The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - September 2022 Group

[JaBee]

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes, 7/7 days compliant
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, 7/7 days compliant
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, 7/7
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). Yes, 7/7
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). No, 5/7 days compliant*
6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes, 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. No, 4/7*
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). No, 4/7*
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Yes, 7/7
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Yes, 7/7

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: * still struggling with 5 and 7, too much non-compliant items available. Difficult living with a ‘junk food pusher’ would appreciate any suggestions as to how anyone may have successfully handled. Also, had wine with dinner over long weekend, even though meal was compliant. Will continue worked on these areas.

[Drew*#]

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.****Yes, mostly.
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, mostly.
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. **** 5/7
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).*** 6/7
6. Eliminate any added oil. ****5/7 days
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 days
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). ****2/7 (going on a long walk today, yoga tomorrow, trying to incorporate physical therapy for Achilles and groin

In an effort to grab an MWL food, I have planned ahead this week to make big meals with veggies and whole grain starches or whole grain pasta. I already have most of the ingredients to shake up my meals a bit. My eating challenges due to braces have improved and chewing cooked veggies of all types, except corn on the cob, will be workable. Going to the fair today and will seek out the vegan potatoes (no oil) with a veggie green sauce that does not seem oily at all. It will be helpful to still eat the things that are easy and fit in the plan this coming week like mashed potatoes, oats, whole wheat pasta and of course steamed veggies.

Thank you Mark, Stephanie, and Beth and others for the comments about the checklist. I am also printing that out for the coming week...will keep you posted. Sounds like you all have some excellent plans with MWL included (like potatoes) for the weekend!

184 lb...have lost 5 pounds so far since August. 1 pound since last week.

Drew

[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.

[Mark Cooper]

BambiS - I hope you were able to enjoy your vacation time; it certainly sounds like you did quite a lot of work during the week! Keep working and aiming to steer back toward closer adherence, as that is the surest path to continue your progress. When we have a change in our daily routine, whether it is big or small, it can present obstacles and interfere with the pattern of behavior we want to maintain, but each time this happens it also gives us an opportunity to practice under shifting circumstances, adjust our preparations, and fortify our overall routine to be more resilient going forward.

carwex - Entertaining and socializing with family and friends can make for a fun, rewarding, and revitalizing week, right? At the same time, as you observed Carol, the task of navigating restaurant dining can often bring its own stresses and challenges, too. I'm glad you feel like you've found a living space that is right for you; I'm sure that comes as a huge relief. Wishing you the best with negotiating and bringing that to a satisfactory resolution. Getting back to the pool (and gym) sounds like fun! I think your friend's answer about getting back in shape "slowly" makes sense, and your inclination to start the process of habituating those daily physical activities so they require less active thought is right on target. Onward!

Lizzy_F - I completely agree that time seems to be zipping forward! I would say that if your breakfast is roughly hitting the 50/50 between cooked oats and fruit it seems on track (particularly if you are still seeing satisfactory results); if you feel like you need to bolster your progress in that regard, you could always add in fruit (or vegetables) as a preload (or even just include that extra portion in your main "bowl"). In regard to feeling full and satisfied, and "enough" vs. "too much": for me, the key discriminating factor is feeling COMFORTABLE (comfortably full). Are you feeling physical sensations of being uncomfortable or stuffed? If not, I think you're doing fine. The key here isn't so much precisely monitoring and judging HOW MUCH we eat, but rather dialing down the calorie density as needed (through the application of the MWL principles) so that we can achieve our healthy weight. Wishing you continued improvement with the heel and knee issues. Take care and carry on!

squealcat - You've made a great start back, Marilyn! I think you idea to try cucumbers and tomato for your dinner preload, so as not to get overfull and short change the starches, seems sensible, particularly as you are transitioning back into this overall pattern of behavior. Adherent hummus mixed with salsa sounds like it could be a yummy dressing; let us know what you think and how it works for you. Healthy, Happy, and Wise! What a great goal!

moonlight - I'm so excited that you'll be joining us again! I feel like we are old friends, going back to the days when Amy was stewarding us in the group.

VegSeekingFit - You've really been batting a thousand these past few weeks, Stephanie! That feeling of being free, calm and comfortable with our pattern of behavior is one of the very best ways to feel, right? Enjoy the gardening and hiking (and potatoes!)

louie3084 - Doing well for most of the week is pretty good though! It can take some time to get things figured out and dialed in, both in regard to the volume and proportion of food and the logistics of our routine. Experiment with adding in more starch at breakfast/lunch/dinner (particularly if these challenges seem to recur on a particular day or in a certain context). Give yourself time to adjust, build confidence in yourself and the program, and process through your fears. Your instinct to put the slip behind you and just get back on course is a sound one. I've written some general posts about my own journey a few times in the past: Here is my "Meet the Members" introduction (that is from before I developed CRPS/RSD, so a bit out of date, but it gives a sense of where I was early in my journey). I posted "Before & After" pics near the bottom of this post.
Here is conversation where I get into more detail about my own experience. More recently I spoke about why I'm still strictly adhering to MWL in this post. My journal basically documents my daily process, as I was going through it day by day. Planning and lots of practice were the keys for me.

Rebecka22 - May your strike be successful and come to a favorable resolution for you and your comrades; it certainly does sound exhausting, especially with parenting on top of that!

I have also realized that drinking a mocha seems to just lead to a waterfall of off plan choices, so I’m going to avoid that this week in hopes it will help.

That seems like a wise decision; I think having certain foods or beverages (or even other substances and activities) act as a "trigger" for a series of "exceptions" is a very common experience. I think you might also appreciate what Dr. Lisle has to say about "willpower" in this video.

I did plan and stick to all my own meals this week and skipped all the donated food

Good for you! That is a significant achievement! Cheers for better days in front of us!

Ejg - Hi, Eric! I'm so glad you'll be joining us. Today is ALWAYS the best time to get on track!

Gimmelean - Woohoo! 10/10! Heading back to the office after two and a half years definitely sounds like a change in routine that could present various challenges. I think you are very wise to think through the potential hurdles, take possible challenges seriously, and plan ahead for how to succeed. Wising you all the best in that regard! It's a great opportunity to make your routine even more strong and durable, and to build confidence and further your sense of self-efficacy; a potential mastery experience in your future.

Noella - I'm happy to hear that your rash resolved! If it was food-related, sometimes after a period of elimination, people have been able to successfully reintroduce some of the formerly offending foods. There is great information in this thread about the elimination diet. I'm sure it was wonderful to see your daughters and grandchildren! It can really be challenging to negotiate and navigate our interactions with loved ones who don't practice (or really understand) this way of eating; we want to express our needs and preferences, but we also want to safeguard and maintain our warm and loving relationships, right? I can understand your impetus to try raising the issue with them gently while still being flexible. You never know which conversation might be the one that finally clicks, and leads to a revelation. I hope you have a marvelous time at the seaside; long walks by the water sound divine! Enjoy!

JaBee - While points 5 and 7 remain a struggle, you seem to be doing great on 7/10 checklist items, so kudos for that! You are absolutely right that the ongoing presence of tempting non adherent items in our immediate environment has a very powerful effect and is a key challenge. It can be an especially tough situation when our cohabitants' preferences, habits and beliefs perhaps conflict with the environment we'd prefer to maintain and the pattern of behavior to which we aspire. Do you feel like this is a topic you could have an open, amenable conversation about in your home? Neither my wife nor my daughter practice this way of eating (although they are generally willing to eat what I cook), so our house has all sorts of non adherent foods present, and they aren't willing to compromise much on that. What they HAVE BEEN willing to do is avoid bringing home the specific foods that I've found to be most challenging to my adherence (which for me, were really just a handful of particular things). I've been pretty successful mentally categorizing most of the more calorie rich stuff in our home as "not food" (at least not food for me). For some people, even just getting the most tempting things out of the kitchen and into a different space, or making them harder to access can really help. Likewise, putting all sorts of appealing, adherent options in closer proximity so they are much easier to reach toward is useful, too. This can be a really tough puzzle to assemble. I'm sure you'll approach it with thought, consideration and empathy (for others, but for yourself, as well).

Drew*# - Glad you are finding adjusting to the braces less challenging! You are so right that keeping things simple, with a focus on what fits the plan and is EASY promotes success. You made further progress toward closer adherence this week, keep building on that.

[Mark Cooper]

Hooray for everyone here! You've completed another week of practice, learning and growth in this way of living! That seems like a week well spent to me.

In my replies, I linked to some discussion of my own experiences practicing this pattern of behavior, but I thought you all might also appreciate some discussion of the "MWL-ers" who inspired my own efforts.

Cloudy Rockwell's success story really spoke to me, and I took great inspiration from her journal.

Likewise, I found the experiences of George Sanders to be revelatory, and he has two different journals (here and here) both of which are filled with great practical information and thoroughly document his process.

I hope you'll find something in the above resources that enthuses, informs or assists you in your journey. Perhaps there are other McDougall Success Stories that speak to you? We're all just a success story waiting to happen, right?

Wishing you all the best! Take care and be well!

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi All!!

Mark, Thank you so much for sharing information on your journey. OMG, I have 100% benefited from your food pictures in your journal.... and your thoughts that you captured on compliance. Other threads were super helpful too!!! Appreciate that you shared!!!

Hey Jaybee... I experienced what I believe is a similar situation to what you are saying on the 5/7 spouse challenges with non-compliant food... I did spin for many, many weeks with this (and was trying hard). 100% Mark helped me with his feedback and experience to find solution (really grateful, probably not getting there on my own). I probably rose to the dramatic at times as I worked through this " TIME".... Thinking that solutions will vary by person... If I could go back in time, would 100% understand the be kind to yourself feedback and assessment vs. value judgment (from Mark). Other thing, when hungry, eat (recommended foods, recommended fashion)... You can work through this...

Hi Gimmelean, I also went back to office this week after 2.5 years at home... OMG... There were donuts... (did not distract me...)... Sounds like you have a tougher situation than I do --- with 3 days / week??? You are packing food --- I did too... made sure not to be hungry and avoided stuff to the extent possible. Hope that you have some benefit from this change... I found some activity and interaction postitives...

Cheers,
Stephanie

Best to all,
Stephanie

[JaBee]

Mark and Stephanie, thanks for the suggestions regarding my struggles and how you successfully cope with similar challenges. So far the week has improved as non-compliant items have been moved from main kitchen area!

[BambiS]

9-16

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Most days, but only had 1 fruit a day 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.
Most days, 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). No intent exercise, a lot of moving and lifting clothes


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
I got back in track this week. My vacation is over, although I am continuing to purge and organize my clothes.
9-16 - 4.6 group loss - 43.5 total loss -53

[Ejg]

Happy to be making my first entry in about two years!

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. I think I started almost every meal with salad, except for a few breakfasts at the beginning of the week. As time went on, I got better at this.
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 one could use some improvement. As dumb as it sounds I usually never eat off a plate, so visually splitting half the plate with vegetables only happened part of the time. I did eat either salad, steamed vegetables, or both at almost every meal but found myself sort of mentally estimating whether what I had in front of me would take up half a plate, or not. I will make more of an effort to simply eat off a plate and visually split with non starchy vegetables vs starch. Fruit is a problem for me. I can (and do) eat lots of it. There is some fruit I could eat all day long (mangos and cherries) and others that excite me somewhat less (bananas or apples). This week I will try to be more aware of what I am buying in the store, and what's likely to be tempting for me if I bring in the house.
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 don't know that I used any added salt this week (or sugar) but a few times cooked something that I could tell had salt in it (vegetable stock or canned tomatoes). Left my mouth feeling dry.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). Didn't have any animal foods
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). None either
6. Eliminate any added oil. also none
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. None, which I consider a win because I have a weakness for everything bagels, but stayed away
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). No problems here either
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Once this week I found myself feeling a little uncomfortably full, so I became quite aware of what crossing the line on compliant food felt like. A few other times, I diligently ate salad/steamed vegetables/starch and beans
until I was satisfied, but it didn't take long before I felt really hungry again. I think moving forward it will be important for me to make sure I plan ahead so I always have steamed vegetables, and salad readily available. If I don't have it ready ahead of time I find it will probably be unlikely that I'm going to take the time to prepare it when I'm starving.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
I think I did this most days but moving forward will be sure I at least go for a walk every day

this week was good because I feel I improved on some things that I know to be problematic for me, and in other areas, it became clear where I need to make some adjustments. Have a nice weekend!

[Rebecka22]

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
I had a successful week. The strike finally ended and we started back to school, which has its own adjustments and stresses, but I am grateful to be back with my students. I know that I cannot rely on willpower, so I have been trying to focus on planning as much as I can. Thanks for all the support.

[VegSeekingFit]

Below is Behavioral assessment that I will post to the Time & Adherence Group.

Hi Team Time and Adherence!

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Mostly no. I did do 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.
Yes. I ate a ton of potatoes, oats, corn, sloppy lentils, beans, Jeff burgers, whole wheat pasta... OMG, was so excited to FINALLY find Sugar Kiss Cantaloupe (if you love cantaloupe and you haven't tried, go look!!!) at Trader Joe's --- going back tomorrow for more, also Saturn peaches (funky shape, great taste), navel oranges, various frozen fruit, carrots, cauliflower (who knew?), snow peas, tomatoes, baby cucumbers, red onion, Romaine lettuce. Lots of simple, but delicious 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.

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. No starving or stuffing.


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
OK, I had to resurrect my fleece lined sweatshirt for AM walks... Weather still pleasant, but has a hint of chill to come...
Also, I guess will just share that my biggest walking risk is passing by a McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts ... folks are pretty "driven" to drive in fast ...


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Hey Rebecka22 --- Glad your strike is over. That sounded brutal. How you handled is inspiring!!!

Hi Eric --- YAY, you joined us!!! I was at your fruit description... I also would be hard pressed to go crazy with apples and bananas.... (but do LOVE mango and dark cherries!!!)...

Like Gimmelean said last week, I went back to office for first time in 2.5 years. Right now, seems like I have an easier situation where we "volunteer" to be there. So, I am 100% with interacting in real life with people... and I have only done 1/2 day once a week so far... Not a huge change, but I do bring food usually banana, raw veggies, Jeff burger, oven fries... There are a lot of "carrots" that corporate world is throwing out to get folks in --- so tons of free food (not MWL compliant!!! )... I have had benefits too with liking the interaction and being able to do stairs, walk, etc.

From a "time" perspective, was looking through my journal from a year ago... Hmm... I was 25 lbs. heavier... Then, still thinking I had COVID (although test from Red Roof Inn states otherwise)... I went a bit off-track at this time, but still recorded... Although sometimes painful, glad that I have captured some thoughts as it does give me perspective that I have come a good way from where I was. For instance, I was tracking food --- I have definitely used condiments less (just liking taste of unadulterated food) .... also, have simplified further (like just microwave a potato, grab a banana, throw together some easy veggies)... so, time to prepare adherent meal is like not an issue at all. Finally, FEEL GREAT!!! This works and feels really good to me to keep with!!! I am anticipating another year results...

Totally appreciate this group as a safe space to learn and practice.... Big thank you to Mark, JeffN, WildGoose for this opportunity and supportive environment... Also, appreciate all participants that share --- you inspire me!!!

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!!!

Cheers,
Stephanie

[squealcat]

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/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.
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.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
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.
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.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:I was feeling like a total failure this morning and didn't want to post but upon looking at my weekly tracker MWL checklist, I changed my mind. I used the smiles (and frowns ) this week instead of the direct "yes" and "no" words because I feel that many areas were successful . As I look at my checklist I see an area that needs work just at lunch time (#5) and I also see that just two days were needing more work and thought (Tuesday and Wednesday). I don't know what happened Tuesday but remember feeling kind of negative on that day . Wednesday was the weekly visit to my daughter's house to watch my special needs grandson. I feel like I fall apart when in their kitchen and I feel like their snack cupboard just grabs me and pulls me in !

I have thought about my Wednesdays and will try to change up my meal next week to be either a cold lunch or have one item to heat up so I can almost avoid their kitchen. They have a tri-level house so I can just keep myself on the low level with my grandson and be just fine ! They have a fridge there too so I can store my lunch. I will do that this coming Wednesday and see how it feels.

I like how Stephanie reflected on her last year doing this ! I would love to do that one year from now. I have read a little about self-efficacy. It has been discussed a few time here on this board. I think that believing that I can do this is exactly what has been missing but this cannot happen if I just sit here feeling bad. I know I have to work this program and see success week by week.

I like using my weekly tracker as it shows me that my week is mostly successful. I track meal by meal, day by day so there are lots of checks in those little squares. It also pin-points the areas that need attention and what days need attention. Then I know how to make those small changes to make it work.

Have a wonderful week everyone ! See you next week !

Marilyn

[Gimmelean]

Post for week ending 9/16/22

Hello everyone!

1) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Yes. I don’t ever put fruit or raw veggies on a plate. Grabbing them when really hungry as “the solution” before lunch or dinner just as they are feels decadent, maybe improper, and even better because it’s MWL compliant. Cut up watermelon or cantaloupe, whole mini cucumbers. The list goes on. All very grab- able, packable and I like them best that way. I could so relate when I read ejg’s post which made me stop to think about this.
I stopped worrying about the amount of fruit I am eating as I used to do because I know I am eating other things, staying mindful and trying not to overstuff, and it has balanced out. I gravitate towards more fruit in the summer for sure.

2). Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals.
Yes. See item 1 comments. In fact, when I have a plate of food that lacks veggies, I know what’s missing. Easy fix! Fresh, frozen, canned. Always on hand. Work has offered buffets with great options for me and I always fill up my plate with the veggies and cut up fresh fruit first.

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.

Victories,Comments,Questions,Challenges: this week coming up will begin my 3 days in the office weekly schedule and testing out the new routine. Time to prepare and exercise with adherence is top of mind.
In October I’m excited to have family with us for two weeks. We don’t all have to eat the same foods all the time and I don’t expect it to be so much of a test as it’s been in the past. I will make sure everyone including me, has what they like, secretly what is good for them of course, ‘ cause that’s what I do, and looking forward to the fall.

Time and adherence has changed my life immeasurably for the better. I’m so grateful for this program and for this group.

Have a good week everyone!

[Lizzy_F]

Hello Mark & Team Time & Adherence! Husband and I have both been dealing with colds for the last week. I haven't been particularly hungry, so it made compliance very easy this week. We are going to have a relaxing weekend, so hopefully will both feel a lot better next week.

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES – lunch & dinner. Breakfast, when eaten, is “all in one” bowl.

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 – 50% by visual volume of non-starchy veg at every meal.

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 – none at all this week!



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. I feel like I have been making good progress in this area (finally). I’ve been taking smaller portions initially at most meals, and being mindful about hunger / fullness before deciding on more. Hopefully I will be able to continue this progress once I'm feeling better.



10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). This is still one of my areas of challenge. I have found it difficult and frustrating to get into good routines given that I have to work around pain issues. It seems like the minute I get into a good groove, that groove is disrupted by the need to take days off from walking because of ____________ (heel, knees, hips, etc.) Have I mentioned that getting old is not for sissies?????



Victories: Progress on hunger/fullness awareness. New low this week on the scale. Continually fitting into smaller clothes.


Comments:


Concerns: The physical limitations which disrupt any semblance of routine exercise have started to really frustrate me. I think I need to work on honoring my allocated time for walking by doing chair exercises, or SOMETHING when my heel or knees or hips don’t feel up to walking. I want to stop letting these mechanical issues become my excuse for doing nothing.

[JaBee]

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes, 7/7
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, 7/7
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. Yes, 7/7
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). No, 6/7*
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Yes, 7/7
6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes, 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. No, 6/7*
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). No, 6/7*
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Yes, 7/7
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Yes, 7/7

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: *improved overall since restarting had glass of wine and couple slices of veggie pizza with cheese last Saturday but compliant since, felt really nauseous after the cheese which I hadn’t had for years . It was encouraging that Mark and Stephanie had same challenges with family members not eating This way and were able to successfully follow MWL with adjustments. I am 90% compliant and am happy with the progress, would like perfection, of course, but will continue to try to improve…will report weight change at end of month. Clothes are looser so am seeing progress