Embracing McDougall lifestyle once again!

[mellie-bellie]

Hey there,

My name is Melissa and I'm gonna be starting MWL tomorrow. I'm not new to veganism, though it's been years since I've stuck w/ McDougalling. Back in 2001 I stuck w/ it for about a month and saw wonderful results (15lbs lost) but shortly after became pregnant I decided to lax a lil bit, though I've used a lot of McDougall principles throughout the years. So here I am, 230lbs, my highest weight ever, even higher than my full term preggo weight w/ my 3rd. I'm slightly embarassed by that fact, though I am optimistic that I can get this weight off..I've always been really active and have a fairly good diet as is, BUT I'm a huge emotional eater and late nite snacker, which has caused me to gain 30lbs since last year (probably related a lil bit to some post traumatic stress disorder after a car accident I was involved in last Feb). I am excited about these new boards, they are much easier than the boards back at VegSource. I hope I can really benefit from this online community.

I have 3 kids (ages 2, 4 and 6) and a husband, all ethical vegans along with me, so it does help A LOT. I'm a full time mama, doula and have a small vegan personal chef and catering service on the side. I'm 25 years young, so I have lots of livin' to do. As someone who has been overweight all their life, I'd REALLY love to get this extra poundage off and get fit before I hit the big 3-0! Doesn't seem too difficult to acheive, as long as I keep focused.

Anyways, that's me in a nutshell. I look forward to interacting w/ this community.

Namaste,
Melissa

[Lin]

Hi mellie-bellie,

Welcome and we're glad to have you!

If it makes you feel any better, I used to weigh 230 lbs. (actually got up to 232) and now I'm in the 160's. I did it with strict MWL and exercise. You're young, so I know you can do it. I'm 48 and have been a McDougaller only 4 years. I was in horrible physical shape when I began this way of eating and if I can do this, I know a much younger healthier person like you can do it too!!

It's nice to be able to share recipes with others and exercise ideas and any concerns you have. Many of us here have emotional eating probems like you said you have, so don't feel bad. It helps to talk to others about it. This board will help to keep you focused.

I wish you much success on your McDougall journey to optimal health!

[Doris]

You have come to the right place. There are lots of great people on this board who will offer support and tips. I have found that posting really helps me stay motivated. I wish you a wonderful McDougall Journey!!

[S B]

Emotional eating can sometimes can make weight loss hard even when following the MWL Plan. So it is always a good thing to try to resolve the problems that are causing you to overeat.

However, from experience, even when I know exactly what I am upset about, I canNOT always immediately resolve that problem or make the situation simply go away. Therefore, I have to slightly modify the MWL-plan to suit MY needs. It is a way that I can STILL eat ALL I WANT without consuming too many OVERALL calories.

However, the MWL-plan, as is, may be the strictest plan you will ever need -- but if you have a serious problem with overeating then MAYBE my version of it will be of some help to you.

My trick is I ALWAYS keep a raw "green and yellow" veggie salad or raw veggie sticks (all ready and waiting for me) in the frig (or in a large cooler when not at home) for when I get my "emotional eating" attacks that cause me to overeat. That way, I can GUILTLESSLY enjoy pigging-out and relieve some pent-up emotional stress in the process!

PLUS, I ALWAYS keep within the dietary guidelines of Regular McDing and as close to MWL as I can.
This means (along with some other things):
*75 to 90% of total calories from carbs -- mostly in the form of whole starchy foods like rice, all kinds of potatoes, winter squash, other whole grains, beans (in limited amounts so as not to get too much protein), etc. (I try to eat no more than 2 servings of fruit a day -- usually raw and in its whole form -- but sometimes when I am very active I allow myself the 3rd serving as a reward for working hard.)
*the MWL guideline of less than 5% of total calories from fat (sometimes this accidentally squeaks up to about 7% -- below 10 is the Reg. Program guideline)
*and 7 to 15% of total calories from protein (I try to keep it no higher than 12%.)

Since one CAN stay well within these percentages and STILL overeat AND since starchy foods are more calorie-dense than raw veggie salad, I estimate the approx. amount of starchy foods I need each day and eat a predetermined amount of them throughout the day. This keeps my gut and "real hunger" satisfied AND allows me to get ENOUGH (and the right percentage) of them without OVEREATING them. I also eat some cooked veggies in addition to raw salad, but the raw salad is the ONLY thing that I allow myself to REALLY pig-out on with absolutely NO limits. Of course, it is important for me to ALWAYS have "that salad" available for when I get a "stress and/or volume eating attack"!!!

.....and as you probably already know, high fat, extremely calorie dense, and highly processed/refined foods are OFF LIMITS on MWL -- and ALL "free" fats/oils are ALWAYS off limits on MWL and in regular McDing, too!

Plus, getting a little exercise does a lot of good when trying to lose weight and in relieving stress.

I hope this helps! Best of luck to you!