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

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

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Re: 12/10 MWL Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby deweyswakms » Fri Dec 10, 2021 11:08 am

VegSeekingFit wrote:Hi,

Question (of a sort):
I did have a weird day where this is probably emotional eating ... but I was heavy starch. I could "feel" the war going on in my brain. Does anyone have strategies to defeat the "devil" part of brain??

Best,
Stephanie


Oh yes! This happens to me too, and I don't know why. As I am trying to lose 3-5 more #s, I tend to be always 'slightly' hungry; usually I can ignore it but if something else is present (tired, angry, stressed, bored), then I can't tolerate it anymore. I know MWL says 'eat more' if hungry, but frankly I am tired of eating all the time! So I eat something I know will give me a full feeling (usually has higher fat content).

Usually I can talk myself off the 'starch ledge'. An apple is filling to me, if I have the munchies then carrots & celery work.

Let me know if you find an answer! Marsha
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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Re: Stephanie's Journal - One Bite at a Time...

Postby bunsofaluminum » Sun Dec 12, 2021 8:08 am

Isn't it just peachy when our brains try to sabotage us? You get tired of fighting and say "I will fight no more forever" and not long after a fight just comes at you, maybe in a different area of life or maybe in the exact same area, but a fight nonetheless.

You did good though! didn't cave and just ate more starch. Well done :)
JUST DON'T EAT IT

I heart my endothelial lining
by red squirrel

simple, humble food
by f00die

The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
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Re: Stephanie's Journal - One Bite at a Time...

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sat Dec 18, 2021 4:41 pm

Hi Marsha and Heidi!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

I think the answer lies in --- keep it out of the house (out of the mouth?)... :-D

Will keep on ....

Best,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
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12/24 MWL Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sat Dec 18, 2021 4:59 pm

Hi,

Here are my thoughts on food / exercise / following the program for the week... :)

Weekly Warning - I am long and rambly... (I am going to mend my ways in 2022... )

I am working to break up with #5 and #7 - non-compliant foods that reside in my house (husband's). Ultimately, I can never eat pretzels and peanuts / other certain nuts who know who they are. I have successfully broken up with peanut butter (my personal favorite --- and if I can break up with this -- should be able to do with anything!!!). It resides right now in my refrigerator --- but somehow mentally I have put it in category of "not my food, not food for me, don't touch". I want to do the same with the current CRAP.

In looking over the Checklist today, I had a brainiac thought... :!: HA! Why do I try to skate by #1 and #2 with a "mostly"... Hmm... Anyway, there is no reason in the world that when I am eating from home that this couldn't be 100%. Instead of logging meals / food here (as I did in the past), I am going to log any missed PL or 50/50 and the reason. Going to keep this up until I get to consistent "yes".

# Meals / snacks: 19
Missed PL: 2 -- one was where I had to do a long clip of errands and I was hungry, so just had split pea soup. The other, I was LAZY (could do better).
Missed 50/50: 3 -- see above except 2 were LAZY

Food:
Expecting to keep it simple for the week - same as last week - mainly soup, salad / veg, fruit, potato, rice, beans. Yummy!! Yes, kept it super simple. Worked great.

Any exciting (to me only!!) grocery shop to report:
Fruit: New frozen mix from Good & Gather (Target) - mango, pineapple, strawberry, peach. Scored a cantaloupe and a honey dew melon.
Veggies: Broccoli, red leaf lettuce, Gotham greens, multiple types of mushrooms, celery, summer squash, carrots (baby), tomatoes, bell peppers, persian cucumbers
Starch: Low sodium kidney beans, bag of red potatoes, bag of yukon gold potatoes (didn't need much, I have a stash of starch)
Spices: N/A
Other: N/A

Food prep:
* Cut up veggies - Yes, Onions 3X, Carrots, broccoli
* Cut up fruit - Yes, melons (I am so greedy for melons!)
* Soup / stew / chili / beans- Red lentil chili, split pea soup (made with yellow split peas), no chick mushroom barley veggie soup (a vat of this as it is my son's favorite)
* Make rice - Yes, 3X
* Roast veggies - Yes, made pyrexes of zucchini, broccoli, red onion, bell pepper, mushroom - just roasted - no anything else
* Make potatoes - Yes, have done a couple of times the microwave and then peel & slice lengthwise. Put on parchment paper and season (used rosemary/ smoked paprika / garlic and parsley / black pepper / garlic) - bake for about 25 min at 425. These go fast ...
* Make Jeff burgers - I have my last 2 left in freezer (ate 2 this week). Will be making a double batch in the upcoming week.

Any New Recipes Made:
I did not this week. For next week I am going to try a non-recipe to make tomato onion soup that I can use as PL.

Exercise:
* Walking - Did well 6 of 7 days. Also, going to track reason why if I miss.
F- Rest day (did lots of steps last week and felt I was deserving... maybe a boo...)
Sat- 85 min.
Sun- 80 min.
M- 105 min. (did favorite yellow trail at forest preserve with my son)
T- 65 min.
W- 40 min.
Thurs- 60 min. (met my gf at forest preserve and we gabbed and walked; deer sighting!)

I am watching / babying twinge in my right ankle. I either got overexuberant about jogging (across street to avoid cars -- but expanded) with oldest / worst shoes OR my balance routine has been too fast (and I should always wear good shoes for this, duh!).

I am abandoning the thought that I will have a treadmill this winter, and that is ok. I bought some more fleece (ear warmers, pants, scarf) and actually like to be outside better anyway. However, I do draw the line at Yak Tracks and will revert to indoor exercise on those days. I found some old notes where we used to do kind of fun kid stuff in Group Fitness -- like crab walk, bear walk, skip, etc. I have an area I can do this in the basement ... and I have a step and a jump rope.

Expected Challenges:
* When everyone in house is eating non-MWL snacks, I need to have own MWL ready (even if this violates #9)... trying to break away from #5 / #7 salty and calorie dense
1) Watch Pleasure Trap DVD - Yes, I did do this and I re-visited my notes from Nov. lecture. Thinking to also listen to Willpower.
2) If they call, continue to eat the recommended foods (in the recommended fashion). TRYING!!!
3) Evaluate results (this report). Not 100%. Boo! Continuous improvement. I can do this.
4) Consider further reducing sodium (could this be unleashing this craving?) - Something I will consider for 2022.
5) If troublesome foods can't be removed from immediate environment, it often helps to place some barriers in the path of accessing such foods. (From Mark... thinking on this one...) I have these in a separate cabinet --- doesn't help when others are eating them. I want to ultimately just consider these a non-food / not food for me. I definitely need at least a month of NO -- did not consume.

Other:
* There are about 7 of us from Nov 12 day that meet weekly - this has been such an awesome outcome to have supportive McD buddies
* Attended the catch up with the McD's - one participant was doing a potato bar for compliant holiday
* Will post MWL thread :)
* Had a wonderful holiday celebration today - started at 10AM... fine for me, there was no food involved - just catching up with family. Met niece's baby for the first time which made the holiday!! :D


Below is WIP for next week's MWL Behavioral assessment / weigh in.

Hi MWL team and all participants,

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the holiday season!!!

A special Happy Holidays to Mark - hope you are enjoying wonderful time away with your family!!!

Weight change - .5 lbs. gain (well, blaming this on boo's with #5 / 7)
Current weight - 127.5 lbs.
Last Week weight - 127.0 lbs.

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Mostly, 17/19. Going for 100% 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.
Mostly, 16/19. Going for 100% 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. UPDATE - Yes. I am wondering if further reducing / eliminating sodium may help me to better comply 100% with #5 and 7. I may try this strategy after the holidays (if I am still dancing with the calorie dense salty stuff).

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). Boo to #5. Working on this.

6 Eliminate any added oil. Yes! I do not add oil and only have this if eating out (which I hardly ever do).

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. Boo to #7. Working on this.

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 did a great clip of brisk walking.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Planning to be 100% MWL compliant over the holiday season!!

Continuing to work on #5 / #7 and trying to just get to considering these "non-foods". Thank you, Mark, for your feedback last week. I have put this into my plan.

Also, putting focus on #1 / #2 -- to get to 100% (which should be feasible / not a stretch).

My 3 favorite "non-recipes" that I have been eating a good amount of this week:
* Finger food salad - pile up plate with raw veggies like lettuce leaves, carrot sticks, grape tomatoes, celery, broccoli, persian cucumbers, bell pepper - no dressing required... can be PL or part of 50/50.
* Roasted veggies - cut & pile up Pyrex with veggies like broccoli, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, summer squash or zucchini. Roast in oven at 425 for about 30 minutes. Eating this cold for PL or part of 50/50.
* Roasted potatoes - microwave or bake a bunch of potatoes. Let potatoes cool and peel / cut them lengthwise (in half or thirds). Season them - using rosemary / smoked paprika / garlic OR parsley / black pepper / garlic. Put on parchment paper in oven at 425 for 20-30 minutes until they brown a bit.

Notes to Members:
Bambi -- Congratulations -- what an awesome accomplishment!!! :) Keep going!!!
Green Frog - I know what you mean about potatoes first!! This helps me too!!
Rebecka23 - Awesome achievement on the 500 days!!! Woot!!
Artista - Steady is great !!! :)
Noella - Wow!! Great job! So inspiring to hear how support on this forum helped you!!

Happy holidays to all!!

Cheers,
Stephanie
Last edited by VegSeekingFit on Sun Dec 26, 2021 6:41 pm, edited 5 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
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Re: 12/24 MWL Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby deweyswakms » Thu Dec 23, 2021 12:57 pm

VegSeekingFit wrote:Hi,

In looking over the Checklist today, I had a brainiac thought... :!: HA! Why do I try to skate by #1 and #2 with a "mostly".


This made me chuckle. I have done MWL, one way or another, for years and did lose weight. I have mastered Starches. But this year I recommitted to lose more. I didn't see real weight loss until I fully committed to #1 and #2; I lost 20 lbs just this year doing this. I admit I skipped them. Now I love my veggie soup! Sometimes I add some rice to it; so filling.

You are on the right track.

Happy Holidays, Marsha
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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Re: 12/24 MWL Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Fri Dec 24, 2021 4:19 pm

deweyswakms wrote:
VegSeekingFit wrote:Hi,

In looking over the Checklist today, I had a brainiac thought... :!: HA! Why do I try to skate by #1 and #2 with a "mostly".


This made me chuckle. I have done MWL, one way or another, for years and did lose weight. I have mastered Starches. But this year I recommitted to lose more. I didn't see real weight loss until I fully committed to #1 and #2; I lost 20 lbs just this year doing this. I admit I skipped them. Now I love my veggie soup! Sometimes I add some rice to it; so filling.

You are on the right track.

Happy Holidays, Marsha


Glad you got a chuckle!! :)

I am good too at starches and fruit... :D

You have inspired me on 1 and 2!! Way to go!!!! What an awesome result, Marsha!!

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
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12/31 MWL Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sun Dec 26, 2021 7:02 pm

Hi,

Here are my thoughts on food / exercise / following the program for the week... :)

Weekly Warning - I am long and rambly... (I will mend my ways in 2022... )

On kicking #5 and #7 - non-compliant foods that reside in my house (husband's).
*** Have tried various tactics... New thought of trying bribery of self... (yes, like a small child.... ) :lol: I am planning to buy a WFM fruit tray if I can keep it clean here... *** UPDATE - did not work for me this week. :cry:

Looking to get to 100% (or really close) on #1 and #2... --- YES on #2!!! Better on #1!!! :)

# Meals / snacks: 21 (I usually eat 3 meals / day... sometimes I miss a couple, but not this week.)
Missed PL: 3 (Lazy ... this is partially due to the fact that I am a very SLOW eater, not really too lazy to stack a salad or grab fruit... I am thinking for future that I can do this with a smaller salad or cup of soup - there isn't an official size that it has to be)
Missed 50/50: 0

Food:
Keeping it simple!!! :) Soup, salad / veg, fruit, bean / potato / rice / oatmeal

Any exciting (to me only!!) grocery shop to report: ( I am "off-kilter" with my shop / prep schedule a bit with son home and being off work. So, have gone on Wednesdays for the past couple of weeks...

Seems to be time to stock up on shelf stable items with Omicron infecting so many so fast... :crybaby: Stay safe, everyone... I saw the line for testing in my neck of the woods last week and it was unbelievably long.

Fruit: Bananas, various frozen fruits - mango, cherries - sweet & sour, berry combo ( blackberry, blueberry, raspberry)
Veggies: Romaine lettuce, baby spinach, Gotham greens, carrots, persian cucumbers, various tomatoes, purple onions, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, bell peppers
Starch: Bag of potatoes....
Spices: N/A
Other: Cans of NSA crushed tomatoes (14.5 oz.)

Food prep:
* Cut up veggies - Yes (broccoli, onion, carrot)
* Cut up fruit - N/A for this week (no new melons...)
* Soup / stew / chili / beans- Creamy beany (with smashed black beans), Mexi soup (used water instead of veg broth, made 1/2 serving in crock, used garbanzo beans), red lentil chili
* Make rice - Yes
* Roast veggies - Yes (Cauliflower, broccoli, bell pepper, big box of baby Bella mushroom)
* Make potatoes - Yes (Roasted after zapping... same as normal seasonings... these go super fast... so good!!!); need to make more!!!
* Make Jeff burgers - Yes. Made double batch with low sodium dark red kidney beans, low sodium cannellini beans, hot sauce, minced garlic, tomato sauce, oatmeal, brown rice, 1/2 red onion chopped, 1/2 yellow bell pepper chopped, a couple handfuls of shredded carrot. 14 burgers.

Any New Recipes Made:
Planning to try a non-recipe to make tomato onion soup that I can use as PL. Will be doing this over the weekend. I was thankful to receive a gift card for Christmas which I used to buy a new crock pot that I have been eyeing for months. It is a medium sized one that I'll use for soup making. Also purchased my first ever immersion blender which will also be used for soups.

Exercise:
* Walking -
F- 50 min.
Sat- 65 min.
Sun- 75 min. (weird observation - same folks that last year had their Xmas tree out on the curb on 12/26 also had it there today!! Like they couldn't take it down fast enough??? In the AM on 12/26 both times....) :-D
M- 60 min.
T- 65 min. (was super walk in a snow storm... about 35 F and big fluffy flakes... love!!)
W- 65 min. (SUPER find... so, I am still NOT getting Yak Tracks, but found and dusted off some serious hiking boots that I bought a few years ago for an anniversary trip to Alaska... these are awesome!!! )))
Thurs- 70 min.

I am watching / babying twinge in my left ankle. I either got overexuberant about jogging (across street to avoid cars -- but expanded) with oldest / worst shoes OR my balance routine has been too fast (and I should always wear good shoes for this, duh!). Somewhat better each day... have toned down the balance routine and worn supportive shoes... Much better (Wed.)


Expected Challenges:
A * Continuing saga ... trying to break away from #5 / #7 salty and calorie dense. I am so sick of writing this. UGH! Just STOP, Stephanie!!!! I feel like if I could get a good clean stretch of time in for compliance (with -0- nuts / pretzels) that I can overcome this (like I have for peanut butter......).
1) Listen to Doug Lisle's Willpower lecture. Revisit some of the MWL threads on how others have overcome this same hurdle.
2) If non-compliant foods call, continue to eat the recommended foods (in the recommended fashion). THEN do something else after eating compliant foods (i.e., journal, exercise, read)!!!
3) Evaluate results and adjust approach, if this isn't working.
4) Consider further reducing sodium (could this be unleashing this craving?) - Something I will consider for 2022.
5) If troublesome foods can't be removed from immediate environment, it often helps to place some barriers in the path of accessing such foods. I have these in a separate cabinet - think of other places they could be stored which would increase difficulty to access.
6) If above doesn't work, seek coaching assistance.

*** OK, I see myself as the person struggling with pretzels in Mark's example #2 for compliance... but thinking this is a pretty common problem for folks. ***

B * When weather is bad, will be harder to exercise outside and I don't want to lose the habit or the exercise opportunity (it really helps me to feel good physically and mentally). Upcoming week will be a challenge with snow storm predicted for Saturday and some lows in the 0's...
1) Have indoor exercise options planned.
2) Have appropriate gear for outdoors. Has gotten me through (almost) December.... Will not walk if it is too icy, would probably trip in the only patch of ice.

Other:
Putting together an Excel for next year to track checklist, etc. Had seen a book at Barnes & Noble last week -- The Ultimate Workout Log (Suzanne Schlosberg) -- which I had used a couple years in the (distant!) past. Thought that I could put together my own resource -- and include MWL checklist, support, recipes, grocery list, etc. So, file is in progress!!! :)


Below is WIP for next week's MWL Behavioral assessment.

Test drive of New Assessment!!! :)

Hi All,

Happy New Year!!! It is so exciting to see both new and familiar faces and all of the positive energy! Woo-hoo!! :)

Love how with the new format we will be able to learn and to share how we are each incorporating the 10 MWL guidelines!!! I think that this will be so helpful to all of us as we continue on with Time & Adherence.

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
:) I did preload 18/21 meals.
* I have been eating "finger food" salad where I just pile some combination of greens, tomatoes, carrots, persian cucumber, broccoli, bell pepper on a plate (liking this right now more than the bowl of salad).
* Also, I have been preparing pans of roasted vegetables and eating them cold for a "salad".
*I do want to get to 100% here.
*I am on a mission to identify a preload soup for cold weather that I love which will help me to get to 100%. The times that I miss is usually around time it takes to eat (I am a slow eater) - so I get lazy and skip.


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.
:D 21/21.
* I keep stocked compliant options - fruit, veggies, various starches (fresh, frozen, shelf-stable) that I love to eat.
* I batch prepare brown rice, roasted potatoes, Jeff burgers for easy to grab meals.
* I cut various fresh veggies / fruit and store in refrigerator to make these easy to incorporate.
* I made a few pots of soup / chili this week - Creamy beany (from this web-site), Mexi soup (from this web-site), Red lentil chili. I generally use crock pot :-) which makes it super easy and hard to ruin (for me, not the best of cooks).


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.
:D Yes.
* I hardly ever use sugar or condiments with added sugar.
* I don't have sugar cravings that cause issues with the other MWL points.
* I do use salt (sparingly).
* I am considering a test run of eliminating salt because I am struggling with certain foods that are salty, dry, and calorie dense (see #5/7).


4 Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
YES, of course. :D
* This is likely the only MWL point that I haven't had any questions on and not one that I struggle with.
* I am the opposite of tempted by these.


5 Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
:twisted: Not 100% successful this week for #5 and #7.
* I need to STOP snacking on husband's nuts and pretzels.
* I think that if I can get a good clean clip of time in, that I can overcome this (like I have done with peanut butter).
* I have tried various strategies and am still struggling. Below is my current plan. 5) is adapted from Mark's recent feedback.
1) Listen to Doug Lisle's Willpower lecture. Revisit some of the MWL threads on how others have overcome this same hurdle.
2) If non-compliant foods call, continue to eat the recommended foods (in the recommended fashion). THEN do something else after eating compliant foods (i.e., journal, exercise, read)!!!
3) Evaluate results and adjust approach, if this isn't working.
4) Consider further reducing sodium (could this be unleashing this craving?) - Something I will consider for 2022.
5) If troublesome foods can't be removed from immediate environment, it often helps to place some barriers in the path of accessing such foods. I have these in a separate cabinet - thinking of other places they could be stored which would increase difficulty to access.
6) If above doesn't work, seek coaching assistance.


6 Eliminate any added oil.
:D Yes!
* I do not cook with oil or eat products that include it.
* I only may have this if eating out (which I hardly ever do and did not do this week).


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.
:twisted: Not 100% successful this week for #5 and #7.
See #5 above. Comment are same.


8 Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
:) Yes.
* I don't make smoothies.
* I do drink coffee (sometimes tea) and have always consumed both black.


9 Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
:D Yes.
* I am mindful of this guideline.
* For this week, I changed my standard breakfast from potato waffle to oatmeal and have had to adjust with a bit of a smaller preload or have leftover oatmeal. Super easy to adjust.


10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
:D Yes.
*I love to walk outside -- definitely good for energy level and mood!!!
* The more I comply with #10, the more that I want to exercise... :lol:
* I have appropriate winter gear for walking outside in most weather.
* I have indoor exercise options defined for when outside won't be feasible - likely coming this week with a winter storm watch tomorrow.


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Much gratitude to Jeff, Mark, Wildgoose and all fellow participants.

I hope that everyone has an incredible week!!! We can all make positive incremental changes - keep going!!! :-D

Cheers to a Happy New Year!!

Stephanie
Last edited by VegSeekingFit on Sat Jan 08, 2022 8:40 am, 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
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1/7 Time & Adherence Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Fri Dec 31, 2021 10:23 am

Cheers everyone to 2022!!! Happy New Year!!

Does anyone have resolutions for the year??

Instead of making specific resolutions, I am thinking of the New Year in terms of focus and prioritization.

I am planning to: 1) Live Love Laugh and 2) Hop Skip Jump Run... :)

1) Live Love Laugh was my favorite mantra as a kid (so why not?)...
For me for 2022, this means continue to reduce stress / anxiety, engage in positive activities, take a deep breath - enjoy!
* Certain activities I have put on the back burner -- and I am going to consider which ones can be done over the year and make sure that I am spending time and energy on ones that follow this mantra.

2) Hop Skip Jump Run
I posted in my journal this year a thread "Digging out of the Rabbit Hole". I still have work to do, but have been grateful to have made significant improvements in physical and mental health over 2021. So, I think I have dug out of the hole, but aspire to hop skip jump run --- away from the hole!!! :cool:
* I definitely intend to continue to follow the MWL 10 Pt. Checklist for 2022.
* Will focus on the forest.
* Once I get in a good clean clip of compliance (at least 3 months), will see if any trees need addressing...

Have created an electronic journal to record the 2022 year to hold myself accountable to the above focal points and record observations, activities, etc.

I took a remote Plant-based cooking class put on by our local library this week. I knew it wouldn't necessarily follow MWL guidelines, but wanted to support this type of activity in the community. Was pleasantly surprised to see a recipe demonstrated that I could actually make (was pasta with mushroom cooked down like "crumbles"). Also, 2 recipes that there are McD derivations of (on this website) - breakfast rice and quinoa bowl. One of the recipes that wasn't demonstrated is another that I would try (scramble but using cauliflower instead of tofu). Very intrigued by that one as Tofu scramble was something I used to make frequently (have been tofu free since 5/2 at least)... :-D The instructor was young and passionate... she had lots of tips for folks looking to transition from carnivore to plant based diet.

Had my first cooking debacle of the year on 1/1. It will be ingrained in my brain for awhile... Got my new immersion blender (have never owned one before) -- and boy.... use caution people.... these puppies blend fingers as well as food. I was just trying to see if the battery was charged (it was) and ... I will just leave it at that and avoid the gruesome details. A week later, almost fully healed... :eek:

Have been enjoying audio books while walking. Finished Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica. Recommend if you like thrillers / twisty endings and are able to suspend disbelief.... Have downloaded some short classics as a mind cleanser...

The time that I have been dreading for exercise has arrived... The weather is cold enough where even with all the winter gear in the world, I do not love to walk outside.

I am proud of myself to have actually executed on my indoor exercise plan with no treadmill this week. Also, I think that I can continue to do this (and potentially add more activities).
* I have been Pacing with a Purpose - walking around the house. I used to do this when I went into work in a much larger space - would walk the floors or do some stairs between meetings or when I had a few minutes. Also, there was a "track" in the basement and outdoor walking paths. With working from home, have not moved enough.... Found, I can walk around at home and get to 10K + steps / day!!! :cool: Going to keep on Pacing with a Purpose whether able to walk outside or not. For now, going to target 8K steps / day average or 56K for the week. I think do-able --- and will be quite a contrast for # of steps.
* I have started to use my stationery bike. It isn't perfect - the resistance (on lowest setting) is really hard for me (always has been). So, I can't ride it for a full 30 minutes (or longer). I am chunking it with current goal of doing at least 15 min. sessions 4 days a week -- or 1 hour total.
* I have started to walk up and down basement stairs. Another not perfect - can't really do this to exhaustion as the steps take a sharp turn at the bottom. However, adding stair walking (regardless of intensity) seems positive.
* I have "walked" with Leslie Sansone. I have a 5 mile DVD -- and there are a ton more on YouTube. If I follow closely, I definitely break a sweat at this activity. There are certain "miles" that I will bypass - will be finding favorites as the winter progresses.
* My work has an Employee Wellness Committee and one of the leads puts on a weekly Zumba class. I participated for the first time this week and it was quite peppy and fun ... bonus, you feel like you are in a class, but are not on camera (only instructor is). This helps folks like me with two left feet... when I lost step -- just move around!!! There are recordings of this class (and another 75 or so classes) that I can do in a pinch.
* I will monitor the weather each day and take advantage of any days that I can get outside!!!
* I have a few other DVD / YouTubes tagged to try.

Onward to next week!!!

Below the week's behavioral assessment for the Time & Adherence group.

--------------------------------------------

Hi Everyone,

Hope you all are having an excellent week!! It is truly winter up here in Chicagoland with some snow this week and wind chills below zero a couple of days. Welcome to January... bundle up, it's going to be a cold ride!!!

I am not 100% sure how best to fill out assessment #2 (i.e., leave comments that still apply or start from scratch). In the spirit of not being super repetitive, have edited and removed comments where they would be the same. (Mark, please let me know if this is not what is expected... )

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
:) I did preload 19/21 meals.
* I have made Jeff's Longevity Soup (on this website) in the crockpot with a mixture of frozen & fresh veggies and no starch (used Pomi strained tomatoes, riced cauliflower, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, hot sauce, chives). This turned out great and I will continue to use this template for another preload option (and a great opportunity to use frozen veggies and keep it simple!). Thank you to Jeff for the great recipe and to Gimmelean for mentioning last week that she uses this without the starch :!: for preload!!
* I have found that baby spinach is another great to include component for "finger food" salad (and ate a big container of it this week)!
* I am keen to try the eating bell pepper like an apple that Noella described!! :mrgreen: Liking that idea!!!
*I do target 100% here. The times I missed, I just ate Split Pea Soup for dinner - should have included a preload and 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.
:) 19/21 were 50/50 (see soup comment above).
* Key for me is planning, shopping, preparation to make starch, veggies, fruit easy to grab and incorporate into any meal.
* Finished week 2 of eating oatmeal for breakfast (after 6 month streak of potato waffle). This makes a great and filling winter breakfast - loving it. Non-recipe = 1/2 c. rolled oats, sliced ripe banana, 1 1/2 c. water. Zap in microwave 2:30 and mix. Dump in some frozen berries to get to 50/50. Zap in microwave another 2:30 and mix again. Huge bowl!!!!
* Used mainly frozen fruit (instead of fresh) this week.
* Roasted many potatoes and made chubby chips.
* I made a few pots of soup / chili / beans this week - Split Pea Soup (both green and yellow; this is my favorite soup - cannot get tired of it), Sloppy Lentils Too (from this web-site), Mexi soup (from this web-site), Red lentil chili.


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.
:D 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).
:twisted: Not 100% successful this week for #5 and #7 (but a bit better than last week).
* I have DECIDED to STOP snacking on husband's nuts and pretzels. These are not foods for me. I am sick of struggling and am just going to STOP eating these items.
* I will NOT EAT THESE for the month of January. This is an experiment.... (and these are non-compliant foods....)
* I am confident that if I can get a good clean clip of time in, that I can overcome this (like I have done with peanut butter - which I have had around for almost a month with my son home for the holidays and haven't touched once or given a second thought to except to make this comparison).

** Consecutive Days Compliant - 1 **

* I have listened to Doug Lisle's Cram Circuit lecture and watched Jeff's Calorie Density clip (the short version from the thread that Moonlight referenced last week - which has eat this or that including some similar items). Doug Lisle mentions impact of 10, 20, 30, 40 lbs. of cramming... :idea: (And I know from Calorie Density that these foods are quite contra-productive to my intent here... which is NOT to pack on lbs....)
* Last week's comments from Wildgoose (to a fellow participant) rang true for me. Thank you, for the lecture link and helpful insights. I only do this non-compliant snacking at night, after dinner -- and seem to have created a bad habit!!!
* Also, last week's comment from several participants made me think a bit more critically about my intent. Thank you to: Elsa (with the faces and legs!), Noella (not food for me), Chesca (decision to adhere). Maybe this is a communication nuance, but I found that how I articulated my own intent was a bit more wishy-washy .... so have changed that thought.

* If non-compliant foods call, continue to eat the recommended foods (in the recommended fashion). THEN do something else after eating compliant foods (i.e., journal, exercise, read)!!! Close the kitchen after dinner! Hide the non-compliant foods.

SAVING in CASE NEEDED below additional actions:
1) Evaluate results and adjust approach, if this isn't working.
2) Consider further reducing sodium (could this be unleashing this craving?).
3) If above doesn't work, seek coaching assistance.


6 Eliminate any added oil.
:D Yes!
* I did not eat out this week).


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.
:twisted: Not 100% successful this week for #5 and #7 (but better than last week).
See #5 above. Comments are same.


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 try to be mindful of this guideline. I think that I am successful -- except this has to fit in somewhere with my #5 and 7 stuggles... Cramming seems like I am not really hungry, but having a little something (not broccoli, not grapes)... Hmmm.


10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
:D Yes - 6/7 days. 1 day was a rest day.
* This was the week where the weather shifted (BRR!!!) and I had to execute partial indoor exercise plan.
* Walked outside 3 days (yay!!) and exercised inside the other 3 days.
* In the spirit of the best exercise is the exercise that you will do, I have implemented "Pacing with a Purpose". This is walking around the house. Sounds pretty weird and isn't quite as fast as brisk walking (so as not to bump into furniture or walls). I have been able to incorporate this though, which has resulted in more daily steps than I would have thought possible. I am targeting average 8K steps for the week. (I logged over 10K steps one day this week indoor alone....)
* Have also done short stints on stationery bike and been walking up and down basement stairs.
* Joined a remote Zumba class (only the instructor is on screen) and have done a Leslie Sansone walk.
* Will watch the weather closely for opportunities to take it outside on a day by day basis. Otherwise, no way will I be sedentary.


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

* I am relieved to have found some do-able indoor exercise!!! :) It was planned, but sometimes that can be easier said than done (and indoor exercise is not my preferred type!).
* Excited to have found a starter soup for the cold!!
* I thought last week's thread was excellent - appreciated everyone's experiences and took away from the collaborative sharing.
* Thank you, Mark --- your support is priceless!!!! Really appreciate all that you do to keep us on the right path to wellness!

Question:
I am wondering if it is possible to have a separate thread for Time & Adherence participants more informal interaction? Or, how best to communicate with others without clogging up this thread? Not sure if anyone else would have an interest here. I know we have option for journals and PM's, but not thinking these are widely used.

Hope that everyone has a great week !!! So appreciate reading everyone's comments and Mark's feedback!!

Onward to positive changes.... :)

Cheers,
Stephanie
Last edited by VegSeekingFit on Sat Jan 08, 2022 8:41 am, edited 6 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
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Re: 1/7 Time & Adherence Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby deweyswakms » Mon Jan 03, 2022 9:56 am

VegSeekingFit wrote:Cheers everyone to 2022!!! Happy New Year!!

1) Live Love Laugh and 2) Hop Skip Jump Run... :)


I love your resolutions! I don't usually set resolutions; I have 3 goals for each day. This year I made little mini paintings for people, 3.5x2.5" in Dollar Tree frames. I set out 5 of them where I see them all the time. I love looking at them! All my other art is hidden away in boxes. Now I realize I need to SEE my art, so I am in the process of clearing out the boxes; I can reuse a lot of the paper saving $ from buying more; and I found a few worthy of being framed which I will do.

Cheers for a Better Healthier New Year.

Marsha
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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1/14 Time & Adherence Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sat Jan 08, 2022 8:51 am

Happy chilly January!!!!

Thanks, Marsha for stopping by and for sharing what you are doing with your artwork!!! Very cool!!! Loving it!!!

So, for this week -- focusing on keeping true to my resolution themes ... That would mean complying with the MWL 10 Point Checklist / HOP SKIP JUMP RUN and LIVE LOVE LAUGH...

LIVE LOVE LAUGH ... I have worked to maximize connecting with family, friends, colleagues, community--- whenever --- in a positive way (has been challenging sometimes during this pandemic!). I have worked on spending a portion of my work day on things that I value (i.e., training, planning events, working to improve culture) --- I love the people that I am working with and the various endeavours that will start to come to fruition this month. Very rewarding. Always I prioritize my family and we are good... I have not done much de-cluttering... OMG where to start... :lol:

Checklist / Hop Skip Jump Run:

Key for me is commitment that I will NOT eat peanuts or pretzels. These are no longer foods for me. I need to STOP letting them tempt me. Every time counts --- as I need to break the habit. When I am tempted (as will likely happen every night for awhile), I will : exercise, journal or read to get through it. If really hungry, I will have: a bit of raw veggies for PL, starch (soup or potato or whatever), frozen fruit. Need a clean month! Top priority. Biggest hurdle to progress.

I have done better here. 5/7 days -- not perfect but progress. I have either: delayed dinner (to replace bad guys #5 &7) OR put together a "snack" that is compliant (and had waiting in refrigerator) --- like fruit + potato, soup + finger food salad.... This has really helped!!!

I have NOT been able to visualize a horrifying / repulsive scenario for nut / pretzel. Wish that I could or wish that my eating such would result in McD Revenge!!! So, alternatively... I am visualizing myself in Remedial Calorie Density Class wearing the dunce cap ... For instance, you watched this clip and you went to class.... don't you know that nuts have an average of 2800 cal / lb. vs vegetables at 100 cal / lb? Umm... Yeah, I get that... So then, are you trying to self-sabotage??? OK, then I feel a bit embarrassed... Like, I really don't want to self-sabotage... I will continue to re-visit the short clip of Calorie Density as it does feature example of #5 and #7!!! Reminder to self --- can eat 28 times as many veggies as #7!!! :mrgreen: :!:

Was able to walk outside 4/7 days this week which was awesome - generally about 1 hour each time. One of the days I was on the fence on whether it would be indoor or outdoor and I saw my neighbor walking on the street --- so did the same. Yesterday had one embarrassing incident of slip on the ice and fall on the butt... :o The temperature had dropped to just below freezing and I didn't see the icy patch. Luckily, was all good - fell not too hard and right where there is some padding... Better to walk in the street during the winter...

I am continuing on the great exploration of indoor exercise.... I did get 8K average steps / day!!! Pacing with a Purpose is implemented!!!! I need to work harder on stationery bike (it is hard for me so makes it less pleasant alternative). I will continue to incorporate exercise videos to get to 30 moderate activity minutes / day minimum. Will also consider adding future activities (like strength, stretch, etc.).

Finished 2 audiobooks (during exercise & cooking)... Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster --- I can't recommend this enough to: middle aged females who like a good fairy tale and anyone who has seen and liked the movie but never read the book. Sounds trite, but this was delightful, charming -- kind of a cross between My Fair Lady and Little Orphan Annie. About a 4 hour listen. Also "read" a short story A Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka which I had never heard of -- but was an intriguing concept of fasting contests as part of an old circus - about 30 minutes. Started many others!!! :cool:

Below is last week's Behavioral Assessment that I will update as the week progresses - and definitely before 1/15 when it is due...

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

Happy mid-January!! It's great to see so many participants in the group --- grateful that we have such an awesome opportunity to learn from each other -- as well as receive priceless feedback from the awesome moderators! Also, it is comforting to see that there are several of us in the same boat of seeking to improve our health through practicing the behaviors to adhere to the MWL 10 Pt. Checklist!!!

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
:) Same as last week -- I did preload 19/21 meals.
* I have made Jeff's Longevity Soup (loving this, made a bigger pot!!!) and continued to eat finger food salad and roasted veggies...
*I do target 100% here. The times I missed, I just ate soup for dinner - should have included a preload and 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.
:) 19/21 were 50/50 (see soup comment above).
* Key for me is planning, shopping, preparation to make starch, veggies, fruit easy to grab and incorporate into any meal.
* Finished week 3 of eating oatmeal for breakfast... (and I do love it!!!) :-D
* Have roasted many potatoes, made oven fries, made a few pots of brown rice.
* I made a few pots of soup / chili / beans this week - Split Pea Soup, Creamy Beany (from this web-site), Black Bean soup (from this web-site), Red lentil chili. Upcoming week I'll probably make less pots as my son is going back to school --- he eats the MWL meals with me and sometimes even pre-loads!! :)


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.
:D 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).
:twisted: 5/7 Days Compliant.... This is an improvement from last week!!!!
* I have DECIDED to STOP snacking on husband's nuts and pretzels. These are not foods for me. I am sick of struggling and am just going to STOP eating these items.
* I have either: 1) delayed dinner or 2) prepared a compliant snack (in refrigerator) to face this head on -- which has really helped.
* I have wished that these items would give me McD's revenge (they do not) and I have tried to think of a way to visualize them as animal based --- or something else that would make them repulsive to me (haven't been able to make a connection). So, I am visualizing myself in Remedial Calorie Density Class as the participant who is not able to understand 2800 cal / lb. vs. 100 cal / lb. This is helping!!!
* I still have my other action items noted, but I think that I will get there with this plan. Obviously, goal is 100% compliance.


6 Eliminate any added oil.
:D 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.
:twisted: Compliant 5/7 days
See #5 above. Comments are same.


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 try to be mindful of this guideline. I do really well all day except as it may relate to my non-compliance on #5 and #7 (which happens during the witching hour, after dinner).


10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes, 7/7 days. :D
* Walked outside 4 days :-D and exercised inside the other 3 days.
* Met goal of averaging 8K steps / week.
* Will be focusing on continuing indoor exercise, stepping at least 8K average / day, making friends with stationery bike.


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Observation: I have found that my tastes have changed since I started following the Checklist. For instance, I rarely use condiments anymore --- not that I have specifically been trying to cut down usage, but I just don't add them. One example is oven fries - I season them with rosemary, smoked paprika, and a bit of garlic and love them like that. When I started, I would use BBQ sauce to dip. Also, enjoying raw veggies without vinegar, etc.

Comment: If anyone wants to chat with fellow participants, mosey on over to the Off-Topic thread in this forum that Mark kindly set up last week. :)

Comment: We can all do this --- progress over perfection!!!! Onward to next week!!!

Thank you to Mark, Jeff, and WildGoose for all that you do to support us!!! Thank you to everyone who is participating - you all inspire me!!!

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
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1/21 Time & Adherence Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Fri Jan 21, 2022 5:48 pm

Hi,

Continuing to be a cold January!!! I am fighting the January "blahs" - cannot wait until Spring and it is a long way away... Like everyone (I am sure), getting weary of the pandemic and being more isolated than "normal" (whatever that is). Hard to believe that it is almost 2 years... Guess we just each do the best we can with every day.

Continuing to focus on keeping true to my resolution themes ...

LIVE LOVE LAUGH ... I have continued to connect with family, friends, colleagues, community --- as best I can in the pandemic times. Was sad this week when my son went back to school (but it is good that he did) --- just quieter in the house. Perhaps I need a rescue dog.... (I haven't gotten one yet because of my 2 older cats - where I don't want to rock their worlds)...

I have continued to spend a portion of my work week on things that I value (i.e., training, planning events, working to improve culture). We have yearly Leadership Summit coming up next week and it looks to be an awesome itinerary!! Looking forward to that.

I am going to put de-cluttering plan together this weekend (and perhaps start to execute on plan). Seems I could start anywhere in the basement!!! :lol:

MWL Checklist / Hop Skip Jump Run:

COMMENT IS SAME AS LAST WEEK - Key for me is commitment that I will NOT eat peanuts or pretzels. These are no longer foods for me. I need to STOP letting them tempt me. Every time counts --- as I need to break the habit. When I am tempted (as will likely happen every night for awhile), I will : exercise, journal or read to get through it. If really hungry, I will have: a bit of raw veggies for PL, starch (soup or potato or whatever), frozen fruit.

For this week, I have had 4 -100% compliance days at the end of the week (across all points). :cool: My goal is to keep up this trajectory and to put days and weeks and months between myself and consumption of the bad guys. The compliance resulted in a weight loss (1 lb rounded) -- which I am going to shout at the rooftops because it was the hardest won pound that I have lost so far... :lol:

Was able to walk outside 7/7 days this week which was awesome - generally about 1 hour each time. There was another sale on fleece and I bought some more ear warmers and scarves... I prefer to get outside even in the ridiculous cold. A couple days in coming week look like that may be iffy...

Have gotten to my steps goals. Here are the metrics:
Avg Daily YTD steps: 9,221
Avg Weekly steps (week ending 1/20) - 11,109 (I had one day with 15K where I walked for 85 min. and went to a few stores)

Finished 3 audiobooks (during exercise & cooking / food prep)...
* Stationary Bike by Stephen King --- I would totally recommend to any SK fans. I hadn't heard of this, but picked it because my goal is to get better at the bike... Starts with a 38 year old guy getting bad news on his cholesterol & weight from his doctor.
Turns into guy painting a mural where he goes to when riding the bike.
* Here We Go Again by Betty White - RIP, Betty White - a wonderful human being. Narrated by the author. Recommend to fans who haven't read already.
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald - was on the list of "you saw the movie, but never read the book"... Enjoyed it as much as the movie. Was skeptical as I have tried to like his better known The Great Gatsby - read a few times, and just cannot...

Below is this week's Behavioral Assessment that I will post in MWL forum.

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

Hope that everyone is having a great week!!! It continues to be cold in Chicagoland!!! Seems like a super long January!

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
:) I did preload 18/21 meals.
* I have made Jeff's Longevity Soup (loving this, made a bigger pot!!!) and continued to eat finger food salad and roasted veggies...
*I do target 100% here. I am planning not to miss any for next week. I have all of the starters readily available to grab.


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.
:) 19/21 were 50/50.
* Key for me is planning, shopping, preparation to make starch, veggies, fruit easy to grab and incorporate into any meal.
* Finished week 4 of eating oatmeal for breakfast... (and I still do love it!!!) -- Since this is now implemented, I will drop the comment next week... :-D
* Have roasted and zapped many potatoes, made oven fries, made a few pots of brown rice.
* I made a few pots of soup / chili / beans this week - Split Pea Soup (a couple of times - is my favorite!), Creamy Beany (from this web-site), Red lentil chili.


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.
:D 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).
:twisted: 4/7 Days Compliant....
* I have DECIDED to STOP snacking on husband's nuts and pretzels. These are not foods for me. I am sick of struggling and am just going to STOP eating these items.
* If I am tempted by these food items, I will eat: finger food salad, frozen fruit, and either soup or rice or potatoes from refrigerator. These are all ready to grab.
* I still have my other action items noted, but I think that I will get there with this plan. Obviously, goal is 100% compliance.


6 Eliminate any added oil.
:D 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.
:twisted: Compliant 4/7 days
See #5 above. Comments are same.


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 try to be mindful of this guideline. I do really well all day except as it may relate to my non-compliance on #5 and #7 (which happens during the witching hour, after dinner).


10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes, 7/7 days. :D
* Walked outside 7 days !!! (Really wrapped up in fleece on many of those days!!! ) :-D
* Met goal of averaging 8K steps / week (still Pacing with a Purpose...)
* Will be focusing on continuing indoor exercise (when outside is infeasible), stepping at least 8K average / day, making friends with stationary bike.


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Comment: My Behavioral Assessment is materially the same as last week. One key difference is that at the end of the week, I was able to achieve 100% compliance over 4 consecutive days (including 1,2,5, 7, and 9). This has led to FINALLY moving the scale down a one pound notch. Not planning to log here each week scale ups and downs ... BUT this was the hardest won pound that I have lost so far... :lol: I feel like a good trajectory to keep going.

Thank you to Mark, Jeff, WildGoose and also everyone who is participating in this group !!!

Hope that everyone has a great McD week!!!

Best,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
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1/28 Time & Adherence Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Fri Jan 28, 2022 6:45 pm

Hi,

Hope that all is well with everyone who sees this post!!! :D If you are following or trying to follow the McD program, give yourself a hug!!! Seriously!!!

This has been a better week for me where I seem to have found my "adherence muscle" -- perhaps I just need to try to flex it a bit harder... :lol:

I am happy to say that so many of the 10 points in MWL have become habits for me. These don't require much psychological stamina to continue on with the habit and they have helped me to both lose a clip of weight and also to keep that "lost weight" off. This informs my future self .... that I continue to follow this to manage my weight.... not to color outside lines... or other habits will be built (and I know where that ends up)!!! :shock:

Anyone who has ever read my journal knows that I have been fighting the dry, salty, calorie dense that resides in my house. I think that I have flipped a mental switch and STOPPED the habit that I started of post-dinner or instead of dinner non-compliant snacking. I was not perfect this week... but progress and I don't really have specific food cravings that makes me think that a corner has been turned in this back-sliding.

I struggle with feeling disappointed in myself when I don't achieve 100% adherence --- and that is not helpful for me to actually achieve 100% adherence. So, I am glad to be practicing imperfectly .... because this is the way that I intend to eat going forward and if mistakes happen --- just dust off and keep going.

LIVE LOVE LAUGH ...

I still think I need that rescue dog!!! Maybe a project... (to align family? and cats?)

We had an awesome Women's Leadership Summit this week. So many women came together to plan this event and so many women participated and the team received wonderful feedback. Empowered was the biggest word in the word cloud. So grateful to have been able to help plan and to participate. There was an author who presented for one part --- and she was phenomenal!!

I was able to meet with one of my best friends in person. We were going to walk.... but it was cold and she doesn't have all of the fleece!! So, we talked each other's ears off... :-D

I am not stellar yet with the de-cluttering. Now, thinking how is this a LIVE LOVE LAUGH step... :D

MWL Checklist / Hop Skip Jump Run:

Posted my standard food in the Off-Topic MWL thread. I have recorded food eaten for all of January -- as well as compliance to the checklist. I definitely have a winter pattern going on and am fine with that. If I ever get bored, I have a huge list of recipes that I want to try!!!

Was able to walk outside 5/7 days this week - generally about 1 hour each time. I have decided that I am ok with exercising inside when the temperatures are in the single digits!!! I did achieve my 8K average steps / day goal. I joined on-line Zumba class - I am so NOT good at it, but it does make me move!!! So, for compliance scoring 7/7.

Have gotten to my steps goals. Here are the metrics:
Avg Daily YTD steps: 9,415
Avg Weekly steps (week ending 1/27) - 10,110

Finished 1 audiobooks (during exercise & cooking / food prep)...
* The Princess Bride by William Goldman --- Performed / narrated by Rob Reiner. Was one of my favorite movies in the 90's - great book that I before had never read. OMG - Rob Reiner made this book come to life at least as well - if not better than the movie. High recommend (but I am biased!!).

I have no less than 4 audiobooks at various levels of completion!!! Trying to balance the dark with the light...

Support: I have joined every week a Nov 2021 McD 12 Day Alumni video meeting - love the people that join - scheduled by a fellow participant. A few of us email / text periodically as well. Priceless. I think that the McD programs attract the nicest people --- or these are the people who join the meetings!!!

Forgot to mention last week that I joined the McD All Alumni chat with Dr. John McD. and Mary. Got to hear live on Zoom " the fat you eat is the fat you wear..." I enjoy these calls too.

Have my quarterly meeting to help anxiety coming next week. Will look to see if any tips on changing coping mechanisms.

Below is this week's Behavioral Assessment that I will post in MWL forum.

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

It is almost Groundhog Day!!! Who is hoping that an early spring is predicted?? Personally, so looking for a respite from the cold !!!

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
:) I did preload 20/21 meals.
* I pre-load with finger food salad for B and D. I pre-load with Jeff Longevity soup for L. (Yes, all week!!!)
* My miss here is going to be a theme with each of my misses for this week's report.
* Reason for Non-compliance - Emotional - angry (which is quite rare for me)
* I generally have preloads available to grab. I got distracted for Tuesday dinner - on phone with friend who was also angry (work situation).
* This was a rare situation that I don't expect to recur with any frequency - so moving on with target of 100%.


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.
:) 20/21 were 50/50.
* Key for me is planning, shopping, preparation to make starch, veggies, fruit easy to grab and incorporate into any meal.
* Have roasted and zapped many potatoes, made oven fries, made a few pots of brown rice.
* I made a few pots of soup / chili / beans this week - Split Pea Soup (a couple of times - is my favorite!), Mexi Soup (from this website)
* See #1 for reason for non-compliance, etc.


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.
:D 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).
:twisted: 6/7 Days Compliant....
* If I am tempted by these food items, I will eat: finger food salad, frozen fruit, and either soup or rice or potatoes from refrigerator. These are all ready to grab and I usually pre-plate dinner.
* On two nights, I used part of my starch as "snacky" food. For one night, I had a small bowl of rice with a quick spray of Bragg's (which I bought several months ago but never opened) and the other I had oven fries with a bit of garlic salt.
* See #1 for non-compliance reason.
* I am feeling pretty good about this one (FINALLY) - as it no longer is a habit and I am not feeling cravings.


6 Eliminate any added oil.
:D 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.
:twisted: Compliant 6/7 days
See #5 above. Comments are same.


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 think I am ok here - yes.


10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes, 7/7 days. :D
* Walked outside 5 days !!! I am amazed that I have acclimated to some chilly temps...
* Met goal of averaging 8K steps / week (still Pacing with a Purpose...)
* Have continued focusing on indoor exercise (when outside is infeasible), stepping at least 8K average / day, making friends with stationary bike. Joined Wednesday's remote Zumba class.


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Comments:

This has been a better week for me where I seem to have found my "adherence muscle" -- perhaps I just need to try to flex it a bit harder... :lol:

I am happy to say that so many of the 10 points in MWL have become habits for me. These don't require much psychological stamina to continue on with the habit and they have helped me to both lose a clip of weight and also to keep that "lost weight" off. This informs my future self .... that I continue to follow this to manage my weight.... not to color outside lines... or other habits will be built (and I know where that ends up)!!! :shock:

On the other hand, I have been fighting the dry, salty, calorie dense (#5 / #7) that resides in my house. I think that I have flipped a mental switch and STOPPED the habit that I started of post-dinner or instead of dinner non-compliant snacking. I was not perfect this week... but progress and I don't really have specific food cravings that makes me think that a corner has been turned in this back-sliding.

I struggle with feeling disappointed in myself when I don't achieve 100% adherence --- and that is not helpful for me to actually achieve 100% adherence. So, I am glad to be practicing imperfectly .... because I do intend to continue to follow MWL 10 Pt. checklist going forward and if mistakes happen --- just dust off and keep going.

"If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one." -- Dolly Parton

Hope that everyone enjoys the weekend and a great week ahead!!! Thank you so much to Mark, Jeff, Wildgoose, and each and every participant for making this a community!!!

Best,
Stephanie
Last edited by VegSeekingFit on Sat Feb 12, 2022 1:24 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
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Re: Stephanie's Journal - One Bite at a Time...

Postby deweyswakms » Sat Jan 29, 2022 11:53 am

You have the best 'resolutions'.
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

2/11 Time & Adherence Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sat Feb 12, 2022 1:37 pm

Hi,

Well, I have been LAZY about journalling and I missed last week's Behavioral Assessment.

Keeping it short this week, but will record food & exercise for next week.

Still plugging away and trying to defeat the snack demons :mrgreen: #5 and #7. Otherwise, compliant with the 10 point checklist.

Below is this week's Behavioral Assessment that I will post in MWL forum.

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

Hope that everyone is doing well!! I got extra busy last week and didn't prioritize posting ... However, still following the checklist.

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.
:D 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).
:twisted: No.
* I continue to have periodic after dinner struggle with the nuts.
* Next time that these tempt me, I will wait 10 minutes to be sure hungry and if so, then will eat salad, fruit, and soup or bean burger.
* I continue to work to eliminate.
* This is a mental struggle.


6 Eliminate any added oil.
:D 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.
:twisted: No.
See #5 above. Comments are same.


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
* Walked outside 4 days !!!
* Met goal of averaging 8K steps / day over the week (still Pacing with a Purpose...)
* Will continue to focus on indoor exercise when outside is infeasible, step at least 8K average / day, make better friends with stationary bike, and join weekly remote Zumba class.


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

I am planning to go back to recording daily food, exercise, adherence to the Checklist for next week. Hoping that this will help to improve my compliance with #5 / 7.

Hope that everyone has a very Happy Valentine's Day and a great week ahead!!!

Cheers,
Stephanie
Last edited by VegSeekingFit on Sat Feb 19, 2022 10:20 am, 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
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Posts: 1324
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:21 am
Location: Illinois

2/18 Time & Adherence Group - Weekly Food / Exercise

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sun Feb 13, 2022 8:27 pm

Hey,

So, I did commit to recording my food, etc. and daily compliance to the MWL checklist. I have logged this in my daily planner.

I need to work on 100% adherence - specifically to remove 2 specific foods from my eating!!!

First, I have to say that I am really happy with my results to date! I have been able to follow most of the MWL checklist without any difficulty - and this is how I intend to eat going forward. I do love the food!!!

I need to focus on making improvement to 100% compliance on #5 / #7 - when I miss here - this is very impactful from a Calorie Density perspective.... in fact --- adding them is how one would operate if one wanted to gain weight! :shock: Need to take a page from Nike and "Just Do It"...

Last week I compared my current eating / exercise / MWL checklist compliance to what I did when I got to "goal weight" in 2018 (10+ lbs. lighter than I am now). Interesting in some ways...

So, first off... even though I had (and still have) a very sedentary office job, I averaged 11.6K steps / avg. daily /week (as compared to my current goal of 8K/avg. daily / week). So, this is quite a gap... (But, current goal quite exceeds years following 2018...) In 2018, I did do some longer walks (especially on weekend) and I did have a huge walk between meetings (where now I just change as seated) - as part of everyday activity...

Second, I didn't have the issues with the 2 foods that I am now warring with on #5 / 7... I eliminated!!!

I do feel like I can eliminate again... Perhaps I can exercise more too... but probably when temperature is over 20 degrees!!! :o

This week's food was mainly:
B - Finger food salad (or regular eat with fork salad) - PL
1/2 c. oatmeal with 1.25 cup water, 1 small banana, frozen berries - 50/50
L - Salad - PL
Orange
Sometimes roasted mushrooms or other veggies
Mexi Soup (sometimes over rice or potato) - 50/50
D - Salad - PL
Frozen fruity (usually mango & cherries)
Sometimes other veggies
Split Pea Soup

I was able to comply 100% for 4 days. 3 days I had a miss with 5/7. I did try to slightly increase dinner portion to keep the later PM munchy goblins away. This helped - so I need to do this more consistently / mindfully in the upcoming week.

Exercise -
Jan Avg Steps = 9,013
Last week Steps 2/11-2/17 = 9,797

Below is this week's Behavioral Assessment that I will post in MWL forum.

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

Hope that everyone is having a wonderful weekend!!!

I appreciate reading everyone's posts here. So much to relate to!!!

I did work to incorporate Mark's suggestion from last week to slightly increase dinner portion to circumvent compliance issue with #5 & 7 that happens at night (PM snack goblins). I think that this helped and I will continue to do this for the upcoming week and try to be consistent / mindful of this.

I had 4 days with 100% compliance and 3 more troublesome days. My goal is to do better than that for next week.

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
:) Yes. I have mainly been eating salad this week as a preload since I am eating soup for main lunch and dinner (due to the cold weather). In addition to finger food salad, I have eaten some tomato, cucumber, radish, red onion salads. Delicious!

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.
I have had oatmeal with fruit every day for breakfast.
I have mainly had Mexi Soup (sometimes over rice or potato) for lunch.
I have had Split Pea Soup for dinner (cannot get sick of this; keep making more).
I have had oranges (Sumo and Cara Cara) or frozen fruit and additional veggies, including roasted mushrooms.


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.
:D 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).
:twisted: No.
* I continue to have periodic after dinner mental struggle with the nuts.
* I will work to slightly increase dinner volume to head this off. This has helped over the week - when I remembered to follow it!
* Next time that these tempt me, I will wait 10 minutes to be sure hungry and if so, then will eat salad, fruit, and soup or bean burger.
* I continue to work to eliminate.
* I plan to do better this week.


6 Eliminate any added oil.
:D 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.
:twisted: No.
See #5 above. Comments are same (except pretzels).


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
* Walked outside 3 days !!! Have decided to remain indoors only when temperature is below 20 degrees. So tired of the cold!
* Exceeded goal of averaging 8K steps / day over the week (still Pacing with a Purpose...)
* My husband has compared me to a caged animal as I pace around the house. I told him that this is exactly how I feel - trapped!


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

I am going to continue recording daily food, exercise, adherence to the Checklist for next week (in my daily planner). Also, I am going to continue to slightly increase amount of dinner to ensure "comfortably full" as strategy to improve my compliance with #5 / 7.

While I do struggle with 5/7, it is always the same food item at the same time of day. I did tackle peanut butter months ago and haven't looked back .... so I think I can get there ...

Hope that everyone has a great week ahead!!! Filled with starch and veggies....and exercise and sunshine :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

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