Commitment to MWL

[Jackie J]

ok - well, i fell off the wagon yesterday and had an extra cup of Trader Joe's steamed lentils -- can't keep that stuff around --
today will be better

[ReneeK]

I've never had that before. My mom will be in town this weekend, and I'm planning on taking her to Trader Joe's, which is about an hour away from where I live. She's never been, and I've only been once. I'm looking forward to the excursion.

I've been having severe chocolate cravings the last couple days. I did have a peppermint patty, hoping that would be enough to calm the craving. I think it worked for the time being. My schedule is hectic this week, so exercise has been a challenge. I am taking my dog for walks, although they're shorter than what my goal was.

Ellen, bread is my weakness as well. I've just learned not to keep it in the house. I'd like to say it's easy because I'm the only one there. Sometimes it does manage to find its way back into the pantry, but I've been really good about not buying it lately.

[ReneeK]

Even though I've been weighing myself every morning, I have made Mondays my official check-in days. I've lost 2 pounds this week and a total of 4.4 pounds since the beginning of November.
I haven't perfectly adhered to the strict MWL guidelines by any means. The temptations from the upcoming holidays are endless, but I've been really pleased with myself for making a conscious effort to ignore those temptations. So far in this adventure to a leaner, healthier me I've battled chocolate cravings on a few occasions. Before this commitment, I would have given in to the chocolate craving without a second thought, at times devouring a bag of m&ms without batting an eye. Since making my McD commitment, I have come up with a few alternatives to indulging that craving....one-and-only-one mini peppermint patty, 10 unsalted almonds and a cup of herbal tea, grabbing the water bottle and taking the dog for a walk to enjoy the beautiful autumn colors, sitting on the couch with a bag of baby carrots, a box of kleenex, and watching my favorite chick flick.
It's becoming easier not to turn to bread for lunches, breakfast, etc. My desire to eat SAD food while dining out with friends is diminishing, and I'm finding it a fun challenge to puruse menus for McD options ordering them. I'm thinking ahead and making sure I have McD food with me to turn to when afternoon munchies hit. I'm bringing my lunch to work and not running out for SAD food at lunch.
I now look forward to walking my dog. I look for ways to incorporate extra steps into my day...stopping work a couple times during the day and walking around the office or going up and down the stairs a few times.
A friend complemented me at church yesterday. She said, "You keep getting skinnier and skinnier. Whatever you're doing, keep it up, kid." I was so grateful for her complement.
I'm nervous about Thanksgiving dinner at my grandmother's house, but am preparing ahead and filling my cooler with lots of McD food for the trip home and a McD-legal passing dish for the dinner. I'll be helping prepare the food in the kitchen and will make sure to keep out a serving of mashed potatoes prepared MY way, so I know that I'll have something for myself to eat without compromising my new way of eating.

[Caroveggie]

It's good to hear you're still at it. Good luck and keep us posted.

[fatfreevegan]

My questions for those who follow MWL are:

1. Why do you choose MWL rather than the Regular diet, strictly followed?

2. How much exercise will you get on the MWL program? More than on the Regular program?

Because I've been following the standard McDougall plan for weeks now and have not lost any weight. In fact, some weeks I've gained. I've been very careful to follow his plan and even emailed Dr McDougall about it. He said it was unusual and recommended I follow the MWL and get on the message boards and talk to others. It's very frustrating because I see how well it works for so many people, so I don't know why it's not working for me. But I've ordered MWL and should have it by next week, so I am excited about that. I know that it will probably put restrictions on bread and pasta, which is fine. I'm not sure what else will be different.

As to exercise, I already exercise every single day. I don't know if he has recommendations about exercise in this MWL plan, but I would hope I'm already meeting them!

[VeggieSue]

Fatfreevegan,
I sent you a PM. Last I read, the alerts at the top of the page weren't working (See the "You have no new messages" upper right) so I'm just letting you know.

[stitcher]

This is my first post.

I know there are certain recipes for certain say, but can I pick and choose among them and only use the ones I care for?

For example, I like the Instant Dream Waker for Day One Breakfast and Savory Sandwiches for lunch, but I am not fond of the dinner for Day One. I would prefer to eat the Instant Dream Waker every morning.

Food doesn't bore me, which is why I have gained so much. I know people who say, "I can't at that, I had it for lunch." That is not me.

[Doris]

stitcher, welcome!! Dr. McDougall suggests that you find a few recipes for Breakfast, Lunch , and Dinner that you really like and use them. There is no need to have more. I believe it is mentioned in one of his books that people tend to use about 10 different meals over and over in the real world. I wish you the best on your McDougall Journey!

[VeggieSue]

I know there are certain recipes for certain say, but can I pick and choose among them and only use the ones I care for?

There are literally THOUSANDS of McDougall recipes out there, so go ahead and pick the ones you like! Just go to the McDougall web site (link on the top of ever page) and look for the newsletter recipe archives for a gigantic supply.

If you have other McDougall books, this PDF file:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/pdf/maximum_weight_loss_compatible_recipes_mcdougall_books.pdf
will show you which recipes in which books are safe if you're following the Maximum Weight Loss Plan.

The menu listed in any of the books are just suggestions, not hard and fast rules.

[stitcher]

I took a class via my employer back in 2000 and fell in love immediately. Then two months later I went on the road for a whole month and fell off the wagon during that month. (The class was a rarity for Dr. McDougall, as it was not in California. I doubt he has done this again.)

So now seven years later and many pounds heavier than I was back then, here I am again.

Good to hear I can do the MWL by selecting only a few recipies that I like.

Thanks for the replies.

[ReneeK]

OK. Yes, I went refined-carb crazy and overindulged for the Thanksgiving holiday. The scales most definitely show it this morning. Where last week's weigh-in was my lowest since I've begun tracking, this week was the highest. I am checking-in today with a 7.4 pound gain for the week and a 3-pound gain since the beginning of the month. I'm led to believe that such a spike shows water retention from high levels of salt and sodium consumed over the holiday (in addition to refined carbs), and that as I get back to my normal eating pattern any water retention will be shed quickly.
The good thing is I'm looking forward to MWL meals again. I have no desire to eat the SAD foods that I've indulged in the last few days and can't wait to get home to make up a delicious soup with the veggies that I roasted in the oven yesterday.
Tonight, the plan is to go to the mall and walk. Today is rainy and cold, and I have no desire to walk the dog in this dreary weather. I'm grateful that I have a warm and dry alternate to walking outside.


stitcher: welcome to the board and I'm glad that you could join us. By all means, you do not have to follow the menu that was provided meal-for-meal. Find recipes that you enjoy and stick with them. Some people find that creating and following a weekly menu works best for them.

[stephanie]

ReneeK--

I'm with you on how unbelievably quickly I can gain a large amount of weight when I start eating SAD even for a short time. Granted, my lapse was more than just Thanksgiving , but some of that weight HAS to be water.

I'm also with you that I've had about as much SAD food as I can handle for a long while. I know that my tendency is to start craving junk in the early afternoon and for the rest of the evening, but if I can hold out for a few weeks, I know those cravings will go away. I know the holiday season isn't the easiest time to be committing to healthy eating, but there's no time like the present, right? So I'm going to renew my MWL commitment through New Year's, by which time I should be past the worst of SAD cravings and withdrawal, so I'll be set up perfectly to continue my newfound healthy habits with a New Year's resolution .

Hope your return to MWL is successful!

Stephanie

[southerngirlgoingvegan]

A short history - four years ago I lost 80 pounds on the Atkins. I was more interested in losing the obesity than in my cellular health at that time. It worked for that purpose and I am actually thankful for it. However, I have spent the past several years studying nutrition - have read the China study - and realize that plants, clean water and air, and lots of movement are are answer to disease. I want to be the healthies 50 year old woman that I know

Thank you for your posts. I have been eating about 60% raw up until this point and exercise 5 days a week, including yoga. I have an addiction to starch and animal meat to kick as well as another 25 pounds. I am so excited about this opportunity!

Any information you can share will be greatly appreciated and I will do the same. If you have tips on getting started, I welcome them. Blessings - Laura

[ReneeK]

Welcome Stephanie and Southerngirl... I'm glad you posted.

I believe I mentioned it, but I have a good friend who just lost 100 pounds on Atkins. In a way, he's my motivation to lose weight the "right" way. I commend you for committing to McDougall, not only to lose weight but to better your health.
I think my McDougall's revenge I was feeling after THanksgiving has turned into a case of the stomach flu. I have felt terrible the last couple days, all the more reason that I don't desire SAD foods any longer. I'm being gentle on myself and my stomach today and am looking to get better very quickly.
Laura, do you have the McDougall's Maximum Weight Loss book? I'm re-reading it and finding it very useful. I want to tell you though that MWL is a very strict form of his regular plan, that many people including myself find difficult to adhere to. This forum and his website offer a wealth of information on MWL and the regular McD plan.

[southerngirlgoingvegan]

I also am a fan of Dr. Atkins simply because I (and my husband) were able to lose so much weight and at least reduce our refined carbohydrate dependency. I am puzzled however at the resistance my body has in losing weight on a plant based diet. After re-reading his book, I realize that I am consuming more than two pieces of fruit a day and probably about 200 calories in nuts on my oatmeal.

Everything I read points me in the direction of organic plants as the key to feeding our cells and achieving freedom from crazy food obsessions as well as disease. I feel good on it - my skin looks great - but the scale does not want to move. It is as if I am in a tug of war with myself - I want to lose weight but I also want to treat my body kindly and give it the best possible chance of being disease free.

Does anyone else out there struggle with this? This is almost a spiritual journey for me because I am conviced that we are people suffering needlessly and have been created to be healthy.

Thanks for listening.

Laura