October 2018 McDougall Weigh In Thread

[Idgie]

Stacey, there is no need to weigh yourself! I think I speak for most of us on the board when I say we weigh to motivate ourselves, but that doesn't motivate you, so it's not right for you! Besides, weight is NOT a reliable indicator of health. There are plenty of thin people who are eating themselves to an early grave, and I know lots of people who are super-healthy and not thin. You do you, and we're here to support you! In fact, if it would be helpful for you to have someone else on the board who uses other measures than weight, I'm happy to start keeping track of something else with you -- like 100% on-plan days, or the number of servings of starches or vegetables. You are not alone.

[alicect]

I lost 3 lbs this week, yay! Headed down - next goal trying to hit the 30 lbs loss mark, hopefully within a few weeks.

Alice - Great loss this week. I'm happy to see that you were provided with some clarification on your query from Jeff and Mark. It's a great question because the answer isn't exactly the same for every person. Best wishes with your experimentations with pasta. I'd love to hear how it goes.

Did anyone catch the Dr. Lisle's Forks Over Knives presentation this week? I was only able to join at the very end for the question period. How was the talk?

Thank you Amanda, although I know I am sure part of it is water weight loss as my body adjusts to the MWL way of eating. It definitely feels good to be back on track.

Re: eating whole wheat pasta: I made pasta e fagioli last night for dinner - my hubby's family recipe (except I leave out the olive oil & substitute with vegetable broth), my family loved it. Overall it is a quick tasty meal and seems to be a MWL compliant recipe (pasta, cannellini beans, garlic, diced tomatoes, water) - the recipe consistency makes it more of a stew rather than a soup. I was a bit afraid that I would gain (had 3 bowls), so I weighed myself yesterday morning, then again this morning- and nope, no gain, a 0.2 lb loss. Nice. I will probably make it again soon, then give it a rest for awhile as I can definitely see that I am tempted to overdo it. I will post the recipe here if anyone's interested- first I need to get used to making it again, I put in a little too much water last night.

i didn't see Dr. Lisle's presentation - does anyone know if was it recorded and where to get the recording? I'd love to see it.

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Everyone!!

Rosey, Glad your feet are feeling at least a little better... Water is good! Woot on the loss. Take care!

Stacey, Glad to see you joined us! So much of what you said in your post resonates. So easy to get caught up in one measurement - and then sometimes can unintentionally self-sabotage (not sure if that is what you meant, so if not -- sorry for that...) -- you seem to have a great plan to look for positivity in your experiment and taking what you know may work for you. Wishing you well! (Love the pic Idgie posted --- think this group is very welcoming and non-judgmental...)

Amy, Totally understand what you mean about being glad to have had a great holiday --- but it's over and get on with regular life. More challenging to be compliant in social / holiday situations.... I guess there are quite a few to come soon... and looking forward to doing with the group!!! Feel free to send me a message anytime!! You are a (s)hero in helping us all build better habits -- your optimism, information sharing, great way with making everyone feel included are priceless!!! Thank you !!!

Congrats, Idgie! Also, love that picture that you posted!!

Welcome back, Squealcat! Hope you enjoyed the pasta!!

Awesome, Yomom!!

Lyndzie, what a great feeling to be able to wear pre-pregnancy clothes!! VegGiving sounds like a wonderful fest!!

Woot, woot, Alicect!!!!

I'm up 1.0 lb (from 2 weeks ago when I reported). OK with it - within the 3 lb. "range" for maintenance that I'm targeting.

Made a great impromptu soup this week (which is saying something, as I'm not such a great cook...)
It was "no-chicken rice"....
Browned chopped veggies - garlic, celery, carrots, onions, mushrooms in soup pot.
Added NSA veg broth & poultry seasoning and cayenne pepper.
Added can of NSA Great Northern Beans.
Brought to a boil, then simmered for awhile.
Added cooked rice and black pepper.
Yummy!!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Cheers,
Stephanie

[Mark Cooper]

Another great week, Idgie! Way to go!

I'm happy to see you back, Marilyn. Glad you had a great vacation!

Yomom! You're right, this time of year can definitely be a challenge - hang in there.

Congrats on the wardrobe transition, Lindsey! That must feel great.

Good loss, Rosie & great perspective!

Stacey, I'm so glad to hear you are feeling positive and it makes total sense not to use the scale if that has been a significant problem in the past.

Fantastic week, Alicect! I would really love to see the pasta e fagioli recipe, once you have it sorted out. Sounds great!

Stephanie, that soup sounds great - especially for being created "on the spot." I'm glad maintenance is still working for you.

I'm down .4 lbs this week and I feel pretty good - I feel like I'm getting in the swing of how to stay in my maintenance range over the long term without too many big swings up or down. The test results from my bone marrow biopsy still haven't come in, so my Heme/Onc appointment was moved to next Monday (hopefully, results will be available then). Overall my pain has been pretty tolerable this week and I think I'm finally completely recovered from the auto collision - I was able to resume my calisthenics routine this week, which is great. I have definitely lost a fair amount of strength over the month I had to take off, so it is kind of like starting over with calisthenics several notches below where I was, but still fun and exciting.

Cheers to everybody and kind wishes for a rewarding and compliant week to come!

[VegSeekingFit]

Awesome, Mark!!! Glad to hear that your pain is going down and your maintenance is going well. Fingers (and toes) crossed for you that you (finally) get your results. Take care and wishing you the best.

[amandamechele]

Stacey - I loved that talk, it's a great summary (the book is good too, but a couple of the chapters felt a bit repetitive...maybe that's to reinforce the points?). Best wishes with your application to the Masters program, how exciting for you to be going back to school. I would recommend, maybe, closing the door to thinking about those past troubles at school, after briefly reflecting on the reasons on why they occurred and where you could change your approach. What contributing factors did you have control over and which ones didn't you? Overwhelmed? Take less courses. Not enough time to study? Cut back work hours and look for help with other responsibilities, etc. That sort of stuff.

Idgie - And another woot from me! Good effort this week, thanks for checking in.

Marilyn - Welcome back from vacation! I love the fall colours too, and if the upper part of lower Michigan is any where near Southwestern Ontario, then I can also picture how beautiful it must have been. With regards to getting back on track, as Dr. Lisle talks about in the Pleasure Trap (and Cram Circuit) webinars, your body may make things difficult at first, but keep your resolution clear in your mind and try to fight the cravings for a week or so and then things get so much easier (as I know that you know). With a dedicated mind and heart you can totally do this.

Kathy - XO. It can be mentally exhausting. You have worked very hard at this for many many years and I know you have some great strategies to get you through this. Fall back on them, trust yourself, and resist the cravings as best that you can in order to lessen their pull on your mind. You can do this!

Lindsey - Yaaaay! I am SO happy for you. Look at how quickly you got there. A great plan, Dr. McDougall's MWL, combined with your great resolve did the trick! You are a great example of what consistent effort (without worrying about perfection) can do. Happy Birthday for Sunday! What did you end up buying?

Rosey - I'm with you! What I keep telling myself is slow and steady may not win the race, but it does finish the race...in its own good time. Solid loss this week!

Stacey - Hi again! No worries that you don't weigh yourself and just want to check in each week for accountability. Figuring out how you can comfortably follow the food guidelines is most important. I'm not particularly fond of weighing myself this often - like you - but Jeff Novick has a pretty convincing discussion in his forum indicating that most people do better by keeping track in this way (To Weigh or Not to Weigh). It's not for everyone though and I am by no means trying to convince you. The link is for the benefit of others reading who may want to see what Jeff has to say about it. Best wishes this week and enjoy your writing process. (Oh, I just saw the next post from Idgie...that's some good support!)

Idgie -

Alice - Wonderful loss! Be proud of it, water or fat loss. As others have said your pasta e fagioli sounds wonderful (the name is fancy enough to be enticing on its own...LOL). Please do share the recipe. With regards to Dr. Lisle's presentation, for that specific webcast you needed to be signed up in advance in order to watch it. I was able to catch it later on when FoK sent out a replay link, and it was a talk on the Pleasure Trap. (I've linked a different one, but it has much of the same information).

Stephanie - Thank you for your kind words. It is lovely to know I can reach out to you and that there is this group to get through the holiday challenges with. I'm feeling cautiously confident, I navigated a couple of unexpected traps this week including my young son handing me a large bag of gummy candy that he got at school and saying he didn't want it...I drove that candy home, I placed it in the basket above the fridge where I put slightly tempting items for the rest of the family (so I don't have to see them every time I open a cupboard - I tend to forget about what's up there, but not this time). I couldn't bring myself to throw it out. I had debates in my head about that candy and how maybe this time I could eat it and not end up half-way back in the Pleasure Trap. (Sadly those still happen) Thankfully, I wasn't in the Pleasure Trap, so that bought me time and enough resistance to not eat it. (Admittedly I did this by giving them to one of my teenagers who happily gobbled them up - I haven't decided if that was a bad mom moment or not, but it is what it is and I DIDN'T eat them).
Your soup sounds delicious. I'm not familiar with the brand NSA? Does it stand for something? I think I'm going to buy some poultry seasoning, it is bringing back delicious memories of soups eaten in childhood.

Mark - Great diligence on maintenance. I'm so happy to hear that your pain is manageable and you're healing up otherwise and can get back to exercising that you love. My thoughts will be with you on Monday!

[Lyndzie]

Hi everyone.

Amy, thanks for the encouragement. I was feeling lousy after posting yesterday because I ended up at restaurants for lunch AND dinner, but you make a good point about consistent effort. Regardless of a meal or two, this morning I was craving vegetable soup and already have it simmering away on the stovetop.

This is the habit tracker I'm trying out. It's easy to make a comment so I can remember what was going on.



Cheering everyone else on! Every time I try to type out individual messages, something happens and I run out of time. Best to everyone!

[Idgie]

Thanks for the encouragement, Amy! NSA = No Salt Added

[moonspirit]

I'm down 0.7 lbs to 158.3. I weighed less yesterday, but whatever - fluctuations happen.

Congrats everyone for the progress and the sticking around. I have come to treasure these early Saturday mornings with you all, catching up on everyone's progress.

Stacey, I too am willing to start reporting non-measurement sort of things. I think that would be extremely helpful for my compliance anyway.

Speaking of compliance, I'm about to head off for a birthday indulgence day in Pagosa Springs (hot springs, facial, river walk, dinner). I'll be compliant for breakfast, and will probably fast for lunch, then eat an almost-healthy-but-not-compliant dinner tonight at a really good restaurant. Then back on plan tomorrow.

I've decided from here until I reach goal I'm going to be MWL-compliant except for Thanksgiving and Solstice (one meal each). Once I reach goal, I'm going to switch to regular McDougall for maintenance, eating MWL most of the time. I'll see how that works, anyway. I can always go back to strict MWL whenever I need to.

I'm about half-way to goal. At this point, I'm happy enough with my weight that the sense of urgency is diminished. I suppose that can be a dangerous place, where complacency can creep in. It's a good reason to focus on other things than weight. It feels freeing in a way. I'm lucky enough not to have any chronic health issues other than asthma (which has greatly improved in the past few months).

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

[choufleur]

I have to write more later but just wanted to post my weigh in, which is 0 for this week.

I'll check in and catch up with everyone soon. Have a good weekend!

[moonlight]

I'm up 4 lbs! I've spent the last 3 days in hotels and conference meetings. I was riding with a friend and sharing a hotel room with her. We stayed together all the time. I loved spending the time with my friend. I decided to not get stressed when there was nothing MWL compliant and just eat and enjoy my trip. If I went on trips frequently, I would need a different approach. If this sets me back and I have trouble getting back on track, then I'll need a different approach, but for now I'm okay with the weight gain. Hopefully, it's mostly salt retention and I'll lose most of it quickly. I had a sweet potato for breakfast and I'm making a MWL compliant soup. I feel I'm back on track!! So glad to hear from everyone! I love this group! Good luck to all this next week.

[Svenja]

Hello !

I lost one pound!

Actually ... I had gained a few pounds! The food at the trauma therapy training course and cookies at my birthday ... I was so happy that it was possible to sign up for vegan food at the training centre that I ate most of it, even though it had oil in it. And I used some non-MWL food to ease my mind ... trauma therapy training is tough! Not the best strategy ... I know! But I postponed the rest of the training for a while, cause it is very expensive!
So ... I am very happy to be back at my weight loss aim!

I will celebrate my birthday tomorrow and I ordered vegan food and bought only vegan snacks ... I wonder how my guests will react!

Have a great weekend everyone!
Svenja.

[Werner1950]

OK, I am going to jump in again. I started afresh this week, and am going to 'giver all I got'. I have had enough of good intentions..

I have been up and down like a yo yo. It is embarrassing to see me gain in one or two days what I lost in a week or two. I know, most often it is fluid retention, but lately, it seems that my body grabs every small thing I cheat on and adds twice the weight of that item. (OK that might be a small exaggeration.

So today I weigh 172.6

[Idgie]

I've decided from here until I reach goal I'm going to be MWL-compliant except for Thanksgiving and Solstice (one meal each). Once I reach goal, I'm going to switch to regular McDougall for maintenance, eating MWL most of the time. I'll see how that works, anyway. I can always go back to strict MWL whenever I need to.

That's very close to my plan. My only real difference is I allow myself one meal on immediate family's birthdays, and three meals on my own. We can do this!

I'm about half-way to goal. At this point, I'm happy enough with my weight that the sense of urgency is diminished. I suppose that can be a dangerous place, where complacency can creep in. It's a good reason to focus on other things than weight. It feels freeing in a way. I'm lucky enough not to have any chronic health issues other than asthma (which has greatly improved in the past few months).

Yay!

[Stacey]

Hey- if others feel like using other measurements for progess, go for it but it is not needed. But, the support and encouragement was awesome. It feels cool to know that I will never be getting on a scale again for life. The last time I did it was in July-thought it would be ok, and then it was not for a few weeks. So, no scales-cool.

I am not sure if the tape measure is really a necessary thing, but I thought it would be a thing to gauge some kind of progress. I am quite granola so using cargo pants is good. And when I started biking seriously again I knew that I did not even want those pants to fit me ( in a good way). I always prided myself for being lean from biking.

And in terms of last Saturday, I am feeling way leaner which feels really nice.

Thank you for the positive thoughts, and the confidence boosts. I will have another good week. And just to note-I am not an acountability person at all... I really don't need it. But what I do need is positivity in my life especially in terms of this weight business. It became such a huge negative thing for too long. So I just want to thank everyone for helping me to turn the corner that I have been searching for.

Have a great week.