The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - September 2022 Group

[Mark Cooper]

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

My replies and the weekly summary will follow.

[Mark Cooper]

BambiS - Nice work getting back to the fundamental principles! Congratulations on your progress; I'm sure going through, downsizing and reorganizing your wardrobe is a chore, but hopefully it is one of those "fun" chores, yes? Carry on!

Ejg - Two years on, that is a pretty great entry on which to make your return, Eric! I totally get what you're saying about not eating from an actual plate, as I frequently eat my meals from a big bowl. I think it is fine to judge things "by eye;" the underlying idea is to aim for a (roughly) equal visual volume of minimally processed starches to non starchy vegetables (and/or fruits). I think it is awesome that you were able to succeed in areas that have proven challenging in the past, and it seems to me you've done a good job of evaluating and thinking through those areas where you have the opportunity to adjust and support further progress.

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.

I think, in some ways, this can be a really useful sensation about which to be cognizant; a clear awareness of our hunger/fullness signals is almost always helpful. I totally agree that having adherent food prepped, ready and easy to access is a huge advantage when hunger strikes unexpectedly. Build on the great start you've made!

Rebecka22 - 10/10 makes for a very successful week, indeed! I'm sure the strike ending came as a relief and I hope it was a resolved in your favor. Planning for success makes that outcome so much more likely, right? Then our "willpower" can just be an emergency fallback.

VegSeekingFit - You are really in a good groove, Stephanie! I'm happy to hear you have found your partial transition back into the office to be manageable, and in some respects enjoyable and beneficial. How cool that you were able to take such a clear and expansive look back into your experiences from a year ago; I certainly think it can be very useful to make that sort of "long view" appraisal of where we've been, where we are, and where we intend to go. As you observed, it will be exciting to see what next year brings!

squealcat - I'm so happy your checklist tracker allowed you to make such a useful, detailed and objective assessment of your week, Marilyn! Feeling like a failure is never a fun way to feel, and often, I think, our most significant challenges can give way to big, important lessens and huge opportunities for growth. Having such a good sense of what days, meals, times, and environments are likely to present obstacles and require more planning and preparation (both mental and actual) is invaluable. I think your idea to arrange things so you can completely avoid the biggest temptations at your daughter's house really makes sense. Let us know how things go. One possible way to build self-efficacy is with mastery experiences: you set a goal that is clear and challenging, but feels attainable and work thoughtfully toward its achievement. Each of the hurdles you've described, with some consideration and planning, is a potential mastery experience in the making, right? Keep accruing checks in those little squares!

Gimmelean - It seems the routine you've built has established a really good groove for you, as well! The quick, easy, "grab- able" method you describe for fruit and raw veggies makes so much sense to me. The thought process you describe for assessing your fruit consumption seems spot-on as well - very much in line with everything discussed here. You have clearly put a lot of thought and care into preparing for your return to the office - well done! Great to have quality time with family to look toward with excitement, especially since you have the time, experience and adherence under your belt that allows for navigating that with aplomb.

Lizzy_F - Congratulations on your progress in being mindful of hunger/fullness; I know that has been an ongoing concern of yours (and congrats on your NEW LOW and new clothes)! I really empathize with the frustrations and challenges you describe in regard to consistent exercise. When my CRPS/RSD was at its worst, I would use chair cardio workouts (like these) to maintain a baseline level of activity and continue to reinforce exercise as a part of my daily routine. I wish you all the best in resolving your pain; be kind to yourself, work within the confines of what feels safe and possible, and just do the best you can.

JaBee - That seems like meaningful improvement to me; I'm glad you've been able to notice positive changes and feel happy with your progress! Ongoing improvement is ALWAYS a worthy goal at which to take aim. I hope you were able to recover from that bout of nausea without to much unpleasantness. That yucky feeling can serve as a pretty powerful reminder about why we're eliminating certain foods, right? Onward!

[Mark Cooper]

What a great week! Thanks to all participants for making this group such a great space in which to learn, grow, sometimes stumble, and pick ourselves back up. I celebrate your efforts!

Earlier this week, I was involved in a conversation about how we evaluate success, assess our progress, and generally "know" or have a sense of "how we are doing." It was an interesting discussion, and I'll have some thoughts to share from my own perspective in the next weekly summary, but I thought it might be a really interesting question to present to our group.

So,

What does "success" look like to you?

What markers, milestones, or other signifiers do you use to view your progress?

In what context do you situate your goals, achievements and struggles?

How does it feel like you are doing at the present moment, and what informs that feeling?

I hope this can be a valuable, insightful and inspiring discussion. I'm certainly eager to know your thoughts about this. Feel free to share as much or as little as you like, and to use the questions as a springboard for any related ideas that feel meaningful to you.

Best wishes for an amazing week! Take care and be well.

[wildgoose]

What does "success" look like to you?

What markers, milestones, or other signifiers do you use to view your progress?

In what context do you situate your goals, achievements and struggles?

How does it feel like you are doing at the present moment, and what informs that feeling?

Interesting questions, Mark.

I can look at success both as what it is and what it isn’t.

It isn’t "getting there" — a state of achievement that once you make it, you’re there, and you stay there, effortlessly. It isn’t a number on the scale. It isn’t a milestone number of days or months or years that you’re able to adhere to a set of standards without wavering.

Success to me is when a set of behaviors that I know to be health promoting and good for my body and spirit have become automatic. It is when I no longer struggle with cravings, when I can acknowledge temptation but make better choices without angst, when I’m content most of the time with how I’m managing my food and other aspects of my life that I’m trying to improve. Success means that I’m not devoting too much time and energy to any part of my program, I’m just doing it. It's when the program is just regular life. Regular life with boundaries, regular life that I keep an eye on, but regular life nonetheless.

The more I can stay in that "deep groove" of habitual adherence, the better. Time + adherence = success. Less wandering off into the Pleasure Trap ditch makes everything easier.

This is not to say that I’m perfect. I’m not. Any change in routine or circumstances can shake things up. I try to structure my routine well enough that I’m usually in good shape, and I try to be prepared for the unexpected. But that doesn’t always work. Still, I try my best to stay adherent, even when I’m on the road or away from my controlled environment for whatever reason. I try to plan ahead if I know I’ll be in a place where the choices are less than ideal. I have responses at the ready for well-meaning friends and family who think that the way I eat is crazy (and, fortunately, I’m wired such that I really don’t care much what they think, even though I can usually be polite about it).

The markers, other than obvious ones such as weight or lab results or number of weeks/months with good marks on the checklist, may not be visible except in retrospect. The obvious markers were good things to keep me going, and good things to make sure I’m not off track, and they certainly helped in the first year or so that I was doing this. But they didn’t determine my success. Success for me was when I looked back on my journal at all the progress I’d made, when I considered how "normal" what I’m doing had become, and when I could say "hey, I can do this — it's not that big of a deal any more." I’m not fighting my weight. The pain and other symptoms from several autoimmune issues that I have are pretty much under control. My face isn’t flaring with rosacea. My blood pressure is consistently good (except when I get anywhere near a doctor).

I’m sure there are other success markers that I can’t see. I keep reminding myself of that, every time I’m tempted to test if I can "get away with" a marginal food or behavior. It may not make me gain weight, it may not cause pain or raise my blood pressure, but what else could it be affecting that I can’t see? Plus, any brush with the Pleasure Trap will, I know from experience, mean more of a struggle with cravings and a temptation to push that boundary just a little further. Success is when those decisions are automatic — it's just not worth it.

All of the above doesn’t mean that I stop learning or stop fine-tuning my program. But it also doesn’t mean that I jump into the quagmire of information that’s out there. I don’t chase after recipes (I use techniques, so if I get tired of one ingredient, I sub in another). I stay off of social media. I limit the number of "experts" whose advice I follow. If I hear something interesting, I evaluate it before I race to try it. In general, I keep things simple (OK, boring, as the oldest grand-Gosling would put it, but such is the way of a teenager looking at an "old person").

Today, I’m successful. I’m hoping to be successful tomorrow. If I’m not, I know what I need to do to fix it. Overall, the pattern has been good for quite some time. I'm on this road for life, so I hope I have quite a ways to go.

Goose

[squealcat]

What does "success" look like to you?

What markers, milestones, or other signifiers do you use to view your progress?

In what context do you situate your goals, achievements and struggles?

How does it feel like you are doing at the present moment, and what informs that feeling?



I wrote down on an index card all these questions that Mark posed. I knew I needed to think about my answer. I loved what Wildgoose had to say and I agree with her and hope to be where she is sometime !

I want to live in health to a ripe old age so I guess if I do that then I will be successful. Being able to follow MWL program and enjoying what I eat and getting to a place where I don't need to weigh myself to prove that I am "doing well" sounds good to me too ! Getting up and down stairs easily and quickly , avoiding the pleasure trap for the most part and if I fall into it, being able to jump back out with gusto !

Markers? I still use the scale and measurements but I don't think my weight really is what makes me feel successful, I think increased stamina, flexibility, and energy will, in the end be the big markers. I would not be sad to be in a smaller size .

How do I feel I am doing now?? Well I am still struggling. I am still learning. I am still obese. I have made progress though but not scale-wise , not in the last few years anyway . I used to be on blood pressure meds, cholesterol meds and diabetes meds. I am off all of those. My doctor is happy with my lab work but I know I can get my cholesterol down a lot more. I can walk 3 miles every morning and I am happy about that. Maybe 4 miles next year??? Who knows !

I have wonderful children and grandchildren, I had a great career as a nurse and good friends , wonderful husband. that is success too or, I guess a blessing. Anyway, those are my thoughts.

-squealcat (Marilyn)

[Ejg]

What does "success" look like to you?

What markers, milestones, or other signifiers do you use to view your progress?

In what context do you situate your goals, achievements and struggles?

How does it feel like you are doing at the present moment, and what informs that feeling?

success will be regaining lost health: feeling better physically, and also feeling like what I'm consuming is health promoting, not compromising. Mostly I just want to sleep better. If that's an outcome, and I sincerely hope it is, that would be glorious

[VegSeekingFit]

OMG!!! Mark Cooper ... incredibly important questions!! LOVE this discussion!!! Thank you for making me think!!! I am so looking forward to how you iterate your own considerations here!!! You are killing me with the suspense!!!

Wildgoose ... you always amaze me with your incredible ability to articulate hard concepts into a colorful story... I would love to be super lazy and just say "+1... Go with this!!!"

Here are my preliminary thoughts... (haven't spun through all of the ?'s yet...)

It is so important to define individual success... Like, what are you going for??? Like WildGoose, I am not in this for particular biomarkers. I am convinced that continuing to follow MWL behaviors will elicit the best health that you may be able to have... I have seen this on my own journey... I can only articulate more qualitative improvements (as I didn't do blood tests before officially getting on board... probably some quantitative too...)

My personal objective would be to move forward in a way that optimizes my future potential for physical and mental health. I do find that this is likely in following JeffN's MWL Checklist. In following it, I have found it easier to follow as time elapses and health seems to be maximized... Also, like what I am eating and focus on easy meals... Love that I feel like this is a "kind" way to eat: for self, for environment, for animals... aligns with my personal values. So, quality of life and independence are super important to me. So, like this is maybe a silly comment ... but, would like to SMILE / Laugh more and also to have a net positive impact on the universe...

I am working on: self-confidence in regard to ability to adjust calorie density up a bit up to maintain healthy weight along with activity. I do understand how this should work -- so not worried about it, but it is a consideration for my current status. I have a ways to go on ability to healthily process / IGNORE people's unsolicited feedback on appearance... I am pretty skilled at deflecting topics (from my job - have facilitated large and sometimes controversial meetings many times...)... I am not skilled in not internalizing such feedback...

Some things that I am also 100 % with what WildGoose said... (I think and please excuse my paraphrasing)...
* Be careful of your sources of information... / stay off social media --- In that spirit, sharing 2.5 minute clip I shared in my Journal a bit back on Dr. Oz... (mass media dude feeding you health info as an expert (do you think he may have $$$ motives???)... https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=dr ... &FORM=VIRE
* Concept of using "techniques" instead of recipes ... YES!! Simple... (I do admit to checking out pictures in Forks Over Knives magazine, but looking more at potential food combinations (or foods that are healthy that I haven't tried) than recipes)... I have "semi-modified" several McD recipes into "dump stuff into crockpot" and simplified... I can also mess around with JeffN burger recipe (I add a bunch of veggies not called for and adjust consistency with additional oatmeal usually)... also the SNAP ones...
* It is ok to be boring... I only like to be happy / enjoy with what I am eating... PERIOD!!!
* There is a concept of having this as an ingrained habit / not requiring thought / effort... getting there!!! This I can see in looking back...
* Taking it one choice at a time. Because we do make a conscious choice... Have confidence that if I make an unwise one, can get right back on the wagon...

This is a lens into my inspiration --- always loved this Mark Twain poem and it may speak to this topic a bit...

"Life if short. Break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile. Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe border. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Marilyn... YES!!! Your last paragraph!!! You go girl!!! Success in how you interact with people and with having an awesome family and a helping folks career... To me, sounds like the epitome of happiness / success!!! Very inspiring!!!

Eric.. I so hope that you are able to sleep better / regain health with this program!!! I have!! Just keep going!!! I think "Time & Adherence"... Has been a favorable outcome for me!!!

Wishing all of my fellow Time & Adherence peeps the best!!! Great discussion!!! (Thanks, Mark !!)

Best,
Stephanie

[Noella]

Hi Mark, Wild-goose, Jeff and all MWL Time and Adherence Participants,

I apologize for this extremely late post with my assessment for last Friday, September 16, 2022,

I had a great week!
1. Start each meal with soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your 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 stop 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 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).

***I have been mulling over Mark's thought-provoking questions since he posted these last Saturday. Wonderful! Thank you, Mark, for deciding to ask these questions and thanks to Wildgoose, Marilyn and Stephanie, for getting everyone started by answering these! Thinking about these topics ihas been an extremely clarifying and encouraging endeavour.

Question A.”What does "success" look like to you?"
—Enjoyment: I thoroughly enjoy following the MWL guidelines and reporting weekly. Being part of this forum inspires my success. It is a commitment and an opportunity to be gaining maximum health. Consistently being on this forum each week and taking time to assess and evaluate each week’s decisions keeps me on track.
—Making healthy choices: I don’t buy calorie-rich processed foods anymore. I get fresh produce and fruit delivered and cook potatoes, legumes and grains, keeping our fridge and pantry well-stocked for easy preparation of starch-based meals.
—Improved Health: So many of my health problems have completely healed. Before I changed to this starch-based diet, I had: Costochondritis; Seasonal Allergies; Frequent Sinus Colds and Flu; Nummular Eczema; Insomnia; Trigger Fingers; Arthritis in the hands and knees; Daytime Sleepiness; Indigestion; Heartburn; Acid Reflux; Migraines; a Breast Cyst; Obesity; High Cholesterol and more…. I do not have any prescriptions or use any OTC medications. I continue to have interstitial cystitis, but it's not as problematic for me now, as following this diet has eliminated many of the aggravating foods and beverages and also alleviated the severity of several of the symptoms. I’m hopeful that one day this will be healed, too.

Question B: “What markers, milestones, or other signifiers do you use to view your progress?"
1. Measurements: I measure my waist regularly. From 42 inches - currently 28 inches
2. Pant size: From size 22 - currently 8. I keep the size 22 pants and put them on once in a while just for the pleasure of seeing them immediately fall off my hips to the floor. It reminds me of how far I have come on this journey to maximum health. I also have some ‘too small’ pants. They don’t fit yet, but I try them on once in a while, too, just to see how much more weight I ultimately plan to lose.
3. BMI - From 35 - currently 22
4. Weight: From 240 to 145. I plan on losing at least another 5-10 pounds. At first, I weighed myself twice daily or more; then, after 18 months, I weighed myself daily. Now I only weigh myself a couple times a week.
5. Big Lifestyle Changes:
—Entertaining: I have changed my entertaining from having friends over for coffee and decadent desserts to having friends over for a walk and a treat that includes healthy options, like fruit. --Holiday dinners have changed from calorie-rich and wine-paired meals like a prime rib roast, Yorkshire pudding, gravy, broccoli with cheese sauce, and cheesecake with whipped cream for dessert to homemade marinara sauce on wholegrain pasta, steamed vegetables, green salad and fruit kebabs for dessert.
—My cross-country skiing used to emphasize the after-ski socializing at a pub with wine, nachos, steak dinner and pie with ice cream as much as it did on exploring the trails. Now, I focus more on getting the fresh alpine forest air and the adventure of exploring new cross-country trails, rather than focusing on the following hearty dinner of chilli, salad, fruit for dessert and sparkling water in place of wine.
—Travel: Less focus on eating at fine restaurants and more on the discovery of new sights, experiences and activities.
—Alcoholic Beverages: I used to have wine with dinner weekly. I don’t drink alcoholic beverages anymore.

Question C: In what context do you situate your goals, achievements and struggles?
The circumstances surrounding my achievements and struggles are very conducive to my success. I’m a recently retired educator, so I no longer have the workplace stress or the staffroom goodies, lunches and after-work socializing with dinners and alcoholic drinks to entice me. Nor do I have the end of work week exhaustion that led to celebrations at a restaurant or take-out meals because 'I deserve a break". I’m at home every day and I have lots of time to plan and prepare meals. II have my husband’s support with this lifestyle - his support and encouragement. He even cooks steel-cut oats every morning, makes delicious marinara sauces, and three-bean chilli. He will put together simple MWL dinners of salad, starch and steamed veggies and greens in under ten minutes! I’m so fortunate to have him. I met him at age 18-- I'm now 67, we've been together for 49 years and hope to be gifted with another 30 years of superior health, and independence. My husband eats starch-based with me, but he embellishes his meals by adding condiments, nuts, peanut butter, avocados, hummus, salad dressing, grated parmesan cheese, dried fruit, croutons, crackers and bread. I don’t have any struggle with avoiding ‘his’ foods. These items are in our fridge, cupboards and pantry and I simply consider them as 'not my food'. These rarely entice me. It’s most challenging for me, and I struggle most, when I'm not at home, visiting family for several days and spending time with friends or travelling. Mainly, this is because I’m not particularly eager to draw attention to myself, and to request what I need, plus I have a solid desire to fit in with the crowd wherever I am, so this trait can make it challenging when I’m at a social event. My best way around this is to take compliant food with me to share. I will offer to bring a couple dishes, or I will offer to cook several of the meals when I visit - this is easy when I'm at one of my my daughters' homes. They love it when I bring food or do the cooking for them! I usually bring my delicious no-oil refried beans, Spanish rice and all the fixings for burritos; pasta and marinara sauce, rice and stirfry veggies/mushrooms plus a big quinoa salad and green salad and no-oil dressings. I also usually bring a couple dozen pre-baked potatoes and lots of fruits and vegetables for snacks, too.

Question D: How does it feel like you are doing at the present moment, and what informs that feeling?
I have renewed hope of a healthy future to look forward to! I’m doing well and I am motivated to keep giving this lifestyle my best effort because the results are in: I have lost close to one hundred pounds and I have kept it off for more than a year. Almost all of of my ailments have disappeared. It's been positively life-changing in every possible category and there is no way I would go back to how I was living. Everything is better! I am enjoying much-improved health and good energy. I can keep up with my husband on our walks and quickly get up and down off the floor to play with my grandchildren. I can do all of my favourite things: kayaking, hiking, cross-country skiing, calligraphy, drawing, sewing... My knees are much more flexible now, and I can go up and down stairs and hills easily enough - not yet hiking super-briskly or running up and down these stairs or mountains, but maybe one day, right? That's my hope...my dream. This MWL time and adherence lifestyle and all of you, here, taking precious time out of your busy days to write and submit your stories to this forum gives all of us, a huge gift of hope and inspiration. Thank you!

“Once you start believing in yourself, anything is possible. Once you start believing in yourself, your dreams take shape. The more you believe, the more you achieve.”
― Martina Navratilova

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

[Noella]

[color=#BF0080]

Success to me is when a set of behaviors that I know to be health promoting and good for my body and spirit have become automatic. It is when I no longer struggle with cravings, when I can acknowledge temptation but make better choices without angst, when I’m content most of the time with how I’m managing my food and other aspects of my life that I’m trying to improve. Success means that I’m not devoting too much time and energy to any part of my program, I’m just doing it. It's when the program is just regular life. Regular life with boundaries, regular life that I keep an eye on, but regular life nonetheless.

The more I can stay in that "deep groove" of habitual adherence, the better. Time + adherence = success. Less wandering off into the Pleasure Trap ditch makes everything easier.

This is not to say that I’m perfect. I’m not. Any change in routine or circumstances can shake things up. I try to structure my routine well enough that I’m usually in good shape, and I try to be prepared for the unexpected. But that doesn’t always work. Still, I try my best to stay adherent, even when I’m on the road or away from my controlled environment for whatever reason. I try to plan ahead if I know I’ll be in a place where the choices are less than ideal. I have responses at the ready for well-meaning friends and family who think that the way I eat is crazy (and, fortunately, I’m wired such that I really don’t care much what they think, even though I can usually be polite about it).
Goose

[/color]
Thanks for this, Goose. I want my experience with MWL to become more automatic and regular. That's a great goal.Right now I'm still very intentional I especially like the promise that "less wandering off into the pleasure trap ditch makes everything easier "and that you have need to be tough , put your own needs first and foremost and have "responses ready for well-meaning friends" ... I need to get some phrases memorized and be ready so I'm never caught off guard iagain n the middle of a dinner party with everyone looking at me for my response.

Noella

[Noella]

"I want to live in health to a ripe old age, so I guess if I do, that then I will be successful. Being able to follow MWL program and enjoying what I eat and getting to a place where I don't need to weigh myself to prove that I am "doing well" sounds good to me, too! Getting up and down stairs easily and quickly, avoiding the pleasure trap for the most part and if I fall into it, being able to jump back out with gusto!...- Squealcat (Marilyn)"

Hi Marilyn,
I feel exactly the same as you! We can do this!!
Noella

[Noella]

"... quality of life and independence are super important to me. So, like this is maybe a silly comment ... but, would like to SMILE / Laugh more and also to have a net positive impact on the universe... Taking it one choice at a time. Because we do make a conscious choice... Have confidence that if I make an unwise one, I can get right back on the wagon...

Best,
Stephanie"

Hi Stephanie,

Yes...I agree let's make a positive impact with our family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances. Let's all smile and laugh a lot as we get better and better at choosing the best decisions for maximum physical, emotional, and spiritual health! I believe you already do this, Stephanie. I want to follow your example...

Best regards,
Noella

[VegSeekingFit]

Hey Noella!.... WOW!!! Phenomenal responses!!! You are amazingly inspiring!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your story / benefits you have achieved and how committed you are to continuing... I will do this too.. 100%... Really appreciate how you shared here!!! Also, bonus... You quoted my tennis hero(ine).... I am totally in search of LOVE emoji!!!! Thank you!!! You have done awesome things and I bet will continue to do so!!!!

Will personally try to answer Mark questions like a semi-serious person!!! Have still been churning them... I will be super honest that I didn't understand #3 (or C) until I saw Noella answers... So, I will try not to plagiarize ideas of others!!!

Cheers,
Stephanie

[Ejg]

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. I think nearly every meal started with salad and/or steamed vegetables. I usually have oatmeal for breakfast (which I find quite filling) but have started eating steamed vegetables and baked potatoes slathered in salsa, however sometimes this week have found myself really hungry. I might have to start adding oatmeal back in because I don't think the point is to feel hungry and deprived, but to find something I feel I can stick with for the long-term.

2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. I ate off a plate much more this week, which just makes it easier for me to visualize 50-50. I also did much better with only eating fruit for dessert, but room for improvement on this still exists. I stopped buying the fruit that I know I tend to eat too much of in the evenings, which has helped. Week over week, I think #2 has improved.

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 added salt or sugar

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). none

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). none

6. Eliminate any added oil. 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

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). none

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. No problems here this week but a few times, did find myself feeling extremely hungry so dutifully continued to have salad/non starchy vegetables/starch/beans. I just kept doing this until I felt satisfied, but sometimes it took a lot.

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

I watched a Doug Lisle interview once where he described that binging behavior is driven by habit: the nervous system gets accustomed to the same things (i.e. food) at the same times (evenings) and begins preparing itself for this. When those usual inputs (food) don't come as expected, the nervous system starts freaking out and discomfort soon follows. Really the only thing (in the short term) that can relieve that discomfort is simply giving the nervous system what it wants. This is how habits are formed and more-or-less describes my week. When I wake up, I don't really start to feel hungry enough to care until almost noon, but in the evening, even after I've eaten, I still continue to feel really hungry until I go to bed. I don't actually think I'm hungry, because my "test" is to ask myself "am I hungry enough to eat salad and potatoes? If not, then you aren't really hungry." In the mornings when I finally eat, salad and potatoes is great, but in the evenings I get less excited about it. The bottom line is that I seem to have formed a habit of eating late into the evening even though I'm not really hungry, and overcoming this is uncomfortable. I believe this is part of what psychologists call an extinction burst. Steelers lost. Happy fall.

[BambiS]

9-23

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


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 definitely had potatoes


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 organizing


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
I am still organizing, purging years of stuff. Week days time is limited.
I ate plant based, more like Mary’s mini not maximum weight loss.
I am looking forward going to the market to get fresh pumpkins tomorrow to make soup.

[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 another successful week. The cravings were harder this week, but I stuck to planning which got me through. Making sure I had easy food to grab while hosting my daughter’s graduation party helped me to not eat the beans and rice that were vegan, but definitely oily and skip the chips and salsa too. I finally tried the barley I ordered back when we had the BYOB & B discussion. I didn’t like it as much as my oatmeal, but I think it could grow on me as another option. Thanks for all the support. I hope everyone has a great week.