February 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

[taz432]

Hi, I'm new here and I just started the MWL diet last week after trying this type of low-fat vegan diet again several times over the years. I had read McDougall before but watched some youtube videos in the past week and it made more of an impression on me this time. In the past when I go on this type of diet, I have some weeks where it will be easy, and then suddenly I fall off the wagon. My plan is to keep track of why this is happening by writing what happens on this board. This last week was surprisingly easy for whatever reason, well, it was easier after the first few days where I craved sweets a little. I stayed away from bread, pasta, dates and nuts, which I would have had in the past, and never let myself get too hungry, so that was different from normal. It was enjoyable to eat carbs, I feel like that emphasis hadn't registered with me before since I love carbs. But I don't know why it seems I can't keep eating this way long-term. So far no cravings but when I do have cravings they are huge.

It's encouraging to see so many people trying to eat this way, good luck to everyone trying to make this change.

Taz
Current weight - 141.6 - BMI - 26, probably lost 2-3 lbs in the last week

[Jaap Amesz]

I already said I did not lose weight, however I might still have lost weight. For details, see my journal: https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=597252#p597252

[Humberto]

Hola and Hello, well I gained this last week.
From 228.00 to 232.20, net gain of 4.20 pounds.
That's a lot but not as much as before, sometimes I'd gain 5+ pounds, so still improving.
Now time to refocus and get back into the 220's.


All the best to all,
Humberto
"May Kindness be our Walk"

PS:
Abraham / Hicks
By paying attention to the way you feel, and then choosing thoughts that feel the very best, you are managing your own vibration, which means you are controlling your own point of attraction — which means you are creating your own reality. It’s such a wonderful thing to realize that you can create your own reality without sticking your nose in everybody else’s, and that the less attention you give to everybody else’s reality, the purer your vibration is going to be — and the more you are going to be pleased with what comes to you.

Don Miguel Ruiz
Your nature is to love; remember your nature.

[Michele613]

Congrats to everyone. A successful week by all because even those who did not lose weight were successful at paying attention to perhaps why they did not lose weight. Next week....keep on keepin' on!!!

Thanks also for the encouragement I received. It is a bit frustrating when your week can't get any more perfect in the eating category and yet it doesn't show 'on the scale'. I feel a change in my energy level and body so I will hold on to those positive feelings rather than the number on the scale.

Have a healthy week in all ways including choices!

[Belana]

I weigh 120.2. I lost 1.5 lbs.
This (MWL) diet is a lot easier for me to follow compared to Joel Fuhrman's Eat To Live diet, which I followed successfully back in 2010, but found completely unsustainable.
I feel confident that I will be able to reach my goal weight following MWL, and sustain it by eating the prescribed McDougall diet afterwards.

[Belana]

Hi, I'm new here and I just started the MWL diet last week after trying this type of low-fat vegan diet again several times over the years. I had read McDougall before but watched some youtube videos in the past week and it made more of an impression on me this time. In the past when I go on this type of diet, I have some weeks where it will be easy, and then suddenly I fall off the wagon. My plan is to keep track of why this is happening by writing what happens on this board. This last week was surprisingly easy for whatever reason, well, it was easier after the first few days where I craved sweets a little. I stayed away from bread, pasta, dates and nuts, which I would have had in the past, and never let myself get too hungry, so that was different from normal. It was enjoyable to eat carbs, I feel like that emphasis hadn't registered with me before since I love carbs. But I don't know why it seems I can't keep eating this way long-term. So far no cravings but when I do have cravings they are huge.

It's encouraging to see so many people trying to eat this way, good luck to everyone trying to make this change.

Taz
Current weight - 141.6 - BMI - 26, probably lost 2-3 lbs in the last week

Hi Taz,
I'm new here too. I'm finding this forum helpful as well. Posting my weight loss, and knowing that others are doing this too helps me feel less isolated while working hard to reach my goal weight.
Yes, the carbs help indeed.
Sometimes I'm hungry and not feeling like making a plate of specifically portioned veggies, legumes and carbs, so I just eat a potato and I'm good and can get on with my life.
I don't like the feeling of going to bed hungry, so if I'm hungry at night and too tired to eat much, I'll nuke a potato and eat it with some sea salt. That helps me a lot, and I'm able to stay on track with losing weight every week.
Congrats on losing that much weight this week! I'm lucky if I lose more than one pound per week!

[amandamechele]

Hi All!

Thank you for weighing-in or checking-in. I look forward to hearing from all of you every week, it helps me to try and stay focused.
I am finally finished that book I mentioned a couple of posts ago, Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari. I quite enjoyed it and think many things could be applied to our weight loss struggles. Like many books that I read somethings resonated with me and some things don’t, but overall I came away inspired to recognize where I could improve my own understanding of myself and to strive to be more engaged. To summarize the book, in Part 1, Johann discusses the history of the medical understanding and misunderstandings of the biopsychosocial model of depression. In Part 2 he goes through a list of what he calls disconnections that could be associated with lower life satisfaction. In Part 3 he offers a different kind of antidepressant called reconnections.

I thought that sharing the Chapter Titles could be helpful or interesting to some of you. The biopsychosocial model doesn’t just apply to depression but to health in general, and part of the reason we are working so hard to lose weight and checking in here each week is to have better health and more life satisfaction; as we have learned our genetic predispositions, our temperament and our life experiences all interact to create the common and unique struggles that we each face.

Here is what Johann thinks, through interviewing a variety of MDs and social scientists, are the factors that contribute to depression:

Disconnections:
1) Disconnection from Meaningful Work
2) Disconnection from Other People
3) Disconnection from Meaningful Values
4)Disconnection from Childhood Trauma
5) Disconnection from Status and Respect
6) Disconnection from the Natural World
7)Disconnection from a Hopeful or Secure Future
8 ) Disconnection from the Real Role of Genes and Brain Changes
Reconnections:
1) To Other People
2) Social Prescribing
3) To Meaningful Work
4) To Meaningful Values
5) Sympathetic Joy and Overcoming Addiction to the Self
6)Acknowledging and Overcoming Childhood Trauma
7) Restoring the Future

Now that I look over the list, it appears to me that the disconnections are much easier to discern from the titles than the reconnections are... and it’s the reconnections that I think could be useful to many people here because when we feel enough of these connections in our lives there may be less despair about our weight and thus a better ability to work through our MWL application challenges rationally and consistently.

Connection to Other People is pretty self explanatory, but can be deceivingly difficult for someone lost in shame, no matter the cause (feeling we are responsible for whatever situation has been holding us back in life, extra weight could be an example here too). Social Prescribing is aimed at health care professionals. Someone lost very deep down a hole isn’t always able to see the light outside anymore, so an enlightened doctor will work to find solutions to help that person interact in appropriate ways with others to lessen their feelings of isolation, preferably outside in nature. To Meaningful Work describes taking control of something that eats up your biggest chunk of time in life. To Meaningful Values: We can sometimes end up on materialistic autopilot and may want to take the time to reflect on what we value intrinsically - what you find important in and of itself, not because of something you may receive in return. This one is my favourite: Sympathetic Joy and Overcoming Addiction to the Self. I wasn’t familiar with this term so I had to look up Sympathetic Joy. Wikipedia called it Mudita meaning the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people’s well-being. The author favours structured meditation to cultivate this attitude. I say an easy way to cultivate it is to just keep showing up here and cheering on all of the great efforts and successes and bravery that each one of you exhibit by persevering at working towards your weight loss goals, against difficult odds. Acknowledging and Overcoming Childhood Trauma: This chapter explores if there is a correlation between childhood trauma and depression and anxiety later in life. The author and researchers that he interviewed suggest having one’s trauma be acknowledged sympathetically and without judgement can lead to letting go of shame and being able to move forward. Finally there is Restoring the Future. Financial insecurity can rob people of the time and confidence that the future will be better, leading to lower life satisfaction (and maybe in the case of weight loss, less time to figure out healthful strategies for the average person).
Well, now you don’t need to read the book...LOL... unless you feel inspired to do so.
Best wishes this week.

Amy

PS. Did any of you catch Jeff’s update in his Cut the Crap! thread? Ultra-processed foods are really really not good for us. Here’s more information on understanding the categories of processed food: CRAP: The Illusion and Delusion of Healthy Processed Foods.

Here are the results for the third week in February:

Next Weigh-In is on Friday, February 22nd, 2019

Total group loss reported in 2019: 176.73 pounds

February 2019 Weight Loss Group :: Monthly Weigh-In Results
Total group loss in January 2019: 140.53 pounds
Total group loss in February 2019: 36.2 pounds

Week ending 02/15/2019: 21 participants reported a total loss of 6.4 pounds
---------------------------------------
Rosey - 7.3
Fiftysix - 1.5
Humberto - 4.2
---------------------------------------
Total gains: 13.0
--------------------------------------
Frymom - 0.0
Jaap Amesz - 0.0
Michele613 - 0.6
Landog - 0.0
Dpascar - 0.8
Sirdle - 2.3
Cena - 3.0
Anne57 - 0.0
Idgie - 1.0
Merwoman - 5.2
Linda Dorrill - 1.0
LauraG - 0.0
ANelson108 - 1.0
Ellen N - 0.0
Moonlight - 0.0
Taz432 - 3.0
Belana - 1.5
Amandamechele - 0.0
---------------------------------------------
Total losses: 19.4
---------------------------------------------

Total group loss in February 2019: 36.2 pounds
Week ending 02/15/2019: 21 participants reported a total loss of 6.4 pounds
Week ending 02/08/2019: 19 participants reported a total loss of 21.5 pounds
Week ending 02/01/2019: 23 participants reported a total loss of 8.3 pounds

[sirdle]

Amy,

Thanks for that wonderful summary! (Now I don't have to read the book!)

I've been listening to Doug Lisle's lectures on the psychology of weight loss. I'm finding much that resonates with my own history and experience.

The two most useful pieces of advice (for me) come from Doug and Jeff:

1. Don't underestimate the Pleasure Trap
2. Keep it simple, consistent, and repeatable.

It is much easier (for me) to stay on plan, than it is to recover after an upset. My last upset (declining health of a friend and the death of my mother-in-law took) 13 months to recover from. It started with playing around with the 5% (eating on plan 95% of the time) and snowballed.

I got sucked into the Pleasure Trap, sure, but I am a very, very lazy person and the most significant damage was caused by breaking the good habits that I'd developed and reverting to old habits.

Rebuilding those habits takes considerable mental focus and diligence.

Have a great week everybody!

Cheers,

[laurag]

Hi what is everyone having before they have a meal for soup and or salad and or fruit. I am struggling with packing food to go and adding the soup salad fruit part, also struggling with eating too much after dinner still I think Im going to give myself a sticker if I only have the one snack at 10pm and that s my bowl of frozen berries I love that

[amandamechele]

Ellen - Thank you for checking in. I hope your week has been going well so far.

fiftysix - Thanks to you too for continuing to check-in and work on this goal. Every time you do, you get just a little bit better at the program. These tiny positive changes will slowly add up over time to noticeable, potentially sustainable weight loss.

Moonlight - Alright! Holding steady during a tough week is a win. I hope this week is going well.

Hi Taz - My sincere apologies for not welcoming you sooner. I understand the repeat exposure effect that you experienced. I think it is the way for many of us. Please do post about your experience here in this thread or in an online journal. I’m so happy to hear that last week went well. How has this week been going? Even if it ends up not being as easy a week as the last, keep up the good effort. You can minimize the time off track and still lose weight. What is your goto starch?

Jaap - I clicked on your journal link. It’s great to have a face for your name. I like your food pictures, you are making some good choices. I was just asking Taz above, and I was wondering for you as well, what is your favourite or most often eaten starch? Mine is either brown rice or potato. I’m glad to read that your freezer is fixed. Frozen veggies make this way of eating so much easier. I wish potatoes froze better...but they don’t from what I can tell. LOL.

Humberto - Is it now your weekend away from work? I think you mentioned that you tend to work on weekends. This is the perfect time to refocus. Best to you!

Michele - I hope you are having a lovely trip!

Belana - Nice loss! The secret to success is potatoes...LOL. I’m kidding. That is just what I missed the most when I first tried the Eat-to-Live version of WFPB eating. Dr. F has some great books, but I happen to find the McDougall plan a bit easier to stick to as well. How has this week gone for you so far? Still feeling confident?

Sirdle - Definitely don’t worry about that other book... Dr Lisle’s stuff is way more helpful to us here. LOL.I’m glad you’ve managed to battle your way back on track after a really tough year. Sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. Your experience mimics my own and it can be really easy to have small deviations become big ones. I think that’s why Jeff is so big on accountability (well I’m sure he’d say he’s big on it because the evidence suggests it works). It’s just another way to try and keep our head in the game and course correct more quickly when we get off track. I hope this week is treating you well and is full of focus and determination!

Laura- I think if you have more than 1 area you have to work on, then keeping your 1 bowl of berries at night before bed is totally fine (as long as it doesn’t lead into a bit of a nighttime cram. I tend to pack chopped veggies and fruit when I’m on the go, for before meal snacking. I’m not much of a salad person. Sometimes I’ll just eat romaine leaves, whole, because it requires less chopping. Prechopped bagged veggies or cherry tomatoes can be an easy low calorie density starter. I even bought precut French beans today to snack on. I own a thermos that I can fill with soup and keep it warm throughout the day. That has been helpful. Is this to eat at work? Or while travelling?

[laurag]

hey this is for work thanku for ideas. My sticker thing worked last night sooooo If I do it every time it will get easier right? thanku for cram circuit too

[moonlight]

Connection to Other People is pretty self explanatory, but can be deceivingly difficult for someone lost in shame, no matter the cause (feeling we are responsible for whatever situation has been holding us back in life, extra weight could be an example here too). Social Prescribing is aimed at health care professionals. Someone lost very deep down a hole isn’t always able to see the light outside anymore, so an enlightened doctor will work to find solutions to help that person interact in appropriate ways with others to lessen their feelings of isolation, preferably outside in nature. To Meaningful Work describes taking control of something that eats up your biggest chunk of time in life. To Meaningful Values: We can sometimes end up on materialistic autopilot and may want to take the time to reflect on what we value intrinsically - what you find important in and of itself, not because of something you may receive in return. This one is my favourite: Sympathetic Joy and Overcoming Addiction to the Self. I wasn’t familiar with this term so I had to look up Sympathetic Joy. Wikipedia called it Mudita meaning the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people’s well-being. The author favours structured meditation to cultivate this attitude. I say an easy way to cultivate it is to just keep showing up here and cheering on all of the great efforts and successes and bravery that each one of you exhibit by persevering at working towards your weight loss goals, against difficult odds. Acknowledging and Overcoming Childhood Trauma: This chapter explores if there is a correlation between childhood trauma and depression and anxiety later in life. The author and researchers that he interviewed suggest having one’s trauma be acknowledged sympathetically and without judgement can lead to letting go of shame and being able to move forward. Finally there is Restoring the Future. Financial insecurity can rob people of the time and confidence that the future will be better, leading to lower life satisfaction (and maybe in the case of weight loss, less time to figure out healthful strategies for the average person).

Thank you for this, Amy. I think all these connections are good for us to keep in mind, to be aware of if we tend to fall into depression. Trying so hard to improve our quality of life can come with some disappointments when we realize we are not perfect creatures - just human.

[squealcat]

Hello again everyone ! I took a break from this group for a while when I just could not keep up with everything and wasn't able to read all the posts here. I have come back and read some of it once in a while and then did a MWL challenge (facebook ) .....lost over 11 pounds in January. I then took a break and came back doing full throttle MWL this last week and lost 3.6 pounds !! You certainly don't have to count this but I see a couple of familiar names and plan to catch up on my reading here and rejoin your group.

I have learned a few things that have helped me : I love sauerkraut and/or creamed corn with my potatoes, I must stay away from bread and peanut butter if I want to lose weight, I cannot let myself get too hungry , I always have to have some prepared foods (that I LIKE) all ready to heat up or eat cold for my meals, if I get hungry I can just have a potato or some oatmeal and it will satisfy !

Always learning, always working at getting healthier !!

-Marilyn (squealcat)

[Dpascar]

Lost 2.8 this week. (191.0). I will be on vacation next week Skiing I don’t believe there will be a scale there. Have a great week

[anne57]

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