Anyone up for Another MARY'S MINI CHALLENGE?

[star]

Way to go Vanilla Orchid!!!!!!!!!!!

[proverbs31woman]

Congratulations VO! Keep it up!

[kpolninja]

So I've been M.I.A. for a bit, but I got back on track last sunday. I did go to dinner w/ my hubby last night and had ma po tofu from pf changs which is NOT on the plan, but I guess I have to be realalistic and figure i will not be perfect all the time.

Considering my food choice last night, I felt somewhat ok with it (like I could have done worse).

Ma po tofu which does clearly oil in it, but was surrounded in steamed broccili. I had a big helping of brown rice with it and some of the cucumber salad they make which also has oil, but it doensn't seem too bad. I also had a bunch of lemon sorbetto, but it was fat free to.

So I have confessed my sins....

Generally when I stray I go all out and have soemthing terrible and eat poorly all day (or weekend)...does anybody else do this, or has anybody learned how to stop themselves from doing this? I generally find it is the weekend that gets me down, I want to go out and eat with my friends and drink!

[proverbs31woman]

Generally when I stray I go all out and have soemthing terrible and eat poorly all day (or weekend)...does anybody else do this, or has anybody learned how to stop themselves from doing this? I generally find it is the weekend that gets me down, I want to go out and eat with my friends and drink!

I used to do this as well, but I've learned that it's not worth it. Now, I decide to get right back up and commit to eating better during the next meal. Plus, my money's low and I don't have much illegal food in my home to gorge on, so that helps.

Here's my confession: Last night I ate far too many no-oil baked french fries, baked beans, and tomatoes, which would've been okay if I would've stopped right there...but I didn't. I had a turkey patty with it, and the whole night I suffered from gas because of it. I know my husband had to find it hard to sleep with the smell.

I've learned from my lesson because I've been feeling sleepy all day. I just got a surge of energy from a banana I just ate, but overall, I feel lethargic.

No weight loss lately. I've been experiencing a plateau I believe, but I'm trying not to worry about it. I only have a few more pounds until my goal and the inches are still coming off, so I will eat right and exercise, and try not to worry.

How's everyone else doing? This party has been quiet lately.

[Liza Jane]

I'm up for starting today. I've read thru all 9 pages of comments and decided I could do this. I started this morning. I made potato, leek soup as I love potato soup. So far I'm doing good. It's time for lunch and I haven't been too bad. I'm getting hungry so will go and have some more with raw vegetables. I think sticking to one carb like potatoes will work for me. It will take me awhile to absorb all the info but this gives me hope. Thank you for doing this post. I want to be healthy and I am doing so much better since becoming a vegan last October. I've started cheating the last two months and have gained 10 pounds. Therefore I'm going to join you here and post so I have to be accountable.

I'm happy for all you who have stuck too it and have lost weight. Congratulations.

[proverbs31woman]

Welcome, Liza Jane!

You will definitely find support here. Watch the pounds and inches fall from your body!

I wish you the best!

[kpolninja]

Hi Liza Jane!

Welcome, these folks are so helpful.

So what is your recipe for potato leak soup? It sounds so good!


On terms of the vegan diet, I've been vegan for animal rights reasons since last October, and I find that helps keep me on track because it becomes something I'm passionate about. If people are having a hard time with the vegan aspect sometimes reading about the animal's side of it all helps.

I was uber proud of myself today because I really wanted chipolte today (kitty corner from my building! ) and so I got it....black beans, lettuce, and two kinds of salsa, NO RICE, NO GUAC! I'm so freekin proud.

[proverbs31woman]

I was uber proud of myself today because I really wanted chipolte today (kitty corner from my building! ) and so I got it....black beans, lettuce, and two kinds of salsa, NO RICE, NO GUAC! I'm so freekin proud.

Go ahead, kpolninja! Sounds yummy!

[Liza Jane]

Thanks for the welcome. I can't believe I've made it all day with just potato soup, carrots, and my green drink.

The leek soup I just put cut up leeks in large pot, added about 2 stalks celery and 9 potatoes. I cooked it till done and added salt to taste. It is delicious. I just had raw carrots and green drink which is apple juice with lots of raw spinach and a few pinto beans and some lemon juice. I blend this up till it's liquid and drink it. If you want it sweeter can add dates or raisins or honey or sugar. I find the green drink helps me to get in more raw greens.

I hope this meets with Mary's mini diet. I'm new so have lots to learn.

If you don't have leeks, you can use onions.

[Faith in DC]

I hope that's not all you ate. If you choose potatoes you can have other kinds of potatoes too, like a baked for dinner, hash browns (no oil) for breakfast, the soup for lunch.

[star]

Hello everyone,

I am still moving full steam ahead. I am now down to 126.5 lbs. I just finished a 10K race this morning and in order to keep up with my marathon training, I ran another 10K back to the original starting line (total of 12.4 miles). It was a little tougher because I tried to make a time of 1 hour for the first 10K but instead it took me 1 hour and 2 minutes. Another upside to my new lifestyle diet is that it takes me much less time to recover after a long race than it use to take me prior to this diet.

I am also excited about the fact that I love my food and can't believe I didn't make the connection much sooner. I look forward to the wonderful foods each and every day. I will be starting week 12 on Monday and I can see so many positive changes.

Lastly, so many people are now noticing the change. I gone from sizes 8 & 10 to sizes 2 & 4. I am getting compliments from nice arms & legs to I didn't realize your face was elongated rather than round.

Hope everyone else is still going strong.

[proverbs31woman]

Hello everyone,

I am still moving full steam ahead. I am now down to 126.5 lbs. I just finished a 10K race this morning and in order to keep up with my marathon training, I ran another 10K back to the original starting line (total of 12.4 miles). It was a little tougher because I tried to make a time of 1 hour for the first 10K but instead it took me 1 hour and 2 minutes. Another upside to my new lifestyle diet is that it takes me much less time to recover after a long race than it use to take me prior to this diet.

I am also excited about the fact that I love my food and can't believe I didn't make the connection much sooner. I look forward to the wonderful foods each and every day. I will be starting week 12 on Monday and I can see so many positive changes.

Lastly, so many people are now noticing the change. I gone from sizes 8 & 10 to sizes 2 & 4. I am getting compliments from nice arms & legs to I didn't realize your face was elongated rather than round.

Hope everyone else is still going strong.

Star,

Congratulations on your success! Wow...that is a big difference! It's definitely cool when people go as far to notice details like your arms and face. Well done!

I've lost another 2 lbs. this week!

[star]

Hasanismom, thank you and a big congrats to you also. We are almost to the end of the challenge.

It just blows my mind that I don't have to worry about how much weight I might gain back because there is no end date for me. With exception of toning down the running after the marathon and including a few flour products, this is my lifestyle.

And I owe this all to Mary's Mini. What I mean by that is that I had already read MWL but I would try a recipe and most did not turn out well (b/c I am not a great cook). Therefore, I assummed that I would have to learn to cook food all the time, spend a lot of money experimenting, and then throwing it in the trash. So once I read about Mary's Mini, I thought to myself, what a simple concept. I started out with potatoes. I made simple dishes like hash browns, or microwaved potatoes and dumped spicy black bean soup over it and fruit as snacks. That one week taught me how simple, but tasty, this lifestyle diet could be. And I have been building on those two meals going forward.

I am going to owe Mary and John McDougall my life!!! I have been searching for a feasible answer for so, so long. And thank you to everyone on this board as well.

[Vanilla Orchid]

Monday was my birthday. I used to make cakes for each of my co-workers on their respective birthdays, but stopped when they became so popular that I was flooded with requests from other offices.

I prefer to low-key my own birthday, but word got out, and a friend asked if she could at least make me a healthy lunch. I said ok. Much to my surprise, she organized the office to bring in an entire healthy buffet! We're still eating leftover fresh fruits and veggies. I was overwhelmed by the kindness and support they showed me.

I've been getting comments about my baggy pants and long, loose skirts, so today I put on a nice dress that hasn't fit me in years, and is about knee length, and I'm enjoying the compliments.

Still got a way to go, but this is fun!

[star]

What great coworkers you have Vanilla Orchid. Happy belated birthday!!!