Discussion Board

I did MM about three years ago, and I lost 25 lbs. in 4 months. (I gained it back after I got pregnant and started eating off plan.)

MM worked well for me because I didn't have to do a lot of planning, and I consistently lost weight (average of 1.5 lb. a week). It was alos very economical. I did a modified version of the plan. I had oatmeal and fruit for breakfast then I'd eat the same starch and veggies for lunch and dinner. I also worked out 4 days a week (combination of cardio and weight training).

I am going to start on the sweet potato mary's mini later this week. Right now I need to eat up my quinoa that I cooked up. But for right now I am eating oatmeal for breakfast, quinoa for lunch and sweet potatoes for dinner. If I want a snack it will be fruit or sweet potatoes. I still like my green smoothie after I workout in the morning. It gives me a boost after my workouts.

E: 40 min. bodybuilding- chest, abs, 35 min. stationary bike( intervals), 30 min. bob harper circuit
B: 1/2 c. pumpkin pie oatmeal
S: green smoothie
L: quinoa with black beans, roasted veggies, salsa and a little avacado( it was so yummy with the roasted veggies)
S: sweet potato with blueberries
D: sweet potato with dijon mustard, broccoli and coleslaw mixed with homemade dressing
S: sweet potato with cinnamon and 1/2 banana ice cream

I have been dying to try a sweet potato heated up with some pumpkin pie spice on top and then banana ice cream on top. I didn't get a chance to try it last night. I just had a banana on top of a sweet potato. It was really good though. I had a pretty good day yesterday.

E: 40 min. bodybuilding- arms, 35 min. treadmill( intervals)
I may do a bob harper workout for 20 min. later
B: 1/2 c. pumpkin pie oatmeal
L: leftover cooked broccoli and coleslaw with homemade sauce on top of a few noodles and 1/2 c. quinoa
S: green smoothie
D: sweet potato, salad with chickpeas
S: if hungry apple

I am so ashamed of myself. I hate the fact that I keep on munching on food. I grab little things here and there. I hate this food addiction. Even last night I had a bowl of oatmeal for snack and I wanted to go snack on something else, even though I wasn't hungry. I didn't though, only by the power of God. But today so far I have not done as well. I am going to make up those sweet potatoes and start on the Mary's mini tonight. I need God to help me break this food addiction.

E: I am going to do 2 of Bob's workouts ( probably about 50 min.)
They are really tough and kick my butt

B:1/2 c. pumpkin pie oatmeal
S: 2 homemade oatmeal cookies, a handful of pretzles
L: 1/2 c. quinoa with roasted veggies, leftover thai spaghetti, edamme
S: green smoothie, 1/2 peice of bread, rice cake with a little pb
D: sweet potatoes with dijon mustard,
S: sweet potatoes with cinnamon( if hungry)

I am determined today to do better than I did yesterday. I don't like the look of the scale and I don't like the fact that I like to snack on food when I am not hungry. Like right now after I got done eating lunch, I want to snack on something. There is no excuse. I am doing a lot of praying.

E: 40 min. bodybuilding-shoulder, back, 35 min. elliptical ( intervals)
B: 1/2 c. pumpkin pie oatmeal
S: green smoothie
L: 1/2 c. quinoa, roasted veggies, sweet potato slices
S: sweet potatoes with blueberries or apple
D; big salad with chickpeas, sweet potato
S: if still hungry sweet potato or banana ice cream

Well I have been thinking that I need to take this one day at a time. I am going to try and wear a rubber band around my wrist today to remind me to pray and ask God to help me today to not eat, just to eat. I am tired of being in bondage to food. I was reading about someone else on the boards and said that the ww program led them to be obsessed about food. That is how I have become latley. This counting calories thing is crazy. I don't want to live my life this way. I remember before I started lifting heavy weights, I just ate the Mcdougall program and was losing weight for quite a while. I did stall because I was snacking on things I shouldn't have been. But I never counted calories. It was so nice to just eat and not be in bondage to food. I want that back again. I remember running my weight loss class and people telling me about calorie counting programs and I said that I didn't count calories. I lost 55 lbs. not counting calories, I think I can lose this last 10 lbs. not counting calories either and just sticking to the MWL program. I don't know why I strayed.

E: 20 min. bodybuilding- legs, 30 min. circuit training, 30 min. treadmill
B: 1/2 c. pumpkin pie oatmeal
L: 1/2 c. sweet potatoes, quinoa with roasted veggies, green beans
S: sweet potato with 1/2 banana ice cream on top( with pumpkin spice( I will try it and see if it is good)
D: sweet potato with refried beans and enchilada sauce, salad
S: rice cake with a little pb, popcorn, blueberry tea

I had a good day yesterday. I need to do without the pb. But overall it was a good day. It felt so freeing to eat that way yesterday. I was so satisfied by my food yesterday. I didn't count calories yesterday. I told my husband I felt like someone had set me free from bondage. I did mentally count my dessert yesterday afternoon and it was about 200 cal. I was figuring that I was way full off of that and normally I would have had some sort of protein, like pb or something and not be totally satisfied. I would have had at least 250 cal. I love eating this way. I forgot how much I liked to eat this way. I know my posts look like I have been eating this way, but I have been adding pb and almond butter to my meals and tofu and edamme. It is just nice not to count calories and just to eat the Mcdougall way. I know the Lord led me to this diet, but when I started lifting weights, I started listening to all the hype about eating tons of protein. I tried it for a while and even added protein( vegan) powder to my smoothies. I was told I need to eat 140 grams of protein a day. That was impossible. The most I got was 100 grams. And when I was eating that I was constipated. I should have just trusted in the Lord. He led me to this way of eating. I feel such peace now eating this way again.

E: may do 2 circuits, or circuit and rowing machine
B:1/2 c. pumpkin pie oatmeal, 1/2 slice gluten free bread, blueberry tea
L: sweet potatoes with refried beans and enchilada sauce, salad
S: 1/2 apple warmed up with sweet potato
D: spring mix mango/strawberry salad, baked potato
S: orange

I had a hard night last night with eating. I went to my sister's house where her husban cooked. They really get offended if you don't eat what they cook. So I did have a little of a meat burrito( a tiny,yuck), then a little spaghetti casserole, but I mostly filled up on the salad I brought. Boy I didn't feel good all night last night. It is really hard, I was hoping we were going out to eat. Well I gotta get ready for church.

B: 1/2 c. pumpkin pie oatmeal
S: if hungry sweet potatoes ( I sometimes get hungry between breakfast and lunch especially if the church service is long)
L: split pea soup with hashbrowns, salad
S: apple
D: don't know yet, maybe some leftovers

I need to get rid of the pb. I was so hungry last night when I got home from church. I had oatmeal with a banana and two rice cakes with pb. Not good choices. the oatmeal wasn't too bad. I am making it a point not to grab things here and there to eat. Just working on staying MWL today. Taking it one day at a time.

E: 40 min. bodybuilidng- chest, abs, 35 min. stationary bike ( HIIT, intervals, 20-30 min. Bob Harper circuit ( later)
B: 1/2 c. pumpkin pie oatmeal, blueberry tea
S: salad with chickpeas
L: split pea soup over hashbrowns
S: apple
D: taco chickpea salad, rice cake with a little jelly
S: 1/4 c. oatmeal with 1 banana, 2 rice cakes with jelly

Not a bad day, but I need to listen more to my body. I wasn't really hungry for snack yesterday. But I went ahead and ate an apple. Today I am going to try to eat just when I am hungry. Also I was planning on banana ice cream last night, but I was so hungry when I got home from church last night. We have a visiting Evangelist this week until Wednesday night. He has been really good and making me realize, I need to not quench the Holy Spirit and allow Him to take control of every part of my life, including my weight loss. Also on Sunday night I realized I needed to apologize to God, for the fact that I am putting my food addictions ahead of Him. It literally feels like sometimes that I am in bondage to my losing the rest of this weight. I know the other day when I turned it over to Him and started eating MWL again that I felt a freedom and peace, that I haven't had in a long time. I still need to go back to the rubber band thing and just remember to pray before I eat.

E: 40 min. bodybuilding- arms, 35 min. treadmill ( intervals)
B: 1/2 c. pumpkin pie oatmeal, herbal tea
S: salad with corn and a few chickpeas
L: split pea soup with hashbrowns
S: apple,1 homemade oatmeal cookie
D: stirfry over quinoa
S: 1/3 c. oatmeal, 1 banana, 2 rice cakes

Mtns,
I totally relate to the feelings of being in bondage to gluttony. I am beginning to find frreedom from it. I have beeen reading the book The Last Addiction by Sharon Hersch, and have found it extremely helpful. I think you would llike it.

Just know you are not alone in this, and that it is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free!

Thankyou kristykay, I needed to hear that today. That book looks good. I am going to look into trying to get it. I think I need to read it. For some reason, I am really struggling with trying not to be discouraged. I know I read in Exodus yesterday how Moses was up on the Mountain and the people got tired of waiting and had Aaron help make a golden calf to worship. I was teaching my kids and I said we all tend to do that, even me. We get tired of waiting on God so we decide to idolize something else. For me I was thinking the same thing. I get on Bob Harper website, because I love his workouts, they kick me in the butt. And he does have a vegan diet plan to follow, but it is high in soy products, like tofu and tempeh. I know what I am doing is what God wants me to do, but I struggle sometimes with what Bob has to say. He has had great success with weight loss of his clients, yet so has Mcdougall. He recommends eating protein at every meal and eating lean and green for dinner. That kind of made sense to me since I start to slow down activity toward evening and not burning as many calories. But I end up hungry and eat more for snack at nighttime then I should. So I think I am a lot like the Israelites. I want results now and not to wait on God. So too often I try to take my way of eating into my own hands. Please God clear up this confusion going on in my brain, help me to fully trust you and your plan and to wait on you.

E: I am going to do 50 min. of a Bob Harper routine( looks tough, Bob actually worked out on the video and had to take rests and breaks, so I think I am in big trouble- I will let you know how it was tomorrow)

B: 1/2 c. pumpkin pie oatmeal, herbal tea
S: green smoothie
L: leftover stiryfry over quinoa ( I was hungry so I had 4 strips of tofu)
S: apple
D: leftover split pea soup, salad
S: air popped popcorn

Mtns,
Ikwym about allowing ourselves to get confused with all the information floating around out there! I've done the same thing in the past. I think you have to ask yourself, what has worked for you? You have had success on this plan. Trust it. The whole high protein thing is really pervasive out there, especially in the fitness industry. But if you look at the way our bodies actually use protein and the process it has to go through to eliminate excess protein, it is easy to see that there are flaws in this teaching. Also, when I look at the long-term "success" of other plans, I see clearly that following a plan like that sets us up for failure in the long run. Whereas, when I look at the long term success stories of Star McDougallers, I see what my future can look like! I think we are much better off to trust the principles of calorie-density. Plus, the science is there to back it up!! I think it's a matter of really believing it, and then putting it into practice.

I re-read this article from an old newsletter recently: http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/ ... ushing.htm

Here are the priciples from this article that I think are important to look closely at if we're facing a weight loss plateau:

1. Avoid refinded foods and all flour products
2. Eat Green and Yellow vegetables FIRST! Follow it with starches for satiety.
3. Eat more Raw vegetables (start most meals with a large salad, snack on raw veggies)
4. Avoid ALL high-fat plant foods: nuts, seeds, soy products, avocados, olives--these are NOT my friends!
5. AVOID SUGAR!!! This is a big one for me! Sugar is my trigger and it increases my insulin levels which makes my body want to hold onto fat!!!
6. Two fruits a day. No fruit juice or dried fruit.
7. Eat smaller meals and eat slowly. Then repeat whenever I'm hungry.
8. Keep meals simple and monotonous.
9. Lower salt intake
10. Exercise (you've got this one down!)

These are the key principles for permanent and lifelong weight loss!! AND THEY WORK! Katydid is a perfect example-have you read her journal lately?

Forgive me for the long-winded post! I hope I haven't annoyed you. Writing this has been just as much a reminder for me as I hope it is for you! We've got this, Mtns!

Hey--how was that Bob Harper workout?? Sounds killer!!

Hi Mtns. IKWYM too!!! I'm doing good right now but it's only been a few days and sometimes those cravings can be strong. I am trying to trust that this is the right thing for me and to believe it will get easier as long as I don't give in. I'm glad we're all in this together. We think so much alike.

Mtns,
You've probably seen this, but have you read Katiedid's journal lately? She's spent a lot of time tweaking the MWL plan to lose ANOTHER 20 pounds! And she looks amazing. If you are struggling to lose your last few pounds, I thought you might PM her and ask her for advice. Just a thought...okay...I'll leave you alone now!!!
Peace