Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

Mark: I have decided to jump on board the MWL train (again). I have done well this past week and lost a couple of pounds but it was not MWL but probably was Starch Solution ( tofu and bread added). I think it will be easy to leave off those things and go for it! I have been reading many of the posts here and find them so thoughtful and supportive. Thank you for all you are doing!

I will check in on Friday with this week's results. Thank you once again !

squealcat (Marilyn)

Hi Mark, I'm in for another month! I missed last week, I just assumed we'd start this week. Didn't lose anything last week anyway

Starting May at 141 lbs and if I lose anything at all I'll be delighted. My goals for May are
Eat more slowly
Eat to satiation and no further.....I just eat way too quickly and so I invariably eat more than necessary.
Exercise wise I think I do fine. between 3-5 miles a day walk/run and weights 3 times a week

Just another 10 lbs....Annie

squealcat - Woot-Woot! All aboard the MWL train! I'm so glad you decided to join us this month, Marilyn!

AnnieBx - I'm happy you'll be continuing with the group this month!

Mark, thanks for the support and response.
Indeed, it takes "months" not just weeks to adjust to eating so strictly in order to begin seeing any kind of results whatsoever.
These days, we're asked to be "patient" over and over again. My patience is wearing thin not just because of Codid-19, but also because being on this diet is so limiting.
I appreciate you acknowledging how difficult compliance and adherence to this way of eating truly is! Nevertheless, you're right that it's absolutely worth the kind of results one is able to achieve eating this way!
I'm about to leave my very 'controlled' environment, so that I can be with others instead of being home all alone all the time. I'm at the end of my rope with so much aloneness!
I'm super worried about being on this diet while I'm around others who aren't.
I made it clear before I go that I'm eating this way and I need to be supported and who I'm going to be with promised to support me. However, I also made it clear that if I'm not supported and begin to feel out of control and frustrated, I'm not sticking around.
It sucks being in this binary state regarding MWL and not wanting to be all alone all the time, in addition to forced social distancing!
It's come down to picking between forced isolation in order to comply with MWL or risking getting sick or noncompliance in order to have some social contact!
I wonder...
Is Covid-19>MWL non-compliance? Is there a lesser of two evils?

Belana - To my mind, all any of us can do is just try and do the best we can in whatever circumstances and under whatever conditions we find ourselves. For me, it is helpful to remind myself what my motivations are for making the choices I have made.

Hi Mark,
Thanks so much for this opportunity. 30 days at a time...yay! Just joined the forum today. I’m coming into this already loving veggies - nonstarchy and starchy, legumes, fruit, water, so that’s good. But too many treats and non-compliant days have given me extra pounds that I would love to give back. I will review all the MWL links - thank you! Question...we post here just once a week, on Friday, with number of pounds lost...correct? Thank you for your answer, and I look forward to being here each Friday through May...

- Lakegirl

Goal Start: 30 lbs to go

Lakegirl - Hello and you are very welcome! You can feel free to post here throughout the week if you have questions or something you would like to share; weigh-ins are on Fridays, and in addition to reporting weight change in pounds, I do request that participants also assess the week with respect to the MWL 10-Point Checklist.

Weigh-ins are on Friday; participants have until noon PST on Saturday to report your result for that week. If you choose to participate in the weekly weigh-ins, please post your report in the following format -

Weight change +/- in lbs
Points from the MWL Checklist where I succeeded this week
Points from the MWL Checklist that need greater attention
General impressions & observations / resources to share / sources of excitement / requests for input & support

Please post a new report each week. All group members are encouraged to post regardless of whether they have a gain, loss or no change to report.

I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I just wanted to share that I haven't had one sip of wine or one bite of chocolate this week. These are my downfalls, along with crackers, but I managed to kick the cracker habit a while back. So I can't help but be proud of myself. I'm looking forward to hearing about everyone else's successes and challenges this week!

Zoey wrote:I just wanted to share that I haven't had one sip of wine or one bite of chocolate this week. These are my downfalls,

Hi Zoey,

About chocolate, if it's something you love, I've started finding ways to make chocolaty starchy treats. Here's a recipe I got from Spudfit:

Sweet Potato + Cocoa Powder = An amazing chocolaty treat thats great for either a meal or dessert.

You can also add cinnamon, nutmeg, fresh mint, and/or vanilla extract. If you're trying to quit drinking though, maybe it's best to go without the vanilla extract. I don't know if it would trigger anything.

This is now one of my favorite things to eat, and at less than 400 calories a pound it's totally MWL Program Friendly. Essentially no fat and no sugar but perfectly sweet and filling.


Best Wishes!

Hi Tian-De! Yes, I had heard that before, but I haven't tried it yet. I love sweet potatoes so much already, but I know that would be an interesting option. I just top with cinnamon and chow down.
For me, it's just that after dinner habit, and I want to break it. But when I have a true desire for something chocolatey, as opposed to just a pattern of behavior, I will absolutely remember this. Thanks so much!

Can someone direct me to where the modified MWL rules are that state whole grain pasta is ok? Someone I met thought all pastas were out due to what is listed in the book.

Thanks!

rlechols wrote:Can someone direct me to where the modified MWL rules are that state whole grain pasta is ok? Someone I met thought all pastas were out due to what is listed in the book.

Thanks!

Below are a couple of examples where Jeff has confirmed this.

JeffN wrote:Pasta is one of the exceptions to the “avoid flour products” guidelines and that is why it is not listed and the guideline says “higher calorie density foods”. Unlike other flour products, that are fairly dry and calorie dense, when pasta is cooked, it absorbs quite a bit of water into its structure, lowering the calorie density to about the same as Brown rice. The only potential issue with it is that flour products have been ground up so some people may find that pasta is not as satiating as another intact whole grain of the same calorie density. If you find this to be true, just make sure you always make it primavera style (with vegetables) and using the 50/50 is a good guideline. Ironically, in the actual satiety study, it was one of the higher foods for satiety along with the potato and oatmeal.

JeffN wrote:The 2 main changes are we don’t recommend tortilla’s, air-popped popcorn or puffed grains due to their higher calorie density and we do allow for whole grain pasta due to its lower calorie density.

rlechols wrote:Can someone direct me to where the modified MWL rules are that state whole grain pasta is ok? Someone I met thought all pastas were out due to what is listed in the book. Thanks!

Also, in regard to the book....

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=26620&p=578019#p569991

In Health
Jeff

Tian-De wrote:

Zoey wrote:I just wanted to share that I haven't had one sip of wine or one bite of chocolate this week. These are my downfalls,

Hi Zoey,

About chocolate, if it's something you love, I've started finding ways to make chocolaty starchy treats. Here's a recipe I got from Spudfit:

Sweet Potato + Cocoa Powder = An amazing chocolaty treat thats great for either a meal or dessert.

You can also add cinnamon, nutmeg, fresh mint, and/or vanilla extract. If you're trying to quit drinking though, maybe it's best to go without the vanilla extract. I don't know if it would trigger anything.

This is now one of my favorite things to eat, and at less than 400 calories a pound it's totally MWL Program Friendly. Essentially no fat and no sugar but perfectly sweet and filling.


Best Wishes!

Cocoa is ~50%, ~30% saturated fat and ~1000 cal/lb. Most cocoa powders, including organic ones, are contaminated with heavy metals.

You can read more about it here, including my recommendations/allowances.

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=6010

In Health
Jeff

Zoey - You should be proud of yourself - eliminating your "downfalls" is no small achievement! Good for you taking steps to break that after dinner habit!