The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - August 2022 Group

For those wanting to learn about and follow the McDougall Maximum Weight Loss Program. You can also join our monthly weigh-ins.

Moderators: JeffN, f1jim, carolve, Heather McDougall

Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - August 2022 Group

Postby Gimmelean » Fri Aug 19, 2022 10:52 pm

Post for week ending 8/19/22

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).
No

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.
No.

10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes.

Victories,Comments,Questions,Challenges:
This week was a challenge. No particular stressors that I can pinpoint.
Snacking on nuts and nut butter, eating after dinner but not really hungry. . .What do you suggest as a good way to get back on track and back into a positive mindset?

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

Postby louie3084 » Sat Aug 20, 2022 5:11 am

Post for week ending 8/12/22

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.
Did use some chilli suace towards the end of the week on my big salads that was sweetened but not too sweetened.

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 = except had some air fried tofu as I bought it a few weeks ago and it needed to be eaten, and hit some peanut butter after dinner and when kids in bed one night!

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.
Daily Journal-The kitchen is closed after dinner.
Sat- yes
Sun-yes
Mon-yes
Tues-yes
Wed-yes
Thu-yes
Fri-no


10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes.

Victories,Comments,Questions,Challenges:
I think for me it is still that I need to be more organised so that I eat more during the day and less at night (and remove the peanut butter). The scale did go down though and I felt great all week. Thanks for having me here Mark!
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - August 2022 Group

Postby JaBee » Sat Aug 20, 2022 7:59 am

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 2/7 :crybaby:
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. 2/7
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. 2/7
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). 7/7
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 2/7
6. Eliminate any added oil. 7/7
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. 2/7
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). 7/7
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 2/7
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 2/7

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Sadly, only able to adhere to guidelines for 2 days this week as on day 2 I experienced trip & fall accident during morning walk and fractured left wrist, injured dominant right wrist, and right knee. Haven’t had appetite, unable to fix meals, only regained use of right wrist this morning. :crybaby:

I have new found empathy, respect and understanding for anyone with chronic pain as I’ve had severe pain majority of this week and finally had to succumb to pain medication.

My victory is that I didn’t give in to temptation to not post this week and will endeavor to continue this journey, even though I experienced this setback. My scale no longer works but at last weekly weigh in last Saturday, had released about 2.6# since beginning.

Be careful everyone and have a good week!
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - August 2022 Group

Postby Rebecka22 » Sat Aug 20, 2022 9:51 am

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. NO
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. NO
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). NO
6. Eliminate any added oil. NO
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. NO
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). NO
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

All of my no’s are from last weekend. Since Monday I have been all yeses and back on track. I definitely made it harder for myself, but since being home I have been able to stay on track. Last week Mark you said to me that it takes a shockingly high number of times to learn that we don’t even feel good when we eat things like sugar which gives me an almost instant headache, and I really appreciated that because it is very true for me. I’m thankful to be back on track and thankful for everyone in this group for the accountability and all the lessons we learn from everyone. Have a great week!
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - August 2022 Group

Postby Noella » Sat Aug 20, 2022 9:58 am

Hi Mark, Wildgoose, Jeff and all MWL Participants,

1. Start each meal with soup and/or salad and/or fruit. :-D
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals. :-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
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). :-D
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). :-D
6. Eliminate any added oil. :wink: :-D
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
8. Don’t drink calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). :-D
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself, and don't stuff yourself. :-D
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). :-D

I am back on track this week and I feel so much better! Im off to Gambier Island for a week of seaside relaxation, hiking, swimming and kayaking. I won’t be making my own food so fingers crossed that I get enough starch.

Best regards,
Noella

“What I am about to tell you is so utterly simple and true that it may deceive you: Health feels better than sickness. You will be happier at your ideal weight than you are overweight. You will be proud of yourself. You’ll have confidence. You’ll feel so many good things that right now you cannot imagine, and I cannot describe. But the net effect is that you’ll like yourself a lot more. You’ll look in the mirror and actually like what you see; you may even love what you see. You will have honored the person within yourself who longs to be healthy, beautiful, and free of all those burdens that being overweight brings. Life will not be perfect, but it will be better.”
― excerpt from The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss


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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - August 2022 Group

Postby Drew*# » Sat Aug 20, 2022 12:01 pm

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.****Yes, give or take a couple meals or when mixed together....
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, except for one meal on the road....
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, always!
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).*** Yes
6. Eliminate any added oil. ****No. Late one evening before I do my weight-in the next day, I had some veggies offered by my spouse. It was a time to talk and we sat down together. Otherwise I did not add 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. *** No, at my mom's place. Have reminded her and will remind the person who orders food for her.
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, except for the meal mentioned above that was mixed veggies, light on oil, and a piece of fruit afterwards.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). ****No but did do exercise three times and plan on a long walk in the woods again today...plus I will do my physical therapy exercises for Achilles tendon and inguinal.

No pounds lost but no gain perhaps because of the late meal mentioned above. There is always a better path today!

I have taken out my thoughts about surgery or no surgery and to just talk about it in terms of my dietary behaviors. Losing over 2 1/2 pounds this month has been helpful as I have noticed that I do not have as much pain. The extra fat is not good for my particular health condition and so therefore losing some further weight would likely be helpful in this regards. I have lost 5 of the 15 pound goal and this will be directly relatable to success in the goals mentioned today and before.

As for another challenge, It might help to unwind a bit more at the end of a stressful day. I do not wish to fall asleep so will add yoga or something like that to the mix. It is good learn from all of you too!

Drew
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Reporting for August 19 Assessments is now CLOSED

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat Aug 20, 2022 1:00 pm

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

My replies and the weekly summary will follow.
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Mark's Replies for August 19

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat Aug 20, 2022 1:00 pm

BambiS - Great progress! New goals ahead and moving toward that momentous anniversary! :thumbsup:

carwex - Considering all the dramatic changes in context that are inherent in your relocation, I would say you have bounced back pretty well, Carol.
carwex wrote:Nothing seemed adherent. I said to myself: Carol if you are hungry YOU CAN EAT. And I threw the toast in the bin and prepared a ½ meal for myself. Piece of sweet potato, some bean mix and some veggies. 50-50.
This is a significant accomplishment! You are very right that simple, everyday tools and conveniences can be a key part of enabling our routine to support adherence. :nod: Keep at it!

Lizzy_F -
Lizzy_F wrote:Progress not perfection.
I couldn't have said it better myself! :D You have established a good groove for yourself, Beth. I think another piece of the puzzle that your are working through, along with fear / faith, is CONFIDENCE (or perceived self-efficacy). We can build that over time by being mindful about our intentions, challenging ourselves, and taking note as we overcome those challenges: all things you are doing, right? Have a terrific week!

VegSeekingFit - Woo-hoo! 10/10, Stephanie; I'm always excited by that! It sounds to me like you are using sugar within the boundaries of Jeff's guidelines, especially if you aren't finding that it inspires cravings or other troublesome behaviors. Congratulations to you and your husband on 30 years together! :D

Gimmelean - Hang in there! These challenging times happen, and sometimes it can be hard to even figure out the core reason behind them. I would suggest a couple of things to support getting back on track: Take some time to consider the reasons why you want to maintain the MWL pattern of behavior - what is your WHY? Be sure to purchase and prep some of your very favorite adherent foods, and try to make your meals as appealing as possible, with plenty of starches. Even if your ultimate goal is to eat nothing after dinner, I would encourage you to prep an enjoyable, adherent snack and make sure it is easier to reach for that, than the more troublesome foods. As always, whatever you can do to make your environment supportive of your goals, and make it difficult to access non adherent foods will certainly help. You can get back to a solid groove with patience, self-compassion, and thoughtful effort. :nod:

louie3084 - You've made a good start! I think you're probably correct that some attention to organization, planning and preparation will be really helpful in making closer adherence feel more easy to attain. And removing troublesome foods from your environment is ALWAYS a great way to support your efforts. Jeff's Rules & Guidelines for Reading Labels are an excellent way to evaluate whether a particular condiment is suitable or not. Onward!

JaBee - Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry you've been faced with those injuries, and I am certainly empathetic to dealing with substantial pain. I'm wishing you all the best in your recovery, and more comfortable, manageable days ahead.
JaBee wrote:My victory is that I didn’t give in to temptation to not post this week and will endeavor to continue this journey, even though I experienced this setback.
That is a victory! I would add to that, the fact that, despite the challenges you've been facing, you still stuck with eliminating animal foods and oil, and you didn't drink your calories. Those behaviors stuck through adversity. Well done! I hope the week to come sees you feeling better each day. :)

Rebecka22 - All right! Way to get back on track; all YESes since Monday is awesome!
Rebecka22 wrote:Last week Mark you said to me that it takes a shockingly high number of times to learn that we don’t even feel good when we eat things like sugar which gives me an almost instant headache, and I really appreciated that because it is very true for me.
It was true for me, as well, but we get there with time and perseverance, right? Have a great week!

Noella - Back on track - good for you! Enjoy your seaside excursion! Maybe Jeff's Wendy's Mini Diet might be an option? Or something similar?

Drew*# - Keep aiming for steady progress! Your weight loss goals seem quite attainable, with ongoing, persistent attention to the recommended behaviors. :nod: Just focus an doing better and better where you have the opportunity. I definitely find yoga to be very comforting after a stressful day.
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Summary for August 19 Reports

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat Aug 20, 2022 1:00 pm

My congratulations to everyone reporting this week! That is another week done, and we'll have one more check-in for this month.

As we move into the latter part of August, and summer draws toward its close, I want to encourage you to take some time and touch base with your intentions for the rest of this month. What do you want to achieve? What obstacles lie ahead? What actions are you willing to take?

This also seems like an appropriate time to consider your goals for the fall and the rest of this year. What feels motivating? What milestones might you want to work toward? What could your life look like at the start of 2023? How are you planning to enjoy the holiday season, while still navigating those events successfully? Be forthright with yourself about what you want, what feels possible, and what you are willing to do to achieve the outcomes you seek.

"If your compassion does not include yourself it is not complete." - Jack Kornfield


Have an amazing week, take care & be well! :D
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - August 2022 Group

Postby Gimmelean » Sun Aug 21, 2022 9:35 am

Gimmelean - Hang in there! These challenging times happen, and sometimes it can be hard to even figure out the core reason behind them. I would suggest a couple of things to support getting back on track: Take some time to consider the reasons why you want to maintain the MWL pattern of behavior - what is your WHY? Be sure to purchase and prep some of your very favorite adherent foods, and try to make your meals as appealing as possible, with plenty of starches. Even if your ultimate goal is to eat nothing after dinner, I would encourage you to prep an enjoyable, adherent snack and make sure it is easier to reach for that, than the more troublesome foods. As always, whatever you can do to make your environment supportive of your goals, and make it difficult to access non adherent foods will certainly help. You can get back to a solid groove with patience, self-compassion, and thoughtful effort. :nod:
.
Mark- thank you. I can and will do all of these things again.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - August 2022 Group

Postby BambiS » Fri Aug 26, 2022 5:53 am

8-26

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

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). Most days


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
It was a good week, doing well heading for my next goal.
I tried some different veges from the farmer market, a peach tomato, really a yellow tomato, and okra. I’ve had okra before, but fried.
-1.1 Group loss -43.4 Total -52.9
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - August 2022 Group

Postby Rebecka22 » Fri Aug 26, 2022 8:26 am

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
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

This week was better. Being home and controlling my environment helped me get back on track. I appreciate all the support. Hope everyone has a great week. Thinking about my why as I start another year I think is helpful. I really do feel better when I do this, and that’s what I plan to focus on.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - August 2022 Group

Postby VegSeekingFit » Fri Aug 26, 2022 8:56 am

Hi Team Time and Adherence! :)

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
:) Yes. Still going for 2/3 meals per day and eating veggies or fruit.

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.
Eating same things. Made quinoa in my rice cooker this week (first time) and it was delicious!!! :) Have eaten a clip of oatmeal with banana / berries for breakfast. Tons of potatoes... Sloppy lentils... 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. Reduced, not eliminated. Not finding a problem here with limiting usage...

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).
:-( Well, not my usual BOO here. I had tofu from PF Chang's with the steamed veggies and brown rice. Not worried about it because it is more of a "one-off" than anything that would repeat. Not in my house and I rarely eat out. I had it steamed / plain and it was certainly not triggering anything (or making me want to eat it again)...

6 Eliminate any added oil.
:nod: 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.

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. No starving or stuffing.
I have noticed that sometimes I am hungrier than usual and can eat a larger than normal volume. Thinking that this is just normal.


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 briskly
The weather has been great!!! I did get caught in a storm one time and my clothes are still drying out... :lol:


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Can't believe that this is our last August check-in! :eek: Where has summer gone???

Thinking of Mark Cooper's thoughts last week on setting goals / thinking of how to navigate the holidays. For me, mulling over the following (still to be prioritized and timing solidified): 1) Strength training, 2) Quit my black coffee habit, 3) Develop a low sodium / low sugar BBQ sauce (like in the sense of WildGoose's ketchup recipe). For the holidays, I will really just plan to follow MWL checklist - I didn't have issues last year with this approach. Will be interested to hear what other folks are planning.

Hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!! :-D :) :-)

Cheers,
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 - August 2022 Group

Postby louie3084 » Fri Aug 26, 2022 3:41 pm

Post for week ending 8/27/22

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).
No - peanut butter, honey and oats was had after dinner for four nights!!!

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 - except point 6 above


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.
No.

10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes. Very active

Victories,Comments,Questions,Challenges:
I am quite active and do spin bike every second day. On the days I do spin I just cann't fill up on the MWL, then I go for the high calorie food later on in the day (peanut butter !!!). I'm wondering if I should not do MWL on the days where I am expending a lot of calories on spin bike and just do the normal Dr McDougall so I don't go off the rails, like have a healthy McDougall banana muffin at lunch or just go for a pasta at lunch?? Mark what do you think? Thanks
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - August 2022 Group

Postby Lizzy_F » Sat Aug 27, 2022 8:25 am

Hello Team Time & Adherence!

LOL - every week I have to check to see if I spelled "adherence" correctly. I wonder if that is a reflection of the struggles I've had historically with adherence! :lol:

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

I started putting fruit on top of my oatmeal bowl on the days when I eat breakfast. I eat that first before I dig into the oats. That is my attempt to do some low cal density pre-loading at breakfast (when eaten). I feel I am in a good groove on this point for lunch and dinner!

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 am eating overall more non-starchy veg by visual volume than starch. I don’t always put them on the same plate – I often eat the veg first, and then the starch last. Do others do this? Is putting it all on the same plate 50/50 important? If not, I will stop mentioning it every 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.

I feel very good about where I am on this point. There is salt in some condiments (primarily ketchup). I find myself adding less and less salt at the table. I feel like I have gotten a good feel for how much salt I seem to need to avoid he leg cramps at night. I feel super good about the sugar thing! I am really feeling this freedom from the sugar/salt/fat triad of the Pleasure Trap and that is AMAZING for this food addict!!!!!!

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

Done with ease!

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

None of these foods at all this week!


6. Eliminate any added oil.

Amazingly, done with ease!

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’m so grateful for the suggestions, support and encouragement of this group, and of my McDougall support specialist. When I first joined this group and first started the 12-day program, I really thought I would have a VERY hard time completely eliminating these types of foods. I was already in a routine of Ezekiel bread toast with EVERY bowl of soup! It was challenging at first to break this habit. But I did! And now I don’t even think about that toast, and lord knows I eat 1 or 2 bowls of soup every single day! And there is Ezekiel bread still in my freezer, so I wouldn’t have to go far to get it if I really wanted it. It’s amazing to me what I think “I can’t live without” and that thought is simply NOT TRUE. Thank you team Time & Adherence for helping stubborn me see the light!

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).

Done.

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.

This continues to be an area of uncertainty for me, but I feel I have made a tiny bit of progress. At least some of the time now, I put a little less on my plate (of starch and fruit such as watermelon) than I think I might want, while reminding myself I can always get more if I’m still hungry (or if I get hungry before the next meal time). On the occasions where I have done this, I have found I am satisfied with a little less. With the watermelon, I figured out that I will eat the whole container no matter how bit that container is, so I’ve started using smaller containers! :D

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).

Wow – I made progress this week with intentional exercise as well! I did a 2 mile loop at least 5 days this week. I had over 15,000 steps on my fitbit on those days. Only one day was under 10,000 steps. I would like to get 10,000 steps or more EVERY day, but I am learning that grace is important too.

Victories: Overall an excellent week! I enjoyed compiling this report because it allowed me to reflect and realize how far I’ve come as a result of working on small changes week in and week out. This is a valuable process.

Comments: I would like to improve with more regular updates / reflections in my own journal, and spending more time reading and commenting in the journals of others.

Concerns: I’m still working on “faith v. fear” that is all related to my long dieting history. I’m very grateful to have mustered up enough faith to KEEP GOING with this program one day at a time. I still have moments where irrational thoughts creep in such as “this works for others but will never work for me.” I am getting better at recognizing this faulty thinking when it happens, and just reminding myself to trust the process that has been successful for so many, many people. Onward!

Questions: Are others “legalistic” about the 50/50 plate? Or is it really about making sure that calorie density of meals is lowered by eating the visual volume of non starchy veg? (as noted above, I often eat the veg first, and the starch last rather than put it all on the same plate. I think I am accomplishing the goal, but want to make sure I’m not missing anything!)


Thank you in advance to Mark for your feedback and encouragement! Also thanks in advance to any others who weigh in with comments or suggestions ! Hope everyone is having a good week.
Beth

"Long-term sustainable change is what we are really after." ~Jeff Novick
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