Discussion Board

You should look at some of Jeff's SNAP meals
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they are quick, easy and delicious..you can freeze leftovers.
I use them all the time..My Hubby even likes them, and he is not a McDougaller

You can change the veggies, add beans, or different spices to make all different types of dishes from the basic recipe

I guess great minds think alike, Potatohead. I was just thinking about trying a SNAP. I liked it the first time I tried it about a year ago, then I ate it a few more times, and I started not to like it for some reason. But it's worth revisiting and trying it in a new way. I know it will help me with easy meal planning.

I weighed myself this morning, and I now weigh 169.2 lbs. I lost 1.8 lbs. this week! I'm happy about that because the other day when I was struggling to follow the MWL, I told myself that I should be happy to lose at least a 1/2 of a pound a week. I'd rather lost consistently following the regular plan than lose a lot then gain it all back following the MWL. I've done the MWL before, and I got good results, but in the long run, I believe the regular plan will be best for me although I plan to mostly follow the MWL principles. I guess just knowing that I have that option helps.

Overall, I've been following most of the principles of the MWL (actually, Mary's Mini), and I eat a few things in moderation that are allowed on the regular plan. So, I eat maybe 85% MWL and the rest regular plan. I don't count the number of fruit I eat a day, so I know it's more than two. I may eat three pieces a day, and I also eat a little of the Baked Tostitoes tortilla chips with my dinner. I don't go overboard with those although they are on the approved list. I try to keep them to a minimum.

Next week, I'm going on vacation, so I'm going to write down my meal plan either today or tomorrow. I've purchased some of the McDougall Right Foods meal cups through Amazon, so they should help me stay on track. I also purchased the Amazing Grass chocolate flavored drink and some light soy milk as a treat.

I almost forgot to mention that I went to the gym this morning. It was difficult, but I made it there. I walked on the treadmill at a slow pace for about 30 minutes. I saw a lady that I hadn't seen in a few months, and as soon as she saw me she was like, "You've lost weight." That felt good. I guess I'm not doing so bad after all.

I did pretty good following the McDougall plan while on vacation these last few days. I must admit I did have a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but I don't believe I went overboard. I brought my Right Foods meals cups, soy milk, and raw carrots, so that helped a lot. Also, I spoke up about not eating certain things, and I helped the cooks create meals that were good for me. For instance, on the first night my sister-in-law fixed a Mexicon casserole with ground turkey, salsa, beans, and cheese, so I just had her cook the beans and salsa for me and I put it over a bed of lettuce and tomatoes. Also, one night my brother-in-law barbequed, so I cut up some zucchini and red onions, and had him put it on the grill. It was sooo good.

All in all, most of what I ate was on plan. I didn't do any conventional exercises while out there, but I did walk up and down the stairs several times (at least twenty times, I believe) throughout the day because I'm potty training my daughter, and our room was upstairs.

I look forward to seeing what the scale has to say about all of that tomorrow.

I weighed myself this morning, and I now weigh 167.6 lbs., so I've lost 1.6 pounds. I'm really happy about that number because I was on vacation for most of the week, and that can really through me off track. I now feel confident about going out of town again at the end of the month.

I also went to the gym this morning. I wasn't feeling my best, so I only walked for about 15 minutes at a slow pace. I guess I have to give myself a pat on the back for making it to the gym. Monday should be a better day. I'm glad that I found out that my gym membership ends in July, and after that I can renew it until school starts. After school starts, I don't plan to go to the gym. I will find something else to do. I may walk around my community or workout at home. It'll be easier to do that than having to drive all of the way to the gym.

Anyway, I'm off to change my ticker once again. It feels good to be consistently losing weight rather than like in the past when I was on a lose a little then gain a little pattern.

Today was a good eating day for me although I didn't eat breakfast. I had lunch with two friends of mine at Moe's. I avoided giving in to the temptation of adding the high fat southwest ranch to my meal.

For dinner, I had rice, cooked tomatoes, cooked carrots, and a slice of Big Skyy Bread. The only thing that I had off plan was a Diet Coke.

I feel good about most of my choices today.

So far, I'm off to a good start today. I went to the gym and did a combination of cardio and weight training in a workout class. I didn't enjoy the class, but I was glad when it was over.

Yesterday, my husband, my son, and I went to the movies to see "The Avengers" (which I kept falling asleep on until the end). I had some candy and a Neastea drink, then later than evening I had a Subway sandwich with some things that are off plan. Yesterday, I didn't make the best choices, but I'm glad that I didn't allow that to extend to today's choices.

I look forward to weighing in on Friday.

I weighed myself this morning, and I've gained weight. I'm now 171.8 lbs. I knew that the results wouldn't be good. Since Wednesday I've been eating off plan. Yesterday was the worst. I over-ate on some things that were on plan like tortillia chips and dried cranberries, which are okay in moderation on the regular plan, but they are not good for weight loss.

I realize that I can be an emotional eater. I've been feeling depressed for the past few days, and I've also been cooking things for my family that are off plan, and rather than just allow them to have it, I've been eating it too.

From this experience, I've learned that when I cook, I have to look out for myself first. I cannot have a meal that is meat-based and then try to add what I need to eat to it. Also, I need to find a way to deal with my feelings. Maybe walking would do me some good.

My plan is to start putting myself first. I've put off some things such as meal planning because I wanted to plan it with my dh, but he's not a planner. So, his procrastination makes me procrastinate, and I have to just plan it out according to what I want to eat. I also have to guard myself against foods that are off plan. Having the chips and candy the other day seemed to trigger something in me to want more SAD foods. My dh (although he's morbidly obese and needs to lose weight far more than I do) doesn't seem to take eating right seriously. He'll eat pretty healthy at home, but when presented with the opportunity to eat unhealthy foods, he will. He's been doing well about going to the gym (which I applaude) him for, but I wish he were more consistent with eating right rather than exercising. It really bothers me. I wish I had a mate who followed this plan or at least were willing to make sacrifices when it comes to eating. It would make eating this way so much easier, but I realize that I have to look out for my self more and be a better role model to my family.

OAN, I have been going to the gym this week. I went on Wednesday and today, so I feel like I'm getting back into the swing of things.

I'm at a conference in Florida right now. I'm glad my presentation went well, but I'm missing my family...very much. I can't wait to get back home. Being away definitely makes me appreciate what I have at home. I know they are missing me too.

I also look forward to going home and continuing to follow the McDougall plan. I want to focus more on incorporating more MWL approved foods and getting rid of my cravings. I know that that will come only if I'm very careful about following the plan...completely and learning how to eat regularly.

I just had about 10 baby carrots, and I'm astonished by how much they curbed my appetite. If I can eat like that daily (of course, with the addition of starches, fruits, and other veggies) I should see some tremendous results. I also plan to become more consistent with exercising. I exercised 30 minutes today with one of my colleagues, so that was good. I also did a lot of walking throughout the day on yesterday. Although I haven't been eating perfectly, I'm determined to not give up and just binge on things that are off plan. I can do better during the next meal.

I had to revise my goals. Here they are:

1) Reach 160 lbs. before school starts. (August 15th)
2) Reach 155 lbs. before my birthday.
3) Reach 150 lbs. before October 13th, the date when I first met my goal in 2008.
4) Reach 145 lbs. before Thanksgiving.
5) Reach goal of 140 lbs. before Christmas.

Ultimate Goal: Weigh between 140 - 142 pounds, have a waist of 25 - 27 in., have no more than 24% body fat. Once I reach my weight loss goal, I plan to work on reaching my waist and body fat percentage goals.

I'm trying to get back to eating on plan. Here's what I've eaten so far today.

B: two rice cakes (eaten before workout)
L: a burrito from Moe's
S: baby carrots
D: potatoes, baked beans, broccoli
Exercise: this morning I walked for an hour at 2.0 - 2.5 mph

Your doing great !

Thanks for stopping by, Beans. I appreciate your support!

The last five or so days I have been trying to follow the plan to the letter. No bites of this and that. Just a lot of starches, veggies, and fruits,and I'm glad that the scale has been kind to me because of that. I weighed myself this morning, and I'm now 169.6 lbs. I'm glad I'm back in the 160s, and I never want to be over 170 again. I can't wait to get close to 160 because I'll know that it's downhill from there. My plan is to continue to stay on plan.

I purchased a juicer yesterday, so I may start juicing a little to help with weight loss and getting more nutrients. I don't see myself doing a full fast because I don't think it's necessary. This WOE is sufficient.

It's so important to eat regularly when following this plan. If I get hungry, then I'm more likely to eat something off plan. It's also important to get in the habit of saying no to foods that are off plan. Once I get used to eating a certain way, then the SAD foods that tempted me before don't seem so tempting.

I also want to start being more diligent about exercising and getting enough rest. Right now it feels good to be on the right track, and I'm looking forward to seeing more progress.

Good for you for sticking closely to plan, you are doing great that scale is going to continue downward !

You're doing well keep at it. I may try your baby carrot trick. too.

Thanks for the support and encouragement, Beans and Shevaun.

I've been sticking to the plan, no cheating, but I would like to start eating more MWL. I ate all of the tortillia chips and bread that I had in the house, so it should be easier to follow the MWL now.

I've gone to the gym 3 times thos week so far. It's been difficult because I'm trying to figure out what works best for me. I know that I may have to go to classes in order to continue to be consistent.