My Daily "Weighing in"

[squealcat]

Exercise today: walked almost 9,000 steps today. Didn't get out to do extra steps as it is rainy and really humid !

Breakfast: old fashioned oats, peach and a bit of soy milk
Lunch: large salad with balsamic vinegar and 1 Tbl tahini as dressing , 2 slices of Ezekiel bread and sloppy lentils, some more of that sugar kiss melon
Dinner: a chopped up cucumber with leftover cherry tomatoes, stuffed pepper soup with a little extra brown rice, peach

Watched Felix and played a bit with his sister today again. All went well there but it was a longer day as my son-in-law had a face-to-face with a client so i watched over things for him while he was on the computer.

Other than that, I am making a shopping list for tomorrow and planning on things to bring on vacation. Trying to make packing it up easier. I will put pre-measured oats in baggies, take along potatoes to pop in the microwave along with my favorite mustard. I also buy pre-chopped salads to have but throw away the dressing and toppings (I know, kind of expensive but I need easy). I will buy a couple here and buy more from stores up there. Like I said, Traverse City has all kinds of places that have good veg food and they are very accommodating. My husband doesn't eat like me but looks around for places where I can enjoy good good. He likes to look for different places on the internet.

I will probably check back here a couple more times and then disappear for a week.

-Marilyn

[Trinity]

Hey Marilyn! It looks like you’ve been doing great! Have a fun vacation and “see” you when you come back

[squealcat]

Got back from vacation 3 days ago. I wrote down all I ate and it did help me to "see" the amount that I ate each day. I put my oatmeal into individual baggies and had that along with fruit each day for breakfast. That also was a big help ! I did put on about 5 pounds but hopefully it is water weight. So far and I losing about a pound a day so that may be true about the water weight. We stopped and got one treat (which we always do when "up North" ) but that is all the treats we had. My husband ended up with stomach issues after that so maybe that's the last time we stop there!!

I decided to go on the Mary's Mini plan after getting home. I have never done this before and was a bit afraid. This is day #3 and so far it is quite easy ! I am doing it to get away from wanting rich foods (which was already a problem for me before vacation). I was also curious how it would work for me. I promised myself to at least do it for 3 days and now I will take it one day at a time. I am not going to post what I eat because it is almost the same thing every day !

For instance, every day I have had a large sweet potato for breakfast with fruit, raw veggies and cooked yellow potatoes with mustard for lunch, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli for dinner along with cut up cucumbers (from our garden). I know I am supposed to stick with just one kind of potato but I cannot do white potatoes for breakfast....not even hash browns ! I guess this is my alternate way !

What I noticed was no temptations when grocery shopping yesterday. I had lunch before going and that was it! No problem ! I see how having no fancy choices really helps. If I am hungry I have a potato ! If I am thirsty I have water or tea ! Eating simply using no recipes is really nice ! I am sure I will get bored. This is only day 3. I plan on doing this tomorrow and we will see about the rest of the days. Many people follow this for 10 days. That would be a week from today. No promises .

-Marilyn

[Trinity]

Go Marilyn! Your Mary’s mini menu sounds so good I want to do it! And great job on vacation—the baggies of oatmeal is a really good idea. Please keep us updated!

[squealcat]

Today was day #4 following Mary's Mini. I was at my daughter's house and just had my potatoes and salad for lunch. I didn't even look in their pantry where the snacks are! I knew it was just potatoes and that is what I ate. No problem today !

Breakfast was sweet potatoes and some chunks of those "sugar sweet" melons, lunch was steamed yellow potatoes and salad, dinner was oven fried yellow potatoes and zucchini soup (just zucchini, broth, onions and water ). I added a peach after dinner.

Another thing I have noticed is that as I am following this, I am really aware of my "fullness" levels and have even stopped eating when satisfied without thinking : "I don't want to stop eating....this is too good !" Since it is just potatoes and vegetables, I have not eaten beyond fullness. No temptation to keep on eating. If hungry, I just have an already cooked potato with mustard. I now see why some people just eat so simply and don't allow tempting food into their mouths. It is very eye opening to me. I have read about all this from others and I really believed it but never experienced it.

Haven't gotten sick of potatoes yet so I will go on to day #5 tomorrow.

Marilyn

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Marilyn!!

Hope you had an awesome vacation!!!

Thanks for sharing your Mary's Mini experience!! Sounds like you are doing so well with this!! (YAY!!!)

Wanted to say, I am one of the folks who can eat absolutely simple --- and this is fine. My tastes have changed and life is easy. I mostly just put stuff on a plate --- JeffN Healthy Placemat --- (very few recipes). I totally do not feel bad or deprived about that. I don't know if this is intrinsic or something that repeated experiences would help to habituate (or perhaps both)...

Wishing you a wonderful week!!!

Cheers,
Stephanie

[squealcat]

Mary's Mini day #5 is complete ! Today was a bit of a challenge as three of my grandkids were over today. This meant that my attention was on them and I had forgotten to eat lunch when I was hungry and then got a little shaky-feeling ! I rarely feel that way so I quickly put together a lunch for me and then I was fine. While watching them I was able to cook up a batch of potato leek soup. It is a recipe I have made before and just involves a little onion, leeks and potatoes along with veg broth , thyme , bay leaf and maybe something else....don't remember. Since my zucchini soup is gone now I am happy to make this to last me a few days. Next will be the pea soup recipe that Stephanie posted. Soup really does help fill me up !

No exercise today as the kids arrived early today (their parents are teachers who had meetings etc before school opens next week ). I probably could have taken a walk after they left but I am just NOT a later-in-the day exerciser !

breakfast was sweet potatoes and melon, lunch was another sweet potato with leftover blueberries and then more steamed yellow potatoes with mustard. Dinner was hash browns with ketchup, mushrooms , a medium sized salad, the rest of the zucchini soup and then a peach. I know I had too much fruit but I was in a hurry to fix something for lunch and the blueberries were right in front of me !

I will go to the gym tomorrow and plan on doing 30 minutes of resistance exercises with walking after that. I am toning down my walking as I think I am beginning to get shin-splints or something. I also know that I should be doing some muscle-building exercises so now is the time to start.

I had better go now. Book club is this Monday and I am only half finished with my book !

-Marilyn

[Trinity]

Great job sticking to your plan while watching 3 kids! I can’t ever manage to do much of anything else when I’m watching other people’s kids—not the same as grandchildren but still different from just your own kids doing their normal thing around the house. I too am struggling with exercising later in the day—summer sure was nice in this regard. I am so unmotivated that I always end up doing the minimum.

[squealcat]

Another Mary's Mini (#6) today and finished ! I did not go to the gym today. It was very nice outdoors with a little breeze too ! I walked 2.5 miles today. No resistance exercises.

Yes, Trinity, watching my 3 grandkids made me feel a bit off my plan but I still stuck to it pretty well. I have to keep my eye on those two boys (brothers) as they tend to pick on each other and start to fight. One word from me and they stop (thanks to good discipline from the parents AND they really are good boys ! ) My granddaughter (their cousin ) loves playing with those two boys. When they were babies I watched them once or twice a week. Good memories ! I actually have 17 grandkids but these 3 I am closest to as they live the closest to me as well.

Food today was pretty much potatoes. Sweet potatoes and a peach at breakfast time, steamed potatoes with a large salad at lunch, potato and leek soup, steamed cauliflower and one corn on the cob (almost the end of the season ) followed by cantaloupe (a Sweet Kiss melon ) for dinner. I am done now !

I can't believe I have pretty much stuck to this for almost a week ! I feel good about it and will continue tomorrow. I love the calm I am feeling around food. The things here in the house that have tempted me don't tempt me right now. I know that if I continue to stay away from them it will be for the best. Right now I think after Tuesday I will continue on eating like I have been but will just add in beans and rice once in a while but nothing crazy. I want to stick to the simple menu. Seems to work well for me.

Well, I have to read some more of "Memphis" now. It is a good book. I am about half done.

-Marilyn

[Trinity]

Wow, 17 grandkids! Well-deserved for having 5 kids of your own! My own parents lucked out on that front, I think—they only had 2 kids, just my brother and me, but have 7 grandkids. Keep it up with the MM! I am back to eating mostly potatoes during the day then something different for dinner.

[VegSeekingFit]

Hey Marilyn!!

YAY!!! 17 grandkids... so awesome... and fun that you have been close to be able to help watch some!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE emoji!!!!

So cool what you are doing with the simple... LOVE that too!!!

Hope that you have a great weekend!!!!

Cheers,
Stephanie

[squealcat]

Ok, a busy few days but I am back here today. I watched little Felix today. His sister was back at school and I was (secretly) happy because I could have some quiet time while caring for the little guy today.

I had 7 good days following the Mary's Mini and it helped me recover after vacation. I really learned a lot about simplicity as far as menus are concerned. I also know that once in a while I like thigs changed up too. The 7 days worked well but then I had a troubled day followed by another good day followed by another troubled day (today). I am OK though and am looking forward to tomorrow. I am making tomorrow a MWL day. I miss my oatmeal !

I want to read over the MWL board. I like to read over what everyone has to say and all their tips. On to tomorrow !

-Marilyn

[squealcat]

I just read my last entry and I see that it was a week ago. Well, I have not done well. Gees ! one slip and it lead to a bigger slip and now I am right back to where I was before !! I have just read over what my friends wrote in their journals. Always so encouraging !

The 7 days following Mary's Mini still stick with me. The ease of it and the fact that there just didn't seem to be many rules. I like that ! I was even able to do just one fruit a day and that was something that amazed me ! Expanding into more foods led me to eat even more foods and I have gone WAY over ! I really have to figure this all out !

I will think about it and get back here later.

-squealcat

[Ruff]

I have had great success with using Mary's Minis to get me back on track after a festival or celebration or whatever. I find them much easier to follow than MWL. Just potatoes and veg, and a basic homemade sauce and I am good to go. Boring but thats the point! As you say, the rules are minimal.

I also hear you with the one slip thing. We have been taught over and over again that one slip is the end...like with AA or whatever. Doug Lisle doesn't agree and he has a brilliant video on Esteem Dynamics called the Continuum of Evil, and in the second part of that he talks about this 'one slip and I'm doomed' mentality we all have, and what to do about it.

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Marilyn!!!

Glad to see you!!! Hoping that you are doing great!!!

Not sure if this is helpful to you, but want to share... It seems like you do such an awesome job with your consistency in: walking, oatmeal, salad... Not sure if there is anything that you did / thought / approached when building those habits that may help you on other things??

Anyway, wishing you the best!!!! Have a great week!

Stephanie