by Birdy » Sat Nov 15, 2014 7:44 pm
Very helpful responses. Thanks to you all. It seems clear that the definition of plant-based is vague and, as several of you point out, the meta-analysis likely included a variety of "vegetarians".
I was interested mostly in the science, not personal anecdotal stories Jim. And although I first signed into this website in 2006, I've actually visited and participated on Dr. McDougall's boards since he first started them in the 1990s. Before that, in about 1993, a student of mine who was vegan gave me two large grocery bags of printed materials and two books that launched me on a long and winding road of reading about nutrition. The two books were Diet for a New America and The McDougall Plan. When she gave me these books, I ate a mixed diet with a little chicken, turkey, fish and dairy, not very many carbs, very little sugar and lots of vegetables and fruit. I weighed 125 pounds and had weighed the same since about the age of 13. After receiving that information on veganism from my student, I started trying to be a vegan and gained 20 pounds in the next two years. Mind you, I was not following Dr. McDougall's plan. I've never followed it successfully for more than a few weeks. My desire to do so has not been strong enough to result in success. That and I live with a family who are not about to eat an oil free, avocado/nut/seed/coconut/olive/chocolate free vegan diet. Also, I can honestly say that I've never fully bought the idea of eating such an extremely restrictive diet. That is certainly the root cause of my failure to McDougall. So, after I gained that 20 pounds as a wanna-be vegan, I had my third child and gained another 20 pounds. I've only managed to lose about 10 out of the total 40 pounds. And I now have high blood pressure, high lipids and T2 diabetes. All anyone here can say (and rightfully so) is that I haven't followed the plan so I can't expect to experience its benefits.
Often I feel that I absolutely should stop coming to this board and stop posting. However, it's a wonderful forum unlike anything that exists elsewhere on the Internet that I know about. I have great respect for Dr. McD and for the many people who've been successful eating this way. If it were possible to wave a magic wand over me and turn me into a bonafide McDougaller, that would be so great. But of course it's silly. I suspect there are a LOT of people around like me who do or have visited here.
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall