Birdy Takes Flight

[Anna Green]

Birdy, Thanks for the birthday wish.

I wish you all the best and hope to see you from time to time.

[Birdy]

Wow, it's been more than a month since I've posted. I've been eating SAD like there was no tomorrow and have been having stomach aches, fatigue and low energy, congestion...in short, all the usual results. I am literally sick of SAD foods. With the new year approaching, I'm glad to get back on the McDougall Plan in a renewed sense of doing something different and expecting good results. This past year has been hard for so many of us on different levels, both personal and in the larger context of the world. I can only control some of those things that directly affect me, such as the food I eat and the exercise I get. More and more often, I read or hear information that supports particularly Dr. McDougall's work. The break I've taken from trying to follow his plan the past few months has resulted in me returning to the effort with renewed energy and commitment.

So my goals for the next six months are:
1. Walk or bicycle every day.
2. Do beginning yoga every day for at least 20 minutes.
3. Eat as strictly as possible according to the McDougall Plan.
4. Lower weight and blood pressure especially, and hopefully also cholesterol.

[sksamboots]

Hey Birdy,

Good to see you. Nice goals. One meal at a time. Keep on keepin on

[Anna Green]

Birdy, I have missed you. Ditto boots. You have good goals. Are you enjoying the exercise?

[Birdy]

Hi sksamboots and Anna! Wow, sksamboots I noticed you've lost 80 something pounds and have met your weightloss goal. That is quite an accomplishment - congratulations! How are you feeling? And Anna I know you're doing well because I read your journal recently. Thanks for your welcome backs. I ate vegetarian today and am happy about that. It's obviously a hard time of year to begin dietary change, but I think McDougalling most of the time through the holidays will make me feel better and get me off to a good start in the New Year. And, yep, I'm enjoying the exercise Anna, walking yesterday and today. I'm using a book called Yoga Over Fifty that's very easy to follow and has good sequences for learning the asanas. In January, I plan to go to a gentle yoga class once a week also, but the home practice is what I really want to develop.

There's a thread on "The Lounge" board about hunger and starting this way of eating. Lots of interesting responses there. I experienced this in the past when I first began McDougalling and let it put me off the diet. But this time, I'll know it's just part of the transition experience that can last a few days or some weeks. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to have oatmeal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, fruit for snacks, and bean/rice/vegie tortillas for dinner. My mantra is, "Drink more water."

If life gets busy and I don't post later this week, I'm wishing you all Merry Christmas!

[janluvs2heel]

Hi Birdy,

So glad to see you back. Yes, this is a hard time of year to get started but at least the holidays will be over soon. I find the longer I McDougall, the easier it is to see how much better I feel when I am onplan vs. when I am not onplan. So, even though I may stray a little, I come back quicker. The link below has really helped me get even more of an understanding of this.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20048

It is about how this is a starch based diet, not a veggie based diet. It will be good read for you once you really get started.

Jan

[sksamboots]

Hey Birdy,

Nice to have you around. Lots of good reading in the Lounge. My ticker is just an update on my current weight loss. I still have more to go; however, have not decided on a number and I have taken 2 months to maintain my weight..So we will see what happens. Hope your day was good

[Birdy]

Shoot, I just deleted a long post. Well, thanks Jan for the link. I watched Dr. McD's lecture about this being a starch-based diet and it was interesting. He even had several new things to report! Boots, you're wise to plateau and let your body adjust to the new "set point" but you've still done an awesome job losing so much weight!

I've gained 4 pounds over the holidays. But I know why - eating too much and eating rich foods. I have increased fat, congestion, fatigue and stiffness to show for it. Why do we do this to ourselves?

Today I'm having oatmeal for breakfast, brown rice with salad for lunch, and am making a bean and vegie soup with whole wheat sourdough bread for dinner. Exercise is walking 30-40 minutes and yoga. My husband gave me really nice walking shoes for Christmas!

Have a good day and Happy New Year 2011!

[Birdy]

I am so sad about the tens of thousands of fish that died and washed ashore and the 5,000 or more beautiful red-winged blackbirds that died mysteriously in Arkansas. What is going on? Some of the explanations I've read or heard in the media are absurd. I hope we get to learn the true story of what's happened.

This sort of thing brings the stark imbalances in our world right into your face and heart. What am I going to do in response to this? That's the question I'm asking myself tonight.

[sksamboots]

Hey Birdy,

Keep asking yourself these questions. Good ones

[Birdy]

Today, I've eaten vegan except for some creamer in one cup of coffee that I bought at a bakery. (At least I didn't buy anything else in the bakery which is saying something). I had toast for breakfast with a little Smart Balance, a half green/half quinoa salad with a blob of tahini for lunch, four small oven "fried" potatoes that I baked at home, one slice of vegan no-cheese pizza, and a celery stick. So my diet today was a.) too high in fat and b.) kind of unbalanced. But it's a start. My response to the woes of animals, birds, fish and other creatures in the world is to be vegan - to really walk the talk for a change. I realize I'm eating too much fat and will work to reduce that, but for now I need to just concentrate on being vegan. That in and of itself is a huge challenge for me, mostly because I live with SAD eaters and because there are so many occasions where I need to gain experience in making vegan choices (such as the coffee creamer this morning). I sat less today, but didn't walk or do yoga. So that needs improvement tomorrow.

[Anna Green]

Hey, just keep at it and do it matter of factly if you know what I mean. Don't do a lot of beating up on yourself, just keep reminding yourself of your values and your goals. Now, I'll take my own advice. Good to see you.

[AranMC]

Hi Birdy, I was sad too to read about all those birds and all the crabs that have died on the coasts of Britain cos of the cold weather there...
Just take it one day at a time like we always do and you'll get back on your usual plan..

*hug*

Aran

[Birdy]

Thanks Anna. I do know what you mean about keeping at it matter of factly. Good thinking. And Aran, thanks for posting. I hadn't heard about the crabs in Britain. There are so many ways in which humans have and are destroying nature. I grieve every time I see a raccoon lying dead in the road from a car. I wish it were possible to make the whole world stop and think about what our lives would be like if there were no other creatures here with us.

Today I ate:
For breakfast, one cup of coffee with soy creamer. Oatmeal with cranberries, 1/4 cup toasted pecans and 1 tablespoon of strawberry jam. DELICIOUS!

For lunch, brown rice and apple-squash soup with whole wheat sourdough bread.

Snack: more sourdough bread

For dinner, tofu and vegetable stir fry with noodles.

Still too much fat for McDougall, but in the spirit of what Anna said about matter of factness, I am happy to have lived another day being vegan.

Exercise was walking around the Seattle Art Museum for an hour and a half viewing the Picasso exhibit. Awesome.......

[Birdy]

Day Three of being vegan. It's interesting what creatures of habit or rather thought habits, we are. There's a bakery on the same block as the office where I work and I've gone in there countless times. They have some great vegan options, but there are also, of course, far more bakery goods that aren't vegan much less low fat or healthy. Anyway, today I left work on my way past the bakery to my car and I almost went in there on impulse thinking, "I'll just get a turkey and cheese croissant for lunch." Thankfully, I walked right on by. Knowing I had a lunch already waiting at home really helped, but I noticed that my thoughts, not hunger, were driving the impulse to eat unhealthy food.

Another thing I've been thinking about that Dr. McDougall may or may not have covered is the concept of "normal weight obesity." This describes me. I fall at the top end of normal weight for my height, so technically I'm not overweight. But my waist measures 37" and I'm more than 30 pounds heavier than I weighed when I graduated high school, which I've read is a good indicator of what weight you should maintain throughout your adulthood. So I believe that I, like many other people, am among the normal weight obesity group. I plan to do a search of Dr. McD to see if this comes up.

Still not getting going with the exercise which is not so good. Gotta figure out how to get motivated!

I'm going to mark all the foods that aren't on the McDougall Plan with an asterisk to visually mark these out.

Today I ate:
Breakfast - coffee with soy creamer*, toast with peanut butter*

Lunch - leftover tofu* vegetable stir "fry" with noodles from last night's dinner (the aforementioned lunch that helped save me from the bakery). An apple.

Dinner - Mashed fat free sweet potatoes, roasted cauliflower, green salad with avocado* and vinegar dressing. A small glass of red wine*

I'm feeling calmer and wasn't hungry for snacks today. Now if I can only get moving! I did have more energy for cleaning house and taking down the Christmas tree and decorations today.

One more thing: weigh-in day is going to be Tuesdays because that's the weekday I started eating vegan.