February 2017 McDougall Weigh In Group

[amandamechele]

I had hoped that knowing I had to weigh in publicly today would be enough to get me through my husband's birthday, Valentines Day and a girls' night, but it wasn't quite. I guess the bright side is that if I hadn't had that extra push, my 1/2 pound gain would have been more like 2 pounds. Sorry, everybody. Next week will be better - I'm already starting my pre-cooking (potatoes, farro, and barley).

146.9 (+0.6)

That was a lot of temptation working against you this week. I hope you get to have a few days in a row this week to get back to the basics.
Your attitude about it is just perfect! Always look to the bright side.
Best wishes this coming week.

PS. How do you eat your farro? It is another grain that I don't know much about.

[amandamechele]

I'm going to join the weigh-in group. I'm starting MWL now and my first report will be next week. In the past I've been reluctant to join. In part because my weight-loss is always weird. I'll go weeks following the plan religiously and running or walking every week with zero weight loss and even some gain. Meanwhile other people report 5+ pound losses within days of starting. I always think it will be different and it never is and I get mad about the unfairness I perceive. But, then one week, 8 pounds will fall off. It always happens that way. So, why don't I just accept that is how my body works and embrace it? I think I can do that this time.

Another reason I have hesitated is because I've been afraid I wasn't ready to commit fully and I didn't want to tell the truth or lie about it. So I hid in the shadows like an outsider. Not benefitting from the camaraderie and participation. I want to fully participate in this community.

My last reason for joining today, is that I lost a friend yesterday. She was 48 (my age) and she died of a heart attack. I don't really know how she ate. She was an alcoholic and her body just couldn't take the abuse anymore. But, I was reminded how many people die every day from diet related illnesses (compared to drug or alcohol addiction). I don't want to get into any controversies here but I do consider myself to be a compulsive overeater and I really struggle when I have even small off-plan foods (especially oil). Once it gets triggered I'm off to the races and I can gain 12-15 pounds in a matter of a few months. This has happened to me again recently following a vacation in October. Anyhoo, I was reminded yesterday that we just don't know how many go-rounds our body has in us. We roll the dice every time we abuse our bodies again. Hoping this won't be the last chance we get. Hoping we can turn things around after the holidays, when we get back from the vacation, and so on. Many women die as a result of their first heart attack. So we don't always get the "last lap" warning bell. I want to get off this roller coaster and live in peace with food and my body and live whatever years I'm capable of getting.

Fortunately, we got a winter weather reprieve where I live and the sunshine is mood altering. So, this is as good a time as any to rejoin the McDougall community. Thanks to everyone who is here for providing a place to come and join in.

Kelly

Hi Kelly,

Welcome to the group! Thank you for taking this step, it's a big one. I can only imagine how you're feeling right now; I'm very sorry to hear about your friend. Such a tragedy.
I, also, struggle with unhealthy eating patterns and can be easily triggered by off-plan foods. So far, this program (MWL) has been the best thing that I have found to gain control over this pattern. It's especially important to remove all hyper-palatable, stimulating foods.
Even though I can see you've been around for awhile, I thought I'd link Dr. McDougall's November 2005 newsletter talks about volume eating and binge eating. Just in case you want to take a look at what he has to say about it. Recently Chef AJ talked a bit about her understanding of the differences between volume eating and binge eating on a Facebook live broadcast that she did (this past a Wednesday). I found that very informative too.
We want you here for the camraderie too! Follow the plan the best you can. Hopefully the transition won't be too tough, but even if it is I want you to feel you can still check in here. No need to hide or be untruthful (gosh, my February hasn't been progressing as I had hoped but I'll just keep plugging away and doing my best!).
Good luck this week and check in as often as you need too!
Amy

[amandamechele]

Hello Group!

I am just jumping in, like the idea of accountability to help me get to my ideal! So been plant based 99%, but it is easy enough to go to 100% with a plan. So tomorrow is shopping day and if I meal plan and cook stuff up this weekend, I'll be ready to go! And I saw the post about oat groats, super delicious in cooked in a water bath in the crock pot. Like a large glass measuring glass filled with the oats and water, put in the crock pot and fill the pot with water up to the edge of the liquid in the measuring cup. Works in the pressure cooker too! I'm not sure what my ideal weight will be, but at this point, I'm looking to lose 15 pounds of fat. Cheers!

So today's weigh in is 160.

Welcome Hillclimber! I'm glad you're joining us this week. Best wishes with your shopping and meal planning. Sounds like you've got a great plan on how to get started.
That's two oat groat recommendations this week. I definitely have to try them now!!
Amy

[amandamechele]

I'd like to join this group. I have a lot of weight to lose. I attended a McDougall 10-Day program a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, I fell off the wagon completely later. Now I want to have another chance to lose weight and feel good.I've found some simple dishes to make. I plan to have about 8-10 to rotate, so things are kept simple and doable.I was so glad to find this group.

Hi Polly,
Welcome! It sounds like you've also got everything ready and planned out. Fantastic start!
You didn't happen to attend the June 2015 program did you? That's the one I attended, and there was a Polly in that group.
Let's get you back on track and feeling better!
Best wishes this week.

[amandamechele]

Hi everyone. I also am joining this group to get more accountability. I've been doing the SS but got too heavily into the nuts and seeds, and everything I lost last year I gained back in the last 3-4 months . I am needing to lose 77 and then I'll see from there. Currently, I am unable to exercise with bone on bone arthritis in both knees, with knee replacement surgery on my right knee in late April.

Hi Becky!
Those darn nuts! Welcome to the group. We can definitely be one of your accountability measures.
Hopefully eating MWL for the next couple of months (and beyond) can get you as healthy and ready as possible for your upcoming surgery!
Best wishes this week!

Amy

[amandamechele]

Hoping this is the right place to be for the MWLP weigh in. Found the link on facebook, and would love to be a part of this group. Need it badly! Terrible on trying to navigate the site, so would appreciate any guidance if I'm in the wrong place. thanks.

Hi Maria,

You've got the right place! (And navigating this site can definitely be a learning experience - it is HUGE)
There are many resources here under the Maximum Weight Loss section of the discussion board. The program links are also at the very beginning of this thread, so if you are unfamiliar just scroll back through these 12 pages and you'll find some of the program info.
Let me know if you have any questions, and best wishes this week.

Amy

[amandamechele]

Loralei - Yay! Good loss this week.

ForestGoddess - 0 is good! This coming week will be better!

[Heyer]

I lost 0.1 pounds this week.

I had to work long hours, got not enough sleep. So I was not surprised to get some sugar cravings.
Still I've noticed some positive changes: My two favorite pairs of jeans fit much better.

And I cut down on coffee. This may not contribute to my weight loss ( although I've the feeling that coffee increases my cravings for sugar), but hopefully there will be other kinds of benefits to my health.

Heyer

[Chelspaz]

Loss of 4.6 pounds this week! Down from 196.4 to 191.8. Getting close to that 180 mark!!! Needless to say, I'm going to try and do The Potato Cleanse for another week haha.

Last weekend I meant to measure myself but found out I didnt have a measuring tape. I have bought one since and will be starting measurements today!

[Dave Dardinger]

Well, I turned things around a bit losing .6 from 174.2 to 173.6. I did fix some snacking veggies so that may have made the difference.

[stillcrazy]

I was 207.0 last week and I am 207 this week. So nothing lost, nothing gained. A little discouraging, but I know I had some times of overeating so I know why.

Vee

[kirstykay]

So great to see so many new people joining. I'm happy to be here with you all.

I celebrated my one month of compliance this week, which is a huge milestone for me. I stayed the same weight-wise, so -0 but +0 also! I'm fine with that. I am also noticing the pull of cravings is getting less and less. Like seriously, not. being. interested. in. it. ...This is shocking to me because I have NEVER been able to resist the junk and especially around emotional eating. Even the whole time I was losing 100 pounds eating this way several years ago, it was always ALWAYS a struggle for me to stay compliant. So this feeling of being literally uninterested in off plan foods has been a very welcome change. I don't really know why it's different this time, except I am really filling up on starches and that seems to be the key.

I did do some emotional eating this week, but it was with on plan foods, so I overate, but didn't do any real damage in terms of going off the rails. That makes this 0 weight loss/gain this week feel like a real victory to me!

BTW, Hi Kelly!!! I'm so happy that you're back!!!!!!!!

[lkjuhl]

Weighing in at 183. down 1 pound this week. Slow bit steady wins the race?!

[amandamechele]

Congratulations to everyone for seeing through another week! Our numbers were pretty good, made even better by a couple of great losses. Best wishes for continued success in the coming week!

I was listening to a podcast today from Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History series. The episode is called The Big Man Can't Shoot. It's about how social considerations can get in the way of best performance, or as Malcolm put it why sometimes good ideas fail to spread. He tells this story by explaining why the underhanded (or granny) shot never became more popular when making foul shots in the game of basketball.
It brought back memories for me of my very short time playing basketball in Grade 8 and 9 school teams, because I was someone who used that type of shot. I was much better at it than the conventional overhand shot (I was still a relatively poor shot using either strategy, but that's not the point here). I, too, stopped using it once I entered high school because of subtle social pressure, even though I recognized it improved my game.
It had me wondering why don't more of our friends, family and co-workers start eating an oil-free starch or plant based diet once they witness our amazing recoveries from chronic diseases or sustained weight loss that beats the odds in amount and duration?
The Pleasure Trap aside, how much of the inertia is due to social pressures? Is it just a small piece of the puzzle?
It takes a certain strong personality to consistently pushback against convention. For the rest of us without that personality we will have to figure out individual strategies to get through the more uncomfortable situations. Dr. Lisle talks about this in his lecture The Perfect Personality.
Whether you need to help with this issue or not, I highly recommend both links for their information and entertainment value.

Amy

Here are the results for the third week in February:

Next Weigh-In is on Friday, February 24th, 2017

February 2017 Weight Loss Group :: Weekly Weigh-In Results
Total group loss reported in 2017: 216.46 pounds
Total group loss in January 2017: 137.25 pounds
Total group loss in February 2017: 79.21 pounds
Week ending 02/17/2017: 27 participants reported a total loss of 15.76 pounds


---------------------------------------
Yomom - 2.0
Plant_eater - 1.2
MakePeasNotWar - 0.6
---------------------------------------
Total gains = 3.8
---------------------------------------
Landog - 0.0
Qwerty988 - 1.0
Wgroscost - 4.9
Adelaidelady - 0.66
BMcCloud - 1.5
Anne57 - 1.8
GlennR - 1.0
Hazelrah - 2.0
Donaldpetemc - 0.0
Cookie2 - 0.0
Kkrichar - 0.0
Hillclimber - 0.0
Polly - 0.0
BeckyH - 0.0
MariaW - 0.0
Loralei - 0.4
ForestGoddess - 0.0
Heyer - 0.1
Chelspaz - 4.6
Dave Dardinger - 0.6
Stillcrazy - 0.0
Kirstykay - 0.0
Ikjuhl - 1.0
Amandamechele - 0.0
---------------------------------------------
Total losses: 19.56
---------------------------------------------

Total group loss in February 2017: 79.21 pounds
Week ending 02/17/2017: 27 participants reported a total loss of 15.76 pounds
Week ending 02/10/2017: 25 participants reported a total loss of 33.1 pounds
Week ending 02/03/2017: 30 participants reported a total loss of 30.35 pounds

[amandamechele]

Heyer - Non-scale victory! Fantastic news about those jeans fitting better.

Chelsea - Yup, I can totally see why you would choose to continue your potato hack. Great loss again this week. Woo how!

Dave - Yes! You are back on track. Those veggies were a great idea.

Vee - Next week will be better, you're doing great by reflecting on the week and seeing where tweeks need to be made (I'm doing that again too this week).

KirstyKay - Congratulations on your one month anniversary! 4 weeks is an amazing feat! It's great to hear that the cravings have lost their hold on you. I love that sweet spot that you're in right now. Keep it up!

Ikjuhl - You've got that right!