I guess I'm wanting to at least consider other views on diet and what might work for me. When I read the books promoting veganism, they cited a lot of evidence and long term studies and it all made sense to me. But so do these books. They are very convincing, in fact, and clearly what I've been doing ain't working. And I personally know three people who have dropped weight eating this way.
But can i make the switch? Can I give up grains and eat some meat? Honestly I've not touched meat in so long and the idea of trying it isn't all that appealing. Where would I begin? It doesn't have to be a lot, it can still be a mostly vegetarian diet. You give up grains and dairy, but eat more protein and fat.
I'm not ready to worry again just yet, for now I've got another book to finish, so I'll write again when I've had a chance to decide what I'm going to do. I just wanted to check in.
6 comments:
I know that woman's story. I'd also add that my ex became a vegan, talked one of my daughters into it and now they both deal with hypothyroidism. If it is negatively affecting your health...it's time to rethink it. I think one of the biggest issues with veganism is the denial. Kind of like the designers of the Titanic. They didn't believe it could sink. Many vegans can't give it up because of some shame factor.
Well that's it Marc. While veganism does work for many people (browse the star McDougallers on Dr McDougall's website, among others) I've also found many bloggers who were once vegan and made the switch. On those blogs and in the books I'm reading, they cite how we tend to think it's US who have failed, not the diet, so we don't want to give it up. I did that, I beat myself up for a long time when this wasn't working thinking I must be doing something wrong. That's partly because when I wrote Dr McDougall for advice because I was following his program strictly and not losing weight. He told me that I must be getting too much oil somewhere. I wasn't and I was disappointed that was all he had to say, yet I still felt like I wasn't doing it good enough.
I haven't yet gotten to the point where I can look at a piece of meat and actually want to eat it, probably because of all the horror films I've watched about how factory farmed animals are treated. And in truth, even those who are humanely treated are still slaughtered in the end which is hard to get past right now. It isn't easy to contemplate switching back - but continuing to do what doesn't work just because of the 'shame factor' you mentioned seems crazy.
And I wonder,if I do switch, how do I explain it to people as obviously there would be lots of questions. Oh, and I still wouldn't be 'normal' like them in that I would now be rejecting grains instead of animal products, so there will still be difficulties eating out or at other people's homes.
This isn't something I can do without much reading, learning, and contemplating, I've been on the vegan train defending this lifestyle for six years. But I can't let myself be mired in dogma when it's my health at stake. I have to find what works for me and my body.
Carla has left a new comment on your post "Willing to consider the other side ...":
How about trying being a plain old omnivore. Whole grains in moderation, fruit in moderation, abundant vegetables, animal flesh in moderation, and perhaps (if you must) some lowfat dairy.
As to other people, why do you need to explain anything to them? If they are inquisitive enough to ask, maybe just a light, 'Change is good,' and then turn the conversation in a new direction.
I think if you're going to go paleo (shudder), you need a transition phase of balanced omnivorous eating.
Sorry Carla ... I accidentally hit 'reject' instead of 'publish' ... Darn! I hate when that happens, but I was able to copy your comment and paste above.
Right now I just need to get this weight off and avoid diabetes, and I am not sure i could achieve that with your suggestion.
Have you considered a controlled fast?
http://cambridgeweightplan.com.au/
or similar? It's radical, but if you need to shed weight fast for medical reasons, it might be worth considering? I suppose you must have asked your doctor to refer you to a nutritionist?
Did the nutritionist thing a few years back. Done pretty much everything already. And some of the books I'm reading do support intermittent fasting, and I'm considering a lot of options right now. But paleo/primal isn't a carnivore's diet, it's pretty much exactly the omni diet you described. Fruits and veggies are encouraged, unlike Atkins. Even sweet potatoes are ok, it's grains and processed foods they say to avoid. Some books suggest only 3-4 oz of animal protein daily. Primal allows dairy and is a bit more flexible than paleo. And I'm finding several people who follow a nearly paleo plan with some oats. That's appealing! :)
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