Stephanie's Journal - One Bite at a Time...

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

Moderators: JeffN, f1jim, carolve, Heather McDougall

8/27 MWL Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Fri Aug 27, 2021 7:35 pm

Hello,


Below is WIP for next week's MWL behavior assessment / weigh in that I will copy to the MWL thread.

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

Weight Change - 0.2 lbs. Gain
Current weight - 136.2 lbs.
Last Week weight - 136.0 lbs.

I am taking the scale reading in stride this week as I honestly would have expected a different result. :nod: The pants that were getting loose a few weeks ago are now falling down... :oops: Anyway, will wait for next week's weight to determine whether any further action is needed...

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

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. :D

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 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes for 4 of 7 days. Cumulatively walked more than 210 minutes on those days, but was slothful for the other 3 days. Will get back on track this week for 70K steps.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

I did NOT record my food and exercise this week to simplify. This was a great decision for a stressful time... However, this week my stress level is down greatly!! Was a work issue that I was losing sleep over and has now been (primarily) resolved. So, I am going to resume recording food & exercise for the following week weigh in as I do see value in being able to go back and review... :-D

The positive about stress week is that I have learned...
1) If I make a bad food choice, it is water under the bridge. Just move forward (right away) with eating recommended foods.
For last weigh in, I stress ate rice cake with peanut butter. Haven't had either of these items since before 5/2 (when I started following MWL checklist).... Also, these choices can be a dangerous thing for me as they sure led to a good percentage of the Pandemic 23 lbs. that I gained. I have not had any other brushes with foods that should not be on my plate this week.... :cool:
2) Sometimes I may overcomplicate (in my own mind) compliance with MWL. It can be very simple! I have to remember that in future times of stress that I can easily put together MWL meals that take less time than non-compliant choices. So, future stress should not be an excuse to derail.

For this week, I kept meals very simple.
* Mainly for Breakfast I had salad and / or fruit (Sugar Kiss cantaloupe!) with potato waffle. Sometimes I also had a couple of spoonfuls of smashed beans.
*Lunch and dinner were mainly potatoes or sweet potatoes with salad and / or fruit ... also sometimes a bit more smashed beans and usually gazpacho at lunch for preload.
*I did have a craving for whole wheat pasta on Wednesday -- so made a pot of it at lunchtime. Was too lazy (and didn't have much time as a work day) to make a large pan of water sauteed veggies that I usually use with the pasta. So, simply dumped Pomi strained tomatoes (with a bit of garlic powder and basil) over the drained pasta. Then put layer of pasta in bowl and topped it more than 50/50 with salad. Pretty weird but good and super easy.
*Did another such salad bowl with beans, potatoes, salsa... just dump more than same volume salad in with the starches... Yum!

Victory - I found a buddy who will walk a 5K with me the weekend after Labor Day!! My son may join as well.

Hope that everyone has an excellent week!!

Best,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
User avatar
VegSeekingFit
 
Posts: 1324
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:21 am
Location: Illinois

9/3 MWL Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Fri Aug 27, 2021 7:57 pm

Hello,

Here is where I will record food and exercise in support of 9/3 MWL behavioral assessment report / weigh in.

I am happy to restart this recording of food & exercise ... :)

Friday 8/27:
B1 - Frozen mango, pineapple, cherries - PL
Yukon gold, smashed black beans, butter lettuce, red onion, salsa - 50/50 (ate 1/2 of initially plated portion)
L2 - Gazpacho - PL
Remainder of B1 - 50/50
Frozen cherries
D3: Pasta with tomato sauce topped with salad greens - 50/50
E- Walking - 40 min before lunch (would have gone longer but very hot & humid)

Saturday 8/28:
B4: Butter lettuce, red onion, kumato, smashed black beans & NSA salsa
Banana & blueberries - 50/50 with above
L5:Yukon gold with tomato sauce
Raspberries & blueberries - 50/50 with above
Now I will have to explain myself.... Went to a party ... Ate before. Did NOT eat anything at party as no compliant choices. Even salad was catered with cheese. :duh: Was going to pack a "snack" for in car in case, but these hosts usually have some stuff - veg tray, fruit tray, salad (w/o cheese) and we stayed about 3 hours longer than expected. This created a bad situation. Learning - always pack a snack!!!
D6: McD Soup Cup - used partial packet (was going to stop with that...)
Rice cake with peanut butter (the peanut butter no longer resides here... will buy it next time my son is home and send it back to school with him) :mrgreen:
E-Walking - 70 min. before B

Sunday 8/29:
B7: Butter lettuce, red onion, grape tomatoes, kumato, smashed black beans, NSA salsa - PL
1/2 banana & frozen cherries
Potato waffle w/GS - 50/50 with above
L8: Butter lettuce, shredded carrots, red onion over pasta shells with tomato sauce - 50/50
No D
E: Walking - 62 min. before L

Monday 8/30:
B9: Green leaf lettuce, iceburg lettuce, red onion, shredded carrots, radishes, kumato, with RIce V and ED Seasoning - PL
Santa Claus melon & watermelon
Potato waffle w/GS - 50/50 with above
L10: Gazpacho - PL
Raspberries & blueberries
Grape tomatoes & baby cukes
Sweet potato with Sloppy lentils - 50/50 with above
D11: Mug of No Chick Brown rice soup - 50/50
E: Walking - 40 min. before B, 44 min before L

Tuesday 8/31:
B12: Green leaf lettuce, iceburg lettuce, red onion, shredded carrots, radishes, kumato, with RIce V and ED Seasoning - PL
Santa Claus melon & watermelon
Potato waffle w/GS - 50/50 with above
L13: Gazpacho - PL
Small part of salad leftover from B12
Raspberries & blueberries
Sloppy lentils - 50/50 with above
D14: Split pea veggie soup - 50/50
S15: No Chick Brown rice soup - 50/50
E: Walking - 40 min. before B, 23 min. before L, 16 min after D

Wednesday 9/1:
B16: Green leaf lettuce, iceburg lettuce, red onion, shredded carrots, radishes, kumato, with RIce V and ED Seasoning - PL
Santa Claus melon & watermelon
Potato waffle w/GS - 50/50 with above (did not finish all of potato... )
L17: Celery, radishes, Marzetti tomatoes - PL
White nectarine & blueberries
No Chick Brown rice soup - 50/50 with above -- did not finish
D18: Remainder of No Chick Brown rice soup (from L17) - 50/50
E: Walking - 32 min before B, 33 min before L

Thursday 9/2:
B19: Green leaf lettuce, iceburg lettuce, red onion, shredded carrots, radishes, kumato, with RIce V and ED Seasoning - PL
Santa Claus melon & watermelon
Potato waffle and a few spoonfuls of Sloppy Lentils - 50/50 with above
L20: Gazpacho - PL
Leftover melon from B19
Split pea veggie soup - 50/50 with above
No D
E: Walking - 49 min before L, 22 min before D


Missed PL: D3, B4, L5, D6, L8, D11, D14, S15, D18
Missed 50/50: D6

Hi to all MWL participants! Hi Mark and Jeff and Goose! Thank you to all who participate in any way on these threads. I feel like this is a life line and so encouraging. Thank you especially to Mark Cooper who is kind, patient, and astute... :-D

Hope everyone is enjoying last hurrah of Summer!

Weight change - 1.4 lbs. Loss
Current weight - 134.8 lbs.
Last Week weight - 136.2 lbs.


1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Sometimes. Missed 9/20 meals this week. It is weird for me to quantify this because I thought that I had done better. I think that I am doing ok overall with managing calorie density down -- but maybe need to pay more attention here if scale stalls.

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. :D Only missed 1/20 meals this week.

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. :D

5 Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Well... I had peanut butter again (once, on one rice cake) after going to a party and NOT eating anything there (nothing compliant). The peanut butter was thrown away. I will have to "re-buy" when my son comes home. :mrgreen:

6 Eliminate any added oil. Yes! I do not add oil and only have this if eating out.

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. See #5. Rice cake holds no interest for me without peanut butter. :mrgreen:

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. Got at least 30 minutes in every day. Also met my 70K step goal for this week. Will continue that for next week.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

I have been following the MWL Checklist for about 4 months now. This has helped me to greatly improve my physical and mental health!!! :D I am pretty excited about it (I think I have it memorized)! Reviewing the checklist frequently has helped me to more quickly react to anomalies before they become "new" behaviors (if that makes any sense). Also, it has helped me to make sure that I am considering all aspects and not glossing over certain things that I may not prefer to follow... :mrgreen:

I have lost 24 lbs. in 4 months. They are gone for good. I am not going back. :cool:

Habits that I like and will continue on with include regular exercise (which right now is just walking for me). I am committed to getting a new treadmill before mid-October so that I can continue this (even when weather is yucky). I need to make a point of walking about 70 minutes to accumulate average 10K steps / day. This is not really difficult to do - and is often broken up into parts per day.

I also found that I really like salads! Even as a breakfast preload!! In fact, especially as a breakfast preload. I feel great when I start the day with a walk and a salad! :lol: I do like the smashed bean and NSA salsa for dressing and also plain rice vinegar (no sodium, no sugar) with air dried chives and a couple grinds of seasoning blend. I am still experimenting here!!!

My favorite appliance is 2 quart slow cooker. This week I have made: split pea veggie soup, no chick brown rice soup, black beans, and sloppy lentils in it. I have a small refrigerator - so like a manageable amount of leftovers.

I have been reading some old MWL threads. There is a wealth of information out there!!!

Wishing everyone a compliant and WONDERFUL weekend! For those of us in the US, Happy Labor Day!!! I am making Jeff Basic burger recipe and oven fries to celebrate! :)

Best,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
User avatar
VegSeekingFit
 
Posts: 1324
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:21 am
Location: Illinois

9/10 MWL Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Fri Sep 03, 2021 7:30 pm

Hi,

Here is where I will record Food and Exercise in support of next week's MWL weigh in / behavioral assessment...

Today (Friday 9/3), I am so excited to have had a "free day" off work... "Day of Rest". So, gratitude for that. I have had an empty house today and have been able to watch some McD DVD's (can buy on this website). I loved especially the one by Dr. John McD on Maximum Weight Loss (first one to watch on "Money Saving Medical Advice" DVD). I also watch Esselstyn's from Advanced Study weekend and have to say GREAT!!!

Hi now at 9/9...

I have been really sick from Monday - Thursday. I have again stopped recording food / exercise - as it was not 100% compliant with MWL checklist and I didn't have the energy to do so. I think that I have Covid.. Rapid test says no... still waiting for other test results. Have 8 of 12 symptoms of the common symptoms of Covid... Could certainly be something else, but I have to say that I have never experienced this level of incapacitation from a flu or cold... I got tested on Tuesday at a drive thru -- you do your own testing thing ... If it comes back negative, think I will re-test. I am dumbfounded at how I could have "caught" anything... I am vaccinated and I mask ... even when they said you don't have to mask in stores, I still masked and avoided gatherings of many people.... I am a crazed handwasher and have disinfectant gel in my purse and car...

Anyway, not looking for sympathy but will just factually say: I have been couched (very little movement) from Mon-Thurs (starting to feel like a human on Thurs)... Had a hard time to find easy testing facility... first one I went to was "open" on Internet but really "closed"... Took all of the energy that I had at the time to find it and go there,.. Then, walking around with mask -- trying to find it... and seeing others do the same. Called them multiple times and no answer... was sweating through my clothes... Came home crying because I was trying to do the right thing and was all out of energy. Went home and found another testing place ... it was weirder than weird. You follow the instructions and put your own samples ... I have to be honest that I want a valid result, but no way that I will put this nasal thing up as far on myself as someone else might...

Friday 9/3:
B1: Green leaf lettuce, iceburg lettuce, shredded carrots, radishes, grape tomatoes, Rice V, chives, Everyday seasoning - PL
White nectarine & blueberries
Yukon gold & sloppy lentils - 50/50 with above
L2: Gazpacho (last of and probably won't make again until next summer)... PL
Watermelon (finished)
No Chick Brown Rice soup - 50/50 with above
D3: Veggie stew - 50/50
E: Walking - 38 min before L; shopping..

Saturday 9/4:

I could go back and add Sat / Sun food and exercise...

Here is what I will post to MWL forum for the week:

Hi MWL peeps,

Hope that everyone is having a great week!! :cool:

I am sorry to be early ... and I am not weighing this week, but still intending to follow MWL Checklist for the long term (and will report on compliance with behaviours). I got really sick on Sunday night. Waiting for longer test COVID results. Before this time, I did a good job (IMO) following the MWL checklist. From Monday to this Thurs PM, I have been so fatigued that even making rice in rice cooker would be a "job"... ;-) :oops:

Background - I have been really sick from Monday - Thursday. I have again stopped recording food / exercise - as it was not 100% compliant with MWL checklist and I didn't have the energy to do so. I think that I have Covid.. Rapid test says no... still waiting for other test results. Have 8 of 12 symptoms of the common symptoms of Covid... Could certainly be something else, but I have to say that I have never experienced this level of incapacitation from a flu or cold... I got tested on Tuesday at a drive thru -- you do your own testing thing ... If it comes back negative, think I will re-test. I am dumbfounded at how I could have "caught" anything... I am vaccinated and I mask ... even when they said you don't have to mask in stores, I still masked and avoided gatherings of many people.... I am a crazed handwasher and have disinfectant gel in my purse and car...

Anyway, not looking for sympathy but will just factually say: I have been couched (very little movement) from Mon-Thurs (starting to feel like a human on Thurs)... Had a hard time to find easy testing facility... first one I went to was "open" on Internet but really "closed"... Took all of the energy that I had at the time to find it and go there,.. Then, walking around with mask -- trying to find it... and seeing others do the same. Called them multiple times and no answer... was sweating through my clothes... Came home crying because I was trying to do the right thing and was all out of energy. Went home and found another testing place ... it was weirder than weird. You follow the instructions and put your own samples ... I have to be honest that I want a valid result, but no way that I will put this nasal thing up as far on myself as someone else might...

I don't think that my change in weight will have any bearing on my compliance with the checklist this week and it could be down (not hungry) or up (too much salt).... When I initially started following the Checklist, I hardly weighed... :-D Crazy?? I knew that I was doing the right thing and didn't want to be discouraged. Today, I don't feel a "good" or "bad" weigh in does me any good or would change what I intend to do...

Weight change - N/A
Current weight - 134.8 lbs.
Last Week weight - 134.8 lbs.


1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. INo. I did this some before I got sick. I need to go back to this when I feel better/

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.
No. I have found some great ideas for 50/50 plate that I can take forward. I did do this consistently until I got sick. After, I have incorporated fruit more / veggies less. Also, have probably been more starch heavy.


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. No. I have used more convenience soup (like McD cups) than I would normally do while sick.
When I have energy back, the convenience soups would be a rare occasion.


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

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

6 Eliminate any added oil. Yes! I do not add oil and only have this if eating out.

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. When I was sick, I had my homemade no fat bean dip on whole wheat toast (that I had made for salad)... It was super easy to make toast... This is not going to trigger Pleasure Trap for me... was just easier to put together on toast and veggies were not attractive at time...

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. I'm not sure. Mostly. Tried to eat at least soup at meal times. I didn't really stuff or starve, but may not have recognized hunger at times.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Ha ha!! Nope. Fail. But, with reason of being sick. Will pick this back up when I feel that I can. I am :crybaby: super sad to have to miss the 5K that I recruited friend to walk with me...

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Was obviously not a banner week for me... Did the best that I could (IMO)... with being sick.

Just trying to recover in a sensible way and get right back with MWL checklist when I can. Today I actually feel human, so soon!! :)

I hope that I haven't been a downer - just didn't want to skip reporting -- as I am still in!!!

Wishing everyone health and happiness!! :cool: :D

Cheers,
Stephanie
Last edited by VegSeekingFit on Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:47 am, edited 3 times in total.
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
User avatar
VegSeekingFit
 
Posts: 1324
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:21 am
Location: Illinois

Re: Stephanie's Journal - One Bite at a Time...

Postby Lizzy_F » Sat Sep 04, 2021 8:15 am

Hi Stephanie! Wow - I LOVE the way you process your journey in your journal. I want to thank you now for sharing the way you do. I will be going back for a much deeper read! Your meal details are helpful to me. Also, the way you process your MWL check list is helpful. I don't feel quite ready to go all-in on MWL yet, but I hope to get there someday and reading about your experiences gives me a lot to think about. It's like I can see you on the road in front of me, and you are showing me where the pot holes are!

I can relate to your comments about NSA products and the pandemic. Despite living in the 3rd largest city in Illinois, there is no Whole Foods or Trader Joes here. Pre-pandemic there was starting to be a lot more regular availability of NSA products, organic products, etc. When the pandemic hit, the shelves empties (like everywhere) and what came back was not NSA and organic stuff!! That is still limited around here. So for now I am doing the best I can and will worry more about NSA everything down the road, I think. At least I can rinse beans! I'm also going to try cooking my own in the crock pot. I've never had success with that, but it's inexpensive to try to figure it out! :D I'm a little worried about the Delta variant and the supply chain. Sam's Club is back to limiting toilet paper purchases to 1 package per customer and that was the first sign of trouble to come back in 2020 LOL! So we're stocking up again around here.

Anyway...wandering way off topic but just wanted to say how much I enjoyed an initial breeze through your journal and how much I'm looking forward to more in-depth reading!
Beth

"Long-term sustainable change is what we are really after." ~Jeff Novick
User avatar
Lizzy_F
 
Posts: 925
Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2013 11:21 am

Re: Stephanie's Journal - One Bite at a Time...

Postby VegSeekingFit » Thu Sep 09, 2021 6:27 pm

Lizzy_F wrote:Hi Stephanie! Wow - I LOVE the way you process your journey in your journal. I want to thank you now for sharing the way you do. I will be going back for a much deeper read! Your meal details are helpful to me. Also, the way you process your MWL check list is helpful. I don't feel quite ready to go all-in on MWL yet, but I hope to get there someday and reading about your experiences gives me a lot to think about. It's like I can see you on the road in front of me, and you are showing me where the pot holes are!

I can relate to your comments about NSA products and the pandemic. Despite living in the 3rd largest city in Illinois, there is no Whole Foods or Trader Joes here. Pre-pandemic there was starting to be a lot more regular availability of NSA products, organic products, etc. When the pandemic hit, the shelves empties (like everywhere) and what came back was not NSA and organic stuff!! That is still limited around here. So for now I am doing the best I can and will worry more about NSA everything down the road, I think. At least I can rinse beans! I'm also going to try cooking my own in the crock pot. I've never had success with that, but it's inexpensive to try to figure it out! :D I'm a little worried about the Delta variant and the supply chain. Sam's Club is back to limiting toilet paper purchases to 1 package per customer and that was the first sign of trouble to come back in 2020 LOL! So we're stocking up again around here.

Anyway...wandering way off topic but just wanted to say how much I enjoyed an initial breeze through your journal and how much I'm looking forward to more in-depth reading!


Hi Lizzy,

I hope that I can help anyone avoid any "pot holes"... That would be awesome!!! :) I would only advise people to understand and follow the checklist (for whichever program - MWL or regular McD)... and make sure that you really understand. Jeff Novick will answer clarifying questions with regard to the checklist. I feel like he genuinely wants to help people (and has helped a gazillion people). I think that his Calorie Density video that Mark Cooper has linked on the MWL thread is key. :)

With regard to the NSA products, I was freaking out and I have managed through it. Jeff N. clarified the requirements and I think that we try to understand thoroughly and then do the best that we can... :)

With regard to the crock pot beans, Mary McD has a video of it... Super easy... I use her method (just a smaller crock). Beans come out awesome every time.

I agree with you on supply chain strangeness... I think I have the Covid ... ironic as I am vaccinated and am probably most risk averse person that I know on this topic... who wore mask in stores even when mask mandate ended... haven't gone to any restaurant inside eating (have done 4 times outside)... walk across the street when I encounter other person walking...avoid large gatherings and socially distance. But, what will be will be...

I wish you the best on your journey ... Hope to meet you in November!!!

Best,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
User avatar
VegSeekingFit
 
Posts: 1324
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:21 am
Location: Illinois

9/17 MWL Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sat Sep 18, 2021 11:05 am

Hi Team MWL,

Hope that everyone is having a great week!! :cool:

Thank you to Chris and Mark Cooper for supportive comments last week! Much appreciated - and put a smile on my face.

I am still a bit under the weather, but feeling more and more human each day.

Weight change - 1.6 lbs. Loss
Current weight - 133.2 lbs.
Last Week weight - 134.8 lbs.


1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Not frequently. I will focus more here over the next week.

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.
Not 100%, but better than the prior week. I have started to make sure that I am 100% with this item. Without focus, I tend to eat heavier on the starch.


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. Better than last week. However, as I am recovering still used more convenience soup (like McD cups) than I would normally do. Also, had fruit preserves one time.

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

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

6 Eliminate any added oil. Yes! I do not add oil and only have this if eating out.

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. Better than last week. I did have whole wheat toast for two meals. I don't expect it to be difficult to remove the toast from regular meals - was just a "feeling sick" indulgence..

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. I ate when hungry and didn't stuff.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
No. I haven't gotten back to exercise yet. I am going to start today, but may be taking 10-15 minute walks. Will see how it goes. Sometime soon will get back to my goal of at least 10K steps / day.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Appreciate being part of this group. I like the "practicing" of getting back on track after being imperfect in a supportive environment. This really helps me feel confident about long-term compliance because reality is not 100% perfect. I am glad to share this journey with others!

This weekend I have picked up groceries and prepped some food for the week.
* Cut up 3 melons - cantaloupe, honeydew, mini watermelon.
* Batch cooked brown rice and frozen in individual servings.
* Stocked up on greens - including a couple of heads of a locally grown hydroponic lettuce - Gotham Greens - which are delicious!
* Slow cooking a pot of pinto beans which will be smashed.
* Cut up 2 lbs. of radishes (love them...)
* Batch cooked a double recipe of Jeff Basic Bean burgers. I keep tweaking this template and it gets better each time. This time I used: 2 cans kidney beans, 1 c. dry old fashioned oats, 1 c. brown rice, 2 small chopped jalapenos, 1 small chopped red onion, 1/2 chopped bell pepper, 4 T. salsa, several dashes of hot sauce. It's a keeper!!! I make these with George Foreman grill and it is super simple and they come out great.

Hope that everyone has a great weekend! Happy McD'ing!

Cheers,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
User avatar
VegSeekingFit
 
Posts: 1324
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:21 am
Location: Illinois

9/24 MWL Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sat Sep 18, 2021 11:21 am

Hello,

Well, I am ready to get back (again) to tracking food and exercise. Still feeling a bit yucky, but better every day. Have no clue what I had... both covid tests (rapid & PCR) came back negative. So, onward.... :)

Friday 9/17:
B1: Banana -PL
Gotham greens, red onion, smashed pinto beans, salsa, potato waffle - 50/50
L2: Grapes - PL
Pasta with tomato sauce 50/50 over Gotham greens
D3: Frozen mango, peaches, cherries 50/50 with
Bean burger with BBQ
E: None

Saturday 9/18:
B4: Honeydew melon & cantaloupe - 50/50 with
Potato waffle

OK, have had a busy week and just keeping my food journaling to my hard copy again. I have NOT gotten back to the regular exercise. Have a walk planned with a friend tomorrow and intend to get the walking back into my daily schedule. This week still not feeling 100% and had a bunch of "irregular" activity as well - needed to get new cell phone (battery completely died), needed to get new work PC (continued to blue screen / crash), new bed delivery, new roof (OMG, so loud)...

Trying to be able to "plug and play" frozen vegetables - as I can do that with fruit. Continuing to find good options. I tried frozen stir fry veggies (heated in microwave) with batch cooked brown rice. It turned out terrible. Have found some roasting recipes that I'll give a whirl. Trying not to try to many new things that I may not like at the same time - as that can be frustrating. I am convinced that I will find vegetable nirvana.


Below is the template that is a WIP for submitting to MWL weigh in and behavioral assessment thread.

Hi to the Group! Happy last weigh in of September! Can't believe the month has gone so fast!

Weight change - - .6 lbs. loss
Current weight - 132.6 lbs.
Last Week weight - 133.2 lbs.


1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Sometimes. I am trying to get back to compliance level before I got sick. Going to have this one as a more secondary focus for now.

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. :D

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

6 Eliminate any added oil. Yes! I do not add oil and only have this if eating out.

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. Mostly. Had post-dinner snack of pretzels a couple of times.

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. Maybe need to go back to having a 50/50 ish soup / stew prepared in case I have later evening snack attack.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
No. I will be focusing to get back into this habit this week. I have a walk planned for Sunday with my friend. This week was much busier than normal and I did not successfully "re-start" this habit.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

For next week I will focus on these 3 things: 1) get 50/50 plate consistently, 2) add exercise back to daily life, and 3) no off plan snacks (will have soup prepared if snack monster :mrgreen: hits).

The prep work that I did last week was great. It was the first time that I froze rice -- and that has worked out well. Made for a couple of quick lunches!

Yesterday I made a comforting for fall chili in the slow cooker. 2 quart recipe is: 1 c. red lentils (Masoor Dal), 1 14.5 oz. can NSA crushed tomatoes, 2 T. chili seasonings, garlic minced, a few handfuls chopped red onion, a few handfuls chopped bell pepper, a few dried tomatoes (no oil). Just throw it all in the cooker, fill to the top with water and let it rip. Is really good if you have other peppers to add (i.e., jalapeno, poblano).... but I had 0...

Will be making a big pot of veggie rice or veggie barley soup later today.

Question: For the 50/50 plate, does the volume of fresh vs. cooked veggies matter at all? Or, can you still use visual volume for both to determine compliance? I tend to like a mixture of both - and sometimes like salad as the 50%.

Hope that everyone has a wonderful week!!

Cheers,
Stephanie
Last edited by VegSeekingFit on Sat Sep 25, 2021 12:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
User avatar
VegSeekingFit
 
Posts: 1324
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:21 am
Location: Illinois

10/1 MWL Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sat Sep 25, 2021 12:02 pm

Following is my work in process template for the first October MWL Behavioral Assessment / Weigh in. For this week, I am planning to focus on the following: 1) consistent 50/50 plate, 2) exercise!, 3) stop snacking on off plan items!!!

Not going to log on here every food that I eat. I do have a hard copy log that I am using to track.

I will post any especially good recipes / meals... I am still on a quest to "plug and play" the frozen veggies. I bought a good selection of fresh ... but will try some roasting this week of the frozen. TBD....

Onward to October!!! :)

Hi to the Group!

Weight change - 1.2 loss
Current weight - 131.4 lbs.
Last Week weight - 132.6 lbs.


1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Sometimes - definitely room for improvement. I had a gazpacho that I used to preload every lunch in the summer. Haven't found a great replacement yet - most of my "go-to" soups are too starchy for preload. Love fruit or salad option, just sometimes have as part of the 50/50.

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, had 2 "misses" here where I ate starch heavy. Still going for 100% for next week.


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. :D

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

6 Eliminate any added oil. Yes! I do not add oil and only have this if eating out.

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. Have not completely tamed my after dinner snacking on pretzels 100%. Tried with having veggie rice soup -- which didn't hit the spot / change the behavior. For this week. going to have no-fat bean dip and use that + raw veggies.

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!!! :D Finally back on track. 5 of 7 days for this week and already started out the "new" week right!!! Woo-hoo!!!

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Today marks 5 month for me of following MWL checklist. :) I have lost 27.4 lbs. in this time period and feel 1000X better - more energy (physical and mental), less minor aches and pains, clearer skin, more positive mental outlook. I have "passed by" 2+ pant sizes to the point where I finally feel comfortable in jeans again. One habit that I started with working remotely (due to COVID) - was wearing yoga pants every day... Now, I am on to "new rule" of always wearing pants that do not have an elastic waistband!! :shock:

For coming week, I am going to focus on: 1) continuing exercise habit (and it is supposed to rain, I have proper gear!), 2) 100% compliance with 50/50 plate and 3) changing my post-dinner snacking behavior (eat compliant food only!!)...

Notes to members:
* Rebecka --- your post was awesome!! Yay, you!! Very inspiring for anyone who reads it!!
* Kirstykay --- Welcome!!
* Belana --- I am with you (and Mark) on not wanting to exercise in gym right now. Hope you find a good alternative! So many "virtual" types of classes out there now. I got some corny old DVD's from Amazon - like Walk Away the Pounds and Jane Fonda workout...
* Noella --- thanks so much for sharing that link! What a fun (and true) song! Love it!
*Cmcavos ---sounds like you are doing great!! I like how you mention patience. I also am happy with small but steady losses.
*Health 1st --- enjoy your squash!!!
*Gimmelean --- way to go!! Hope you are enjoying the C25K!!

Thank you for this group!! Hope that everyone has an excellent week!!!

Best,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
User avatar
VegSeekingFit
 
Posts: 1324
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:21 am
Location: Illinois

10/8 MWL Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sat Oct 02, 2021 4:26 pm

Hello,

Below are my comments, etc. in looking to complete next week's MWL behavioral assessment / weigh in.

For coming week, I am going to focus on: 1) continuing exercise habit (and it is supposed to rain, I have proper gear!), 2) 100% compliance with 50/50 plate and 3) changing my post-dinner snacking behavior (eat compliant food only!!)...

Farmers Market Haul:
* Red pears
*Blueberries
*Green onions
*Red onions
*Cucumbers
*Romaine
*Shitake mushrooms
*Heirloom grape tomatoes
Not sure if I forgot something...
For next week, looking at : Peaches, squash, potatoes (they looked beautiful, but pantry is full)...

Weekend batch prep:
* Cut 2 melons
* Made Jeff burgers - changing these into white bean / Oriental seasoning
I used: 1 can Cannellini beans, 1 can Great Northern beans, 1 c. oatmeal, 1 (scantish) c. brown rice, 1.5 T rice vinegar, 1.5 T ginger juice, freeze dried ginger, minced garlic (bottled), shredded carrots, red onion, mushroom (1 small can)... tastes delicious!! I think I can take liberty with this template and not have issues with falling apart, etc. because I cook them on George Foreman grill (like a pannini press)... As long as I form substantial / handsize balls to put on grill and DON'T try to look at them too early, they come out great!!! So, 12 minutes --- 2 burgers at a time...
*Going to make no fat bean dip / spicy tomorrow... mainly Great Northern Beans + hot sauce + garlic -- delicious with crudites!
* Going to make a big skillet of water sauteed Oriental veggies - did not do
* Going to make a 50/50 pasta - wonderful - elbow macaroni (half box) with yellow squash, red onion, red bell pepper, several portabella mushrooms and tomato sauce - 4 meals

Things to do for exercise compliance:
1) Get someone to take old treadmill
2) Secure new treadmill and get it set up
3) Get some new shoes! -- tried to do... can't find my store!!! Will perhaps order on-line
4) Cancel gym membership... (will quickly pay for treadmill!!)

I bought a julienne peeler this week. Looking to have fun, while keeping meal prep simple. Loving the concept of bowls. So, also love the pretty pictures and want to take a bit of starch and a bit of different veggie / fruit and assemble. Taking this as a template...

Below is a work-in-progress to copy over to MWL behavioral assessment / weigh in... :)

Hi to the wonderful group moderators and participants!

Weight change - 1.0 lbs. GAIN :oops:
Current weight - 132.4 lbs.
Last Week weight - 131.4 lbs.


1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Inconsistently. Sometimes ate what was to be my preload and then changed it to the 50/50 because I wasn't hungry for everything I had plated. Usually at breakfast and then moved it over to lunch.

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, of course. :D

5 Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). No, had pistachios - after dinner snack. :mrgreen:

6 Eliminate any added oil. Yes! I do not add oil and only have this if eating out.

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 pretzels - after dinner snack. :mrgreen:

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 - 7 of 7 days walked. # steps is getting progressively better.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Wrestling with the snack monster. :mrgreen: For coming week, I am going to 100% focus on changing my post-dinner snacking behavior (eat compliant food only!!). I have listed my favorite "on plan" items to have if I feel the need to nosh after dinner. For instance, last night I microwaved a frozen Jeff burger and plated it with some honeydew melon. I have also had fat-free homemade bean dip with crudites. Need to nip this in the bud. Unfortunately, I am snacking on my husband's stuff - so it is not as easy to get out of the house as the peanut butter was... "in the house, in the mouth..." :duh:

I don't struggle with eating compliant meals. Right now for lunch, I am having soup, salad, fruit and a potato... Somehow after dinner is the witching hour lately.

The material Mark posted last week was quite helpful. I would like to be able to answer yes for #5 and 7 next week. Trying!!!

Hope that everyone has a wonderful week!!! Happy MWL'ing!

Best,
Stephanie
Last edited by VegSeekingFit on Sat Oct 09, 2021 12:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
User avatar
VegSeekingFit
 
Posts: 1324
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:21 am
Location: Illinois

Giving the Middle Finger to the Downward Spiral

Postby VegSeekingFit » Mon Oct 04, 2021 8:21 pm

Hi,

If you are trying to be successful on this WOE and are on an uphill battle, check out this thread (and all of the Jeff Novick links within). Thank you to Mark Cooper for posting this on October MWL thread --- definitely made me think... (this is on off-plan snacking - "in your house, in your mouth")...

https://www.drmcdougallforums.com/viewt ... 6&start=15

So, I have as my #3 of 3 goals for the week to STOP snacking on non-compliant food.

Well, in re-thinking this ... off-plan snacking is more of a 5 alarm fire (and should be my #1 priority).

So, I have journaled on this site - 2015, 2018, 2020 / now 2021 -- and I can guarantee that I always started with good intentions and ate clean (and have a lot of habits ingrained that help on some points - like, I won't be eating meat / dairy / oil and people know that I bring a huge sack of potatoes when I go on vacation... ). Well, in looking through my own journals (at the end) my food (not daily, but indicative of overall patterns)... I do tend to have a "tell" to when I am going off the ranch by snacking on certain foods (then journal ends). Hmm... I see pretzels (BOO!), peanuts, Cheerios, non-fat crackers, minty Lifesavers (work)... and then I go "bye bye"... (there is usually also some external factor making it harder for me to focus on health, but thinking this is everyday life all the time...)

I am currently battling pretzel / late night snack habit. I will defeat it!! :-D But, it will be my #1 priority. (I have removed "my" peanut butter from house successfully -- did the buy again when my son came home and sent it back with him - no problem). My husband eats Jif Creamy -- wouldn't ever be tempted to touch. Only food he has (that I would ever be tempted by) is the pretzels / peanuts (other nuts) and I guess I could buy some locked up box and have him put it elsewhere if I can't conquer this issue... He already thinks I am crazy so why not? :eek: I have never in past gone "out of house" to acquire off-plan food. For instance, I have Mc Donald's + Dunkin Donuts a block away ... Nope...

Not sure how best to tackle, but I think for myself personally -- this is more of an inner struggle than anything (like toxic environment). For some reason, I like calorie dense crunchy, salty food. Perhaps I think that "I deserve it"... Not sure, but going to think more on this. However, this must be stopped in tracks as it can be a gateway to other off-plan eating! BOO!

I appreciated the post (and I appreciated that I have some journaled food)... Crisis will be averted (somehow). In fairness (or defense?) of self, I can also remember what was going on at each point that may have driven me to "self-sabotage" or de-prioritize following MWL checklist. In reality , I do WANT TO GET MY WEIGHT/Health UNDER CONTROL!!!

Beat the bastards!! :cool:

If anyone is reading this and has tricks / tips, please share. Else, I am going to look for recommended food that I love the most and white knuckle it. I have anxiety... maybe I should call my doctor? Who isn't specialist in this -- but would be supportive? Or, I can handle until November -- when I will do the McD program??

Thanks!! :-D

Cheers,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
User avatar
VegSeekingFit
 
Posts: 1324
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:21 am
Location: Illinois

Re: Giving the Middle Finger to the Downward Spiral

Postby deweyswakms » Thu Oct 07, 2021 9:57 am

VegSeekingFit wrote:
If anyone is reading this and has tricks / tips, please share.
Stephanie


I have (now low grade) anxiety, and used to need crunchy foods (popcorn or chips) to reduce the anxiety. The key for me is to do some work on WHY I feel that anxiety. What's going on in my body that insists I 'feed it'? It's so important to listen to your body. Are you tired, angry, sad, stressed, maybe bored? And I used a lot of journalling, write it all out. Maybe tell yourself you will take a shower, or a walk, then decide if you still need to eat.

And I keep celery in the house for those times when I need to eat something crunchy. Sure, it's not as much 'fun' as a bag of chips, but I also know chips aren't healthy for me. In fact, they are dangerous.

Good luck, you can move beyond this. Marsha
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
deweyswakms
 
Posts: 630
Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2014 7:30 am

Re: Giving the Middle Finger to the Downward Spiral

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sat Oct 09, 2021 12:54 pm

deweyswakms wrote:
VegSeekingFit wrote:
If anyone is reading this and has tricks / tips, please share.
Stephanie


The key for me is to do some work on WHY I feel that anxiety. What's going on in my body that insists I 'feed it'? It's so important to listen to your body. Are you tired, angry, sad, stressed, maybe bored? And I used a lot of journalling, write it all out. Maybe tell yourself you will take a shower, or a walk, then decide if you still need to eat.

And I keep celery in the house for those times when I need to eat something crunchy. Sure, it's not as much 'fun' as a bag of chips, but I also know chips aren't healthy for me. In fact, they are dangerous.

Good luck, you can move beyond this. Marsha


Many thanks, Marsha!

You have broadened the lens that I am using to self-reflect here. I hadn't thought about maybe "crunching" away my anxiety / other emotions -- BUT this may be quite true. I have been a tooth grinder since I was a kid ... that is how I handle negative emotions in my sleep.

Going to : 1) try the celery!!! Or carrots!! and 2) think of another activity to distract.

I think I have identified the emotion --- resentment ... when I am put in a position of having to clean up a mess (where someone didn't take my input to avoid ) .

Appreciate you getting me thinking of the "why".... :-D

Now I just need to nip it in the bud!!! I will NOT be defeated by pretzels. They aren't even that good!!!
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
User avatar
VegSeekingFit
 
Posts: 1324
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:21 am
Location: Illinois

10/15 MWL Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sat Oct 09, 2021 1:19 pm

Hi,

Following is where I will record observations / compliance on food / exercise for the coming week.

Farmers Market Haul Today:
* Peaches - OMG delicious!!!
* Celery
* Yukon gold potatoes - totally wonderfully
* Zucchini & yellow squash
* Baby arugula - nice peppery taste... and pretty
* Portabella mushrooms
* Roma tomatoes
* Orange bell peppers

Next week will go to a different Farmers Market as I am meeting a friend at a nature center to hike (in other direction). UPDATE - probably will skip FM this week. Like to do it before I grocery shop and have a busy weekend - so shopped Friday...

Food Prep planned:
* More fat free bean dip (maybe will do black bean instead this week) - did black bean smashed + NSA salsa
* Cut cantaloupe & honey dew melons - done - pretty much every week
* Cut celery & radishes - done
* Make 50/50 oriental veggies and rice dish - made Oriental veggies - super delicious - sauteed in rice vingear: yellow squash, bell pepper, shitake mushroom, celery, onion, bean sprouts -- with liberal grated ginger and bottled/ minced garlic... added some low-sodium tamari at end
* Make a soup? (thinking Creamy Beany from this site that I haven't had since early spring or white bean in crock pot) - made a delicious pot of Split Pea (with lots of veggies) soup in the crock pot --- my favorite soup ever!!!
* Make a 50/50 pasta - doing this next week - had plenty of stuff for meals

I still need to do the 4 steps for exercise compliance that I mentioned in my 10/8 post. This will be key for when it gets cold outside. DONE - bought the 2 new pairs of shoes to make sure feet have proper support!! Still have other steps to address before it gets too cold!

I bought some great products from Lotus Foods (shelf stable jasmine brown rice, whole grain fat free ramen noodles, red rice, some soup cups that are like the McD Right Foods where you can use partial packet to control sodium). Very happy with the products.

Have continued to enjoy salads (new for me to like so much!). Maybe these are easier to have now since I am WFH with the pandemic? Anyway, I don't get too intricate with the salads and usually will do some different raw veggies with them if I have 2 / day. Really liking plain old Rice vinegar and some seasonings to dress it OR the Bragg's ACV dressing.

REALLY TRYING THIS WEEK TO Stay 100% on eating only compliant foods!! This is the goal. Need to nip snacking habit in the bud.
UPDATE - still an issue. made some progress. No pantry (only refrigerator / freezer) after dinner. ENjoyed comforting homemade (compliant) Split Pea soup a couple of times.

Below is WIP / template for reporting next week's MWL behavioral assessment / weigh in.

Hi,

Great to see everyone's updates! Hope those in US are enjoying start of autumn. It is getting a bit nippy here, but love the season of colors and sweatshirts and soups!! :-D

Weight change - -.4 lbs. Loss
Current weight - 132.0 lbs.
Last Week weight - 132.4 lbs.


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

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, of course. :D

5 Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Still trying to change non-compliant after dinner snack "habit". Have gained some ground, but was not on point each day.

6 Eliminate any added oil. Yes! I do not add oil and only have this if eating out.

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. Still trying to change non-compliant after dinner snack "habit". Have gained some ground, but was not on point each day.

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 - 6 of 7 days. Have a hike planned at a new (to me) place tomorrow with a friend.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Have been making lists of recipes that I want to try. Won't be too many since most times I like to stick to old standard or am very simple. This week have enjoyed a few meals of simple - fruit, salad, soup, with a potato. Great meal for me. I have also made some "odds and ends" meals using 50/50 and having a Mexican or Oriental theme. Started with fruit.

Have a list of foods to prep this weekend. I am going to try an onion / spice / veg broth soup in the hopes that I can find a colder weather PL favorite.

Making progress against snack monster, but not 100% yet. On the positive side, this is only "extra" eating after dinner and isn't de-railing / impacting my regular meal choices. However, it is likely slowing weight loss ... :oops: I feel a ton better with the 26+ lbs. that I have lost, but definitely have at least 17 more to go.... Will get there - going the route of the turtle.

Hope that everyone has an excellent weekend and a great week!!

Best,
Stephanie
Last edited by VegSeekingFit on Fri Oct 15, 2021 7:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
User avatar
VegSeekingFit
 
Posts: 1324
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:21 am
Location: Illinois

Re: Stephanie's Journal - One Bite at a Time...

Postby pink Lloyd » Sun Oct 10, 2021 5:24 pm

Hi Stephanie hope you are feeling well. I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and understand how it dims your life and can cause you a lot of suffering. I don't have all the answers and am not and expert but am wise enough to keep listening and learning as much as i can to improve my lot. I found an excellent book called the Mind strength Method by Dr Jodie Lowringer can't recommend this book highly enough it made me look at the way I lived my live and the changes I needed to make plus providing me with a way to control a panic attack. I did take medication to get me into a place of peace first then studied the book and practiced what it taught before I weened myself off the Meds. Still not quite out of the woods yet but its looking promising. As far as diet is concerned im a big fan of the Starch based Solution for it has helped me tremendously , as for anxiety i am going gluten free to see if it impacts the way i feel i watched a star mcdouglar who had MS and Dr Mcdougall recommended cutting out glutenous foods for futher improvement in her health and it did. If i understand this correctly gluten can cause inflamation in some people and me thinks I might have inflamation in my brain which in turn may affect my chemistry, anyway worth a try cause not much of an alteration needed in my diet to my to achieve this. One more thing watch out for water stress lack of this definetly effects my mind and body in a bad way lack of water equal dark thought and feelings of hopelessness , 2-3 litres of water/day all is good especially if you exercise. Peeing more frequently is a small price to pay for your sanity. By the way don't beat yoursel up on having a small amount of nuts and seeds in your diet i have found these to have a positive effect on me , in my skin and sexual function , im still low fat. Anyway I look forward to learning from you and others ,Cheers.
pink Lloyd
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Oct 10, 2021 4:14 pm

Re: Stephanie's Journal - One Bite at a Time...

Postby VegSeekingFit » Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:35 pm

Hi Pink!! :-D

Thank you so much for your kindness, open sharing, and some new ideas!! Food for thought... :)

I will definitely read the book recommendation that you posted. Appreciate that!!

I appreciate (so much) you asking --- I am doing really well!! I hope you are too and am wishing you the best!!!

You said that you were following Starch Solution --- and I think you made a great pick!!! So much delicious food... so good for our health both physical and mental....

Not sure on the gluten --- but will check this out (and the McD videos). I would recommend lots of potatoes and some brown rice (but that is from my favorite foods and may not be yours)....

I will share -- you may already have this.... but, surround yourself with beauty and peace. Seriously, will be different things to different people. Pets, houseplants, kids... rewarding to nurture. Simple things like: scented candles, reading favorite book or watching positive show / podcast.... I honestly like chopping / preparing fruits / veggies - very therapeutic. Some folks like meditation... I failed when pregnant -- but may try again someday. I've also found needlepoint and board games / cards helpful!!!

I wish you well on your journey and am glad to have positive folks like you to share the journey. You can do it!!! Hope to hear from you again!! :)

Cheers,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
User avatar
VegSeekingFit
 
Posts: 1324
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:21 am
Location: Illinois

PreviousNext

Return to My Daily Menus & Journals

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests



Welcome!

Sign up to receive our regular articles, recipes, and news about upcoming events.