How do you measure your success?

[dragonfly_kat]

I was wondering how those of you that have been following the MWL program for a while (with success) measure that success? Do you weigh yourself? If so, how often and why? Do you measure your body? If so, how often? Do you do a combination of the two and how often. Do you use some other way of knowing that you are making progress?

I am asking this because my husband says I should just use my clothes or the mirror as a measure of how well I am doing. I realize that in a way he is right but, in a way, he is wrong (at least in my case).
I tend to "see" myself smaller than I actually am and therefore I am not able to realistically gauge my success in losing weight. When I see pictures of myself I can't believe I look as bad as I do. I really need a way to not stress about my weight but at the same time KNOW that I am succeeding with the program.

I used to use the scale everyday (still do) but had to switch scales. That caused this new dilema because the new scale is 2-4 pounds off (in a good way, though, which caused me to wonder which # is right, the high # or the low #).
I would love to not obsess over this and just weigh myself once a month but I don't think I have control of myself when it comes to my curiousity about my numbers. But then again, I think the scale has become a crutch because it allows me to cheat, as long as I keep myself in check. If I gain a pound or two I know I am doing something wrong or that the cheating is catching up with me if I can see it on the scale. That way I can correct my bad habits before they get out of control.
But... if I don't have a scale then what will I do? Will I eventually gain even more weight because I don't have that policing system in place or will it help me to stay on track because I can't cheat without gaining and would have no way of knowing how much I gain? I must be rambling on and babbling nonsense but I feel better that I got that off my chest. Thanks for "listening".

Anyway, I appreciate any input on this subject.

[Ege Bamyasi]

Hello, dragonfly_kat, and welcome to the forums!

You will find that the majority of people here strongly recommend weighing in no more than one time per week and just letting compliance with this eating plan take the pounds off for you in its wonderful, stress-free way. The beauty of this plan in general, and especially MWL, is that it is almost comically low in caloric density when compared to the Standard American Diet (the SAD for short).

Let me give you an example:

Say you decided to make a family-size crock pot full of soup one evening with the intention of eating it throughout the next day. If you were to use potatoes as your starch to build on, two pounds of potatoes -- at 0.8 calories per gram -- would only contain about 716 calories. Adding in a generous amount of onions, carrots and greens, plus fat-free vegetable broth and water, would barely get you to 1,000 calories for a huge batch of soup! There's every chance you wouldn't be able to finish the entire thing in a day, but for that day you would be very content, full of energy and properly nourished. All on 1,000 calories or less! It's very hard to imagine any kind of scenario where a person with that calorie intake wouldn't manage to drop some weight every week.

I hope that example proves that calorie counting and weigh-ins are almost superfluous with this eating plan because the beauty of the plan is that success is the guaranteed outcome by design if only you make the right choices a high percentage of the time. Your husband is giving you some very sound advice also. Just come into this with a positive attitude and a willingness to try a plethora of new and delicious recipes, and you'll be amazed.

[MaryW]

I weigh and measure myself. We have weigh in day here on the MWL board on Thursdays. I weigh myself frequently, sometimes several times a day, out of curiosity more than anything else. But it only COUNTS on Thursdays. I find that my weight varies wildly from day to day, so it's only helpful to count it once per week.

I also measure myself about once a month. My mom is also McDougalling with me. She has the notebook with our measurements. Whenever I go to her house (which is usually about once a month) we measure each other.

Clothes are also a good indicator, but for me it takes too long for results to show up. And the mirror test doesn't work for me at all. I have a lot of weight to lose and when I look in the mirror, I don't see any difference. My tight clothes are loose and I am buying smaller sizes, but my body looks pretty much the same to me. I'd much rather see the changes in pounds on a scale or inches on a tape measure. The scale drives some people crazy and weighing actually becomes counterproductive. You have to figure out what works for you.

It also sounds like you have problems with cheating. I know I had to get over my cravings. If you stick to the plan strictly for a few weeks, the cravings fade. They really do! In the meantime, eat lots of healthy filling foods to ward off a binge and find some "legal" substitutes. Many people have raved about frozen banana "ice cream."
http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewt ... +ice+cream

There's also a web site called Fat Free Vegan that has lots of great recipes. Here's one for pineapple sorbet:
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/06/ri ... orbet.html

She has another for potato pizzas:
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/09/potato-pizzas.html
Which reminds me, I've been dying for pizza since the pizza party at work on Friday. I'll have to make some of these tomorrow!

Look for new, healthy versions of your favorite foods in the McD cookbooks and this site for ideas to help you through the transition. I've been doing this for over 6 months (it's my second attempt at losing weight with McDougalling) and I feel great! The weight loss is practically effortless. And the food is so tasty! You just have to make it over that initial hump. You can do it!

[Riceypuffcake]

Oh-ma-gosh. Thank you so much for those links to the banana and pineapple "Ice Creams"! I can't believe i didn't think of that before!!!