June 2018 McDougall Weigh In Thread

[Svenja]

... I am in a hurry ... will write more later ...

I lost 3 pounds this week ... three more pounds and I'll reach a major mile stone (being under 100 kg).

Svenja.

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi to all in this friendly group!!

My name is Stephanie and I have wanted to join you, but have hesitated since I'm not strict MWL (but am following the McD principles).

So glad to see the post that anyone following McD principles is welcome!!

Have read and appreciated the information and resources shared here! Thank you!!!

Can you please start me as another ground zero participant for this week?

Best wishes to everyone on progressing their goals in June!!

[Suey51]

Landog - yayyyyy! Well done on making your weight loss goal, so pleased for you Would love to see you on the weight maintenance thread. It's now moved to the Journal section of the forum here -> Keeping the weight off: riding the wave.

Welcome to all newbies and returnees and many congrats to all losers this week!

I'm not officially weighing-in at the moment, but am happy to report that I am back at my target weight this week after a good run of compliant eating

Best wishes to everyone, Sue x

[kirstykay]

I know I'm late in posting, but I didn't want another day to go by without joining you again. I have been off for the month of May, so I am starting over today. I really appreciated your post at the beginning of this thread, Amy. I am choosing to be 100 committed to MWL for the next 30 days without exception. I've gotten rid of some things in my life that have been holding me back, and I feel really ready to move forward and go all-in.

[squealcat]

I find it interesting that yesterday I was SO hungry !! I couldn't seem to feel content with what I had eaten.... I WAS very busy and walked over 10,000 steps along with gardening and working in the house too. Today, not so hungry....had my steel cut oats and fruit and then lunch was not until 3PM. It is 6:30 and I will probably just have some asparagus soup and a salad. I am trying to be more mindful of how my body feels and then paying attention how I respond this month.

[amandamechele]

Jobet - All losses are worthy of mentioning! Slowly, but surely you will see those changes. Re: the walking trails in your area: Holy moly, be careful. How tragic for that reporter. Oh, and I've been meaning to show you this photo that I took on Mother's Day of some rocks that my daughter painted for me. Have you been finding any time to paint?


Svenja - Awesome! That's super exciting. Have a great weekend.

Stephanie - You have the most inspiring signature quotes! I particularly like the T.S. Eliot. Which is your favourite?
All are welcome, we just focus on the MWL guidelines. I'm glad to have you join us.

Sue - ...one day I'll visit you all in your maintenance thread!

Kirsty - It's never too late to post. I'm so happy to hear from you. I'm glad you've been sorting through things... life never stops throwing up the obstacles, we just have to learn how to deflect or avoid them better. I am with you on full committal June!

Squealcat - That's fabulous! Keep listening to your body; its so much easier to hear when you've turned down those noisy cravings. What kind of gardening were you doing?

[amandamechele]

Hi All!

Welcome to the many new people, and welcome back to everyone joining in from the previous months' groups. I'm so happy to continue to travel this path with all of you.

This month's Welcome Post touched on setting appropriate goals, and the variety of levels one can choose to get started when transitioning to eating this way (or when trying to continue to get better at adherence). I classify these goals as intent and application goals. I will follow the plan this month to lose some weight. How will I do that? I will remove x,y,z from the cupboards and not eat after dinner time. That kind of thing.

There is a thread in Jeff's forum that I wanted to ensure that everyone had taken a look at because it is also about goals, but more specifically where the evidence suggests we should place our outcome goal. The thread is called Getting to a Healthy BMI and it was initiated by some questions from a long-time McDougaller named Nancy.
I try not to put much focus on outcome goals in my posts because for those that are just starting out, or have a long way to go, just having a very basic idea of where you're heading is enough. There are so many other things to focus on.
However, we are a group with people at many differing stops along the trail to health, and some of you may be wondering about the same things that Nancy was wondering about:

Hi Jeff,

I have been pondering for some time what effort is required to reach and maintain a healthy BMI in the lower end of the spectrum, 18-21. I believe you have mentioned the scientific studies have shown this to be the healthiest level for higher mortality.

***
But, my question to you is does one size fit all? Do you believe that under every circumstance, for all genders, for all heights, for all ages, for all levels of activity, that if we follow the calorie density chart that the physics will not fail us?

***
Does one size truly fit all? And how do we adjust? And how extreme do we have to get? Are there naturally skinny people and others that do everything and cannot seem to lose the weight? Are people that are heavier, just not trying hard enough?

It should be as simple as saying, eat this and this and this. But, are there some people who follow that plan and still put on weight and have to go to further extremes to reach the lower BMI? How much effort is needed and when is it okay to say “I am doing enough”?

***
I came up with 22 as the cutoff because if you do the math, it’s about halfway (rounded off) between 18.5 and 24.9, which is the healthy range. Understand, this is not a very narrow range at all. For someone my height, every BMI point represents 6.2 lbs. So the healthy range for me would be around 115 to 136. That is ~21 lbs. In other words, we could conclude that, taking in to account all other heath related behaviors, someone of my height might have a 21 lb range in which they can be healthy and still meet the recommendations, but it would depend on several things not just BMI.

Third, while the BMI cutoffs of 18.5 to 24.9 for the healthy range are pretty much standardized internationally, there are some exceptions. The World Heath Organization splits the healthy range into two parts, with the cutoff between them being 22.9/23. Hong Kong and Singapore use 23 as the upper cutoff for the healthy range. (The actual math comes to ~22.9, which they round up to 23).

Fourth, I think when people hear/see the recommendation from me or these other places, “Aim for a BMI of 18.5 to 22,” they assume that the lower they get as an individual in that range, the healthier they will be. Everyone suddenly wants to be a BMI of 18.5 or 19. As mentioned above, making this kind of assumption from populations studies based on averages and transferring it to an individual, can be fraught with errors and lead to unhealthy behaviors. I am glad your post is called "Getting to a Healthy BMI" because remember, this is about being healthy, not just being skinny and BMI is only a number and screening tool.

When I teach the Calorie Density class at the program, I go through all the evidence and go through the 6 recommendations, reviewing each one letting them know, these are all guidelines, not rules cut in stone, and must be applied to the individual. Then I say, I am now turning over the steering wheel to you, you have to experiment and make adujustments as needed. It may take a little while but you will soon find your groove. And when you do, it will be yours and you will know how to apply the principles to your personal situation and hopefully, in a manner you can live with for a long time. If you need help, clarifications or have questions, that is why we are here. Same thing Doug Lisle says in The Pleasure Trap, there is no straight line that works for everyone equally. It is a process of ongoing small course corrections.

Thes issues you raise have come up several times in these forums where these same (or similar) questions have been raised. I think reviewing them, would be a good idea including any links I posted within each thread.


Optimal BMI - Redux
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=52375

Difference in food choices and BMI
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=46837

Should we all try to get to 22 BMI?
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=30838

A Meal Without Starch (or Should we all try to get to 22 BMI Pt 2)
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=43218

And of course, the original thread.
Optimum BMI
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=6916
***
In Health
Jeff

(I have cut out sections of both the questions and answers, as indicated by the ***. This was just for space considerations. The whole thread is quite informative and I highly recommend reading it in its entirety.)

So, as most of you were probably already aware, it can be a good idea to aim for a weight in the lower half of the BMI range. This is with many considerations, but as a general outcome goal it will be beneficial for most people.

Best wishes this week! Work towards those goals. I am going to eat by the MWL guidelines for the next 7 days!

Amy XO

PS. If your goal is very far away, and seems daunting, start with a mini goal; like Sue or Landog or Svenja who have mini-goaled their way into a low BMI or are on their way to doing so. Those interim goals will help keep you motivated and get you excited for strong bursts of short to medium term effort.

Here are the results for the first week in June:

Next Weigh-In is on Friday, June 8th, 2018

Total group loss reported in 2018: 244.5 pounds

June 2018 Weight Loss Group :: Monthly Weigh-In Results
Total group loss in January 2018: 54.7 pounds
Total group loss in February 2018: 49.3 pounds
Total group loss in March 2018: 52.5 pounds
Total group loss in April 2018: 26.9 pounds
Total group loss in May 2018: 50.8 pounds
Total group loss in June 2018: 10.3 pounds

Week ending 06/01/2018: 18 participants reported a total loss of 10.3 pounds
---------------------------------------
Lonewalker - 1.0
Sundog - 2.0
---------------------------------------
Total gains: 3.0
--------------------------------------
Landog - 2.5
Arewethereyet - 1.6
Rosey - 5.1
Squealcat - 0.0
Vegasveglovr - 0.0
Randee.fluffy - 0.0
Plantsalot - 0.0
Dbassett - 0.0
Warren404 - 0.0
Moonlight - 1.0
Wannaberosie - 0.0
Krissi3203 - 0.0
Jobet - 0.1
Svenja - 3.0
VegSeekingFit - 0.0
KirstyKay - 0.0
---------------------------------------------
Total losses: 13.3
---------------------------------------------

Total group loss in June 2018: 10.3 pounds
Week ending 06/01/2018: 18 participants reported a total loss of 10.3 pounds

[amandamechele]

Weight today 219.2 up 2lbs

Almost forgot to post!

Doing lots of cardio this week. My hip is sore. Also got into some organic peanut butter this week as I’m making my husband sandwiches for work. Also eating corn tortillas that I have made into tostada shells. Exercising this much makes me hungrier, so I’ve got to feed myself with non starchy veggies and starch post exercise or decrease the intensity of the exercise?
So today it’s time to recommit to no nut butters or tortilla shells until I have lost all of my weight and then it will be limited or not at all as these are too easy to overeat!
I don’t think I’ve gained 2 lbs of fat but seeing the increase on the scale is a definite wake up call!
Wishing everyone a compliant week!
Best, Sundog.

Sundog,

I say keep the exercise to whatever intensity that you enjoy (that isn't hurting your hip too much) and, as you have said, just add in more starchy foods to feel satisfied. I don't think you've gained 2 pounds of fat either, next week will show you, with those great re-commitments you're making.
Have a lovely week too!

Amy

[NicoleP2014]

Hi! I just discovered this discussion thread. I have Dr. McDougall's book and have been working on being consistent in my eating. I think this board would really help. I guess my start would be 0.

Thanks!!!

[Jobet]

Jobet - All losses are worthy of mentioning! Slowly, but surely you will see those changes. Re: the walking trails in your area: Holy moly, be careful. How tragic for that reporter. Oh, and I've been meaning to show you this photo that I took on Mother's Day of some rocks that my daughter painted for me. Have you been finding any time to paint?

Amy, thanks always for your encouragement, even when I/we have no loss or it's minuscule. Also, for all the information you share with us in this thread. I learn something here every single week that is so helpful on my journey.

Your Mother's Day rocks are beautiful! I especially love the ladybug. I'm sure they made you very happy. Yes, with all the rain, I've found plenty of time to paint. I'm experimenting with various styles to see what I enjoy doing best.

I created these two for family birthday gifts, by request. The ladybug rock for my granddaughter, and the musical one for my DIL:



The following ones I painted and hid along a local greenway trail and around our small town. Several were found and reported in a local rock painting group on FB I belong to, then rehid. One of them was given to a lady from CA as she was getting off a tour bus, and she is taking it home with her. So, my rocks are beginning to travel.

[landog]

Jobet - Wow!

I'm really happy to see so many new faces here! It's shaping up to be a great month of June!

When you think about it, everything that you eat or drink is either heath promoting or endangering your health.
So, think about it!
Be smart, every time!

[amandamechele]

Nicole - Welcome to the group. That's a great goal to start with. Let us know if you have any questions. I highly recommend watching Jeff Novick's Calorie Density lecture, if you haven't watched it already.

Jobet - You are so sweet. XO. Your painted stones are beautiful! Really, really beautiful. I love that one has already travelled across the country. I just showed my daughter and she loves your ladybug rock.

Landog -

Everyone - For your viewing pleasure The Best of McDougall's Medicine TV Segments

[Tigermon]

I realize it is Monday, but I did weigh on Friday, June 1st. My weight was 162 lbs. My goal is to lose 20 pounds. I am new to this forum and hope that I continue to participate (I am not the best at online forums).

[VegSeekingFit]

Wow, Jobet and AmandaMechele, the painted rocks are awesome!!! Love them!!!

AmandaMechele, I also most like the T.S. Eliot quote on my signature line... how far can one go?? I mostly comply w/ MWL (but for extra serving of fruit and occasional flour product or planned "feast"!) Thank you for the welcome and for the excellent links!!


Wishing all the best on achieving your goals for June!!

[Jobet]

Jobet - Wow!
When you think about it, everything that you eat or drink is either heath promoting or endangering your health.
So, think about it!
Be smart, every time!

Thanks, landog, and congrats on your awesome weight loss this week. Love the thought advice, and will definitely be thinking about that in the coming days and weeks.

You are so sweet. XO. Your painted stones are beautiful! Really, really beautiful. I love that one has already travelled across the country. I just showed my daughter and she loves your ladybug rock.

Thanks, Amy. Please tell your daughter thanks for me. ♥

Wow, Jobet and AmandaMechele, the painted rocks are awesome!!! Love them!!!

Thanks so much, VegSeekingFit. Wishing you the best as well!