Test drive of New Assessment!!!
Hi All,
Happy New Year!!! It is so exciting to see both new and familiar faces and all of the positive energy! Woo-hoo!!
Love how with the new format we will be able to learn and to share how we are each incorporating the 10 MWL guidelines!!! I think that this will be so helpful to all of us as we continue on with Time & Adherence.
1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
I did preload 18/21 meals.
* I have been eating "finger food" salad where I just pile some combination of greens, tomatoes, carrots, persian cucumber, broccoli, bell pepper on a plate (liking this right now more than the bowl of salad).
* Also, I have been preparing pans of roasted vegetables and eating them cold for a "salad".
*I do want to get to 100% here.
*I am on a mission to identify a preload soup for cold weather that I love which will help me to get to 100%. The times that I miss is usually around time it takes to eat (I am a slow eater) - so I get lazy and skip.2 Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches.
Choose fruit for dessert.
21/21.
* I keep stocked compliant options - fruit, veggies, various starches (fresh, frozen, shelf-stable) that I love to eat.
* I batch prepare brown rice, roasted potatoes, Jeff burgers for easy to grab meals.
* I cut various fresh veggies / fruit and store in refrigerator to make these easy to incorporate.
* I made a few pots of soup / chili this week - Creamy beany (from this web-site), Mexi soup (from this web-site), Red lentil chili. I generally use crock pot 
which makes it super easy and hard to ruin (for me, not the best of cooks).
3 Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.
Yes.
* I hardly ever use sugar or condiments with added sugar.
* I don't have sugar cravings that cause issues with the other MWL points.
* I do use salt (sparingly).
* I am considering a test run of eliminating salt because I am struggling with certain foods that are salty, dry, and calorie dense (see #5/7).4 Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
YES, of course.
* This is likely the only MWL point that I haven't had any questions on and not one that I struggle with.
* I am the opposite of tempted by these.5 Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Not 100% successful this week for #5 and #7.
* I need to STOP snacking on husband's nuts and pretzels.
* I think that if I can get a good clean clip of time in, that I can overcome this (like I have done with peanut butter).
* I have tried various strategies and am still struggling. Below is my current plan. 5) is adapted from Mark's recent feedback.
1) Listen to Doug Lisle's Willpower lecture. Revisit some of the MWL threads on how others have overcome this same hurdle.
2) If non-compliant foods call, continue to eat the recommended foods (in the recommended fashion). THEN do something else after eating compliant foods (i.e., journal, exercise, read)!!!
3) Evaluate results and adjust approach, if this isn't working.
4) Consider further reducing sodium (could this be unleashing this craving?) - Something I will consider for 2022.
5) If troublesome foods can't be removed from immediate environment, it often helps to place some barriers in the path of accessing such foods. I have these in a separate cabinet - thinking of other places they could be stored which would increase difficulty to access.
6) If above doesn't work, seek coaching assistance.6 Eliminate any added oil.
Yes!
* I do not cook with oil or eat products that include it.
* I only may have this if eating out (which I hardly ever do and did not do this week).7 Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes, puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit.
Not 100% successful this week for #5 and #7.
See #5 above. Comment are same. 8 Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Yes.
* I don't make smoothies.
* I do drink coffee (sometimes tea) and have always consumed both black.
9 Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
Yes.
* I am mindful of this guideline.
* For this week, I changed my standard breakfast from potato waffle to oatmeal and have had to adjust with a bit of a smaller preload or have leftover oatmeal. Super easy to adjust. 10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes.
*I love to walk outside -- definitely good for energy level and mood!!!
* The more I comply with #10, the more that I want to exercise... 
* I have appropriate winter gear for walking outside in most weather.
* I have indoor exercise options defined for when outside won't be feasible - likely coming this week with a winter storm watch tomorrow. Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Much gratitude to Jeff, Mark, Wildgoose and all fellow participants.
I hope that everyone has an incredible week!!! We can all make positive incremental changes - keep going!!!
Cheers to a Happy New Year!!
Stephanie
by DBLAIS » Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:18 pm 
) birthday to Josie the real Schnauzer. 
