Plants and Pickleball

[Ejeff]

Hello. I’ve commented on several threads, but have never created a journal of my own. Since we are wanting to encourage more communication I figured I should do my part also.

I’m a 5’2” 59 year old Mom of 3, grandmother of 1. Prior to learning of Dr. McDougall on the radio in December of 2014, I was a typical SAD eater and throughout the years tried many things to stay at a reasonable weight including weight watchers and protein power plan. Of course none of those diets work forever so my weight would yo-yo. Like seriously giving up carbs, how stupid lol. When I started this program I weighed 141 pounds and now I am 103. In the very beginning I can remember being pretty stressed out as I was cooking for all 5 still in the house and trying all kinds of recipes which were very time consuming. Now life is very simple as we are empty nesters and my spouse doesn’t eat like me so on a daily basis I prepare food for one.

I have never followed the MWL plan, but I do try to follow some of the guidelines such as preloading and a 50/50 plate. I find using these 2 points encourages me to eat more vegetables. I have not followed MWL as I haven’t been willing to give up nuts, seeds and bread. I believe what keeps me successful and on the program is having salad dressings I enjoy and healthy cookies readily available. If I try to give up nuts and seeds I tend to feel restricted and somehow eat even more. I also believe it is important to weigh once a week. I have done this for many years and I don’t ever intend to stop. If my weight did start to trend back up I think it’s important to know sooner rather than later.

Most recently I have been focusing on eating only when hungry and stopping when full. I have had the tendency to overeat and that just feels uncomfortable. My favourite foods are fries or potato chunks that I first microwave and then air fry. And salad bowls with brown rice. I usually warm up the dressing and rice so it’s a warm salad. I still spend too much time trying new recipes, but I’m retired so it’s not stressful, I enjoy time in the kitchen.

I am not 100% following the program. I will never eat meat, fish or eggs again. Just the thought of that makes me queasy. From time to time I eat out and the meal has oil. Dairy on the very rare occasion when I eat something chocolate. I try not to dwell on these moments, I just get right back to starch and veggies.

I have always liked to be active so I do strive for hitting the 30 daily minutes of exercise. On the days I don’t play Pickleball I walk or bike ride. I have lifted weights in the past, but have never stuck with it long term. I think it’s because I try to lift too heavy or repetitive and end up with a minor injury so I have to stop.

If I can help anyone else be successful I am most willing. I wish I could help others close to me, but a person must want good health more than they want a greasy burger and fries. I find the longer I eat healthy the more I want to be healthy. I gave up alcohol and caffeine and now I sleep much better. I decided quality sleep is more important to me. So feel free to ask me anything at all and I will reply.

Erin

[Trinity]

Hey Erin! I loved reading this. I do need to eat more vegetables so I’m going to try to do what you do. The warm rice salads sound good too. I’m also glad to hear that you don’t worry too much about oil when you go out and dairy from time to time for treats. I’m looking forward to reading your journal. I bet your grandbaby is adorable!

[kirstykay]

Hi Erin!
I remember you from back in the day...so glad you decided to keep a journal! It's great to see how people are doing with this WOE long term. Congratulations on the weight loss and long-term success. I intend for that to be me one day.
Like several of the others on this thread, I've given up Facebook, and I haven't used Instagram in a very long time, so I consider this my new FB!! I was wasting waaaay too much time and really not getting much out of it. There were more ads than people to connect with anymore. And all the groups I was in were just a distraction from this WOE... I love posting here again, and hopefully we can continue to create a nice, interactive community.

Anyway, just wanted to say Hi! so, "HI!!"

Kirsty

[Ruff]

Hi Erin, I'm so glad you made a journal.

We are the same age and both long term happy McDougallers. Like you I wish I knew other McD people, or plant based people near by. I am an empty nester too, but my husband eats what is put in front of him, so I cook for both of us. I also bake for him, normally vegan muffins of one kind or another but rarely indulge myself. I do have some compliant baking from time to time though.

As I age I am working on the balance between the higher calorie density stuff and my running. Today I am going up the hill so I will have a higher calorie density breakfast. I just have to remember that tomorrow..which is a rest day...I need a lower calorie density meal!

Great to hear from you

[Daydream]

Hi Erin! I really enjoyed reading your journal and learning more about you. Oh I remember the days of doing tons of cooking making labor intensive recipes for my family. My husband and I are now empty nesters (we have 3 adult kids) and I still do all the cooking but I cook much simpler now. You are lucky that you can eat nuts, seeds and bread without gaining weight (I can't do that, so I stick with MWL most of the time).

I had planned to say this to you in the maintenance forum but I'll write it here... I'm sure your grandson will enjoy walking with you when he is older. Both of my grandsons (age 6 and 3) like walking with me. I often take my grandsons to the park to play on the equipment and run.

I have really liked the recipes I've tried from Brand New Vegan. Chuck Underwood used to post here in the McDougall forum many years ago and that's how I found out about his Brand New Vegan website.

I have not cooked with rhubarb but I bet your rhubarb dishes are good!

[Drew_ab]

As a fellow Albertan, I wanted to congratulate you on your success. It is not always easy being WFPB in cattle country, though things seem to be changing slowly (at least in Edmonton and Calgary), though once you hit rural Alberta the idea of healthy living/eating pretty much goes out the window in my experience.

[Ejeff]

Thanks everyone for saying hello!

Trinity, yes eating more vegetables is always health promoting, as long as we also eat starches. I find the more vegetables I eat the more I enjoy them. I loved air fried zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower. I even air fry my mushrooms now. And yes grandbaby is super cute, and I am not at all biased lol!

Kirstykay, you WILL have years of success. It’s really just day by day that gets you there. My family also says I’m the most stubborn person they know so when I decide to do something I tend not to be deterred. I keep my focus on getting and staying healthy. Lots of cancer in my family and I would like very much to avoid that type of diagnosis. Plus when you stay slim it’s so easy to move and be active. You can do this!!

Ruff, I am so impressed with your running! You have inspired me to do a bit of jogging on my walks now. I really could use the cardio. You live in such a beautiful country, I’ve been to NZ back in 1984. We hope to visit it again one day.

Daydream, isn’t it interesting how we both found it quite labor intensive when we first began. I’m sure I made it overly complicated as I could have served fries and a salad quite often and the kids would have been happy. I think when we convert from SAD eating we try to over compensate by trying to produce fancier food. As least I think that’s what I did. And yes I agree I am fortunate that I can eat some higher density foods. I have a very petite bone structure. When I was at my highest weight 141, I didn’t even feel extremely fat, but I guess I must have been.

Drew, good to know you are in the same province. It would be interesting to know how many from each province eat the McDougall way. It’s true there are more vegan options now when dining out, but most have so much oil. I eat out much less than I used to as the food I make for myself is better. I try to be more like Mark and a few others when I socialize it should be about the conversation not the food anyway. I do need to have more courage when ordering in a restaurant.

I really like what Jeff said about calling the MWL program MHP - Maximum Health Program. I’m going to remember that!

Erin

[Ejeff]

This week we had a belated Father’s Day meal out at a burger and fries joint. Not compliant due to oil, but they do sell a veggie burger now. It seems almost every restaurant now has that as an option. I’m not saying it’s healthy that’s for sure. Today I’m meeting daughters to try out a couple new vegan places. One serves nut based milk drinks and the other is a hummus vegan restaurant. I’m going to ask if anything is made without oil. Quite likely not, but I could always be surprised. I normally eat out very rarely anymore, seems it’s been a bit of a blitz lately.

A couple days a week I’ve been trying to eat just fruit and veggies with a small amount of refried beans. I know this isn’t the program. It is a bit interesting though how much more veggies I can eat. It sort of reinforces the whole lower calorie density idea. Yesterday I had broccoli, cauliflower and grapes for breakfast. Lunch was salad with steamed mushrooms, onions and pepper poured on top. Dinner was an air fried zucchini tossed with basil and 2 tomatoes. Very filling as the portions were large. I also had 2 kiwi, an apple and a bowl of frozen blueberries for a snack.

I don’t really need to lose any more weight. But it seems that I have forever been wanting to change my body composition. According to my scale today I am 26.5% body fat. And this number is almost always between 24 and 28, no matter if I weigh 110 or 103. I know I likely need to lift weights or somehow build more muscle. Has anyone had good success in changing their body composition? Perhaps it would be better to just not have a scale that shows bodyfat % lol.

It’s been quite rainy and windy the past few days. I got lucky yesterday and was able to play Pickleball, thought we would get cancelled.

Erin

[Ruff]

My scale is very old fashioned and just weighs me! I read somewhere that these body fat scales are not very accurate as they just send a mild electric current through your body and work it from there. I think you need something called a dexa scan or something like that for really finding body fat. Having said that they are probably accurate within themselves...like if it says 23% and that goes down to 20% then that may or may not be your body fat percentage but at least whatever it is is going down if you see what I mean.

New Zealand! We are open to visitors again! We are still here, and hoping for tourists again this summer. Well maybe not me, I have been enjoying the empty beaches....but the country needs tourists, so feel free to visit again.

[Daydream]

Erin, I have done several weight lifting workouts each week for the last 10 years and it has not changed my body fat composition or how I look. My body is stubborn! I don't have a solution for you but I think it's a good idea to do resistance training to keep your strength up as you age.

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Erin,

I like your thought of getting rid of the scale that shows bodyfat... Just to think that it may be an inaccurate indicator (but maybe good for comparatives of yourself over time...) There are some Jeff threads which I can't readily find at the moment -- but that talk about why BMI is used as health indicator more than body fat % and that it comes down to the ease and accuracy of the methodology of measuring (where BMI is super easy and fat % is flawed and may depend both on the person measuring and the person being measured and the actual way it is being measured)....

About 15 years ago I was able to change body composition a bit without changing weight. Maybe from 24/25 down to 18/19... I did this for about a 2 year period through Group Fitness training (i.e., bootcamp) with a dose of personal training. So, definitely strength training but also intense intervals (can do on any machine or walk / run, bike, swim). I think key to me was that other folks were making me do things that I wouldn't do if self-directed... So, when I stopped this... body quite quickly went back to original composition...

I am with Daydream that strength training is important (something I need to start back on too... ).... But, maybe don't worry too much about what scale says on body composition...

Best,
Stephanie

[Ejeff]

Stephanie, Daydream and Katie, thanks for the responses. Yes I was thinking the same even if the scale isn’t too accurate it’s all relative. If it goes down that shows a trend. I won’t take it too seriously. Years ago I did pay to have a dexa scan and it showed the same 26% I think. Interesting to know that interval training also works well. I do need to add some of that as I really don’t get cardio on a regular basis. Katie inspired me to start jogging so I’m doing that now. The usual circuit I do which includes one set of about 120 stairs takes me 40 minutes walking, but the other day it took just 30 when I jogged as much as I felt I could. I definitely got some good cardio. I’m going to track my fitness, the goal will be to be able to jog up all the stairs without stopping. Right now I can only do the first 4 parts and I think there are 10. Nice to have small goals to reach for!

Another family bbq yesterday. I made a creamy pasta salad everyone loved it so I guess the recipe is a keeper. Dressing was made from cashews and a bit of tahini so higher fat. I used a new type of Catelli fusilli noodle that is whole wheat, but contains other grains such as rye, barley and brown rice. It was nice as the noodles were smaller and the corkscrew shape was tighter if you know what I mean. I will try to make this again lower fat using navy beans and maybe even potato for creaminess. Or cauliflower could work too, lot of possibilities.

The Nut Tea place we tried was very yummy, but I was regretting the Earl Grey Tea as it took me hours to fall asleep. I normally avoid caffeine as I know what it does to me, but I didn’t even think about it when ordering duh. Live and learn haha. I plan to eat simple this week, trying to clean out the freezer a bit so will make soup using bean juice I have saved and other scraps like kale stems. I’m also going to make a rhubarb lentil stew as I have last years to use up.

[Ruff]

I love my earl grey tea!

I'm so glad you are enjoying the jogging. I have hurt my shoulder and will have to take a few days off as the jaring is too much for it at the moment, but I hope as its my arm and not my leg that I will be able to get back to it soon. In the meantime I will walk.

[Ejeff]

Yes Earl grey tea is so nice, I will have to try decaf next time. I always start my day with a cup of herbal tea I have several varieties in my cupboard at any one time. I replaced the coffee habit with tea. I enjoy a warm drink. Before my tea I always drink a glass of water as I figure it’s good to hydrate after sleeping.

I’m trying to empty out the freezer a bit so haven’t bought too much produce this week. I made a big pot of soup with frozen bean juice, onions, garlic, cabbage, peppers, cauliflower and kale stems. I threw in some oregano and sprigs of thyme and rosemary. The soup looks kinda ugly, but tastes pretty good. I think it looks a weird colour since I used some purple cabbage. I enjoy having soup before meals. I’m not great at having it before every meal, but once a day is better than no soup at all.

I really liked what Ruff had to say about goals versus habits. Makes so much sense to focus on creating the habit first and reaching a goal will sort of become a natural outcome once the habit is established.

Today I will continue with my new habit of jogging. I’m not jogging every day just twice a week. Also planning a long walk and phone chat with a friend who lives in another province. Today I will be eating lots of soup, grapes, orange, apple and not sure what else yet. Oh maybe some pomegranate as I have one of those in the fridge also.

Erin

[Ejeff]

It’s a beautiful day, sun is shining and the birds are singing. I love getting up and enjoying them while I have my tea and read the blog.

Years ago I tried making a sourdough starter, so I’m attempting it again. It seems to be taking quite awhile, but that’s okay I’ve got lots of time. With the discard yesterday I made green onion cakes something I’ve not made before. Turned out pretty good, the chives were from my little garden.

I stopped at the grocery store yesterday and it was crazy busy, sort of forgot we are heading into the Canada Day long weekend and the day off is Friday. I don’t like to go when it’s so busy, usually Wednesday is a decent day to go.

Made a big pot of lentil rhubarb stew, I used a lot more rhubarb than the recipe called for, but I don’t mind dishes that are more sour. I will be eating that for the next few days as well as the soup I made. It’s so easy to have meals ready especially if you don’t mind eating the same thing for a few days. I don’t mind doing that for one daily meal, but I change it up for the others.

Today is the usual, Pickleball lol and hoping to pop in to see baby grandson, I’m missing his cuddles and dimples.

Have a great day everyone.

Erin