October 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Group

[lmggallagher]

Dear Mark: Please note I am saying this as I chuckle and hope you can share my joke. First off I did my Instacart order for tomorrow and there are no sin foods on it. I am using my standard "toolkit of coping strategies" today and unpacking the three boxes from Red Cross with my upgraded emergency and go bag supplies that came yesterday. I am scheduling my cooking around the most likely electrical outage times for the next 24 hours. Also figuring out where I can safely park my car as there will be likly felling of trees and branches tonight around here. Luckily, weather is not too hot/cold or the air quality too bad right now. Health issues are not overwhelming today. Your below empathy is, as always, so kind, wonderful and appreciated. Yet, somewhat underwhelming in these times is ....Dr. Lisle on willpower --- however, don't get me wrong but right now out here we need his video titled "A Tool Kit for the Apocalypse".

lmggallagher - Hang in there, Michelle! Unquestionably, we are living in times (and situations) that can feel extremely stressful! I used to suffer from chronic sinus infections, so I can vividly imagine how uncomfortable, unpleasant, and exhausting dealing with that can be; couple that with lack of sleep, and it is no wonder that your "willpower" started to ebb. I hope your respiratory issues can be promptly brought to a satisfactory resolution. Drawing on what Dr. Lisle discusses in The Story of Willpower – What it Is & How it Works, the best way to replenish fading "willpower," would seem to be taking a moment to eat the recommended foods, before turning to the cookies and chips (I know that is easy to say, but can be quite challenging to do). Of course, the most important thing after facing a setback is to get back on track as soon as one is able. Now that you feel like you've returned to more effective coping strategies, maybe it is a good time to take inventory of your "toolbox" and highlight some particular tools to reach for the next time things feel overwhelming. Keep doing the best you can!

Today's drill for those who have not left the State already

Issued: 1:47 AM Oct. 25, 2020 – National Weather Service

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM SUNDAY TO 11 AM PDT
MONDAY...

* WHAT...Northeast winds 20 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph
below 1000 feet. Gusts to 70 mph above 1000 feet.

* WHERE...The entire San Francisco Bay Region.

* WHEN...From 4 PM Sunday to 11 AM PDT Monday.

* IMPACTS...Damaging winds could blow down trees and power
lines. Widespread power outages are possible. Travel could be
difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...In addition to fire weather concerns
these winds will have the potential to bring down fire
weakened trees and branches across the region. Any temporary
structures such as tents and scaffolding will be compromised.
This event has the the potential to be as strong or stronger
as winds during the 2017 Wine Country Fires with widespread
potential for damaging winds throughout the Bay Area Sunday
night.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high
profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects.

[Mark Cooper]

texaslil - That looks like a pretty great week to me! No smoothies! Jeff's remarks on coconut aminos are here.

Why not just use salt? Or wheat-free Tamari?

If it works for you, great, but the the real issue is the amount of sodium.

As with salt or soy sauce, I am not recommending it, but allow items like this as a condiment or ingredient if the total sodium of the recipe or dish makes the guidelines.

Personally, I would avoid it and would just make a solution myself of salt and water, which is basically all this is except this is made from salt and coconut sap, which is nothing more than like the "cane juice" from coconut. If you dilute 1.25 tsp of salt in a glass of water, you have almost the exact same solution. 1 tsp would equal 121 mgs.

Have fun on those early morning walks with your dog, Laila!

lmggallagher - OH MY GOODNESS! I am definitely chuckling along with you; but, of course, concerned for you, as well! What a situation to be living through. Stay safe and take care! "A Tool Kit for Apocalypse," indeed! Let me know if you get that particular kit sorted out; I would like to keep it on hand, too!

[Beeshell]

Weight loss: 0 lbs
(last week : -1.1 pounds)

Sorry - have missed timeframe for weight loss to be counted. I hope to be able to continue with this group despite the struggles which are mainly emotional (I think).

I know there was a post about potential change in posting information but haven't seen it yet. Have subscribed to updates but somehow not getting them (yes checking junk).

This group and process keeps me more accountable than not.

Challenges past 2 weeks: finding decent tasting fruit with change in seasons. Finally found grapes and pears that are good. I love apples but prefer something else for pre-breakfast.

No need to spend time with feedback. I know a lot goes into this from Mark. Thank you as always for having this space.

[Drew*]

Drew* - Welcome back and congratulations on 4 strong days adhering to the MWL 10-Point Checklist! You are absolutely right that consistency is necessary for lasting success; are there particular obstacles making it more difficult to maintain a consistent routine? I can clearly picture that mess in your microwave! I think that has happened to me nearly every time I've tried to microwave oatmeal; I finally just admitted defeat and decided to stick with the stovetop, or my Instant Pot. I'm glad you were able to salvage you breakfast and made a serendipitous discovery, too! Periodically assessing and staying aware of my pattern of behavior really definitely helps me stay on track. Keep at it!

Hi Mark, thank you for your remarks. I still need to compile my "results" from Friday through Sunday in my journal... Perhaps my main issue is that my living situation has not changed since before my father passed away in the spring. I am with my wife Friday evening through Monday morning at our condo and helping out my mom Monday through Friday morning. I also work more than one job. So I am fairly good at MWL Monday to Friday morning weigh-in and need to work on the rest. My strategy has been to reduce the amount of exceptions on Friday evening through Sunday. The efforts were so-so this week. However, I had at least two meals each day that were fairly compliant. I will consider what to do. However, for today I am right on track with the oatmeal cooked in a pot this time and some thawed out berries and a banana. Will stay on track this week and examine my efforts on the weekends...

Drew*

[Mark Cooper]

Beeshell - Hang in there and keep doing the best you can; this too shall pass. Grapes and pears sound lovely, I'm always amazed by the many different varieties of grapes my local market keeps in stock - definitely much different than when I was a child. The current guidelines for reporting are outlined in the orientation; if any changes are made in what is requested, I'll let everyone know by posting here and updating the orientation information.

Weigh-ins are on Friday; participants have until noon pacific time (19:00 UTC) on Saturday to post a report of their result for the week. Reports posted outside that window of time won't be included in the weekly summary. If you choose to participate in the weekly weigh-ins, please post your report in the following format -

Weight change +/- in lbs
Points from the MWL Checklist where I succeeded this week
Points from the MWL Checklist that need greater attention
General impressions & observations / resources to share / sources of excitement / requests for input & support

Please post a new report each week in the MWL Weigh-In Group thread for the current month. All group members are encouraged to post regardless of whether they have a gain, loss or no change to report.

Drew* - That makes sense; just keep working to reduced the number of "exceptional meals" and replace them with adherent meals.

[Zoey]

@Beeshell - I'm right there with you. I had my best report ever for the weigh-in, but I must not have hit 'Submit' when I thought I did.
Let's just try to do better for the next one, and then really shape up for November.

@Mark - You're so gracious and kind. See ya for the next round!

[Mark Cooper]

Zoey - "Best report ever!" I like the sound of that! Sorry the post got swallowed into oblivion.

[Mark Cooper]

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's weigh-in and seeing everyone's reports! Friday is this group's weigh-in day, and participants have until noon pacific time (19:00 UTC) on Saturday to post a report of their result for the week. Reports posted outside that window of time won't be included in the summary that I compile for Saturday evening. This group is all about changing patterns of behavior, so it seems reasonable to me to expect those who choose to participate in the weekly weigh-in to honor that time frame for reporting. In addition to reporting your weight change in pounds, more importantly, please be sure to evaluate your behaviors within the context of the MWL 10-Point Checklist, if you please. I will respond to everyone's reports in a cumulative post on Friday evening and Saturday evening, and the summary for the week will be posted Saturday night.

For more information on why participants are recommended to weigh themselves once a week while in the weight loss phase, check out this excellent and thorough article from Jeff - To Weigh or Not to Weigh

My very best to all, and I'll see you tomorrow!

[PonysPlants]

0.4lbs down this week. Not my best result but it’s down. As I mentioned last week I had a meal out as my husband’s work award which I’m sure didn’t help.

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES I had some salad even before going out to eat
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. NO. All apart from meal out
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. NO. All apart from meal out.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). YES Easy. Vegan for life
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados,) NO. All apart from meal out
6. Eliminate any added oil. NO.
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. NO.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). YES.
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. NO. Just with meal out. I definitely had more that I would normally.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily. NO. Didn’t manage every day this week.

Even though I had the meal out on Saturday I managed to get straight back on track even though it was like I could hear the pleasure trap whispering. Last night my husband and I also wanted to celebrate as he found out that he’s now 5 years cancer free! We went to the pub but I just had sparkling water and we didn’t eat there. We came home and he got a vegan pizza and I had potatoes and broccoli! So that was great, celebrate and stay on track. Hopefully I’ll still be able to get to my goal by my 40th in January!

Thanks Mark and all the moderators as always. I’m fairly sure that I might have given up after only losing 0.4lbs in the past but I’m just ready to refocus and keep going with this plan.

Naomi

[mandybee]

-1.5 lbs
Total weight loss for October -9 lbs
Beginning weight 138.5 lbs
Current weight 129.5 lbs

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Yes
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. No, I am using a little hot sauce daily and that does have salt - but in general I have greatly reduced my salt intake.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). YES
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados,) Yes
6. Eliminate any added oil. YES
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. YES
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). YES.
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Yes but I'm finding this difficult. I had been overeating, and yesterday specifically I think I under ate (which is crazy), but I'm really trying to understand my hunger signs.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily. NO. Didn’t manage every day this week. YES

Overall I'd say a great week and a great month of weight loss. I was really hoping to hit the round number 10 for a month of weight loss but I'm really pleased with the results. The biggest win for me is really thinking about how much I'm eating. I was really overeating and the past 2 weeks I've been more focused on portion control and that has been great on my psyche. I plan to keep moving full steam ahead. I'd like to lose another 10 lbs by 2021, so about 5 lbs per month and I feel like I can really do that.

I'm very appreciative for this forum and the friends I'm meeting here - I think twice before eating anything stupid because I feel more accountable to all of you than to myself apparently. Thank you very much, I'm so grateful.

[Abe]

Weight Change: -.7 lbs.

Looks like the gain last week was a temporary fluctuation, because my scale is down the exact same amount is down this week.

MWL Points:

1. Start meals with soup or salad.
   I have not been having as many salads before dinner as I should, or had been. I was able to find one of the Steamfresh Whole Grain Rice with Broccoli & Carrots, but not the other options. Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, both the Chinese and Japanese restaurant in my area (there is only one of each within an hour radius) only offer white rice. How bad is it to eat white rice? I am not strong enough to handle being in a steakhouse.
   
2. Follow 50/50 plate volume.
   Still not perfect with this. When I am hungry I indulge in starch heavy food options. Saying that I am going to stop does not seem to work.
   
3. Eliminate sugar and salt.
4. Eliminate animal based foods.
5. Eliminate higher fat plant foods.
6. Eliminate oil.
7. Eliminate higher calorie dense foods.
   Due to some overenthusiastic apple picking I have been eating more than my usual two servings of fruit a day.
8. Do not drink your calories.
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don’t starve yourself and don’t stuff yourself.
10. Avoid being sedentary.
    I continue to vary and improve with my exercise. This time last year I thought walking up one flight of stairs was a workout, and now I can ride my Peloton stationary bike pretty hard for an hour.

[Veganjo]

Friday, October 30, 2020 weigh-in: loss 1.5

[chowbby]

This is my third Friday weigh-in: I gained exactly 5 five pounds since last Friday.

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Half of the days, yes. Some meals were only soup, as well.
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. Yes.
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them. Yes.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). Yes.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Yes.
6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes.
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e. bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. Yes.
8. Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). I have made progress here.
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don’t starve yourself and don’t stuff yourself. Yes.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). I walked about 45 minutes each day, but not all of it is brisk walking.

I decided not to weigh myself for a week. I almost cried seeing the number today. The only thing I did different this week was eat more volume. I ate fruit several times. I ate larger servings and or more helpings. It felt natural to do so, so I tried not to worry about it and just see what happened if I ate until satisfied without “diet mind.” I drank extra water. I enjoyed hot drinks of water, lemon, ginger and mint leaves. I have been circling around these same five pounds up and down since January. I am still 35 pounds from my baseline/goal weight. My BMI is 24.5.

[squealcat]

Last week Oct. 23 : 204.1
This week Oct 30: 202.4

Loss: 1.7 pounds

I felt this week went really well ! I used my weekly goal planner and checked off the MWL points for each meal every day and even added a line for "no peanut butter , no margarine" and also a line for my newly added resistance exercise.

Points that went well? # 2,3,4,5,8,9,10 were all 100%
Point #1 was almost there except for dinners which I didn't preload but ate my veggies first and made them 50% of my plate.
Point #6 is added oil and just yesterday when we ordered out I figure there was some oil.
Point #7 is elim high fat food and once I slid a bit and had saltine crackers and once had a whole wheat wrap when eating out. Notice that I didn't have any peanut butter ! That is a big deal for me. Something about stating "eliminate peanut butter" on my check list made me stay far away from it.

I feel good about continuing on for November and even look forward to it ! thank you for your support !

-squealcat (Marilyn)

[Kappagator_96]

Last week: 145.3
This week: 144.8

Differences: -0.5lbs

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Sometimes. Will work on this more.
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. Yes.
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them. No, had 1 bite of cake.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). Yes.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Yes.
6. Eliminate any added oil. No, had 1 bite of cake.
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e. bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. No, had 1 bite of cake.
8. Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Yes
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don’t starve yourself and don’t stuff yourself. Yes
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). My ankle and foot are still swollen/bruised/painful, but better. I’ll be able to start exercising this week again, yay!

Had a decent week, very happy for the half pound loss. Spent extra time this week making themed Halloween meals for my kids, savory compliant starches, like stuffed acorn squashes and stuffed mushroom “eyeballs.” We brought home a mini Halloween cake (5” diameter) that way it would be gone in one serving. I would normally have had a piece, but had a small bite instead. It didn’t taste as good as I thought it would, next time I will skip it. In preparation for an at-home backyard Halloween candy hunt, I purchased candy that I don’t like, for my 3 kids. My husband decided to “help” by bringing home 2 small bags of candy that I do like. We had a talk, and he knows not to bring home any more candy. I am lucky in that he is usually supportive, but he is very fit and subscribes to the notion of willpower. I keep telling him “abstinence is easier than perfect moderation,” at least it is for me. I plan to get the candy out of the house as soon as humanly possible after Halloween. In year’s past, the candy has lingered until Christmas.. NOT THIS YEAR or EVER AGAIN. I plan to have the kids pick out favorites, they will eat some on Halloween night, and the rest will go with my husband to work or in the trash. I also plan on eating extra green/yellow veggies and starches for lunch and dinner so that I will not be the least bit hungry during the kids’ candy hunt, possibly keep cut carrots or celery bags near me. Any other strategies much appreciated!!

So next week’s focus: exercise all 7 days, make sure all candy is out of the house the week after Halloween. Encourage kids/husband to eat the most tempting treats first, out of my sight and out of the house. Today I will prep more veggies to ensure a ready supply of easy snacks so I have healthy choices ready, my starches are done. Excited to make cute little starch-stuffed bell peppers, carved like tiny jack o’lanterns for dinner tomorrow.

Thank you!!