199 lbs!

November 30th was a great day. Aside from being the end of the month as we go full tilt into the “holiday season,” which in my opinion started the day after Halloween (thanks to mainstream media and retailers), my son, Zachary turned 6 years old. That was an important event in itself, but the 30th was also the end of my first month in which I changed my dietary habits.

The month concluded with a check of the scale telling me I weighed 199 pounds (dropped 16 lbs. since October 30). It’s been a few years since I had my weight dip under 200 pounds. This goes to reaffirm the decision of taking my health into my hands and changing how I eat. Gone are the meats (except fish), dairy products, oils and a decrease in sugar and salts. The results I see are all the proof I need. I know many will think these are “extreme” measures, but not once have I been hungry since changing my diet.

I really haven’t set a weight goal going forward when I decided to make changes. Based on what I had read weight lose was just one of the benefits of changing my diet. Now, more importantly will be the results of the blood test I hope to get done next week. The driving factor behind this “lifestyle change” was the elevated levels of my cholesterol (236 mg/dL in July, 2011). With any luck when the blood test is accomplished my hope is that I am under 200 mg/dL (fingers crossed).

The true test of how I feel and look will be when I am able to fit into new jeans that have been in my closet for a few years. Obviously my poor decisions on what I ate were the contributing factor. Gone are the days I eat out 4 days a week in Chinatown, Oakland. I had to give up those good, Singapore Noodles from Phnom Penh. The noodles I might consider on a “special occasion.” I have been happy with the sort of meals I have been creating, many from the discussion boards at drmcdougall.com, as well as other vegetarian sites.

I might even update the Recipe section of my site with some of the dishes and meals I have been cooking. Gone are some of my favorites, at least now as I making personal changes for better health.