How do you make yourself believe you can do this???

[Faith in DC]

I think there is many pieces to the puzzle. I know those that do the best have a very compelling reason - it's easy to choose McD when the other option is early death.

Like the other educating myself, and preparing ahead help me.

I also like to focus on what I CAN have and not what I can't.

I remind myself, nobody else is controlling my mouth and what my arm picks up and puts in it but me.

Keep making those good choices and keep searching for the most compelling reason you can to do this. What's going to become of you in five years, ten years or 25 years if you decide to not Mcdougall? If you are gaining, you'll keep on, and what will happen to you then? If you are having health problems they'll only get worse, will it mean premature death? What happens to the family then?

I know the above sound morbid. It's a process of Tony Robbins. When I did this process I really put myself into the situation and I cried and cried. I was motivated to turn that around to a positive five, ten and 25 years later.

[SactoBob]

Hi Daleha,
My perspective is that you will believe that you can do this when you are doing it and seeing how simple it is. It is easy to do once you have new habits - it is breaking the old habits that is hard.

Motivation IMO is important but not the key to whether you will succeed or not. Everybody is motivated to improve their health, but few do anything significant to do it. You do need determination to get through the first few weeks, until it becomes easy.

You will find that your motivation and will power vary quite a bit depending on how you feel, so you can't rely on this "feeling" or you will fail when the positive feeling goes away. You need things that will work in the times when your motivation has faded, and luckily, there are such things. Several have been mentioned above.

So you don't need much will power to succeed, but there are some things you do need:

- You need to know the nuts and bolts of what to eat. That is not too hard - whole plant foods of low fat and low calorie density is pretty much it. No meat, no dairy, no oil.

- You need too know where to buy the food and how to cook it. I like the cookbook contained in Dr. Esselstyn's book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. There are many cookbooks available , and most have their advocates.

- You need to find recipes that you at least like, if not love. Otherwise, you will soon be back to your SAD favorites. And you need to make plenty of it so that you are never hungry at the outset. Otherwise, you gravitate right back to the SAD favorites. You also need something that is fast and tasty. I like Dr. E's chili for this. There will be times when are tired and want something fast and easy. I would not worry about starting in earnest until you have a battery of recipes you like.

- You need to know how to read food labels - Jeff Novick has a dvd on this subject. Regardless of what you may think, you do not know how to read food labels if you have not studied Jeff's approach. Of course, try to minimize food that requires labels - eating whole plant food that needs no label is best. Learn the principles of calorie density which Jeff discusses in his forum. He has a dvd on this subject as well.

-You need to know what you are up against, and what strategies will work to get you over the obstacles. Doug Lisles's DVDs (sold here) are great for that. Without this knowledge, you many give up when at first the new foods don't taste that great, and you are craving the old foods. You need to know that the cravings will fade in a short time, and that your withdrawal symptoms do not indicate that the new diet is wrong for you.

-As discussed above, the main thing you need is a plan. A good plan is a great replacement for motivation and/or will power. If you plan for good meals and snacks that you like, and prepare them, and eat to satisfaction, you are most of the way there.

-You need to know that nothing can stop you from succeeding on this plan. If you do it right you won't need a scale to know that you are getting better because it will be totally obvious to you and everybody who sees you. Everybody who does this plan correctly gets better and gets to a healthy weight. You don't have to go hungry, and can eat all you want. You can only stop yourself.

- Some practical tools that work - a Bento Box if you need lunch away from home. A rice cooker with a timer is a great tool. I have a second rice cooker that I use as a steamer.

Finally, don't get down on yourself if you make some mistakes at first. Just about everybody makes some type of mistake with planning or label reading or . . . As part of your plan, be sure that you approach the mistakes as something that you can and will fix, and not an indication that you can't do this. If you are willing to put the time in to plan to succeed, you will.

[SactoBob]

Deb-
I think that the reference is to what I have for lunch very often.

The problem with lowering calorie density is that it often doesn't taste very good. Eating a lot of greens is tough because they are bitter usually. I found that if I used lime juice for a dressing and cut up Japanese Sweet Potatoes into small chunks, that it was a delicious blend that was still very low calorie density.

The flavor of sweet potatoes and the tang of the lime enabled me to eat mass quantities of green and green and yellow vegetables. The more of those you eat, the more you lower your calorie density.

So, if you had a salad like that and ate it instead of dried cereal with soy milk, you would be radically lowering the calorie density. I find that when I start going up in calorie density with things like that and breads, I gain weight. When I eat lots of green and yellow veggies in the salad I lose weight. I would call myself a volume eater, and find it very easy to put on more weight than I want, even with a McDougall diet that only leans towards MWL (not really fat, but more than I want). I have to eat very close to MWL to keep a good weight.

Of course, if I went back to SAD again, I would be obese again. I think that a salad per day like this can help - or any way that you find to get down lots and lots of green and yellow vegetables.

[MasserLMC]

I agree with MaryW on education. I read the books & watch the dvds. I also like to read the star McDougallers. They are a great inspiration. I also agree with the planning. Being of Asian desent, I am addicted to kimchi. I make my own so that I know what is in it. It is easy & I keep a big jar in the fridge. Kimchi & rice is my breakfast of choice. I also keep a BIG pot of my veggie soup in the frideg. It is thick & yummy-full of all kinds of veggies. I never get tired of it. I have slip ups-but pick yourself up-dust yourself off- & go for it.

[Darleha]

Some really good advice here, and I really appreciate that you've shared your experiences with me! That, in itself, is inspiring and making me want to do this even more! I'm really struggling with my cravings for sweets more than anything. Yesterday, well, I really don't want to recount how bad it got! What does everyone find works best with sweets? To eliminate them all together or find "legal" substitutes?

When I did the 21-Day Vegan Kickoff there was a wonderful sweet potato pudding recipe that I modified a bit and made with oatmeal, sweet potato, unsweetened almond milk, cinnamon, and agave nectar. Would this be "legal" (I'm not sure about the almond milk or agave nectar)?

[SactoBob]

Deb-
It probably depends on the type of yams or sweet potatoes that you use. I don't have any experience or advice to offer on the problems you are having with your yams. Maybe somebody else here can help.

Did you microwave them? The ones I use do not like high cook levels on the microwave, and I never use the microwave to cook them initially (may work - just haven't tried it). We de-skin them and cut them into fairly small pieces - bite size.

If you can find an oriental food store or health food store (Whole Foods has them usually) you should try the Japanese Sweet Potatoes. They have a skin with a purplish tint. We cook them at 380 degrees in a convection oven for 1 hour and twenty minutes. They are perfect, and keep for days in the refrigerator. If we reheat them, it is usually 1 to 2 minutes at very low microwave level (or else they dry out).

Maybe some other posters can give you some tips if you prefer traditional yams. But as you have seen, these can make a salad very tasty. And your body is going to love you for substituting a whole plant food like yams for processed high calorie density foods like soy milk and dried cereal. It shouldn't be a hard change to make at all. As you see, it is quite tasty, and as you get used to it, it gets better. You could also try balsamic vinegar in place of the lime juice - a bit different flavor. You could have this every day in place of the dry cereal snack. Try to see how many green and yellow veggies you can consume in this way.

I think that the Japanese Sweet Potatoes are bit more expensive, but I really feel that cost is no object on this diet. I am saving so much money because I take no meds any more and rarely eat out anymore and don't need frequent medical appointments any more. So I am happy to treat myself to the tasty healthy foods that I love. I use the same rationale for why I have two fancy rice cookers.

[Faith in DC]

Bob is right on cooking them in an oven, higher heat. My normal sweet taters/yams always are moist and soooo sweet.

On sweet cravings, frankly the only thing I've found is to abstain from them. As soon as I celebrate and have cake or a cookie, first off it makes me feel sick now, and second it sets off the craving that lasts for a couple weeks or more. I use to be a major candy and cookie monster. The only thing I may consume a few times a year is a small square of dark chocolate with a cacao level of over 70%. I am still working on the bar I bought two years ago. It should make it to fall. That is how often I eat it.

You can make it without sweets. Each day gets easier. The desserts for special occasions is fine, but it won't help if you want to lose weight. McD does allow a sprinkle of sugar on oatmeal and stuff if that helps. It may keep that addiction alive though.

[SactoBob]

Deb -
I don't think that you want to cut them up before cooking. That will expose the insides to the drying effect of the oven, so that could be the problem. Again, I defer to the good cooks here.

Re the cereal, the only thing that I know is that you have been stable for quite some time at quite too heavy, so something is going on. You cannot accomplish that doing MWL correctly. It just isn't possible, so there is a clear problem somewhere. You just can't eat MWL and maintain fifty pounds overweight. It could be the cereal, it could be eating out, it could be something else, it could be underestimating the damage of your cheats, but there is without question a problem somewhere.

You could try logging your food and perhaps Jeff or me or somebody else would spot the problem. But maintaining at 50 overweight, there is a clear problem that should be easy to spot.

[SactoBob]

Deb,
I usually read your posts since your are a fellow N. Californian, and I did take your suggestion to again read your journal. I have some thoughts, and wondered whether I should post them, and thought I would. Maybe they will help you or maybe somebody else. You seem motivated to help others and are dedicated to becoming the "after" Deb. You also seem more interested in success than in being defensive, and I think that could work for you.

Obviously, I don't know you so can only throw out some ideas. You are really dedicated to this lifestyle, but have not been able to actually do it. From reading your journal, it seems that you have been stuck at too heavy of a weight for a long time. You have continued to try, continued to learn, and have not given up. You are also open about discussing and documenting your difficulties - all admirable traits that can work for you. You seem to know what you need to do, but can't do it.

Well, here is my thought. In an earlier thread you asked about the "transition" that I often talk about, and remember so well. It is that very unpleasant time when your body acclimates to this new food and the absence of the old food. Once you are through transition, it is pretty easy, since you lose the cravings.

I would question whether all these sick feelings that lead to going off plan and binging are not simply the unpleasant symptoms of transition that you are mistaking for a serious medical problem or some personal inadequacy. The shakiness and sick feeling you get sounds just like what I had - flu like symptoms in fact. I felt sick like that for at least a couple weeks with one strange symptom or another. I can't find any period of time in your journal where it appeared that you ate completely on plan for the 30-90 days that it might take to get through the transition.

I can easily see how you might feel that, from a medical perspective, you might need a bit of that old food. That was how I felt, although I could not because of my serious health problems. But at times, I really questioned whether I could follow this program long term. Of course, once through the first month or two, it was no problem. But during that first month or two, I felt emotionally that I could not go on, and might not have gone on but for my family.

The reason I think that this could be the case (besides no long period of complete compliance) is that you seem to get really strong symptoms from the food change, and have a history of actually passing out, or what you perceived so, from missing a meal.

Jeff assures us that no harm can come to us from either following the plan 100%, or from skipping a single meal. So my guess would be that the answer has to either be transition symptoms or some emotional component or a combination. If you think it could be emotional, you might want to see Doug Lisle. He is in Northern Cal. and might even be able to see you in Sacramento. If you were punished as a child by being sent to your room without supper, or were fed as a baby on a too infrequent schedule, or something like that, I could see a real emotional component.

If it is just transition symptoms, I sympathize. Although we know that we can't be harmed by a healthy diet, that is not how it feels during transition. Our bodies scream that we are harming ourselves. For that, I just watched a Doug Lisle dvd each day. He seems so correct and reassuring. But if he were there in person, I might have belted him (good thing I didn't - he is a martial arts guy). But if it is transition symptoms that you are feeling, you just have to be confident that you cannot be harmed by instituting a healthy diet, and you can't be harmed by abstaining from bad foods. The rest is just suffering.

Do you have The Pleasure Trap? Once you give in, you basically have to start over again to get through the transition symptoms. I am not sure that you have ever gotten through this period. Once you get through, you forget the pain. But while you are in the pain, at least in my case, it can be pretty bad and pretty tempting to eat a treat.

I made up my mind to plan carefully each day and stuff myself with ridiculous amounts of good food. I knew that if I was feeling a need to binge, it was a craving and not hunger, because I was so stuffed I could hardly eat. I had no excuse and could safely ignore my dramatic symptoms. Yet I still felt that hunger for, say, a cookie, or my favorite chocolate dry cereal (supposedly healthy).

Anyhow, I hope that you will continue trying and not giving up, and that you will succeed. You are probably only 30 days away from being past all those craving issues. If you think that emotional issues could be involved, I would check with Dr. Lisle - or even just to be sure that there are no emotional issues. I think his office is in Santa Rosa. I doubt it would take too many visits, and would be worth it.

Best of luck. If you needed any help with recipes or such, I and I am sure my wife would be glad to help. There is just no reason for you not to succeed when you want it so bad.

[debable]

Bob, I just wanted you to know that you helped a different Debbie, much farther north I always read your posts and find them helpful.

[kirstykay]

Bob,

I found your post extremely helpful and motivating. I am currently 12 days into the "transition," and am clinging to what you have said here and other places that it is simply impossible to NOT succeed with 100% compliance...that we HAVE to lose weight when we do it all out. Resisting the cravings is a lot easier when I know that if I don't, I'll have to start all over again! So, I'm done starting over. Your insights and wisdom are extremely helpful; thanks for sharing your experience to help us all believe it's possible.

And Deb, thanks for being honest and vulnerable with your journey. We'll get there, I know it!

Kirsty

[Nettie]

I still have not been compliant a single day since deciding McDougall and MWL would be good for me. I think the problem is that I don't believe I can. How do you get past that hurdle?

Go to http://www.ravediet.com and buy the DVD. It's a mind- and heart-changer!

You've gotten some excellent advice here from folks who have been/are in the trenches.

Trust that the program will work - even for you! But it only works if you work it.

Plan on stuffing yourself in the beginning with your favorite starch, e.g., potatoes, brown rice, whatever you love. Don't eat anything you hate because you think you have to.

Make a plan, set a date, have all your legal food bought and in the house, and none of the bad stuff around. Don't waver, don't permit yourself to be around tempting food (i.e., eat only what you have bought, don't eat out), and set a goal of 21 days compliance. Tell yourself you can go back to the fatty foods at the end of the 21 days if you decide you want to. (You won't want to, but tell yourself this change is only temporary and that you don't have to do it forever. ) You can do anything for 21 days.

Nettie