More like a continuum

[KareninTN]

Let me see if I can express this understandably...

I don't see "12-day" or "MWL" so much as black/white, either/or choices. To me it looks more like a continuum, with 12-day on one end and MWL on the other, and many gradations in between. Like there are lots of choices between, say, bread everyday and bread never. Kind of the way Laura describes her eating, as basically MWL with occasional forays into 12-day.

I am not strict MWL, but in order to make progress I seem to need to stay closer to that end of the continuum. I have bread and pasta, but I can only afford it a couple of times a week. So maybe I'm a McDougall hybrid?? I hope this sort of makes sense (it's early!)

Karen

[Malva]

In my earlier years of McDougalling, I followed the Regular Program (first book), but my weight never went below 140 (I am 5'4"). Then, I started "feasting" on the weekends on higher fat foods and vegan treats. Then I started eating chocolates, cheese, and "low fat" cakes and cookies.
My weight moved up to 160. I then would cut out the cakes and candies, but my weight wouldn't go below 150. Since I loved cheese, bread and pasta so much, I felt it was a required food. And my weight gradually slipped back to 160.

When my youngest daughter graduated from high school, I now had two kids in college, so I went back to work. In order to compete for jobs, I not only had to be competent for the position, I had to look sharp. (First impressions at interviews, you know.) I had to get rid of the dumpy-house-frau look and look the part for which I wanted to attain. Also, my eldest daughter was getting married in 6 months. So I committed myself to strict MWL.

I worked for a temp agency, and so I worked for a few months at different companies, each time I was place further and further toward downtown. My weight was going down, any my experience was going up.
After one year I had lost 30 pounds and had 3 requests from previous companies to come to work for them as a full-time employee. Instead, I applied (and got) a position downtown at a much higher rate than all the other offers.

It took another 8 months to lose the last 10 pounds. But I never waivered from the MWL program, in fact I probably got stricter as I dumped rice and beans in order to get my skin problems under control (and it worked!). I also did the Mary-Mini for the last few pounds.

I now am back to the weight I was at when I was first married (33 years ago), I am more active (speedwalking and jogging), and feel great!
My health has improved with the weight loss, not just because of the weightloss, but because of the good foods I am eating now. I attribute my weightloss and good health to good food not good dieting. Sometimes a food that might be OK for one person might be lousy for another. Such as wheat or nuts or beans.

The reason I wanted a separate MWL program forum was so that people who wanted to know more about the program from people who were engaged in it could get better info than from an "open" forum. Sometimes people who are not dieting don't like to read "diet" suggestions from and to people on MWL or Mary's Mini. That's why I wanted a separate forum for these kinds of questions.

This might be a "safer" place to ask questions of the program and not get "conflicting" information from those that are following the Regular, 12-day or hybrid programs.

[Jan Tz]

Malva, I enjoyed reading your post. I have always done Regular Program, although many of my meals are MWL. Here's a question for you: what is Mary's Mini? How does it differ from MWL? When I read the info on the website a while back, and the subsequent discussions on the old board, I thought at first it was mostly potatoes. But people seem to be eating all sorts of things and still calling it the mini.

I was also interested that rice and beans were not good for your skin. I am wondering why that might be? This is just idle curiosity on my part.

Thanks for an interesting post!

[Anne]

Malva -
I had been doing mostly MWL meals and then doing 12-day on weekends or occasionally, but I have drifted not only from MWL, but - well, let's just say drifted. I've been working on getting into a MWL groove and have been fascinated with your skin experience, so I'm looking to cut grains for a while.

So far, I've been cooking sweet potatoes and squash a lot. What else do you use? Rutabaga was not a success - and it's ridiculously expensive here. I used to think that potatoes were a problem, but I think it may have been something else I was eating, so I've been cooking with those.

[Malva]

Question #1: "Here's a question for you: what is Mary's Mini? How does it differ from MWL?"

See the July and August McDougall newsletters for specifics.
The meals center around ONE starch, like potatoes or rice, with the rest being veggies. So you eat only one type of starch for all three meals for 10 days. It's meant to be boring, so that your appetite isn't encouraged to eat more. Some folks find it too boring, and slip into something more comfortable.

Question #2: I was also interested that rice and beans were not good for your skin. I am wondering why that might be? This is just idle curiosity on my part.

Burges Laughlin and I have skin problems and when I started using some of his recommendations to eliminate acid producing foods I found that my symptoms of rosacea diminished significantly. Acid producing foods tend to be high protein foods such as beans and grains.

[Malva]

You asked: So far, I've been cooking sweet potatoes and squash a lot. What else do you use?

Right now winter squash is in season and I roast mine in a convection oven with a little water. VERY yummy. So I eat a lot of various types of winter squash and pumpkin, with all sorts of veggies and salads. I like to mixe the veggies and squash into a kind of casserole. So the blended flavor compliment each other, especially the roasted squash. Lots of green beans, carrots, celery, peas, corn, kale, spinach, broccoli and my home-grown swiss chard. I use canned pureed pumpkin, too. I cook a big pot of sweet potatoes and munch on those all week. .

Have fun with all the different squashes available this time of year. They all taste a litte different from each other, and have different textures.

[Sher]

Malva, thank you for sharing your story. It was inspiring, and shows how you grew in the program over the years, & continued to learn & "tweak" things to get where you wanted to be.

Sher