Weight Loss and Recovery

[kirstykay]

10-POINT CHECKLIST FOR MAXIMUM WEIGHT LOSS (MWL)

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 desert.

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).

I am taking the month of October to refine these 10 points. I am setting myself up for success by always having cooked potatoes and / or rice in the fridge plus always having soup made and raw cut-up veggies ready to grab for snacks. The things on this list I have resisted are #1-3. Other items on this list I used to resist have been #5 & 8. I went through a smoothie phase (#8) this summer, but I've stopped that. And I had a hard time giving up tofu and avocado(#5), also flour, mostly bread was a big struggle for me for a long time; also air popped popcorn (#7), but not anymore. I've made great improvements this year, and I'm proud of myself for that. I'm ready to go all in and stop resisting the refinements of the program while wondering why I don't lose weight as fast as other people. There are 3 months left in this year, and I'd like to lose 15 more pounds by the end of 2020. I think that is very doable.

[kirstykay]

LOVE THIS from the "Orientation" to MWL. It's all about what we CAN control:

Weight loss is an outcome contingent on behaviors; to change that outcome, it is necessary to change those behaviors. The most effective behaviors for achieving healthy, sustainable weight loss are outlined in the MWL 10-Point Checklist. In this group, our focus is on bringing our behaviors into adherence with the MWL 10-Point Checklist, not just our weight change from one week to the next. While we do recommend participating in the weekly weigh-in and reporting your weight change (up or down), the MWL program is not about rapid weight loss, but rather establishing a pattern of behavior and a way of living that produces steady, healthy, and lasting weight loss. Our goal is for you to learn the program, enjoy the food and change your lifestyle.

"Learn the Program, ENJOY the food, change you lifestyle!" That says it all!

I had a short medical exam for a life insurance policy today. I was shocked to find out that my blood pressure was 106/64! The last time I was at the doctor (beginning of Sept) it was 117/78, which I was very happy with! I was surprised that it had gone down more. Now, maybe the fact that the nurse came to my house had something to do with it because I was more relaxed than at the doctor's office. Anyway, just more good news! Also, my resting heart rate was 63 which is also great! Yay!

FOOD TODAY:
Breakfast- Huge Japanese Sweet potato, air fried with skin on. Cinnamon and 1 TBS maple syrup added
Lunch- Very Veggie Soup, mashed potatoes
Dinner- Starter of Veggie Soup; Burrito Bowl (black beans, white rice, red pepper, corn, zucchini, carrots, spinach, chipotle cheeze sauce, mango salsa)

EXERCISE:
3 mile walk (50 minutes)

Only deviation from the 10 points is I didn't have veg or fruit with my breakfast. Otherwise, a perfect day! My eyes are actually opened lately to how often I make excuses to not follow the 10 points to the letter. This month will be a really fun experiment. I'm excited to see if it makes a difference in how much weight I lose, but even if it doesn't this month, I know it will over time.

I was happy to see the email from the McDougall kitchen this week were all MWL recipes. I've printed out the recipes and made my grocery list. I'm excited to try some new recipes. The Hot Chinese Salad looks especially delicious, and I am going to put that 5 grain blend together and see how we like it.

[kirstykay]

I had to post a weight gain this week. A pretty big one. No fun. But I'm not letting that get me down! I'm determined to have a successful MWL October and whatever my weight does, it does. I am motivated and ready to make this my best year this month so far!

I had a wonderful talk with my sister today and she shared some health concerns she's having. She was lamenting (as we have often done together over the years) how hard it is to lose weight and get healthy. She has a lot going on in her life - way more than me right now - a very stressful job, as well as some pretty serious stuff going on with one of her kids. I listened and felt for her and all she's dealing with. And then I thought, I can't commiserate with her in the same way in terms of losing weight and getting healthy. I HAVE spent 2020 doing just that. I didn't talk to her about it because she's not there right now. What she needed was a compassionate ear to listen and not judge or try to fix her problems. But I am waiting for the right time to share with her in a way she may be able to hear. Then I realized, I am still in process and it's not my place to tell her what to do. (She already knows about my WFPB diet because I've been doing it for YEARS.) Telling her isn't what she needs. What she needs is to SEE it. I need to LIVE it, not talk about it. She needs to see that it's possible. I need my success, my weight loss, my disease reversal to do the speaking for me. I just need to keep my mouth shut and not act like an expert because I still have a long way to go. So that's what I will do. I will keep going. I will be successful. I will be an example of how to do it and if she wants to ask me for advice at that point, I'll be ready to point her in the right direction.

FOOD TODAY:
Breakfast: Chocolate Cherry Banana Oatmeal
Lunch: White Bean Soup with Wild Rice Pilaf
Dinner: Kale Salad and Potato Fries

I love this way of eating!

[taz432]

Telling her isn't what she needs. What she needs is to SEE it. I need to LIVE it, not talk about it. She needs to see that it's possible. I need my success, my weight loss, my disease reversal to do the speaking for me. I just need to keep my mouth shut and not act like an expert because I still have a long way to go. So that's what I will do. I will keep going. I will be successful. I will be an example of how to do it and if she wants to ask me for advice at that point, I'll be ready to point her in the right direction.

Hi kirstykay, I have had this exact same thought in the past few weeks. I'm dying to tell all the people in my life they should eat this way but why should they listen to me if I'm still 30-40 lb overweight? I think I need to just lose the weight and then if anyone asks, I would tell them. But I've decided I won't talk about it again even if I've lost the weight. I will wait for someone to ask me first.

[kirstykay]

Hi kirstykay, I have had this exact same thought in the past few weeks. I'm dying to tell all the people in my life they should eat this way but why should they listen to me if I'm still 30-40 lb overweight? I think I need to just lose the weight and then if anyone asks, I would tell them. But I've decided I won't talk about it again even if I've lost the weight. I will wait for someone to ask me first.

Taz432- Exactly! I think this is the best approach to many areas of life!

[kirstykay]

I haven't posted here in a bit. I'm back to strictly following MWL, and I plan to use this to post my daily food and exercise journal for the rest of the year. I am very close to leaving the Obese BMI category, and I fully expect to be able to do that this month with careful adherence to the 10-point checklist. Especially by following the 50/50 plate and eating lots of soup! It is soup season and I just LOVE making warm, comforting fall soup recipes. I recently made broccoli cheeze soup based on Brand New Vegan's recipe, adding my own touches. So YUMMY and filling. I plan to eat the for dinner tonight.

FOOD TODAY:
Breakfast: Japanese Sweet Potato, Apple
Lunch: Vegetable Soup with Kale Salad
Dinner: Broccoli Cheese Soup, Crispy Air Fried Potato Wedges

EXERCISE:
3 mile walk

[kirstykay]

I was thinking of doing another Mary's Mini, but I've thought better of it. My heart isn't in it, and it was triggering some thoughts of eating off-plan foods. I really have to be careful of the binge/restrict mindset from my past. I need to stop falling into the trap of trying to hurry my weight loss along, and really get into a good rhythm of actually following the 10-points of MWL. I get so impatient. Right now, I feel like I'm getting into a good groove and I don't want to mess that up with being too restrictive and following that up with more yo-yoing. I think that's my goal for these last 2 months of 2020 - just being super compliant to MWL, as written, and let my weight go at its own pace. Trust the process...

It's a nice Sunday and I got to spend some time walking around "my" lake, which was nice. Feeling good today.

FOOD TODAY:
Bkfs: Chocolate Banana-Cherry Oatmeal
Lunch: Kale salad, Vegetable soup (with chickpeas and orzo pasta in it)
Dinner: Cheezy Broccoli and Rice Bake, Steamed Mixed Veggies (Normandy Blend with Green Beans)
Snack: Sliced Carrots and Oil Free Hummus (Root Brand- Lemon Pepper flavor-very yummy)

EXERCISE:
3 mile walk

[kirstykay]

I posted this in the MWL forum this week:

Well, it turns out that it's harder to get back on track than I thought. I am frustrated with myself and considerably discouraged because I truly intended to have a fresh start and a great week. I just acted out for no good reason. I don't have a good excuse or even explanation. I considered not coming on here, because it's so difficult to actually have to admit that although I know exactly what to do and have all the tools and support I need to do it, I just didn't. I've watched all the videos, read all the books, been at this for literally YEARS, and yet I continue to self-sabotage.

BUT...I am here to keep on trying. I am not giving up. That's really the only positive thing I can say about this week. In reflecting on what been wrong these last several weeks, the only thing I can think of is that as my birthday has approached, I set some goals for it that seemed realistic to me, but I tried to be more restrictive in my eating to reach them. I think it backfired. The more I try to set weight goals, the more I rebel and self-sabotage. Another thing is that I am coming out of the pleasure trap from getting off plan last month, and I underestimated how much of a grip it had on me. It's like my inner voice keeps saying, "Oh no you don't, we like it here. This little bit won't hurt you... You can get back on track later." The thing is, I was feeling so great and doing so well before that I thought I had gotten past this. Bu apparently not because here I am.

So, this week the only promise I'm making to myself is that I'm not quitting. I'm going to do my very best to ignore my inner toddler when she has a temper tantrum, and fight to get out of the pleasure trap. I'm going to work very hard to follow the 10 point checklist at each meal. I'm doing some batch cooking this weekend to set myself up for success. I am not going to place any further restrictions on myself, and I am not giving myself a calorie goal or expectation. I am disappointed that my birthday will come this week without me getting out of the Obese BMI category, but it is what it is. There is no magic about that date. As far as my birthday celebration, my husband is taking the day off and we are going hiking. I'm planning to make chili in the crockpot that will be ready for us when we get home, so I won't be celebrating with any special food. I've had a good talk with myself, trying not to beat myself up but also facing the reality of my situation and remembering my WHY. I think I'm in a good place to face this week, time will tell.

Sorry for the long post, and I hope my failure doesn't negatively affect anyone else. Reading through the posts from this month and seeing everyone's journeys has helped me a lot, so thanks for that. I love this group! Hopefully I can be an encouragement to others someday. For now, I live to fight another day.

I am posting it here for the record. I got some excellent advice from Wildgoose and from Mark. I have been struggling, obviously, but I am encouraged after a good day today and yesterday of MWL adherence. I feel hopeful.

Mark posted an excerpt from Jeff Novick's "3 Most Important Things" It's so, so good! I'm going to take his advice. Especially the part about sticking with McDougall for recipes and advice. I am so easily distracted by other "experts." It helps that I'm off facebook. I have all I need right here.

JeffN wrote:
Here they are...

For the first 6 months to a year....

1) Simplicity

Keep this as simple as possible and resist every influence to make this complicated. You don't need 5 versions of oatmeal, and 15 dinners, and fancy pots, pans, utensils, etc. Just use what you already have and keep it simple. Oats, fruit, rice, beans, veggies. They dont have to be organic, Non GMO, fair traded, imported, etc. Eat sweet potatoes, not imported Japanese Satsumas. They can be fresh, frozen, canned, etc, whichever makes it easiest. You just need oatmeal, brown rice (Starch), beans and a few veggies and fruits you like.

2) Focus

First, on this program

You invested a huge amount of money, time, effort and energy in Dr. McDougall, his program and his staff. Trust your decision and the process. For the next 6 months to a year, if you have a question, ask Dr. McDougall, Mary, Doug, Alec or me. We are all accessible. If you need a recipe, Mary has about 4000, if you have a question, most of them are answered in the forum or our hot topics. If you need reading material for support, we have a dozen books, 100's of newsletter and articles and videos going back about 30 years. Read the Hot Topics and this website and my forum and the Education material at the website and the FAQ here in my forum. When done, re-read them. If you need, email us, we are all responsive.

It is not that others WFPB Health Professionals are wrong, it is just that there are some slight differences between them all and you are just going to get confused. I would tell you the same thing if you picked one of the others but you are all here and made this choice. And, there are many WFPB "experts" that have little to no clinical and patient experience but you may not be able to know that about them. You are spending this week with a bona fide, licensed, credentialed professional team that each has over 25 years of direct clinical experience helping people. Get the most out of your investment.

Second, on yourself.

Until you have put the time in over the next few months and understood the program and been able to achieve and maintain your own success, keep the focus and attention on yourself. Do not worry about telling your spouse, your parents, your daughter in law, your cousins, your neighbor, your hairdresser, the local school, your church group, the food industry, the USDA, the FDA, the FTC, your doctor, the neighbors kid, etc etc or anyone else about the program or trying to get them to do it. Keep the focus on yourself, understanding and implementing the program and getting yourself well. We are not asking you to become a evangelist or preacher of this way of life or to try and convert anyone. We are only trying to help you take care of yourself.

This is not selfish, this is self nurturing and right now, you need all your focus and attention on you.


3) Avoid the vegan trap

Fully explained in this thread...

When Vegan is not Enough

As predicted, vegan is now a trend, and while this is a good thing for the animals and possibly the environment, for most of us, this is bad news as most of the vegan food in grocery stores and restaurants is not healthy. The Pleasure Trap appeal of this food is very very strong and hard to resist.

However, no one has ever come to the 10-Day program to save the animals or save the environment. They made the huge investment of time, money, energy and effort for one (and only one) main reason, their health is suffering. And, almost always, this is a major health issue and not a minor one. They come to my classes with the primary goal of learning how to address, treat and reverse their health issue through diet and lifestyle, not to be a vegan.

Don't mix them up.

Finally, I am going to try to actually log my meals on here and rate my adherence to the 10-point checklist each day. So far I have a pretty bad track record of actually doing that, but I'm going to change that.

[SilverDollar*]

Hey Kirsty you are doing great,by not giving up&continue even with that inner child screaming at you. Don't be hard on yourself.
Think of this...On your death bed,it only matters who we loved&influenced not what we ate on a daily basis.(maybe we wouldn't be there as quick if we ate right)lol...anyway I've got your back! & you are doing good! RAS

[Marla]

Hi Kirsty,

I've been reading your journals forever (going back to when you joined the forum) and I've always been a huge fan. I've learned a lot from you and I absolutely know you will succeed. The fact that you are so determined to keep trying speaks volume about your strength of character and your amazing inner resources. You are right that you have everything you need to do this.

I love your plan for your birthday hike. I hope it's wonderful and memorable!

I've struggled with the restrict/binge cycle too. I don't completely understand what causes it. Impatience to get to a weight goal has definitely been part of it in my case. Also, there were times when I restricted meal volume or frequency so that I could keep certain treats in my diet, i.e. regularly skipping breakfast so that I could "afford" a daily soy latte. I wasn't even fully aware that I was doing this. The impulse to restrict is just really strong with some personality types I think, and can be really hard to resist, so I really like your plan to fight it by not focusing on weight goals and focusing instead on adherence to the 10-point checklist. Keep on keepin' on, and know that you are helping and inspiring people by sharing your journey.

[kirstykay]

RAS and MARLA,
Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement! I wrote a post to each of you, but now I see that it somehow got lost. Suffice it to say that your responses meant a lot to me and I am deeply appreciative!

I had a MUCH better week this week. I feel I am crawling out of the pleasure trap and my brain is calmer and clearer. I had many wins this week...big and small. A big one is that I didn't go off the rails after getting into a pretty bad car accident (not my fault). I am very pleased that no one is hurt (except my poor car), but it was quite traumatizing. And yet, I didn't eat in response to it! It wasn't even a thought to stress eat, and I find that remarkable. Another HUGE success was my birthday! I had a wonderful day hiking in the mountains with my husband, and coming home to piping hot chili was just the ticket. He made me chocolate nice cream for dessert, which was perfect! I felt loved and celebrated with cards, calls, flowers, and texts from friends and family, and never felt the need to celebrate with food. I truly believe this was the first time in my entire life I haven't had to celebrate my birthday with some kind of special meal or dessert! It was a complete shift. I may make hiking my new birthday tradition! It was spectacular! If I had any clue how to upload pictures, I would because it was breathtaking. A truly remarkable day in so many ways!

I was actually able to follow MWL all week long and it didn't even feel very hard. I'm not sure what exactly shifted, except that I just internalized that I am in control of this and also that I have made so much progress that I'm not willing to give it up. I've decided that I can't control the scale, but I CAN control my behavior, and that is no small thing. I just put my big girl pants on and did it whether I felt like it or not. And the scale rewarded me with a 1.7 lb loss which made me really happy!

Now on to another great week! And Thanksgiving! It's just my husband and I so I get to make all our favorite foods! Garlic mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, stuffed Kabocha Squash, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Skillet Sautéed Sweet Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, and Impossible Pumpkin Pie for dessert! It will be a delicious feast, all compliant! I am excited to have another celebration with no compromise!

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!!

[SilverDollar*]

Happy Be-lated Birthday! From the Birthday Queen!
Happy Thanksgiving!
You are doing Great. Ireally need to get serious again.
Keep Posting,you would be surprised on how many lives you toucch for the better. RAS

[bunsofaluminum]

Mark posted an excerpt from Jeff Novick's "3 Most Important Things" It's so, so good! I'm going to take his advice. Especially the part about sticking with McDougall for recipes and advice. I am so easily distracted by other "experts." It helps that I'm off facebook. I have all I need right here.

JeffN wrote:
Here they are...

For the first 6 months to a year....

1) Simplicity

Keep this as simple as possible and resist every influence to make this complicated. You don't need 5 versions of oatmeal, and 15 dinners, and fancy pots, pans, utensils, etc. Just use what you already have and keep it simple. Oats, fruit, rice, beans, veggies. They dont have to be organic, Non GMO, fair traded, imported, etc. Eat sweet potatoes, not imported Japanese Satsumas. They can be fresh, frozen, canned, etc, whichever makes it easiest. You just need oatmeal, brown rice (Starch), beans and a few veggies and fruits you like.

2) Focus

First, on this program

You invested a huge amount of money, time, effort and energy in Dr. McDougall, his program and his staff. Trust your decision and the process. For the next 6 months to a year, if you have a question, ask Dr. McDougall, Mary, Doug, Alec or me. We are all accessible. If you need a recipe, Mary has about 4000, if you have a question, most of them are answered in the forum or our hot topics. If you need reading material for support, we have a dozen books, 100's of newsletter and articles and videos going back about 30 years. Read the Hot Topics and this website and my forum and the Education material at the website and the FAQ here in my forum. When done, re-read them. If you need, email us, we are all responsive.

It is not that others WFPB Health Professionals are wrong, it is just that there are some slight differences between them all and you are just going to get confused. I would tell you the same thing if you picked one of the others but you are all here and made this choice. And, there are many WFPB "experts" that have little to no clinical and patient experience but you may not be able to know that about them. You are spending this week with a bona fide, licensed, credentialed professional team that each has over 25 years of direct clinical experience helping people. Get the most out of your investment.

Second, on yourself.

Until you have put the time in over the next few months and understood the program and been able to achieve and maintain your own success, keep the focus and attention on yourself. Do not worry about telling your spouse, your parents, your daughter in law, your cousins, your neighbor, your hairdresser, the local school, your church group, the food industry, the USDA, the FDA, the FTC, your doctor, the neighbors kid, etc etc or anyone else about the program or trying to get them to do it. Keep the focus on yourself, understanding and implementing the program and getting yourself well. We are not asking you to become a evangelist or preacher of this way of life or to try and convert anyone. We are only trying to help you take care of yourself.

This is not selfish, this is self nurturing and right now, you need all your focus and attention on you.


3) Avoid the vegan trap

Fully explained in this thread...

When Vegan is not Enough

As predicted, vegan is now a trend, and while this is a good thing for the animals and possibly the environment, for most of us, this is bad news as most of the vegan food in grocery stores and restaurants is not healthy. The Pleasure Trap appeal of this food is very very strong and hard to resist.

However, no one has ever come to the 10-Day program to save the animals or save the environment. They made the huge investment of time, money, energy and effort for one (and only one) main reason, their health is suffering. And, almost always, this is a major health issue and not a minor one. They come to my classes with the primary goal of learning how to address, treat and reverse their health issue through diet and lifestyle, not to be a vegan.

Don't mix them up.

Finally, I am going to try to actually log my meals on here and rate my adherence to the 10-point checklist each day. So far I have a pretty bad track record of actually doing that, but I'm going to change that.

Oh my gosh, all of this is SO GOOD, but I especially love what Jeff says. The investment, and the focus. The simplicity! I'm with you...the FB pages are chaos, honestly. I have to stay away from them because I get cranky I've been doing this long enough to know when bad advice is shared, so I jump in...well, you don't want people getting non-McDougall advice on a McDougall oriented FB page. But it isn't *my* responsibility to set them all straight.

I'm gonna re-read this whole post, and maybe copy/paste Jeff's advice. It's really good.

[kirstykay]

Buns, RIGHT??? I think I could re-read this daily. So good!

I'm excited about Thanksgiving tomorrow. It will just be the Hubs and me this year. Stupid Covid! But we WILL be having a Zooms-giving with our families, so that's something. That is if Zoom doesn't crash because I think the whole world is doing that this year. Last year we didn't go home for TG, but we rented a condo at the beach, just the two of us; and we knew we were going to see family for Christmas so it was different. We are embracing it, though, and trying to make it romantic and special. I spent today cooking so there won't be as much to do tomorrow.

Here's the Menu:

Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Mushroom Gravy (McDougall)
Green Bean Casserole - https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/11/b ... erole.html
Skillet Sweet Potatoes
Roasted Mustard/Maple Brussels Sprouts
Herbed Stuffing
Cranberry Apple Sauce (From Vegan Holiday Kitchen Cookbook -Nava Atlas)
Pumpkin Pie Squares - https://www.straightupfood.com/blog/201 ... e-squares/

It will be a FEAST, and we will be enjoying it all week since it's just the two of us. I made the gravy, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie squares, and cranberry sauce today, and I prepared the brussels sprouts for the oven so they can marinade overnight. Everything else will come together easily tomorrow.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. Even though everything is strange this year, I am overwhelmed by all the things I have to be thankful for.

[kirstykay]

Today is December 1st. The last month of this "Year that Wasn't" as my husband likes to say. It has been and continues to be a strange one, that's for sure...complicated even more by the fact that we live hundreds of miles away from all of our family. But, I am proud of the progress I've made this year. I am proud that I am still here fighting for my health and freedom a year later and that I am significantly smaller than I was last year. I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned how to forgive myself, how to persevere, how to be kind to myself without being permissive. Turns out, this isolation has been good for me in many ways. I have been able to finally take care of myself instead of always taking care of everyone else. I am learning to see this as not selfish, but a necessary and important part of my own growth and also the only way I will be able to stick around for those I love.

One problem I seem to have, though, is I feel like I am continually starting and stopping...this is my biggest problem. I feel like I need to get to a new level of commitment and no compromise. So, that starts TODAY! I am committing to being 100% MWL compliant for the next 6 months! No excuses, no exceptions. I have the perfect opportunity since we're not traveling for the holidays and most likely not until well into summer 2021. So, I have around 45 pounds left to lose to get to my goal weight, and I feel like it is very feasible to accomplish that in the next 6 months. Regardless of whether I do or not, however, I will be completely compliant for the next 182 days and see where it takes me! I'm actually really excited about it. And I am confident that I can do it if I put my mind to it and adopt an attitude of no compromise.

So, here goes:

A 10-POINT CHECKLIST FOR MAXIMUM WEIGHT LOSS (MWL)

1) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Fruit for breakfast, soup for lunch, salad for dinner

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 desert. Heat and eat any variety of frozen vegetable or veggie blend I have readily available in my fridge -keep it simple!

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. This one gives me trouble. I can follow the guidelines for sugar, no problem, but salt is another issue. Working on it, but not stressing about it.

4) Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).

5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). I've gotten MUCH better about this one. It's way easier to just cut these foods out completely rather than mess around with them in sauces, etc.

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. Also an area I used to compromise on, but easier to eliminate completely.

8 ) Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). As long as I stay away from Starbucks, I'm good...just have to see that as not an option for me!

9) Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Getting WAY better at this. I used to think my satiety signals were broken, but I was wrong. As long as I'm eating whole foods, I'm able to stop when I'm full.

10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). I have habituated my morning walks. Adding some strength/toning exercises in beginning today.


Planning is another tool that really helps me, so I'm going to be more consistent with that as well.

Food Plan Today:
Breakfast: Pumpkin Oatmeal with Blueberries
Lunch: Vegetable Soup with Brown rice
Dinner: Salad, Lentil Loaf, Smashed Red Potatoes, Green Beans

I don't usually need snacks as long as I eat enough at mealtime. Often, I will have Chocolate Nice Cream for dessert in the evenings, but I can't make that an everyday thing. Going to take a break from it for a while, and save it for special occasions.

Exercise Today
45 Min elliptical
20 Min Strength Video