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Hi there.

Newbie here. I need to post an introduction in the Newbie forum, but the wife and me are headed out to get groceries to get started on this program tomorrow morning.

We printed the recipes and are making a shopping list from the 12 Day Free program. But, I've been reading about the MWL program, and need some help in determining the main differences between the two programs.

We're currently on Weight Watchers since January 2011. My wife, aged 33, has lost 76 lbs. I'm aged 39, and have lost 68 lbs. She has 15 more lbs to go to goal and I have...I don't know...another 70. We're both on plateaus and want to get rolling again. I was lead here through reading "The China Study". Anyway, I'll save that for my Newbie post, but really want some help determining the main differences between the Free 12 Day Program and the MWL program.

Thanks,
Scott

ps- I've ordered the Starch Solution from Amazon and can't wait to read it!

There is a thread at the top of the forum with all the "rules" of MWL, but here is my take on it in a nutshell:

Regular McDougall-- a low-fat, plant-based diet that includes veggies, fruits (around 3 per day), whole intact grains (ie. rice, quinoa etc.), beans (up to 1 cup per day), starchy veggies (ie. potatoes, yams etc.), whole grain flours, limited dried fruit, some use of simple sugars, limited whole food fats (ie. 1 oz of nuts per day). So, on regular McDougall, a sandwich made with whole wheat bread, or a whole grain cereal like shredded wheat and fat free soymilk would potentially be acceptable. The downside for many people on this program is that the foods can be too calorically dense if they tend to eat mostly flour products, dried fruit, fats etc. and some don't lose all the weight they'd like to. Others are very successful on it and find the food satisfying.

MWL- a low-fat, plant based diet that includes *only* whole, intact low-fat plant foods (ie. no nuts/seeds) in their most unprocessed form. So, lots of veggies, fruits (limited to 2 servings), beans (1 cup per day), and unlimited intact whole grains and starchy veggies. No plant milks, flour products, simple sugars, dried fruit, blended foods, juices etc.. Also, if you want to push your weight to the lowest end of your "set-point", you can adjust the caloric density of your diet down by eating up to 50% of your meals (by volume) in the form of non-starchy veggies, and then satisfying the hunger drive with the other 50% of your meal being starch. Jeff's DVD on calorie density is very helpful in understanding these concepts.

Hope that helps!
lfwfv

Thank you, lfwfv.

I'll need to check that DVD out.

EDITED: So, I am safe to assume that the 12 Day Free Program is NOT the MWL program. But, it could be modified to qualify to be the MWL.

Thanks again,
Scott

Yes, Scott, MWL is a modification of the free program (which is the main program). This is my favorite link explaining MWL: (It's in the sticky topics at the top of this page)
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/ ... ushing.htm

I did mostly MWL, but I never felt guilty or anything when I had, let's say, a piece of whole wheat toast. It is not "all or nothing," it's just that when one is impatient to lose, it's nice to know a method that is very effective. I still eat MWL about 3 weeks out of 4, and if I don't, I will watch my weight creep up a few pounds, and I don't want that. My appetite seems to go in waves--1 or 2 weeks of eating more bread or dried fruits (so, the 12-day program), a slight gain, 2 or 3 weeks of having less of an appetite (so, the MWL program), and I lose it again. Works for me.

Thanks for sharing, Frozenveg! I think hearing the experiences of folks like you who have lived this way for a while will really help us (the wife and I) figure out what we need to tweak to get our weight loss kick started.

Thanks for sharing!

Scott

Scott
Both you and your wife have done extremely well on losing weight. As someone who has dropped 70 lbs, I know mine did slow down and I am still chasing my goal.

Keeping control over my food is one way I continue to lose weight. Eating out almost always has me gain some. I keep things simple.

Also one thing I don't believe you mentioned is exercise. How much do you both get? It's so nice you both are on this journey, you can work together to get the weight rolling again. I walk with a neighbor and it keeps me walking more often than if I was solo. I also do yoga which incorporates some strength training in it. I do lawn and garden work too. Would increasing your activity level help?

Thank you, Faith. We have done pretty well together and it is true- we keep each other honest! We're both into taking our health as a family to a deeper level beyond what they've taught us in Weight Watchers. For one thing, they say to get in three servings of dairy a day as well as two servings of "healthy" oil every day. With all the information we've recently discovered studying Dr. McDougall, we will move away from Weight Watchers. (Although, we do like the meetings for the social aspect and for the support we receive from people walking the same journey that we are).

Anyway, short story long, to answer your question about exercise. She exercises more than I do. In fact, she gets up every weekday at 5 a.m. (and I do at least three times during the work week, too!) and does pilates, kettlebells, Zumba on the Wii, etc. Also, on the weekends we try to walk or hike somewhere or we like ot ride our bikes on the C&O.

A challenge with outdoor activity and MS people is heat. Heat won't make the illness any worse, but heat does make them zapped of energy and just not feeling good. We're hoping that the extreme weight loss will help mitigate that. I'm also hoping that concentrating on McDougall WOE will help overcome the MS.

Good for her on all that exercise. It makes a difference. I hope between the diet and all the weight she has lost that the MS will be better and that she'll tolerate the heat better. I found I did better in the summer than I use to.

Are you Canadian?

No, why do you ask? Funny that you say that, I grew up in Michigan, very, very close to Canada. I've been accused of being Canadian before.