Now down 150 pounds!

[Nettie]

Hi, everyone. Much to my surprise, I still had a little weight to lose. I finally hit 130 pounds, a weight loss of 152 pounds. That was a few weeks ago, and I seem to have leveled out now.

I'm so grateful for the McDougall Program and the new life it's given me. I can eat when I'm hungry (which is often), and I love the fact that I don't have to weigh or measure anything.
I love the fact that no one from a few years ago recognizes me.
I love buying size 8 pants.
I love being able to "pass" for a normal, non-compulsive eater.
I love the fact that I no longer suffer embarrassment or shame because of my size. I have my dignity.
I love being able to move freely and effortlessly and wake up refreshed and feeling alive.
I love the mental clarity and serenity that come with this way of eating.
I love the wide variety of foods I'm eating. In the past I lived strictly on fatty fast food and meat, meat, and more meat and sugar and more sugar.

I guess I could go on and on, but mostly I'm just grateful to the God Who granted His little wayward daughter one more reprieve from compulsive eating. I hope to spend whatever time I have left in this world as a well and sane person who is capable of turning outward to others, rather than inward, always focusing on myself and my fears and obsession with food.

Ultimately, I suppose that's all any of us could ask of the gift of our lives.

Nettie

[Letha]

Hi Nettie,
Your story is very inspiring to me. Thanks for sharing.
Letha

[walker1]

Nettie,

Congrats on your success! You are an inspiration to me. When I struggle with this, I reread old posts for support. I really enjoy following your story.

Best wishes,
Nancy.

[proverbs31woman]

Wow...you are still at it, Nettie. You are such an inspiration!

[Vegeloon]

WOW! Totally amazing. It makes me think that I too can reach my goal someday. Good for you!
Debbie R.

[seestorcoo]

For sharing your journey with us. I can't tell you how often I've thought of you when I'm making my food decisions or trying to come closer to what I know is right. You are truly my inspiration....

[chmouse]

Nettie,
When I read your story last month, I was amazed, inspired and so grateful you shared with all of us! When you mentioned "mental clarity and serenity that come with this way of eating," I was wondering if that is something most McDougaller's experience? The serenity you mentioned is something I strive for.

[fulenn]

Nettie,

Thanks for continuing to lead us on towards a better life. It is so good to log on and see how this way of eating has changed you! Congrats on the extra loss.

Fulenn

[Love the Lorax]

Nettie,

You have mentioned more than once about being a complusive eater. Do you continue to have problems with this and yet you STILL managed to lose weight? Sometimes I look at what people post for a menu and think "There is no way I could eat only that much for the whole day!". I know I eat more than I need to though, and it is better when I have lots of high nutrient foods than my former diet (oh, let's see - coke and spagettios, etc.). Still, there are times when I just want to eat, eat and eat, even if I stay McDougall legal. Like eating the entire batch of soup that is supposed to serve 2-4..... not every day, but every so often I just eat like there won't be food around for the next month. Sigh....

[Caroveggie]

There is no limitation on food with the program, just eat what's McDougall legal and follow the principles for volume eaters (if you are one), and don't worry about it. If you are a volume eater, you can check out Dr. McDougall's article - http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/ ... 100vol.htm

hope that helps

[Nettie]

Nettie, You have mentioned more than once about being a complusive eater. Do you continue to have problems with this and yet you STILL managed to lose weight?

Yes, absolutely, but it requires strict adherence to the principles of McDougall regarding the KINDS of food I eat (as opposed to the quantities, which are a different matter.)

Really, you can binge on potatoes, but it's hard to get "too much" of them, because you just flat fill up on them. Ten large potatoes is still only around 1500 calories, and you're not usually going to eat that many of them before you stop.

..... Still, there are times when I just want to eat, eat and eat, even if I stay McDougall legal. Like eating the entire batch of soup that is supposed to serve 2-4..... not every day, but every so often I just eat like there won't be food around for the next month. Sigh....

Me, too. Don't worry about it.

Take last Saturday, for instance. I ate 2 servings of oatmeal with a banana, 3 strawberries, 1 Tbsp of flaxseed. Followed an hour later by a large tangerine.

A few hours later I had a large potato, very large salad & ff dressing, a bowl of homemade bean soup, and a large bowl of steamed turnip greens (about 2/3 of a pound pre-cooked weight).

Supper was a large sweet potato, 2 large steamed broccoli spears, and an apple. At this point I stopped and realized that I was very full and that I was just mindlessly eating/stuffing myself.

This happens to me pretty much every weekend, when I have access to food. During the week I eat only what I bring for lunch so I'm limited to what I can get at. But weekends are another story: one meal sort of morphs into the next.

But here's the key: you absolutely must stay away from refined, processed foods, i.e., white flour products, cereals (even whole grain, because they're processed too), crackers, chips, and all sweets. They cause me nothing but problems because they increase my appetite and cause me to overeat, they bring weight loss to a grinding halt (because of the insulin response our body has to them) and can cause weight gain due to the caloric (but not nutrient) density.

Really, refined carbs are, with a few exceptions, anti-foods that don't nourish us but keep us coming back for more. They bring on a binge quicker than anything. Beans and starches don't. Rather, they satisfy.

So, if you must overeat, be sure it's the good stuff: starches, beans and greens. You'll be OK when sanity returns because you probably won't have sabotaged your weight loss. Over time, as you begin to deal with the emotional dimension of eating, those binges will be shorter in duration and will not ultimately derail your goal of a healthy body and normal weight.

Nettie

[lilliangimmelli]

Nettie,

You are such an inspiration to me. Unfortunately, I haven't really been able to stick with the Mcdougall program and lose any weight, but I read your story all the time for motivation. I am starting to also read The Pleasure Trap because I feel I need something to really get me going.

I am really concerned about my weight and health, being 4'11" and 216 pounds is really not good and my main concern is to be able to be here for my two children and enjoy them also.

Nettie I just loved your McDougaller story it is GREAT!!! You have done so much for yourself and for others. Thank you for posting and keeping us up to date and always sharing help and motivation.
You are a true blessing.
Lillian

[storm20]

good to read then all, I have had to take sena pil to help me get going, that has help me lose xtra of the weight,

I have potatoe, has brown, corn, vegies, love my vegies,

have potatoes mashed, as chips, I make my own hasn browns, by grating the potatoes, and then you can add onoin peppers, corn, beans
put in a hot pan, put a lid on the pan to soften the potatoes, then remove the lid, keep turning the hash, I like them bown

[prism]

Congrats on the continued weight loss, Nettie.
You are an encouragement to others to keep it up.
Thanks

[sigma957]

good to read then all, I have had to take sena pil to help me get going, that has help me lose xtra of the weight,

I have potatoe, has brown, corn, vegies, love my vegies,

have potatoes mashed, as chips, I make my own hasn browns, by grating the potatoes, and then you can add onoin peppers, corn, beans
put in a hot pan, put a lid on the pan to soften the potatoes, then remove the lid, keep turning the hash, I like them bown

The one time I tried grating my own potatoes, they very quickly got this unappetizing gray color. I grated them and tossed them immediately into the frying pan. I'm afraid I'll stick with frozen hashbrowns.

Barbara