Anyone up for Another MARY'S MINI CHALLENGE?

[Vanilla Orchid]

Thanks, Star.

I see you are almost at your goal! I also notice you exercise a lot more than I do. Where do you get the time?

[star]

Yes, I do work out a lot. I average 6 to 7 days a week right now. You would think with all of that working out that I would be at my goal weight already. I guess I am a slow looser but I am okay with that.

What makes it possible for me is getting it out the way every morning before work. I am divorced with a 5 year old and he gets up every morning with me and do his own thing while I work out. Some times he tries to mimic me and work out a little too. Ironically being divorced is what provides me with more extra time. Every other weekend is when I do my really long runs and twice a week my son stays with his dad through dinner time. So I get to train twice during the week on the days when I do strength training before work.

I do realize that it's perfectly okay for me to take a day or two off but my body is so use to it that I feel like I am missing something if I don't do it nearly every day. So I always make Sunday a very leisure and enjoyable workout. And while I enjoy working out, I can't wait to get this marathon over with as I do not always enjoy running so many miles week after week after week. I can do without that part .

[proverbs31woman]

Happy Belated Birthday, Vanilla Orchid. It sounds like you were looking great on your day.

What a gift to give yourself (i.e., the gift of good health)!

I see we're all still hanging in there!

[Vanilla Orchid]

Thanks, hasanismom! I feels so strange getting dressed as usual every day, and then looking in the mirror and realizing this stuff no longer fits! Do I dare get rid of the stuff that's too big? What if I put the weight back on?

But, hey, of all the problems I could have, this one is pretty good!

[proverbs31woman]

I would definitely get rid of my big clothes if I weren't trying to get pregnant soon. I know the extra give in the pants and shirts will come in handy then, but for now, I'd much rather wear clothes that fit. Either way people still notice that I've lost weight.

It seems like when people ask me what I did to lose the weight, and I tell them, they want a different, "easier" explanation. And no matter how I word it, they always think the McDougall way of eating is too hard or extreme. Extremely good and rewarding for me!

[mistie]

Hi,
I posted back in August about starting Mary's Mini, and was doing fine until my husband convinced me to eat more of the foods he does. The result was that I gained more weight, and so has my husband! I was pretty depressed about it over the weekend and talked to him about it. He admitted that when we eat the same way (meaning how he eats, because he would never be a vegetarian), he eats too much. He actually likes it better when I follow a vegetarian or vegan plan! I was very relieved because I've been feeling unhealthy and sluggish, and have had more headaches than usual.
So today I'm back on McDougall. I think my relief also has to do with the simplicity of the plan. All the foods are easy to prepare, and I don't have to worry about how much cholesterol there is in any meal.
I've been reading the posts and it looks like quite a few people have made great progress. That's great!

mistie

[Vanilla Orchid]

Welcome back, Mistie! Just do it a day at a time, and it's not so hard.

[proverbs31woman]

Mistie,

Welcome back! I'm glad that both you and your husband have learned something about eating healthy. What a different good eating can make, right?

What starch have you chosen for Mary's Mini?

[mistie]

Thanks for the welcome back! I'm having brown rice as my starch, and my first day went fine. It's funny, I expected to be hungry and thinking about food all day, but found I ate much less overall.
Today I'm making a stir fry (without the oil, of course) with leftover rice, onions, garlic, and assorted veggies. I'll save some for my husband, and see what he thinks. I'll bet he won't know there's no oil in it. He feels that the restriction of fats will make me hungry. I don't think that will happen, and if the food tastes really good, there's not much to argue about.

mistie

[proverbs31woman]

I agree with you, mistie. As long as you eat as much you need to, then you'll be fine. Allowing yourself to get hungry is when temptation creeps up.

I'm glad to hear that you're doing well!

[star]

I am still hanging in there with the challenge although I hardly see it as a challenge anymore. What I mean by that is I love what I am eating and it’s no longer challenging to eat this way. There is no end date to it but I suppose it will be nice to add in whole wheat flour every now and again but I honestly don’t feel like I am missing anything.

Last Friday, I feel like I had one of the best meals of my life. I researched Moe’s to find out what they have that’s whole veggie food and fat free. So stopped by and picked up a big cup black beans, pinto beans, rice, lettuce, and pico de gallo for under $5.00 (it made two meals). I piled them on top of 365 organic corn tortillas (no added fat). This meal was heaven and I was so satisfied. I got up the next morning and did my scheduled run of 16 miles. It was tough but a great feeling all around. To top it off, I am down another 2 lbs. I have never in my entire life been this satisfied and consisted with any diet plan because I have never found one as satisfying as this one. I am now at my pre pregnancy weight but I know I can do better than that.

Hope everyone is still doing well.

[proverbs31woman]

That's great to hear, Star.

I've finally reached my goal of losing 25 pounds, so now I have the challenge of trying to maintain my weight but lose fat. I plan to mostly eat the same way, but add a little flour products...maybe a serving of it a day.

[Vanilla Orchid]

That's great to hear, Star.

I've finally reached my goal of losing 25 pounds, so now I have the challenge of trying to maintain my weight but lose fat. I plan to mostly eat the same way, but add a little flour products...maybe a serving of it a day.

Wow! That's great. How long did this take?

[star]

I've finally reached my goal of losing 25 pounds, so now I have the challenge of trying to maintain my weight but lose fat. I plan to mostly eat the same way, but add a little flour products...maybe a serving of it a day.

Wow Hansanismom, 25 lbs is awesome!!!

[proverbs31woman]

Thanks, Star and Vanilla Orchid.

I've been following the program since June 23rd of this year, so it has taken about 3 1/2 months.