Journal of a Perennial Optimist (again)

I have decided to do the Starch Solution way of eating again. I really like it, and I do lose weight and have lots more energy, but always gradually stop doing it for one reason or another.
The diet is from Dr. McDougall’s book, called “The Starch Solution”. The first time I tried it, around 2021, I lost over 40 lbs, never felt hungry, and had all the energy I wanted, and could fit into clothes I liked. It pretty much stopped my arthritis, too, and I was able to walk better with out the knee problems.

Then, my heart went on the fritz, and i just stopped doing it, but have gone back once or twice since then, and just always stopped before i reached where I want and need to be , health and weight wise.
It is food that I enjoy, and i don’t feel deprived , ever. It is perfect for summer because we have all of the fresh fruit and veggies in season then.

I ordered more of the bush cherries, a black currant bush, and a wild plum start from Gurneys. I will probably keep them in a pot this summer and let them grow, and they will be larger by fall, and then we can plant them out in the back yard where the peaches, figs, berries and apples are. It gets pretty good sun out there.
Since they are small, it will be hard for Bobby to see and avoid them with his summer mowing, so keeping them potted for the summer should be a better option.

I bought a small electric cultivator, and I have moved a couple of the black raspberries to the front yard along the side fence. It is shadier there, but I have been reading that the berries can do fine as long as they get morning sunshine, especially in hot climates.
I want to gradually move more of them along the fence line if they do okay there, and it makes a natural hedge and would also deter anyone climbing over the fence.
 
I worked outside in the yard again today.
Bit by bit, it is starting to look more like a yard and I am getting things planted. Today, we planted the asparagus. I had put it all in a planter after it was shipped, and we didn’t have the new asparagus plot ready yet.
It is still not done, so all the asparagus is in half of it, and once the other half is ready, I will move half to the new part of the asparagus bed. But, at least it now has more room to spread out and grow some.

I have been transplanting some of the black raspberries to the front yard, and so far, they seem to be growing fine. They won’t get as much sun, so we will see if they produce berries or not.
I am totally worn out ! My body is not ready for the weedeater it and cultivating yet, so it is do a little, recuperate a little, until I get more strength built up.

I have been following a channel on YT called “Getting Healthy With Stasia”, and she lost over 60 lbs with the Starch Solution, and used a lot of beans, potatoes, and lentils; so I have been watching some of her videos. She has advertisements in the middle, but always has good information and recipes.
 
Yvonne Smith said:
The Starch Solution is restrictive, @Beth Gallagher, and is probably not for everyone, unless you are determined to do it. It is hard to decide what to do with food nowadays..

There are the carnivore people who live on meat and eggs and say they have never been healthier, and at the other end, you have the vegan people like Dr. McDougall, who is totally against any kind of animal food, and also against fats for the most part.

Low carb used to work for me, but now it does not. The potato diet (Spud Fit) is totally restrictive, but I did it and lost weight and felt good. It is nothing except potatoes.

The starch solution is pretty much any kind of starches, veggies, and fruits, and no processed foods. I would rather do that than live on meat, at this point, and just low carb was not working for me.
I just want to feel good, and be able to work in the yard and garden, and fit in my swimming suit this summer. And this is the time of year where salads and fresh fruit happen, so it was an easy decision for me.
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Yvonne--I copied this post to here so as to not derail the "What did you do today?" thread. I guess we need a diets/dieting thread.

I think the Starch Solution is too restrictive for me; I am a meat eater and there's no way I'm giving up meat, dairy, and oils. I guess I'll just start out by cutting sweets and bad carbs since lately I have been going overboard with snacks out of sheer boredom. I feel bloated and I know the extra salt and sugar are not helping me control the lymphedema swelling in my arm.

So I'll just try to make healthier choices and get a little more exercise in while I'm still able to. This is a good time to be eating healthier since all the wonderful summertime fruit and vegetables are going to be available! Thanks for your response and I hope you have good success with the Starch Solution.
 
Beth Gallagher said:
Yvonne--I copied this post to here so as to not derail the "What did you do today?" thread. I guess we need a diets/dieting thread.

I think the Starch Solution is too restrictive for me; I am a meat eater and there's no way I'm giving up meat, dairy, and oils. I guess I'll just start out by cutting sweets and bad carbs since lately I have been going overboard with snacks out of sheer boredom. I feel bloated and I know the extra salt and sugar are not helping me control the lymphedema swelling in my arm.

So I'll just try to make healthier choices and get a little more exercise in while I'm still able to. This is a good time to be eating healthier since all the wonderful summertime fruit and vegetables are going to be available! Thanks for your response and I hope you have good success with the Starch Solution.
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I totally agree with you, that the SS diet is restrictive, but that is probably why it works for me when nothing else does. When I look forward to what I am eating, I am likely to eat too much, just because I enjoy the meal. The premise of this diet is to make life enjoyable, and food boring, and apparently, that I what I need.
I won’t overeat on cold potatoes and broccoli, but I will eat it just fine (and actually enjoy it) when I am hungry.

The bean pudding is something I could defnintely overeat, so I have to make sure that it is a small portion after I have had my veggies, salads, and whatever else I am having for my meal.

I thought about starting a thread, but then I decided that no one else here is likely to even want to try the Starch Solution diet, even for the health benefits, let alone the losing weight benefits; so I just added it to my diary.
We had some vegetarians before, but none right now, as far as I know.

I did think that people might want to try the bean protein ice cream though, so I added the information in the Ninja Creami thread. I think that we used to have threads on several diets, but none so far this time.
 
It has been great weather this week, and i have been spending a lot of time outside working in the yard and my little under-the -tree garden areas. It seems like each year i run out of energy just a little faster, so it is outside, do something for a little while (maybe 15-20 minutes) and then back inside to put my feet up and rest and recuperate for a while, and then back out again.
I can lie in bed and plan all the gardening stuff I want to get done, but it is just taking me so long to actually do most of it.

Tomorrow, we both go in for our lab work at LabCorp, and since we have t a membership, we should have the results on the portal in a day or so. Maybe a little longer since it is a weekend coming up, but probably by Monday or Tuesday. It is always good to get labs done and then compare results from last time, to see what has changed, either for the better or the worse.

I have th zero gravity recliner set up in the back yard, and I am trying to get out there 1-2 time each day to soak up some sunshine and start tanning a little, so I will be ready for when the pool warms up. we are both looking forward to lounging in the pool this summer. The only bad thing is all of the neighbor’s have chickens, and those pesky roosters spend the whole day (and a good part of the night) crowing back and forth at each other, so we will he bearing that all summer long.
 
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