Discussion Board

Star McDougaller's I think the reason that I need your help is the sweet potato still seems like desert to me. Even though I read this quote from Ellen Jaffe Jones just today. She is another Star McDougaller featured for her book in this months newsletter.



I know now it's fine from another Star McDougaller, but I am not sure I am doing it correctly. So, I put it to you to critique: this is my plan and a few questions as well.

B: nuked sweet potato w/ cinnamon/mixed fruit
L: salad and nuked sweet potato w/ salsa
D: salad and cubed sweet potatoes w/ greens
Snack & desert - fruit - sweet potato with a tiny bit of maple syrup

Is this OK.

I plan to vary the greens for dinner; not to avoid monotany, but to hit the best prices, hahaha! Greens cost big greenbacks here!

My big confusion comes from this excerpt from the one of the two Mary's Minis, as introduced in the newsletter:



My confusion is that I am trying to get my head around what this means: since I have been thinking on MWL you are eating your starch along with a veggie at no greater than a 1:1 ratio and for more weight loss more veggies. Is the above quote saying you can just eat the starch ALONE in between meals, like I plan to do, if I need something after dinner?

I have seen in many forum threads that people take precooked small potatoes to work for snacks - so, I guess just having the starch without veggies is OK - but I am so not sure about this.

Help please! And thank you too! Michelle

Yes, definitely, starches alone make a perfect snack, and even when you're on Mary's mini. And I never worried about the 1:1 ratio, either. The whole time I was losing (and now that I'm at a stable weight), my ratio of starches to green-and-yellow veg was much closer to 3:1, and of you count in the starchy veggies (corn, peas, and so on), it was much higher than that.

I have my advance copy of the The Starch Solution (since I'm in it! ), and it is surprising how much Dr. M is emphasizing the starches, mentioning vegetables more or less in passing, at least in the early chapters. Trust those starches, and especially sweet potatoes--they are ideal, and SOOOOOO delicious. Good luck with your Mary's Mini

Thanks so much frozenveg for giving me the green light and an education to boot.

What you are saying about your ratios is pretty much what the Cronometer is showing me -when I plug in my diet. I am getting tons of veggies, but I am also doing about 5 med sweet potatoes a day.

Funny as I hit the third day I didn't feel I could do one more SP as I was stuffed to the gills with them. I think this is the magic of the mini - "oh no - not another one" syndrome sets in. As of today, 3 days in, I have lost a pound - so it's working, yay!

I found this today too, I was also concerned at the really high in the red zone reading for vitamin A 0n the Cronometer, no problems there either. And looks like I have invented a Mexican/Okinowan Mary's Mini.




So you, Jeff and countless really OLD Okinawan & Chinese folk are all right, these sweet potatoes are fabulous!

Notice, I didn't go for a rice Mary's Mini. I too love my short grain brown rice and really don't ever want to get tired of it!

I am looking forward to getting my copy of the "Starch Solution" AND reading your story in it. At our SF Bay Area get together last weekend there were several people who had just attended the ASW. Jim, Tina and Claire all said a highpoint for them was meeting you and your husband. Were your ears burning last Sunday

I'm so happy you got together with Jim, Tina and Claire! It was such a pleasure to meet them at the ASW! I can't wait till the next time we're in the Bay area, because we are definitely going to see them again!