Discussion Board

I posted some questions about my MWL plan in the lounge under the Jim's ASW thread, and got some great answers. I've decided that it is time for me to do a journal again. I've kept some online journals here in the past. Anyway, here is a quote from my post there that sums up my McDougall history.

"After losing 50 pounds from late 2008 to late 2009, I regained some in 2010 and part of 2011. I had some real "excuses", but I'm through with using them now!! I have about 40 pounds to lose, and it is happening in 2012!! I've already lost 10 in late 2011 and early 2012."

As you see, this is the year that I will reach goal weight. The "excuses" that I mention were some cases of life getting in the way, but I still had choices, and I often made the wrong choice! Still, I'm glad that I'm now 40 lighter than I was in late 2008. My biggest excuse is compulsive eating, and I understand that better and better with each passing day. It helped me so much to read The Pleasure Trap! FInally, I was understood! Even though I had no weight issues as a child or young adult (5'6" - 120 pounds after two kids), I have still been trying to lose weight for about 35 years. I got heavy from dieting. If I had 10 pounds to lose, I would lose that and then regain 20. That went on and on until I was 75 pounds overweight, and more!
It is fine with me if I lose an average of a pound a week. That means that I'll be at my goal weight in 40 weeks, which will be by the end of November 2012! Yes!! I'm doing strict MWL because it is the only way that I have found for me to not overeat or eat compulsively. I have learned the hard way that I can't even have a sprinkling of nuts on a salad in a restaurant! I also am definitely staying away from bread.
If anyone is reading this, welcome, and please leave your comments. They will help me. Just so you know, I'm 65 years old, and my only health problems are obesity and stiff knees. I need to decide if I should weigh in weekly or monthly. So far it has been weekly. This isn't really a new start, but it is a new attempt at some accountability. Take care, LauraA

Today's food was pretty typical of how I've been eating for a couple of months now. The salads were only added after I heard the Dr McD and Dr F debate from the ASW. Dr F really reminded my to eat more salads - I do that in the summer, but haven't been eating many salads in the winter. Since adding the salads, I have cut down on my starch a small amount, but not much. It has only been for a little over a week.

B- steel cut oats (1/4 cup overflowing before cooking) 2 t ground flax seed, pinch of cinnamon, a little brown sugar, a little homemade rice milk, half banana
green tea
L-big salad with homemade FF dressing, 1 cup cooked brown rice, full bag of frozen mixed veggies, 1 t sambal oelek chili paste(no fat, 110 mg sodium), green tea
S- 2 cutie oranges, mint tea (herbal)
D- big salad, 1 cup of lentil stew, 1 cup of cooked brown rice, 1 t sambal sauce, mint tea
How does this look to everyone? My main goal is to follow MWL, and other goals are :
1. Eat very little processed food
2. Eat nothing that sets off an addictive response
3. Eat simply, little variety
I don't do Mary's Mini because I love oatmeal in the morning. Most days I don't have the lentil stew. I have the veggies and rice or potatoes at one meal, and at the other I have either ratatouille with rice or homemade veggie soup.
If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know. I'd love any suggestions. I will put all of this into chronometer soon, but will enter the veggie soup for one of the meals. I'll also try with ratatouille as one meal. I am editing this entry to say that I just added up the calories for a typical day for me with veggie soup as one of the meals instead of the lentil stew with rice. The calories added up to 1,250, and I counted every little thing. I think that looks pretty good. Take care, LauraA

Hi all - I've been enjoying trying to catch up on some of the journals. I can learn so much from everyone! Today went well. I went to Curves and also followed my eating plan exactly. I won't continue to post what I eat, because I am following a simple MWL plan with little variation. I'll post if there are any big changes or if I'm eating out or traveling. Here is my basic plan:

B- steel cut oats (1/4 cup overflowing before cooking) 2 t ground flax seed, pinch of cinnamon, a little brown sugar, a little homemade rice milk, half banana or half cup blueberries, green tea
L-big salad with homemade FF dressing, 1 cup cooked brown rice or a potato, full bag of frozen mixed veggies, half cup of beans, 1 t sambal oelek chili paste(no fat, 110 mg sodium), green tea
S- 2 cutie oranges or another fruit, mint tea (herbal)
D- big salad, large serving of Paul's two cup veggie soup or Gramma Jackie's ratatouille and 1 cup brown rice, mint tea

I'm mainly following this plan to avoid binge eating or compulsive eating. This seems to be the only way for me to stick with the program with enough compliance to lose weight. After so many years of trying, I don't think that I'll get to the point where I can have a few nuts, a little bread, etc.
The McDougall discussion board has helped me so much, and I don't do well when I try to do this totally alone. I guess that I need the accountability and the connection. My family is very supportive, and many in my family are vegan or vegetarian. Still, I'd say only one daughter fully understands what I'm doing. I also have two brothers who are on this program. One found out about it from news of Bill Clinton, and one saw Forks Over Knives with me.
Right now is a good time for me to be really concentrating on my eating, because not much is going on for me. In mid March we'll have 11 people staying here - my sister, some of my kids and one grandson, and some friends. I usually do fine with others staying here, because I still have my oatmeal/rice cooker and my veggies, but sometimes there is more eating out. I'm still watching the last few segments of the ASW. It was all so helpful and interesting - I'd love to go sometime, and I'm really hoping to go in the fall. One of my daughters and her family live in Seattle, and I usually visit them in the fall. Well, take care all, and leave me some comments if you have a chance, LauraA

Very good!

I'll be reading, watching and learning.

I'll be glad when I'm on track but doing this alone, with so much distraction and life-long habits is making my goal elusive. I've been enjoying too much in the bakery area-making non-animal source TREATS (one of my bad habits, like so many humans). However I've been at the lowest weight that I haven't seen since the 90's so I have to pat myself on the back for a well-done job, even if no one else will

Thanks for your journal.

Welcome Peaches and StarchBeet! I have visitors here! That's exciting, because I don't feel so much like I'm talking to myself. StarchBeet, you're doing great. I never am able to get any weight loss unless I'm 100% compliant, and that's not always easy. Peaches, my oatmeal is steel cut, and I don't know if your's is steel cut or regular. I know with regular my serving would be 1/3 to 1/2 cup before cooking. The steel cup expands more.
Well, I'm feeling good, and feeling in control, which is important. For some who don't know me, I'll give a little background. I'm 65, I'm a retired preschool teacher and director, and I've been married for 44 years. My husband and I have 8 children, two that we had (homemade) and 6 foster children that we adopted. We did foster care for years, and had about 50 foster children. Five of our adopted children have (or had) special needs, but all are independent except for one who lives in a group home (she is mildly retarded). Some of the special needs sort of faded into the background once the kids finished school. One son, who is now 34, was severely learning disabled, and couldn't even get a regular high school diploma. He really wasn't college material. Now, he is executive chef at two clubs, is happily married to someone with a masters degree, and is one of the smartest people that I know. He's the one who invented Paul's Two Cup Soup! Another daughter was labeled mildly retarded, and is now labeled with mild autism. She lives on her own, drives a car, works full time as a dog groomer, and plays on a highly competitive roller derby team. They play at the civic center, and it is a big deal. She has to pass very difficult derby testing, and is usually studying with professionals ( accountants, grad students, nurses, teachers). We're very proud of our kids, and I consider it my part time job to help the younger ones learn independence. Our kids range in age from 27 - 42. We have 5 wonderful grandchildren. Also, two of our children are black and one is biracial, so we have a lot of variety!
Let's see, my husband still travels a good bit with work, so he's often not here. He is not anywhere close to vegan - he loves meat, cheese, etc. I'm usually traveling to see grandkids, or having huge groups of kids/grandkids/relatives visit. I work for one month of the year in an orphanage in Tanzania. Right now, our youngest son has just moved back here from Australia. He is a hip hop singer, and has finally realized that he needs to supplement that income. He is staying here temporarily and is planning to go to training soon to become a long distance truck driver. It's funny, because that's what he told us that he wanted to do when he was 4 years old!
I have a huge extended family, and am very close with siblings, nieces, nephews etc. My father died at 65 of prostate cancer, and my mother died last year at age 90 after a long battle with Alzheimer's. Somehow, my older brother (two years older) and I are the oldest in the family. I seem to have moved up to that position very quickly!!
I really want to lose the rest of this excess weight this year. My difficulties include food addiction and travel, lots of travel. I seem to always be compliant enough to have very healthy blood work, blood pressure, bone density, etc.
I'm hoping that this journal will help me be very compliant, and I'm hoping that anyone here "visiting" me will help. I appreciate all of you so very much. I think that Dr and Mrs McDougall and Jeff are amazing, and I am so thrilled that our star McDougallers are willing to help the rest of us. I also appreciate everyone who works on these boards (like you, Jim). That can't be an easy job. Welcome all and take care, LauraA

Hi Laura!

Welcome back. I am a fan of yours and you don’t even know it! I remember reading all your adventurers from your past journals with your children and enjoyed hearing about your travels. You lead such a meaningful and interesting life. You bring such a gift to the children you have fostered. What a tremendous contribution to the lives of the people you touch.

It is great to see you back in the journal forums and I will be following your accomplishments as they unfold. It feels good to make a recommitment to good health. This is such a wonderful support group.

Good to see you again!

Hi Laura! It's good to see you here!

Hey Laura! What a huge and wonderful life you've got! I can't wait to keep reading more

DITTO

Another DITTO! And it is really clear how proud you are of your children -- I can practically see you beaming from here!

I think we're in a similar place health-wise. Aside from two trashed knees, my only health issue is obesity. So far, anyway. So I am determined to take charge of my health NOW! This board has been great for encouragement and helping me to stay focused, and I hope you will find it helpful, too. It looks like you are establishing some great habits, and they will be so automatic by the time your family visits in mid-March that staying on plan should be a cinch for you!

Laura,
Thanks for introducing yourself to us! You never have to worry about living a well-spent life! I'm glad you're here journaling, and I know you will acheive the results you want. You are obviously a strong woman.

I totally relate to the food addiction and distractions of life getting the best of you. It will be good to be on this journey with you!

Hi Laura,welcome back to journaling.Some of your weight issues fit me to a T. Dieting has made me fat.Guess I just have a poor body image.I guess that is from being in a family of Mom,Grandmother,& sister all size 1 or 0...Was always tall and bigger than most.Oh well.Time to foccus and get over it...RAS

Good morning all, and thanks to WeeSpeck,toad food (great to "see" you again), redhairrising, Potatohead, Quinoamania, Kristykay and RAS for visiting. It's like a little party here! I do have a wonderful life, and I"m filled with pride and joy. There is just this one area where I have been so unsuccessful for so long (I am doing better, though!) It is hard to believe that I can conquer so much, do so well in life, and not lose and keep off this excess weight! I have been vegan for 18 years, and first read McDougall 18 years ago. That is just crazy! As I said, I wasn't a heavy child or young adult, but I've been trying to lose weight for 35 years. Again, just crazy!! On the other hand, if I had never been heavy, I would never have known of this healthy way of eating. I think the way that I have eaten has kept me way healthier than I would have been if I had been slimmer. Still, the weight is not healthy, doesn't look good, and it is going for good this year!
If some of you think that I'm proud of my children, just wait till I get started on my grandchildren! The oldest one is turning 20 in a couple of months - I can't believe it! Several of them are vegan, which I'm so happy about.
Now, lets talk about knees. My mom (who was never heavy) had two knee replacements by my age. Both of my knees are very stiff. I wouldn't say that they really hurt, but they are so stiff. I haven't had anyone look at them, because I'm sure that they would just say "lose weight". I wonder if they'll be a lot better when I lose, or if they will still give me trouble. I guess there's just one way to find out, and that will happen this year! Mostly, they bother me on steps, and when I first get up from sitting. I also wonder about lose skin after I finish losing. Again, I'll find out this year!
My eating is going well - I'm sticking to my program really well. Tomorrow is weigh in day. I often get on the scale when it's not weigh in day, and I just tell myself that it doesn't count. It looks like I'll be down at least a pound tomorrow. I often still wonder if I should toss the scale, because I definitely jump on it too often. I'm still thinking about that. I had some phone therapy once about compulsive eating, and the woman that I talked to hadn't weighed in years - she wouldn't even weigh at the doctor. She said that she was in a normal size clothes, she knew that her wight was fine, and she could tell if she gained or lost by her clothes (she must not own as much elastic as I do!!). Anyway, please visit again, and give me your ideas. I'm going to read a little from the journals that are showing up near the top. Take care, LauraA

Hey Laura: Well, I am having a slow day at home and thought I'd treat myself to some MCdougall journal reading. I came here first to see your new journal and get to know a bit about you and your McDougall journey - and boy am I glad I did.

Your life and family are so inspiring and they all sound like they are achieving their life's goals so well. Your travels sound really interesting too. Hope to learn more about that too. Luckily, for us, we have you for like 40 weeks by your estimate - so that should give you enough time to tell us a bit more! Mostly, what I found out is you have so much to be happy and proud about

But, I am also glad to see that you want to really tackle something that is JUST FOR YOU! Good to know that being vegan has kept your other health vitals in good shape and it's just the weight issue and knees.

Your posts on what your eating look pretty darn good to me. What ever is that chile you use? I have never heard of it. On this diet I find I am really getting into herbs and spices I haven't used before. I love the chiles and hope you can tell me what all is in this one you use, please.

I am also curious like you as to what happens with our skin as we loose the weight. So far I have lost almost 45 pounds (not all on McDougall), but it seems to me that since I have been on McDougall the skin is improving, even in terms of it's elasticity. You have been vegan so long that some of this is probably your norm - skinwise, but the texture is completely different for me now and I got some of that vegan glow goin too

Anyway, I hope some long timers will answer your questions on that skin issue here. From looking at the Star McDougaller's looks like they aren't having any saggy skin issues, but those folks are younger than us too, I am 59.

I am pretty much still a newbie - so I can't offer much advise, but I sure glad to offer that encouragement.

So, this is my bit of encouragement - you have everything in life to be proud of - this is just the one last thing you haven't accomplished YET, but it's coming soon for sure!

All the best to you & yours - Michelle

Wow, Michelle, I'm glad that you had some time on your hands, and I really appreciate your post. I love hearing from everyone, and it really keeps me motivated! Believe me, I need all of the support that I can get. I'll be here way longer than 40 weeks, because then I'll have the issue of keeping the weight off! I won't give up travel or restaurants, so I think that a pound a week is all that I can count on. Anyway, it is nice to get to know you, and I look forward to us being able to cheer each other on. Below I copied what I just said on a thread in the Lounge about shopping at an Asian market. You can also get the Sambal on line or even in regular stores. One of my son in laws makes a delicious pasta sauce with some peppers in it, but each time he makes it, the amount of spice is very different (unpredictable). Sometimes it is quite mild, and other times you can hardly stand the heat. One of my sister in laws suggested that when he or I make it that we use Sambal, because you can control the heat. It is just way more predictable. Well, I love it, and I seem to use it on most everything now. I cook with it and also add it at the table. I was never someone who wanted things super hot, but my taste must be changing.
Here's my quote from the Lounge question of what to buy at an Asian market:
"I second what Patty said about the Sambal Oelek (chili paste). I use it on most veggies over rice and in many recipes that call for peppers or chili powder. I now even put it on veggie soup and lentil stew. When used in recipes, it gives more control than adding peppers that may be hotter or less hot than expected."

Well, this was a good week. I'm so glad that I started the journal and am getting more connected with people on the board. I need it. Sometimes I feel that I don't even deserve to write posts, because I have messed around for so long and not taken the weight off. Of course I know that's not true, because that just means that I really need to be here! Anyway, I lost one pound this week, which is fine with me. I started this journal on Monday, and last Sunday night I ate out. My choices that night were good, but there was added oil. Also, it was too much food, so I took some home, but ate it later that night, and I wasn't really hungry! Anyway, as I said, in my goal of one pound per week, I am allowing for eating out and travel. This is what is realistic for me. Even with a very long trip, I have lost 11 pounds in 2012, and there have just been 9 weeks. The beginning losses were higher, because I had just recommitted to MWL. I made some unwise food choices on the trip - my daughter was ill, and I was taking care of her and babysitting. See, all I need is a little excuse to "use" food to feel better! What's different this time is that my plan is to immediately get right back on program after any problem. At the start of this chart I had 50 pounds to lose, and now I'm down 12!

2012
Jan 6- down 5 pounds
Jan 13-down 3 pounds
Jan 20- down 2 pounds
Jan 27-out of town
Feb 3-out of town
Feb 10-out of town
Feb 17th- stayed the same
Feb 24th - down 1 pound
March 2 - down 1 pound

I hope that everyone is doing well, and stop by for a visit when you can. Take care, LauraA