Apologies for taking so long to get back to the site, but we do plan to start to put some regular posts up that we hope will be of interest to you, our readers. Since the flood we have continued the diet and have remained almost completely compliant to the low fat vegan path. At home we are completely oil-free, and we seldom eat out except when traveling. We’ve found that, for us at least, a certain amount of stress ensues when at a restaurant trying to maintain the completely oil-free profile. After worrying about this for a few months, we decided it might be OK to just make the healthiest choice available. What that translates to is almost always completely vegan and trying to keep the oil, if any, to a minimum.  (Remember: This is a narrative about our choice – not a recommendation!)

What we are finding is that there are more and more vegan choices on menus every day. Not all are suitable, of course. We try to stay away from anything with high calories, especially, and we always ask about oil and if any the type of oil used. Some recent studies have come out that would seem to indicate that the type of oil makes a lot of difference. Specifically, it appears that the amount of processing the oil has undergone may be very important.

But it is important to remember that even vegans can be unhealthy. There are choices, and they are choices. We may be somewhat saved by the fact that we seldom eat out (especially with COVID!), but we did lose a little ground during our 2019 trip overseas when we were “settling” a bit too much. Like anything in life, you have to find that happy balance that keeps you out of trouble but doesn’t take the fun away!

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The diet is working!  Within only a few short weeks of starting, I saw my blood pressure coming down to an average of 120/70.  In November I had a complete set of labs, and I have to say that the results were just short of unbelievable!  My total cholesterol  was down to 147, and in fact every number was better than any I had ever experienced.

My weight is down about 19%, almost 45 pounds below my high in October 2017 when we returned from our trip.  But my BMI change is even more dramatic, down about 23% from where I started. I’m still not quite where I would like to be, as I am technically, “overweight”, so maybe it is just phycological, but that feels a long, long way from where I started as “obese”.

More importantly, I can feel it! Believe me, if you are walking around with 40-50 pounds less weight on you, it is pretty obvious. I feel better, have more stamina and can do more.

All in all, we are ecstatic with the results. And we intend to continue the diet. We plan to remain as compliant as possible but may loosen up just a bit when traveling in the coming months and do another check to be sure that everything is still on target. Stay tuned…

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As of this morning, I have managed to lose almost 37 pounds since we began the diet. My blood pressure is well in the normal range, down about 12 points from the start. As of the last cholesterol check, I was at 165 total cholesterol, which is amazing considering that my number has been as high as 240 in the past! Arlene, who really didn’t need to lose much to start with, is down about 17 pounds. Overall, I am losing about 3 to 3.5 pounds a month, which I am told is a very reasonable and sustainable rate.

You might want to know about my compliance. We started the diet about a month before Thanksgiving, so although I lost a lot in October, November’s loss was not as great. We had three family occasions when we ate both from the new diet but some from the old. December brought Christmas and a couple of more “non-compliant” dinners. And we had a grilled fish at New Year’s. So overall I have been completely on the diet about 95% of the time, but since new year’s the number is much higher. The key is that if I am off the diet, I get right back on.

It’s about making the healthiest choices possible, and we are continuing to do that. These results are gratifying, and it helps solidify our resolve to continue to move forward.

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We love to travel and do so quite often, so we were a little nervous about how to make the diet work on a trip. Our recent trip to Cleveland was a perfect test case to see how things would work out.

First, the breakfasts: Most hotels now offer complimentary breakfast, usually a breakfast bar with lots of choices, but sadly most are not on our low fat plant-based diet program. However, we found that it was possible everywhere we stayed on our recent trip to find fresh oatmeal or at least a good cereal that could be enjoyed with a little almond milk. Fruit varies, but most chains have at least some fresh fruit, and of course tea and juice (just be careful with the sugar!), so it is usually possible to get enough to eat that will get you off to a healthy start.

Lunch/Dinner: This is a hit and miss process. What we recommend is that you speak with the cook – or at least someone who can get your message across. We had enjoyed a good Mother’s Day lunch a few weeks before at Eclipse di Luna in Atlanta, where the chef prepared a special meal to our specifications. So the trick was to find similar places with an easy to deal with kitchen staff.

Dr. Esselstyn had provided us with some tips around the clinic, and we found a great meal at the California Pizza Kitchen in Lyndhurst to get started. Over the weekend, we had another good meal in Medina and found an extremely helpful chef at Coastal Taco in the Cleveland Flats. We ended the trip with a brunch at The Root Cafe in Lakewood, a trendy vegan restaurant where they are happy to comply with an oil-free diet.

Bottom line: even a chain will sometimes work with you. We recently explained our situation to the manager at the local P.F. Chang’s, and they created an amazing dish for us!

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Every player needs a good coach, and the same is true when embarking on such a great lifestyle change. I had some questions a few months back and sent an email to Dr. Esselstyn in hopes he might ask a member of staff to respond on his behalf.  To my great surprise, a few days later I answered my telephone, and he was there! He insisted I get Arlene on the line, so we could all chat (I was eager to do so anyway) and went on to explain in detail the answers I sought.

He also told me about a great program he is running pretty much monthly at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, which is essentially a day with him explaining the diet in great detail and answering questions from the participants. Not long afterward, I was on the phone to his excellent assistant, Jacqueline Frey, to book our attendance. About a week before the seminar, he called again to cover any questions I might want to ask prior to the class and continue to reinforce our resolve.

Author Jane Esselstyn with David Brown, June 2018

To say we enjoyed the seminar would be vastly under-rating the experience. It was truly outstanding! Dr. Esselstyn is a not only a knowledgeable and caring person – he is a true visionary. It is my belief that history will someday recognize him as the key person who began the change to our healthcare mentality from “sick care” to wellness. His wife Ann, who wrote the recipe section of Dr. Esselstyn’s bestselling book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, and is co-author of The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook with her daughter, Jane Esselstyn, gave us an informative and entertaining session on recipes, menus and meal preparation. Jane was also on hand to help with the preparation of some of the tasty dishes we enjoyed on the day and lend her expertise.

If you are even remotely interested in beginning a low fat plant-based diet program, you should consider this program. If you already have heart disease, it is a must! You can learn more directly from Dr. Esselstyn’s website.

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Our previously flooded dining room.

Our worst fears were realized when our son went to check things out and found the entire main level of our home sitting in 4″ of water. No more writing for us – our days were consumed working with the insurance company and various contractors, picking out new flooring, paint, cabinets and a whole host of other totally unexpected tasks.

We stayed in temporary housing, kept long and unhealthy hours and and ate off schedule. Finally, we are back at home, an almost new home after repairs totaling over $165,000! Kudos to Allstate Insurance, who handled everything with hardly a hiccup.

But, how about the diet? Even with all the turmoil, we were able to stay pretty closely on our diet throughout it all. As the old saying goes, “Where there is a will, there is a way!”

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