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FAQ: Have you lost weight?

Posted at 10:16 AM on July 31, 2008 by Donna McClurkan (6 Comments)

Only our closest friends seem comfortable asking this question, so the "F" in "FAQ" may be a stretch. But ask they do. Here's the scoop, for other inquiring minds out there.

Mac visited a downtown Kalamazoo jeweler recently to have a link removed from his watchband. He may be downsizing his wedding ring soon, too.

And, dear readers within Kalamazoo County, you might run into me at the mall or in one of our local consignment shops scouring the racks for smaller jeans.

By eating locally/seasonally, and scaling back on processed foods, Mac and I have lost a lot of weight, and we're keeping it off. Both of us are now well within normal BMI limits. We didn't set out to lose weight as part of our locavore effort - it just happened.

It turns out that Michael Pollan's advice to "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." is good for us, the planet ... and our waistlines!

Comments (6)

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GREAT photo :-).

Posted by cher | July 31, 2008 9:35 PM

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Thanks Cher. I can't take credit for it. We borrowed this visual since we don't have BEFORE/AFTER photos for Mac and me! :)

Posted by Donna | August 2, 2008 4:15 AM

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What a terrific "side effect." Good for you!
Julie

Posted by Julie | August 4, 2008 12:39 PM

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Hey Julie - So many benefits to eating locally, and some, like this one, unexpected! Thanks for your comment & the 'atta girl'

Posted by Donna | August 4, 2008 1:10 PM

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Hi Donna!

I also have lost a "ton" of weight which I also am attributing to better diet and increased physical activity. Eating fresh, more nutritional and balanced meals has really curbed my needs for those nasty burgers and pizza that in the past were a mainstay of my diet. In fact, I haven't had pizza since starting the Locavore Nation challenge (though I recently found a pizza recipe for summer squash which sounds pretty interesting).

And since I am riding my bike to and from work as well as helping once a week in the garden of a friend, plus walking the farmers market weekly and the standing around in the kitchen preparing my meals has really increased my physical activity. Very cool!

Down almost 4 pant sizes already and both blood pressure & cholesterol have dropped significantly! If only we could convince the rest of the United States to see the healthy benefits of eating locally, we could really put a dent into obesity and diabetes, eh?

Posted by Scott | August 8, 2008 8:11 AM

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WOW, Scott! It sounds like eating locally has radically changed your life in ways similar to ours. Unfortunately, we can't bike to work, but we've increased our physical activity in other ways, as you have. I'm wondering if your pizza squash recipe is like one I rec'd recently from a friend - let's experiment and share on ST/LN, ok? About the obesity/diabetes epidemic - yes, I also hope eating locally catches on in a big enough way for these important health issues to be addressed. There's a lot riding on folks continuing to eat processed foods, unfortunately, but I remain hopeful more folks will reap the benefits as we have. Thanks very much for your comment and sharing the great news on your weight loss.

Posted by Donna McClurkan | August 8, 2008 8:33 AM