Jams,
I have been McDougalling off and on for about 10 years now and when I started this time I was about 180 lbs overweight (365). On the one hand, I am certainly not the posterchild for McDougalling, but on the other, I probably have some unique insight to some of your problems.
The good news is that since you are 120 lbs over, you will probably not have to do much at this point to start and maintain a decent weight decline. At my weight I notice that if I attempt to adhere (even slightly) to McDougall two or three days a week, I can loose at least 2-3 lbs a week. I have currently been "McDougall-minded" for the last 6 weeks and have went from 365 to 329. Though I won't be entering a marathon anytime soon, I will say that I do feel much better.
Before I run off course too far, let me answer your questions:
1. What is the easiest thing to have for breakfast?
I eat 2-3 packets of Quaker instant Oatmeal for breakfast. It's fast, it tastes good, and it is 100% better for you than an Egg McMuffin. I'm a very busy person, and I have tried to do the organic, whole food, make your own the hard way oatmeal... I can't stick with it! I buy the large 40 packet box of Maple & Brown Sugar from Sam's Club so it is VERY inexpensive.
2. Can I really go without Juice....Or COKE?
Yes you can, but I don’t. I still drink Coke (regular not diet), but I have reduced my intake. I normally drink tea (sweetened), and when I’m feeling particularly motivated I try to limit myself to water.
3. How are you able to workout with only 6hrs sleep. Today is a holiday in Canada That's why I'm still up.
Everybody is different as far as how much sleep or exercise they get. I will start by saying that for the most part, the more that you can get of both the better, but once again I’m not the posterchild. I probably get around 5-7 hours of sleet a night and I do not have a regular exercise program. Most of my exercise comes from jumping to conclusions
![embarrassment :o](./images/smilies/redface.gif)
. But seriously, I do try to take walks with my family 2-3 times a week and I just bought a new house so there are many chores I do that get my heart pumping. The thing to keep in mind is that the vicious circle works both ways. As you gain weight you don’t feel like doing anything so you get less exercise and as you loose weight you feel better and want to do more, so you get more exercise. I enjoy the family walks much more now than I did 6 weeks ago.
4. If not Soy Milk; what do you eat your cereal with? I picked up some Rice Milk....Is this okay?
I LOVE cereal and milk, but the one thing that I do try to completely stay away from when I am McDougalling is milk. I use vanilla flavored Rice Dream. It doesn’t taste like milk, but it does taste good. I find that I am just as happy with it when I mix it half-and-half with water, so you may want to give that a try.
Now back to my ramblings:
The main thing I would want to get across to you is that McDougalling is NOT an “all or nothing” proposition. I have a bit of an anal-retentive nature so I’m the type that if I’m going to do something I want to do it TO THE LETTER, but I have found that to be counterproductive for me when it comes to eating. When I try to stick “to the letter”, I find that when I don’t; I get mad at myself, I get depressed, and I eat.
Though I am fully convinced that if you completely adhered to MWL you would feel better and lose weight faster, I have found that making any positive change is a great step towards your final goal. As an example I will tell you that my wife has had a difficult time with the total-vegan concept and over the 8 years we have been together, every time we start McDougalling she has felt very deprived. Given this problem, when we starting this time, we made an agreement that 1-2 times a week we would have a starch-centered meal that included some type of meat. So far this has been a rice/been dish with 1 piece of steak or chicken divided between the two of us (probably about 4-6 oz each). Although this may seem like blasphemy to some, it sure beats me eating a 16 oz steak all by myself 2-3 times a week. This type of approach may even help with your husband.
I hope this helps,
Joe