APRIL '09-MWL-"ON PLAN, PLANNING TO STAY THAT WAY!"

[Letha.]

Riva,
Thanks for the explanation about the orange.

LauraA,
I think reintroductions are a great idea. Start the thread and I’ll post mine.

Good morning all. I’m on plan and planning to stay that way. I need your help to identify the source of this recipe I’m making today that I had on my computer. I forgot to make note of where I got it from and I'd like to credit the source if it turns out well and I put it on my blog.

Pea Guacamole

Ingredients:
2 pounds frozen peas, thawed
½ bunch cilantro, washed & trimmed
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup fresh lime or lemon juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Variation: For a chunky version of guacamole, stir in one chopped tomato and four chopped scallions.

Anybody know where this recipe comes from?
Letha

[brilliantchaos]

I did not get a chance to post last night so I am coming in a little late: I lost 4.5 lbs last week. Since this is my first week on MWL – I am sure I will not see that big of a drop again (since most of it was probably water weight) but it still feels great and is encouraging!

Also, since I am very new to MWL and have not had a chance to read the book yet (my mother has it somewhere – once she digs it up, I will begin to read) – I am going off of what I have found on this site and the forums so far. So, I am going to try to do daily updates on what I eat and if anyone sees anything that I may need to cut out to help my success, please let me know! Also, I think if I aim to do daily updates, then it will help me from slipping up since I know I will have to tell all of you what I ate!

So, for yesterday this is what I had:
Breakfast: Baked Potato with Peas and Salsa on top
Snack: small mandarin orange
Lunch: Creamy Potato/Broccoli soup (Mmm… very good – I will put the recipe on the bottom of this post)
Afternoon snack: (2) lightly salted rice cakes and a Cliff Kids Fruit Twist (sort of like fruit leather – made out of nothing but fruit – not sure if this is the best fit on MWL)
Dinner: Creamy Potato/Broccoli soup

Drinks throughout the day: Lots of water, Tazo ZEN Green Tea, and 1 Beer (it was my last one and I couldn’t resist – does anyone else have an occasional drink on MWL and have you noticed it affect your weight loss?)

Well I hope everyone else is having a great day! I wish I was outside enjoying the nice day instead of stuck in the office – but I am looking forward to the weekend! Sorry my post was so long, I will try to keep it shorter next time. Thanks!


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Creamy Potato/Broccoli Soup:

1 head of Broccoli, washed and cut up
2 Potatoes, with peels, cut into small cubes
3 cloves of garlic (more or less depending on how much you like garlic)
6 cups of water
Vegan Bullion powder or Seasoning to taste

Combine Broccoli, Potatoes, Garlic, and water in pot; Season to taste (I used Vegan Bullion powder, sea salt, and black pepper – I usually began to add seasonings and salt, then taste the broth to see what else is needed); Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes; Put half the soup in a blend, and blend until nice and creamy; put other half in blender and just lightly mix. This will allow for a nice creamy base but still have chunks of potatoes and broccoli. The final result is green and looks a little odd – but it is VERY tasty! I enjoy mine with LOTS of Louisiana Hot Sauce mixed in it. Yum!!!

(Original Recipe: http://www.recipezaar.com/Curried-Broccoli-Soup-32970 - I tired it with Curry Powder, and as much as I like Curry, I preferred this soup without)

[brilliantchaos]

Letha: I found the same recipe in two places:
http://www.winerecipes.com/getcontent.p ... 4543&rat=1

http://www.fatfree.com/recipes/dips-spr ... -guacamole

In the last one it says: "It's from 'The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss'." so maybe it is listed in the book?

[Letha.]

Brilliantchaos, Thank you so much! I just grabbed my MWL book and there it is on page 218.

Your menu looks great. McDougall does suggest you eat your fruit fresh rather than dried for best results but I think that’s a minor point. In fact, it may be one of the areas I’m going to loosen up on. I’ve altered a number of recipes to omit small amounts of raisins or replace them with apples or pineapple so that I didn’t break that rule. But I think a tablespoon of raisins or dates in a serving of curry or salad or cereal is not that big of a deal. I bought some dehdrated cherries from Harmony House last month and threw them in a pot of oats and then remembered I shouldn’t be eating dried fruit. But then I told myself that the fruit would rehydrate so it wouldn’t be any different than if I’d thrown in frozen cherries. Then I thought that raisins are just dehydrated grapes so what’s the big deal if I use raisins in my oats. I think the reason behind the suggestion is just that dried fruit is more calorie dense. 1 cup of raisins is 434 calories, whereas 1 cup of raw apple slices is 53 calories. So I think for myself & dried fruit I’m just going to use it for recipes and keep the amount per serving under a tablespoon.
Letha

[MaryW]

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, so let me catch up.

I didn't have the best week, so it was no surprise that I gained three pounds.

But I'm back on track and planning to have a better week. Congrats to everyone who lost weight. For everyone else, don't give in! We're on a lifelong journey. Celebrate every victory, no matter how small. And don't let the slip ups drag you down! (that's what I have trouble with!)

[janluvs2heel]

I am posting late as well. My modem was having a problem last night into this am but now it seems to have been fixed.

After losing 7 lbs on 6 days of Mary's mini, I started MWL on 3-26. I have lost another 2 lbs, but had a bad day yesterday, although I didn't eat a ton of anything, it was someone's birthday at work & lots of goodies. But I weighed in this am & I stayed the same so maybe I will be okay. I hate how I feel when I eat crap & then I end up not eating a proper dinner & wake up the next day feeling not so good. So, I am going back on Mary's mini for the weekend, I think I will alternate MWL with Mary's Mini for a while. I have to watch my BP on MM, it drops a little too low but for a few days it should be okay.


I am really enjoying reading posts by all of you guys, everyone is so positvie & supportive. Good, bad or ugly. We just have to pick ourselves up & go on.

I just got Esselstyn's book so am enjoying reading that. What an eye opener. I see some recipes that I want to try as well. I bought some Balsamic vinegar, generally, I can't eat vinegar, but will try that. I want to try the 321 salad dressing. I hope I dont start itching with it. That is what happens when I eat other vinegars. I am not much of a cook, it is so easy to pop a potato into the microwave, along with some veggies. But I want to try some new recipes as well.

Hope everyone has a great week!!!!!

[ZenJen]

Hi, new to the boards- but not new to MWL. I'd love to join in if y'all will have me.

Jen

[txveggie]

janluvs2heel-why not try the dressing with lemon or lime juice if vinegar is an issue?

I did well today, we went out to a buffet and I stayed on program, salad with ff dressing, cooked veggies and a baked potato with fruit for dessert. It was a little sad though, so many unhealthy looking people eating plates of fried shrimp and fish, desserts and drinking cokes one after another.

[rotemmay]

PS No time to work out today, and pouring rain, so tonight I did a Walk At Home DVD for the first time. I really likes it - it was called Walk This Way, and was a two mile walk.

_________________

Laura, I discovered Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home DVDs several months ago and I adore them! I have Walk and Firm, which is about a 2 mile brisk walk integrated with stretching exercises (it comes with a band) that I did today and love. Recently, I got a 3 Fast Miles walk that comes with a stretch belt at Walmart which I alternate with the Walk and Firm DVD. If it hadn't been for these DVDs, I know I would have gained three times as much weight as I did in the past year!

Tam

[LauraA]

Hi everyone - Please go to Introductions of MWL Group Members thread that I started and tell us about yourselves. Tell us as much or as little as you would like to share. I'm going to use that thread to remember who's who on our MWL thread. Take care, LauraA

[LauraA]

PS No time to work out today, and pouring rain, so tonight I did a Walk At Home DVD for the first time. I really likes it - it was called Walk This Way, and was a two mile walk.

_________________

Laura, I discovered Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home DVDs several months ago and I adore them! I have Walk and Firm, which is about a 2 mile brisk walk integrated with stretching exercises (it comes with a band) that I did today and love. Recently, I got a 3 Fast Miles walk that comes with a stretch belt at Walmart which I alternate with the Walk and Firm DVD. If it hadn't been for these DVDs, I know I would have gained three times as much weight as I did in the past year!
I heard about the DVD'a somewhere on the McDougall board, and I ordered one a few weeks ago. Last night was my first time using it, and I loved it! I'm planning to order one or two 3 mile ones. Take care, LauraA

Tam

[LauraA]

PS No time to work out today, and pouring rain, so tonight I did a Walk At Home DVD for the first time. I really likes it - it was called Walk This Way, and was a two mile walk.

_________________

Laura, I discovered Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home DVDs several months ago and I adore them! I have Walk and Firm, which is about a 2 mile brisk walk integrated with stretching exercises (it comes with a band) that I did today and love. Recently, I got a 3 Fast Miles walk that comes with a stretch belt at Walmart which I alternate with the Walk and Firm DVD. If it hadn't been for these DVDs, I know I would have gained three times as much weight as I did in the past year!
I heard about the DVD'a somewhere on the McDougall board, and I ordered one a few weeks ago. Last night was my first time using it, and I loved it! I'm planning to order one or two 3 mile ones. Take care, LauraA

Tam

I read about these DVD's on the McDougall board somwhere, and bought this one about a month ago. This was the first time that I've used it, and i really liked it. I'd like to order a couple more of them to have on hand. Take care, LauraA

[mairead11]

ZenJen, delighted to have you join us! There's always room for more in this group! Jump right in.

txveggie, congratulations on doing so well with the buffet! And how wonderful the buffet even had veggies with no oil on them, that you could eat within MWL!


This morning, I'm up early, and have my potatoes baking in the oven—this supply should last for the next few days. I will make another big batch of MWL hummus too. After that, I'm going to take stock of what I have in the freezer and cupboards to see what "winter foods" need to be used up as spring is slowly approaching. The lentil/butternut squash soup was a big hit this week, so I may have to duplicate that. I had baked tofu and slice of bread last night night at dinner, so I'm taking the time today to get prepared. That makes all the difference for me. I need to make sure there is so much food prepared, that it would be a waste to eat out, or make anything different. I'm so much more successful when I don't have to think—just grab what's already made. And I love it. And I feel good after it. And I do much better on Thursdays!!

Have a great weekend everyone!
Mairead

[janluvs2heel]

Txveggie-I just dont like lemon juice. I might be able to tolerate lime juice though, I will pick a few up.

Saw this on another list I was on a while ago, thought it gave some great motivation for when we dont do as well as we would like. Even tough I am trying to not focus so much on what the scale says, there are times when you weigh yourself, & the scale just doesn't change much or even goes up. It can be discouragin.

"So I did not do anything different in the last week and even burned a lot of calories during my workout and still I GAINED 2 POUNDS! Why? Because our bodies are strange and some weeks they respond to all our hard work by giving us mental challenges - we gain weight. This is normal and you need to roll with the punches when you strangely gain weight during certain weeks. Just stay positive and keep moving! Your earn your success by creating habits that last a lifetime, not by how much weight you lose from week to week."

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I am off to train some dogs.

[LauraA]

Letha-Thanks again, so much, for posting our loses and all of the related information. You are amazing! If you ever tire of that job, just let us know, and someone else can try. You're way beyond my abilities with the computer now, so it shouldn't be me!
Thanks to so many of you for posting on our introduction thread. It is really interesting. We seem to have a group history of some compulsive eating and of going on and off of many diets and plans. I'm convinced that the trick will be to stick with MWL with support for a very long time - sort of like people stick with AA. I've been adding nuts in, and the idea was to add "just a few." That's not working out, so it's back to strict adherence to the plan. I was allowing a few treat foods so that I wasn't too compulsive about MWL, (I'm an all or nothing type person) but I've abused that privilege, so no more!!
Anyway, I hope that everyone is having a great weekend. It is beautiful here, and I just went on an hour bike ride with a neighbor. Take care, LauraA