Helpful Mom in Law - HA HA

[Shackwacky]

Hi all - new here. I have been reading and re-reading this site, and had planned and shopped and set myself up to start mcdougalling this week. I am pumped!

I have about 50 pounds to lose, 45 years old and tired of feeling 65. Diagnosed with RA and hypertension, sick of popping pills that don't work and not getting better. I read the MWL book last week, and this was it for me.

Then - my mother in law showed up yesterday, for a week. I absolutely love her to pieces, but she is definitely old school nutrition advice. My husband was raised on cheese, white bread, cookies and meat.

So, I had been telling her about my new way of eating and how excited I was. She's "helping" me now, she came armed with her Vegetarian Light cookbook, which she bought specifically for the sheperds pie recipe, and today she is cooking "healthy" for my family. OMG. This recipe has three different types of cheese, vegetable oil, margarine and sour cream!!!

But she is excited as can be and what can you do. I tried this morning to at least get the sour cream omitted, but there is not budging her. How can you make it creamy otherwise?? She did suggest that she could make do with lite sour cream. Sigh.

So I will be starting next week I guess. In the meantime I brought two potatoes, some homemade salsa, three carrots and a grapefruit to work. I can sneak some healthy stuff by her that way LOL.

Anyways I am very pleased to be here, and I think this is the start of something great. Will talk to you all soon.

[dlb]

What a beginning! Oh well, you will be able to laugh at it for years to come.

In the meantime, welcome to the board and happy sneaking!

Donna

[MilesA]

Looking on the bright side, at least she's trying to be helpful. If I start discussing plant-based diets with my relatives, they start talking about grass-fed beef, free-range chickens and coconut oil. I guess they've been reading too much over at mercola.com...

More seriously, I've found that people need to be shown food can taste good without animal products. Most people think vegetarian food is either rabbit food or heavy, bland food that will make them groggy for hours. Another style of vegetarian cooking is to try to make versions of the old foods with fake meats, lots of tofu, etc. The McDougall plan is worlds away from all that. But people have to be shown.

[Shackwacky]

Ha ha, yes I got that too. All week......but what about organic chicken darling? Surely that is good for you? What are you doing about protein? Are you going to give meat to the kids...they need it you know. How about eggs - if you just buy them from a farmer?


So she left yesterday evening, and I am up a pound today from last week. I actually thought it would be worse than that. Did you know that three cheese artichoke dip is good for you? Here honey, have more. I also need to detox as she is a martini person and I am weak when it comes to martinis lol.

Todays lunch is raw veggies and microwaved potato with salsa. Onward, no company expected for another month or so.

[Faith in DC]

you did good. Really that isn't bad for haivng company, especially a M-I-L who's a food pusher. BTW I think most of them are.

[Melinda]

Well that is a challenge. Luckily my inlaws have pretty well embraced this way of eating, just not sticking to it enough, but certainly open to it.
However I am going to visit my sister this fall, who is a SAD eater, and thinks my way of eating is just plain weird. In fact, she often thinks that I am just plain weird, that whole West Coast thing, vs. central Canada, similar to the US. Anyway, originally I was going to try to eat dairy, just to help our relationship. ( I have totally lost the taste for all dairy years ago, in fact I find it repulsive). However I still have a few months to work this around in my mind, and I think I will just cook simple stuff for me and my dh when I am there. The problem is that she always makes awesome desserts, and I don't want to blow my cred with her by breaking down and having one of her great desserts.

[rotemmay]

Shackwacky, I couldn't help but laugh when I read your post . My mom is the same way - very enthusiastic to help me lose weight, dying to cook for me and help out (when she comes to visit - she lives on a different continent!) and then not really listening when I try to give her the basics of what I'm doing. When I was low carbing and avoiding sugar, I would tell her not to cook with sugar and she'd say "Oh, just a little bit". I would try to insist and she would agree, then do it her way.

She may be coming out to help me move at the end of the year and I know she'll want to cook for me again. I can just picture myself arguing with her not to add oil to a pot of cooked veggies and having her say, "Oh, just a little bit, just to sautee" and my arguing with her about it and her agreeing - only to put the oil in!

I'm only hoping that I'll be well versed in McDougalling by then to be able to stand my ground!

Tam