February 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

[Jaap Amesz]

We don’t recommend any of these overly restricted versions or “hacks” of the McDougall Program, especially in regard to those who want to lose weight.

This really confused me. Though John McDougall didn't concretely say on Youtube he supported Spudfit's choice, his demeanor in telling the Spudfit story and arguments towards how great potatoes are, combined with his Starch Solution Book quotes that eating monotonous if you like like that is fine, well, that made me think eating extremely uncomplicated is fine.

I did read ALL the links you gave me (and links in the links, took me several hours!) and I encountered the problem of the interpretation of MWL concepts. I was totally shocked to read that unlimited is not so unlimited after all. I interpreted that wrong as well. So far was I was following Colin Campbell's 'eat unlimited from this list' and Fuhrman's 'the more beans you eat, the longer you live' principles. Well, that got me stuck!

Actually I am feeling a bit hopeless. I put so much effort in studying the works of McDougall and other WFPB medical professionals, will studying the MWL book (I ordered it already, comes in tomorrow) actually change something? Even with my honest intention to give it my best, to put in time and effort, will I interpret the method correctly?

While doing G-Bombs and Daily Dozen, after some time I encountered practical problems specified on my life, since nobody was there to answer those personal problems, I had no other choice then to guess an "X, Y, Hack" amendment to the program.

It's fine for me to comply, I will be militant. I will give MWL my all, trust me, I am in so much pain, that motivation & compliance is a piece of potato. Though, I already know now in advance, some bumps on the road will doom up.

My point being: my total compliance is dependent on experienced MWL people who are actually willing to reply.

[fiftysix]

Down 1.5 lbs this week.

Since Tuesday, it has been in the back of my mind that I'll be posting here on Friday and that I wanted it to be a minus.

Cool ... it worked this week!

[JeffN]

It's fine for me to comply, I will be militant. I will give MWL my all, trust me, I am in so much pain, that motivation & compliance is a piece of potato. Though, I already know now in advance, some bumps on the road will doom up.

I would recommend starting a food Journal in the Journal section along with your posting here .

viewforum.php?f=52

I see you already started one, now just post every day, each and every day and log everything you eat, drink and consume.

In addition, take the 10 point MWL checklist from here...

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=26620&p=578019#p578019

...and post it each day in your journal and next to each one, indicate thumbs up or thumbs down (Or any other indicator to show where you complied or not) which will give you a valuable self assessment and help keep you on track each day and see what areas you have to work on.

Here is an example from a forum member

viewtopic.php?f=52&t=58469#p587755

In the end, weight management is an issue of energy balance and not any magic or tweeks. To maintain a negative energy balance, we have to maintain a certain level of energy out (activity, exercise, NEAT) and a certain level of energy in. Most attempts either have one exercising way to much to a point that is unsustainable and/or will hurt them, and/or cutting the amount of food down to such a point that they are starving themselves and/or going hungry all the time. The only proven solution to this is understanding and applying the principles of calorie density, adjusted to you. Hopefully, you watched the free 80 minutes video that was linked in the other threads.

My point being: my total compliance is dependent on experienced MWL people who are actually willing to reply.

While this may help, your total compliance & your success will be based on many factors including your willingness to adhere to the guidelines, to be self honest to yourself and in your journal, and to set yourself up for success by always planning ahead and having compliant food around, etc. There are a few threads on long-term compliance which may give you some additional insight.

Unlike most of the others, our program is very very simple. However, as I always say..

....this program may be simple, but doing it in this world with its toxic food environment with little social, personal and environment support is nothing less than "brutal." As a result, people struggle with it and are always looking for the next "trick" that will make this easier for them. In addition, the "pull" of pleasure trap foods, even those often seen as healthy, is powerful.

There are over 30 years of writings at this forum all focused on helping you be successful (and it is all free). There is no team out there in the WFPB world doing this that has more personal and professional experience at this.

In Health,
Jeff

[sirdle]

2.2 lb loss this week.

[GlennR]

Neither up nor down for this week. I suppose as I ate out three nights I'll have to be satisfied that it wasn't up!

[moonlight]

Hi JaapAmesz,
Jeff has given you some great advice. He has been working with people attempting to do this for a long time. I suggest really paying attention to his talks about calorie density. I watch his lectures again and again. I always find something new to focus on and be aware of in my eating. Mark Cooper has an awesome journal. He posts pictures of what he eats. Amazing! I thought I'd share a couple of examples from my journal. I try different things from time to time, depending on where I seem to struggle. I think I'm a little ADD so I can't really keep the same process going for very long.

Program outlined in the MWL book, page 60.
1. Eliminate All Animal Foods
DONE!
2. Eliminate All Oils
DONE!
3. Eliminate All High Fat Plant Foods: Nuts, Nut Butters, Seeds, Seed Butters, Avocados, Coconut, & Olives.
DONE!
4. Eliminate All Flour Products
DONE!
5. Eat Whole Grains and Potatoes
Breakfast - millet; Lunch - millet; Dinner - millet
6. Eat Legumes
white beans and Grandpa's eat loaf - Yum!
7. Make Green & Yellow Vegetables One-Half to One-Third of your meal
Breakfast - yes; Lunch - yes; Dinner - Yes
8. Eat Uncooked Foods (Vegetables)
Lunch - kale salad; Dinner - kale salad
9. Restrict Fresh Fruit to No More Than Two Servings a Day, and Avoid Dried Fruit, Fruit Puree, and Fruit Juice
Done!
10. Use Simple Sugar Sparingly
Done!
Dr. McDougall says, "Make exercise a part of each day".
Walked dog for 20 minutes. I need to increase aerobic exercise... I mowed the lawn but that was on a riding mower. It still made me tired, like I worked out. I think I burned more calories than sitting at the computer.

And, another way to track your compliance is to plan out a menu for the week and keep it on your journal. Here's my example. There are plenty of different ways to do this in the journals.

A 7-day MWL plan!!
Intentions for Eating, Exercise, and Sitting Meditation for 7 days:
Wednesday Day 1
Day 1 of 31 MWL compliant days
B: oatmeal with fruit
L: broccoli chowder, Ethiopian stew and baby potatoes
D: McAlister's: baked potato and steamed veggies
Snacks: carrots and celery and apple or orange and baby potatoes
Planned Exercise: WaterRower
Sitting Meditation

Actual Eats and Exercise and Meditation:
B:
L:Ethiopian stew and brown rice (quick cook in-the-bag< very good!)
D: potato, grilled mushrooms, steamed broccoli
Snacks: broccoli chowder, corn, and garbanzo beans
Actual Exercise: 30 min
Sitting Meditation:
I successfully ate in a restaurant and stayed MWL compliant . I like having a week of planned meals!

Thursday Day 2
Day 2 of 31 MWL compliant days
B:oatmeal with fruit
L: Oriental salad (MWL cookbook), sweet potato and spicy greens
D: broccoli chowder, veggie/bean meatless loaf, mashed potatoes
Snacks: carrots and celery and apple or orange and baby potatoes
Planned Exercise: WaterRower
Sitting Meditation

Actual Eats and Exercise and Meditation:
B:
L: substitute! little potatoes, broccoli chowder, raw carrots and celery
D: broccoli chowder, veggie/bean meatless loaf, little potatoes, cranberry sauce
Snacks: frozen mango, blueberries, banana, more baby potatoes, raw carrots and celery
Actual Exercise: at least 30 min hiking in the mountains, 2 miles
Sitting Meditation:

My mind kept thinking about food tonight. I managed to stay on MWL food. Ate a little more fruit than 2 servings but I have stayed with MWL compliant snacks.

Also, I recommend reading the journals of some of the Star McDougallers. Geo and Frozen Veg come to mind. I have studied other people's methods and menus to help me. It's all about tweaking your process, but stay within the MWL guidelines, and you will succeed. Best of luck! You can do it!

[Belana]

Good morning,
I only lost half a pound this week, 121.7. I want to be more precise with my weigh-ins.
I want to speed up my weight loss, so I think I'm going to try to eat more salads.
I'm new in town, so I'm attending as many social activities as I can, which makes being on this diet tough, since the majority of social activities revolve around food and booze.
It'd be nice communicating with others who are following MWL.
If you're interested, please feel free to send me a PM.
~belana,

[laurag]

Hi people, I am happy because I have a loss 3 lbs I am really doing what I am supposed to be doing most of the time but I see If I want to keep it losing I have to keep on program, I know so obvious but the lil angel who looooves food still dwells within and I still have to work with her.

[anne57]

...

[Ellen N]

I weigh 162 this week, down 2#. Got really sick of baked potatoes, have been eating lots of hash browns, which I grill in a nonstick panini press. I use dehydrated shredded potatoes I buy by the case at Costco, just pour in hot water and let it sit 12minutes to reconstitute, then grill it for 10 minutes. Usually steam a veg to go with it. I know I should be eating more salads/vegetables but have to be so careful to avoid foods high in vitamin A for medical reasons so it is a challenge. Next weekend I will go to beautiful SilverFalls State Park here in Oregon for a knitting retreat with 40-50 lovely ladies. Will be too far away from restaurants and the lodge caters the food. They have vegan options but not always MWL friendly. They always have lots of salad fixings (I can bring my own dressing) and they have wonderful oats for breakfast. I plan to bring some foods I can eat before each meal, will have access to a refrigerator. I can’t find Jeff’s post with recipe for his steak fries, wonder if it could be reposted? Thanks!

[anelson108]

Weigh-in today: I'm out of town and unable to weigh-in today.
Last week: 199.4
Results: NA
Total loss (since joining MWL): NA
Goal weight: 150 pounds (5' 6" height)
NOTE: NA

[Humberto]

Hola and Hello, and happy Friday and happy Monday to me.

Today the beautiful scale says: 228.00, down from 229.80, a loss of 1.80 lbs .


All the best to all,
Humberto
"May Kindness be our Walk"

PS:
Abraham / Hicks
From the Non-physical, you created you, and now from the physical, you continue to create, and we are nothing if we are not Flow-ers of Energy. We must have objects of attention, that are ringing our bells, in order to feel the fullness of who we are, flowing through us, for the continuation of All-That-Is. That is what puts the eternalness in eternity.

Don Miguel Ruiz
Nothing anyone does is because of you. Once you have this awareness, and you don't take it personally, compassion and understanding will lead you to forgiveness.

[amandamechele]

Humberto - Chef AJ’s brussel sprout recipe is a favourite of mine too. I also enjoy adding thinly sliced giant oyster mushrooms for a chewy meaty feel.

LauraG - A loaf of sourdough wouldn’t last long with me either, so I completely agree. You have found out for yourself something that Dr. McDougall and Jeff recommend. Following the program exactly as it is written can make it not just simple to do, but easier as well. Once you’ve stopped priming your palette and mind with little forays off plan, they become less and less enticing as time passes. If you are able, keep it up! It is something many of us aspire to do, and many many active members of the forum boards actually do in their everyday lives. (I just got down to your loss for this week after typing a bunch of other responses.... wonderful job, it sounds like you have been keeping it up. That lil angel is reasonable when we don’t tempt her. XO)

Hi Jaap - I will definitely add you to the tally this week. You have been doing great, based on your stats. Congratulations! Let’s get you moving towards the next goal. Have the issues with sending PMs been cleared up for you yet? The weekly weigh-in statistics are posted 4-5 times a month within the threads named after that month. It is slightly informal, but every Saturday (well, technically the wee hours of Sunday AM many weeks) I post the list along with what has been lost in the previous weeks of that month, and a monthly summary too. If you are looking for the losses of individuals you would need to just scroll through the threads and look at each week’s tally. Often people like to keep track of their losses in the signature of their posts using Ticker Factory. I think Moonlight posted some instructions somewhere in this very thread on how to update.

Jeff and Lindsey - Thank you both!


Michele - I would say so!! Great loss. Thank goodness Moonlight is helping with the ticker issues, though I did like your double ticker because two cats are cuter than one...LOL.

Dpascar - Wow! Congratulations on making a whole bunch of really great choices leading to a whole bunch of really great succcess!! Here’s to even more.

Moonlight - Wonderful, wonderful loss. I’m so happy for you. Thank you, also, for the ticker information.... I’m almost inspired to put one up too, now that you’ve made it just a little bit easier. Almost...LOL... I’m such a chicken.

Jaap Hi again! Thankfully Jeff is helping you sort through so many details. I just wanted to comment on your sentiment of feeling hopeless. I have been there too and it is such a demoralizing feeling. You are really taking good control by gathering as much information as you need and sorting through it in order to figure out your best plan of action. Sometimes I find it helpful to take a step away from the studying and just live for a bit. Follow the guidelines how you currently understand them, as of today, and see where it takes you. More tweaks can come later if you don’t see any progress. I’m sorry to hear that you are in pain. Though it can provide great motivation for change, it’s not something I would wish for anyone. (I like how you McDougallized that metaphor...LOL) You seem to be a very motivated person, so please try not to have your adherence level rely on external factors because these are not things you can control. Just keep asking questions, like you are, and experimenting to see what works best for you.

fiftysix - Woot woot! Great loss and I’m glad to hear the accountability was helpful this week. Ride that wave for as long as you can.

Sirdle!! - Hey... great to hear from you. Nice loss.

Glenn - Holding steady during a tough week can definitely be considered a win in my books.

Belana - That is a solid loss. Good work this week. You can speed up weight loss by upping your veggies to 50% of your plate visually. If you feel too hungry, soon after your meals, you will know to add back a bit more starchy foods to feel satisfied. Socializing often can definitely make this journey slightly more complicated. I was out this evening and while everyone else drank martinis and gimlets I settled on sparkling water with a bit of lime. If I feel I’m getting a bit of pressure to drink (which I wasn’t tonight, thankfully), I’m willing to tell a fib and say it’s a vodka soda. That way others can relax and do their thing, I can do mine and we can all just focus on enjoying each other’s company and not who is drinking what.

Also, if you are not getting any traction on finding an accountability partner, and find the conversation here in the thread isn’t quite enough, I suggest posting your request message in the lounge and maybe the How to Begin forum, or in your own journal too (if you have one). Like dating, or finding a job, it’s a numbers game. The more people that see your message, the more likely you are to come across someone who is also looking for an accountability partner. Best wishes this week.

Anne57 - Thank you for checking in, and Happy Friday to you too! Good plan, starting a journal. Best wishes for the week.

Ellen - Nice loss...hash browns are so delicious! I love mine with dry sautéed mushrooms, onions, and green peppers. Here is the recipe for Jeff’s steak fries with the added bonus of his bean burger recipe too...and if you click here you can see his smiling face. Enjoy your knitting retreat! Is there a theme? Will you be knitting something in particular or learning a technique of some sort? I love learning vacations.

Anelson108 - Enjoy your travels and thank you for still checking in!

Humberto - That loss is a beautiful thing. Congratulations.

[Frymom]

Hola de España
I stayed the same this week, which is a win. I have learned that the body adjusts at its own rate...some weeks faster and other weeks slower, but in the long run as long as I stick to it, the weight does come off. Some weeks there is water gain, some weeks there is muscle gain. At all costs I try to avoid muscle loss which happens from lack of exercise, too vigorous of exercise for prolonged periods out of the aerobic zone, or most significantly, not eating enough calories. I actually have a (very expensive) Tanita scale that can track my muscle and water weight gains and losses. I have learned that even though the number on the scale may be disappointing, if I watch the muscle and water weight gains and losses I can be proud of my week. For example, a 1 lb gain can be disappointing, especially if you know you’ve done well to follow the plan, but if that gain is muscle, it’s a WIN! Muscle burns more calories and takes up less space than fat and gives you a toner look. So, I guess all I’m saying is, don’t be discouraged if you are working hard and the number on the scale is not moving much. There are often other things going on inside that are really a big win in the long run. I am loving that my clothes are much looser than last month!

Stay the course everyone! We can breeze through Valentines Day without chocolate to throw us off track! A Sweetheart’s walk my be better in every way ( even if that walk has to be in the mall because of bad weather!). Be sure to hold hands! It’s good for the soul!

Chris
Weight loss this week = 0
Total loss since Jan 4= 13.2 lbs

[Jaap Amesz]

@ Jeff

-I did watch your video on caloric density.
-I updated my journal daily.
-I studied all the new links you gave me.

Also, I studied the forum somewhat in general and read the forum guidelines. Some things are wondering in my mind, so I guess you want me to get back at that in the "Jeff Novick, RD" forum. There you would like 1 question per 1 user in 1 thread? Then from now on, I refrain from getting this thread off topic with my MWL questions. Do I understand the working of this site correctly then?