MWL 100% 12 week challenge

[amyla51]

I am starting this thread to see if anyone else wants to do a total MWL for 12 weeks. Debable has already started (Yeah, Deb! )
From now til the end of March, we will do totally MWL and see what happens, to our weight AND our overall health.
If you're not sure what the MWL Program is, here are the guidleines again:
1. Eliminate all animal foods, including diary and eggs.
2. Eliminate all oils.
3. Eliminate all high-fat plant foods (including nuts, seeds, seed and nut spreads and tofu)
4. Eliminate all flour products, including breads, pastas, crackers
5.Eat whole grains and potatoes, including sweet potatoes
6. Eat legumes
7. Make green and yellow veggies one third to one-half of your meal
8. Eat uncooked foods
9. Restrict fruits to no more than 2 raw fruits daily- avoid fruit juices, dried fruit and purees
10. Use simple sugars sparingly
(McDougall, (1994),The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss, pages 60-65.)

I suggest that we share our daily meal plans and help each other stay 100% compliant, or as close as possible.

If there is not much interest in this, I'll stop posting. But my hunch is that there are many like me, who have been trying, but need an added incentive. I like to think of it as "MWL Hardcore"

If you want to join us here, please do. It will be fun to share. I'll post something later about exercise, because that's important too. But this is enough for now.

Amy

[amyla51]

So, I will start with my Day 1:

Breakfast: oatmeal with blueberries and cinnamon, hash browns

Lunch: veggie sushi with brown rice

Snacks: apple, carrots

Dinner: Paul's Two Cup Veggie Soup
(find recipe on http://www.mcdougalltalk.com under Recipes w/ photos )

So far, so good!

Namaste,
Amy

[debable]

Day 13 for me.
B: mixed grain hot cereal,apple,cinnamon
L: small salad,321 dressing,beans and rice,
S: rice cakes
D:small salad,veggie stir fry,rice

So far, so good. Today was a hungry day. I just started with the salad because I felt I needed more raw.I wonder if it is lowering my calorie density too much? I think I will need a bedtime snack as well. I will keep up the salad for a couple of more days and if I still feel hunger too often I will go back to eating mostly cooked. Now that I think about it I eat more food total with cooked veg because they shrink in volume as they cook. hmmm interesting.

[deelightful]

Ok, I can do this... Starting TOMORROW! Laugh... Really, I'm up for it

[Dechen]

Ok I am in. I will still weigh in on the other thread for the Friday Weigh-In. I think it may be good if we all did perhaps with a note after our loss like...100%MWL But debbie will have to decide on that since she does the collating and it should be her choice.
What do you think debbie?

B: Cinnamon Oatmeal and banana
L: Steamed rice & kale and chickpea & wholegrain mustard sauce
D: Rice, green bean & bell pepper salad with red kidney beans,
red lentil & chili sauce, cabbage;

[amyla51]

I like the idea of putting our weights in with the group totals and stating 100%MWL, or whatever. It might be encouraging to others who are not staying so compliant to MWL to see our results. (Yes, I am being optimistic!)

On the idea of being hungry and eating a lot of raw veggies: I think it's really important that we eat enough and not feel deprived. ("Oh, poor me, I am so hungry....maybe just a little peant butter on my celery!") Mary McD. had a really good snack when we were in Santa Rosa: she made steamed whole red bliss potatoes, then cooled them and cut them into 8 wedges each. Then we had them chilled with a variety of dips. A MWL dip that is easy and yummy is: 1 can black beans mixed in the food processor with 1/2 cup salsa. Blend til smooth.....yummy!

Remember, this is a starch-based way of eating, so when you get hungry, eat a potato! (Now when is the last time a diet plan told you that? )

I'm glad to see there are few of us on here. I think it will be fun! It's especially fun to see how healthy we are in 12 weeks!

Amy

[Dechen]

I am aiming high. I want to eat well, feel well and do well with the weight-loss. This May my hubby, who is 15 years younger than I, will be 30...the big 3 O, and I will be damned if I celebrate it feeling fat and frumpy.

The McD diet seems to do wonders for my "chronic pain" and the withdrawal symptoms from the Gabapentin won't last forever.
Sooooo, I may be able to have a little dance and blow rhaspberries at my wheelchair and crutches

...I may even post a photo....hehehehe

[amyla51]

Day 2 (for me):
B- oatmeal with banana and cinnamon, herbal tea

L- Paul's 2 cup soup, carrot sticks and bean dip

D- 3 Bean Chili and rice

Snacks- apple

It doesn't sound like much, so I may have a couple of wedges of cold potatoes (steamed) in bean dip later. I am going to try hard not to eat after 7, thought, as acid reflux is one of my enemies that got conquered in CA, and I don't want it to come back.

how is everyone else today?

Amy, in cold and yucky NH

P.S. Do you Californian's know how lucky you are?? Now I see why it's so crowded!

P.P. S. I like the idea of posting monthly pictures. How do you do it on here?

[Dechen]

I plan on posting pictures monthly.

O that would be awesome if we all could do this on a monthly bases.
Perhaps at the beginning of each month. What a great idea debbie



Christmas 2009. My starting photo.
I know I had started the McD on the 16th of December '09 but it is the most accurate.


This was taken today but It can stand as my One Month picture.

[debable]

Day 14 for me. I am not going to post my menu. I plan my menu for the next day every evening in a notebook and I don't feel like doing it twice.
We had a scary incident with our 7 year old this morning where he had a fever, blacked out and temporarily lost his eyesight.He's fine. They did some tests at emerg. and he is on antibiotics for a urinary tract infection. We just thought he had a virus, he didn't have any urinary symptoms. He is home and, besides a lack of energy, he is back to himself.
I stuck to my food plan for the day and didn't stress eat so I am proud of myself.

[rebecca]

Hi Everyone,
I would like to join you. I think I need something like this challenge to keep me on track. Plus I just bought a bag of sweet potatoes and russets.
Debable so sorry to hear about your son. How scary. I'm glad he is doing better.
Thanks Amy for getting this started. It sounds like you learned a lot from the 10 day. Trust me, I know how lucky I am to live in the golden state!
Tonights dinner
sweet potatoes, green salad w/chickpeas and cabbage

[Sierra]

Count me in! Today's menu:

oatmeal for breakfast,
baked potato, carrots, and banana, for lunch, and dinner, sweet potato, brussel sprouts, and orange.

[rebecca]

Good Morning to all the 100% MWL folks.
Looking forward to a great day. I weighed myself today and my weight has been all over the place. I am a recovering yo-yo dieter so maybe that has something to do with it. ? Just frustrating. Today the scale said 208 lbs. So I'll use that as my starting weight.
B: oatmeal with blueberries, black coffee
L: carrot ginger soup, green salad w/ chick peas, baked fries
D: chili stuffed baked potatoes, green beans
S: apple,baked fries

[Dechen]

I am so sorry to hear about your troubles debable. I hope he will soon be back on his feet.

B: Oatmeal and banana
L: Vegetable and rice stir fry
D: Vegetable biriani and Ethiopian aubergine (eggplant)and lentil stew

[debable]

Thanks guys. My son is feeling much better today and almost back to normal. Back to school tomorrow for him. It is amazing how fast a child bounces back.I can only imagine how well my kids would do on this food plan but hubby is a big meat eater so my first task is to get the rest of them on a clean diet with no processed foods. The only problem with that is I have to bake treats and breads and then I get in to them. But my desire to eat off plan is getting weaker and when I get to a healthy bmi I can have an occasional flour product too. I told my husband the minute his cholesterol or blood sugar goes up he is McDing no ands, ifs or buts. Hopefully I can convert him before that happens. Right now I am cooking meat every second night,veg the other nights and he don't complain. Baby steps.