January 2021 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Group

[HoustonJason]

Original Weight = 252 on January 1. 2021 January 8 = 244 January 15 = 237
January 22 = 234 Total = 18 pounds lost

Weight change +/- in lbs: -3 pounds this week

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. I’m still about 25-30% doing this. I can do better at preparing lunch, pre-making salads etc. It’s a lot more work than I used to do to prepare but I’m doing 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. I did well but sometimes ate more rice/beans and skimped on veggies.

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. I think I’m doing great at this.

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). 100%

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 100%

6. Eliminate any added oil. 100%

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.
I had baked tortilla chips and salsa a couple of times this week as a snack. So 90%

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Still drinking coffee with unsweetened almond milk.

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 90%

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). I’m jumping on the rebounder for 20-30 minutes a day. I’ve been sore from yardwork on Monday but still trying to jump each day.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: I had a good week, though not as great as last week. My honeymoon period is starting to subside and I’m realizing I’m at the beginning of a different lifestyle than I used to live. It’s going to be a long time before I allow myself some guacamole or a vegan donut. But I am seeing results and feeling good about my choices! Thank you for your feedback!

Jason

[Hope410]

Hello All,

Weight change: 0.0 No change

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 100%
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. 100%
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. 100%
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). 100%
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 100%
6. Eliminate any added oil. 100%
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. 80%
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). 100%
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 100%
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 10%

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: Points seven and ten were a problem for me again this week. Bread and popcorn ruined what were otherwise 100% MWL days at the beginning of the week, but got back on track for 100% MWL the last part of the week.

The exercise was almost non-existent I am sad to say; only walked 20 minutes 1X. There really is no excuse and I need to figure out what I'm going to do to combat this resistance to following this point 100%. I know that not only would it help with weight loos, I would feel better too, which is just as important. So the goals for next week are obvious.

Have a great week everyone!!

[Mark Cooper]

sunshine-oats - Nice result, Anna! How would you feel about getting those cookies out of the house, as you did with the almond butter? Regarding Omega 3 fatty acids, unless you are carefully weighing, measuring, and inputting everything you eat in a given day (which is NOT recommended, of course) that reading in CRONometer is unlikely to be very accurate.

While flax and walnuts may be a rich source of omega 3's, and some will recommended a certain amount, they are not really required at all as all plants have omega 3's and you are getting in plenty even if you don't consume any flax of walnuts.

That said, if you are concerned about this, adding some leafy greens to your menu is one way to include even more Omega 3s, while remaining adherent to MWL. For preloading, ideally the soup should be loaded with non-starchy vegetables, either chunky or blended is fine (In this study, differing textures of soup had comparable effects in reducing total meal energy intake).

on the one hand the program says it is ok to graze.. on the other hand it says it is ok to be hungry.. which one is it and if snacks are ok and not to be eliminated.. should they follow the 50/50 plate method?

I'm glad you raised this question; I think people tend to get a bit confused about the MWL Refinement labelled It's OK to Be Hungry. When we review the specific description, it becomes much more clear what Dr. McDougall means by this.

It's OK to be Hungry:

Sometimes you will find yourself in a situation where there is no healthy food available – like when you are out shopping, at a party, or dining with friends. You don't have to eat. No harm will be done. You won't starve to death by waiting a few hours until something healthy is available. Delaying gratification is the smart thing to do and when you do finally eat the right foods they will taste extra delicious.

Program Protocol: No one went hungry during the 10 days with us. One of the lessons of our program was successfully taught – "You can eat as much as you want of delicious foods and lose weight."

So, Dr. McDougall is not talking about refraining from eating the recommended foods whenever we feel hungry; rather, he is making the point that we can choose to delay eating until the recommended foods are available, instead of eating calorie rich or otherwise troublesome foods. Snacks are completely acceptable, and applying the 50/50 ratio to snacks will help support sustainable progress.

So ... if optimizing weight loss is my goal ... and I'm legitimately hungry, or really munchy and want a snack ... which would be better? Popcorn? Fruit?

IMH(P&P)O, and based on calorie density, of the two, I would say fruit. However, vegetables would be a better choice and/or a meal of 50% starch and 50% vegetables (and/or fruit) by volume. A meal of 50% starch and 50% vegetables by volume would have a very low calorie density. So, a bowl of 50% oatmeal and 50% berries by volume or a bowl of 50% rice and 50% veggies by volume may be the better choice. You get the starch to help satisfy you and the fruit and/or veggies to help lower the calorie density.

Try not to be overly concerned with perfectly distinguishing and recognizing hunger signals. Remember,

You don’t have to figure it out or work out it. Only follow the guidelines. When hungry (regardless of whether you may think it is true hunger, appetite, or something else) just eat. Eat of the recommended foods as outlined in the 10 point checklist.

Over time, it will work itself out.

PonysPlants - Congratulations on hitting that 50 pound milestone, Naomi! What an excellent birthday gift to give yourself! I can imagine how much you miss walking outside; I've still been going for a walk at least once each day, and I'm dreading the inevitable day when the weather makes that an unpleasant experience. Carry on your admirable efforts!

jan_npr - Down 1.3 lbs! Are there any strategies you are interested in trying for eliminating the calorie dense foods and higher fat plant foods? Is it feasible to remove those items from your immediate environment, or at least make them much more difficult to access? Could you demonstrate for your daughter how easy it is to cook without oil? Keep in mind,

Nutrients and the RDA/DRI
The RDA/DRI’s do not always apply to those following a healthy starch based diet. However by following the guidelines, especially starting meals with a soup or salad and the 50/50 guideline, ones diet with be very nutrient dense. In regard to weight, we do not recommend tracking your nutrients. Follow the plan, and the nutrients will be there.

CindyD - Congratulations on that 22.5 BMI! I'm glad to hear you don't find this weigh-in worrisome; continued attention to the MWL 10-Point Checklist is the appropriate response. How fun to be able to put a DVD in the hands of anyone who asks you about this way of eating!

Rebecka22 - Hooray for your perfect week! I'm glad those eliminations, substitutions, adjustments and alternatives are working out for you. Jeff's discussion of chocolate/cocoa/cacao is here.

Cocoa is ~50%, ~30% saturated fat and ~1000 cal/lb. Most cocoa powders, including organic ones, are contaminated with heavy metals.

You can read more about it here, including my recommendations/allowances.

Keep up your diligent efforts; 10/10 feeling easy comes with time, experience and loads of trial, error and adjustment.

wstokes - I'm sorry those big emotions made this week feel tough for you! I agree that it is important that indiscretions and exceptions don't become the norm, lest we end up with an "exceptional" diet. I want to remind everyone that fasting is not recommended for MWL; it violates the fundamental basic principle of the MWL Program: "whenever hungry, eat until comfortably full of the recommended foods." Jeff discusses this in detail here.

Rita<3 - WOW! Big result! That looks like an outstanding week; well done getting rid of the crackers. I can imagine the difficulty inherent in your battles with chronic pain; just keep doing the best you can, treat yourself with compassion, and be careful not to overdo it. Keep getting the food right, and you'll keep seeing progress.

birdy birdy - Hang in there! That certainly does sound like a very taxing week! Now that the situation is resolved, put last week in the past, and focus your efforts on getting right back to the recommended pattern of behavior.

brookelikesrunning - 2 pounds is a dramatic result! I'm so sorry to hear you've been ill; I can imagine the COVID-19 diagnosis felt pretty scary. Glad you are asymptomatic and recovering. Do the best you can to move the 25%, 50%s and 75%s toward 100%.

squealcat - Impressive work thinking through the factors that contributed to the challenges you were facing, Marilyn, and taking steps to eliminate or resolve those factors! I totally agree that it is important to eat adherent meals that we really enjoy; personally, I almost exclusively eat my favorite foods. Enjoy your soup, japanese sweet potatoes (YUM!) and lentils!

GreenFroG - Excellent adherence! Bringing some further attention to the 50/50 ratio for meals and snacks seems like an appropriate step. Those last few pounds tend to be tenacious, for all the reasons Jeff discusses in Why We Hit Plateaus and What We Can Do About Them.

jkcook - 2 more pounds gone! Seems like a pretty solid week! How would you feel about opting for veggie sushi for your next celebratory occasion? Onward!

HoustonJason - 3 pounds is a great result! Definitely seems like a pretty good week. That recognition that you are at the beginning of a new, different, healthier lifestyle feels significant. Feeling good about both your choices and the results you are seeing is important. Keep at it!

Hope410 - 8/10 is still a respectable report! Well done bringing yourself back on track. Was anything different about the days when you decided to include bread and popcorn? Any changes to your environment, preparation or routine? Something I find helpful for overcoming resistance and building a habit is to "anchor" the desired behavior to something I do already, or a specific "slot" in my day; e.g. I exercise each morning after having some water and checking my email, I go for a postprandial walk after lunch, &c. Do you think something like that might work for you?

[deb102]

Week 2 (Friday 1-15-2021) weigh in

Weight change +/- in lbs: -0.8

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
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.
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.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
6. Eliminate any added oil.
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.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
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 and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: Increased my stationary bike to about 18 minutes per day. My goal is to do it 7 days a week, however, in reality I did it 5 days this week. Easily stayed in the guidelines for food this week.

[deb102]

Week 3 (1/22/2021) weigh in
Weight change +/- in lbs: +2.2

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
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.
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.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
6. Eliminate any added oil.
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.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
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 and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: I did on average about 18 minutes on the exercise bike 5 days this week. Given my medical conditions I feel like this is really good for me. Twice every day I did Physical Therapy and core strength exercises for all 7 days. Plus I do housework every day. I checked my blood pressure today and it was good at 112/71. I am very happy with that as it was high last month at the doctor's office. I had a heck of a time sticking to the rules this week for the food. Despite weight increase, I feel very good. I do notice I feel a lot better eating according to MWL rules. I had been eating a lot of potatoes, and am now suddenly not interested in eating them so I am going to switch to some brown basmati rice for fun. Or try some different ways to cook the potatoes. Maybe mashed. I have been baking them.

[chrisg]

Weight change +/- in lbs: +.4

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Sometimes. I don’t find this beneficial as my meals are already very veggie heavy.
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. I do really well with this.
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 sugar at all. I don’t use a lot, but do use some salt.
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. Except for one carry-out veggie pad Thai meal.
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. Ate home-made sourdough bread twice with my soup.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Easy for me, water only.
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). Walked 5 days

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: I’m feeling frustrated. I was compliant with 18 of 21 meals, but just won’t lose if I’m not 100%. The non-compliance was a slice of homemade bread twice and a carryout meal - compliant other than likely added oil and sodium. I know what I am doing wrong, I just can’t seem to get to 100%.

[cmcavazos]

Weight change +/- in lbs: -.2# loss

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 6/7
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. 7/7
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. 6/7
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). 7/7
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 5/7 -- tofu, guacamole
6. Eliminate any added oil. 6/7
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. 6/7 -- tortilla chips
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). 7/7
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 6/7
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 6/7

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Victories -- 6 positive days & 1 completely "off"
Comments -- My "off day" on Thursday began badly by not eating breakfast and having a late lunch which ended up being my main meal for the day. I overate since I hadn't eaten since Wednesday dinner. I didn't eat Thursday supper because I felt that I had already overeaten for the day, but then later had some snacks in the evening. Of course, none of this makes sense when I reflect on it now! My routine was off and I wasn't able to regroup until Friday.

Let's see what next week brings...

[josietheschnauzer]

Weight change in lbs: --3lbs.
1. Start each meal with soup/salad/fruit: Yes
2. Follow 50/50 plate method for meals: Yes
3. Reduce or eliminate added sugars and salts: Green chili condiment has too much sodium
4. No animal foods: Yes
5. No higher fat plant foods (nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy): Yes
6. No added oil: Yes
7. No higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit: Yes
8. Don't drink calories: Yes
9. Follow principles, eat when hungry & until comfortably full. Don't starve and don't stuff: Still stuffing. Still trying.
10. Avoid being sedentary. Exercise at least 30 minutes daily: Yes
Victories, comments, concerns, questions: Thank you for the articles posted on the "first page" for us to re-read. Easy to find them and be inspired. I had a refresher on "plateaus"-- Another refresher on weight fluctuations. My body sometimes just holds on....especially when I eat a higher calorie dense food. I don't have the temptation to weigh every day. I am here for the long haul and I do appreciate the comments which inspire me. I am back again to my weight of Sept. 18. I hope I will at least stay the same next week, but if I don't I will "keep on truckin".

[jnc]

Weight: -1.4 lbs

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 6/7
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method, choose fruit for dessert. 6/7
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate sugars and added salts. 5/7
4. Eliminate all animal foods. 7/7
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods.5/7
6. Eliminate any added oil.7/7
7. Eliminate all higher calorie dense foods.4/7
8. Don’t drink your calories. 7/7
9. Eat when you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don’t starve/stuff.6/7
10. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily.7/7

Successes: Some things are so easy that I don't have to think about them anymore (no added oils and no animal foods). Others I am having better success with now than in the past. Planning meals was really helpful and I plan to continue with that.
Challenges: Satisfying my sweet tooth with fruit instead of reaching for more nutrient dense choices, especially when I’m a little stressed. I know it's better not to have sweets in the house - I'll try keep my health goals in mind to overcome my need for immediate gratification!

[chef16]

01/15/2021 231#
01/22/2021 231#
same 0

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 50%
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.80%
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. 100%
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).100%
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).60%
6. Eliminate any added oil.100%
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.85%
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).100%
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 90%
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 0

My stress level is through the roof! It is a wonder I have not gained 10 pounds! I have not given up but I have been eating constantly. I have many excuses , but I am not going to make them. They are just excuses!

[Gimmelean]

Weight change +/- in lbs: +1.6

1/15/2021 127
1/22/2021 128.6

I hope you and your families are all doing well this week.

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. 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
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).NO
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. 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
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).yes

Victories, comments, concerns,questions:
This week I gained 1.6 pounds. I know darned well what I’ve been doing that contributed to the gain especially with this moment of reflection and accountability. I’ve allowed the Pleasure Trap trifecta -as Dr. Lisle refers to -fat,salt,sugar to take over. A little last week has led to a lot more this week. It’s as if I’m hard wired after dinner to seek out sweets and baked goods which are sugar, salt, and fat laden. Of course not always plant based,but eggs and dairy hiding in cookies and candy and bread don’t seem as ominous as drinking a glass of milk or eating a stand-alone egg. So, a small lapse resulted in a NO for sugar,salt,fat, dairy,and consequently overeating too. There’s no reason for that except for the fact that I just let go. I’ve prepared and shopped for excellent meals and snacks. In the past I would feel like I’m a victim of circumstance and give up saying that there’s no workable solution because I’m doing everything I should be doing. But now that I know that’s totally not true and that what I need to do to get back on track to feel great, energetic, healthy, and maintain my weight loss is totally up to me. I need to start tackling that now. In an earlier post Wildgoose said it can take a good two weeks or more to get rid of the cravings and follow the checklist behaviors and patterns no matter how hard I try. I’m going to review Dr. Lisles YouTube videos that you posted in the resources section of the MWL board especially focusing on the Pleasure Trap and remove myself from the kitchen after dinner. The first few days especially will be painfully, irritatingly, uncomfortable and unfortunately for those around me too! I’ve been down this road so many times. One positive difference now is the ability to focus on myself almost as if I’m an objective observer. This journey is smooth sailing until it’s not.
Next week, I am determined to post improvements and can’t wait until I can feel that I’m headed in the right direction to be managing smugly again. :-)
Thank you for your support.
Yours in Good Health!

[Ejg]

Starting weight: 204
Last week: 198.2
This week: 200.6
week over week change: +2.4

???

Not quite sure what happened this week. I exercised a lot and around Wednesday noticed I had slipped into a "If I miss a few salads, and don't make half my plate green vegetables, no big deal because I exercised a lot" mentality. I wasn't eating out of control potato chips or anything. I did guilt my daughter into sharing some of her Mike and Ike's last night but was pretty surprised when I stepped on the scale this morning. It could be the salsa I bought from the grocery store, which I ate lots of this week. It might be the case that it tastes so good because there's lots of salt in it. I didn't bother to read the label. I'll try to not lose too much sleep over this and just continue to focus on the behavior.


1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Was probably 50% compliant this week if I'm honest.
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. I usually eat steamed vegetables with all lunches and dinners but like I said, sort of stopped being real diligent about this until I realized Wednesday-ish what was happening.
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. I put the salt in the basement where its much harder to get to and so wasn't using it this week, but suspect the store bought salsa is loaded with salt.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). Didn't eat any animal foods. My daughter wanted me to make her chicken this week, which I did. I have not eaten meat in years and must admit, the cooked chicken was "fowl" (pun intended).
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Yup
6. Eliminate any added oil. No added oil.
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. Yup
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Yup
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Yup
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). I ran, or lifted weights, or both, I think at least 5 of the last 7 days. I almost do better with weight loss when I DON'T exercise because it is way too easy for me to justify getting away from the MWL principles (I exercised so can get away with being a little lax). Plus I tend to get ravenously hungry and will eat anything not nailed down. Something for me to pay attention to I guess.

Have a good week to everyone!

[oneesotericgirl]

Last week’s weight : 208.2
Current weight : 205.6
Change : Down 2.6 lbs

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Did a little better this week with this, but needs improvement still. 50%
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. Much better with this too, still eating more starch than anything else though. Or starch with starch. Like beans with rice or corn with rice. 65%
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.Only adding a bit of salt or maple syrup directly on to food at table. 90%
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). Last bit of ranch dressing is gone! 98%
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Not the best this week. Peanut butter. Vegan butter. Coconut milk in Thai takeout. Vegan waffle at a restaurant. Chocolate banana smoothie for my first Vitamix try. 60%
6. Eliminate any added oil. Only small amount at two occasions of eating out with friends. 95%
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. I am still having a piece of toast with pnut butter for cravings. Some chips with salsa and hummus. Ritz crackers during bad planning. 60%
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Only 2 coffee drinks all week, for treats. The rest was all water or diet soda. 90%
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Doing better about paying attention to my hunger signals. Better about eating slowly and putting down the plate and seeing if I am still hungry a little later. I graze mostly still. Over ate a few times, but recognized foods that were easier to overeat. 85%
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Still really struggling with this. Foot issues. And aggravated an old knee injury at work this week. I'll get there eventually. 10%

Observations, Victories, Struggles, and Focuses:
I still am counting a piece of pnut butter toast or chips and salsa here and there a victory! Normally it would have been a trip to the grocery store for tons of junk. I am proud of this change. I had a craving for rice with butter, so I put some vegan butter on rice one night and I noticed two things. 1-It did not satisfy the craving at all. 2-I was nauseous for the rest of the evening. Learned my lesson lol. I dare say it is getting easier to make healthy or healthier choices.
Going to focus on more veggies vs starches. And more veggies/fruit before meals. Reducing Diet soda intake. Better planning for unexpected food availability issues, (when my blood sugar is low and I can't just "wait"). Finally got my Vitamix to make more dressings and sauces! Made a version of Jeff's dressing with beans that Mark suggested. It was pretty good. Going to alter my own ingredients.
I did not expect to see a loss, let alone a decent loss after how many "missteps" I had. But it made me give myself credit and realize that I am learning new behaviors and making changes. I am being kind and forgiving to myself for any time I am not perfect, because it is about learning how to live a healthier life over anything else.

[UncleMike]

Weight change +/- in lbs: -2.9 lbs

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 95% lunch and dinner, breakfast is oatmeal and fruit
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. 100% except for breakfast
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. 100%
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). 100%
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 100%
6. Eliminate any added oil. 100%
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. 100%
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). 100%
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). Only 2 days of walking

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: Did really well on the eating , need to keep on with that and step up the activity/exercise level. BMI is 30.5, so getting close to not obese any more.

[JaBee]

Weight change +/- in lbs: +.6*; current weight 186.8 from 188.9

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 5/7
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. 7/7
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. 7/7
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). 7/7
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 7/7
6. Eliminate any added oil. 7/7
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. 6/7
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). 7/7
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself
5/7.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 7/7


Victories, comments, concerns, questions: Not sure what happened but attempted to report last week must have recorded in wrong thread. Was up 2.7 last week and down 2.1 this week net gain .6
Had too much salt the week before so now realize I need to avoid it altogether as I am very sensitive to it - causes swelling and bloating

Is flaxseed on oatmeal MWL compliant?