Down 35!

Psyched!  The scales are moving in the right direction!

Down 34!!!

I have been pinging back and forth between different diets trying to find what will work for me long term.  Vegan, at least the way I was having vegan, was just not working.  I had stopped losing completely.  So, I am mixing it up now and having some meat and experimenting with MCT oil.  So far so good!
Tracy

Down 30!

Finally after my big detour a couple of weekends ago eating meat and fat... I am down 2 more pounds!  FEELING GREAT!!!

Back on track completely and looking forward to the weight dropping off!  In the future, if I go off of my plan, I think it might be best not to eat off of plan 2 days in a row.  One day probably would have been fine but two really made it hard to recover.  My feet and fingers were swollen like crazy.  I am just glad to be back feeling great.

I just reserved McDougall cookbooks at the library.  I hope to share some yummy recipes!

Still getting back on track!

I tell you.  It has been really tough since I went off of my diet.  I am doing all of the right things and still I am not back on track completely.  Not sure if it is hormonal or what.  Today is about the closest that I have felt to the way I felt before I ate meat and fat last weekend.  It is simply not worth it at all!  I am keeping to my plan!

Down 28!

Hell yeah!  I feel like I am stuff myself too!  I <3 Dr McDougall.  He has changed my life.

The thing that I am noticing is that my clothes are significantly looser!  I do not remember being down less than 30 pounds and having so much body mass loss.  I think that I may just be losing FAT and not lean muscle mass which is typical on a low carb diet.  Our muscles need carbohydrate energy!  

I could go on and on about the changes that are taking place in my body but I won't.  If you are interested in more info, contact me... or read The Starch Solution by Dr. McDougall.  This man has been preaching this for years... even when it is not popular.  He has the data to back up his program though!

TTYL,

Tracy

Down 27!

Time to start exercising!  Going to try to get to a gym after the kids start back to school!

Down 26!

The scales are starting to move slower now. This is definitely not my favorite time in the diet.  I think I am going to start waiting to weight myself until it has been a week.  I will let ya know...

Still feeling great on the new routine.  The coolest thing is that I ate some buck wheat noodles the other day and I had the most incredible energy afterwards!  Wow!  I am having those more often.  I am guessing that the starch was perfect for my body to process immediately and that is why I had such a surge.  I just know that I am eating those again sometime soon!

Tracy

Another Recipe to Try!

Looks like the husband is going for the potato soups!  LOL

Potato Chowder

This is always a favorite at the McDougall Program and it is quick and easy to make as well.  Buy bags of frozen, chopped hash brown potatoes (with no added oils) for really easy preparation of this delicious soup.

Preparation Time:  10 minutes
Cooking Time:  30 minutes
Servings:  4-6

4 cups vegetable broth
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 leek, white and light green part, sliced
6 cups frozen chopped hash brown potatoes
2 cups soy or rice milk
½ teaspoon sea salt (optional)
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
2 tablespoons dried chives
dash liquid smoke

Place ½ cup of the broth in a large soup pot with the onion, celery and leeks.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until softened.  Add the remaining broth and the potatoes.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes.  Using an immersion blender, process the soup while still in the pot.  (Unless you are using a non-stick pan, then place the soup in a blender jar and process until fairly smooth.  Return to pan.)  Add the remaining ingredients and heat through, about 5 minutes.

Next Family Vegan Meal!

Mediterranean Lentil Soup

Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time:  50 minutes
Servings:  6-8

1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
2 small carrots, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups French green lentils, rinsed
8 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
dash salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1  14 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 cup chopped Yukon Gold potatoes
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 packed cups fresh spinach or chard, cut into ribbons (might use kale)

Saute the onions, celery, carrots and garlic in about 1/3 cup vegetable broth in a large soup pot, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Add the lentils and rest of vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the lentils soften, about 20 minutes. Add the bay leaf, oregano, basil, pepper flakes, salt, pepper, tomatoes and potatoes. Mix well and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes longer.

Just before serving, remove and discard the bay leaf.  Add the lemon juice and spinach or chard to the soup and let simmer gently just until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes, or chard softens, about 5 minutes.  Serve hot with a nice loaf of bread.

Down 25!

We had our creamy garlic potato soup and rice for dinner and the family LOVED it!  We even had a young lady sleeping over who loved the soup.  What I wasn't prepared for was how filling it was!  Oh my goodness it was so filling that even my husband was satisfied without having meat for dinner.

So, now that he has had a successful vegan meal, I think my husband may be more willing to try a more vegan lifestyle.  His impression is that he could not be full without meat.  We proved that wrong last night!  We will be having way more family vegan meals!

Lastly, I am down another full pound!  Crazy stuff... I ate all day long yesterday.  I felt literally like it would be impossible for those scales to move today.  To my surprise, the scales moved down a pound.  I honestly can't believe how fast the weight is coming off.  I have never really experienced anything like this before.  It was about 5 weeks ago that I was at the Dr. last and I have lost 15 pounds in that time.  Most of this weight was lost in the last 3 weeks.  I have become such a firm believer in whole foods!

Tracy

Down 24!

Everything is going well.  I went to the Dr today and my blood pressure was 112/80 and heart rate 68. Although I have never had high blood pressure, this is my best.  Also, that heart rate.... Wow, you would think I was asleep! LOL

I owe it all to my new lifestyle/diet.  I feel amazing.  Totally clear thinking and energetic.  I am starting branch out on the food front.  As a family, we are eating vegan tonight.  On the menu:

Creamy garlic potato soup and my 4 grain rice.  The 4 grain rice is 2 parts brown rice, 1 part lentil, 1 part barley and 1 part wheat berries.  These grains are cooked in my homemade vegetable broth.  This is my staple dish for each meal.  You can kind of look at it as this replacing meat and dairy in my diet.  I will let you know how the family likes the dinner later.

Lots of cooking going on today!!!

A little bummed...

I am holding steady at the same weight.  I knew it would not budge or I would see 2 pounds.  Either way, all is good.  This is a long term game so I am not worried.  Oh wait not a good phrase... I am concerned that my body will stop losing weight.  It just seems to be what happens on all diets.  This one seems different so I keep hoping that I won't have delays like this often.  I really want to see this weight drop off as fast as possible!  Does that mean I will starve myself?  Heck no!

I am going to keep on chugging along.... I believe this is going to be it.  I need my knees!

Down 22 Pounds!

I am a serious believer in the McDougall diet now.  I am feeling great still.  I have so much energy it is incredible.  This program is absolutely no joke!

Today I shot a large family shoot and came home and headed to a flower farm tour where I took more photos.  Typically after one shoot, I need a nap.  After two today I came home and made hummus and then edited a few photos.  I am still feeling great.  My hips hurt a bit but that will go away with weightloss. 

I am still amazed by the success of this diet.  Truly amazed.  I was a skeptic as someone who has lost weight twice on a low carb diet.  Not again!  This diet has the key.  I can't say that loud enough or enough times.

Hoping for a loss tomorrow.  Today I was more active than I have been in many years!

Tracy

Holding steady...

Today I ate a little differently than the past week or so.  Had some granola cereal and curry rice with raisins.  Both had fat in them which is technically against the McDougall program.  I am also having iced tea!  I hope this doesn't negatively effect me tomorrow.  I think the tea is needed so I am going to have a glass occasionally.

Down 19 Pounds and FEELING GREAT!

Yes, I feel fantastic!  I can't even believe how fast the weight is coming off right now.  I am sure going to miss this speed when it stops happening this fast.  I am under the impression that I should expect to keep this pace for some time though.  If this is the case, I might actually meet my goal within a year.  That is just crazy to think about!  The typical weight loss on a typical diet is 2 pounds per week.  McDougall claims 3.5 is the average on his.  At 3.5 pounds a week in one year I would look 182 pounds and then add in the 19 I have already lost, that would be 201!  That is so very close to my goal.

So next summer, will be an awesome one with lots of fun activities.  What would I do at my new weight?  canoeing... river rafting...  and roller coasters!  Hell yeah!

Feeling great!
Tracy

Something wrong?

I woke up thinking about cleaning my kitchen!  LOL. I am assuming this is because I am feeling so great!  My diet is coming together very well!

Got on the scales this morning and weighed 387!  That is one more pound off.  My mood is greatly improved as well.  I don't feel so bogged down mentally or physically.

Life is good!

McDougall Food

Today I made it to whole foods and bought some Dr McDougall soups.  Love them!  They are a bit pricey at $2 but yummy.  These will make easy snacks when I don't have anything else to eat.  I am trying a few flavors and then going to order a big box from Amazon!

Yummy!  Getting the details worked out slowly.  Looking for food my husband will eat.  He loved the black bean lime soup!

Vegan?!?!?!

Yes, I am trying a vegan diet.  I am following a strict one though... not just a vegan diet.  I am reading a couple of books by Dr. McDougall and starting to look into Dr. Ornish's work.  I am hoping to see so weight loss by using these principles!

I am feeling great!  Today when I jumped on the scales it said I weighed 388.  About 5 or 6 weeks ago I was at 400!    So far so good.

I met with Becky last night and she is going to possibly start blogging with me.  She has a busy 2 weeks coming up so I am not sure she will be doing that too soon.

For now, I am only focusing on food.  My knees are giving me trouble and need to get a few pounds off before I start with the exercise!

TTYL

Today... I begin a new day!  I am back with the program after a couple of rocky years!  More to come!
Tracy