by Malva » Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:24 am
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.
I do a more restricted Program to maintain my weight & health. I have been McDougalling for about 30 years, with a long transition, until I finally accepted this lifestyle, stayed on Program and reached my goal back in 2006.