August 2021 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Group

[texaslil]

-2 lbs
167.8

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES
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. YES mostly although we did have some vegan ice cream
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. YES
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). YES
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). NO, had 1/4 an avocado in a sushi bowl, just one meal
6. Eliminate any added oil. YES
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. NO, had 3 pieces of backlawa
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). YES
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. YES
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). NO, not sure why but I had minimal energy to get out and exercise this week, so only exercised twice.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: In reflecting on the past week, not too many missteps although more than I had planned for, and with the lack of exercise, I am surprised that I lost 2 lbs.. Although still very happy with the results. I wonder if it is my body still trying to right-size from the past two weeks of travel. I was very low energy this week and didn't really feel like getting out for my typical walks or yoga. I'm hoping I can recoup my regular energy and pick up on the exercise a bit, since I really do feel so much better when I'm exercising/active on a regular basis. I'll be getting my daughter ready to return to university next week and traveling with her Friday-Tuesday, so once again my skills at adhering to the 10 points will be tested. This time I will not have access to a kitchen, so will have to do a bit more work to stay on track. I will be in a city that makes it easy to walk/exercise, so I'm looking forward to that!

Apologies in advance if I don't get to post on Fri/Sat, if I remember, I will try to post on Thursday.

Wishing everyone seamless adherence to the 10 points this upcoming week!

Thanks as always for your positive feedback Mark!
Laila

[Noella]

Weight Change: -1.9 lbs.
This Week’s Weight: 152 lbs.
Last Week’s Weight 153.9 bs.
Goal Weight: 140 lbs.

1.Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES
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. YES
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.YES
4.Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).YES
5.Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).YES
6.Eliminate any added oil. YES
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.YES
8.Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).YES
9.Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.YES
10. Exercise daily for thirty minutes (brisk walking). YES

Question:
Hi Wild Goose, Thank you so much for being here with us this week while Mark is on vacation. I’m wondering if you have any insightful information or encouragement to share about losing weight as we get close to achieving a healthy size, but still have a few stubborn pounds to go. What extra challenges can we expect to experience and what might the timeline to look like? I want to have realistic expectations during the weeks and months ahead and can’t wait to get to my goal weight.

Best regards,
Noella

[wildgoose]

louie3084 — OK, you "still lost weight," and that's great. But what would happen with closer adherence to the Checklist? For example, if you were eating banana muffins, that's not really a "yes" on #7. And meals that are compliant with the regular program but not MWL will do in a pinch (when you have to eat out, for example), but if you make a habit of this, even a few meals a week, it will show up in your weight loss -- especially as you get closer to your goal weight. How about trying to follow the Checklist as closely as possible and seeing what happens? You might get a fabulous surprise!

Rebecka22 — Happy Birthday! And congratulations on 365 days of good moving. Getting right back on track after a week of unusually rich eating is the key. Dr. Doug Lisle has said to imagine that the path you're walking on is narrow, with shallow ditches on either side. If you fall off the path, you're just stepping into a shallow ditch, and it's easy to step right back up onto the path. But if you let yourself think you've fallen off a cliff instead (or if you stay in the ditch for a period of time and wear it down deeper), it's harder to get back on the path. So you're right on target with your thinking.

Belana — Nice loss! It proves what good adherence to the Checklist can do.
MWL doesn't have to be bland. You can use all kinds of herbs and spices, salt-free blends (like Mrs. Dash), low-sugar and low-sodium condiments (in moderation), etc. That said, it does take 30 days or more for your taste buds to adjust to lower sugar and salt, and continuing to use either in larger amounts will slow the adjustment process further. And yes, when you're cutting down on sodium, your body may eliminate the excess water that the sodium has been holding onto , which is the reason for those (temporary) extra bathroom trips.
Note, however, that MWL does not have to be salt- or sugar-free.

In regard to added salt and added sugar, we recommend buying and preparing food without either and if any are to be used, to add them at the table on the surface of the food. If either one is troublesome and create uncontrollable cravings for you, then leave them out.

Being on the road can be challenging. My strategy is always to go VERY simple during those times. Starch, vegetable, maybe fruit. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. If it's boring, so be it. It keeps you on track and cuts the stress level of "what do I eat?" way down. And "vegan" options may not always the best choice -- in fact, they often aren't. Jeff has done a really nice post about Dining Out that might be of interest to you.

Angelea — I'm so sorry to hear that you're sick. Don't push yourself to exercise if you're overly tired -- just concentrate on getting well. Eat small amounts as you feel up to it. We're thinking good thoughts for you and your family. You're right, this virus doesn't mess around.

GreenFroG — No, not your best week. It shows what getting off track can do, especially when you're close to goal weight. But good for you to post and to recommit to the MWL Checklist. Meal prepping is a big help. Having something compliant at hand and ready to go can work to keep those chips from leaping into your mouth.
I like salsa on potatoes very much. I keep roasted potatoes cold in the fridge, then slice some up into thick slices and either air fry them or broil them (similar to Jeff's "Chubby Chips"), and put salsa on them.

Holly33 — Congratulations on a "shockingly compliant" first week!
You may always be a volume eater (notice I didn't say "overeater"). I am too. That's not necessarily a bad thing. You can eat larger volumes of foods that are lower in calorie density (if you haven't reviewed some of Jeff's resources on Calorie Density that are at the top of the MWL board postings list, you might find it helpful). Pre-loading with soup or salad, and maintaining that 50/50 plate (by eye -- no need to measure) is a big help in balancing out the overall calorie density of what you're eating in a day. Knowing how to get enough starch for satiety without stuffing yourself is a skill you develop over time. You'll get this -- it's a marathon, not a sprint. Well done!

texaslil — Nice, steady loss, Laila! It does take some time for your body to adjust after travel. Particularly when you are eating out, so keep that in mind when you take your daughter back to university. No matter how carefully you order, restaurant food generally has more salt than what you prepare at home, so you're going to be retaining more water at the very least. Great that you'll be in a place where you'll like to walk and exercise! Maybe that will make you feel more energetic. Post when you can -- Mark will be back on Thursday, so he'll include you in the count next week if you post then.

Noella — I'm looking at an almost 2-pound loss for you this week and am impressed, as close as you are getting to your goal. You're adhering very well to the Checklist, and it shows. I'll be happy to share my thoughts on losing those last pounds. I'll do that in a separate post. Be aware, though, that as always, your mileage may vary. Realistic expectations are always essential, and "realistic" may mean "slower than I want." Weight is an equilibrium, between your body and what you eat (and, to a much lesser extent, how active you are). As you get closer to your goal, you get to fine-tune your eating until you reach equilibrium at the point where you want to hold. And you may end up changing your mind on where that goal point is -- I did, several times (my story on how I determined my "goal weight" is linked below my signature).

Goose

[cmcavazos2]

Weight change +/- in lbs: - 1.6# loss

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES
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. YES
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). YES
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). NO
6. Eliminate any added oil. YES
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. YES
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). YES
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. YES
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). YES

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Victories: I felt good about my food choices this week. I had lots of opportunity to be off MWL but I didn't let myself get off track.
Comments: I didn't feel overly food focused this week which is a plus for me.
Concerns/Questions: None

Thank you, Wild Goose for handling the boards. The accountabiity of reporting on Fridays is what keeps me on track.

I'll be checking in next week.

[wildgoose]

Hi Wild Goose, Thank you so much for being here with us this week while Mark is on vacation. I’m wondering if you have any insightful information or encouragement to share about losing weight as we get close to achieving a healthy size, but still have a few stubborn pounds to go. What extra challenges can we expect to experience and what might the timeline to look like? I want to have realistic expectations during the weeks and months ahead and can’t wait to get to my goal weight.

I don't know about insightful, Noella, but I can tell you what it was like for me. And of course, since I'm a gabby Goose, once I get started, this turns into a very long post!

A bit of background on me:

• Age: 65
• Gender: female
• Height: used to be 5'11.5", now probably closer to 5'10.5"
• Weight: as of today, 135.6. I try to maintain between 135 and 138
• Highest weight: 237, in about 2002. I got down to 160, back up to 200, then back and forth between 160 and 200 for years before I did MWL in earnest.
• Started MWL seriously: mid-March 2019, at 190 lb.
• Stabilized at my current weight (135-138): end of November 2019
• Current BMI: 19.2
• BMI when at the top of my maintenance weight range (138): 19.5

I kept a journal of everything I ate, the exercise I did or didn't do (to be honest, almost all the latter), how I felt, how my clothes fit. I didn't take "before" pictures, which I probably should have, but I have lots of pictures from along the way in my journal. I weighed daily. That's not recommended, and the fluctuations drove me nuts, but I also kept a rolling average that was a much more realistic assessment of how I was doing.

I checked back in my journal to see how the last "stubborn" pounds came off. I got to 150 the middle of August. I hadn't been below 150 for a long time, if ever, in my adult life. I had lost 40 pounds since I started MWL, and I was really happy with that.

The middle of September, I was 146. What??? Only four pounds in a month? Yes, that's right. It can happen. This is where the realistic expectations have to come in. Believe me, I wasn't happy as I was writing that in my journal.

The temptation, when weight loss slows down that much, is to try something drastic to "kick start" your weight loss. This is where people start to look at unsustainable options. Fasting. Intermittent fasting. Lots of exercise. Raw food diets. Even, heaven forbid, keto. Don't do it!

I didn't do anything different. Maybe upped my vegetable-starch ratio a little, but nothing that would take me out of what I thought I could permanently sustain. This is key, I think. Don't make a change that you wouldn't be willing to live with for the rest of your life, just to blast off a few pounds. Remember, weight is equilibrium between body and eating. You can change the eating side of the equation drastically to get your weight down, but if you don't sustain it, the equilibrium point shifts back upwards as your eating changes back to what it was. This is why people regain lost weight!

My mid-October weight was 140. So a 6-pound loss from mid-September to mid-October. Not bad -- I was pretty pleased with that. A far cry from the early days when I was trying (unrealistically) to lose 4-6 pounds a week. I'm sure people here can identify with that.

Mid-November weight was going back and forth between 137 and 138. This is the problem with weighing every day. But I was averaging about 137.5. I was really getting close to where I was going to end up, and I was slowing down even more. 2.5 pounds in that month's time.

Thanksgiving, 136.6. End of November, 135.8, and I called it done. As you can see, I've maintained it for 20.5 months. Two solid years this fall, which I'm confident I can achieve easily.

Some things to remember if you're trying to apply my experience to yours. I'm tall. I'm broad-shouldered but not terribly big-boned. Still, I'm going to have an easier time losing weight than someone who is 5 feet tall and small-framed, especially at the end (but a harder time than a 6-foot-3 muscular male -- it's just the way it is). Noella, you're 5'9", so your experience may be closer to mine, but it might not be.

I don't exercise. I should. I know I should. I try, then I crash and burn. I hate it. I especially hate it in the heat, so I don't even want to think about it in August in central Illinois. I won't go to a gym -- even pre-COVID I had no interest in exercising at a gym. I have injuries and physical issues that make exercise difficult, but that's really no excuse. I'm just a slug -- I admit it. All of this is to say that my weight loss was achieved 99% through diet alone. Not optimal, and I wish I could say that I adhered to Checklist point #10, but I didn't.

I never eat out. It's just how we are. We don't like restaurants. Even before COVID. I used to do more take-out, but I stopped that when I started MWL. I've had one take-out meal in the past year and a half, and that was out of necessity. I know others who eat out regularly and really struggle with weight maintenance.

I'm introverted. So is the Gander. What that means is, we don't socialize much. It's a big help for weight loss and maintenance if you don't ever see a potluck or an invitation to dinner. We're retired, so we don't have social obligations at work. A huge advantage, and one I know that others aren't so lucky to have.

I try to always have food on hand. Brown rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, already cooked and stored in the fridge. Tons of frozen veggies in the freezer. We put up 80-100 pounds of fresh blueberries every year, so we have high quality frozen berries for oatmeal all year round. I stockpile beans, lentils, rice, and other staples so I never run out.

I have a Gander who is totally supportive. He eats this way much of the time. In fact, I have a hard time keeping weight on him because of the way we eat (he's genetically rail-thin). He eats lots of bread and muffins, the occasional pizza, nuts, and a few other higher-calorie-density foods. But he's completely supportive of how I eat and what I need to do to keep temptation at bay. I'm so lucky, and I know it. Keeping a clean environment goes hand in hand with having compliant food prepared and ready as what I think are the two most important factors for success.

But my answer to your question of how to get the last few stubborn pounds off is this: stay the course. Keep with the Checklist until you know you've hit equilibrium (steady weight for 2-3 months). Then re-evaluate. You'll have two choices. Shift the average overall calorie density of what you're eating slightly downward (or eliminate any potentially troublesome foods -- I had to look at some condiments and those pesky rice cakes which I knew weren't MWL but I thought I could "handle"!). Or re-evaluate your goal weight. Can you live with 5 more pounds than you might have planned for, to be able to eat just the way you're eating now?

Hope that helps. Also, here are a couple of general ideas for you and anyone else who's reading this. Stay with this board as long as you want. I think there's a lot of encouragement to be found here (I can't say enough about the terrific job that Mark is doing), along with inspiration from the stories of others. There's also a Maintenance thread under "Testimonials and Success Stories" that doesn't get nearly enough activity, but which I think could be a big help once you're at that stage. I'm happy to answer any questions you have, as are many of the other "old-timers" on the various Forum boards, many of whom have lots more experience and more dramatic stories than I do!

You might also want to take a look at some of the journals over on the "My Daily Menus and Journals" board, and to read the Star McDougaller stories or watch the videos on that section of the main website. This community is a wealth of resources, almost all of it available for free (for which I again thank Dr. McDougall, Heather McDougall, and Jeff Novick, along with countless people working behind the scenes).

Goose

[Noella]

Hi Wild Goose, Thank you so much for being here with us this week while Mark is on vacation. I’m wondering if you have any insightful information or encouragement to share about losing weight as we get close to achieving a healthy size, but still have a few stubborn pounds to go. What extra challenges can we expect to experience and what might the timeline to look like? I want to have realistic expectations during the weeks and months ahead and can’t wait to get to my goal weight.

I don't know about insightful, Noella, but I can tell you what it was like for me. And of course, since I'm a gabby Goose, once I get started, this turns into a very long post!

A bit of background on me:

• Age: 65
• Gender: female
• Height: used to be 5'11.5", now probably closer to 5'10.5"
• Weight: as of today, 135.6. I try to maintain between 135 and 138
• Highest weight: 237, in about 2002. I got down to 160, back up to 200, then back and forth between 160 and 200 for years before I did MWL in earnest.
• Started MWL seriously: mid-March 2019, at 190 lb.
• Stabilized at my current weight (135-138): end of November 2019
• Current BMI: 19.2
• BMI when at the top of my maintenance weight range (138): 19.5

I kept a journal of everything I ate, the exercise I did or didn't do (to be honest, almost all the latter), how I felt, how my clothes fit. I didn't take "before" pictures, which I probably should have, but I have lots of pictures from along the way in my journal. I weighed daily. That's not recommended, and the fluctuations drove me nuts, but I also kept a rolling average that was a much more realistic assessment of how I was doing.

I checked back in my journal to see how the last "stubborn" pounds came off. I got to 150 the middle of August. I hadn't been below 150 for a long time, if ever, in my adult life. I had lost 40 pounds since I started MWL, and I was really happy with that.

The middle of September, I was 146. What??? Only four pounds in a month? Yes, that's right. It can happen. This is where the realistic expectations have to come in. Believe me, I wasn't happy as I was writing that in my journal.

The temptation, when weight loss slows down that much, is to try something drastic to "kick start" your weight loss. This is where people start to look at unsustainable options. Fasting. Intermittent fasting. Lots of exercise. Raw food diets. Even, heaven forbid, keto. Don't do it!

I didn't do anything different. Maybe upped my vegetable-starch ratio a little, but nothing that would take me out of what I thought I could permanently sustain. This is key, I think. Don't make a change that you wouldn't be willing to live with for the rest of your life, just to blast off a few pounds. Remember, weight is equilibrium between body and eating. You can change the eating side of the equation drastically to get your weight down, but if you don't sustain it, the equilibrium point shifts back upwards as your eating changes back to what it was. This is why people regain lost weight!

My mid-October weight was 140. So a 6-pound loss from mid-September to mid-October. Not bad -- I was pretty pleased with that. A far cry from the early days when I was trying (unrealistically) to lose 4-6 pounds a week. I'm sure people here can identify with that.

Mid-November weight was going back and forth between 137 and 138. This is the problem with weighing every day. But I was averaging about 137.5. I was really getting close to where I was going to end up, and I was slowing down even more. 2.5 pounds in that month's time.

Thanksgiving, 136.6. End of November, 135.8, and I called it done. As you can see, I've maintained it for 20.5 months. Two solid years this fall, which I'm confident I can achieve easily.

Some things to remember if you're trying to apply my experience to yours. I'm tall. I'm broad-shouldered but not terribly big-boned. Still, I'm going to have an easier time losing weight than someone who is 5 feet tall and small-framed, especially at the end (but a harder time than a 6-foot-3 muscular male -- it's just the way it is). Noella, you're 5'9", so your experience may be closer to mine, but it might not be.

I don't exercise. I should. I know I should. I try, then I crash and burn. I hate it. I especially hate it in the heat, so I don't even want to think about it in August in central Illinois. I won't go to a gym -- even pre-COVID I had no interest in exercising at a gym. I have injuries and physical issues that make exercise difficult, but that's really no excuse. I'm just a slug -- I admit it. All of this is to say that my weight loss was achieved 99% through diet alone. Not optimal, and I wish I could say that I adhered to Checklist point #10, but I didn't.

I never eat out. It's just how we are. We don't like restaurants. Even before COVID. I used to do more take-out, but I stopped that when I started MWL. I've had one take-out meal in the past year and a half, and that was out of necessity. I know others who eat out regularly and really struggle with weight maintenance.

I'm introverted. So is the Gander. What that means is, we don't socialize much. It's a big help for weight loss and maintenance if you don't ever see a potluck or an invitation to dinner. We're retired, so we don't have social obligations at work. A huge advantage, and one I know that others aren't so lucky to have.

I try to always have food on hand. Brown rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, already cooked and stored in the fridge. Tons of frozen veggies in the freezer. We put up 80-100 pounds of fresh blueberries every year, so we have high quality frozen berries for oatmeal all year round. I stockpile beans, lentils, rice, and other staples so I never run out.

I have a Gander who is totally supportive. He eats this way much of the time. In fact, I have a hard time keeping weight on him because of the way we eat (he's genetically rail-thin). He eats lots of bread and muffins, the occasional pizza, nuts, and a few other higher-calorie-density foods. But he's completely supportive of how I eat and what I need to do to keep temptation at bay. I'm so lucky, and I know it. Keeping a clean environment goes hand in hand with having compliant food prepared and ready as what I think are the two most important factors for success.

But my answer to your question of how to get the last few stubborn pounds off is this: stay the course. Keep with the Checklist until you know you've hit equilibrium (steady weight for 2-3 months). Then re-evaluate. You'll have two choices. Shift the average overall calorie density of what you're eating slightly downward (or eliminate any potentially troublesome foods -- I had to look at some condiments and those pesky rice cakes which I knew weren't MWL but I thought I could "handle"!). Or re-evaluate your goal weight. Can you live with 5 more pounds than you might have planned for, to be able to eat just the way you're eating now?

Hope that helps. Also, here are a couple of general ideas for you and anyone else who's reading this. Stay with this board as long as you want. I think there's a lot of encouragement to be found here (I can't say enough about the terrific job that Mark is doing), along with inspiration from the stories of others. There's also a Maintenance thread under "Testimonials and Success Stories" that doesn't get nearly enough activity, but which I think could be a big help once you're at that stage. I'm happy to answer any questions you have, as are many of the other "old-timers" on the various Forum boards, many of whom have lots more experience and more dramatic stories than I do!

You might also want to take a look at some of the journals over on the "My Daily Menus and Journals" board, and to read the Star McDougaller stories or watch the videos on that section of the main website. This community is a wealth of resources, almost all of it available for free (for which I again thank Dr. McDougall, Heather McDougall, and Jeff Novick, along with countless people working behind the scenes).

Goose

Hi Goose, Thank you SO much for so clearly explaining your experience with losing the last few pounds. I have read your post three times already! I know that I will refer to this many times over the weeks and months ahead. I have read your other posts that are linked below your signature, too, and these are extremely helpful and inspiring.

I like your idea of reevaluating after about two-three months of staying at the exact same weight. That's where I am right now: My weight has been in the mid 150's for a while now and I have to make a choice. It's an easy one: I know that I need to lose at least 10 (and maybe even 20!) more pounds because I can easily see excess weight when I look in the mirror. My goal is to get as much weight off my knee joints as possible, avoid knee surgery. Discovering that I can also achieve a better overall appearance is a wonderful bonus, as is the improvements in my health.

I REALLY appreciate reading your reminder that we are all welcome to participate on the MWL thread to receive support for as long as we need to and that we can then join the Maintenance Group to continue for ongoing support. All of the success stories, newsletters and other forums are an incredible resource to explore and I can read these for hours each week.

I, too, want to thank Dr. McDougall, Heather McDougall, Jeff Novick, Dr. Lisle, Mark and you along with countless others who are working behind the scenes as well as all of the participants who share their real life experiences with MWL here each week. THANK YOU, EVERYONE!

Noella

[Zoey]

Weight change +/- in lbs: Only down -0.1 this week. There were times in the beginning when I wouldn't even have reported these miniscule tenths. But they do keep adding up eventually, so I continue to keep track.

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).


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
My thumbs down for #8 happened on Monday. A terrible round of stress-drinking. I'm just happy to report that I haven't even looked in wine's direction since that evening.
Also, I'm very thankful for Noella's question and Wildgoose's thorough and informative answer. Yes, I will be referring back to that post many times in the future, I'm sure! Like Noella, I have to get these ten pounds off, and possibly ten more after that. Slow road, but I'm feeling too good to veer off to a different one.
Hang in there, everyone!

[veggiemelt]

Weight change +/- in lbs: -3.1 - I'm making myself celebrate this, even though I've seen this number recently. I've been on a sad little rollercoaster for the past couple of months. I'm ready for some virgin territory on the scale!

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Not quite but doing better!
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals. This week was more SS than MWL due to unexpectedly taking care of my mom.
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. Done! ✔️
4. Eliminate all animal foods. Done! ✔️
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods. Almost! I had some avocado this week.
6. Eliminate any added oil. Done!✔️
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products. Had bread more than I should have.
8. Don't drink your calories. Done! ✔️
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.First part of the week was excellent, the second part was feast/famine.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily, I increased my steps some this week. Weight lifted my mother!

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Overall I'm happy with this week! I was surprised to see a 3 pound drop, even though the prior week had been a gain. But I'll take it! The week started out great. I planned, I made a great pre-load soup, and focused on the checklist. Then my mom had an injury (which turned out to be arthritis) so I spent the second half of the week lifting her from wheelchair to bathroom, to bed. I suddenly found myself without pre-planned food and some really long stretches without food, followed by late night catch-ups. I am grateful for the weekend to re-fuel.

[Health 1st]

Weight change +/- in lbs:  -5

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.----Definitely have not mastered this one, though believe will do better in coming weeks as can do more shopping + food prep.

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.----Doing great with the 50/50 plate/bowl.

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.----100% compliant

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).----100% compliant

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).----100% compliant

6. Eliminate any added oil.----100% compliant

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.---Did fine except I did have 1 previously homemade seitan Italian "Sausage" in an Ezekiel bread bun as part of a different birthday celebration for my Dad (last 1 for this year).  Since I made the "Sausage" I know there was no added fat and minimal salt.  Also had 2 rice cakes as a snack 1 time when I had a skipped breakfast + very late lunch.

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).----100% compliant

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.----As mentioned for #7, 1 day I had such a hectic morning, wasn't hungry, it was very hot, so I didn't eat until a late lunch.  Hunger-wise I could have eaten a couple hours sooner. That day I only had 2 meals + a snack (the aforementioned 2 rice cakes).

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).----I've been able to do more household activities + be on my feet longer, so this is the most active I've been since I started.  But I still haven't been able to actually exercise yet due to pain.  Standing is still the hardest thing for me to do.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: 

----Sounds like a wonderful vacation, Mark!  Hope you + your family have a great time!! Wildgoose, thank you for not only taking care of the weigh-ins this week, but your lengthy response to Noella--helpful to us all!!

----I know that the Italian "Sausage" wasn't MWL compliant, or the 2 rice cakes. I am not trying to justify my deviating from the MWL protocol at all.  But I am acknowledging that, since MWL is about behavior, my behaviors are changing for the good because these off-plan items were super controlled (didn't have 2 or 3 "sausages" + it was for a celebration rather than no reason), + it didn't cause me to de-rail (SO important for me!!).  My reason for having the rice cakes was not to have a cheat, but because I was legitimately hungry.  This is where being able to do more food prep will help me a lot because then I could have rather had a potato, etc.. 

----I am shocked (but very grateful!) that I lost 5 pounds this week!  I did have a scant less oatmeal each day this week because l was realizing I didn't need as much as previous weeks.  I also ate a lot of homegrown tomatoes + cooked zucchini from a friend's garden, so I'm sure that helped with the loss (gain in health! ), too.

----I started exactly 1 month ago today + couldn't be happier with how I'm feeling + looking!  And I know I'd feel even better if it weren't from recuperating + still having a lot of pain + muscle tightness.  I look forward to my b/p continuing to go lower, but am very pleased with the reductions I've already had, + that I've had no angina for a couple weeks or any other symptoms of impending doom that easily could have led to a heart attack, stroke, +/or death--what a burden lifted!!!  Finally, my total loss for this 1 month is 31.9 pounds--unbelievable!!!  But as I mentioned earlier this week in my journal, it's all due to what Dr. McDougall so wisely says, "It's the food!"!!!  I can't thank Dr. McDougall, Mary, Heather, Jeff, Mark, wildgoose, + everyone else for doing so much to spread this wonderful, positive life-changing health message + for helping us so much!!!  Much gratitude + love!

---This completes my novel.

[Gimmelean]

Weight change +/- in lbs: +.04

8/06/2021. 123.6
8/13/2031. 124.0

1.Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes

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. Yes

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.Yes

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

5.Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).Yes

6.Eliminate any added oil.Yes

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. Bread this week. Some mini pretzels Makes a difference. Now I realize how little I miss that stuff.

8.Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Yes

9.Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Yes


10.Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Yes. Increasing exercise has helped.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions. 1/4 lb up this week. When I kind of adhere, it kind of works. When I’m really conscientiously focused which means always being “on” it really works. The week ahead will be better. Hope the same for all!

[Gabby7]

Weight change +/- in lbs:  0

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES
3. 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. YES
5. 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. YES
7. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). YES
9. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). YES
11. Eliminate any added oil. YES
13. 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. YES
15. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). YES
17. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. YES
18. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). YES

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: That time of the month for me seems to have stopped any loss. Happy to maintain and increased activity this week 55k steps! Look forward to seeing scale progress next week. For victories I went to the gym and had body fat measured and down 4% since March! Proof that you don’t need to eat fat to lose fat! Hope everyone has a great weekend and week ahead!

[VegSeekingFit]

…I am feeling "locked-in" for breakfast (salad, fruit, potato waffle made in George Foreman grill)... I make it on auto-pilot and am very happy with this meal!!

My yoga pants are getting loose !!

Hope that everyone has a great week!!! I feel so gratified to read everyone's experiences and learn from all who participates on this thread... so, YAY to you all!! Thank you!!!

Best,
Stephanie

Hi Stephanie,
Sounds like you are doing great! I would love to know how you make potato waffles.
Noella

Hi Noella!!

I found the potato waffle concept on these Boards a few years ago... It is simply a large hashbrown!!

You can use either a non-stick waffle maker or panini press or George Foreman grill.

Heat up the grill - maybe takes 5 minutes. Then, pour frozen shredded potatoes onto it. Leave them alone for about 12-15 minutes. Done!!!

I hope you enjoy if you try!!!

Also, wanted to say a big congrats to you on your journey!! Your posts are inspiring!!

Take care,
Stephanie

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi MWL Team! Hope everyone is having a great week!

Weight Change - 1.4 lbs. Loss
Current weight - 137.6 lbs.
Last Week weight - 139.0 lbs.

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes, most of the time.

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. Yes, most of the time.

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. Yes.

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

5 Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Yes.

6 Eliminate any added oil. Yes.

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. I had 2 handfuls of pretzels this week. No excuse / reason why. They weren't even that good.

8 Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Yes.

9 Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Yes.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes. I hit my 70K steps goal for the week and will continue that for next week. It was a challenging weather week --- thunderstorms, tornado watches, heat warnings... Oh my!! This makes me remember that I need to prioritize getting a new treadmill before the weather turns cold here in Chicagoland, IL. I am in search of a treadmill that does NOT have any fancy bells or whistles and does NOT connect to the Internet. I like some cool features, but this is what broke on my old treadmill. It is difficult to find any low-tech exercise equipment!!!

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
I have found salad nirvana... Seriously, had butter leaf lettuce with a tomato and red onions this morning and topped it with a couple of spoonfuls of smashed pinto beans and salsa. Delicious!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. Keep going!!!

Cheers,
Stephanie

[wildgoose]

The window for reporting this week's weigh-in and behavioral results has officially closed.

The remainder of my replies and the weekly summary will follow.

[wildgoose]

cmcavazos2 — Good job! Not only in weight loss, but in food choices. I think you bring up an interesting observation when you talk about not feeling overly food focused. When the program starts feeling more automatic -- when you don't feel like you have to focus on it as much -- it means it's taking a lot less energy, and thus giving you more energy for regular life. I know when I did the McDougall 10-day online program back in October, it meant 10 days of focusing intently on my program. I hadn't done that in a long time (but it was a great thing to do, in addition to all the other benefits I got from participating), and I really noticed the difference in energy.

Zoey — 0.1 down is 0.1 down. It's still a loss . But you understood where some of those extra calories came from this week, and you've proven to yourself why item #8 is on the Checklist. Next week will probably look different without those liquid additions. Small variations in your overall calorie density can affect you more, too, as you get closer to your goal weight. Yes, it's slow, but keep focusing on how good you feel!

veggiemelt — I'm sorry your mother has not been well -- hope she's doing better. Caregiving takes a lot out of you, and it's hard to pre-plan as well when you're focused on what you need to do for a loved one. Still, the experience gave you more information that will help you know how to stay steady in a stressful situation in the future. Going a long time without food can be a problem -- it usually means you get way too hungry, and that can lead to mindlessly eating anything in sight! Looks like you managed to avoid that wide-open Pleasure Trap, so kudos to you for that!

Health 1st — Nice loss! Not unusual for someone at the beginning who still has a considerable amount of weight to lose, but really nice to see! I hear you on eating rice cakes because you're hungry and you don't have anything readily at hand. I've done it -- I think we all have. But I try to have roasted sweet potatoes in the fridge, because I found that a piece of cold sweet potato really staves off my hunger, and it's quick to grab. Maybe you can plan something similar for those times when the rice-cake-monster strikes!
If you're interested in moving more without standing, you might want to look into various forms of chair exercise, from strength training to yoga. It might make you feel good without putting undue strain on painful joints. And household activities count, especially for someone who has been completely sedentary.
Congratulations on a successful first month, and here's to many more of the same!

Gimmelean — I'm going to keep this quote of yours: "When I kind of adhere, it kind of works." The simple truth, in a nutshell! Perfectly said. You know what to do, and you know how to do it. You'll get back on track next week. The Checklist gives you the ideal framework. You see where your problem areas are -- just like my problem areas, those "dry" starches (bread, pretzels, etc.). They really tip the calorie density average upwards, with the expected results. I'm glad you won't miss them if you don't eat them!

Gabby7 — Sometimes when your weight loss stalls one week, you see a good result the following week. Ten "yeses" on the Checklist is something to be proud of, along with 55k steps (wow!) and a 4% body fat loss. It proves that success isn't just measured by the scale. You are so right, you don't need to eat fat to lose fat. Remember, Dr. McDougall always says "the fat you eat is the fat you wear."

VegSeekingFit — We have step champs this week! Congratulations on 70k, Stephanie! Especially when I know your weather has been the same as ours, 200 miles south of you. (We had the same storms as you did, all around us. Fortunately, they totally missed our specific area. But we had the heat! Oh my.) Good luck on finding a low-tech treadmill. If you come up with a winner, I hope you share it with the group.
Your salad sounds wonderful. I love butter leaf lettuce. The heat has destroyed all the greens in our raised bed, but earlier in the spring we had a great crop.
Pretzels and rice cakes seem to be the Pleasure Trap foods of choice this week. And you're the second person to report that they didn't taste that good.

Goose