Home from the 10 day program and I'm craving

[Chefanie]

I've been home five days after doing the 10 day program in Santa Rosa.

Today has been all about the food cravings. When I got home I set myself up with a house full of McDougall food choices. I cooked for the freezer, made a pot of soup, some wheat and fat free bread (mine tastes better) and soy based salad dressing. My husband and I (he's even more dedicated than I am) have been doing very well and enjoying our meals. Today, however I feel like I'm sliding.

I had given up dairy and coffee. Just for a while, to see what happens. I had a non-fat latte today. I've got no guilt about it and it will be a few days before I have another, but I am really craving meat and fat.

I know that one meal does not a program break. I also reconize that I need to treat myself occasionally or I'll go off the program.

It seems to be that I'm afraid that once I start I won't be able to stop. Its easy to take off running once I give my self permission... if you know what I mean.

Any thoughts on how you handle this would be nice to hear.

[Vegankit]

Personally, I find it easier to not cheat, ever. Cheating brings back and maintains those cravings allowing them to eat away at your resolve. If you never eat that crap again your taste buds change, you lose the craving and you forget about that food. When some time has passed and you taste it again it doesn't taste the same and you may wonder what you even liked about it.

Find other ways to treat yourself instead of junk food. There is little nutrition in a non=fat latte - and can you even be certain it was completely fat free?

Did you not have a talk about the Pleasure Trap when you were there? That would help you.

[Chefanie]

Yes, the pleasure trap was a subject I spent time on. The lectures were good and I also watched the Pleasure Trap CD. It really did help. I guess I'm just going to have to work on finding other foods to crave. I've got some whole wheat pizza dough in the freezer. I'm going to wait until my husband is home though. I can eat the whole thing myself.

[amyla51]

Chefanie- Was your experience in SR your first adventure into meatless/dairy free foods? if so, give yourself time to get used to it. I agree with Vegankit, though; if you want to "cheat", do it with something that is not MWL, like vegan pizza, or make some pasta with marinara. Don't go back to eating meat. Now that you have heard the lectures from Dr. McD, Jeff and Doug, you know how damaging animal products are to your body. Once you break away, you don't want to go down that road again...ever.

My hubby and I stopped eating meat 15 years ago, but still ate fish and dairy, until I went to the 10 day program in January this year. After learning what food does to your body, and seeing my good lab results, I am convinced. Now, on the weekends, I sometimes make a whole wheat veggie pizza with no cheese, or make hummus to have with Mary's Gone Crackers, if I feel the craving for cheese.

Remember, this is a STARCH based diet. Use Mary McD's trick and make some of her steamed red potatoes to have with the black bean dip when the cravings strike. Those have saved me many times!

Good luck! You have the power and the knowledge....you can do it!

Amy in NH

[MaryW]

I agree with what others have said. It's better to cut out those foods (meat, dairy, fat) and suffer through a few days (or weeks) of cravings. If you give in and have "just a taste" you keep those cravings active. And you will continue to want those foods. Yes, cravings suck. But it's better to get past them now rather than fight them for the next 10 years.

What's the best way to get over cravings? One thing that has worked for many of us here is to STUFF yourself with on-plan foods. Pick your starch of choice and eat to fill that void. Craving chocolate? eat a potato! Craving ice cream? eat a potato! Craving a hamburger? eat a potato! When you are full of potatoes (or rice, whatever) you might still CRAVE that trigger food, but you couldn't possible fit anything else in your stomach. Eventually, you won't crave those trigger foods much anymore, and you won't have to stuff yourself with on-plan foods.

Also, I've never been able to understand the "treat yourself" philosophy. I have problems with binge eating. I can't eat a handful of m&ms. I have to eat the whole bag. or the whole bag of chips. Or the whole can of almonds. And when I eat the off-plan food--even a taste--I turn into the human vacuum cleaner and eat everything in sight. So it's just better for me to stay away from those foods all together.

[Chefanie]

Yes, I have never, ever... did I say never.. yes, never ever considered going meatless, let alone dairy free (no Latte's! no Cheese?). These are foods I dearly love. Did I mention that I'm a pastry chef? food has been my life in many ways. Now I'm having to create a new life for myself from a very base level.

I don't have a problem with binge eating. I am good with a few bites of something. Where I think I get into trouble is having a few bites of something every day.

I should mention that I've lost about 25 pound prior to going to McDougall but had plato'd. The most important thing is that my blood pressure did not decrease as much during that 25 lb weight loss as it did in the first week at McDougall's.

I'm not going to give up working this program. I see and feel the benefits. I am not convienced that I can't ever have these things again. I'm sure that this keeps the cravings strong. I don't knowif I'll ever get to the point that vegan is my chosen lifestyle. But then, its all about today and not the rest of my life (cause I live in today, not in tomorrow).

I am going to concentrate on taking it one meal at a time, one day at a time.. I've have started planning my meals for the next day.

Tomorrow, Saturday, my breakfast will be oatmeal with an apple, lunch is going to be two vegitarian buritos that I made and are in my freezer. Saturday evening, unless my husband cooks dinner I'm going to make the McVeggie Burger with brown rice. I'm going to make some whole wheat hamburger buns when I get home from work. I'll freeze the burger with the bun so I can just take one out and put it in my lunch for work. Morning snack will be an Orange, afternoon snack will be some popcorn with nutritional yeast and garlic powder.

It makes me feel good to have a plan.

Thank you for all your support and words of incouragement. I'm glad I'm here!

Stephanie

[janluvs2heel]

While I agree that it is better not to go off plan at all, when I am really going thru those cravings, it sometimes works to eat what it is I want. It helps remind me, first, it doesn't taste as good as I remember & 2nd, how I feel after I have eaten it. Not just in my head, feeling guilty, but physically, the McDougall revenge or just the heartburn, etc. My problem is if I go off, it tends to be for a few days instead of say one meal or one day.
I have just recently worked thru more than a few days of eating off McDougall. Instead of fighting with myself, I started making the McD foods & eating them first, then if I still wanted something, I could have it, but found I either didn't want it or I found that I could eat less. As each day went by, I wanted less of the bad stuff & more & more of the McD stuff.
Yesterday when I was talking to my daughter, I told her I had done 2 things different this time, first was I take a baggie of baby carrots to snack on about an hour before lunch when I am working, by the time it is lunch time, my appetite is barely there. 2ndly, I have repalced my usual russets with sweet potatoes/yams. I found I tended to not be as full with the russets, but the sweet potatoes/yams, they seem to fill me up & keep the cravings at bay. So far I am at day 8 & am having no cravings & no hunger. A big change for me. I am hoping the longer I stay away from the meat, dairy, etc. that the easier it gets, as most on this forum report. I am leary as I dont trust myself, I have been down this path before so we'll see. But now I am taking it one day at a time. I have to believe I can do it, once I get past 21 days, I think I will be well on my way.

[MaryW]

i can't give up lattes either! That's what soy milk is for. : )

[Chefanie]

You know, I have never tried soy milk. I bought a box of rice milk but have not opened it. I also bought a box of Chocolate Almond Milk... my husband opened it and deemed it good!. He puts it on his oatmeal. Says it tastes like Chocolate Malto meal from his childhood.

Today I am making more bread. This time I'm using a recipe for 100% all whole wheat flour. I've left out the oil and replaced sugar with agave. I think it will be good. I'm also going to make the McVeggie burger for dinner. Some of the bread dough will turn into hamburger buns.

[amyla51]

Chefanie- You are a pasty chef? Now I REALLY feel sorry for you!! At least at my house I was able to get rid of all the fats (oils, butter, Crisco). I forgot something else I bet you had at the 10 day. Did you have the peanut sauce over sweet potatoes? When I commented that is was "to die for.." Jeff Novick corrected me and said "No, it's to LIVE for". Anyway, I keep a jar of that on hand and drizzle it over steamed veggies occasionally. (It can be addictive, so I am careful). Use the recipes and meal plans you were given out there. For me it was so helpful to find out the WHY of everything. After hearing all the lectures, I know my DH and I will NEVER eat animal products again. Get in the habit, and it will get easier. Now, I want to know how to make the whole wheat buns and bread. I love to make bread, by was always put off by the stickiness of ww dough. Any tips or recipes you can share?

Debbie- Which recipes did you want? I will find the hummus and put it on here, but from memory I can give you the bean dip, which is MWL anyway (hummus is not). Bean Dip is: one can black beans, drained and rinsed, 1/2 jar salsa. Put in a food processor and mix. It is a great dip with steamed red potatoes, cut into quarters and chilled. I steam my red potatoes whole in a steamer (actually the steamer part of my rice cooker). Depending on the size, I check them with a cake tester after about 20 minutes. When they are still a tiny bit crunchy on the inside, I turn off the burner and let them sit for a few minutes, then take them off and let them cool. I make up a bunch for the week and put them in the frig. Yummo!

Amy in NH

[slugmom]

Amy, is the recipe for that peanut sauce you mention somewhere here? Can you point me to it?

[petero]

You know, I have never tried soy milk. I bought a box of rice milk but have not opened it.

Open it! Rice milk is the tastiest, most seductive thing ever invented by humanity.

Enjoy and good luck,
Peter

[jada135]

for the people who love all these different milks i been studying the ingredients in them and in almost all commercial soy milk it has a additive called carregeennan which is like msg its a encitotoxin and its very dangerous they use this as a thickener even though we all look for helathier choices commercial foods are lousy check the labels and if you cant read a word it just might not be good for you ill give you a list of ingredients tomorrow you should stay away from but right now research careegenan because when the planes are frozen from the weather they use careegeenan to melt it away just trying to help even though im new here

[petero]

They can also be high in sugar and/or fat. I just checked Rice Dream
http://www.tastethedream.com/products/p ... 58/202.php
and it contains oil, which would mean it's not allowed on the program even as a condiment.

[eaufraiche703]

Here's Mary's rice milk recipe:

Rice milk recipe:

Blend 1 cup of cooked whole grain (brown) rice with 4 cups of water in an electric blender. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla for flavor (optional). Filter through strainer to remove coarse rice husks.

Good luck, Chefanie! You can do this!