Gone VEGAN. Never going back
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theneiltor
Posts: 2 Member
6 weeks ago I had my annual physical. My cholesterol tested at 213!! And I thought I was somewhat healthy. That freaked me out to know that I ate better than just about anyone I knew and I was only perhaps 10-15 lbs overweight and could easily cycle 50 miles. Then I started to think about all the other things that simply weren't right in my body. I made a list and the list was sooooooo long it shocked me even more. I'll give just a few here. 1. Chronic inflammation in muscles, joints and connective tissues. 2. Fatigue when I shouldn't have been. 3. Forgetfulness 4. Yucky stools (sorry about that) 5. Poor sleep. 6. Gout 7. Anger 8. and a whole bunch of more highly personal things. The day after my cholesterol test I decided to go 100% vegan. I didn't eat a lot of meat prior to this. About 4-5 servings a week.
Well....... within a week the inflammation began to subside and within 2 weeks it was ALL gone. Everything else improved and/or disappeared within a month and on week 5 I had my cholesterol tested again. It was ........... 131! It dropped 82 points in just over a month. My Doctor nearly wet his pants. He couldn't believe it. In the past I had heard "stories" about huge turn arounds and I was always skeptical or thought perhaps that would happen to one out of a million people. I'm not a one in a million person. I'm just ordinary and all these things happened to me. I am almost 54 years old and I feel like I'm 30. Actually I'm better now than I was when I was 30. But I feel as good as I have for as far back as I can recall. Gone VEGAN and never going back. It works and it feels great.
Well....... within a week the inflammation began to subside and within 2 weeks it was ALL gone. Everything else improved and/or disappeared within a month and on week 5 I had my cholesterol tested again. It was ........... 131! It dropped 82 points in just over a month. My Doctor nearly wet his pants. He couldn't believe it. In the past I had heard "stories" about huge turn arounds and I was always skeptical or thought perhaps that would happen to one out of a million people. I'm not a one in a million person. I'm just ordinary and all these things happened to me. I am almost 54 years old and I feel like I'm 30. Actually I'm better now than I was when I was 30. But I feel as good as I have for as far back as I can recall. Gone VEGAN and never going back. It works and it feels great.
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Replies
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Maybe it works for you... not everyone. Read about the placebo effect...7
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Veganism "works" in the sense that it is a response to animal exploitation. Beyond that, I know of vegans who are overweight and some who have chronic health issues (in addition to many who are in robust or ordinary health) and I know non-vegans who are thriving (as well as some who are ill or just doing okay).13
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"Chronic inflammation in muscles, joints and connective tissues"
I never know what people mean by this. Do you mind explaining?7 -
"Chronic inflammation in muscles, joints and connective tissues"
I never know what people mean by this. Do you mind explaining?
Same. I never know how we are measuring "inflammation" especially when people talk about internal organs that don't have nerve endings and can't be seen. Systemic inflammation of all muscles and joints and connective tissue would make cycling 50 miles hard, it seems to me, and would have got me to a doctor before my annual physical.8 -
i am glad that it worked for you- that is wonderful- it did not work out for me- BUT we are all different so GREAt you found something that helps you be healthy- kudos1
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theneiltor wrote: »6 weeks ago I had my annual physical. My cholesterol tested at 213!! And I thought I was somewhat healthy. That freaked me out to know that I ate better than just about anyone I knew and I was only perhaps 10-15 lbs overweight and could easily cycle 50 miles. Then I started to think about all the other things that simply weren't right in my body. I made a list and the list was sooooooo long it shocked me even more. I'll give just a few here. 1. Chronic inflammation in muscles, joints and connective tissues. 2. Fatigue when I shouldn't have been. 3. Forgetfulness 4. Yucky stools (sorry about that) 5. Poor sleep. 6. Gout 7. Anger 8. and a whole bunch of more highly personal things. The day after my cholesterol test I decided to go 100% vegan. I didn't eat a lot of meat prior to this. About 4-5 servings a week.
Well....... within a week the inflammation began to subside and within 2 weeks it was ALL gone. Everything else improved and/or disappeared within a month and on week 5 I had my cholesterol tested again. It was ........... 131! It dropped 82 points in just over a month. My Doctor nearly wet his pants. He couldn't believe it. In the past I had heard "stories" about huge turn arounds and I was always skeptical or thought perhaps that would happen to one out of a million people. I'm not a one in a million person. I'm just ordinary and all these things happened to me. I am almost 54 years old and I feel like I'm 30. Actually I'm better now than I was when I was 30. But I feel as good as I have for as far back as I can recall. Gone VEGAN and never going back. It works and it feels great.
I am also going into vegan, I was for a while and now I am so super happy and excited to be again. My first time I was not incorporating enough healthy fats and other things. My roomate is an amazing example and has me enlightened!
FYI this sight has very little supporters for veganism over all so lets keep ourselves positive. Many are here for different reasons and really we ALL need to respect our own choices. I believe in using MFP for what each of us benefit from.
I share many of the same feelings as you
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I'm vegetarian and would like to aim for vegan at some point, fwiw. My previous point still stands.6
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If you want to be vegan for whatever reason - good luck to you.
I am glad you have made a decision you are happy with and that your health has improved.
From a medical point of view, veganism reduces risk for some things (bowel cancer, I suspect) and increases risk for other things - B12 deficiency, for example.
No judgement in that - just objective facts.
Me personally - am quite healthy and have no medical issues relating to diet and plan to continue as a meat eater.
anyway, 6 weeks is not a very long time - and you are coming across as new converts zeal to me.
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OP, your post makes you sound like a walking ad for veganism. My dd is vegan and I highly respect her decision, as I do yours. I tried it many years ago, lost weight and did feel much better. But I couldn't stay on it more than 3 months because I like my chicken too much. I still wish I could adhere to a vegan diet; I think there are a lot of benefits to eating plant-based. I'm glad to hear it's been so successful for you. It's hard to believe your cholesterol has dropped so much in a mere 5 weeks. 3
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Looks like an honeymoon moment.
I think a plant-based diet (not veganism - too controversy) is a great idea.... that I don't follow. I eat little meat, typically two times a week.
To maintain a low cholesterol (sub 150) is also another goal of mine. 131 is gold,0 -
My cholesterol level went from high to low between blood tests 6 months apart...and I ate more meats, eggs, etc. PS..I've never met a truly happy/healthy vegan. But good luck.2
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I’ve been plant based for over 2 years now and I will never go back to eating animal products. I’ve lost 25 pounds along the way and I’ve also gained a new passion for cooking. I’m 52 and would like to lose 15 more pounds so I’m going to stay focused on eating whole food plant based meals. Although I do love an Impossible Whopper.....it is possible to be an unhealthy vegan if your diet consists of things like fast food and processed junk. Best of luck to you in your journey. For me, it has been so enlightening and life-changing. 😍5
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I think being a whole foods vegan is admirable. I have seen people lose LARGE amounts of weight without counting calories and maintain it. I think, like many dietary styles, when the processed food industry gets a hold of it they make vegan "junk" foods that are no better than "regular" junk food, people regain. Just an observation.... Personally, I am making a greater effort to include more non meat protein in my diet. Lintels, beans, yogurt, eggs, ect...2
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I don't think this site is anti veganism at all, just anti false claims about what one must do to lose weight and be healthy coming from any direction (and the claims about the personal improvements from a drastic diet change and weight loss -- no matter what the change is to -- are typically identical, so I think that should make one think.)
Personally, I think WFPB is one of many healthy ways to eat (if done correctly, sometimes people do ridiculous things like try to avoid all fat or eat only fruit or only raw without knowing how to do that healthfully), and that other forms of veganism can also be very healthy (I think diets with lots of veg, some fruit, plenty of fiber, sufficient protein (probably not too much), and healthy fats are generally healthy, although with veganism I'd supplement B12 and EPA/DHA). And, if one is vegan (i.e., doing it for ethical reasons), I think that's admirable and I support it. I am not vegan, but try to eat plant-based for periods of time (for example, now for Lent), and do limit meat at other times (before Lent I was trying to eat only one non-plant-based meal a day, sometimes it was vegetarian, sometimes it included fish or other meat).9 -
I dont find this site anti vegan - although admittedly I am not a vegan so perhaps that skews my perception - it is anti hyperbolic claims - I went vegan (keto, paleo,quit sugar/processed foods/soda) and all my stage 4 tumour disappeared within a week!!
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paperpudding wrote: »I dont find this site anti vegan - although admittedly I am not a vegan so perhaps that skews my perception - it is anti hyperbolic claims - I went vegan (keto, paleo,quit sugar/processed foods/soda) and all my stage 4 tumour disappeared within a week!!paperpudding wrote: »I dont find this site anti vegan - although admittedly I am not a vegan so perhaps that skews my perception - it is anti hyperbolic claims - I went vegan (keto, paleo,quit sugar/processed foods/soda) and all my stage 4 tumour disappeared within a week!!
I have seen life changing health benefits and conditions.eliminated by a Vegan diet. It's more than just going vegan however; other things matter-
Leafy Greens and cruciferous vegetables
Herbs, healing spices
Nothing processed or with additives, sugar, etc
Nuts or nut butters, seeds
Tempeh, Non GMO sprouted or organic tofu( for some)
Plant proteins
Healthy fats, Avocado, coconut MCT, olives, hemp
People are all unique and remarkable. Diet DOES matter and can, should be and is used medicinally.4 -
I've seen the same thing on paleo, keto, south beach, ornish, flexible diets... I think it all comes down to weight loss and caloric restrictions. Some people just find it easier to have a dietary style. I.E. eat this and don't eat that. I PERSONALLY think food quality matters. There are multiple studies that back that up. Not organic, just more whole foods.5
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Out of curiosity, what were your other numbers? Like triglycerides, fasting glucose, HDL, LDL? Did you have CRP or A1C tested?
Total cholesterol is a pretty meaningless number, especially given HDL (protective) increases it. What is more important is fasting glucose, CRP, and triglycerides.
Also keep in mind that a lot of things can influence cholesterol test. So putting all confidence is a single test is not always beneficial. You ultimately want to look at trends.3 -
psychod787 wrote: »I've seen the same thing on paleo, keto, south beach, ornish, flexible diets... I think it all comes down to weight loss and caloric restrictions. Some people just find it easier to have a dietary style. I.E. eat this and don't eat that. I PERSONALLY think food quality matters. There are multiple studies that back that up. Not organic, just more whole foods.
OMG, so much so. Can't emphasize this enough.
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Who was arguing that food quality doesn't matter?
Yes of course a reasonably balanced nutritious diet is important - but that doesn't change my view that MFP posters rightly push back against hyperbolic claims about veganism or any other diet.9
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