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