[Princess Sophie]

Hi,

I'm new to the boards, although I've regularly visited 3 fat chicks website for many years. I think I found their site not long after they started it. They do a great job and I'm so grateful for these forums. What an amazing wealth of information.

I was wondering if anyone has read the book Eat, Drink and Weigh Less by Walter Willet. I read his book Eat, Drink and Be Happy several years ago and really liked it. It just seems that it's the most basic, non gimmicky, healthiest way to eat. It just makes sense. So I was really excited when I recently learned that he published another book with an actual food plan.

I'm starting it on Friday (May 18th). I'm off that day and I thought it would be a good time to start something like that. I eat a lot of junk/fast food and I will be going cold turkey. I'm feeling afraid, nervous, dread and really excited. I know it will be hard, but I"m looking forward to how much better I hope I will feel.

I have a lot of health problems and I have 160lbs to lose. I have sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, my hair is falling out, I have daily headaches and tooth pain that I think is from the cpap I use for the sleep apnea. I'm starting to have some serious stomach problems from all of the ibuprofen and tylenol I take for the headaches and tooth pain. I have siatica, and foot problems. I recently had some orthodics made for my shoes. I take medication for the diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol, plus an iron supplement for low feritin. I had my feritin checked a little over a year ago and it was 8. I'm hoping that is why my hair is falling out, and by getting that corrected it will grow back. I'm depressed and exhausted all of the time. I think all of the side effects from all of the medications effect how I feel too. I never go any where except for work and the occasional family get together/holiday. I'm just too embarassed and quite frankly too exhausted to do much of anything.

Going on this food plan feels extreme to me, it may not for some, but it does to me. But I feel like I need extreme given the state of my health. So I'm really hoping that by doing this I will improve my health. My biggest goal is to get off all medications and that darn cpap. I hate that thing. I think I would feel so much better if I could just get off the medications.

Sorry this is so long. I didn't plan on it when I started. I guess I'm just hoping to connect and get support/give support, with others who are trying to follow a whole foods way of eating and who can relate to where I'm starting from.

P Sophie

[mousetater]

Hi, Princess Sophie,

I don't know anything about the book, but I took have sleep apnea, type II didabetes, high blood pressure, etc. Are you aware of a web site/message board for those with apnea located at www.cpaptalk.com? I don't know if your tooth pain is from the CPAP therapy or not, but the helpful people there might be able to make some suggestions about how to adjust your mask, or perhaps suggest a different mask that wouldn't cause this pain. This site is associated with www.cpap.com, which sells cpap equipment at extremely reasonable prices. They also have user reviews of machines, masks, etc. I'm sure you will find some very useful information at both sites.

NOTE: I have no financial interest in either of these sites - just a happy customer/participant.

mousetater

[lilybelle]

I just wanted to wish you the very best of success with your new plan. I'm not familiar with the book or the plan. Myself, I have tons of medical problems and was successful at losing the wt. , so I wanted you to know that it isn't hopeless. I am now much healthier and on way fewer medicines. If you want , you can read my story in the goal section. We have some of the same medical issues. I definitely feel so much better now and feel like I've regained the quality of my life.

[emilyk]

Hi and welcome! I am reading that book! I sort of put it down after I got to the diet/questionnaire part though. I admit I have not been following the recipes/meal plan at all, but I have been doing the daily questions/formula and getting my number up almost every day. I've been staying within 15-1600 calories a day and eating only whole grains, plant oils, etc. So I'm basically eating that way without using the meals listed. I do love Molly Katzen's recipes though, she's the main reason I bought the book!

Maybe we could post our daily score to this thread to help each other out?

I used to eat fairly close to this, and most of my friends already do, so it didn't seem extreme to me. I was always the freak eating processed foods. LOL. What about it has seemed extreme or difficult? I will say that since I started eating this way I no longer get an afternoon slump and need coffee then. I have so much more energy and have not gotten sick! I feel so much better!!

Good luck! This is an awesome place for support and inspiration!

[Princess Sophie]

Thank you for your replies and support. I can't believe how active this whole site is. It really makes me feel better and not so alone, which is a big thing for me. I'm alone a lot without much support, so this is really great. I'm so glad I decided to start posting.

emilyk - I haven't really done the body score part. I know mine is rock bottom and I know that if I stick to the food plan my health will improve.

That's so great that your friends eat healthy. It's really hard for me to eat healthy when everone around me is eating junk/fast food.

What feels extreme for me is the fact that eating this way is 180 degrees from the way I eat now. But I know if I stick to it, over time it will feel normal.


lilybelle - I read your story and saw your before and after pics. Wow! That is very inspiring. It really helps to know that I can change my health from where it is now. It's so overwhelming sometimes. If I can change my health the way that you have, I know I will let out a big sigh of relief.


mousetater - I haven't heard of those websites. Thanks for the info. My teeth problems are from clinching, from wearing the cpap. I switched from a full nose mask to the nasal pillow mask and it has helped some, but because I have to keep my mouth shut while wearing the mask, I tend to clinch. I tried a stint, but that made my teeth hurt from wearing that. It's been a really bad spiral since using my cpap. I'm grateful for it because I know it helps me to feel better. I couldn't imagine how bad I would feel without it, but I really hate using it.

sophie

[tammay]

Hi Sophie,
I'm reading Dr. Willet's Eat, Drink, and Be Heathy right now and I like it so far. I actually stumbled across it through the PBS special "Diet Wars" where one of the doctors interviewed was Dr. Willet and I liked him for the very reason that he wasn't "gimmicky" and trying to sell something but had very down-to-earth advice. Though he puts a bit too much emphasis on "stay within a low BMI rate" for weight (as it's been proven by others, the BMI isn't necessarily the best measure for health) for my taste, I do like the balanced approach to nutrition that he advocates and especially the fact that he doesn't buy the "extreme low fat" dogma and emphasizes that it's ok to go even 40% or more of your calories in fat as long as it's the right fat (which is what I did for a while after I reached my weight goal several years ago and it helped me maintain - it's the junk food binges and stress that put on 15 pounds )

I haven't gotten to the menus he gives in the book yet, but I suspect they are similar to what I've been doing so far, since he says somewhere in the book that he's taking the Med Diet as part of his model.

Best of luck to you!

Tam