Abe - Nice job staying on track in what could be a difficult situation to navigate! I'm really impressed with how you requested some boundaries that you felt would be necessary and beneficial.
BlackBeanSoup - Do you have any intuition about why you have such a diminished appetite? Good for you for sticking with health-supporting choices when you were feeling hungry.
NomeOslo - Trips are often trying in a variety of ways. What do you think might feel motivating to you presently?
Stormy - You are right that the majority of options on most restaurant menus are not likely to be adherent to the principles of MWL, particularly sauces and dressings. I actually started bringing a small silicone container filled with lemon juice, cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar when dining out.
Leah Bell - Why do you think this week felt lacking in motivation? I'm glad you felt able to stay fairly adherent in spite of that. Social interactions can certainly be fraught with temptations, and I applaud you for setting boundaries and requesting help from your family to make staying on track more manageable. Perhaps you might find it worthwhile to "study for your big test" by really planning and preparing for how you will handle your expected challenges?
Butterfly043 - Congratulations on a nice loss! I'm glad that you found that feedback from the scale motivating, and that your week felt so positive! Focus that abundant energy on adhering to the MWL 10-Point Checklist, and I'm sure you will continue to see motivating results over a sufficient duration of time.
Amy Princess - Understanding why and how we get derailed from the behaviors we're seeking to maintain can be very constructive, especially if those how's & why's are recurrent. A quick illustration of the effect oil can have -
1 lb of Broccoli = 127 calories, 4% of those calories from fat
1 lb of Broccoli with 1 Tbsp Olive Oil = 247 calories, 51% of those calories from fat
So that added tablespoon of olive oil very nearly doubles the calorie density, and transforms a very low-fat dish into one that is much higher in fat. Definitely drink water if you are feeling thirsty, but please don't feel that you have to "fill-up" on water -
JeffN wrote:While the thought is excellent in theory, it doesn't work in application. As I have mentioned, water is the key to lowering calorie density and also increasing bulk and satiety in foods. However, this is only when the water is part of the food and bound up in the food.
So, if you compare eating a bowl of fresh grapes, with eating a bowl of the equivalent amount of raisins (in calories) and drinking the equivalent amount of water (that would have been in the grapes) the water and raisins combo will not be as filling as the grapes.
The reason is, the water consumed with the raisins leaves your stomach in 5 minutes or so. But, the water that is contained within the grapes as part of the whole matrix, can stay in your stomach for an hour or more.
. . .
You should drink when thirsty.
Way to go with concentrating on the 50/50 plate and finding a way to exercise that is both comfortable and convenient for you.
Carrieann - Kudos! You are closing in on those 5000 steps! Are you dealing with some particular issues that your doctor is concerned about? (Please don't feel obligated to answer this question, it it feels too personal.)
Michele613 - Woot! I'm so glad you had a good week, and were able to report. Best to you!
Marsha - It can certainly feel disappointing when we feel like our level of adherence isn't reflected by a given weigh-in. I'm glad you are committed to hanging-in for the month. Keep in mind that salad is by no means required, as Jeff explains in
this article. Delays in the results we want to see needn't be denials; consider that after another week adhering as closely as you are able to the MWL principles you could be in a different position.
Vee - I'm glad to hear you felt like your week went well, and you have found some "upsides" that are working for you! Awesome news regarding your cholesterol! What a fantastic sign of progress!
LennieP - I hope you had a lovely vacation! Intention in our efforts definitely matters.
Chuck - You should be excited! It seems like you made some excellent progress this week and also saw how much some thoughtful preparation can pay off. I absolutely love sweet potatoes - my very favorite starch! In regard to posting images -
Mark Cooper wrote:I use flickr for my photos. You can get a free account (if you don't already have one) and then upload the images you want to share. For a specific image, if you select the share button, then BBCode, you can just cut and paste the code for the image into a post here on the forum. (You may know all this already, but I thought a quick primer might benefit everyone
).
The code to embed an image looks like this
- Code: Select all
[img]URL for your picture goes here[/img]
Since you have been appreciating how much the preparations you included this week helped make things go smoothly, perhaps devise a specific plan for how you will prepare for those challenging social events.
Jennifer - Kudos! What worked for you this week in finding time to get some exercise? It is great that you are pleased with your adherence to the MWL plan, consistently enacting the behaviors over time and under a variety of circumstances ought to build up your "trust" that it will work for you.
pootsy - Happy Valentine's Day to you! Dairy (especially cheese) definitely seems to be a significant battle for some people. Good for you for doing your best, shunning butter & yogurt, and eliminating that olive oil. Parties can be tough, but celebrating with our loved one's is important, so setting your friends expectations appropriately seems like a wise move to me. It is great that you were cleared for more activity, and finding health-promoting meals that you enjoy is SUCH an important part of putting the plan into practice. Some things I have done for breakfast (besides oatmeal) - I love a baked sweet potato topped with blueberries, it is delicious; I have also very frequently just made my first meal of the day similar to lunch or dinner, and not worried about making it particularly "breakfast-y." Hopefully some other participants can offer their suggestions for you.
pbnew - Steady as she goes!!! We do start a new MWL group thread each month, just to keep the length of the thread manageable and encourage new participants to join the group. I didn't think you were recommending Nubocha for MWL, but I wanted to clarify that it wasn't adherent, for the benefit of any newcomers or guests who might have been reading along with us.
MaryP - Woo-hoo!!! 100% adherence is worth taking a moment to celebrate, AND those efforts manifested in your weigh-in! I'm glad you are happy with how your week went. I also eat a salad (even before oatmeal); having that fresh flavor and tart crunchiness is one of my favorite parts of the day. I definitely agree with you that effective and consistent preparation is a key component of success.
SherryW - Awesome! It does sound like a successful week, particularly because you are learning things about how you can make the program work and experiencing some changes in mindset. Keep in mind that it is extremely difficult to determine an accurate "calorie count" for a day's worth of meals - as long as you are eating when you are hungry and following the MWL principles, it shouldn't be a concern. In regard to checkpoint item #1 -
Mark Cooper wrote:When making use of the
MWL 10-Point Checklist, please keep in mind that the 10 points are guidelines that highlight areas on which to focus when you are struggling, or not seeing the results you would like. They are not absolute commandments. One example - you aren’t
obligated to begin every meal with a salad, but if you find that you are having problems
maintaining satiety, starting a meal with salad or soup can be very helpful. The same reasoning holds true for dessert; you don’t have to eat dessert if
you are not hungry, but if you do want dessert -
choose fruit.
If you are adhering to the rest of the MWL 10-Point Checklist, and seeing consistent weight loss, then don't worry about a preload if it is too much food in one sitting. If you reach a point where your progress stalls, and you still have more weight to lose, you can reevaluate. Give yourself a big
for not letting a couple deviations from 100% adherence turn into a binge. If you are interested, Jeff reviews the myth of "starvation mode" in
this very enlightening thread.