Arthritis or neck pains; Weight loss when eating Macrobiotic

[TeresaSA]

Hello,
I am so happy I found this board. I started MB again after a long time. I did not have any support in the past but I have many MB Books.
Why do I get arthritic pains in my neck when eating lots of brown rice?
I never liked salt, now I crave it.
I have been eating a mixed diet in the last year, but was on a raw food diet before for many years with lots of problems to.

I need to lose weight, what is the best MB way?I do have M. Kushi's books about weightloss and he says lots of grains, vegetables ans seaweed. Some miso soup and little beans. Is this the correct way?
Kind regards,
Teresa

[Johnnyzen]

Kushi is the man. Follow his advice. Stay strict for awhile, adn watch the pounds fall off. Arthritis can improve with this diet as well!

[TeresaSA]

Originally Posted by Johnnyzen

Kushi is the man. Follow his advice. Stay strict for awhile, adn watch the pounds fall off. Arthritis can improve with this diet as well!

Thank you for your reply. I really appreciate it. I DO not lose when eating very strict of grains, beans, and vegetables and one fruit a day.
I only lose when I eat mostly rice only and then the pains in my neck start.
Thanks for your support in any case.
Kind regards,
Teresa

[Johnnyzen]

Are you eating short grain brown rice? How much?

[MJS]

Originally Posted by TeresaSA

Thank you for your reply. I really appreciate it. I DO not lose when eating very strict of grains, beans, and vegetables and one fruit a day.
I only lose when I eat mostly rice only and then the pains in my neck start.
Thanks for your support in any case.
Kind regards,
Teresa

Teresa,

Is it that you crave mainly rice -- the beans, veggies, seaweed and miso soup don't seem to appeal to your condition?

My feeling is that if you don't have enough vegetables and beans -- yin, fluid, relaxing foods -- that you will get pains because things have tightened up too much in your body. A brown rice diet is very yangizing and inappropriate for many people.

It is much better to follow a balanced diet, in my opinion. If you need to lose weight, I promise that you'll lose it on a standard macro diet. Don't try to lose too much, or do it too quickly. Vegetables have very few calories, will fill you up and are great for sweeping wastes out of the colon; the occasional (every other day) side dish of beans is insignificant calorically too.

Can you say approximately what your ratio of grains to vegetables is?

Also, The Self-Healing Cookbook by Kristina Turner, available at
http://www.amazon.com, has some very good advice on gentle weight-loss.

Good luck,

Mara - Jean

[Dorf]

Hello,

This reply is in regards to weight loss while on the macrobiotic diet. I used to weigh 230 pounds. Now I weigh 160. I am 5'9. You should find that you will loose inches, (if you are active) before weight. I find that this "diet" builds lean muscle mass quite nicely.

Try to stay active. You will find it helps with alot of things. I don't eat vegetables every day. But I use a vegetable oil every day, either coconut (great for losing weight, make sure it is cold pressed) and/or olive oil. Fats are essential, as long as they are "clean" fat.

I have never tried 'miso'. I do not even know what it is. I am not on the bounds to try something new, but if it is good for you, then it is.

So, all Ic an say is go for it. No one else's diet is going to work for you for life long changes. It is all abotu what you like and what is good for YOU!

So go for it, explore, don't be afraid to make some mistakes, those are the things that help us learn.

Ciao
Bangle Dorf