May'09 - MWL, "ON PLAN, PLANNING TO STAY THAT WAY!"

[Starchyme]

Lost 1 pound this week!

Been eating ok, but haven't gotten back to exercising. So, this week will concentrate on at least 30 minutes a day of whatever - walking, zumba, or strength training machines.

Wishing everyone a successful week to come.

[cynthiak]

Nothing for me this week. I actually gained a pound.
Oh well I'm still on plan Congrats everyone and Leatha hang in there sounds like your starting to feel better.
Peace Cynthia

[droxine]

I don't know how it's possible, but I already lost a pound! I'm so happy and am enjoying the food very much. I'm actually looking forward to doing one of my walking workouts today.

Droxine

[toadfood]

Good morning everybody!

It's Friday and I am eating some yummy, yummy potatoes for breakfast.

That is all.

[LauraA]

I'm getting the idea that Thursday is the weigh-in day. Since I just started, I'll wait until next week. Congratulations on all your successes this week.

I made a good lunch today, and had enough left over for 2 more generous meals. It was a sort of stew with onions, black beans, diced tomatoes, potatoes, and frozen veggies. I felt full all afternoon, which is not how I usually feel. I think the bread I ate was making me feel hunger later on.

Droxine

Oh, sorry that you didn't know! Many (but not all) of us weigh in on Thursdays, and post how much we lose. It is fun to see how much we lose as a group, and it helps keep many of us motivated. If you happen to prefer a different weigh in day for some reason, just post your loses on Thursdays. It sounds like you are doing great. Take care, LauraA

[Starchyme]

Toadfood, funny but I just sat down to eat a baked tater for my breakfast, also. Aren't they divine!! I can eat them any way, any time.

[toadfood]

I'm back! Cross-posted to my journal:

As May draws to a close I'm thinking about how I did and what my goals are for June. For May, my goals were to get my weight below 218 (the weight I was at before I started yo yoing in April), and my fasting blood sugar below 100. As of yesterday's weigh-in, I weighed 215. Ka-ching! I just reviewed my blood sugars for the month. I achieved my goal for 20 out of 29 days -- so 2/3 of the time. Not bad, but I can do better.

Yesterday I was reading a post over in Jeff's forum about "five healthy habits" that unfortunately are declining among Americans. So I was thinking about how I'm doing by those measures, and what I can do better. The habits are:

1. Don't smoke -- no problem. I have never smoked tobacco, and haven't smoked anything else since I was in college.
2. Drink only in moderation -- no problem. I don't drink at all, but do occasionally use small amounts of wine or sherry in cooking.
3. Maintain BMI between 18.5 and 25. I won't be there for quite a while, but my BMI is on its way down, so I'm making progress toward this goal.
4. Exercise at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week. My personal goal is to exercise at least 45 minutes a day, 6 days a week. I've read some recommendations that it should be an hour or even two hours, but Jeff says that is excessive if you have a good diet. I've mostly been doing well on this goal, but in the last week or so I've been slacking off some. I need to refocus, and maybe try some new activities so I don't get bored.
5. Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day. I'm really haphazard with this one. Sometimes I eat more than that, but on too many days I eat just starches and beans. This is a goal I really need to work on. It will help with weight loss, too.

So thinking about the coming month, these are my goals:

Maintain daily fasting blood sugar 99 or lower, postprandial blood sugar 145 or lower.

Eat at least 5 servings of nonstarchy veggies per day. Note that a one-pound bag of raw baby carrots or nonstarchy frozen veggies is five servings. I can easily eat that as a snack, and it's a lot better for me than pretzels, which I have been overdoing lately. Fruit is optional since my triglycerides are still somewhat high.

Exercise 30-60 minutes, 6 days per week, aiming for 45 minutes or more on most days.

I'll also continue with my old goals of posting every day, weighing only once a week, staying on plan, and keeping a daily food journal.

[Starchyme]

You're doing great, Toadfood. Thanks for keeping us apprised. Happy McDougalling!

[Calantha]

Thanks, Toadfood, that was a very educational and encouraging post!

[Faith in DC]

Way to go HealthE on your loss.

Toadfood, I think you had a very successful month. Way to go. And in that month you also got to make new mcdougall friends. Plus you had two servings at least of veggies

We are such a bunch of losers!! Way to go.

[Losing Linda]

Well I have been refocusing in my goals. I don't like weighing myself to much but thinking on how to monitor my progress. Everyone on this site is so helpful. I thought what is my goals and what is reason I am doing this. I like to be able to hike in the mountains with less stress, ride my bike longer distances and be strong balanced health in my golden years not on meds. I don't want to be too thin like my husband's family where lying on the ground hurting or fearing losing weight while hiking. I don't want to be bony! I also want to be succeed in what is best for me and what can motivate others to do. To be an example of healthy living! My heart is beginning to soar again in just writing this. Music would be good at this point maybe" to dream the impossible" I think I just get up and get going.
(Thanks for letting me just ramble on )

[toadfood]

Thanks, HealthE1, Calantha, and Faith! Faith, those were some mighty fine veggies we ate at our McDougall lunch. Mmmm, kale.

Linda, I really like your hiking and biking goals. Although I am pretty focused on my weight, I think other numbers are a lot more important. Maybe you could measure your progress in miles instead of pounds -- if you like to use numbers, that is. I keep reminding myself that my blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol are all much more important numbers than the one on the scale. I should think about minutes or miles of exercise that way, too. I think if we're sticking to the program and those numbers are all good, the weight number will take care of itself.

[Letha.]

Checking in. I’m on plan and planning to stay that way. I’ll check back tomorrow.
Letha

[beanie]

May 09 MWL Group
Weekly Weigh-In Results

Total group loss reported in 2009: 726.4 pounds

Total group loss reported in May 2009: 130.4 pounds
Week ending 05/28/09: 20 participants reported a total loss of 27.6 pounds
Week ending 05/21/09: 22 participants reported a total loss of 34.2 pounds
Week ending 05/14/09: 20 participants reported a total loss of 24.8 pounds
Week ending 05/07/09: 19 participants reported a total loss of 43.8 pounds

Participants reporting for week ending 05/28/09. If you reported a gain I listed you as zero lost.

BertinHouston 0
topview1 0
Felini 0
mairead11 0
Bambie113 0
beanie 0
Calantha 0
cynthiak 0
New Dawn 0.2
stormie 0.3
LauraA 0.5
MaryW 0.6
slugmom 0.8
HealthE1 1.0
toadfood 1.2
Faith in DC 1.4
cowgirrlup 3.0
Jackie J 3.0
Letha. 6.0
txjack 9.6
Total 27.6


====================================

Total group loss reported in May 2009: 130.4 pounds
Week ending 05/28/09: 20 participants reported a total loss of 27.6 pounds
Week ending 05/21/09: 22 participants reported a total loss of 34.2 pounds
Week ending 05/14/09: 20 participants reported a total loss of 24.8 pounds
Week ending 05/07/09: 19 participants reported a total loss of 43.8 pounds

Total group loss reported in April 2009: 114.55 pounds
Week ending 04/30/09: 17 participants reported a total loss of 17.5 pounds
Week ending 04/23/09: 21 participants reported a total loss of 22.2 pounds
Week ending 04/16/09: 23 participants reported a total loss of 28.95 pounds
Week ending 04/09/09: 18 participants reported a total loss of 25.0 pounds
Week ending 04/02/09: 23 participants reported a total loss of 20.9 pounds

Total group loss reported in March 2009: 109.7
Week ending 03/26/09: 21 participants reported a total loss of 27.4 pounds
Week ending 03/19/09: 22 participants reported a total loss of 18.6 pounds
Week ending 03/12/09: 28 participants reported a total loss of 37.1 pounds
Week ending 03/05/09: 31 participants reported a total loss of 26.6 pounds

Total group loss reported in February 09 is 129.95 pounds
Week ending 02/26/09: 24 participants reported a total loss of 18.8 pounds
Week ending 02/19/09: 30 participants reported a total loss of 45.45 pounds
Week ending 02/12/09: 27 participants reported a total loss of 28.6 pounds
Week ending 02/05/09: 30 participants reported a total loss of 37.1 pounds

Total group loss reported in January 09 is 238.8
Week ending 01/30/09: 26 participants reported a total loss of 35.0 pounds
Week ending 01/22/09: 30 participants reported a total loss of 44.9 pounds
Week ending 01/15/09: 28 participants reported a total loss of 54.6 pounds
Week ending 01/08/09: 31 participants reported a total loss of 104.3 pounds

Total Lost in December 08 = 68.26 reported for the group
Week ending January 1, 2008 – 4 participants: 8.2 pounds lost
Week ending December 25th, 2008 - 5 participants: 6.96 pounds lost
Week ending December 18, 2008- 6 participants: 9.6 pounds lost
Week ending December 11, 2008 - 10 participants: 16.5 pounds lost
Week ending December 4, 2008 - 12 participants: 27 pounds lost

[Starchyme]

We are awesome!

Hard to believe, though, that May is over and done with as far as reporting out stats.

Let's see if we can top it in JUNE!