How about a MWL Challenge for Nov?

[kobfa2]

Wow! LauraA, Kathryn, and Mommylut--fantastic losses! Congratulations! Letha, I was really hoping that roasting the radishes would make them sweeter. Back to the drawing board, right? I'm getting ready to go to see my littlest one's Thanksgiving program--they are singing a lot of songs about not eating the turkey, so she's happy!

[Letha]

Kobfa2, I’ll bet the Thanksgiving program was fun. Gobble Gobble!

LauraA, Congratulations on the 8 pounds. I admire your exercise commitment.
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I’m doing well this morning. I’m on plan and planning to stay that way. I posted my menu over in Roberta’s Corner. My knee continues to improve. Yesterday was the first full day that I’ve gone without taking any Ibuprofen for the knee pain since mid August. But I did have to take some in the early morning hours today. It still hurts to move around but I’m pretty comfortable once I get situated wherever I’m going. I know it sounds crazy but I’m grateful for this knee thing as it’s given me rock solid commitment on the McDougall plan.

No big plans today. I don’t have any holiday travel plans or relatives to deal with. Not planning to do any shopping over the weekend. Other then my homemade whole wheat bread that I’m making for a “feast meal” tomorrow it’s pretty much a normal week for me. I hope all of you are having a pleasant holiday.
Letha

[kobfa2]

Good morning!
The Thanksgiving program was a lot of fun--Gobble Gobble is right!

Letha, that's great about your being able to go without ibuprofen yesterday--my mom takes it all of the time, and I know how hard it can be to get away from. I'm so glad things are getting better for you.

I'm trying to get motivated to start getting ready for tomorrow, but feeling more like relaxing for a few minutes. We're just having a couple of friends over tomorrow (they've been told to BYOM---bring your own meat--because we aren't going to have any ) so I don't have a ton to do to get ready. It's nice to not be traveling this year.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am so thankful for this way of eating and the support and ideas that I gain from this lovely group of people!

Melissa

[LauraA]

Hi All - congratulations to the "losers"! I'm glad to be among you!!
Letha - I'm so glad that your knee is getting better - mine is too! Mine was just very stiff, and sometimes my kids would say that it looked like I was limping. I'm noticing now that it feels fine when i walk - just a little stiff when I first get up.
We shopped for Thanksgiving this morning - two of my kids live near us, and one daughter flew in. Our Christmas will be much bigger - with lots of grandkids. Anyway, I wasn't tempted at all as we shopped. In thinking about the dinner - I'll be sure that some of the green beans have no oil on them at all, and I may have a few of the almond slivers that we usually put on them. Then, I'm just having a big baked potato or sweet potato, and I'm putting some mixed veggies with fat free sauce on top. I would have thought that I'd want the mashed potatoes, or sweet potatoes with syrup and marshmellow, but I don't. I feel so good - and thankful! I'm walking again this afternoon with my daughter and the dog. Happy Thanksgiving to all, LauraA

[Casey]

Oh, congratulations everyone! You all did such a great job! I'm afraid I pretty much bombed on this challenge. I didn't struggle with it all for a few years and now all of a sudden it's like I fell off the truck and it's going just fast enough that I can't manage to catch up with it!
I've been having a hard time with bloating and pain, too. Very, very painful! But I just read on another list that someone else had a similar problem (I didn't expect it after eating this way for so long, but ... ), and anyway, some people wrote in that maybe she wasn't eating enough starch, too many beans. Maybe that's me, too. And maybe that's why I'm always running around hungry! I think I need to approach it, maybe like I'm all new to it, instead of thinking I know all about it! lol
Anyway, I know enough to not give up ...

So congratulations again!
Happy Thanksgiving ~
Casey

[Dale Jackson]

I think I will stay out of the main lobby part of the forum for awhile, but will drop by here once in awhile even though I am no longer "officially" doing MWL. I am minding my p's & q's though. Even though I haven't weighed this week, my clothes are getting loose again.

As far as Thanksgiving goes, hubby and I are all alone as usual.

But it's OK. We sort of have an understanding with the kids about it.

They spend Thanksgiving with in-laws and usually come here for Christmas.

Anyway, I will be doing the "feast day" thingy tomorrow, but I'm certainly not going to pig out. I bought 2 little frozen chicken breasts stuffed with cranberries. I will also cook up a couple of sweet potatoes, some broccoli and also some wild rice and brown rice and a McDougall friendly pumpkin dessert. Then we plan to go to a movie. This has been our tradition since the kids left home.

We will have a houseful for Christmas though. So I am spending the next few days getting ready for that before my little grandson returns this weekend (I babysit him full-time). When he returns, the house will be all decorated for Christmas. He will be 18 mos. old on Christmas Eve and so this will be the first Christmas he will really know what's going on. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he gets here. His folks don't do Christmas themselves since my son-in-law is Jewish, but they love being a part of our Christmas celebration.

Sorry this is so long.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to everyone and best of health to us all!

[Letha]

Dale, decorating for your grandson sounds so fun. Kids are great for getting us to see the world anew.

Hi Casey, We’re going to do another challenge/support thread for December. The truck is coming to a full and complete stop so everyone can easily jump back on board.

LauraA, You are in the zone. Great attitude about the big holiday dinner.

kobfa2, “BYOM---bring your own meat” I love it. Very sensible.
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Weigh in day for me.

November 27th, 2008: Weight 489.8 (-1.8 )
November 20th, 2008: Weight 491.6 (-4.6)
November 13th, 2008: Weight 496.2 (-2.6)
November 6th, 2008: Weight = 498.8 (-2.6)

October 30th, 2008: Weight = 501.4 (-3.4)
October 23rd, 2008: Weight = 504.8 (-5.2)
October 16th 2008: Weight = 510.0 (-1.4)
October 9th, 2008: Weight = 511.4 (-2.0)
October 2, 2008: Weight = 513.4 (-3.4)

September 25th, 2008: Weight = 516.8 (-5.8 )
September 18, 2008: Weight = 522.6

Looks like it’s one of those internal pep talk weeks instead of a happy dance week. Got to keep on keeping on because the alternatives are unacceptable. I would love it if I could just lose 25 pounds per week but I suppose that’s not realistic. I need to continue chipping away at the mountainside. Chip. Chip. Chip.
Letha

[LauraA]

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I love this day! I hope that everyone has a nice time. Our new Vitamix arrived late yesterday, and we had so much fun with it. It helps that one of my sons is a chef. He's thought of lots of soups for us to try, some dressings, and I did a green drink. It was just veggies and a quarter of an apple, and it was filling! My kids (all grown) had a fruit smoothie.
Casey, Letha said it well - you're always welcome here!
Dale, I'm so glad that you'll still post here. You and I have so much in common, and I love reading your posts.
Letha, I'm thrilled that you are still losing, still on track. I've already decided that you inspire me so much that even if I lose all that I need to lose first, I'll stick with you while I try to maintain (that's harder anyway). I feel like checking in with you keeps me on track.
Oh, one of my son's recipes for the vitamix (or any blender, I guess) is just cook some broccoli on the stove top, then blend it, adding in a little of the water that it was cooked in (we used to call it pot liquor). Maybe salt and pepper. That's all! We're going to try it today. Take care all, LauraA

[Mommylut]

Laura A. - you must be so happy to be home. Letha - how great your inspiration has been. And that goes for all of you on our dear little thread. I had one of those days yesterday when everything that could go wrong did. I ended up eating a bagel in the middle of the night. Do we detect a pattern here? The one thing I have learned by posting on this thread is that I need to beef up (sorry about that) my dinner. Actually, the bigger my dinner, the more I eat afterward. I do much better with cereal and soy milk -usually oat bran and oatmeal. I went food shopping yesterday and stocked up on things I hadn't been able to eat because I couldn't shop because we were low on money. As a result, I ate 5 hash brown patties. I have learned that I can only take them for work because I take 2 and the rest are home. Oh, well, this is a learning experience. A few months ago, all this would have led to a first class binge. Now I am complaining about 3 extra hash brown patties and a frozen (and stale) bagel.

I forgot her name, but someone on the success post wrote that she lost 150 lbs. and when questioned said it is because she doesn't eat processed food. I am going to print out her post and carry it with me!

Any how, I am spending today at my daughter's house She is making all the things I am not going to eat. However, I am contributing a dish I found in the New York Times last week - roasted potatoes and figs. I had to roll them in olive oil, but that will be my main course. She is having salad as well, so that's what I will concentrate on. Since we are sleeping over, I am taking packets of oatmeal for later and tomorrow.

I have been hitting the scales again and it was up 2 lbs from yesterday. So, that's the other resolution for me. NO MORE SCALES!

I wish you all a wonderful holiday. I am truly thankful for each and every one of you.

[Baidarka]

I'm just checking in, because it's Thanksgiving AND we're in the middle of moving.....and our local food coop cooked our dinner, which we will eat out of foil pans, no doubt, as much of our kitchen things have already been moved, and some not....and I'm sure it's not a McDougall meal, although it should be reasonably healthy, but I'll have to be careful. Roast veggies, at least! And I admit, I'll probably have some turkey.

And while I'm in a confessional mode, I'll admit my food has been pretty awful lately, yet in a way this has been informative: I've been really careful for nearly a year now, and it has made such a difference in my food desires: I no longer get a yen for SAD, and when I end up eating it for convenience sake--like this past week--I don't particularly enjoy it, and have no cravings for more. Isn't that interesting! I mean, in the past, when I've "backslid," it would start a landslide, and pretty soon I'd be right back in all my old addictions again. But after these months on the "beans and greens" regime, it's as if my whole chemistry has changed: now I LIKE veggies and beans and grains..... I can remember when a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast was a downer, something I ate because I "should"....now, it's delicious and seems like a treat, after my Fuhrman routine, which was a smoothie in the morning, made of blueberries, flaxseed, kale and half a cup of pomegranit juice..... I think I'm going to be much happier on this plan, although I'm still kind of hooked on the idea of "blended salads." I'd rather eat a real salad, though, I must admit!

Anyway, it's been a heckuva week foodwise, and by Monday morning I will be in my own new kitchen and can get back on the the wagon.....what a relief. I'm actually looking forward to it!

I do hope you're all having a better Thanksgiving than mine. I'm with my favorite people and will have a good, if none to healthy, dinner, but I do with it weren't accompanied by packing!

I'd love to know what the rest of you are having for dinner. Care to share?

Baidarka

[LauraA]

Hi all - as Letha mentioned in one post, I've been "in the zone" lately, and I've done well on Thanksgiving day. For those who are feeling challenged and for those who are experiencing success, we're having a new thread for December. Letha suggested that I should go ahead and start our Dec thread so that newcomers or recommitters can have time to prepare. I've started our Dec thread, and I'll probably check and reply over there as needed. I think that I'll keep posting here until November is over. I just like to finish what I started. So, I hope to see everyone on the Nov and/or Dec thread. I think that we can continue to help and inspire each other. Take care, LauraA

[LauraA]

Hi again - I know that Letha weighed in today, and I plan to weigh in on the last day of November, which is Sunday. Whoever wants to, let's post our monthly loses for November, and then see how we do in December!

[Letha]

LauraA,
Thanks for starting both the November and December discussion threads. Great way to create a supportive community.

I think I'll use my weekly weigh in numbers to calculate the amount lost in a month.

Baidarka, Moving is so disruptive. Hopefully you’ll get settled into your new routine soon. Please join us as part of the December MWL challenge/support group. I posted my menu for the day in the Roberta’s corner. http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9541

Letha

[Letha]

Good morning all. I’m on plan and planning to stay that way. I posted my menu over in Roberta’s corner. I’m going to do some cooking today. I’ve got some navy beans I’ve been soaking overnight and I’m going to make some baked beans from scratch today. If they turn out well, I’ll have them for lunch and dinner today and tomorrow. If I don’t like them….well then, I’ll just open a can of peas to have with my potatoes. Always good to have a backup plan.

I was playing around with the CRON-O-METER last night. Trying to get it to calculate the nutrients in my pinto beans soup recipe. They have a feature for this but I couldn’t figure out how to adjust the number of servings or how to edit the recipe. The recipe calculator on sparks people is better but their web pages are so busy and they’ve been sending me a lot of junk email plus they didn’t have dry pinto beans as an ingredient so I had to figure out how many cups of cooked pinto beans one cup of dry pinto beans would make. One of my favorite (if not always accurate) recipe nutrition calculators was MasterCook. I had it years ago but I’m not sure if they sell it anymore. I’ve also used fitday, nutridiary, and weight watchers nutrient calculators which all have their various pros and cons. I realize there is no requirement to look at the nutrients of the food we eat on the MWL plan but I have time on my hands and I’m curious. I’ll check back tomorrow.
Letha

[Baidarka]

We are headed out today (although it's only down the road) and we're at the part where we all scream "Yikes!!! We didn't get this....and this....and this....well, you know the drill.

I have fibromyalgia, and I am having one of my "sick spells," that awful, flue-y feeling, for the first time in a long time, thus proving that changing my diet ha made me immeasurably better. So much for slacking off with the excuse of moving!

Letha, are you familiar with

http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/account/index.php

I kind of like this site for figuring out nutrients and the like. I also like to enter my food for the day and get a letter grade, mostlly an "A" for the past year (forget yesterday!). Seems like all these sites are a bit clumsy and non-user-friendly, but I've gotten used to this one.

Onward!

Baidarka