Discussion Board

I know this should be simple, but I am totally lost. I read the two newsletter articles, but can't figure out how I am suppose to do this. Is it one type of food for each day - such as potatoes all day, or rice, etc.? or once you pick a food is that it? I agree in theory, but can't figure out how to do this. What about veggies and fruits?

Mommylut, the idea is to introduce a limited variety of foods. In other words one starch eaten morning noon and night for the duration of the mini, accompanied with other fruits and vegetables. You do not change the starch day to day. Did you read this article?

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/july/marys2.htm

It has been proven that just limiting the number of options people have to eat will reduce the quantity. I keep yakking about the book "Mindless Eating", but in it he proves that by changing the colors of M and M's from 5 to 7, you can induce people to eat up to 50% more, despite the fact the color does not even change the taste. (My numbers may be a little fuzzy). This simply applies that principle.

The idea is that potatos are pretty complete all in themselves. Hashbrowns for breakfast, baked potato and salad for lunch and mashed potatos for dinner would do it. I started putting salsa in my dinner mashed potatos. I made it five days and got really bored and tired of eating that same old potato but I did lose five pounds. Of course, you can include fruit.

She also mentioned at one time that she used baby food for a diet. I have not tried that one yet.

Warrior: the good part to that principle of variety causing more eating is that we can use it with our kids! The more type of veggies or fruits we make available, the more likely they are to eat a large volume of them.

How many potatoes can you eat in a day? i'm finding it really difficult to stick to just 1 baked potato per meal

Thank you

When I eat a potato meal, I usually have 2 and sometimes 3!

Hope you are still on track Mommylut.

I guess I dont get bored easily. This is day 14 for me on mary's mini. I Put lots of different things on top of my baked potato, I usually eat a medium russet at every meal. Topped with home made creamed corn, fat free spagetti sauce, home made veggie stew, salsa, catsup chili beans there is a list I got on the net, sorry I dont have the link but it is here somewhere.

Along with my potato & topping I have a side dish of some kind of veggies. Snacks I use a lot are, fresh cabbage or little carrots I also eat a lot of mango or pineapple salsa with celery sticks. I find that I eat about 1/4 to 1/2 a jar & half a bunch at a sitting. Both are much more healthy and less calorie dense than bread and or grains. I eat at least 1 fruit a day. and that's it. Painless sucess!

Hello Bons52983,

I'm a newbie, and am on the MWL and am considering doing to mini at some point. It's been hard to get the proper ratios and I'm completely sick of salad. Your veggies with pineapple salsa snack sounds good!

Did you lose the 12 pounds in only 2 weeks on the mini?

No, I lost the first 4 on MWL, then switched to Mary's mini. I have been on marys mini for 21 days now. So I am averaging 1/2lb weight loss a day. I love eating fat free starch based. I have had 2 days "off" where I ate cake one day and bread one day. Other than those days I have been eating a potato based diet.

I eat very little traditional salad, when I do eat salad it is chopped cabbage + misc "decor" veggies, like cukes, green onions, celery (incl tops) with a little chunky salsa for dressing.

For breakfast this am I cooked some broccoli stems and 1/2 baked potato, then pureeed that and added some thinly sliced nuked carrots + tiny broccoli florettes and poured this very thick "creamed soup" over a nuked potato. Heaven!!! Who said breakfast had to be cereal? Mid morning snack will be my version of coleslaw and lunch the remaining brocolli soup with more potato. Dinner will be potato with a different topping and cauliflower, roasted onions, turnips & parsnips I suppose.

There are no "ratios" to get. Well, maybe.. I do try to get in at least 50% veggies, usually for my between meals snacks. I know I don't get enuf dark green leafy like chard but that just has to wait till I make soup. I did see a recipe for crispy chard but that requires pam and I am a bit leery of adding even a little fat. My body just seems to store it so efficiently.

Good luck[/url]

Has anyone used sweet potatoe as their Mary's Mini starch??

-Li

very sweet, filling and are wonderful when refrigerated. tastes like candy. almost.