Help! How do I do this??

[cindder]

Hi, I am a busy mom of 4 and I am trying to lose 18 pounds. My oldest is 6 and my youngest is 15 months. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to start this MWL program? I am fortunate my children and I are vegan already and although my hubby goes to the dark side (he eats SAD) he will happily eat our vegan meals. The problem I am having is I dont know where to find the time to make all the foods and even where to begin. Seems like I have tried so many programs! Is there a daily menu to follow (I find those the easiest for me) or do you just pick from the recipes in the book?

Thanks for any suggestions. I really want to get serious and lose all the baby weight that I have kept on for a bit.

[Rita]

The book "Maximum Weight Loss" has daily menus. Can get it in some libraries or Amazon may have it at a very reduced price. Somewhere on this board there's a list of what's approved for MWL. Wishing you much success! Let us know how you are doing.

[veggiecat]

added oils?Why not start with the regular program first?

[cindder]

Thank you for responding. Is it better to start with the regular program first? I thought if you want to lose the most amount of weight, it is recommended to do MWL. Is the regular program the 12 day one?

Thanks,

[LauraA]

Hi - I'm way older, but I know how busy you are! I'm mom to 8, all grown! At one point I had 4 who were 4 and under, plus older kids. Anyway, I think there are many who feel that the regular program is so good, and that MWL or Mary's Mini should only be used if you have tried the regular and then are at a plateau. For many of us, though, if we include things like flour products and nuts, we just start to overeat or binge. There's not a major difference in MWL and regular - mostly just nuts, flour, maybe how much fruit you eat. I think that the 12 day is the regular program (you don't do it for just 12 days, though). As far as menus, I think that with MWL or regular the easiest thing is to keep it very simple, and maybe add extra stuff for the kids. I eat oatmeal every morning, then for lunch and dinner I usually have a big salad first, then have potato or brown rice with veggies. Also, I have beans at either lunch or dinner. You can make big batches of veggies or soup to have with the rice or potatoes. My favorite is a tomato based sauce with loads of veggies in it - sort of like a spaghetti sauce - that is meant to go over pasta. I make a huge batch, and put it over brown rice meal after meal. You can do MWL, and add breads and things for your kids. In my opinion, it depends on which you can stick with better. Are you better off with as much flexibility as you can have or with a stricter program that may prevent you from having cravings? Good luck, LauraA

[cindder]

Wow! You have 8 kids? I have 4 and I think its alot, although it is a bit easier now. 13 months after my son was born, we had twin boys arrive, and that was definately hard. Now that my twins are 5 and my daughter is 15 months, its much easier! I will look into the 12 day challenge to see if that is better for me. I have the worst sugar tooth-which is my downfall. I have tried to lose weight with weightwatchers but found it too difficult figuring out points with foods made from scratch. I also tried the MariluHenner program and that wasnt too bad. I recently tried Dr. Hyman's expensive program where I purchased the food and didnt lose 1 pound after 2 weeks! The food was good and healthy but high in fat.....Now Im going to try this.

Thanks for your advice!

[Carol]

Cinddar,

Pick one or two starches that you really like....like potatoes or rice. Cook that and simply add some veggies of your choice (roasted in a hot oven or steamed or sauteed in water/broth in a pan). Maybe a side salad too. Keep it simple for now. Add some fruit and you are good to go!

Always cook extras so you always have something fast to heat up. In a short time you will develop a routine.