I'm up for a challenge

[golduchi]

I started off great and did not plan ahead for lunch.
Took the kids to the Oakland Zoo and walked all over the place. Hopefully that will make up for the french fries I snagged from the kids.
B: Left over roasted white and sweet potatoes
L: Spicy bean burger on a white bun and a few fries
Snack: Granola bar
D: Baked potato with some topping.

I hope you all had a great day, The zoo was fun for us, the day was perfect and all the animals were cooperating.

[liam13]

Food intake not too bad today. B. was oatmeal and a banana, lunch was not so good, a roast beef sandwich, but dinner was good, out of one of McDougall's cook books. The pasta, beans and tomato sauce dish. We doubled all of the spices and that seems to help. Bad episode of lightheadedness today, likely tied to the 3 cups of coffee I had during the day. UGH. Good work out at the gym when I left work though. Liam

[golduchi]

Liam,
Okay I'm calling you out, where does this fit in the mary mini? I must admit I did snitch a bit of chicken from the kids dinner last night but a whole sandwich? I'm not gonna give you a hard time here, but I am trying to get people to be accountable and we aren't helping each other this way, so today I will try to be true.
I started with a potato and salsa for breakfast and some fruit. I just made some veggie burgers from the leftover soup and some added beans and oatmeal.
What is your starch base of choice? I find if I have a target of the starch base, then I can add what ever flavors I am craving to that base.

[CarolSoprano]

Breakfast: baked potato w/fat free dressing, banana, tea w/stevia

Lunch: potato salad (2 potatoes) w/fat free wasabi ginger dressing (delicious - Cape Cod brand), large bowl homemade veggie soup

Snack: Apple, tea w/stevia

Dinner: Baked potato w/fat free honey dijon dressing, large bowl homemade veggie soup

Another good day - if I'm hungry later I'll have some grapes.

Have a great nite!

Carol

[CarolSoprano]

Wow - I've lost 3 lbs. in 5 days (and I am a 48 YO Female who doesn't lose weight very easily). I'm eating a ton but I'm still losing (and I haven't had a chance to exercise all week). This is exciting! I have a birthday party to go to tonite where I'm sure there will be lots of goodies, but I'll try and be good. Maybe I'll have a baked potato before I go and then just snack on veggies all nite, with one or two glasses of wine (hey, that's a fruit, right?)

Have a great day, everybody!

Carol

[golduchi]

That's awsome Carol. I too am in my 40's and the weight seems to have found a permanent home in my body. I started this a couple weeks ago and went down 5 lbs the first week but nothing this week so far. I don't want to get discouraged.
I've been sick for the past couple weeks as well so exercise has not been very regular if any at all. I feel like a huge coughing nose.

Breakfast: Baked potato and some topping
Lunch: Veggie burgers and salad
Dinner: more of the same.

[CarolSoprano]

I did pretty well at the party - ate the most delicious Eggplant Caponata on toasted bread (it had oil in it, but it was the only vegan thing at the party) and some white beans with herbs on toasted bread. I had a bit of wine (well, 3 or 4 glasses to be exact), but I think all in all I did very well.

Anyway, here's my Sat & Sun menus:

Saturday:
Breakfast: Baked potato w/mustard, banana, tea w/stevia
Lunch: Boiled potatoes w/FF salad dressing, homemade veggie soup
Dinner: Eggplant Caponata on toast, White beans on toast (both with oil), 4 glasses white wine

Sunday:
Breakfast: baked potato w/mustard, banana, tea w/stevia
Lunch: Boiled potatoes w/ff honey dijon dressing, homemade veggie soup
Dinner: baked potato w/ff honey dijon dressing, homemade veggie soup
Snack: apple

I'm traveling to a client's this week, so it will be tricky for lunch but I'll do my best!

Golduchi, I hope you're feeling better!

Carol

[golduchi]

The scale was down two lbs today! I'm so glad this is actually working for me. I went off plan for lunch today but not too badly. Back on track for dinner.
B: Hash browns
L: Pasta and broccoli
Snack: Baked chips and salsa, some apple
D: Baked potato and salad.

I love that I am not at all hungry on this plan. I have no cravings for sweets and no desire to raid the freezer for ice cream. I hope this week goes well for everyone, I don't know how many of you there are but thanks for you input Carol.

[Mom to B and C]

I haven't checked this message board for awhile and I am inspired by your challenge! I did the Mary Mini for the first day today and happened to notice your posts they same day. I McDougall on and off and have been doing it with maybe only a couple of teaspoons of added oil in the last three weeks but I have only lost three pounds and I have been restricting my food intake quite a bit. I have been really frustrated by my slow loss since I usually lose quickly when I really try. I have been eating a large amount of vegis steamed and raw and healthy, whole-grain carbs - no cheating at all. I am also running and doing a weight workout too. So I have decided to step-it-up and do the Mary-Mini now since I think I need to jolt myself into weight loss mode. I only have about 12 pounds to lose but I am determined!!

Do any of you find yourself needing that extra potato in the late afternoon? What do you do? How many potatoes do you eat at any given meal? I don't want to eat too much but I also don't want to get too hungry.

Side note... Did anyone see the new study (I think from England) that is being published in a cancer journal that found that eating red meat and processed sandwich meat significantly increases the chances of geeting breast cancer? The statistics are very clear and the % diiference in the groups is big. More stats to back Dr. McDougall in his quest!

[CarolSoprano]

Hi, everybody. I've had a virus for the past couple of days, so I haven't been posting. I have been very good, though, about doing Mary's mini and I've lost a total of 4 lbs. so far in 9 days - pretty good! I haven't been exercising either because I haven't been feeling well (and I have MS and I've been having problems with my legs - weakness and pins & needles). Anyway, I've had potatoes at every meal and either veggie soup, a nice veggie stir-fry of onions, garlic, zucchini & spinach, or a fruit. I have been hungry the past few days, even with eating lots of potatoes, but I'm premenstrual and I'm always starving before TTOTM!

Golduchi, I'm glad you're feeling better!

Mom, welcome! To answer your questions, yes, sometimes I get hungry around mid-afternoon. I usually either have a large salad w/ff dressing or an apple or some grapes - I usually don't have a potato (although last nite at about 10PM I was starving so I had a leftover baked potato!) As far as number, it varies. If they are smallish (I like red new potatoes), I'll eat 6-7; if they are large baking potatoes, I'll eat 2 baking potatoes plus 2-3 smaller new red ones. I buy the big Idaho Russets for baking (they are delicious!) and one of those will fill me up. If I have boiled potatoes I'll have 2 or 3 decent sized red new potatoes in some kind of salad (potatoes mixed w/ff dressing or mustard). I know that sounds like a lot but it really is not a lot of calories and I'm a fairly high-volume eater.

Hope this answers your questions! Good luck with Mary's mini!

Carol

[CarolSoprano]

Breakfast - baked potato w/ff dressing, banana, tea w/stevia
Lunch - potato salad with balsamic vinegar & dijon mustard (really yummy!), zucchini/onions/yellow squash in veggie broth & soy sauce
Dinner - potato salad with balsamic vinegar & dijon mustard, carrots w/ff dressing
Snack - probably an apple

Have a good nite, everybody - thankfully, I feel better.

Carol

[Mom to B and C]

Thank you Carol for the info about number of potatoes. I was pretty hungry yesterday afternoon but I was only eating one medium potato at each meal and so today I have tried two medium at each meal and it was fine (with an afternoon snack).

Breakfast - two medium baked potatoes, dijon mustard, carrot sticks and broccoli, slice of apple.
Lunch - One baked potato, dijon mustard, bowl of homemade vegetable soup.
Snack - six slices of vegetable sushi roll (brown rice, seaweed, carrots, cucumber and soy sauce), a few sips of fruit juice.
Dinner - Two medium mashed potatoes (mashed with vegi broth), carrot sticks, steamed broccoli, steamed asparagus, glass of red wine.

Exercise - Morning run about 20 minutes. "New York Body Plan" lower body workout video tonight maybe with about 15 minutes of yoga.

[CarolSoprano]

Mom, this is from Dr. McD's newsletter of July 2006:

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/july/marys2.htm

"Shouldn’t I avoid potatoes because they are high glycemic index?

Glycemic index is just one quality of a food as discussed in the July 2006 newsletter article: Glycemic Index—Not Ready for Prime Time. Potatoes are high in fiber and have a low calorie concentration. Potatoes have virtually no fat to wear (1% of calories). A large potato contains 150 calories. For a man, 10 potatoes a day means 1500 calories—for a woman 7 potatoes means 1050 calories—which translates into effortless, painless weight loss. Potatoes are the ideal “diet” food—low calorie, nutritious, and tasty."

So we really can have as much as we want in order to remain full and satisfied. Good news, huh?

Have a good night!

Carol

[golduchi]

I have found in the past that after I lose a few pounds I seem to give my self permission to fall of the wagon, since I am doing so well. Well this time I actually am sticking to this. It seems quite effortless these past few days. Maybe it's because it is so simple I don't have to plan ahead too far and I can just pop a potato in the oven when I'm hungry. Oh the scale was down again this morning, I'm down 9 lbs since the first of April.

Today was
B: Hash browns, a pan full with ketchup.
L: Steamed potatoes with salsa
D: A bit of left over pasta and broccli, peas, carrots and ... a Potato!

[CarolSoprano]

I'm the exact same way - when I get to about 150 I get comfortable and start falling off the wagon (not eating meat or dairy, but eating foods with added oil and eating too much). I'm determined this time to get down to my goal weight - I think it will help my MS and the bursitis I have in my shoulders. Anyway, 9 lbs. since April 1 is fabulous! Are you exercising? I'm not ... I've had an MS "episode" for the past couple of weeks (it's going away now) plus I had a funky virus thing Tuesday and Wednesday, so I haven't exercised at all...hopefully next week I can get out and start walking.

Here's my menu for today:

Breakfast: baked potato w/ff salad dressing, banana, tea w/stevia
Lunch: 3 new red potatoes w/balsamic vinegar & dijon mustard, large bowl veggie soup (homemade)
Snack - small bowl veggie soup
Dinner: Baked potato w/ff salad dressing, large bowl veggie soup
Snack: not sure if I want one, but probably grapes if I do

Have a wonderful evening, everybody!

Carol