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!!
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. 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).
Yes9 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.