Discussion Board

I have been doing a mix, regular McDougall and MWL for about a month now. In that month I have lost about six pounds, which is very slow but now the month is over I'll take it!

I have had a hard time committing 100%. I was very addicted to candy and coke (soda). Ive quit the coke and haven't looked back, the candy on the other hand, not so much. At this time Im eating Reeses pretty much everyday. I know I sound like a ridiculous newbie, complaining about six pounds lost while eating reeses everyday, which by the way I'm well aware is not McDougall approved! I have been eating oatmeal everyday for breakfast, just because its easy but this morning I couldn't stomach it. Im getting sick of mushy gross grains. Other starches I have been eating are rice and potatoes. I can stomach the rice a couple times a week same with potatoes especially reds. Im trying to get my whole family on the program but they don't want to eat rice or potatoes everyday anymore than I do. Will I learn to like rice and potatoes

I can't go back to eating meat, thats just not an option. I really want to get with it and be healthy plus I got 34 pounds to lose!

I will just keep on keeping on and pray I develop a taste for starches!

Hi Marie,
IMO, starches aren't really intended to be the tasty part of this plan. You can use veggies and fruits and spices and fat-free condiments to get your crunch and flavor variety. Starches just provide the bulk of calories, and if you're truly limiting your choices to MWL, they do become more satifsying since they will be the most calorie-dense thing you're eating.

Some ideas to increase the appeal
- Make veggie stews (also called SNAP meals) and put over your rice. Jeff Novick's Fast Food DVD is a great resource for learning to make veggie stews. You use no-salt canned beans, canned tomatoes, and spices in most of them.
- Use baked sweet potatoes
- Use frozen (no oil) hash browns. This is crispier and can be tastier than plain potatoes
- Use mashed potatoes for variety over baked potatoes
- Use different condiments on your baked potatoes-- salsa, beans, ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce
- Add frozen fruits to your oatmeal (cherries, blueberries)
- It really will help to work on eliminating the candy entirely. When you still have that super-flavored stuff in your diet, the real food suffers by comparison. If you can go even a couple days with 100% compliance, the real food will start to taste better to you.
- It's not MWL, but I use whole wheat pasta when I'm tired of rice and potatoes
- Try some other grains-- quinoa, millet for example

Good luck!

Thanks for the tips, MmmCarbs! I'll give those a try. Your right about the candy, it's hard to compete with peanut butter cups!

Maybe it would help to stop buying them..if they are not around it may be the start to stop them...??

I found that when I stopped eating candy/sugary soda/cakes, etc that all the good stuff (starches, greens) began tasting much better. My taste buds were all out of whack when I was eating the sugary stuff...just a thought for you!
So, keep going, as most longtimers here says that it gets "easier" as you go! Us newbies just need to keep our eyes on the prize and keep at it every day. You are not alone in your struggles!