Starting MWL diet tomorrow, after Dr visit today

[jamila04]

Hello!

My name is Jamila and I'm 59 and after reading so much of Dr. Mcdougall's information I know it's the time for me to get serious about my heath. I've played with my heath for years and I do not want to see 60 in April (God's will) and be the size I am today. I will need support from this "family" to make my journey successfully healthy!!! I'm not a vegetarian and being a vegan is a bit much, but being healthy is so much more. I would like to know favorite foods that keep you all going. I need to grocery shop and get a little more variety for me who has eaten the western diet for years.

Thank you for being there!

[brannach]

Hi Janice,
All the best with McDougalling. You didn't say whether you were on medication for diabetes, but if you are you will find this really low fat diet will help you to at least reduce your reliance on it.

I've been McDougalling for 18 months after an adult life of little exercise and lots of food, followed by diabetes at 35!! I'm now 52 and I weigh 75 kilos (I think that's about 165lbs in US). I started diabetes with a weight of 117k (about 265lbs) and lost 20 k's through really high blood sugars, and the effect of Metformin but I felt ill, exhausted and old before my time. I lost another 10 or so kilos several times and weighed about 89kilos when I started McD.

BUT the WOW thing for me has been the medication. I've stopped taking Sulfonylureas (read Dr McD's books about how awful that stuff is) and I am only taking 2 Metformin a day - instead of 6. I don't have hypo's all the time - and my life is not so regimented around meal times.

I feel as good now as I did when I was a very active teen. I exercise several times a week, including cycling, and I have so much energy. I have had issues with my iron count, but I am building a range of food strategies to manage this - no problems at all for the last 6 months (this website is invaluable for advice).

I'm just about to switch to the maximum weight loss program as I have another 10 to 15 lbs to lose.

And when I'm at MY goal weight I'm going back to my endocronologist to tell him what I think about their diabetes diets, and his 'All diabetics end up on insulin and get high blood pressure", and 'you need to be very careful about how much carbohydrate you have". His advice and medication didn't work for me - McDougalling did, and continues to.

Good Luck - I'll be watching for updates[/b]

[brannach]

janice,

forgot to say - an unexpected side effect of McDougalling - the osteo arthritis in my fingers disappeared - but comes back immediately I eat dairy!! I still have lumps but they are not sore, red and inflamed!

[Nettie]

Janice, in looking at your food plan, I would suggest that you should eat more food. There's absolutely no need to go hungry on McDougall. I know I just could not be satisfied with a salad for lunch, no matter how big it was! This is not a diet, it's a lifestyle change, and you simply must eat enough food to keep from getting hungry, or you'll quit in frustration. I would suggest you get Dr. Mc's "Quick and Easy Cookbook." It's full of wonderful, 15-minute or less recipes that keep you from being bored. Having failed hundreds of times myself because I was unrealistic about how much food I needed to eat, I'm just offering my 2 cents worth of advice. Don't go hungry! Eat, eat, eat, fruits, vegetables, starches, beans - just go for it! You will still lose, I can assure you.
Keep us updated on your progress.
Nettie

[happyalyssa]

Hi Janice!

I got some interesting ideas of what people were eating by reading through Roberta's corner. Also, feel open to trying new things! It can be fun picking up something you've never tried before (starches like quinoa or couscous, unusal spices like cilantro or curry powder- I love yellow curry powder, or produce like watercress or asian pears). Sometimes they turn out to be something you really like, sometimes the opposite; but it keeps things interesting. It would be hard to stick to a plan that just had you eating salad every day for lunch for example.

A lot of websites have advanced searches you can do like, http://www.meals.com/Recipes/AdvancedSearch.aspx and click vegan for interesting ideas, just make slight modifications to turn them McDougall. Sauteeing in vegetable broth instead of oil for example.

Good luck and if you find some interesting meal ideas, please post them

[Grateful]

Good morning. You had asked about posting menus. Yes, by all means! I believe there's a thread in "Robeta's Corner" to do just that. Wishing you much success. As you can see from other's posts, it does work, if you work it. By the way, the books that come with the kit have a daily menu sample to follow, which made it much easier for me. Are you going to do the Maximum Weight Loss (more restrictive) or the 12 Day Program?

[storm20]

Please what did you eat each day, I am very slowly loseing weight

I thought I would quite quickly


Carolyn

[sigma957]

Janice-

welcome to the boards! There are a lot of Portland area folks around here. Being a vegan in Portland is easier I think than in most places.

One place you need to visit and spend some time there your first trip is New Seasons Market. The one closest to you is New Seasons Mountain Park, 3 SW Monroe Parkway, Lake Oswego. They do sell meat and dairy and so on, but they have a wonderful produce section, tofu, and all sorts of vegan goodies. Still have to read labels, but it's easier to find things there.

Fred Meyer usually has a nice natural foods section and a great bulk foods section. That's where I buy my steel cut oats, brown rice, etc.

Trader Joes also has some really good stuff. I'm enjoying their whole wheat penne pasta lately. And I only drink their soymilk.

Barbara

[Nettie]

Please what did you eat each day, I am very slowly loseing weight
I thought I would quite quickly Carolyn

Here's what I suggested to someone else on the boards:

My general suggestion to you is to eat:
- 2 or 3 fruits a day, fresh or frozen.
-at least one (preferably 2) huge salads a day with romaine, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers etc. with some kind of fatfree dressing. (I use Kraft ff French, as it's the only one that doesn't list oil in the ingredients. I'm too lazy to make my own dressings.)
-eat a 1/2 to 1-1/2 cup of beans a day, whatever kind you like
-eat potatoes every day to keep from getting hungry
-NEVER eat refined carbs (like breads, crackers, anything with white flour). It just sets you up for cravings and it will sabotage your weight loss every time!
-of course, NO OILS of any kind
-brown rice (NOT white)
- whole wheat breads or ww pasta in VERY limited amounts, and probably not daily; whole grain oatmeal (not Quaker Oats) is probably ok. Stay away from bagels: they have about 300 calories each!
-green & yellow veggies up the wazoo - turnip greens/kale/broccoli/cabbage, etc. - unlimited; they're loaded with phytochemicals & anti-cancer nutrients
-lots and lots of fresh water; no tea, no dairy (soy/rice milks ok)

I eat a lot of stir-fry on the weekends. Snacks are always fruit.

Here's my typical week:
Monday through Thursday
Breakfast is 2 fruits - (This is because I can't eat breakfast at home because I take a pill that I have to wait an hour after taking. So I eat the fruit once I get to work.)

Lunch is huge baked potato and a huge salad (as above).

Dinner is varied. Always some kind of greens (I adore turnip greens) and/or cabbage, steamed broccoli, etc.; beans (either right out of the can or more often fixed as a soup/stew that I made the weekend before), maybe a sweet potato. It's my largest meal of the day, and I make sure I'm not hungry afterwards. Or I may eat some leftover stir fry. Or perhaps 4-5 ears of freshly cooked corn! Whatever!

Snack is always a big fruit - half a cantaloupe, or half a small watermelon, or big bunch of grapes, an apple, or whatever is on hand.

On Friday through Sunday
Breakfast is 2 servings of oatmeal with 2 fruits cut up (banana and whatever berry is on sale [strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc.], plus a tablespoon of ground flax seed and a dash of cinnamon.

Lunch is some bean recipe I make from the McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook. I usually make 2 recipes from the book or the website every weekend so I have something to eat at night during the week. Plus greens of some kind. Salads.

Dinner is similar to lunch. Stir fry (2 1# bags of Birdseye frozen veggies, plus a huge bunch of chopped fresh bok choy, plus a couple of cups of brown rice). Potatoes, whatever it takes to keep from getting hungry.

On the weekends I pretty much eat all day, actually. One meal sort of morphs into the next one.

Fruit for dessert as we're watching TV.

From the Q&E Cookbook I make the Barbecued Beans, Quick 10-minute Chili (my husband puts this on bread for a sandwich), the Mexi Soup, Southwest Chili and whatever else I might want to try. I also make a recipe called LoriM's Easy Chili I got from this forum. I make it every weekend!

Other than oatmeal, I avoid most cereals. (Kashi cereal with ff soy milk is an occasional treat.) I can overeat on those, and they definitely slow down (and sometimes reverse) my weight loss. Absolutely NO WHITE RICE! Brown rice is fine.

Buy the Quick & Easy Cookbook. It's great for a busy person like me. As you can see, I eat pretty simply, and the same things all the time. Oh, I forgot, we go to Moe's Southwest Grill and get their "Art Vandalay" (veggie burrito) every weekend.

The main things to avoid, other than meats, of course, are dairy, oils, and especially refined carbs. My mantra lately has been "Beans and greens." I try to get those daily.

That's about it. Hope it helps.

Oh, and start to move! A little exercise every day.

Nettie

[LauraA]

Hi Janice - I love your enthusiasm! Please join us on the thread called "MWL, On Plan and Planning to stay that way." It is on this MWL board. We start a new really long thread each month. Most of us are doing MWL, but some are doing regular plan or Mary's Mini. Most of us weigh in on Thursdays and post how much we have lost. It is a very, very supportive and friendly group. It is n't really a challenge, just a place for support, ideas, questions etc. We started in Nov, so you can look at old threads also. Take care, LauraA

[Faith in DC]

Nettie what's the matter with Quaker Oats? I eat the old fashioned or maybe quick one minute kind each day. It just is oats.

[Nettie]

Nettie what's the matter with Quaker Oats? I eat the old fashioned or maybe quick one minute kind each day. It just is oats.

I realize now I need to edit that statement somewhat, because Quaker Oats now makes a steel-cut variety.

Anyhoo, it's my understanding that rolled oats, either the quick or regular, are more refined by the process of rolling, versus steel-cutting. The steel-cut have more of the whole grain/fiber/bran left on them.

It may not make much of a difference, I suppose, but in my own diet I do try to eat grains that are less processed, where possible. And there's definitely a difference in taste.

Steel cut oats are also called Scottish or Irish Oatmeal. You can see they're little nuggets, rather than flakes, like the rolled variety.

Nettie

[LauraA]

Hi all - many of us have posted on this thread, but I notice that Janice stopped posting on Dec 10, so I doubt if she is even reading our replies- oh well! Take care, LauraA

[storm20]

Thank you so much for that, I have printed it off

Carolyn
New Zealand

My general suggestion to you is to eat:
- 2 or 3 fruits a day, fresh or frozen.
-at least one (preferably 2) huge salads a day with romaine, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers etc. with some kind of fatfree dressing. (I use Kraft ff French, as it's the only one that doesn't list oil in the ingredients. I'm too lazy to make my own dressings.)
-eat a 1/2 to 1-1/2 cup of beans a day, whatever kind you like
-eat potatoes every day to keep from getting hungry
-NEVER eat refined carbs (like breads, crackers, anything with white flour). It just sets you up for cravings and it will sabotage your weight loss every time!
-of course, NO OILS of any kind
-brown rice (NOT white)
- whole wheat breads or ww pasta in VERY limited amounts, and probably not daily; whole grain oatmeal (not Quaker Oats) is probably ok. Stay away from bagels: they have about 300 calories each!
-green & yellow veggies up the wazoo - turnip greens/kale/broccoli/cabbage, etc. - unlimited; they're loaded with phytochemicals & anti-cancer nutrients
-lots and lots of fresh water; no tea, no dairy (soy/rice milks ok)

I eat a lot of stir-fry on the weekends. Snacks are always fruit.

Here's my typical week:
Monday through Thursday
Breakfast is 2 fruits - (This is because I can't eat breakfast at home because I take a pill that I have to wait an hour after taking. So I eat the fruit once I get to work.)

Lunch is huge baked potato and a huge salad (as above).

Dinner is varied. Always some kind of greens (I adore turnip greens) and/or cabbage, steamed broccoli, etc.; beans (either right out of the can or more often fixed as a soup/stew that I made the weekend before), maybe a sweet potato. It's my largest meal of the day, and I make sure I'm not hungry afterwards. Or I may eat some leftover stir fry. Or perhaps 4-5 ears of freshly cooked corn! Whatever!

Snack is always a big fruit - half a cantaloupe, or half a small watermelon, or big bunch of grapes, an apple, or whatever is on hand.

On Friday through Sunday
Breakfast is 2 servings of oatmeal with 2 fruits cut up (banana and whatever berry is on sale [strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc.], plus a tablespoon of ground flax seed and a dash of cinnamon.

Lunch is some bean recipe I make from the McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook. I usually make 2 recipes from the book or the website every weekend so I have something to eat at night during the week. Plus greens of some kind. Salads.

Dinner is similar to lunch. Stir fry (2 1# bags of Birdseye frozen veggies, plus a huge bunch of chopped fresh bok choy, plus a couple of cups of brown rice). Potatoes, whatever it takes to keep from getting hungry.

On the weekends I pretty much eat all day, actually. One meal sort of morphs into the next one.

Fruit for dessert as we're watching TV.

From the Q&E Cookbook I make the Barbecued Beans, Quick 10-minute Chili (my husband puts this on bread for a sandwich), the Mexi Soup, Southwest Chili and whatever else I might want to try. I also make a recipe called LoriM's Easy Chili I got from this forum. I make it every weekend!

Other than oatmeal, I avoid most cereals. (Kashi cereal with ff soy milk is an occasional treat.) I can overeat on those, and they definitely slow down (and sometimes reverse) my weight loss. Absolutely NO WHITE RICE! Brown rice is fine.

Buy the Quick & Easy Cookbook. It's great for a busy person like me. As you can see, I eat pretty simply, and the same things all the time. Oh, I forgot, we go to Moe's Southwest Grill and get their "Art Vandalay" (veggie burrito) every weekend.

The main things to avoid, other than meats, of course, are dairy, oils, and especially refined carbs. My mantra lately has been "Beans and greens." I try to get those daily.

That's about it. Hope it helps.

Oh, and start to move! A little exercise every day.

Nettie[/quote]

[Faith in DC]

thanks Nettie. I thought McDougall considered regular oatmeal ok. I do like the steel cut. I don't he doesn't like the instant, which is full of junk.