Hi I'm new to this... well, sort of!!

[Poppy]

Hi,
I'm almost new to this.. I used to eat very like Mcdougalling a long time ago. Later I stopped being veggie and went back to eating meat after 12 years off. I'm now a lot heavier and don't feel great either! I re-read my McD books this week and I'm hoping that if I start to eat like this again that I will lose the weight and feel a lot better.
I've looked at some of the forum discussions and I find it a bit discouraging as people are still struggling with their weight.. It doesn't always sound like the book! Am I being unrealistic?
I am 49 this Saturday and I've had a hysterectomy, I am on oestrogen patches as I had my ovaries taken out as well, does anyone know whether this is at all likely to help/hinder my progress?
I feel better already and I've only been eating differently for three days, so I do feel that there is hope for me, I'm down about a pound in weight too.. superb!!

[Carol]

Poppy,

Welcome (back)! I believe you are doing the right thing.

I started in mid January and have lost 12 pounds. I am not doing Mary's Mini nor MWL, so I am eating breads. I joined more for long-term health than I did for weight loss and am considering my "much needed" weight loss a great side benefit to improved health.

All I can say about your estrogen patches is that that is your choice. I am a breast cancer survivor (estrogen-receptor positive), so I have to avoid estrogen. But with the swicth to McD eating, our bodies should be producing a lot less estrogen.....all a very good thing for cancer risk.

Sounds like your body is already telling you how much it likes this program, but that your brain needs convincing. You feel better right? You have lost a pound, right? I've been at it for 6 weeks and I keep feeling better and better. I'm sleeping better (a miracle!), I have more energy, I require less sleep, I'm not craving chocolate/sugar all the time, I don't have to measure or weigh food and my grocery bills cost way less! And for the first time in a few years, I feel I CAN and WILL loose this weight. And another thing.....I'm having fun in the kitchen again.

Keep us posted on your progess, Poppy. We're in this with you!

[hope101]

Hi, Poppy, and welcome. With respect to your question about weight, my own opinion is that the program works extremely well for people who apply it. When it doesn't, these are the common mistakes that I see others do, or have done myself
--sometimes they have an untreated illness that prevents weight loss, like a low thyroid
--sometimes they eat McDougall 90% of the time, but 10% SAD (standard American diet), and then fool themselves into thinking they are on program--this is the most common, I personally think
--sometimes they eat vegan, but start adding in substantial quantities of fat or fatty foods (ask my husband why he is regaining the 30 pounds he lost effortlessly on low fat vegan, and he'll tell you it's the margarine he started adding to the popcorn he eats every night--why? Why? )
--sometimes people are volume eaters. I think SB is the best expert I have seen on that around here wrt this issue. You can be obese on a low fat vegan diet just by eating way too much period.

In the end, I think the key when you get stalled or have a plateau is to do some serious reflection and face the truth, then problem-solve around whatever your particular traps are. We all have them. My particular thing is that I like to cook and experiment. My children have no weight problems at all and I keep flour-based homemade treats in the house for them all the time. They can eat them without a problem, but I'm still chasing my highschool weight.

BTW, for myself I am at my lowest weight in at least 15 years while enjoying my meals. I am lower now than I was ever able to achieve even with rigorous exercise and Weight Watchers while I ate SAD.

Anyway, welcome. I hope you are kind to yourself and make a long-term commitment to the program. It will work for you if you stick to it and tweak it to fit your personal eating style.

[Poppy]

Hi Carol and Hope,
Thanks so much for your responses to my post, sooo encouraging to have feedback I'm looking forward to when I've been doing this for a few weeks and knowing how it goes.. this stage of a new way of eating is rather scary!! I'm away for three days with my husband, so the food will be challenging.. I'll do what I can, but I don't imagine it will all be fat free. Still, back to normal on Sunday and hopefully, not toooo much damage done. I am 162 at the moment and would like to get to somewhere between 133 and 142... If I did get to 133, I'd be thrilled and amazed!! but also, quite happy to be 142.. we'll see.
Speak soon
Poppy

[Carol]

Poppy,

I think it was my 3rd week or something that I was going on vacation for 5 days. Read the thread on this "Newbie" site entitled 'Eating in Restaurants'. I was terrified that I would crash and burn, but I did really well away from home. So many McDer's provided helpful tips about traveling.

You will get there eventually. You can do it!!!

[Lin]

Hi Poppy and welcome to the board.
I just had to respond to your post, because you and I are similar in some ways.
I'll be 49 at the beginning of May and I still weigh in the upper 160's at the present time. I too, have had a complete hysterectomy. I had it 10 years ago for uterine cancer. At first my Dr. wouldn't give me any meds for the menopause symptoms because of the huge risk of cancer elsewhere, especially the high risk of breast cancer associated with estrogen. After a year, I was prescribed a patch and wore it less than a year because I hated it. I was also still concerned about having cancer elsewhere and so I weaned myself off of it and decided to try natural progesterone cream. It has worked great for me and I've been using it for about 8 years.
Some people seem to do well with it and some don't.

You'll always find people struggling with their weight. I still struggle after 4 years of McDougalling but still have had great success too. Even though I'm still overweight, I weigh about 65 lbs. less than I did 5 years ago. I used to take lots of prescription meds and now I don't. I also feel very well. The greatest benefit of this program is to put you in good health and losing weight is a positive side effect of that too.

We're all different and some of us lose weight easier than others. Some of us are more strict than others. Exercise also plays a role in this.
I'm a high volume eater and I know that I don't always keep control over it and therefore my weight fluctuates a lot and I have a really hard time losing. However, it's not the McDougall Program that has failed, it's me not doing what I know I should be! When I do the MWL program strictly and exercise at least 5 days a week, I slowly lose. Unfortunately, most of the time I don't do this because I find it very confining and difficult at times, and can only maintain it for short periods of time before I give in and eat regular McDougall.
There are many people here who do the regular program and lose weight easily. I'm just not one of them!! Whether or not it has anything to do with the fact that I've had a hysterectomy, I don't know. It does seem like weight loss has been extra difficult for me since the operation. But I've always had a weight problem and it's always been hard for me to lose weight.

You'll benefit a lot by doing this program and have nothing to lose but lbs.! I hope you'll continue because you'll definately feel healthier!

[Poppy]

Well, the weekend away was a great success, we had a fab time together.. and get this.. I only put on half a pound and promptly lost that plus another pound today!!! I'm delighted Didn't stick entirely to mwl as there wasn't the option, but did as well as I could and felt great on it too. I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes, I'm very hopeful!!

[hope101]

Hi, Poppy. I am glad it went so well for you. The scale always says I gained when I go away too, but almost always it is simply not having access to the bathroom when I need it. If you lost 1 1/2 pounds since yesterday, you were actually losing the whole weekend. Way to go!

[Poppy]

Hi everyone
Well, I've been on this plan for 18 days now and both weekends during that time I've been away from home and had some off plan stuff, but only slightly offplan! I'm about 3lbs lighter than when I started, which is really great for me.. and just as important.. I'm feeling fantastic! I have energy to do exercise... wahoo!!!! I can't think why I ever stopped doing this in the first place, I guess it was probably allowing fat to creep back into what I was eating and then feeling what I was doing wasn't very successful anyway, so 'let's not be sooo strict' (daft thinking!!) I've done atkins and south beach in the last few years (won't be doing that again!!) I do feel very hopeful, I'm even allowing myself to imagine getting slim again, and I haven't dared to do that for at least 4 years!

[Poppy]

Hi Everyone,
Well, I've been eating this way for about six weeks now and I'm feeling great.. I've lost six and a half pounds and this week I joined the gym, now that's something I never thought I'd do again!! Sometimes I eat a little more like the original McD plan than the MWL, but that's usually if I am out and about and haven't the right sort of food available. I'm so thrilled to be losing weight.. amazed actually!!!!! i know it's slow, but never mind, it's coming off i was told this week that I look like I've lost weight, and as I've not told anyone except my husband that I'm even trying to lose, that was very encouraging. I'm sleeping better too. I have had serious trouble with low blood sugar for as long as I can remember and since being on this 'diet' I haven't had hardly any trouble with that at all and considering I was going hypo twice a day before.. that's a great step forward. How's everyone else doing?

[hope101]

Hi, Poppy. Congratulations on things working out so smoothly for you. It is wonderful to feel healthy again, and wonderful to have the weight come off effortlessly too. I still can't believe it when my numbers go lower and lower because I have never achieved this success with any other efforts in the past and it just seems so easy. My sisters, who both struggle with their weight, are both considering going McDougall because of watching me make changes that are having such visible consequences.

Just so you know, there is a thread on Roberta's corner where people who want to weigh in weekly and post their weight changes. Most of us do it Saturday, but you are welcome to join us and pick whatever day works for you in the week.