The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - February 2022 Group

[Mark Cooper]

February 2022 RESOURCES
This section will be updated throughout the month with links to useful resources, as they are added to the thread.

Orientation Information for Time & Adherence: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success
MWL 10-Point Checklist
MWL Program Guidelines
Calorie Density: How To Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer
MWL Recipes
SNAP Meal Template

1- 28 oz Can No Salt Added Tomatoes
1- 16 oz Bag Frozen Mixed Veggies (any type)
1- 4 oz Frozen Green Leafy Vegetables (collard, turnip, mustard, etc)
1- Around 200-250 Calories of a Cooked Starch (Brown rice, Yam, Potato, WW Pasta, etc)
1- Seasoning (to your preference)

200- 250 Calories Of Starch options
~ 1.25 to 1.5 Medium Potatoes
~ 1.25 to 1.5 Cups (Cooked) Whole Wheat Penne Pasta
~ 1 to 1.25 Cups (Cooked) Brown Rice

The Road to Success: Creating Healthy Habits
The Pleasure Trap: Dr. Doug Lisle at TedxFremont
How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind with Dr. Doug Lisle
Dr. Doug Lisle on The Ego Trap
Dr. Doug Lisle: The Story of Willpower – What it Is & How it Works
Dr. Lisle's Three Top Tips for Dietary Success
Jeff Novick, RD - Nutrition & Health FAQ: Answers To The Most Asked Questions
A Review of the Rules & Guidelines for Reading Labels
Passive Overconsumption: The Unintended Intake of Excess Calories
Why We Hit Plateaus and What We Can Do About Them
Top 10 Reasons for Lack of Success
Dining Out and Travel Food
Exercise, Health & You: How Much Is Enough?
Optimum BMI? / Optimal BMI - redux
Building Self-Efficacy
You Are Not Broken
wildgoose - How I determined my "goal weight"
Amy's Giant List of Links to Dr. Lisle's Lectures

[Mark Cooper]

The first day of a new month! Let's aim for an AMAZING February, filled with achievement!

For returning participants, I look forward to seeing your ongoing progress.

If you are considering joining us for the first time, please be sure to review the most current Orientation materials, and read Jeff's post discussing the group focus.

Our next self-assessment reporting window starts on Friday, February 4. Cheers!

[Lachoffman]

Hi All, I'm joining the February 2022 Group. I've read the required documents and am ready to get started! Looking forward to it!

[Mark Cooper]

Hi All, I'm joining the February 2022 Group. I've read the required documents and am ready to get started! Looking forward to it!

I'm glad you will be joining us!

[BambiS]

2/4

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes
I’m still eating those wonderful Florida oranges, and batch cooking soups


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. Yes, but think I could do better on the half plate. The soup and starch has been filling enough.


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 this week was good

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). Yes, I haven’t had any desire for these foods

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).Yes, no desire for them

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
I drink water daily, herbal teas, or Teeccino

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 (i.e., brisk walking). Yes
I met my daily steps goal. Once I get my mom settled, I would like to increase activities, mostly toning.


Victories, comments, concerns, questions

-1 this week -25 total since 11-7 and -35 since end of August. I had lost some before joining the group

I am dealing well with the added stress of my mom living here until she gets moved. I feel like I have lots of energy and would like to exercise more, but feel like I should sit with her and talk, entertain. I will try to use my cubii and talk this week.

[Lachoffman]

A) Weight change +/- in lbs: 189.4 lbs (first weigh-in)

B) 10-POINT CHECKLIST
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. Choose fruit for dessert. YES, but I'm thinking it's okay to do a bowl meal that includes non-starchy vegetables, beans and rice?
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
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). One meal this week had cheese in it. This won't be a problem going forward due to increased and better planning.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Had 10 raw pecans once this week; again better planning will allow me to eliminate this.
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, although I had one hot chocolate this week.
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 (i.e., brisk walking). Need to get after this! Didn't do this but one day this week.

C) Victories, comments, concerns, questions: I am very pleased to be back with the MWL program and looking forward to feeling better and losing weight. My question is: my doctor recently told me that my cholesterol was a little high and that I need to cut back on carbs and simple sugars. Other than a little maple syrup in my daily oatmeal, I am not consuming sugar. With my commitment to the MWL program, how do I navigate this counsel. Thanks!

[Rebecka22]

1.Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES This continued to be a habit.
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. YES I was mostly back to my regular frozen veggies this week.
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 Although this along with 5,7,9 came VERY close to becoming no’s last weekend. I was super frustrated with a lot of things and bought vegan pizza, ice cream and cookies, but when I got home I realized that it wasn’t going to make me feel better, more likely worse and was able to not eat any then or the rest of the week.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). YES I am committed to this one so it’s easier for me.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). YES Same as number 3.
6. Eliminate any added oil. YES Same as three and actually the pizza didn’t even smell good to me.
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 Luckily I did open these cravings back up.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). YES I avoided this again.
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 wouldn’t say I necessarily ate less, but I broke it up more to see if I really wanted it
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). YES I do well with this one.

Overall I feel good, and especially proud of turning my choices around before I went through with off plan behaviors.

[thatsright75]

Hi Everyone, I had a tougher week. After three straight weeks losing 2 pounds each week, I only lost 0.2 lb this week. Part of the problem was my lack of prep. I have remedied that and I'm ready to tackle this week. The other problem is that I had to start an antibiotic which has made me sluggish, bothered my gut, and made weight loss difficult. But I will continue to eat right and hopefully I will be back on track once I finish my antibiotic.
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. I probably only did this 80% of the time, and of those I had fruit half of the time. I have salad and soup in the fridge ready for this week so that I can do better with my starters this week.
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. I ate out three times this week, which makes it difficult to do, but I did fine when I was at home. I am getting tired of the frozen vegetable mix I have been eating. I need to find some different veggie options or learn to love the same ones more.
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. I'm doing great on the sugars and improving steadily on the salt. I have found that I'm getting more sensitive to salt and need less all the time.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). 100%, no problems here at all.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). I love high fat plant foods, but I have faithfully avoided them all. 100%
6. Eliminate any added oil. I'm staying 100% away from oil. The hardest part here for me is salad. I've been eating my salads with just vinegar, but I do miss salad dressing and would love some dressing suggestions. Perhaps I'll pose this question to the off topic group.
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. 100% No problems here.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). 100% here, too.
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. I'm doing great at only eating when I'm hungry. I feel like I hardly ever eat. But when I do, I eat a good sized meal.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). I exercised 5/7 days, but I always take my weekends off of exercise to spend time with my family, so I did great here, too.
Overall, a very solid week for me. I would be disappointed about the very small weight loss, but at least I didn't gain. I will do better this week with starters and not eating out so that my plate looks like a 50/50 plate. I also need to reduce fruit consumption. I expect my weight loss to pick up again in a couple weeks when I'm off the antibiotic. On a another note, my husband has started eating this way with me. You might think that's a good thing, which it is because he eats way too much junk food. But it is an added stressor in my life to have to make sure he has food available all the time. I can always find something compliant for myself, but he's not as good in the kitchen and is always asking me what he can eat. I have to be extra vigilant at food prep so that he can be successful at this with me. Of course, my six kids are still eating tons of junk, which means I have to make meals for them in addition to what I'm making for myself and my husband. It's a circus around here, but it will be just fine. I'm still feeling very much at peace with this way of eating. Have a wonderful week, all.
-Kali

[Mark Cooper]

BambiS - 10/10 - great week! Glad you feel like you have been managing the added stress well; I hope your mom gets settled very comfortably. Carry on!

Lachoffman - Kudos for moving back toward MWL! Bowl meals are fine - the idea is to have an equal visual volume of minimally processed starches and non starchy vegetables; so long as that is the case, it doesn't matter whether it is on a plate or in a bowl. I'm not qualified to give medical advice, nor would it be appropriate for me to do so; your specific question might be best posed to your doctor. That being said, you'll find links below to general information on the subject of cholesterol.

Dr. McDougall's discussion of cholesterol under Common Health Problems is here. He also has a Hot Topics page for Cholesterol & Triglycerides: Risk Factors. In the September 2003 newsletter, he discusses HDL and LDL-cholesterol.

Jeff has several very enlightening threads on the topic, as well:

Dietary Guidelines, Cholesterol & You!
The Benefit of non-HDL: Putting a Low HDL in Perspective.
Cholesterol Rising Over Time
How does the American Heart Association justify 200 mg?

Rebecka22 - AWESOME!

Overall I feel good, and especially proud of turning my choices around before I went through with off plan behaviors.

I'm impressed; your pride is well-deserved, I'd say! Was it primarily through self-talk that you realized you didn't want to consume those non adherent foods, or were there other tools that also helped? Not reengaging with those cravings is absolutely the best path forward. Wishing you less frustrating, more peaceful days ahead!

thatsright75 - Looks like a pretty solid week to me, Kali! Keep your focus on the recommended pattern of behavior, and let the scale take care of itself - it all gets sorted out with TIME + ADHERENCE. I can imagine that your husband getting on board felt really encouraging, but I can definitely also see how that would throw a wrench into your prep routine, requiring some readjustment. I expect getting the prep sorted out and settling into a new routine should solve any lingering difficulties. If you don't mind sharing, perhaps you might talk a little about where you were eating out this week, as folks are always looking out for options that offer minimally-processed starches, without a bunch of added sugar, oil and salt. Speaking personally, I dress my salads with a mix of lemon or lime juice and apple cider vinegar, but many group participants have mentioned enjoying Jeff's favorite dressing.

My favorite salad dressing recipe - Creamy Garlic Dill Dressing

1 Can Eden Foods No Salt Added Butter Beans, drained (save the drained bean liquid).
4 (-6) Tbsp bean liquid
2 (-3) Tbsp plain vinegar or balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 (-1) tsp garlic powder
1/2 (-1) tsp dried dill weed

Blend in food processor or blender till creamy.

Adjust the amount of bean water & vinegar/lemon juice to the consistency you like.

Adjust the amount of garlic & dill to the flavor you like.

Any white bean will work but I find butter beans make the creamiest dressing.

I also use this on baked potatoes!

Enjoy!

P.S. 1 can beans is approximately 1 1/2 cup cooked beans.

[squealcat]

So far, I have been so bad at keeping in touch here on the Behavioral Path board. Sorry, sorry, sorry

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. I have figured out how to make a veg soup that I like and also discovered that zucchini soup someone mentioned and I like that as well. That was my problem following this point before. Fruit at breakfast and large salad at lunch and then soup for dinner as a preload are working out fine.
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. I may not be perfect on this one but pretty close. I did have a couple of "off " days this week so still need to work on this one
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. I do pretty well with this one. No salt or sugar at breakfast or lunch but I do use a little on soups (maybe more than that ). I want to try to measure out salt tomorrow to help keep it at a minimum
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). The first half of the week did not go well in that regard. I am going to stop looking at those Facebook sites and recipes that trigger me into eating rich food
6. Eliminate any added oil.
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. Bread again started it all . I know what bread tastes like but still have trouble staying away from it. Try, try again
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. There were two days (those bread days ) when I felt really stuffed. Today I am really noticing my hunger and fullness levels. Last night I found that a small bowl of soup and a couple small potatoes were enough. I have not been very hungry in the evening.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Doing as well as I can with this one. Essentrics stretches and three mile walks on 4 or 5 days works for me. Soon it will be easier as it looks like my grandson will be getting a daytime nurse once again so more days at home to keep to my schedule .

I don't really have any real additions to the above. I know that if I can keep those calorie dense foods out of my life then the rest will follow. I am really curious about how I will feel if i don't weigh myself for a time. I want to feel like following this way of eating is just what I do every day and that is it. It seems to me that if that old scale was no longer a part of my day or week then what I eat will just be what I eat !
Have a great week everyone !
-squealcat (Marilyn)

[josietheschnauzer]

MWL Check List 2/4/22
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit: Yes.
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals: Yes.
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts: Yes and no. The vegetable broth is low sodium but probably not low enough. And I did make homemade mushroom broth with no salt, and it was great. Just need to make time to simmer it.
4. Eliminate all animal foods: Yes.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods: Uh, oh! Chinese New Year! Sushi chef gave us gratis mango-avocado-cucumber roll! I didn’t “split” it with my friend, instead I only ate one piece, and gave the rest to her…..
6. Eliminate any added oil: Yes
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products, popcorn and dried fruit: Yes
8. Don't drink your calories: Yes
9. Eat when hungry & until comfortably full. Don't starve and don't stuff: Yes.
10. Include 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily: Yes, I walk every day at 5am.
I have completed five weeks. I have lost 6 pounds in that time frame. Almost no weight loss this week. Doesn’t matter. I can’t believe I am writing that! But, I am learning. The important thing is to change my brain and not eat foods that cause me to join the pleasure trap train in a first class seat! So, I am not focusing on the scale—well I am focusing on it a little---it would have been “nice” to have lost some pounds….Also, I agree with Marilyn! I am staying away from looking at recipes and pictures of foods that tempt me. Train the brain!

[frowsyowl]

2/5

1.Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 7/7 I continue to select from each of these options before meals--what ever is at hand or what I have the mood for. I still have some frozen soup to use this week and a simple salad.

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. 7/7 Didn't follow through with my mid-week prep, but still made this work with left-overs/frozen vegetables. I stopped at a small grocery before work yesterday and picked up some fruit for the day. (This is also a former place for binge/cram foods, but got in and out without issue.)

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. 6/7 Just realized I hadn't docked my habit list on this item for some trouble I had on Sunday.

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). 7/7 We continue to eat at home. It hasn't been a problem turning down things at work. The checklist helps and having my lunch handy.

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 6/7, again the trouble on Sunday. I will explain below.

6. Eliminate any added oil. 6/7--Sunday....the theme of 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. 6/7--ahem....

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). 7/7 The caffeine snuck back in a little, but was able to drink it without any additions. I haven't been that thirsty, but have been enjoying herbal teas too. Have some at work and at home.

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 6/7 Sunday...I think Sunday was a problem because over the course of last week I watched my appetite really decrease. I finally exercised on Saturday and I think I was thrown off by how hungry I was. I wasn't that interested in breakfast, but by lunchtime I had two helpings of lunch and still felt I needed to eat urgently--but at the same time felt a bit full. I think I also gave myself the false choice of either eating crap or eating nothing. So I ate crap. I didn't make something else to snack on like in previous weeks--I totally forgot the adage to eat of the appropriate foods and not worry whether you were experiencing "real hunger". I didn't employ distraction, and I didn't give myself permission to just have dinner earlier.

p.s. why does one day undo a whole weeks worth of progress (scale) and also take another week to get back off?

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 3/7 Walked outside for about an hour on Saturday and Sunday; then 30 minutes on Thursday. I will try to do less exercise more often, so my hunger is more steady and it's more of a habit.

I need to hide my scale... knowing my weight hasn't been too disturbing, but it has a body composition feature that is making me nuts. I'm back down what I gained on Sunday, but up three % fat? Discouraging: "You lost weight, but you are always 50% fat!"

After my post last week saying that it's not a minefield of holidays....my mother invited to take me out to eat for my birthday at the end of the month. Maybe I can suggest she pay our admission to something instead of the a meal...hmm.

[Gimmelean]

Post for week ending 2/4/22


1) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.  

Yes.
One big pot of vegetable based soup lasts all week. No starch added makes it a perfect starter. It’s remarkably filling.

2). Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals:

Yes.
Cooking red sweet potatoes and whole wheat pasta separately to mix with any kind of non starchy vegetable made it easy to do this this week.

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.
Took a while to work on.


4) Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).

Yes.

5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).

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.

Last week I posted-
No! Chips, breads, crackers have become a bad habit. Especially at night. Slowly breaking it doesn’t work. Aiming for 100 % next week.

This week I was 100% compliant for 3 whole days, but went down that slippery slope when a “gift”of a soft pretzel came my way. It was not worth it. I was hungry and stressed and so I ate it. It was just a lump of dough and salt. Awful and not worth it. Pretty much let go after that.I need to strengthen my resolve here and start again.

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 (i.e., brisk walking).

Yes.
While challenging to walk this week with snow earlier and rain later in the week, I still managed to exercise most days. There are always lots of excellent free options on YouTube and online for strength, dance, resistance, yoga, weights. You name it! One morning I walked with an umbrella for 45 minutes. I’m looking forward to going back to group fitness classes and swimming daily when Covid is in the rear view mirror.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: Happy February everyone. I am so looking forward to spring. The groundhog saw his shadow so no early end to winter. Making the best of it! Looking forward to your sage advice and encouragement this week.

[moonlight]

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
This is becoming a habit. When I don't follow this is when I'm in a hurry, planning to eat in my car.

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.
This is becoming a habit. When I don't follow this is when I'm really hungry and don't have compliant food ready. I mostly follow this habit, though.

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. No problem for me.

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
Still choosing animal foods occasionally. I don't desire dairy at all. I'm still celebrating giving up cheese. If I don't have anything prepared sometimes, I will eat canned tuna.

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
I still struggle with giving up nuts and avocados. It's frustrating! I'll eat these as a snack so I should be able to give them up. Sometimes I'm successful but this area needs work!

6. Eliminate any added oil.
No problem for me.

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.
I think I am improving with this one. I rarely eat bread. Occasionally I eat chips. Those are the two foods in this category that I struggle giving up completely.

8. Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Not a problem for me.

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don’t starve yourself and don’t stuff yourself.
I'm good with this one.

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
I slipped on this one this week. Mainly because I was sick part of the week.

This week was not as good as last week for me for the following reasons. I think because I didn't feel well for several days and didn't get in as much exercise, it affected my motivation. I stopped recording daily what I ate so all of my reports are from memory. I do better if I track my food intake. I slipped up on keeping compliant food ready. Sometimes I feel like I spend all my time cooking. I am losing weight. For some bizarre reason, I relax and eat a little more of restricted foods when I think my diet plan is working!
Plan for this week:
1) Focus on getting in the exercise daily.
2) Cook extra each time I cook a meal to reduce cooking time in the kitchen.
3) Track my food intake daily on the checklist.
4) Weigh only once a week!

Thank you, Mark, for your time, input, and thoughtful suggestions. I ponder the questions you ask during the week. They are truly helpful in encouraging me to keep at this and to analyze the outcome. Yay, YOU!

I wish everyone a successful week, full of energy and motivation!

[Mark Cooper]

The window for reporting this week's behavioral results has officially closed.

The remainder of my replies and the weekly summary will follow.