SherryW's Daily Journal

[SherryW]

It's my reaction to feeling like I've been purposely lied to in some ways about things that affect me very personally.

Hi I have been reading your journal, you are doing all the right things. I am impressed with your dedication while also being so busy with work and family. This whole new way of eating has educated all of us about nutrition and what our bodies really need. I don't think we were purposely lied to (well maybe now as the meat and dairy industries fight to keep their market share). Science constantly changes and new data comes out. And it is always hard to remain open-minded and take in new information.

Soon you will relax the vigilance to counting calories and relying on won't power to 'power' through your days, once you can trust that this really does work. Meanwhile, look at some of Jeff Novick's videos; he's so good, about calorie density. Dr. Lisle is also good.

Keep going; you are getting it! Marsha

Hi Marsha - thanks for the kind words and for reading my ramble.

This way of eating is actually much easier for me to fit into my schedule. It's simple, it doesn't require me to cook daily, it tastes good, I'm not having all the ups & downs you get with sugar, so it's been really good. I obsess over it because I don't quite trust the weight loss yet. After all the other things I've tried, this seems almost too good to be true.

I'll definitely check out some of those videos. I keep learning more all the time. It's pretty exciting.

[bunsofaluminum]

It's my reaction to feeling like I've been purposely lied to in some ways about things that affect me very personally.

I'm all for personal choice. It's not like I'm going to go vote for taxes on big soft drinks or anything crazy. But, I think you need information to make an informed choice. In my experience, I was flooded with the wrong information and only stumbled across this kind of thing because I was at home, recovering from surgery, with no appetite, and stumbled across the Forks Over Knives documentary on Netflix after I had watched everything else that looked interesting.

It was like a lightbulb went off and I've pretty much stuck with this way of eating ever since.

If this was a new idea, I'd be like OK - great we've learned this. But, it's not new. Even the documentaries I'm watching are not new. I feel "woke" to borrow a trendy term that I never had a reason to use before. It's a good feeling, but I really wish it had happened earlier. On the other hand, it could have never happened, or it could have happened much later.

It's infuriating, isn't it? Part of it is as Dr M says: People want to hear that their bad habits are healthy. That, plus the fact that there are industries that are fighting to keep information from spreading. No wonder we don't see headlines about this lifestyle.

[SherryW]

It's infuriating, isn't it? Part of it is as Dr M says: People want to hear that their bad habits are healthy. That, plus the fact that there are industries that are fighting to keep information from spreading. No wonder we don't see headlines about this lifestyle.

It is infuriating - that's the perfect word.

I think people are catching on though. Plant-based seems to be as trendy as keto right now.

But, trendy I am not. I almost feel vindicated now over my milk hatred. I never drank milk, not even as a kid. I can honestly never remember drinking a glass of plain milk. Maybe chocolate milk a time or two. The world had me convinced my bones would eventually turn to dust, but the jokes on them. I was better off without it.

[SherryW]

I kind of got caught up in the munchies today. It started with a trip to Costco where I got a big container of strawberries & nibbled all the way home. That doesn't sound too bad, huh?

Then, I had lunch, which was normal. A few hours later, I wasn't really hungry, but was craving something crunchy/salty (had been off & on for days), so gave in and had a 100-calorie pack of microwave popcorn (included salt & palm oil, but I didn't think to check before I started eating it.)

Maybe this will be my fix for awhile. Or not. We'll see. It seems like I have 1-2 times a week where I eat something I technically shouldn't. If it's 2 meals out of 21, that's still 90% on plan, so it could be worse. I'm not going to beat myself up about it anyway.

Weight 166.2

Beverages - water only

Breakfast - corn and green beans
Lunch - pinto beans, quinoa, salad (spinach, red cabbage, apple, red wine vinegar)

Dinner - 100 calorie bag of microwave popcorn, tangerine

Snacks - strawberries, raisins

Exercise - nothing today, except for walking around Costco and our Habitat for Humanity Restore, which should count. If you have a Restore in your area and like gently used furniture, building supplies, etc, you'll love it.

Sleep - not on plan - sleep about 12:15 AM, up 6:50 AM

[SherryW]

So, I decided to have a slice of whole-grain bread with a tiny bit of the butter while I was making his grilled cheese. It wasn't even a craving or hunger. I didn't have a mental struggle trying to decide if I'd have it or not - I just made the conscious decision to eat it. It was OK, but not something I feel the need to repeat.

Oh well, tomorrow's a new day. Or maybe I'm on a 1 wrong thing a day trend.

On a positive note, I'm able to eat something I didn't plan on, then get right back on track. That never worked with high-protein diets. One bite of bread and it was over! I'm also not doing my "I screwed up today so I might as well eat what I want now and start over tomorrow" thing. That's major progress for me.

Weight 165.4

Beverages - water only

Breakfast - pinto beans, quinoa, apple, strawberries

Lunch - sweet potato, pineapple, salad,(spinach, red cabbage, peppers, tangerine, carrot, green onion, red wine vinegar)

Dinner - black beans, broccoli

Snacks - bread with butter

Exercise - 13 min on the treadmill, 12.5 mph

Sleep - closer - sleep about 11:35 PM, up 6:50 AM

[SherryW]

Weight - 165.4

Beverages - water only

Breakfast - black beans, quinoa, broccoli
Lunch - sweet potato, corn, broccoli, strawberries, tangerine
Dinner - nothing
Snacks - nothing

(We have a stubborn clog in one of the toilets and I'm not in any mood to eat. Thankfully, we have more than two bathrooms.)

Exercise - none
Sleep - Asleep about 11:30 PM, wide awake at 4 AM, then dozed off & on until 6:45

[SherryW]

Today was not a great day.
Toilet was fixed easily this morning, then we lost prime on the well pump at a 2nd, very old house.
We'll deal with it tomorrow morning.

I started off on plan. Got up pretty early and walked on the treadmill followed by a compliant breakfast.

Then, it went off the rails.
First, by my husband's homemade zuchini bread. Zuchini, right - should be healthy, huh? I'm sure it wasn't - but it was really, really good.

That wouldn't have been so bad in itself, but then I had half an order of fries and one chicken tender from my son's dinner.
For the past few months, I haven't even wanted that stuff. And, I can't say I was hungry or even crazing something. I just decided to eat it. The zuchini bread was amazing, but the fries and chicken wasn't all that good. It certainly wasn't worth it, and I'll keep that memory for next time.

But, it was just like that when I decided to eat some popcorn and bread last week.

So, tomorrow will be a reset and I'll try to get back to being 100% compliant. I'm pretty much an all or nothing person, so it's time I get back to it except for when I plan to go off the plan, like for holidays and other special occasions.

[SherryW]

Today was a very off day in every single way, so I'm not going to bother logging.

I didn't track as I went, I ate mostly on plan, but enough off that it wasn't great.

Monday's always a good day to start fresh.

[SherryW]

Today, I'm back on track and thinking about how I went off course.
I stayed away from that delicious zuchini bread and things just fell into place.
Baked goods are definitely a weakness for me - even when they're plant based.
It's best for me not to have any at all.

Beverages - water only
Breakfast: Sweet potato, tangerine, strawberries
Lunch: black beans, quinoa, salad (spinach, red cabbage, raw broccoli, red wine vinegar)
Dinner: split pea soup
Snacks: mixed fruit

This is the first time I had split pea soup. I made it from a Forks & Knives recipe, and I'm not a fan. It's OK. Maybe the flavors will blend and it'll be better tomorrow? If not, I won't make it again. I'll stick with vegetable soup and vegan chili.

Exercise: none

Sleep: 11:30 PM - 6:45 AM

[Lyndzie]

Split pea is my daughter’s favorite soup. This is the recipe I use. Omit oil, of course.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina ... pe-1916855

[SherryW]

Split pea is my daughter’s favorite soup. This is the recipe I use. Omit oil, of course.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina ... pe-1916855

That's pretty close to what I made.

My recipe did not have oregano - it had smoked paprika and curry powder instead.
I like oregano better, so I'll probably try the recipe you shared if I make it again.

It probably could have used a dash of hot sauce too. I don't use enough to make things spicy, but it adds a pop of flavor to vegetable soups, beans and collard greens. And, maybe a bay leaf.

This is good enough for my pre-meal soup, although I think I could easily pair it with a salad and make a meal out of it.
I still haven't got the hang of starting off with soup/salad/fruit AND being able to make a 50/50 plate.
Maybe if I make my portions really small. Otherwise, it feels like so much to eat at once.

[SherryW]

Another mixed day.

Beverages - water
Breakfast: sweet potato, apple
Lunch: split-pea soup, black beans, quinoa, salad (spinach, red cabbage, broccoli, red wine vinegar
Dinner: spaghetti with tomato sauce, salad bar (Italian restaurant after picking up a vehicle from the shop)
Snacks: none

Exercise: Treadmill, 15 min, 2.5 mph, 3 clicks up on the incline

On a positive note, my salad from the salad bar was McDougall compliant, I had tomato sauce instead of meat sauce, and I stuck with ice water instead of getting tea or a soft drink. So, not a total fail and it was really good. I had a discussion with my husband while we were eating that I had to stop anything with any kind of flour.

My lower back pain has been bothering me the past few days after a couple months of being pain-free. So, now he's on notice that I am going to skip all his baked goods. It could also be that I set the incline too steep, too quickly on my treadmill. Or both. Either way, I'm going to skip the treadmill and stay off the bad food for a few days to see if it gets better again.

[SherryW]

I'm going to stop posting for awhile, but I don't plan on leaving the site.
You guys have been great. I might post like once a month or randomly just to keep up with my long-term progress.

I think this daily posting has shifted my focus from going WFPB for the health benefits more to weight loss.

When I was focused on the health benefits, it was easier and the weight loss happened as an afterthought.
It's not that I've forgotten about the health benefits. It's more like it slipped down from #1 to #2 and that doesn't seem to work for me.

Now, I'm back to this kind of thinking: well, I've lost a lot, a little bit of this or that won't hurt. And, it does hurt.

That's no reflection on this site or anyone on here. It's all about me and my twisted way of thinking about food.

[Ltldogg]

HI SherryW,

I want to encourage you to follow The McDougall Program and keep it simple. Improved health (which weight loss is a part of for most people) will happen if you follow the program without needing to think about it. I suggest you go over the guidelines of the program, whether you are following the MWL or regular program. In fact, I recommend you follow the regular program. Either way, eat when hungry, until full. Make your plate at least 50% starches by volume, adding some non-starchy vegetables and fruits. Eliminate all animal products. Eat whole plant foods, but feel free to add some sugar, salt, your favorite oil-free sweet sauces and herbs/spices to make sure you want to eat the foods. Avoid high fat, overt fat and all oils. Exercise is good, but not mandatory. It's more important to just be active and do something you love.

One of the biggest failures I see over and over on this site is people wanting to lose weight fast and then they forgo the rules of eating when hungry until full as well as making starches the predominant food. Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes are your best bang for your buck. They are extremely satiating, lower in calorie density, full of carbs, minerals, vitamins and fiber, taste great to most people, cheap, easy to prepare, easy to store, and have plenty of fat and protein. They truly are the perfect food!

I hope you find your motivation to keep journaling as I enjoy it and if you talk to us we can talk back and give you help when/if needed. Keep it simple, remember the guidelines, follow them and don't worry. It's that easy; if you follow the program good health will follow. Finally, rereading or relistening to The Starch Solution is just the motivation I need. I suggest you try that

Best wishes,
Scott