to the pain. Well, in the last two weeks I have returned to regular morning walks. Strength is returning to my legs, and it seems like I lost a twitch in my left side after an auto accident I had 2 years ago. That was unexpected.

I talk about this in my Week 16 Roundup video.

Another important point: I significantly reduced my sodium intake. I think that may be why I lost 5.6 lbs this week.

So the diet change continues to do wonderful things for my health. I'm sure glad I started it. I haven't given up caffeine yet, but that's next in line (probably some while away since I really love coffee).

[Lyndzie]

Love the videos and the updates. You are rocking it!

[Mayapples]

Impressive progress, congratulations! Regarding salt, tastes really do change so fast -- it's incredible how quickly we can sensitize or desensitize ourselves to the taste of salt. Stick with it for a bit and you will not believe how unpalatably salty what used to seem normal becomes.