Sue's MWL Journal

[Sue M.]

Today I start a focus on the Maximum Weight Loss plan. I don't tend to journal, but like eating better trying other new things like writing down my journey may help me.
I'm starting at 162 pounds. I would be most healthy in they 130s.
I've attempted to eat McDougall style for over 10 years. I started at 180 pounds and I have seen great health benefits. But what it takes to stay a bit overweight (eating those occasional cookies, cakes or just processed foods) adds a discomfort to my overall frame and personal pride. There is a bit more arthritis, back pain and feet pain than I would like and I would feel much better lighter and I do have a several pieces of clothing that I'd like to get back into. And wear my slacks more comfortably around the waistline. I've been as low as 145 less than 1 1/2 years ago so I know I can do this. But it takes attention regularly.
I will do this!

I'm focusing on this 10 point checklist.

As lunch is coming up soon I must figure out how to start with soup or salad (#1). Maybe fruit will do for this meal. I'm not quite ready with the right foods so shopping is in my future today.

10 Point Checklist
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.

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.

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.

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 your 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).

[Sue M.]

Sunday Jan 5:
I'm doing better than before starting MWL, but I'm not totally hitting 100% on the 10 point guideline yet. The areas I want to focus on are flour products. I had some whole wheat pasta as it was still left over from a meal before the weigh in. I just couldn't throw it out.
Next week I go back to work after a break over the holidays and time to prepare food gets greatly reduced. That can be a minefield for me. The excuse to get what is quick, but not something that will help me lose the weight can happen so easily. I plan to do some easy batch cooking like extra potatoes. I do keep a bag of potatoes in my desk at work for times when I didn't bring enough food.
I travel to several work sites during the day by bicycle and I need to bring my lunch with me. The trailer I have allows me to bring a small space lunch so I use a jar for salad and I carry and couple of potatoes and a fruit. It is enough and it is easy. When I don't get to go home for dinner I can get in trouble. I am on the road and needed to plan ahead. Salad bars at a grocery can be an option. I need to learn that a salad can be enough food for a meal. And that being slightly hungry once in a while will be okay rather than pig out on flour products like tortillas on a burrito. Those have been my go to food, but they don't support weight loss too well.

[Mark Cooper]

You are correct, Serene! The full rundown on pasta -

I just want to note for everyone - under the current MWL guidelines

Pasta is one of the exceptions to the “avoid flour products” guidelines and that is why it is not listed and the guideline says “higher calorie density foods”. Unlike other flour products, that are fairly dry and calorie dense, when pasta is cooked, it absorbs quite a bit of water into its structure, lowering the calorie density to about the same as Brown rice. The only potential issue with it is that flour products have been ground up so some people may find that pasta is not as satiating as another intact whole grain of the same calorie density. If you find this to be true, just make sure you always make it primavera style (with vegetables) and using the 50/50 is a good guideline. Ironically, in the actual satiety study, it was one of the higher foods for satiety along with the potato and oatmeal.

So enjoy whole-grain pasta, if you like, keeping in mind the above considerations.

[Sue M.]

Thank you for clarifying that point about the pasta. It really makes me more comfortable and feeling like I’m on track.