Funny that this resurfaced. I was just at the Mc D site today, looking at their weight loss program that they offer at their Santa Rosa facility. Here's the all you can eat buffet that you get all week long. I'm not interested in a buffet really, but some of these recipes look pretty good!

I started the MWL program a little less than one week ago. I've gained weight slowly but surely over the past several years, starting with my hysterectomy three years ago. I've tried various things (WW, South Beach), but my metabolism is really screwed up (I'm hypothyroid), and none of those programs worked for me. I'd get discouraged after a month or two with no progress and fall off the wagon.

I hadn't even considered a vegetarian diet (let along a vegan diet!) until my sister sent me the link to Dr. McDougall's web site. She and her husband have been vegetarians for 20 years, although they've have limited success trying to be vegan (cheese is their downfall). It seemed so extreme to me, considering the way I've been eating all my life, but after reading through the information on the site, I decided to give it a try. So far I'm lucky that I have very low cholesterol levels and low blood pressure, but both of my parents have heart disease (they've both had bypass surgery), so I'm getting scared about my health. I have lots of problems with lack of energy.

I read the web site Monday night, and Tuesday morning I dove right in. I had enough of the necessary foods in the house (I work at home) to make it through that day. I went to the store Tuesday night, and I've been following the MWL program every since.

I'm really amazed at how easy this has been for me! Of course, it's only been a week, but the first week is always the most difficult for me. Whenever I was on any other sort of program, I obsessed about food. I thought about it all day long, and even though I could start out with the best of intentions, by the time the day was three quarters over, I'd give in to my cravings. But that hasn't happened this time. I feel full and satisfied all day long. I never think about food. I'm not in the least bit tempted to eat anything that's not on the program. I still can't get over how easy it's been.

Best of all, I've lost seven pounds since I started less than a week ago! On any other program, it would take me months to lose this much. I realize this first week is probably an abberation, and I don't expect to continue to lose at this rate. But I think it's highly probable that I will lose a pound or two a week. I'm ecstatic. I feel good (a little lightheaded the first day, but that passed). I have more energy, and I'm sleeping a bit better (I have a 30-year history of insomnia). I'm really sold on this program. I need to lose 60 more pounds, so my plan is to stay on the MWL program until I do, and then slowly start moderating by adding bread, nuts and seeds.

My husband is overweight, too (he has a HUGE belly, whereas the rest of him is small). I've been trying to get him to follow programs with me for years, but he's addicted to meat and cheese and alcohol. Since I've started this, though, he's made some pretty drastic changes to his diet, too. He's still eating foods that aren't allowed on McDougall, but he told me this morning that he wants to start eliminating them. I've been very worried about his health (he has both high cholesterol and high blood pressure), so this is fabulous news.

Sorry this post is so long (especially for my first post), but I wanted to share my excitement and how well I think this program works. For the first time in several years, I can visualize myself slender and healthy. Maybe there *is* life after menopause.

Julie

Julie, and GOOD FOR YOU! I'm so happy that you found what you are looking for. You're the perfect example that there is not a one size fits all diet. I'm so glad you are doing well. Can you post some sample menus of what you eat?

Thanks for the welcome, Jennifer.

Here's what I had yesterday (pretty typical of what I've been eating):

Breakfast: Steel-cut oats with fresh banana added after cooking

Mid-morning: Bowl of coleslaw mix with 1/2 english cucumber

Lunch: Serving of mixed salad greens with tomato and 1T of nonfat dressing. Bowl of pinto beans (which I cooked in the pressure cooker with spices and a container of my own frozen Hatch green chile), mixed with some brown rice.

Afternoon snack: Apple

Dinner: Homemade soup (made with vegie broth and a mashed sweet potatoe as the stock, plus lots of vegies, black beans and red rice--this soup is very thick and filling), topped with a little salsa. Baked sweet potato. Zucchini strips roasted in oven. Tomato slices with balsamic vinegar.

I got the MWL book in the mail yesterday and spent last night reading it. So I now have some more ideas for recipes and menus and the list of McDougall-approved ready-made foods (such as cereals), which will make my life a little easier.

OH MY GOSH you are starving me to death. Your soup sounds soooooo good! Oh dear. I'm going to have to try and make something like that. And you've given me hope that there ARE good veggie pinto beans out there. I've not been able to make any that taste good since I went veg. They always taste watery.

The secret with pinto beans is to cook them really well. As the water cooks down, I boil water to add to the beans. If they're well done, the soup is thick. I notice that when I cook them in the pressure cooker, the soup is a bit thinner, so there's definitely something about cooking them for a long time on top the stove.

My ex-MIL was Hispanic, and she taught me to cook things the way her mother and grandmother did. Beans were a staple with every single meal. She also taught me to put up green chile. The green chile used in Colorado and New Mexico is a group of a special varieties (Pueblo chile in Colorado, Hatch chile in New Mexico). In size, it's inbetween Anaheims and jalepenos. Heatwise, it's much closer to the jalepeno. Every year, I buy five to six bushels of green chile. It's already roasted when I get it (the vendors roast it for you in giant barrel roasters), so I bring it home and spend a couple of days removing stems and seeds and chopping it up in my food processor. I then freeze it in small disposable freezer containers (I have a second refrigerator, and the entire freezer is full of chile). I use this chile in absolutely everything. It gives soup a hot, spicy flavor. And even just a spoonful of it added to a bowl of pinto beans makes them yummy.

I'm fortunate to live in Colorado, where green chile is readily available in the fall. But I have a good friend (who's British, BTW) who lives in Utah. He orders chile from Hatch, NM, every year and roasts it himself. He's a vegan, too, and neither one of us could live without our green chile!

Yesterday I made a huge salad with all kinds of fresh vegies. I added some canned corn, as well as some drained black beans I'd cooked the day before. I have some delicious balsamic vinegar I got at a Colorado vineyard and used that for the dressing. That was the best salad I've eaten in a long time. Even my husband had two huge servings.

Four years ago, I lost a large amount of weight (70lbs) by McDougalling and felt fantastic! It does really work.

Sadly, after I met my husband, I began eating meat and dairy again and gained a lot of my weight back.

I've decided that I'm cutting out meat/dairy again and want to start eating more MWL (no bread, etc..), but I'll need to do the 12day programme after I reach my goal to maintain. Its worth it...

I just got back from a two-day off-site meeting. The food was all arranged ahead of time, and it was challenging to stay on the program. I ended up eating a tiny bit of cheese one day, but otherwise I was good. And I was rewarded with a two-pound weight loss when I got home!

I'm getting very used to eating this way. I still haven't had any cravings, which is SO unusual for me. I've lost 18 pounds now (still have 60 to go). My pants are getting really baggy, and people are starting to notice. It sure does feel good.

Hi Jukie,

Are you -- and any others -- still McDougalling? If so, how are you doing?
Thanks!