January 2021 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Group

[wildgoose]

Thanks, Mark, for the links about how to know what our target weight should be. I think your philosophy will work for me! Noella

...My own philosophy is just to strictly and consistently adhere to the MWL checklist, and let the scale land where it lands...

Noella, that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’ve kept eating MWL, with a very small number of modifications (mostly a few added condiments), as a maintenance way of life for over a year now. I’ve found that my weight varies by a few pounds here and there but stays stable right around where my original MWL journey put it. I’m not "on a diet" or "off a diet." This is just the way I eat, and the results are consistently what I want.

January is the time when I think of all the years (like most of my life) of New Year’s resolutions that started with "lose weight" — and I never have to do that again! I just get silly happy knowing that. And it’s so easy. Match behavior to results, adjust in small increments where necessary, repeat. For a reformed yo-yo dieter like me, this is mind-blowing.

Goose

[wmcwilli]

Hello there! I have read the orientation materials and would like to be a part of this group. I am really looking for some accountability. I know this is the best way to eat, but live in a rough food environment. I know I'm a food addict (especially sugar) and I feel like a recovering alcoholic that lives in bar. I am hoping that with some like-minded people to share this journey with, I can make significant changes to improve my health while helping others do the same.
All the best,
Wendy

[Mark Cooper]

wmcwilli - Welcome to the group, Wendy! Our environment definitely exerts influence over our choices and likely pattern of behavior. The more you can arrange your immediate environment to support your goals and make it easy to reach for the recommended foods (and more difficult to get to those foods you find troublesome) the better support for your success. For many of us, a perfectly "clean" environment might not be attainable, so that makes it even more important to invest time in planning, preparation and tactics that support adherence.

[Cliv]

The meals I’ve been making follow the SNAP template simply because it’s less overwhelming for me. With making meals like this, do I still follow the 50/50 plate rule? Would one half be my snap meal and the other half veggies?

Thanks!

[Mark Cooper]

The meals I’ve been making follow the SNAP template simply because it’s less overwhelming for me. With making meals like this, do I still follow the 50/50 plate rule? Would one half be my snap meal and the other half veggies?

Thanks!

Meals made using the SNAP template will generally satisfy the 50/50 ratio more or less "as is," so they should work as you "main course" in and of themselves without additional non-starchy vegetables above and beyond those in the template. Hope that makes sense, and let me know if you need further explanation, or have more questions.

[Noella]

Thanks, Mark, for the links about how to know what our target weight should be. I think your philosophy will work for me! Noella

...My own philosophy is just to strictly and consistently adhere to the MWL checklist, and let the scale land where it lands...

Noella, that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’ve kept eating MWL, with a very small number of modifications (mostly a few added condiments), as a maintenance way of life for over a year now. I’ve found that my weight varies by a few pounds here and there but stays stable right around where my original MWL journey put it. I’m not "on a diet" or "off a diet." This is just the way I eat, and the results are consistently what I want.

January is the time when I think of all the years (like most of my life) of New Year’s resolutions that started with "lose weight" — and I never have to do that again! I just get silly happy knowing that. And it’s so easy. Match behavior to results, adjust in small increments where necessary, repeat. For a reformed yo-yo dieter like me, this is mind-blowing.

Goose

Thank you, Wildgoose! Your experience following MWL is inspiring to me. It is exciting and reassuring to know that even after years of yo-yo dieting that following MWL worked so well for you. It is my dream that like you, following MWL will get me to the point where “I never have to do that again!” A year ago I was worried that my previous failed attempts at dieting had ruined my metabolism and with it the chance of ever getting back to a healthy weight. Now I look forward to steadily developing the healthy habits laid out in the MWL guidelines so that, like you, I will not ever give up and have to start over. My New Year’s resolution this year started with a more optimistic and successful statement than last: “I will continue doing exactly what I’m doing (MWL) because it is working!”

I really want to thank you for telling me about the Pomi no salt Italian Pomodoro tomatoes to use in homemade spaghetti sauces. These tomatoes are delicious straight out of the carton, so it’s not surprising that our soups and sauces are turning out much better and more delicious than before. These tomatoes are less acidic and more flavorful; two qualities make a big difference! Thank you!
Noella

[wildgoose]

A year ago I was worried that my previous failed attempts at dieting had ruined my metabolism and with it the chance of ever getting back to a healthy weight.

Jeff has discussed the idea of dieting and metabolism in several threads — for example, https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=11464&p=92722#p92722

He points out ...

Yo-Yo dieting does not negatively effect metabolism. In fact, over 90% of those in the National Weight Control Registry, were long term yo-yo dieters who have now successfully lost and kept their weight off.

...which I find to be very reassuring.

Now I look forward to steadily developing the healthy habits laid out in the MWL guidelines so that, like you, I will not ever give up and have to start over. My New Year’s resolution this year started with a more optimistic and successful statement than last: “I will continue doing exactly what I’m doing (MWL) because it is working!”

Now that’s what I call a resolution!

I really want to thank you for telling me about the Pomi no salt Italian Pomodoro tomatoes to use in homemade spaghetti sauces. These tomatoes are delicious straight out of the carton, so it’s not surprising that our soups and sauces are turning out much better and more delicious than before. These tomatoes are less acidic and more flavorful; two qualities make a big difference!

I learned about Pomi tomatoes from Jeff's "Fast Food" DVDs, several years ago. It’s what he used, so I tried them. He was right — they’re excellent, and I agree, there’s a big difference. Vitacost is starting to get them back in stock, which I’m happy to see since I can’t get them locally (and sellers on Amazon are pricing them way too high).

Goose

[JaBee]

Greetings!

Is Bulgar Wheat MWL compliant when used in soup or stew?

Thanks,

[Mark Cooper]

Greetings!

Is Bulgar Wheat MWL compliant when used in soup or stew?

Thanks,

Bulgur is a whole grain (cracked, parboiled wheat), and when cooked is ~380 calories/lb; it would be an acceptable choice for the starch portion of a meal. Enjoy!

[birdy birdy]

Would someone please help me by instructing me how to add a "ticker" to my online posts so that I can have a visual expression of my weight progress? I found the website but I just don't know how to copy and paste it into my posts. Thanks in advance!

[Mark Cooper]

Would someone please help me by instructing me how to add a "ticker" to my online posts so that I can have a visual expression of my weight progress? I found the website but I just don't know how to copy and paste it into my posts. Thanks in advance!

Here you go.

Can anyone tell me how to add a weightloss ticker to your weigh in posts? I would like to see my progress, and have noticed people have those attached to their posts. Thanks in advance

NIJA, lots of us use tickerfactory.com, although there are several options out there.

• Go to http://www.tickerfactory.com.
• Select weight loss ticker and put in your preferences for the ruler and the image you want to use as your slider/marker. This can be changed at any time, so don’t stress about getting it exactly right.
• Enter starting date and weight, goal weight. If you want to track BMI along with weight, there’s a place to add your height.
• When you’re satisfied with what you've built, copy the bbCode (not the HTML — that’s important) from the final page of the ticker builder, and come back to this board. Open your User Control Panel, click on Profile, and paste that bbCode in the "Edit signature" area. Click on "Submit," and test to see if it worked by looking at any of your previous posts.
• To Edit the ticker (as your weight changes!), just click on the ticker at the bottom of any of your posts, and you’ll be taken back to the tickerfactory.com page. Make sure to remember your PIN that you set when you created the ticker, or you won’t be able to edit it.

The ticker I just built as a test should show underneath this post. If it disappears at some point, it just means I decided to erase the bbCode from my Signature in my user profile. You have that option, too, at any time.

Hope that helps.

Goose

[UncleMike]

Hello! I would like to join the MWL Group. I have reviewed the orientation materials and accept the expressed guidelines. I look forward to connecting with the community.

[Mark Cooper]

UncleMike - Hello and welcome to the group!

[Expat in NZ]

Hi all, sorry I missed last week. We had a big move that was 3 days of driving with a 5 yr old and an almost 4 year old but we made it!!

Dec 25 - 178.0 (+0.2)
Jan 8 - 176.0 (-2.0) - WOOHOO -30lb total!

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. It was a struggle during the week of the move but this past week I have gotten back into the groove.
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals. 50%
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. 50% - was reliant on vegan pizza the week of the move because I couldn’t cook anything
4. Eliminate all animal foods. 100%
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods. 50%
6. Eliminate any added oil. 50%
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods. 50%
8. Don't drink your calories. 100%
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. 50%
10. Avoid being sedentary. Well other than driving for 3 days Indid pretty well with this! Haha

So I am happy to be a little lighter but I am even happier to be back on MWL. Vegan pizza tastes amazing but it isn’t satisfying at all and it’s expensive. I cannot tell you how happy I was to sit down to potatoes and broccoli when we finally got into our new house and unpacked enough kitchen stuff so that I could cook!

A few sweet potatoes are going in the oven soon - they are like candy to me Welcome to the new folks and Mark - what you said about sticking to MWL and letting the scale fall where it may resonated with me. I have been fixated on that number for an inordinate number of years and I need to work on letting go of that.

[PonysPlants]

Lost 2.8 lbs this week! Burned a few extra calories with my victory dance, too. Having my husband on board with me so far this month has been really fun and has definitely helped keep me on track. You can’t cheat when you’re trying to sell a way of eating as being the best. He’s also lost over 6lbs this week!

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES
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. YES
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. YES.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). YES Easy. Vegan for life
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados,) YES
6. Eliminate any added oil. YES.
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. YES
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). YES.
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. YES
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily. YES. I’ve had a sore shoulder for a couple of weeks now but doing daily Pilates has helped and husband also got me the ring fit game for the Nintendo for Christmas. It’s a surprisingly tough workout!

I’m now 0.6lbs away from being in the 140s, which is very exciting to me. I hoped to get there by the time it was my birthday so I’ve got 2 weeks left to get rid of 0.6lbs which I’m sure won’t be a problem. Yay!

Mark, thanks again for all of your guidance and support. I honestly don’t know if I would have got here without this place! Anyone starting out for the new year I’m sending good luck to but you’re in very capable hands!

Naomi