by Lizzy_F » Fri Jul 08, 2022 12:46 pm
A repeat of my MWL checkin for today:
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
There were 2 meals I can think of this week where I was hungry but very limited on time, so I just ate some potatoes. The cooking time was not the issue since I have so much food already prepped – it just has to be nuked. I just didn’t have time to sit down with a big bowl of soup/veg/fruit and work my way through that (takes even longer with braces) and then also work my way through a starch. So I just ate the starch (for satiation). I can see how front loading helps fill us up at an overall lower calorie density! It was only 2 times across a whole week, so not getting worked up about it. I am curious what others do in a tight crunch meal situation.
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.
Overall I feel I am doing well, and getting better at this! With the 2 exceptions noted above, of course. I definitely have increased awareness as I am planning and assembling meals. And I had awareness even on the 2 meals where I did not meet this guideline. I think Tiffany would definitely tell me to do the best I can as often as I can. (Not trying to justify bad behavior here, but to specifically remind myself not to get into “perfectionism” mode, which ALWAYS leads to negative outcomes for me!)
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.
This is another area where my awareness has increased (esp. re salt) during the last week. I enjoy listening to what Jeff, Dr. McDougall, and Doug Lisle all have to say about it. Just goes to show that opinions can differ slightly, and yet everyone can be more broadly on the same page. So I am building confidence that I will find what works for me within the boundaries of the differences of our leaders. (I hope that made sense to someone other than me LOL!) I made a crockpot full of Mary’s Smashed Beans overnight on Wednesday. I was pleasantly surprised how GOOD they tasted with NO SALT – not even added at the table. For those who use this recipe, I’m curious if you like your beans a bit spicier, what do you add to the recipe? (The basic recipe is pinto beans, water, onion and garlic)
I don’t think I consumed any added sugar this week. There is Stevia in my store bought ketchup. I also made Goose’s easy no salt, no added sugar ketchup recipe which is really good! That was another pleasant surprise and step forward in reducing added salt. (because I do tend to use a LOT of ketchup!) I doubt I will abandon store bought ketchup entirely, but for now it is great to have an easy home option which addresses this point. Goose – what would you add to the ketchup if you wanted it a bit spicier?
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
NO PROBLEM HERE!
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
I don’t believe I had any meals containing any of these types of foods in the past week.
6. Eliminate any added oil.
No added oil!!
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit.
No Ezekiel toast in my soup for a whole week!!! (I do still give myself permission to have a slice of Ezekiel toast if I really want one!) I did have Mary’s Golden Gravy on mashed potatoes which is thickened with brown rice flour. I forsee myself continuing to make that recipe to go with mashed potatoes unless something stops working. How do others view this particular use of a flour in the context of this guideline?
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Success!!
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
I am an original member of the clean plate club. This is an issue I KNOW I need to work on. If it’s on my plate, I’m eating it. A strategy that Tiffany and I have discussed is to take a smaller portion of starch, eat it (in my cast, that will be eat is all!), then wait a while to see if I’m still hungry. If so, eat more! If not, carry on with life. I really have not yet started to do this. I will eventually need less fuel in a smaller body, so I think working on this point will be a good goal for next week! One of the things I LOVE about eating this way is never feeling like I have to go hungry. I need to remind myself at meal time that I can take less to start, and go back for more later. I don’t have to take it all NOW. (I grew up in a family where if you didn’t get “firsts” there would be nothing left for “seconds.” That old programming dies HARD, LOL!) I will continue eating large (same as current) portions of the low calorie density items – especially the pre-loads of soup/veg/fruit. The 50/50 plate will remain the 50/50 plate – a bit less of everything, and seconds of everything if still hungry. That is the game plan – I welcome feedback and personal experience comments!
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
This is another area where I can set goals and improve. Since I love to walk so much, I need to do a better job of planning walks into my daily routine (i.e. considering weather, personal schedule, etc.). I also want to get busy and learn the Jack Dixon (I think I got that name right) Functional Six. If I start with one, and then add (learn) a new one each day, then at the end of the week I would at least be at the baseline starting point.
I DO give myself credit for going for several walks this week!
Victories:
• NO Animal Products and NO added free/processed oils! What I get from the Dr. McD / Dr. Lisle lectures is that these are the two most important things. I feel good about getting this part right!
• Raised awareness of added sodium and more attentive label reading. I’m not looking to eliminate salt (or sugar – thank you Jeff!) but to be AWARE of what I am consuming so that if future adjustments are needed, I know where to look.
• I am giving myself credit for food prep this past week. I ALWAYS had prepared fruit, veg, fruit and starches in the fridge! It doesn’t feel “effortless” just yet to be in this position, but I think that will come with time as I continue to get in a solid groove with this program.
Comments:
• Goal for next week: Work on awareness of hunger/satiety signals. Slightly reduce 50/50 plate portion size. Wait 20 minutes, assess hunger level, and get more food (50/50) if still hungry. The purpose of doing this is to increase awareness of portion sizes to be appropriate for my shrinking body, while not going hungry.
• Goal for next week: Incorporate Functional Six exercises – one new one per day.
• Random observations: I had a moment a few days ago where a random thought skittered across my brain. Something like “I need to go walk to burn off some of this energy!” WHAAAAT??? Where did THAT come from? My body LOOKING for ACTIVITY??? Well I NEVER! The healing must be REAL!
• I am regularly walking up and down the stairs like normal(one foot on one step, then the other foot on the next step) instead of like a person in pain (one step for both feet, then the next step for both feet, hanging onto the railing). I caught myself doing this without even thinking about it. More signs of healing!
Concerns:
• While consulting this 10-point checklist with the goal of ultimately maximizing good health, remember that perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking is a trap (for me anyway)! No animal products and no oils are the RULES (Dr. McDougall). The rest are GUIDELINES meaning I make best effort, consider my personal circumstances (health issues, etc.), and don’t make this more complicated for myself than it needs to be. LOVE my food! Let my results be my guide.
Questions:
• What do others do when you are super pressed for time to get a proper meal in quickly?
• How do you suggest spicing up smashed pinto beans in the crock pot – what would you add besides onion and garlic for more kick? Or would you just add hot sauce at the table?
• What spices to experiment with in Goose’s easy homemade ketchup to add more kick?
• Does anyone have feedback or personal experience to share about beginning to reduce portion sizes (and go back for seconds if still hungry) to keep pace with reduced fuel requirements during weight loss? My goal is not necessarily to eat less food right now, but to do a better job tuning into hunger / satiety signals and raise my own awareness about potentially shifting fuel requirements for my ever smaller body. So maybe that is the better question: What did you do to improve your awareness of hunger / satiety, and respond accordingly?
• What were your personal early or later signs of healing? How long did you continue to notice changes? (months? Years?)
All in all it was a great week and I'm very pleased with how things are going! This is such a far cry from where I was for SO LOOONG just not able to stick with the most basic elements of the Starch Solution for even a few days. I want to hang on tight to this current MOJO!
Beth
"Long-term sustainable change is what we are really after." ~Jeff Novick