Am starting tomorrow

[Ben]

Hi everyone

Well I am going to start McDougalling tomorrow, and I thought I'd introduce myself first

I am a 34 year old male from Adelaide, Australia. I am 115 kgs (roughtly 245 pounds) amd am 6 feet tall. I have been overweight my entire life (except for a 2 year period) and throughout all this time I have been totally addicted to chocolate and icecream. I have been on almost every diet there is and I really want to get a grip on my weight, but it's gotten to the point where my number 1 priority is feeling healthy and strong. It has been so long since I have felt energetic and alive and I really miss it. I am sick of feeling lethargic and like I want to hide from the world.

I did have a 2 year period ending about 6 years ago where I followed the dietary and exercise advice of Susan Powter (which was low fat and vegetarian - she was inspired by Dr McDougall I believe). Even though I was still eating low fat dairy I felt wonderful, and the weight came off very well.

I have been reading the McDougall board every day for the last couple of years and have felt too overwhelmed at the thought of giving up fatty and dairy foods to actually start eating the McDougall way but the time has come now where I have to, because I know it is the only way that I will be able to feel healthy and strong again (and lose weight).

Although I want this way of eating to be a lifelong thing I have set only short-term goals at the moment for the next 12 days (I don't want to overwhelm myself with long-term goals). My goals are;

1. To follow the 12 day program for 12 full days

2. To have one fully MWL meal on each of these days

3. To have no dairy products at all for 12 days (I know this is implicit in no. 1 but dairy is such a biggie for me that I want to state it separately)

4. That I will increase my daily intake of vegetables (from a starting point of almost none)

5. That I will have a daily 30 min walk for 12 days (I will aim for 2)

I will check back and let you know how I am going

Ben

[Doris]

You have a great plan. I wish you success on your McDougall journey! Continue to post here, there are a lot of posters to motivate you and to answer questions as you proceed. By the way, I also think that the 12 day program is a great place to begin.

[Sunny]

Hi Ben, Welcome to the Board. It looks like you are ready to go, that is great. I started out with the 12-day plan also it is a great book to read and to get started.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

[hope101]

Ben, I kind of dragged my family into this lifestyle 10 months ago after doing research preparing for heart valve surgery. My kids were okay to lose the meat completely but my husband has always been a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Both my kids and my husband did not want to give up dairy.

What ended up happening is I prepared one meal for the family, and my husband was able to cook meat if he desired. Well, he just didn't have the time to cook, found himself satisfied with the meals anyway. What really helped was he effortless lost 30 pounds and felt better right away. Now he won't chose to eat meat when we go out, because he knows how good he feels. By the way, he has never been a fit man himself.

The kids were not happy to lose dairy, but I was adamant after seeing one of Dr. McDougall's videos on the evils of milk, particularly the evidence connecting milk with Type 1 diabetes. With a little experimenting we found some soy milks they enjoy and now they actually hate the taste of cows milk.

I guess what I am saying is that, in addition to gearing up for difficult times, be prepared to have a lot of unexpected successes that will make it easier for you to continue in your path. Some people go low fat vegan overnight, others, like us, meander a bit before finding it in a sustainable way.

This board is a fabulous place for support, so when you have questions, come on back. Good luck!

[S B]

When I saw the name, Ben, I was SO HOPING that you were my nephew Ben who desperately needs to McDougall (any program)! He asked me about McDing, a while back, but when he found out he could not have high protein shakes, he looked very disappointed….. Oh well, you are not him, but I am always very happy to see another Newbie come on board! Welcome!

You sound like you know what you want and how to do it! Your plan sounds great!

After 12 days, most people feel SO MUCH better that they do not want to go back to their old way of eating!

Besides, if you stick to the program for at least 12 days, your tastes will most likely change a little -- and the longer you stick to the program the more they should change. This is a BIG HELP! For many people, the exact same thing that used to NOT taste TOO sweet WILL taste TOO sweet after about 12 days. For example, in the "old days" I always used to mix a least a pinch of brown sugar into my serving of winter squash before I ate it. Now, I LOVE winter squash "as is". My husband used to mix-in a LOT of brown sugar into his serving of winter squash. Now, he uses just a pinch, like I used to. When I taste his squash (with just a pinch of sugar) I shudder and say to him, "How can you stand to eat something THAT SWEET!"

Yes, tastes CAN and DO change -- but we have to point them in the RIGHT DIRECTION! If not, they can quickly revert BACK -- especially if we allow ourselves too many "off program special treats". In my opinion, I think the MOST HUMANE way to train our taste buds to like healthy food is to stick to the program as closely as possible and NOT to TORTURE ourselves with little tastes of SAD food that make us want MORE of the things that we are not supposed to eat.

I wish you much success!

[Mrs. Doodlepunk]

Welcome, Ben. I know that when your 12 days are up you will feel so good you won't want to give it up.

Dairy was difficult for me, I love cheese and ice cream and half and half in my coffee! I totally understand your situation. Maybe once you are completely dairy free you will have an easier time resisting, I find that to be true for me. I don't even have to think about it now, I know that after one sip of coffee with cream in it, I'll be a goner!

We had a similar experience to hope, I dragged my family into this with me. After the first couple of months, my husband became a true believer when he realized he had dropped 25 pounds while eating his fill of beans and potatoes and all kinds of wonderful soups and things, plus BREAD. The most important food in this house is fresh homemade bread. He used to really scare me, he kept saying he just felt "unhealthy" and I didn't know what to do. We have young children and are pushing 50 and need to stay healthy for a while to get these guys raised! When I found out McDougalling made him feel healthy again I was so happy. We both have been able to stop taking medicines for GERD and also no longer take glucosamine supplements.

Stick around here and post on the "what's cooking" threads daily on Roberta's Corner so you get an idea what others eat too. It really helps. There are lots of nice friendly people here with lots of nice friendly advice! Also, there are some Star McDougallers here who you might not realize - if you haven't read the stories about them on the McDougall home page, you should. They are a real inspiration and they started at the beginning just like you are.

[Ben]

Thanks everyone for your welcoming responses.

Today has gone along well according to plan. I only did one walk but that is what my plan is. If I do two, then that is a bonus.

I am looking forward to feeling stronger with more energy

I will kepp you posted on how I am going

Ben