My return to the best WOE!

[wildflower]

Thank you, Lynn. I hope your ankle is feeling better.

We had company for a week and I got out of the habit of posting. It was an interesting week. Apparently, the only reason I'm thin is because I have a high metabolism. They refused to try even one bite of anything I made and decided to go out to restaurants every night (and fill up on bacon). They have many health problems. Oh, well. I'm so glad to have this forum to turn to!

I really want to get back into my habit of working out. I was going to start again on Saturday and then I was busy that night and forgot. Then I was going to do it last night and forgot again! I haven't exercised consistently since we returned from our trip in early January. Hopefully, this week I will start it up again.

I made it about 5 months, instead of 6, without any chocolate desserts. I finally made a tofu chocolate pudding (a McDougall recipe). It was delicious! I like having nice skin, though, so it will be something I make just once in a while.

My weight fluctuates between 119 and 122, depending on how much bread I've eaten. I'm feeling very inspired to cut out the bread snacks that I've been doing for a few months. Maybe I've just been proving to myself that I can control my weight loss. Now that I know that and I don't need to worry about my weight going too low, I can stop the bread and see what happens. I'm excited to try this!

[strivn2bhealthy]

I've just started this WOE in the last 2 weeks. I just got through reading your entire journal and it has been very encouraging! So, this may sound a bit weird to you...but, I have to lose about the same amount that you weigh. That is after already losing 60+lbs since Oct 2013 on a diet program. BUT, it is encouraging to me to recognize that the struggle to make the right choices is the same for everyone that wants/needs to lose weight, whether 5, 10 or 120. I have a son, 15yo, and a daughter, nearly 14yo that I am encouraging to eat healthier. The daughter is well on her way. To decrease the stress/peer pressure she faces, she has decided to eat plant-based at home and then, as occasion arises, to eat differently in public. At first, I thought this wasn't good. But, now, I realize that she will soon gain confidence in her choices. She has already recognized the difference in how she feels eating the way others do vs. eating this way. She will have greater opportunity than I to influence those she is around toward better choices and better health. My son...well, he was born a carb-eater, with meat & cheese on the side. But, his choice of carbs leans more toward the processed and sugared. He likes beans, a lot. He likes rice, a lot. He likes sweet potatoes, a lot. But, try to build a meal around those things and he'll have none of it! If he would ever just make the leap, I'm pretty convinced he would never return to meat, dairy, sugar or processed. He just isn't there, yet.

I think you are doing well with your daughters...not pushing, just gently encouraging and always leading by example. That's exactly the way I've been focused. As the kids grow to recognize and understand that they are responsible for their own health, they will remember what you showed/taught them.

I hope you keep up the journaling!

[wildflower]

Hi strivn2bhealthy, I think it's great that you've started this WOE. I know you'll be very happy, too, with the results. My daughters are 12 and 13 now. When I was growing up, my mother was always encouraging me to eat fruit salads and not eat sugar, and I didn't care. So, I keep that in mind when I'm talking with them. It's great that your daughter is aware of how different foods make her feel. I've also been encouraging that awareness in my daughters and it helps a lot. I think your son will come around, too. It's great that he loves beans, rice and sweet potatoes already! I've made some dinners that I think most kids would love, like the Bean and Corn Enchiladas and Sloppy Mexican Casserole, but my daughters are not like most kids. I bet you'll find some recipes that your son loves and then he will look forward to eating the foods (and will enjoy how they make him feel). I'm looking forward to reading your journal!

Yesterday:
B: oatmeal with raisins (and cinnamon/cloves)
L: mashed potatoes and corn
D: Lentil Enchiladas and spinach
S: 1/2 cup strawberry-banana smoothie

Exercise: 20-minute walk and 25-minute DVD.

I'm drinking more water between meals and it's helping to keep me from eating bread.

It felt SO good to do a workout last night. I will definitely be doing that on a regular basis again.

[wildflower]

Yesterday:
B: oatmeal with raisins
L: leftover lentil enchiladas, applesauce
D: baked potato wedges
S: applesauce, oatmeal with raisins

(no exercise)

I had oatmeal last night because I didn't make much of a dinner. My daughters ate a lot of the potatoes, but it wasn't quite enough for me. Anyway, I feel great!!

[wildflower]

Yesterday:
B: buckwheat hot cereal with raisins
L: leftover carrot loaf and rice with enchilada sauce
D: Lentil Patties and carrot sticks
S: pumpkin muffins

(no exercise)

It's been almost five months. Hard to believe. Last night my mother had potato chips with her dinner and she asked me if it was hard to watch other people eat things like potato chips. Not at all!! I like the way I feel every day, and I love all of this food anyway. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

[wildflower]

Hi Lynn ~ I like what you did. And thank you, too! I know eating this way would help so many of my relatives. I just have to let it go, too.

Yesterday:
B: oatmeal with raisins
L: leftover vegetable stir-fry
S: toast with apple butter (there I go again)
D: baked beans, yams, and spinach

Exercise: 25-minute DVD

I'm going shopping in a few days and I'm looking forward to getting some clothes that actually fit! I finally had to donate my size 6 jeans. It's pretty exciting. My clothes have been sizes 6 and 8 for over 15 years.

I figured out my problem with the toast cravings in the afternoon: I don't have enough to eat at lunch. I thought I could eat less for lunch than I do for dinner, but I really need to eat the same amount. For dinner, I eat a pretty large plateful, and then I always have seconds. I've had a little less than one plateful for lunch every day. I may have to make a double recipe for dinner a few times a week.

[wildflower]

Yesterday:
B: oatmeal with raisins
L: leftover baked beans and yams, two slices bread with mustard
S: toast with apple butter
D: Chili with Yams
S: 1/4 cup fruit smoothie

(no exercise)

Still haven't made enough for dinner to have adequate leftovers. I'll get this eventually! Otherwise, everything's going well and I feel great.

[wildflower]

Yesterday:
B: oatmeal with raisins
L: leftover pumpkin-lentil soup
S: apple
D: potato curry and spinach

Exercise: 25-minute video.

It's been so long since I've checked in here! It's been 6 months since I re-started and I'm feeling great! There was a short time a few weeks ago when one of my daughters asked me to make the old-fashioned chocolate chip cookies like I used to make, and for a few days I ate some of the vegan chocolate chips (no cookies, though) that were left over, but I didn't like the way I felt after a few days, so I stopped. Other than that, everything's been on track. My weight has been steady around 121-122. Now that it's getting warmer, I'm enjoying eating fruit between meals instead of bread, and I think it's helping me to feel even better. I'm looking forward to the summer and trying Mary's macaroni salad, Tabouli, and some other types of starch-based salads for dinner.

[wildflower]

Yesterday:
B: oatmeal with raisins
L: leftover baked potatoes
S: apple
D: vegetable stir-fry

(no exercise)

On Sunday, we went on a hike for an hour and a half. It was supposed to be about 30 minutes, but we went off the main trail and it took a while to find our way back. It was quite a workout, so I didn't do any exercise yesterday. I'm going to try to do something tonight.

I've been making something sweet every week, like banana bread or pumpkin muffins and occasionally brownies (all McDougall recipes). It's been really good to have those sweet things available instead of turning to something with oils or dairy. I had no guilt eating them and I still felt pretty good, lost weight, etc. I'm actually going to be making pumpkin muffins today because my daughter asked me to, but I do feel much, much better eating fruit instead. For a long time, I felt like I was depriving myself if I only had fruit between meals, but now I'm starting to enjoy it.

I can't wait for this summer! Last summer I went off the McDougall WOE, so this summer I am very excited to be feeling good and having energy!

[wildflower]

Hi Lynn! You're welcome. I never thought I would love to cook, but I do now! And I, too, am much less less likely to think of eating things off plan just knowing that I can bake a chocolate cake if I really want to.

Yesterday:
B: oatmeal with raisins
S: banana
L: leftover vegetable stir-fry
S: pumpkin muffin
D: Quinoa Chowder
S: 1/2 cup fruit smoothie and two pumpkin muffins

Exercise: 20-minute walk plus 30-minute video

I have really changed over the last 6 months. Yesterday my daughters and I went on a challenging walk. Not a long one, but there were steep hills. After we came home, I baked pumpkin muffins at my daughter's request, then I cooked dinner for an hour, then washed dishes, then did a half-hour workout, then did laundry, etc. I don't need to stop. I don't need to rest. Well, sometimes I like to just sit for a few minutes to relax, but I don't need to. This is very different from how I used to be.

I really want to start exercising more. I used to go to the gym or do an hour-long workout with weights at home (a long time ago) and I feel motivated to start that again. For years, I just didn't think I could do it all. Spend time with my children, work, cook from scratch, and do a workout? There just wasn't enough time in the day for everything, but now that they're getting older and doing more things on their own, I'm going to give it a try again.

[wildflower]

Yesterday:
B: oatmeal with raisins
S: apple, 2 pumpkin muffins
L: leftover quinoa chowder
S: bowl of strawberries
D: tacos
S: banana, pumpkin muffin

Exercise: 60-minute video

I had a good day yesterday. It was a little hectic trying to fit in an hour-long workout, but it's always like that when I begin a new routine. It takes a few months for it to feel like a natural part of the day. That's how it was each time I started this way of eating. At first, my mind was on it constantly, thinking of what I'm going to make, and trying to plan out how much time each thing will take. It's not really comfortable at first. Now, it's so natural I hardly think about it. I go shopping twice a week, so I take about ten minutes on those shopping days to plan out what I'm going to make and what I need to get, and I don't think about meals again until it's time to make them. An hour seems like a big part of the day right now, but hopefully that will change.

[wildflower]

Yesterday:
B: oatmeal with raisins
S: apple, banana
L: buckwheat hot cereal with raisins (no leftovers)
S: bowl of strawberries
D: Sloppy Mexican Casserole

Exercise: 50-minute video

Not much time to write in here today. The new workout routine is going well.

[wildflower]

Yesterday:
B: buckwheat hot cereal with raisins
L: leftover Mexican casserole, corn tortilla
S: apple
D: baked potatoes
S: toast with apple butter

Exercise: 50-minute video

Weight: 120.2

I've lost two pounds. It shouldn't surprise me, because I'm using a lot more calories now, but I haven't seen that much of a change in a while. It was 122.2 every day for weeks, and I was beginning to think my scale was broken. I'm happy to see that it's working again.

[wildflower]

Yesterday:
B: buckwheat hot cereal with raisins
S: apple
L: leftover Mexican casserole, corn tortilla
S: banana
D: salad
S: leftover baked potatoes, toast with apple butter

Exercise: rest day

After lunch yesterday, I went shopping with my daughters and mother. It was supposed to be my "rest day" but we did a lot of walking. At the last store, my daughters wanted to get the shopping cart that has two seats in it, so I pushed that heavy cart around for an hour. They are not little kids anymore, and my arms are aching! We went out for pizza afterward, and I just had a salad with my own salad dressing that I brought in my purse. I really don't miss pizza at all. I couldn't wait to go home and have baked potatoes! I wanted something sweet after, so I just had toast with apple butter, which can substitute for dessert for me. Fruit would have been better, but it was very cold and I wanted something warm. I'm still going to do a workout tonight, but I'll just use light weights.

[wildflower]

Yesterday:
B: buckwheat hot cereal with raisins
L: rice, red lentils and spinach
D: baked fries, corn
S: apple, toast

Exercise: 50-minute video

I didn't have any leftovers for lunch yesterday and I was home, so I just cooked up some white rice (I usually make brown but I felt like having something different) and red lentils and lunch was ready in 30 minutes. I also threw in some frozen spinach for the last few minutes. It was very good. For dinner, I decided to make what my daughters eat the most of: baked fries. It's so nice to see them eating a full plate of them. I wish they would eat a full plate of everything I make! Someday...