Weight Loss and Recovery

Share your daily McDougall menus and/or keep a journal describing your personal progress.

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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby Ejeff » Wed Jul 27, 2022 8:28 am

Kirstykay, glad you had a great trip with your sister. I also have a sister that I’m very close to I feel very lucky to have her in my life. So exciting your daughters wedding is just around the corner. We just had a wedding for our daughter and it was fantastic. Looking forward to hearing all about the big event. :-D

It doesn’t matter that you have started and stopped this way of eating in the past. It only matters what you do today and tomorrow. I was a SAD eater until age 51 when I learned how to eat starch to stay trim and healthy. It’s been over 7 years and I still cannot believe it works so well. I am definitely far from perfect especially when eating out. At home I don’t find it difficult to eat starches and vegetables. I have never done the MWL program, but I do enjoy following several of the guidelines such as preload with soup or salad. Just yesterday as I was fixing lunch I pulled out the raw carrots and they were so nice and crunchy. I can eat a lot of those and that’s a great thing.

I like the HALT thing also. Another thing that’s easy to remember is “am I hungry” and “have I had enough”. I find if I remember these 2 questions it helps to guide how much I eat. Even after 7 years I sometimes overeat. I just say to myself so what and try not to do it at the next meal. I think that has been the number one thing that keeps me successful. If I have a bad day or make a bad choice eating out (or sometimes even a few bad days), I just get right back to eating more veggies and starch. I forget about yesterday.

Haha that’s a great Dr. Goldhamer clip. I’m going to watch it again! Afraid of being too healthy...that’s so funny isn’t it. Thanks for the reminder.

Hope your day is awesome.

Erin
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby Lizzy_F » Wed Jul 27, 2022 10:34 am

OMG I LOVE that Dr. Goldhammer clip!!!!!

Sounds like you had a really nice trip with your sister! Welcome home!
Beth

"Long-term sustainable change is what we are really after." ~Jeff Novick
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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby kirstykay » Thu Jul 28, 2022 3:02 pm

Erin, How was YOUR daughter's wedding?? I can't believe how close ours is getting! It will be here before we know it!

Love, Love, Love this! Thank you. You are sooooo right!
It doesn’t matter that you have started and stopped this way of eating in the past. It only matters what you do today and tomorrow.


Beth, I know, right? I think maybe I need to watch this every day!!

I've been doing okay. I underestimated the pull of the pleasure trap from my trip. It's been a struggle to get back on track completely. One day at a time! Ughhhh... This isn't really worth it. I need to remember that. I absolutely HATE the struggle!

My surgery is one week from today. I've had this done before, so I know what to expect. I'm planning what I will have ready when I get home. Smoothies and purees, mostly. I make a really yummy sweet potato pudding with sweet potatoes and banana and some cocoa powder. It's filling and feels good. So, I think I make up a big batch of that and have some smoothies ready for the first few days. After that, I'll be able to have mashed potatoes and oatmeal again. I can't have anything hot for the first 72 hours. I feel like I'm having a hard time getting into a groove partly because I am anticipating what I won't be able to eat after my surgery. It's silly, I know. I just have to do the best I can this week and face after after.

Last night and tonight is mashed potatoes and vegetables. Filling, simple, delish. Slowly but surely getting back to eating what I should and not what I shouldn't, but the cravings are killing me. I think Dr. Lisle says they last for 3 days if you can just white knuckle through them. So far I haven't. Tomorrow can be my day one of three... :roll:
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby Lizzy_F » Fri Jul 29, 2022 11:55 am

Hi KirstyKay! I hope the cravings pass for you soon. I am grateful you are willing to talk about it - it is so easy to forget what those raging cravings feel like. I need the reminder as a detterent. Because I DO get those thoughts from time to time.... (a little would be OK, etc., which I KNOW are not true!) 3 days...3 days... you can DO THIS!

I missed the mention of surgery, so I'm not sure what you are having done. It sounds like you have a great food plan that fits within the guidelines of your post surgery follow up. I hope it all goes smoothly for you whatever it is!
Beth

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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby kirstykay » Fri Jul 29, 2022 12:25 pm

Thanks Lizzy! I'm doing well so far today, so I am encouraged. I am determined to get through the 3 days, get back on track and stay there! You actually have really inspired me. I was reading through your journal and your enthusiasm and also your impressive results are extremely encouraging! I tried to leave a comment on your journal, but it gave me an error when I tried to post it and I didn't have time to re-write it at the time. So, it's so nice to see your post here. Thank you so much for coming here to encourage me. Your excitement is contagious. So thank you!

My surgery is oral surgery. I had a dental implant fail and I have been in the process of having it replaced. In January I had the old implant removed and a new bone graft done. Now I am ready for the actual post to be placed and then I have to wait another 4 months to have the final placement of the tooth. So, it's a long process, and hopefully this time it will work long term...Thanks for asking and for the well-wishes.
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby kirstykay » Fri Jul 29, 2022 7:26 pm

Day ONE, DONE. It wasn't easy. But I did it. Walking away from the pleasure trap.
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby kirstykay » Sat Jul 30, 2022 6:13 am

What I am about to tell you is so utterly simple and true that it may deceive you: Health feels better than sickness. You will be happier at your ideal weight than you are overweight. You will be proud of yourself. You’ll have confidence. You’ll feel so many good things that right now you cannot imagine, and I cannot describe. But the net effect is that you’ll like yourself a lot more. You’ll look in the mirror and actually like what you see; you may even love what you see. You will have honored the person within yourself who longs to be healthy, beautiful, and free of all those burdens that being overweight brings. Life will not be perfect, but it will be better.”
― excerpt from The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss


I need to read this every day. And believe it.
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby squealcat » Sat Jul 30, 2022 11:18 am

KirstyKay, I had to read this last page of your journal to catch up ! Hopefully today is a successful Day #2 for you ! Soon it will be smoother sailing for you in the eating department. Also LOVE that quote from Dr McDougall's book. I have already copied it and saved it from someone's post before. I need to read it every day !
Best of luck on your surgery! I had a tooth implant done but didn't need any bone grafting and the implant took just fine. I hope this will be a success for you !

Have a great weekend !

-squealcat (Marilyn)
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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby kirstykay » Sat Jul 30, 2022 4:39 pm

Thanks for stopping by, Marilyn! Yes. Another good day almost done. I'm feeling better and more hopeful. I KNOW I can do this!!

This is from Esther Loveridge's Facebook page. I just like how simple it is. Whole Food in it's whole form. Have it ready to eat. No complicated recipes or fancy menus. I'm posting it here for quick reference whenever I need it.

BEGINNERS MANUAL For my friend.

In the beginning, we are told, there was a garden and so it is that when we think about beginning a whole food plant-based way of eating, we need to revisit the garden.

When I first started following The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss, I knew I needed to lose weight quickly enough to keep the momentum going so I wouldn’t get discouraged. It wasn’t that I chose the MWL book over any of Dr. John McDougall’s other books, but it was the book that was given to me knowing I needed a fast plan and that is what worked for me.

When we listen to a choir of voices, it is easy to “play” one “authority” against another until we find the plan which will give us the excuses we want to continue eating toxic food.

Perhaps that is why I decided to put Dr. McDougall’s MWL Program to the test and follow only that plan to the best of my ability so that I could determine if it worked. If I played around with it, the results would not be any more accurate than a sloppy scientific experiment.

I was desperate in July of 2016. It is true that I was already down 25 pounds from my all time high of 282 in 2011, but that didn’t matter when the doctor told me I had to lose 70 pounds before he could even refer me to an orthopedic surgeon to see if I qualified for knee replacements. I weighed in at 257 and was going to give it my best shot. I wanted quick results so my painful knees would not interfere with my desire to continue traveling the world.

Eating a plant based diet is very simple. These are my guidelines:

First of all, I learned the joys of batch cooking. Why would I want to start from scratch for every meal when I could reheat a plateful of food in the microwave for one minute (or maybe a bit longer) and have a meal?

Here’s what I try to have on hand at all times:

1. Steel cut oatmeal: I follow the directions on the package of oats but make 8 servings at a time. After cooking the batch, I pour the oatmeal into an oblong container (which has a lid) and after it cools, I cut it into 8 sections much like you would a baked product. (Notice I do not name the sweets because it just might trigger us wanting it, ha). This lasts for 8 days unless you are sharing it with others.

2. Potatoes: Potatoes are another staple that can be cooked in batches in the Instant Pot (or any other way) for 15 minutes with a cup of water. I don’t use a trivet nor do I poke holes in them. They can “rest” in the pot for hours after cooking and be warm when you return from any excursion or used after releasing the pressure.

3. Sweet Potatoes are my new favorite food. I started out cooking them in the Instant Pot but really find roasted ones orgasmic. I put them on a tray (can use parchment paper to eliminate any crusty juices) and roast them in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour.

4. Rice: I prefer brown rice but white rice is not a deal breaker. Asians have led healthy lives eating white rice. I cook my rice in the Instant Pot while singing a 3:2:22:10 jingle. 3 cups of water, 2 cups of rice, cook 22 minutes and release pressure after 10 minutes.

5. Beans: Do you know how many different beans there are? I sure don’t but I do know that I like Mayocoba, Pinto and Garbanzo beans. I like lentils too but forget to make them so these three are my staples. See my Instant Pot Quick Cooking Chart for details.

Once you have these 5 groups taken care of, you can add fresh or frozen vegetables and fruit to your plate and you have a complete meal in a very short period of time. These foods can be presented on a plate, in a bowl, added to salads or eaten with your hands.

Spudfit Taylor has proven that we can live on potatoes alone (he did that for a whole year) and very successfully, I might add, so any other food you add to your plate besides a potato will be a bonus.

Is that simple yet? Have your plate be ½ starches (potatoes, rice, beans or corn) and the other half green and/or yellow vegetables and you’ve got a good place to start.

You might want to know what to drink? Well, there is warm water, cold water, water with a squeeze of lemon, water with herbal tea or filtered water if you want to get fancy.

There is no need to drink calories when we can use those calories by eating fresh food which we get to masticate. That means, we get to spend time chewing the whole food which is a lot better than having a machine chew it for us.

Eating from the four food groups: Fruit, Vegetables, Grains and Legumes makes it simple. Eating food in its whole form is important.

By choosing foods from these four categories, we realize we have all we need. Questions always arise about exceptions but if you ask yourself “Is it a vegetable, a fruit, a grain or a bean” you will know the answer. Get over it. It is that simple. You are on a journey to clean up your palate, your view about food and create a new healthy body. Weight loss is an added bonus.

We think our lives will collapse if we can’t put something on our salad. I keep that simple too: 3 parts Balsamic vinegar, 2 parts Dijon mustard and 1 part lemon or orange juice. I use ¼ cup as the measuring tool and that makes enough to fit into my 12 oz squirt bottle.

This dressing is also good over Brussels sprouts, green beans, broccoli etc. Condiments are allowed as well but by now you know how to read labels and watch for sugar, salt and oil content.

I prefer to focus on what we CAN eat and not list the no’s.

Suffice it to say that if it is not a fruit, vegetable, grain or legume, consider it toxic to you. When I pass the bakery section in a store, I cross my arms in front of myself and say “poison”. When I go past the dairy and meat cases, I add up all of the money I am saving by not even having to think about any of that. I do not look for vegan substitutes. I am simple. Substitutes often have excessive fat in them and that is what I want to eliminate from my body.

If you just don’t know how to enjoy a potato by itself, in a salad or in a soup, they are great buried under salsa, beans, dipped in mustard and/or a “safe” BBQ sauce.

EDUCATION

Reinforcements are necessary as is support. Be sure to join a positive oriented group – not one where the people seem to be looking for loop holes to following a radical plan.

What really helped me in the beginning was watching documentaries. If we don’t get scientific information about what are the real needs of our diet, we fall prey to gimmicks. Of course we have all wanted to find the magic bullet – the one that will not cause us to give up any of our favorites…but that is a myth. Instead of looking for a quick cure, decide what you want and pay the price of being honest with you and learn from others who have been successful – not just successful but sustained over time. (I don’t qualify for the 5 year suggested period of time, but I am worth listening to.)

DOCUMENTARIES I LIKE:

Forks Over Knives, What the Health and The Game Changers

I was initially told to read success stories but I figured they were all fake. They are not. My story is posted on Dr. McDougall’s website (drmcdougall.com) as “Esther’s New Life” with a follow up story as well.

RESOURCES:

For beginners I suggest getting well acquainted with Dr. McDougall’s website. ALL of his information is free. He has a good search bar where you can type in any health issue and get solid information that you can trust.

Dr. McDougall has a team of experts supporting his program. Dr. Doug Lisle is a psychologist who has helped us a great deal in learning that we are not weak people with no will power. We learned that it is normal to be drawn to the most calorie dense food in our environment. So, you say, what is the answer?

Get rid of all processed food or anything which has been a “go to” when you are under pressure or stress. (As you get some of this under your belt, you may look for podcasts on YouTube or you can buy “The Pleasure Trap”.)

Jeff Novick is an expert on nutrition so when you are not overwhelmed with so much new, exciting information, check him out on YouTube too. Learn the tools of his calorie dense chart and you will understand why sticking with the four food groups is the answer to ingesting foods too high in calorie content for a successful journey.

Dr. Anthony Lim is on Dr. McDougall’s team too and he has podcasts too which are informative and helpful. He helped me realize after hearing my story that I did not need to put myself back on levothyroxin for my thyroid for which I had been medicated for over 30 years.

Chef A.J. is a great source too even if all you learn is that “If it is in your house, it will be in your mouth”. A clean environment is the best antidote to “slipping” off the wagon. She is a real chef and provides great support for “food addicts”.

There are many additional doctors that I love too but this is all about helping the beginner and not getting overloaded with too much information.

MENTAL HEALTH:

Perhaps as important as anything is our mental health. What we think about, we bring about. If we don’t have a positive, energetic attitude, how would we expect healthy patterns to develop?

When we realize we are the creators of our own life, we are the ones who put food onto the end of our fork and we can be the ones who pat ourselves on the back and forgive ourselves when we screw up, we find that there is no one else to blame. Blame and shame never lead to success. We must be kind with ourselves and know that we are all babes in learning a totally new way to live and eat. There will be times when we make less than best choices and when that happens, I have found that having a potato be my next bite goes a long way to getting back on track. One error can be immediately changed. Binges are not productive. We still have to face what set us off looking for comfort in the first place. The problem will be patiently waiting for us anyway.

I say, “No guilt, only learning”.

I have found that it is not why I eat, when I eat, or how much I eat that is the issue. The only thing I have to consider is WHAT I eat. As long as I stick with the four food groups, I will be fine. I may overeat one day but that doesn’t matter. It all averages out.

Seek first your health. It is not what I did but what I have learned. If we eat the right food, the weight loss will be a positive side effect.

Keeping it simple,

Esther Lebeck Loveridge – “Esther’s Nutritional Journal" Author of "From Donuts...To Potatoes".
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sat Jul 30, 2022 6:25 pm

Hey KirstyKay!!! :-D

Thanks for posting this Esther blog! Pretty awesome!!! Have read her book and saw her interview with Chef AJ... OMG!!! Great stuff!!! What a remarkable woman (and husband is good too)... :lol: I love what she says about how simple to keep things... Seriously, just those food groups... Starch, veg, fruit = great meal!!! No worries (and no recipe needed)!!!

Just wanted to say... keep going out of that damn Pleasure Trap... It is insiduous ---and you are doing great!!! :D

Good luck with your surgery... looks like you have a great plan...

You can do this and you are doing this!!! Hope that you have a great week!

Best,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby Trinity » Thu Aug 04, 2022 12:26 pm

Hey KirstyKay. I was just catching up on journals and I think you are having oral surgery TODAY. Yikes! Hope to hear from you again soon and that your recovery is fast.

So, I’m reading Atomic Habits and the biggest thing I’ve learned from it is about identity. I think you also identify as a McDougaller so I really don’t think you need to keep starting from Day 1. From my experience whenever I said, “OK, starting over, today is Day 1,” (usually the first day of the month), if I wasn’t PERFECT then I would have to start over. And, “The perfect is the enemy of the good,” is in the book too just like Doug Lisle (or maybe Jeff Novick or Dr. McD or all 3) says. I know you weren’t asking for advice so disregard this if it’s annoying or you’re in too much pain (I hope not).
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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby squealcat » Thu Aug 04, 2022 6:00 pm

Best of luck KIrsty Kay !! Hope everything went well !

-Mariyn
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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby Ruff » Sun Aug 07, 2022 2:45 pm

Hi KK, just catching up with your journal. I loved the Esther blog extract.


Good luck with the surgery.
Katie

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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby rickfm » Wed Aug 10, 2022 9:23 pm

kirstykay wrote:
What I am about to tell you is so utterly simple and true that it may deceive you: Health feels better than sickness. You will be happier at your ideal weight than you are overweight. You will be proud of yourself. You’ll have confidence. You’ll feel so many good things that right now you cannot imagine, and I cannot describe. But the net effect is that you’ll like yourself a lot more. You’ll look in the mirror and actually like what you see; you may even love what you see. You will have honored the person within yourself who longs to be healthy, beautiful, and free of all those burdens that being overweight brings. Life will not be perfect, but it will be better.”
― excerpt from The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss


I need to read this every day. And believe it.

Ditto. That's like a Plant Food version of Chicken Soup for the Soul.
~Rick

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Re: Weight Loss and Recovery

Postby bunsofaluminum » Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:58 am

That paragraph about feeling better eating this way and losing weight. Without the fat, you make eye contact, you have energy and cheer, you are able to do things, aches and pains recede or go away altogether. It's a great quote. Uplifting.

What I am about to tell you is so utterly simple and true that it may deceive you: Health feels better than sickness. You will be happier at your ideal weight than you are overweight. You will be proud of yourself. You’ll have confidence. You’ll feel so many good things that right now you cannot imagine, and I cannot describe. But the net effect is that you’ll like yourself a lot more. You’ll look in the mirror and actually like what you see; you may even love what you see. You will have honored the person within yourself who longs to be healthy, beautiful, and free of all those burdens that being overweight brings. Life will not be perfect, but it will be better.”
― excerpt from The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss
JUST DON'T EAT IT

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