Not having much success :(

[lunaboyd]

Thanks!

I don't think the Mary's Mini would be too hard for me to do - I am happy eating potato + vegetable for breakfast and lunch, and fruit for snacks, so I just need to cut out the rice / beans / other grains / whatever I'm putting in my soup at dinner time and have one more potato and vegetable meal instead. That sounds easy enough! I love mashed potatoes, baked sweet potato fries, and baked potato wedges with salsa, so I'm already thinking of ideas for dinners.

I will try this starting tomorrow. Thank you so much for the suggestion. I had read about Mary's Mini but I guess I kind of forgot about it because I didn't even think of it as a potential way to get out of this rut. I'm definitely going to give it a go for the next week and see what happens!

Thank you again - I really appreciate the advice and help on this forum.

[kittyadventures]

Luna remember to stick to just two servings of fruit a day too.

[Concerned]

Question for DJ:
You said you were on MWL for 3-4 weeks without losing any weight. It would be encouraging to hear: at what point did you start losing weight? Did you eat differently at the time you started losing weight (i.e., you naturally had started to eat smaller portions or something)? Did you eventually lose the weight you wanted to lose? How long did it take?

Thanks!

[JessNZ]

Hi,

Really sorry to hear about your struggles! I notice you mentioned putting on weight over the last couple of years and it does seem like you are being awfully good about the food.

Hope this doesn't offend, but you haven't gone on any medication or birth control or anything that could be causing weight gain?

Cheers,
Jess

[RiceGirl]

Dear Concerned,
I think I started losing in week 4 and then lost about 2 lbs a week for several weeks and then stopped again for about 3 weeks and just started again last week @ 1 lb. So it's really been in fits and starts, as they say. I don't do anything different - at least, not on purpose. The most I lost was 3 lbs. the week I went to Mexico for my daughter's wedding - totally unexpected - because I couldn't always eat right, but we walked almost all the time, to everything. I guess that made a real difference.

And I'm not at goal, yet, either.
DJ

[Concerned]

Thanks for the input. I'm very impressed that you kept at it for a few weeks without seeing results. Your patience was rewarded!

[Faith in DC]

walking and building muscles do help.

I know my body has to take a rest sometimes, and I usually get smaller during that time period. It's like it has to reshuffle the fat.

[RiceGirl]

I tell myself that, but who knows? Like the old saying, "Some days chicken, some days feathers." It just seems to be the way weight loss works with me, but then I haven't really tried a Mary's Mini. That'll be my next project to start sometime this week (whenever I have to get groceries again).

DJ

[petero]

I just wanted to point out that potatos are the perfect weight loss food because they have the highest satiety (make you feel full quickly) yet are not as calorie dense as some of the other starches. A Mary's Mini with potatoes might be a great way to break a plateau.

--Peter

[Concerned]

Is it better to eat potatoes with the skins, even if they are not organic? That way you get more fiber and vitamins. On the other hand, you get more pesticides. I wonder if the experiments showing the satiety value of the potato used peeled potatoes, and were they boiled or baked ....

[Faith in DC]

good question. I am interested in the answers also. I sometimes can't get organic taters.

[JessNZ]

I have been trying to do a Mary's mini with potatoes. I do like potatoes, but I don't have them very often in "real life" and I haven't been able to stop myself reaching for other foods!

Do I need to need to make myself eat more potatoes to help with this? Or do I just need to make them in different ways to make it interesting?

[kittyadventures]

I say eat more potatoes to combat hunger ... As to eating the skins when they are not organic.. I think if you realize what that means for a potato it may make your choice easier... the potatoes themselves do not get sprayed they are in the ground what they do spray is the leaves on the plants to combate the bugs who like to munch them.

For me myself I think with a good scrub they are fine.

[Faith in DC]

I didn't even last a day on MM. I like some variety. I don't have to have a lot but some really helps. I also have to love what I'm eating. You don't want to be gaining weight, so maybe just go with regular MWL. That way you can have some rice, or whatever your favorite grain is too.

[JessNZ]

Yes, I was actually doing better with doing lots of soup on top of my rice or whatever. I don't know what it is about potatoes, but maybe I don't seem to have to chew them enough? Oats and rice really satisfy me.