falling off the wagon..hard!

[atz100]

so for the whole month of July I've fallen off the starch solution wagon I've eaten lots of vegan junk food high in oil, fat, salt, and sugar pretty much everyday; things like vegan ice cream, cake, cookies, pizza, oily pastas/stirfry. Anything you can imagine, I ate it! I pretty much gained all the weight I lost (probably a combo of water retention and fat) and I feel horrible. Alot of it has been binge eating, so many days were 10,000 calories..no joke. I feel terrible and need to get back on track, but feel quite hopeless and saddened by the progress that's been undone this month. Advice on how to get back on track? Thanks, I'm determined to make August my month!

[Plumerias]

I would think that the fact that you feel lousy, which I assume is mostly physical, would be a terrific motivator. So, the answer is simple, one day at a time. After you get all the junk out of your kitchen.

[Katydid]

Everything you've eaten - vegan ice cream, cakes, cookies, pizza, stir-fry, pasta can be made oil/fat-free and perfectly McDougall "legal" using healthy, delicious ingredients. You just have to sit down and decide how you are going to plan, shop, and cook to make it happen. There are YouTube videos on how to fry food using water or broth, bake crispy oven fried, make ice cream from frozen bananas, etc. This is not a diet of denial. This is not a diet of white knuckle will-power. This is a diet of abundance- but you have to be willing make your own food. Next time you feel that you are going to go on a month-long binge if you can't have chocolate chip ice cream - ask for a recipe for an appropriate substitute. We can help

Kate

[Ejeff]

Well said Katie! I feel the exact same way. I make ice cream with frozen bananas and nuts, I eat cookies without oil, I buy oil free corn tortillas and make my own chips. I deny myself nothing but it does take some planning. Tonight for supper I'm having crispy zucchini cake burger with lemon pepper sauce (from Vegan8) and potatoe salad no oil. Can't wait to eat.

[JohnLarson]

I think there are many very successful McDougallers who have fallen and gotten back up. I sure hope so, because I have had plenty of ups and downs.

You can't uneat what you ate in the past, but you can eat what you eat today. So wipe yourself off, get back up and move on. We can do this!

[DWu]

H atz100i,

I’ve shared this before. Maybe you’ll find it helpful in getting back on track and staying on the wagon.

It’s called the “Don’t break the chain” method, which was attributed to Jerry Seinfeld as he tried to become a better comic.

Get a calendar with a whole year on it, and mark an “X” on each day you’re compliant on the program. After a few days, you’ll have a chain. Keep at it, and the chain will grow.

You’ll probably find that you like seeing the growing chain, especially when you get a few weeks’ worth of “X’s” on the calendar. As it gets bigger and bigger, you’ll probably be more motivated to keep at it. Then your only job is to not break the chain.

Hope this helps.