The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2022 Group

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Reporting for May 20 Assessments is now CLOSED

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat May 21, 2022 1:09 pm

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

The remainder of my replies and the weekly summary will follow.
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Mark's Replies for May 20 - Part 2

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat May 21, 2022 1:36 pm

Gimmelean - You've been very consistent in your overall pattern of behavior this month! And, as usual, your devoted attention to exemplary prep is an inspiration. :thumbsup: That is a really exciting anniversary you have coming in July: two full years of dedication to this way of being. :D
Gimmelean wrote:Plus the habit of weekly journaling and documenting here provides a feedback loop that continues to open my eyes about my food choices and relationship with food.
This feels like an important observation to me; thank you for sharing that. Have a great week!

Noella - Kudos to you for remaining focused toward adherence, even while travelling! I empathize with your observation about how travel can be an anxiety-producing experience; keeping things simple seems like an astute response to that feeling. :nod: I think it is simply wonderful that your daughter and family are so supportive of your efforts, and so considerate in their meal preparation; very lovely, indeed. Enjoy your time with family and carry on building confidence in your capabilities. :)

VegSeekingFit - Your score from the Farmers Market certainly does sound delicious! It appears to me you are continuing to make real progress with your "5/7 project", Stephanie; does it feel like that to you, as well? I completely agree with your thought that it would be lovely to have a community environment that is supportive of healthy behaviors; so much of what can make adherence to this way of eating such a challenge relates to our social and environmental systems being arranged in opposition to the behaviors we are trying to adopt and habituate. I think your wonderings about building self-efficacy are quite relevant, and I'll share some information and resources in that regard for this week's summary. :) June will be here before we know it, right? Cheers!
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Summary for May 20 Reports

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat May 21, 2022 2:00 pm

Please note - I replied to reporting participants in the two posts linked below.

Mark's Replies for May 20 - Part 1
Mark's Replies for May 20 - Part 2

Another excellent week, done and recorded! Congratulations, everyone; we have one more check-in for May, and then it's on to JUNE!

Since the concept of self-efficacy, and the possibility of building confidence in our ability to adhere to a chosen pattern of behavior and attain specific goals came up a few times in our discussion above, I'm sharing a post from last March that relates to the topic. First, here is Jeff on the subject, from the Compliance thread:
JeffN wrote:Self-efficacy is the extent or strength of one's belief, perception and convictions in one's own ability to complete tasks and reach goals.

I think that may be *the* individual characteristic/trait that makes all the others possible, at least in the current environment because while the program itself is easy, doing it in this world, is very difficult. Without a "greater degree of self-efficacy," it becomes even more difficult if not impossible due to the lack of social and environmental support for this way of life.

The research on lifestyle behavior change also supports the importance of self-efficacy. There is a full section on it called, "Self-Efficacy Enhancement," in this review paper..

LINK to REVIEW PAPER

Self-Efficacy Enhancement

Self-efficacy, a component of social cognitive theory, describes an individual's perception regarding his/her abilities to carry out actions necessary to perform certain behaviors (eg, making changes in diet or lifestyle).20 Perceived self-efficacy is a major determinant of performance independent of an individual's actual underlying skill.20 The strength of perceived self-efficacy is particularly important, as individuals are more likely to both initiate a behavior and continue their efforts until success is achieved if their perceived self-efficacy is higher.20 Thus enhancement of an individual's perceived self-efficacy can be incorporated into interventions to improve the likelihood of successful behavior change. Bandura's theory suggests 4 sources of self-efficacy that can be drawn on and incorporated into intervention strategies to enhance self-efficacy.82 The source with the greatest potential for increasing self-efficacy, mastery experiences, entails having a person successfully achieve a goal that is reasonable and proximal; for example, substituting fruit for a high-calorie dessert or being able to walk 1 mile. A second source, vicarious experience, consists of the individual witnessing someone who is similar in capability successfully perform the desired task; for example, observing patients exercise and improve their physical function in cardiac rehabilitation or watching a nonprofessional prepare a healthy meal. A third source, verbal persuasion, entails the provider persuading the person that he/she believes in the person's capability to perform the task. This is the weakest source for improving self-efficacy, but can be implemented via telephone or other electronic modes. The fourth source, physiological feedback, entails interpreting to the individual the meaning of different symptoms associated with behavior change. Examples include explaining that experiencing fewer symptoms with exertion is related to regular participation in a physical activity program or that feeling less fatigued or more comfortable is related to weight loss.20 An extensive body of evidence indicates that self-efficacy influences behavior change across all the behavior domains related to CVD risk reduction.83–92 Self-efficacy enhancements were incorporated into the interventions of several of the studies that yielded favorable outcomes.



There are many great references from that section to check out.

As described in this above paper, I think teaching self-efficacy should be a core part of these programs. We not only have to educate people on the program and teach them the necessary skills, but also how to actually succeed at them and how to empower them to believe they can and will succeed.


And here is my post from March of last year:
Mark Cooper wrote:Continuing our earlier discussions concerning building self-efficacy, I want to encourage everyone to think about creating the opportunity to have some Mastery experiences this month.
"Mastery experiences are the most influential source of efficacy information because they provide the most authentic evidence of whether one can muster whatever it takes to succeed. Success builds a robust belief in one's personal efficacy."
-Albert Bandura, Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control
Set your sights on a personally meaningful goal, task or behavior adjustment that feels challenging, but achievable. Spend some time putting together a plan for how you will succeed in your chosen endeavor. Practice executing that plan, make any needed adjustments, and try again. Practice builds confidence and success teaches you that you are effective and able to achieve reasonable goals that you pursue with diligence.
“People's beliefs about their abilities have a profound effect on those abilities. Ability is not a fixed property; there is a huge variability in how you perform. People who have a sense of self-efficacy bounce back from failure; they approach things in terms of how to handle them rather than worrying about what can go wrong.”
-Albert Bandura, Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control
I was thinking along these lines last June
Mark Cooper wrote:In pursuing excellence, mistakes and failures can provide an opportunity for growth; I can learn something each time, surmounting that obstacle (usually not on the first attempt) and be better for it. That feels like the path to mastery - not being perfect or free from mistakes, but navigating situations with confidence and poise, knowing how to apply the fundamentals, recognizing what "doing the best I can" looks like in a given situation, and striving to do even better next time. That may be a goal that is always just out of my reach, but I find the chasing of it inspiring.
As Jeff noted,
JeffN wrote:Self-efficacy is the extent or strength of one's belief, perception and convictions in one's own ability to complete tasks and reach goals.

I think that may be *the* individual characteristic/trait that makes all the others possible, at least in the current environment because while the program itself is easy, doing it in this world, is very difficult. Without a "greater degree of self-efficacy," it becomes even more difficult if not impossible due to the lack of social and environmental support for this way of life.



I think the dedicated efforts you all direct toward your participation in this project of behavioral change are creating an ongoing, adaptive, mastery experience for yourselves. Does it feel like that to you? Have you found your confidence and feelings of efficacy changing over time? How has your estimation of your abilities to practice the recommended pattern of behavior changed from when you first started trying vs. the present day? Do you feel like those changes have informed other aspects of your daily life?

Have a great week, take care & be well!
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2022 Group

Postby BambiS » Fri May 27, 2022 6:14 am

5-27

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


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).
Yes, not an issue here

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

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, no problem

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, rode my cubii, and walked. Your articles you suggested to read last week helped.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: I had a great week, I’m at a new low. The read the articles you suggested last week. I reviewed my habits and made some tweaks.
Thank you!
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2022 Group

Postby Rebecka22 » Fri May 27, 2022 8:22 am

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
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). 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
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 (i.e., brisk walking). YES I am good here.

I had a hard week, but I did not use food to cope with that which was an accomplishment. I also thought a lot about the posts on self-efficacy and how it can be applied to many areas of my life and even a great concept to teach my students. I hope everyone has a great week!
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Mark's Replies for May 27 - Part 1

Postby Mark Cooper » Fri May 27, 2022 1:00 pm

BambiS - Congratulations for delivering a great week for yourself! I feel really happy for you.
BambiS wrote: I reviewed my habits and made some tweaks.
That is exactly how it is supposed to work; well done and keep it up! :D

Rebecka22 - I'm sorry to hear you had such a hard week, but I feel so proud for you that you maintained your excellent adherence in the face of that challenge! :thumbsup: Seeing what we're capable of doing, even while under stress and facing obstacles, provides us with an excellent view into the durability and resiliency of our habits, practices and routines. Have a great week and carry on! :D
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2022 Group

Postby carwex » Fri May 27, 2022 2:23 pm

My report for this week:
1. Start each meal with a soup or salad. Yes sometimes both
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method, ½ starch and ½ vegetables. Yes
3. Reduce or eliminate added sugars and salts. Yes, eliminated from cooking.
4. Eliminate all animal foods. NO!I was invited out and I had a piece of fish
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods. little almond milk in porridge and tea.
6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes
7. Eliminate all higher calorie dense foods. No. I suddenly “saw” the bread and impulsively grabbed a piece.
8. Don’t drink your calories. Yes
9. Follow these principles whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Yes.
10. Avoid being sedentary. YES have been walking and swimming

I had a few non-compliant situations this week. Nevertheless, I have managed to keep the same weight for quite a few weeks. I like to think that I have reached my perfect MWL weight. It somehow gives me great satisfaction. I don’t remember this ever happening before. I have always fluctuated.

I thought to start a list of behaviors which help me to remain compliant. Here’s my first: Commitment to this forum by writing every week and reading everyone’s shares.I have been in the MWL forum for close to 2 ½ years . During that time I have left the group a couple of times, thinking I can do it on my own. Each time I eventually find myself on the slippery slope back to the Pleasure trap, I came right back. In this particular area of life I have little self-efficacy or self-reliance or whatever you call it. I need the support and the feedback if I want to maintain the MWL.
Next week I will add to my list of "behaviors for compliance".
Have a great week, Mark and everyone.

Carol
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2022 Group

Postby Gimmelean » Sat May 28, 2022 8:48 am

MWL Post for week ending 5/27/2023

Hello Everyone!

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.  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).
Yes.

5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Not entirely.

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.
Not entirely.

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.

Victories,Comments,QuestionsChallenges: with my weight where I want it to be, and maintaining it because of adherence to MWL, I am very much aware of foods I eat that are not adherent all of the time and that I am making a choice that could easily upset everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve.

Mark, your closing comments on 5/22/2022 were:

I think the dedicated efforts you all direct toward your participation in this project of behavioral change are creating an ongoing, adaptive, mastery experience for yourselves. Does it feel like that to you? Have you found your confidence and feelings of efficacy changing over time? How has your estimation of your abilities to practice the recommended pattern of behavior changed from when you first started trying vs. the present day? Do you feel like those changes have informed other aspects of your daily life?

I believe that this is an example of self efficacy that’s evolved for me over the course of a lifetime, but most recently influenced by MWL. Self efficacy is a process, not a single event. It needs to be mindfully cultivated and protected because I feel that it is fragile and can change at any time. Self efficacy most certainly carries over to all aspects of my life and career in terms of believing that I can and will continue to grow, improve, and find solutions when obstacles prevent a straight path towards achieving a goal. It’s important to continually remind myself that whether I say I can or I can’t, chances are I’m right. While all four of the components of building self efficacy are vital, cognitive, behavioral learning has been the most meaningful for me.
An educator once shared with me that for months in advance of defending her thesis, she looked in the mirror daily, envisioned receiving her degree, and congratulated herself. It felt really strange, but now I’m a firm believer in this exercise. In conclusion, self efficacy supported by positive self talk is vital in order to achieve success with any goal.

Have a good week!
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2022 Group

Postby Gabby7 » Sat May 28, 2022 11:33 am

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 5/7 traveled out of town and ended up skipping this a few times.
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. 5/7 did my best while traveling but definitely wasn’t perfect every meal. Majority was able to stick with it 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
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. 4/7. Had rice cakes and pretzels while traveling. Tried to balance with fruit but got back on track as soon as I got home.
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. 6/7 for the most part. Probably went overboard one day with pretzels. Felt much better when I went back to focusing on drinking water as well and pausing to take a sense of how full I really am.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 5/7 trying to be active in life. Busy week not able to walk every day but standing desk at work and generally moving around with my kids to stay as active as possible.

Comments: This week was a reminder that it’s easy to get off track but also it’s a choice to get back on as quickly as possible. In the past I would have let one bad day turn into a bad month so I was proud of myself for getting back on track quickly. Was still able to lose 2lbs this week which I think was due to the focus the second half of the week on behaviors. Also realized with the weather heating up (we had a heat wave for 3 days this week) I have to focus on drinking enough water. I felt much more satisfied at meal times and less hungry in between when I focused on getting 80-100oz of water a day. Going to continue to focus on prep and water this week.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2022 Group

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sat May 28, 2022 12:34 pm

Hi All, :-D

Hope that everyone is having a great week!! The weather is excellent here - looking to enjoy the "unofficial" start of summer!!

Mark, Thanks so much for the fantastic post last week on self-efficacy!!!! Excellent information! Have read / browsed the link to the study and am looking to dig a bit deeper - just didn't have time this week. Within the study, there is another section toward the end called "Fostering Initiation and Maintenance of Behavior Change" that was also interesting. Additionally, was saddened by considering the value that our society places on lifestyle interventions vs. pharmaceuticals / surgeries --- this isn't news to me, but it was reinforced by reading this link and considering the monetary aspects of healthcare.

Here was my week...

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
:) Yes. I consistently preload meals - mainly with 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.
Choose fruit for dessert.
:) Yes - all meals.


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, reduced not eliminated.

4 Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
YES, of course. :D

5 Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
:D YES I managed to do this for the week. :cool:
Thanks, Mark for this feedback last week.
Mark Cooper wrote:VegSeekingFit - Your score from the Farmers Market certainly does sound delicious! It appears to me you are continuing to make real progress with your "5/7 project", Stephanie; does it feel like that to you, as well?


Yes, I do feel like I am making progress --- it is slow but moving forward.
Here are things that I have learned (with help from this group!) that I do consistently now.
1) When hungry EAT. I have gotten better at 1 & 2 --- so sometimes I may inadvertently skimp on the starch (especially if eating soup for main meal). If I feel hungry between meals, I grab potato slices or a cup of starchy soup to avoid getting ravenous later.
2) Positive self-talk - try to laugh... This has helped a ton. It is hard to make meaningful forward progress when feeling disappointed in yourself... :!: So, take a step back and reflect on what happened, what could work better, etc. without beating self up!
3) If thinking of the non-compliant "food", EAT instead a recommended food. If I end up still eating the "bad" #5/7, it is a lesser amount. Sometimes it has even allowed a bit of time to reconsider and NOT eat the non-compliant item.

These things have all been "Damage Control" --- even though I am not perfect at avoiding the 2 problem items... Since implementing these approaches, I have been at consistent weight (for roughly 2 months).

I am probably missing the "secret sauce" in a Step 4!! Will get there.


6 Eliminate any added oil.
:D 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.
:D YES, I managed to avoid the calorie dense stuff!!!! :cool:

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. I didn't stuff or starve.


10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes. :)
* 7/7 days walked
* Exceeded my steps goal by 2.6K steps / day . Got over 20K steps on one day!!


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Here are some thoughts with regard to Mark's questions on self-efficacy last week:
1) Whether we do or we don't achieve a goal can be dependent on our thought process. Believe in yourself!!
2) The more days that elapse since adopting the 10 point checklist, the more capable I feel about being able to continue on.
3) Thinking that turning shopping / food preparation into routines makes it easier to do and simple.
4) It is important to like what you are doing... Find the joy in the food and the routines...

Wishing everyone a wonderful week! Onward to June!! :)

Best,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2022 Group

Postby Noella » Sat May 28, 2022 12:57 pm

REPORT FOR May 27th, 2022

Hi Mark, Jeff, Wildgoose and MWL Team,

1. Start each meal with a soup and salad, and fruit. :-D Yes, but getting into the fruit a bit too much again. I need to remember that fruit increases cholesterol in some people, and I think I'm one. I am so trying to go easy on the fruit. But eating fruit helps me stay away from sweet processed 'junk" or CRAP (Jeff's acronym for calorie-rich and ultra-processed junk food).
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. :-D We are back into our normal 50/50 meals. It's so much easier to eat at home than at Airbnb. :-D
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 stop them. :-D Now that I know that sodium contributes to knee pain, I am more careful to avoid added salt.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). :-D A friend brought some dairy-based frozen treats to our house and put them in our freezer...I was too polite to say no. But this is a massive problem for me to have in my house as this is the exact sort of food that led me to obesity in the first place. I'm sure of it. I am also very aware of its continued lure and danger for me if it's right in my immediate environment. If my husband doesn't eat these today, I will need to throw them away to be safe from eating them. Will I always struggle with this attraction to frozen creamy foods???
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). :-D
6. Eliminate any added oil. :-D Yes! No problem anymore! I now like food better without any added oils.
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods, including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, and air-popped popcorn, dried fruit.):-D No problem!
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). :-D Staying with water!
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself, and don't stuff yourself. :-D I love how simple this health tip is! I'm starting to be more aware of my hunger and satiation signals. It's been a long slow process.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). :-D I got lots of kilometres of walking in over the past week. Next week will be great, too, as we are staying at a house by the beach and I LOVE walking along the sandy shoreline and adjacent trails. (Petsitting for a friend allows this magnificent opportunity to be by the sea.).

Mark,
I'm wondering how you are doing health-wise and hope you are pain-free. Always wishing you the best of health!


Best regards to everyone!
Noella


Yay! I'm doing quite good on my May focus to:
Eat More Vegetables! MWL Guideline #1 and #2
Get More Movement! MWL Guideline #10

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Last edited by Noella on Sat May 28, 2022 7:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Reporting for May 27 Assessments is now CLOSED

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat May 28, 2022 1:02 pm

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

The remainder of my replies and the weekly summary will follow.
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Mark's Replies for May 27 - Part 2

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat May 28, 2022 2:05 pm

carwex - It brings me a great deal of happiness to read about how your commitment to this forum, and the process of connecting with other participants and regular self-assessment has contributed to your success, Carol! Thank you for sharing that. Also, a big congratulations to you for feeling like you've reached your "perfect" point of equilibrium; I imagine that feels very satisfying, indeed. Is there anything in particular that you feel like influenced or determined the decisions you made, when in the midst of those "non-compliant situations"? I look forward to reading the forthcoming additions to your list of "behaviors for compliance." :)

Gimmelean - Another very consistent week for you! Thank you for responding to the questions about self-efficacy; I definitely agree with your observation that building one's sense of self-efficacy is a process, not a single event. I think your point regarding positive self talk in relation to supporting our sense of self-efficacy is well-observed. The perspective that we bring to framing our experiences with positive action toward goals certainly seems to play a role in relation to feelings of self-efficacy, it seems to me. Having that sort of "growth mindset" with respect to our efforts in the face of challenges can make a real difference in our beliefs about what we are capable of achieving, I think; those beliefs tend to influence and inform our actions. Have a great week!

Gabby7 - Kudos to you for doing as well as you felt able to do while travelling, and especially returning directly to the recommended pattern of behavior once you returned home! :thumbsup:
Gabby7 wrote:This week was a reminder that it’s easy to get off track but also it’s a choice to get back on as quickly as possible.
Both of those "reminders" seem important and valuable. This is a great thread discussing thirst and drinking water.

VegSeekingFit - Awesome adherence, Stephanie! I appreciate your observations regarding your progress and the particular lessons you've learned in relation to eliminating those calorie rich foods; I feel like they are really meritorious, as well as broadly applicable for others in a similar situation.
VegSeekingFit wrote:1) When hungry EAT.
I feel like this is SUCH an important point - whenever hungry, eat of the recommended foods. Avoiding the feeling of deprivation, to the extent possible, seems important for supporting ongoing adherence.
2) Positive self-talk - try to laugh... This has helped a ton. It is hard to make meaningful forward progress when feeling disappointed in yourself... :!: So, take a step back and reflect on what happened, what could work better, etc. without beating self up!
I totally agree.
3) If thinking of the non-compliant "food", EAT instead a recommended food. If I end up still eating the "bad" #5/7, it is a lesser amount. Sometimes it has even allowed a bit of time to reconsider and NOT eat the non-compliant item.
Yep, that is exactly the idea. I wonder if the "secret sauce" you are "missing" might just be inherent in your second observation regarding self-efficacy:
VegSeekingFit wrote:2) The more days that elapse since adopting the 10 point checklist, the more capable I feel about being able to continue on.
Consistent, adaptable action over time builds capability, and confidence in that capability. That has definitely been my experience. The "secret ingredient" is often just more TIME. :D Onward!

Noella - That looks like a really great week to me, Noella! Kudos! A question I try to keep in mind, when assessing fruit consumption, is "what is the fruit replacing?" Is this particular serving of fruit helping me stay on track with my adherence? Is it making it easier for me to avoid or eliminate troublesome CRAP? Or, is it crowding out other healthful, adherent foods? Is it limiting my ability to consume a variety of the recommended foods? Am I just "cramming in" an extra piece of fruit, when I already feel full? From my perspective, whether or not fruit consumption is or may become an issue depends largely on the answer to those questions.
Noella wrote:A friend brought some dairy-based frozen treats to our house and put them in our freezer...I was too polite to say no. But this is a massive problem for me to have in my house as this is the exact sort of food that led me to obesity in the first place. I'm sure of it. I am also very aware of its continued lure and danger for me if it's right in my immediate environment. If my husband doesn't eat these today, I will need to throw them away to be safe from eating them. Will I always struggle with this attraction to frozen creamy foods???
I think you are VERY wise to be aware of the powerful lure of this particular type of troublesome item, and to take the actions you deem necessary to guard your success and adherence. It is certainly possible that, over a substantial duration of time, these particular "triggering" items will become less alluring and present less of a struggle, but the siren call of hyperpalatable foods can be both powerful and durable. I think of it this way: no one would think twice if a recovering alcoholic was extremely conscientious about having a safe, alcohol free home environment, right? Why should we take our own personal health and wellbeing any less seriously?
Mark,
I'm wondering how you are doing health-wise and hope you are pain-free. Always wishing you the best of health!
It is very kind of you to ask, and I really appreciate the well-wishes. My health is pretty excellent, apart from my CRPS/RSD. My pain is fairly well-managed, but it requires quite a lot of exercise therapy, and I do still have some tough days. Unfortunately, CRPS has no known cure, at present, and although I am sure my dietary patterns help me (particularly the anti-inflammatory nature of our diet) it is one of those uncommon diseases for which the McDougall diet doesn't seem to be a cure-all. That said, I'm much more mobile and physically able than many of those afflicted with my condition. I'm very much aware that I'm in something of a constant battle against potential dystrophy, so I take my exercise regimen VERY seriously. The "fringe benefit", I guess, is that I'm in excellent physical condition, otherwise; I can even do handstands now! Thanks again for your kind regards.
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Summary for May 27 Reports

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat May 28, 2022 2:25 pm

Please note - I replied to reporting participants in the two posts linked below.

Mark's Replies for May 27 - Part 1
Mark's Replies for May 27 - Part 2

Hooray! Thank you to all participants for making MAY an AMAZING month filled with success, learning, and productive discussion. I feel like each month gets better and better, and I'm so impressed with all of your efforts. I will post the new thread for the month of June on Tuesday, May 31; I hope I will see you there!

In the meanwhile, I think one of the studies Jeff mentions in the discussion about "Compliance on a Healthy Diet" is worthy of some attention:

Ecological momentary assessment of dietary lapses across behavioral weight loss treatment: characteristics, predictors, and relationships with weight change

I think it offers a valuable look into both the effect that lapses have on weight management, and the possible predictors of lapses in behavior, particularly in relation to our background environment. From the Abstract:

Results
Lapse frequency showed a curvilinear relationship over time, such that frequency first decreased and then increased. More frequent lapses at baseline were associated with less early and overall weight loss. Lapses occurred most often at home, in the evenings, on the weekends, and entailed eating a forbidden food. Greater overall levels of assessed affective and environmental triggers predicted lapses; greater momentary hunger and deprivation, and the presence of palatable food also prospectively predicted lapses.


Thanks again for making this a great month, enjoy your weekend and the week ahead, take care and be well! :D
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Re: Summary for May 27 Reports

Postby wildgoose » Sat May 28, 2022 5:57 pm

Mark Cooper wrote:
Results

Greater overall levels of assessed affective and environmental triggers predicted lapses; greater momentary hunger and deprivation, and the presence of palatable food also prospectively predicted lapses.

This reinforces what we often say in this group. Don’t engage in unnecessary restriction — don’t starve yourself, don’t count calories or grams or whatever, don’t weigh and measure your food. Follow checklist point #9. If you get too hungry or if you feel deprived ("greater momentary hunger and deprivation"), you will overeat, and you will overeat on the most calorically dense thing you can find.

Which also means, as much as possible, keep your environment free of non-compliant food (avoid "the presence of palatable food"). If you can see it or smell it, you will eventually eat it. If you’re extremely hungry because you’ve been trying to be "good" by eating less, you will eat that hyperpalatable junk until it's gone.

If the above commentary sounds like the voice of experience, it most definitely is. :\

Goose
My story: MWL works!
How I determined my "goal weight"
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