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| Forums: March 2010 Kickstart Forum Archive: Introductions... | |||
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JamieR
 Location: Mendocino Coast, Northern California Posts: 116 |
Introductions... Posted Monday, March 1, 2010 at 5:07 PM I thought it would be fun to start an introduction thread as we start our 21 day journey together! Feel free to share anything you like about yourself...as well as why you've joined the Kickstart. September Kickstart Goals: Walk/bike daily, keep up with forum, 100% low-fat vegan experimenting with maximizing FLAVOR!
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| JamieR
Location: Mendocino Coast, Northern California Posts: 116 |
RE: Introductions... Posted Monday, March 1, 2010 at 5:29 PM I'll start with mine! My name is Jamie, and I participated in the January Kickstart. I've got to say, it has really changed my life! I've been diabetic for 12 years, with increasing complications. I knew that I needed a radical change to see if I could make my health better; medications just were not cutting it. The January Kickstart came along at the right time. I wasn't always perfect on the January Kickstart, as I didn't yet have a firm grasp of all the concepts. But I took the time in January to learn more about healthy vegan diets (espoused by doctors Barnard, McDougall, Esselstyn, Ornish and Fuhrman). I learned about most of these doctors right here on this board (for which I am very grateful). I have everyone's books now, and have read most of them! I decided to not only continue veganism in February, but to follow the McDougall Maximum Weight Loss plan as well. The results for me have been nothing short of spectacular. While my weight loss started out well, it slowed in the last few weeks. But I am in it for the HEALTH...and what a difference it has made! The first thing I noticed was a dramatic improvement in my diabetic neuropathy. And I mean DRAMATIC. By day 2 on the McD program, warmth started returning to both my legs and the pain dropped dramatically...and week 2 started with a return of sensation in one of my feet! For those of you who don't know about neuropathy...it's usually progressive and painful, making it hard to do normal things like walk and sleep. I used to really fear losing my toes and feet because of the loss of sensation...and I feel if I keep this way of eating up...I'll NOT only NOT have that concern, but may actually get two fully functioning feet again. Amazing, as the pain had been constant and debilitating...and getting worse by the day. I also have so much more energy...not bouncing-off-the-walls energy...just more get-you-through-the-day energy. I don't need so many naps, and my sleeping at night is much better. (Insomnia, as well as the painful neuropathy, kept me up many a night.) My hair is growing in thicker, nice and brown (not grey...which is good at 42!). My digestion has improved; my skin is getting softer (even the rough skin on my heels). Very significantly, in one month I've been able to reduce my daily insulin by 2/3...coming down from 76 units at the start of February to 26 now! For those who don't understand insulin needs...well, let's just say that my former dose would kill a non-diabetic! I'm here because I really enjoyed the forum support during the last Kickstart. As I continue my healthy vegan journey, support along the way will be very beneficial. And I hope I can help others as well. Oh, yes, and my husband joined me in February as well (he didn't participate in the original Kickstart). He managed to lose 10 pounds, improve his edema in his legs, and get back the energy he thought he'd lost 15 years ago. He originally only committed to one month, but has decided to keep going as it is making him feel so much better! September Kickstart Goals: Walk/bike daily, keep up with forum, 100% low-fat vegan experimenting with maximizing FLAVOR!
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| Jules
Joined: 02/28/10 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 20 |
RE: Introductions... Posted Monday, March 1, 2010 at 9:51 PM Wow Jamie, your post is impressive. I just turned 60, and have always enjoyed good health. My energy levels come and go, and I am tired more than I like however. I have eaten healthily for many years, but not vegan - mostly vegetarian for the last close to ten years, but with the odd piece of chicken here and there for good measure. When I was young, I was interested then in a plant based diet (in the days of Frances Moore Lappe and "Diet for a small Planet" - if anyone is as old as I am!) Over the Christmas holidays I got a cold, which morphed into so many other things, and I could not shake it. I'm not a medicine taker, so tried all my usual remedies - extra vitamins, oil of oregano, echinechea etc etc to no avail. Really I have only been healthy and had any energy for the last three weeks - it took that long. It scared the daylights out of me, and I decided that I needed once and for all to get my eating under control, lose 25 or 30 pounds and get serious about myself. I am a choc-a-holic, love chips, peanuts, cookies - you name it. I don't buy them, but this year over the holidays they seemed to be everywhere - and mostly at my house. If stuff is unopened, I am great, but let me tell you, break that seal, and I will eat the whole box of chocolates in two nights. I don't understand why I do it, because I can quite literally go for months with no chocolate, or chips, or cookies at all, nor do I care to eat them, but it seems that once I start to eat them, the addiction just grows and grows....truly it's a wonder I am not really obese and super unhealthy, but I guess that underlying is my love of healthy eating and good food. So my goal is to break those addictions and hopefully find a new, healthier, easier way of eating. "For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." |
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| TexGal
Joined: 02/25/10 Location: Texas Posts: 111 |
RE: Introductions... Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 2:20 PM Jules, you are not the only one who remembers "Diet for a Small Planet"! I have flirted with vegetarian-ism and healthier eating off and on for many years. But it has always been a short-term thing that ended when I fell back into old habits of shopping and eating, and succumbed to the culture of over-eating that we live in. At New Year's, like many others, I resolved to lose weight, but didn't have any specific plan for how to do it. I have lost weight in the past, and always regained it when I went back to "normal" eating. I signed up for a Devoted Bodies study at my church, thinking it would be a "normal" weight loss group. When they mentioned a "vegan challenge" I thought, "uh oh, what have I gotten into?" But as I learned and read more about the health benefits of a vegan diet and the health costs of the Standard American Diet, I resolved to give it a try. As of Feb 1 I have been following a vegan eating plan, and have lost 15 pounds without even trying! I have more energy, fewer headaches, and fewer digestive problems. I am sure the weight loss would be much faster if I were more careful about fats, which I have not really been watching as much as I should. I am really excited to have this 21 day program to keep me motivated and inspired now that my class has ended. This is day 30 of the 40-day vegan challenge from that class, day 2 of the 21-day kickstart, but hopefully the first of many many days of healthier eating for the rest of my life. Some of the things I want to accomplish during this program are to increase my exercise (which is pretty non-existent right now), keep trying new foods, and cut down on fats and processed foods. (I don't eat a lot of processed foods, but haven't totally eliminated white rice, pasta, etc.) I hope we will all be able to help each other make whatever changes and adjustments we need for a healthier life! |
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Vegann
 Posts: 35 |
RE: Introductions... Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 2:49 PM Ooh I missed this thread somehow. My name is Ann, and I am a recovering omnivore. In all actually, I was never really fond of meat. or milk. But I ate it anyway because it felt like what I was "supposed" to do. Gradually.. in the past year, my meals became more and more meatless. Until it finally disappeared. On my 27th birthday, I made a pledge to the vegetarian life. I didn't want to eat meat anymore. I didn't want to cook it. I didn't want to think after every meal containing meat "why did I eat that for? I didn't even enjoy it!" So here I am. This is my 4th month vegetarian, 1st month Vegan. Being a vegetarian was far too easy. I made the transition so well, I felt it was time to "up the ante." And so far so good. I do not miss the meat at all (which is the number 2 question I get from all my meat eating friends. The first one, of course, being how I get protein.). Flavors are so much more real now! And alive! Food tastes so good! As it was meant to taste. I am enjoying this lifestyle so much. I look forward to being on this journey with you all. And hope to continue inspiring each other, and motivating and encouraging one another. This is so exciting! |
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lenlin
 Location: Oregon Posts: 43 |
RE: Introductions... Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 6:37 PM Well, it looks like I'm the oldest so far--63 the end of this month. I've always liked vegetables and ate little meat but was big for dairy and cheese. A couple things changed that! First, last May my husband was diagnosed with head and neck cancer. In the literature we were given by the medical oncologist and radiation oncologist three things were listed as the main determinations in this type cancer: 1. smoking 2. drinking 3. lack of fruits and vegetables in the diet. My husband quit smoking over 20 years ago and has never been much of a drinker but the lack of veggies really fits him. Over night I became a vegetarian--he still won't eat veggies, darn him. Through research about his cancer I found the Cancer Project which led me to the 21-day Kickstart plan. (When the pupil is ready a teacher will appear.) The second thing that turned me on the vegan path was my diagnosis of osteoporsis. That was about 5 years ago and after taking all the medicines and even shots every day for 2 years I didn't show much improvement so I decided to do the research myself and not rely on my doctors. Well, what do you know. Overabundance of protein causes an acid imbalance in the blood which the body tries to correct by using the calcium stored in the bones. Milk is really a no-no and (you're right) veggies most beneficial for good strong bones. So I'm sure I'm going to be "fired" by my doctor when I tell him that I've stopped all meds and an eating correctly finally! Really my GP supports my decision. It's the specialist that I'm sure will flip. I love the vegan lifestyle! The cooking is fun, the tastes are wonderful and I feel so much more in control of my thoughts and actions. I'll never change. Now if I can only get my hubbie to agree. At least he is super supportive of me. Linda Linda |
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| uniquebuys
Joined: 01/07/10 Posts: 69 |
RE: Introductions... Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 7:56 PM The stories here are amazing. I am enjoying reading them and thinking, "yes, me too" so all I can add is that I found this way of life, too. My introduction is that I was told about this program by my Doctor after 7 months of struggling with medications for pre diabetes and high blood pressure. My digestion was a mess after adding 2 new medications to my daily needs and I mean a severe problem and so my Doctor finally told me about this lifestyle change and said I could get off my medications if I ate vegetarian and dropped the weight and so I have done both. I found this delightful and healthy way of eating and I have lost 18 pounds since November 7th. As of a few weeks ago, I am now exercising again. I had lost my desire or pleasure in exercising because I felt so miserable with the edema. So, in closing, it's a blessing to be a vegetarian. I tell everyone I know or meet about the lifestyle change. I have given away 10 copies of Dr. Barnard's book and I am talk about these nutritional benefit daily and as often as I can. Mostly people see the change in me and ask me about it. My family is also so pleased and benefiting, too. I am a 50 year old female. EJ |
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| TexGal
Joined: 02/25/10 Location: Texas Posts: 111 |
RE: Introductions... Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 8:08 PM EJ, that is great that your doctor referred you to a heathier diet to support your goal of better health and getting off meds! We hear so much about how most doctors don't understand the need for a better diet, and prefer to just push pills, and it is good to know there are some out there who DO understand and support it. Congratulations on your fantastic progress! And to all the others on this program too who have lost weight, gotten healthier, been able to get off medications, and made other improvements. I'm looking forward to making more progress in my own journey to better health too. |
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Wild4Stars
 Location: Florida Posts: 832 |
RE: Introductions... Posted Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 6:59 AM Everyone has such great stories, mine's pretty boring. I'm 58 years old, have been vegetarian since 2000, playing off and on with going Vegan. The first kick-start in Sept (or Oct, not sure) I made the commitment to go vegan. I did some back sliding over the holidays. My family is quite familiar with me as a vegetarian, but hitting them with vegan was a bit of a challenge. Then January kick-start, was my start-over and so far, so good. I have no health problems, good cholesteral, low blood pressure, no "pre" anything. My GP says if all her patients were like me she would be out of business! Truth is, I have not always taken very good care of myself, and yet have been amazingly healthy. Don't want my luck to run out so decided I'd better start taking care of myself. I tell people that now I am rewarding my body for being so good to me. My main goal is healthy aging. 2nd goal is to get rid of about 15 pounds. I'm only 5'1" and would like to get back to about 110 where I feel best. I've lost 15 pounds in the past year, but have kind of stalled. Even vegetarians can eat too much junk food! AND I have a weakness for good red wine. I'm sure that's why the weight loss has stalled. Now I'm ready to get back to seriously heading to that 110 goal! Vikki ~ Wild4Stars@gmail.com |
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| spidrprncs
Joined: 02/28/10 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Posts: 6 |
RE: Introductions... Posted Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 2:49 PM Another "boring" story (it wasn't really boring, wild4stars)..... I am 42 and the mother of four children (8,7,4,3). I am on the radar for diabetes and osteoporosis. However, I was not a healthy veggie or vegan... there is plenty of "healthy crap" to eat and that's what I ate. I want to take care of my body and my Self. Lisa PS - Where does snacking on Trader Joe's non-dairy chocolate chips fall in the 21-day vegan kickstart? Lisa |
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| Califdreamin
Joined: 02/28/10 Posts: 11 |
RE: Introductions... Posted Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 7:27 PM It's so great to get to know the group. My name is Joyce and I'm 58, living in Orange Co., California. My journey to Veganism has been very gradual. I've never liked pork and was married (the first time) to a Jewish man who had never eaten pork. Then, for health reasons about 2 years ago, I decided to give up red meat, but still ate chicken, fish and dairy. I've never been terribly over-weight, but always struggling with those last 10 lbs or so. |
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Its wonderful to meet you all!
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