Mary's weight loss ramblings

[Tina]

Mary, I admire your resiliency and the way you get right back on track after a slip-up. Keep up the good work; you're headed in the right direction!

[MaryW]

Well, last night at mom's house wasn't as bad as I thought. She made a picnic type dinner with hamburgers (chilling after reading LauraA's posted article), hotdogs, store bought macaroni and potato salad, tossed salad and baked beans. She also had veggie dogs and burgers for her and I to eat. I had a burger with tomato onion and mustard, a dog with mustard and some of our family's famous squash relish (here's what people can do with all of that extra zucchini!), a big serving of salad and a huge scoop of baked beans. My mom makes the best baked beans. We always ask her to make them. She complains that she is sick of making them. I mean, she's been making them for as long as I can remember. She uses Bush's baked beans as her base and adds mustard and brown sugar and all kinds of stuff. So i was quite excited to see the bowl of baked beans! But they didn't taste nearly as good as normal and--what was that?? Was there a CHUNK of something in the beans?? I asked my mom years ago to please always use the Bush's veggie beans so I could eat them too. So I couldn't imagine that after all this time she would use the regular. Was the store out? Why didn't she warn me? Well, I didn't want to make a fuss, so I just didn't eat the beans on my plate. But I guess the giant brown mound stood out on my otherwise empty plate. My mom said the beans were vegetarian. but I told her I found a CHUNK in it. Then my aunt piped up and said that SHE had made the beans and she put Bacos in them. Ahhhh...well that explains the weird taste (definitely not mom's) and the chunks. So I ate them.

Then we moved on to dessert. It was a birthday party after all. My mom made the cake. (She makes gorgeous cakes that taste awesome and we keep telling her she should start a business.) She wrote the names of all of the birthday people on the top. My sister in law was cutting the cake and she cut she a tiny sliver that had my name on it. I did eat the cake, but I avoided all four flavors of ice cream. That got some looks. "How can you cake without ice cream?" But i used to get "how can you eat a burger wiithout meat?" so I guess we are making progress. I had planned to avoid the cake altogether, but I was no match for homemade pound cake with buttercream frosting (drool). But they good news is, I had one small piece of cake and it didn't turn into a 3-day binge. Or any kind of binge at all. Woo hoo!

Goodness, I'm losing track of my days. i guess yesterday was Day 11 of my MWL Challenge. I plead birthday. but the only other thing I ate yesterday besides the birthday dinner was potatoes.
Free eating: yes! My potatoes and mom's everything else. : )

The next mine field I have to cross...family is coming into town next weekend. My family loves to eat, but somehow only my mom and I have the weight problems. Yesterday's birthday dinner was quite feast enough. But next weekend is going to be a food explosion. Several family members are vegetarian or nearly so. But that means that they hose everything down in cheese and olive oil. When i was first telling my family about my eating plan (when I had lost about 25 pounds), one of my cousin's told me she couldn't live without olive oil. They put it on everything. Her husband is very thin, but has dangerously high triglycerides and a family history of heart disease. I'll just try to be a good example. And I'll make sure I take several McD dishes with me next weekend!

So far today, I've had polenta with spinach. Now, I know this board has had several discussions about whether or not polenta is MWL or not. In my world, it is. I could eat it all day long every day and I find it very filling and satisfying. Especially with heaps of spinach and a spritz of Braggs. Except I might have overdone the spinach this morning. It was more like a bowl of spinach with a little polenta!

The plan for the rest of the day? Well, I baked some squash and some eggplant the other day. Now I don't know what to do with them. I was going to make some baba ganoush, but hauling out the food processor seems like such a chore. I haven't used it in years. I'm thinking I might scrape the squash into a bowl with some black eyed peas and maybe some Rotel tomatoes. That sounds tasty!

[Letha..]

Hi MaryW,
Sounds like you did a darn good job at the birthday party. It was interesting to read about. Thanks for sharing. I’m trying to follow MWL as laid out in the book, but honestly, I think polenta is more in keeping with the principles of MWL then couscous. I don’t think Dr. McDougall cooks much.

I see you’ve experienced a reduction in your BMR too. I’m hoping as I continue to lose weight the reduction in my BMR will be offset by an increase in activity.

Hope you’re having a great weekend.
Letha

[sksamboots]

Great job at the birthday party, looks like you got your hands full planning for eating events. Kudos to you

[bunsofaluminum]

hey mary, my blender jar broke, so I've been making my baba ganoush with a hand beater (like you make cake batter with)...it works okay, just a little bit chunkier than if it had been blended, but I like it that way.

is it easier for you to get out the hand mixer, than the processor? blender?

*mmm* I have two eggplants my own self...what to do, what to do...

congrats on the not-bingeing-after-the-bday-cake you done good

[MaryW]

Oh dear. Dear dear dear dear dear. I was cruising the net today and saw a headline for an article on the best potato chips. In case you haven't heard, potato chips are a problem food for me. So like a complete dummy, I read the article. What was rated the number one chip? My absolute favorite kind! ARGH! So of course, all i could think about was getting some of them. I had to go out and buy some toilet paper today (cuz ya gotta have toilet paper!). I went to Target which doesn't carry the chips in question. Smart move right? So I buy toilet paper...some cleaning supplies...and suddenly I'm on the chip aisle. I'm very ashamed to say I bought chips. They weren't my fav ones, but salty, fried snacks are salty, fried snacks. It probably makes no difference, but I didn't eat all of them (a first!) and they tasted pretty awful. Now not only do I feel guilty, but I also feel bloated and nauseous. I'm a big ball of gas. I'm Jupiter.

Here's what i ate today:

Breakfast: polenta with spinach
Lunch: refried beans
Dinner: refried beans
( I cleaned most of the day and didn't want to stop for proper meals. beans out of a can are my go-to quick meal)
And then of course the chips. Eeek!

Day 12 of my 100 Day MWL Challenge: Uh, no. Have I even made it to 2 days in a row???
(at myself)
Free eating: all except for the chips (stupid chips!)

OK, all done whining. Tomorrow is another day and all that.

[VeggieSue]

I think polenta is more in keeping with the principles of MWL then couscous. I don’t think Dr. McDougall cooks much.

Dr. McDougall explained more than once that including couscous as an approved food in the MWLP book was a mistake, an editing error, and that as a pasta product it is *not* allowed on the MWLP.

Yet a few years later he says corn tortillas are served at the program during the MWLP seminars because he feels people don't eat so many of them that it would make a difference in their weight. Go figure!

[MaryW]

I had a good day today. I'm SO proud of myself! I actually TOOK A WALK! It was very brief, after lunch, but I WENT. That's what counts. Now if I can make a habit of it. if I walk 10 minutes per day, every day, that's 70 minutes per week. Seventy minutes more than what I'm doing now!

Here's what I ate today:
Breakfast: Potatoes (not fried!)
Lunch: Progresso minestrone (it's crazy salty, so I poured off most of the liquid and added some water)
Snack: Fantastic foods soup cup
Dinner: haven't gotten around to that yet. I still have that baked squash I need to eat. Why am I avoiding it?

Day 13 of my MWL 100 day challenge: so far so good
Free eating: yes!

[DangerousKiwi]

I can totally relate on the chip problem. One thing that I think you've already noticed, though (with your comment about feeling bloated and how they weren't that great), is that the longer you go without them, the less you want them.

Of course I can't brag about my power over the chips. I had some today. They were OK at best. I once went a good year without them, though!

[Letha..]

I think polenta is more in keeping with the principles of MWL then couscous. I don’t think Dr. McDougall cooks much.

Dr. McDougall explained more than once that including couscous as an approved food in the MWLP book was a mistake, an editing error, and that as a pasta product it is *not* allowed on the MWLP.

Yet a few years later he says corn tortillas are served at the program during the MWLP seminars because he feels people don't eat so many of them that it would make a difference in their weight. Go figure!

Yea, the MWL book is like 15 years old. It would be great if he could update it to address some of these little tweaky things.
Letha

[MaryW]

I think an update of MWL would be great! I love reading any new books by people who support this way of eating. It's all pretty much the same--meat bad, veggies good--but I always learn something new and it reinforces my commitment. Just re-reading an old book gets me excited all over again. having said that, maybe it's time I re-read the MWL book! And I keep hearing rumors about a new McDougall book. If it came out tomorrow it wouldn't be soon enough!

Today started off well. I had a bag of little potatoes from TJ's in many colors. I boiled them for breakfast and ate them with dijon mustard and lots of freshly ground black pepper. heaven! Lunch was a can of Progresso lentil soup. Very salty! I need to start cooking my own.

Not long after lunch, I started having terrible stomach pains. I've been a little constipated lately. I wonder if I might have IBS. My mom was diagnosed with it only a year or two ago. But for as long as I can remember, she has had "10 second attacks" where she has to run to the bathroom, then days of constipation. I have the same cycle, maybe not quite as severe as hers. Some days I go 2 or 3 times. And sometimes I go several days between bathroom deposits. Of course this is more info than anyone wants to know! I just can't understand with all the fiber that I eat why i can't go! So there must be something else going on (like IBS).

Anyway, I left work a bit early and spent some quality time in the bathroom. Not that it helped much! I've been feeling poorly since then. Gas, heartburn, nausea, you name it. It's been a while since I have stomach issues. Usually the only thing that helps is plain pasta. So that is what is on the menu tonight. Not MWL, but not the end of the world. And it helps settle my stomach.

On a positive note, I went for another walk at lunch today! Woo hoo! Two days in a row! Again, it was just a brief one for about 10 mins. All progress is welcome.

Day 14 of my MWL 100 Day Challenge: nope, got side tracked (or side swiped) after lunch
Free eating: Yes!

Goodness, day 14? I keep thinking I'm counting wrong. Like, when I get to the end of the year, I'll be on Day 105 or Day 98 or something. But still, we've been doing this for 2 weeks already. Time flies! I've been struggling to stay on track, but I think I'm getting there. Each day seems a little easier, a little more on track.

DangerousKiwi--Good going with the chip avoidance! Maybe I should add that to my daily tally.

Days without chips: 1 (woo hoo!)

[DangerousKiwi]

I like the chip tally!

[MaryW]

I still felt a bit queasy today after my intestinal distress yesterday. I didn't feel like eating, but by the time lunch rolled around I was starved! I got 2 baked potatoes from Wendy's and ate them with a cup of instant green pea soup. Very tasty!

I squeezed in another 10 minute walk before lunch today. Woo hoo! So that makes, what? 3 days in a row now? Yay me! it's not much, but it's better than nothing, and it's getting me in the habit of walking. I had a meeting this afternoon and didn't think i would be able to take a walk break, but I managed to fit it in. See? We CAN schedule time for ourselves and make our own health a priority!

I haven't thought about dinner yet. I'm liking Letha's idea of rice and romaine. Simple and tasty. Except I don't have any romaine and I have't cooked any rice! I'm still having planning issues, obviously. I have a rice cooker, but I haven't used it in months. It's just a basic one with no timer or any special features and not pressurized. I would LOVE to get a fancy one like a Zojirushi. But it's too rich for my blood right now! I was thinking about all of the kitchen gadgets I would like to have...a blender (like a Vitamix), a rice cooker, a non-jigger pressure cooker. But that would all cost about $1000! Can't afford that now! Or maybe ever. And of course I don't need those things to cook healthy food. But they sure would be fun to play with!

So dinner tonight...I still have the baked squash and baked eggplant in the fridge from last weekend that I haven't done anything with. Hmmm...I wonder if they are still good? Don't want to give myself food poisoning! Of course, one of the good things about being a vegan is, you have much less chance of food poisoning. Meat and dairy go bad so quickly.

I'll probably end up eating a can of refried beans for dinner. That's about all I have the energy for. Not energy, but motivation. I have another bag of those mixed colored potatoes from Trader Joe's. Maybe I will pop them in the oven. And maybe I SHOULD consider doing a Mary's Mini. I can't remember if I ever have. Rice and romaine might be boring, but at least I wouldn't have to wonder what to make for my next meal!

Day 15 of my 100 Day MWL Challenge: Yes!
Free eating: nope, Wendy's potatoes
Days w/o chips: 2

[MaryW]

OK, here's what I decided to do about dinner. I went looking for the refried beans, but I think I ate them all. So I decided to make an impromptu pot of soup. I used to do this all the time when I first became a vegetarian. I'd put on a pot of water with some bouillon and start dumping in veggies from the freezer. I took a page from Jeff's SNAP plan. I opened a large can of crushed tomatoes, added an equal amount of water and put in a bouillon cube (cuz heaven knows I don't get enough salt!). Then I put in several pieces of bags of frozen corn (from all of the black bean salads I've made). Ages ago (and I do mean ages) I bought some green chick peas at TJ's.s They've been languishing in my freezer. But when I pulled out what I thought was green chick peas, they turned out to be green peas (the regular ones, "English" peas, my grandmother calls them). I also had a half bag of spinach. And I put in a bag of mixed summer veggies (squash, carrots, etc). I dumped in some Italian seasoning and garlic powder and let it simmer for a while. When I went back to stir it, it seemed REALLY pea-y. Too many peas. it was a small bag, but half of it would have been plenty. So I found an equally ancient half bag of broccoli and added that with another can of crushed tomatoes. Boy, that pot is full! So it's simmering some more. And it smells great! I definitely need to have more soup!

[DangerousKiwi]

I love your freezer adventures. Maybe it's time to try cleaning out mine and making some soup.