Discussion Board

I have been on MWl for about three weeks now with a brief lapse this past week. We went to NYC on vacation. I did fine usually for breakfast and lunch because I packed my own, but I didn't do so well for dinners. I don't feel too badly about it because I still lost a pound during the vacation because of all of the walking. However, I've noticed that because I was off plan and still lost, my attitude is slipping. It has somehow become more OK for me to eat my DH's leftover pizza crust! Ugg! This is not right thinking, and I need to get it together.

So, I thought a food journal might make me more accountable. So here is what I've had today:

Cherry Zuchinni Oatmeal (Not strictly MWL I think--I didn't realize that light soy milk was not allowed and I can't get ff soy or rice milk or steel cut oats where I live. There are some things that I do not like about rural VA! I may have to look at other breakfast options if I plateau or stop losing.)

Veggie Soup (veggie broth, can of stewed tomatoes, sm potato, carrots, 1/2 can rinsed pinto beans, onion, handful of frozen corn, handful of frozen peas. I fixed this last night for dinner, and it was fabulous.
I ate the rest for lunch today.)

&^))&^$#$@$^!**# stupid pizza crust left on DH's lunch plate! It makes me angry because I wasn't even hungry. It was just there. I am not a garbage disposal.

rice cake

For dinner I plan to have Becky's Split Pea Soup and a tossed salad with fruit for dessert.

Welcome to the Journal Forum. I just love Becky’s split pea soup. You know, I used to buy fat free rice milk but it tasted so watery and when I saw the instructions for making it yourself I thought heck, I’ll just make my oatmeal a little more watery – it would be the same thing. So that’s what I do now and after a few days I stopped thinking about milk substitutes. I still buy ff rice milk occasionally if I’m trying a new recipe but most of the time I use water instead. Saves money too. Hope you’re having a good weekend.
Letha

I should have posted yesterday because now I can't remember what I ate!! LOL

B-Cherry Pie Zucchini Oats
L-Split Pea Soup
S-Rice Cake w/beans and salsa
D-Tossed Salad, Split Pea Soup, Fresh Fruit Salad
S-Beans and salsa

I also think that I had some more rice cakes. . .I eat too many of them. I think I'm going to have to stop buying them.

Today I've had and plan to have:

B-Cherry Pie Zucchini Oats
L-Tossed Salad, Split Pea Soup, Fresh Fruit Salad
D-Mashed potatoes, broccoli, peas, salad

Snacks will be fruit or beans and salsa--Stay away from rice cakes!!

Hi New Dawn!! Welcome to the journal forum!! You will find lots of support here, and it sounds like you already know the drill - its the "just do it" part that's hard, huh?

I'm glad you (and Letha) like my split pea soup! I just made a big pot of it on Saturday and will be having the left overs tomorrow night. I am extraordinarily fond of this soup, if I do say so!

Looking forward to sharing your journey with you!

Take care,
Becky

Hi New Dawn,
Just stopped by to say hi. Reading your menu has got me missing my zucchini oats. I’m doing the elimination diet and haven’t had any oats for 11 days. Hopefully I’ll be adding them back in a few weeks. Take care.
Letha

Letha, I've been reading about your elimination diet. It sounds like a challenge. I admire your strength to do it. It will all be worth it once you are able to pin point the foods that make you feel bad, though. Keep hangin' in there!

Becky, yes just doing it is the hard part! I like the soup a lot, but I may freeze the last bit I have. I've been eating it for lunch and dinner all week. It's just me, and it makes a huge pot. Does it freeze well? BTW, thanks for the welcome.

Well, last night was not good for me, foodwise. I had fixed a mac & cheese dish for my kids. . .I have a real weakness for mac & cheese. One taste turned into two and two into three. . .I probably ate about 1/2 cup. But today is a new day and here's the plan:

B-Cherry Pie Zucchini Oats (I could eat these three times a day! I love it that my family thinks that they sound nasty. More for me and they don't know what they are missing.)
L- Becky's Split Pea Soup, Tossed Salad, Strawberries
D-Baked Potato, Portabella Mushroom, Salad, Fruit for Dessert
S-Carrots, Celery, Tomatoes, Cuccumbers

I hope everyone has a great day!

Just before I left work I called my dr. who wanted to discuss my blood test results with me. Granted, these were taken only three days into MWL; however, I was still disappointed. My bloodwork was good the last time I had it done. My total cholesterol was 150; there were no problems with triglycerides. Now she says the "good" cholesterol is low, the "bad" is 100, and worst of all according to her, triglycerides are high. She says the pattern of my blood work is usually hereditary. Guess what? Daddy has CAD and is on medication for triglycerides because he couldn't get them down with the traditional diet and exercise. I asked her what I should do and she said to first try a low fat diet and exercise. I guess it is a good thing that I started MWL.

The trouble is now I'm kind of worried. I checked out many posts talking about triglycerides and cholesterol. Even some things that Dr. McD wrote. Maybe it is just information overload. I'm not sure exactly what to do. . . Do I reduce my fruit? Do I take flax seed for Omega-3 even though nuts/seeds aren't allowed on MWL? Do I just follow MWL to see what happens and ask for another blood test? All I know is that I do not want to take another medication. I am already on blood pressure med. which I want to get off of.

On another level, maybe this will be what I need to get seriously serious about my health. I have seen my dad suffer through CAD and don't want to have to go through it myself. I was just hoping that I had my mom's genetics!

On a more positive note, I walked this afternoon on the treadmill: 30 min., speed 2.5, at notch one incline, over a mile. It's a start. Before when I was walking regularly, I built up to 3.5 speed for 1 hour. I'll get there again.

Hi - Of course you already know that 3 days isn't a sufficient amount of time to get much of anything changed on a test of that type - but I have an idea of your disappointment anyway. Sometimes intellectually we know something, but emotionally it's a whole different ballgame.

As for what to do, since you're thinking of tweaking things or approaching this a little bit differently, you may want to go to Jeff's forum and ask there. He'll be able to give you some guidance and put your mind at ease.

It must be sad to see your dad with CAD - but you don't have to get it just because the doctor alluded to "genetics". Have you read through the Star McDougallers and their stories? I'm pretty sure one of the newer ones was told that his issues were because of genetics too....but it doesn't have to be that way at all.

Thanks pinemeadows for the advice and words of encouragement!

Quick journal today. Yesterday I was too busy cooking to post. I made a batch of cherry pie zucchini oats, sloppy lentils, brown rice, jicama and carrot salad, and a big pot of veggie soup. Then I hopped on the treadmill and walked for 15 minutes. It was the first time I had ever tried jicama. I LOVE IT!!!


Food yesterday:

b-Medium baked potato
l-2 cups becky's split pea soup
3 cups tossed salad
1/2 cup pineapple
3/4 med. green pepper
s-2 rice cakes with salsa
d-1 cup sloppy lentils
1-cup brown rice
2 cups jicama and carrot salad

Food today, so far:
b- 1 cup cherry pie zucchini oats
l- 1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup sloppy lentils
1 cup jicama and carrot salad


My plan is to walk for thirty minutes today.

Wow. Look at you go girl! Cooking and exercising. You’re gonna get sooooo healthy. Plus now you’ve got me wanting to try a jicama.
Letha

Letha, you're not the only one that wants to try jicama now! I brought the jicama and carrot salad to work, and two of my colleagues went out and bought jicama. It was too funny! Yet, they have been giving me a hard time about my diet change. You know. . . you aren't going to get enough protein. . . you aren't going to get enough calcium or vitamin D . . . all your hair is going to fall out because mine did when I became a vegetarian, etc. I just say, "Well, I'm going to do this right now because I feel like it is best for me." (With a big smile ) Then every day they want to know what I have for lunch or what I had for dinner. I feel like I'm under the microscope in a way. I just know that I better show them that this works!

I haven't posted in a while because I've been busy, busy. This past weekend my DH and I took our BSA Venturing Crew to Venturing Quest weekend. Boy was it HOT! Saturday the temperature was 98. We all had a blast. The crew members had a chance to choose to do a ropes course, mountain biking, fencing, dancing lessons, team building games, and shot gun shooting. Then Saturday night they had astronomy and a dance. I was the crew photographer, and, as a result, I walked all over the camp all day Saturday. I got my exercise!

Food was a challenge. I knew it would be so I packed all of my meals and took them in a cooler. They were nice enough to let me use the microwave to heat things in the administration office. In spite of that, there were lots of junk foods, and I did succumb to several handsfull of chips. It was not a good thing for me to do, but I find that social snacking situation the worst. By Monday, however, I was totally compliant and have been since.

4.27.09 Monday
b-blueberry zucchini oats
l-baked potato & tossed salad & 1/2 cucumber (3-2-1 dressing)
s-sweet pea quacamole & veggies
d-baked potato, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tossed salad (3-2-1
dressing)
s-rice

4.27.09 Monday Exercise: walking/jogging 30 minutes for 1.25 miles

4.28.09 Tuesday
b-blueberry zucchini oats
l-sloppy lentils & tossed salad & 1/2 cucumber (3-2-1 dressing)
s-sweet pea quacamole & veggies
d-stir "fry" veggies (broccoli, celery, carrots, mushrooms, onion, green pepper) & rice with soy sauce and hot sauce

4.28.09 Tuesday Exercise: Rest day according to workout plan

On another note, I've been noticing that I feel better. My mood is better, my energy level is up. I feel more positive about--everything! I don't know if it is the weightloss or the food or what. . . but I like it!

Oh, another thing, my daughter has suddenly said: "You know, I would like to go on this diet with you. You look like you eat some really good stuff." I nearly fell out of my chair. This is the girl who said that she could NEVER do what I am doing because she liked meat too much. I told her that she could try it if she wanted to. Maybe the guys will follow suit once we girls are doing it!

Wow, what a great post New Dawn. Your enthusiasm and positive energy is inspiring. Talk to you soon.
Letha

Letha--Thank you! I think that you are the one who is inspiring. I am sorry to hear from MWL posts that you are not feeling well. I hope that things turn around for you soon.

I haven't posted for a while. I've been really busy with work and family. Friday was my daughter's big eighth grade dance, so we were involved with getting her there on time and picking her up.

Saturday we went to the Heart of Virginia Festival. My family was so sweet. There was all kinds of good-smelling foods there, but they didn't want to eat if I couldn't eat. It was nice to have that support. We did finally eat but went to Wendy's so I could get a plain baked potato and a side salad w/o dressing. I was happy because I had really worked up an appetite from walking around (and smelling that festival food!) Also, I was thrilled to find the "health food store" was open. It is really more of a juice bar that happens to sell a few other things. I was able to get nutritional yeast, steel cut oats, and Almond Breeze. After I got home, I realized that I don't think I am supposed to have the Almond Breeze! Oh well!

Sunday was my mom's 71st birthday, so I had her and Dad over. She asked if I would fix chicken enchilada in green sauce. I made that and Spanish rice with refried beans for everyone. They had cake and ice cream, too. I didn't partake. I had fat-free vegetarian refried beans, rice, and salsa with carrots, celery, green pepper, and cucumber. For dessert I had a few strawberries. When everyone left I fixed the creamy garlic soup from the MWL book. I really like it, but I like it more as a gravy than a soup. It is very good over rice or potatoes.

I haven't been writing down my food like I was in the beginning. I need to start doing that again. That way if I happen to have a week where I don't lose weight perhaps I can track down the reason.

I've been walking five days a week for thirty minutes each day I walk. I think that I may increase the time by a few minutes. I did read in MWL that it is better to increase time than intensity.

Therefore, these are my goals:
*Stay on the MWL plan
*Write down everything I eat each day
*Increase time by five minutes this week when walking
*OOOOOO keep track of weight here too so that I can more easily post on the MWL May page on Thursdays

Starting weight was 175.8 . . .Last thursday my weight was 164.2. I need to fix my ticker!

Keep keeping on until next time!

Hi Dawn,

Thanks for sharing.

We have a lot in common,except you're probably alot younger than me.
I will be 55 this year in NOvember.

I started April 15, 2009. Starting weight: 176. Down about 5 lbs so far.
My goal is to weigh on monthly basis, so as to not get too discouraged. Looks like your losing steadily and at a good pace!

Thinking about doing MWL program, just cant seem to give up rice cakes and popcorn (plain, of course).

After listening to Dr. Lisle, and recently purchasing his book, Pleasure Trap, I'm considering some short fasts, to clean the palate, so to say.

Keep up the good work,
Looking forward to all of our successes.

[b]Chrissy[/b], thank you for the kind comments. We do seem to have a lot in common. (I popped over and read your journal.) I had the same issue with rice cakes, so I just stopped buying them. If they aren't in the house, I can't eat them. If I am craving something that seems "snacky," I take a cold baked potato, slice it, and top it with salsa or the McD "cheese" sauce. I know it seems kind of weird to eat a cold potato, but for some reason it works for me.

I saw where you asked Letha about the cherry pie zucchini oats in another post. I really like them. You know how you can't taste the zucchini in zucchini bread? It is the same in the oats. I've even branched out and used blueberries and mixed berries (my least favorite because I hated the raspberry seeds). You should try them!

I admire you for only checking your weight once a month. I am scale obsessed. Even when I wasn't trying to lose weight I couldn't stop myself from weighing. I know it is silly, but I can't seem to help it.


I feel good about my exercise and my food choices for the past couple of days. I had a real struggle with myself tonight. I fixed everyone tacos. I love tacos. . .but what I really wanted was that crunchy corn tortilla. There were three left over, staring at me, calling me from the platter. I thought to myself, "Oh, this is going to be a problem." I managed not to bury my face in the plate, though. I wrapped them up very quickly and put them in the fridge. YEA!
I realized that a big part of the problem was I was really hungry.

Now I'm off to pack lunches for all of us.


My Food for Wed., May 6th
b-sweet potato, banana w/ 1 tsp. ground flax seed
l-potato, broccoli, "cheese" sauce, carrots, celery, tomatoes
d-rice, ff veggie refried beans, salsa, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, corn
s-rice w/ creamy garlic soup

Thursday, May 7th
b-mixed bery zucchini oats w/ 1 tsp. brown sugar and 1 tsp. ground flax seed
l-rice, ff veggie refried beans, salsa, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower with "cheese" sauce
d-creamy garlic soup, rice, black beans, stewed tomatoes, green chilies, corn, garlic, onion, chili powder, hot sauce, salsa

Exercise
Wed., May 6th--35 minutes walking
Thurs. May 7th--35 minutes walking

Weight
May 7th--162.8