Introduction and evaluation please

[Hannah]

I've have been doing the Atkins diet for several months now, and where it did work well in the beginning I have not seen any difference for a few months. A friend of my mother told her about the McDougall way of eating and shared the website address with me last night. The concept is the direct opposite of Atkins and will take me some time to adjust. Could someone please look over my menu for today and tell me if I am doing this correctly. Thank you .

Breakfast: 1 cup five grain cereal
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tblsp chopped dates
1/2 cup blueberries

Lunch: 2 slices wholewheat bread toasted
savory sandwich spread
lettuce and sliced tomato

Dinner: Chip & Salsa Soup
Mexican Bean Burrito

[Letha]

Hi Hannah,

Going from Atkins to McDougall is quite a leap. Looks like you’ve got the basic premise down. Since you asked for input.

Applesauce is fine if you are at your desired weight but not really recommended for rapid weight loss. Same for the bread & the tortillas.

You don’t say what’s in your savory sandwich spread or Mexican bean burritos. If they are all fat free vegan ingredients then they should be fine.

Bread, tortillas, pasta, dried fruit, & fruit purees are part of the regular McDougall plan and are fine if your goal is good health. Many people lose weight at a good pace on the regular plan and it’s a good place to start. But since you posted your question in the maximum weight loss forum I thought I’d share that bread, pastas, tortillas, dried fruit, and fruit purees are generally avoided or minimized when trying to lose weight.
Best wishes to you and I hope to hear more from you in the future.
Letha

[Hannah]

Thank you Letha.

I did get the recipes from the regular site. I was not aware of the difference between the programs. So i should of not eaten the bread on my sandwich today, and i should do away with the chips and avacado and the burittos this evening?

[Letha]

Hi Hannah,
I wouldn’t tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. Honestly, lots of people lose weight on the regular plan and its way easier to follow. Why don’t you try the regular plan for a week or two and see how much you lose. Then if you want to speed up the process, you can switch over to the maximum weight loss plan either part time or full time. On my blog I have lots of recipes that meet the MWL plan if you need some ideas.
Letha

http://mwlfood.wordpress.com/

[Vanilla Orchid]

Also, be sure to read the ingredients in your bread, if you decide to continue eating that. It should contain no added fats or oils, and lethicin (found in many breads) is an oil. Also, it's best if it's whole grain.

[Faith in DC]

Dang you got to add more to lunch. you are going to starve. Eat freely.

Also just keep in mind, the first week or two you may not lose. Then all of a sudden you will have a big drop. Usually there is some restoring of what we need going on when you enter from Atkins. It's ok though. Plus you aren't use to all this fiber, so it's got a heck of a job to do.

[eaufraiche703]

Welcome and good luck, Hannah! You're going to love the way you feel w/ these dietary changes!

Letha, your blog is GORGEOUS - everything looks yummy!

[Hannah]

Thank you all so much for your encouragement. Today I had my annual audit at work and didn't much feel like eating. So for dinner i'm having confetti rice and leftover soup from yesterday along with a 4 bean salad. I've taken your advice and stayed away from the ww bread.

[Letha]

Hi Hannah,
Your dinner sound yummy. Another suggestion. I post in three places on the board every day and find it really helps to keep me focused. I post my menu daily over in Roberta’s corner. I check-in every day on the Jan 09 MWL support group thread. And I write a little bit in my journal here on the forum. Consider adding one or more of those activities to your own routine. I think you’ll find it helpful. Best wishes.
Letha

[veggie_mom]

Hi Hannah,

I did the same thing you are doing right now, Atkins to McDougall. I was on Atkins and started feeling frustrated that every time I looked at a potato I gained back what I lost.

This plan is much easier. I went off program for about eight years, but never went back to eating meat in that time. I think Atkins turned me off meat for life!

McDougall has a lot of great recipe books that I picked up at the library and this site has a lot of great recipes too. Good luck and know that this site is wonderful for support and encouragement.