October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

For those wanting to learn about and follow the McDougall Maximum Weight Loss Program. You can also join our monthly weigh-ins.

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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby katie3 » Fri Oct 13, 2017 8:23 am

Hi there, all!

I'm reporting in at 125.0 this week, which is 1.4 lbs down from last week's gain, 0.6 pounds down from my start weight of this thread.

This feels like a great success because I was traveling for 5 days of the past week, which did include a gorgeous, indulgent wedding. I stuck pretty closely to my program by buying lots of Japanese sweet potatoes at Whole Foods and leaning heavily on my hotel room microwave (thank goodness for that!). I did have two significant slips: a wrap with avocado while feeling somewhat stuck in the bridesmaid suite AND the biggest indulgence: a slice of wedding cake.

I learned a lot from that experience. It was my first non-vegan indulgence in over 6 months. The traps were: I left it sitting in front of me. Note to my future self: don't do that! Get it out from in front of you, put it somewhere else. After staring at it for 30 minutes... I gave in. Also, I found it very easy to tell myself a story of, 'oh, it's symbolic. This is my best friend's wedding cake. I missed out on her bridal shower cake. This is a special moment, I should participate...' Of course, my friend is NEVER going to ask me about my experience of her wedding cake, nor would she care if I skipped it.

The great news, in some ways, is that my skin broke out the very next day. My system seems to be very happy without dairy and veering away from that led to an immediate breakout. In addition to the mental lessons I learned, hopefully my vanity will keep me away from cake/dessert slips in the future, too! 8)

One other skill I've been practicing heavily is celebrating successes and happy life moments WITHOUT food. Linking food with emotions is very much how I was raised. Happy? Go to a restaurant, get a treat. Sad? Do the same. Yesterday my boyfriend and I celebrated a "fall day" by going to an apple orchard and pumpkin farm. There were all the usual farm-based baked goods and treats, a few of which were technically vegan but NOT whole-food or oil-free, obviously.

I felt my resolve wobble, but ended up putting that energy into picking out really pretty pumpkins. Last year I would have thought, "it's a better use of my money to buy food I'm going to eat." (Even when that food is terrible for me! How faulty is that logic?) Now, I'm practicing the thinking, "It is better for me to use my celebrating urge money on decorations and non-food treats, and keep eating the cheap and simple food (potatoes, rice/oats/quinoa, veggies, fruits) that makes me feel good and WORKS."

I'm loving hearing other's stories of their MWL practice and thanks to Suey for posting the "Dare To Be Lousy" webinar from Youtube. I'll be watching that later today. Big thanks to Amy for all of your efforts and for posting your daily pictures!



One last note / request: I can't find Japanese sweet potatoes anywhere in the north Atlanta area, so if anyone has insights (even mail order sources?), please let me know. They're my favorite.
First goal: use McDougall & MWL principles to reach 120 lbs. (check!)
Second goal: MAINTAIN with healthy habits and reach 115 lbs.
Current weight: 118.2

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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby Qwerty988 » Fri Oct 13, 2017 8:30 am

Hi, everybody!

I'll be weighing next week, so please put me down as 0.0 for now.

;)
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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby LindaHisme » Fri Oct 13, 2017 9:40 am

Hi Everyone -

I am new to the McDougall's maximum weight loss program and this challenge. I am posting my starting weight as 229. I want to say I will stay 100% compliant over the next week, but in reality I am thinking more 75%.

Please let me know any tricks you learned to stay on and lose weight.

Linda
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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby Qwerty988 » Fri Oct 13, 2017 9:57 am

LindaHisme wrote:Hi Everyone -

I am new to the McDougall's maximum weight loss program and this challenge. I am posting my starting weight as 229. I want to say I will stay 100% compliant over the next week, but in reality I am thinking more 75%.

Please let me know any tricks you learned to stay on and lose weight.

Linda

'
Hi and welcome! :-D

I highly recommend "How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDyYdfUvoC0
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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby talita8 » Fri Oct 13, 2017 5:18 pm

Hi All, I am the same weight this week which is my first goal weight. Which is 21 BMI. For the first time since going plant based I had blood tests. They said I had perfect cholesterol and blood pressure, my hemoglobin was good but my feritin was really low at 7. Does anyone know what that means? I eat so many greens? They also said my B12 was low and I should have a B12 injection. I have not been consistent with B12 tablets.
Have a good week all.
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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby peach1 » Fri Oct 13, 2017 6:32 pm

I'm down 1 pound this week. Thanks!
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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby amandamechele » Fri Oct 13, 2017 10:20 pm

Pippi Lemon - I'm glad to hear that you're feeling human again...lol. Being sick is no fun. Neither is doing the weight loss shuffle. There's always next week! XO

Sue - Your time in Bath sounds lovely! Is your step-daughter team staff or a competitor? How exciting to be working with a national level sprint team. Great loss this week for you! You may have given yourself scores of 6 and 9, and I'm giving you a 10 for overall effort. :) May I ask more about this butternut squash risotto recipe? Was is difficult to make?

Sirdle - Wonderful! Best wishes this week.

Susan - Yay for new shoes and sticks! I just drove through the most beautiful forests decked out in autumn colours today. I hope you your walk is just as beautiful and that the weather cooperates. The pictures in the news out of Santa Rosa are heart wrenching, I'm also so glad for the McDougall's safety.

Chris - You too! :)
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katie3 - I love so many things about your post. It's very thoughtful and reflective and humorous. I had a little giggle over picturing your best friend quizzing you on the enjoyment of her wedding cake...as if! LOL You did great this week! Sorry I don't know where to get those sweet potatoes in your area. :(

Qwerty988 - Good luck this week! Thank you for checking in. XO

Linda - Welcome! Just do your best this week, no matter what percentage that entails. I have noticed that everyone has to figure out which little tricks work best for their particular situations. For example, I'm a night time snacker who is working towards stopping that - so I make tea, drink sparkling water or if I must chew on something eat some chopped veggies. I plan a stop time of not eating after 7pm - this strategy I'm not so great at, but is a work in progress. Another example, in my home there are sometimes off-plan foods laying about waiting for me to scoop them up under the cover of night...the best strategy for this is to NOT have any of this stuff in the house, but since I share my space with people I love in spite of their dietary patterns I've had to learn to adjust. I will place items in cupboards that I don't tend to go in, and sometimes I do forget about the calorie-dense foods. As long as I have lots of potatoes and soups and stews pre-made and ready to eat if I do feel tempted then I eat those first, and often that does the trick. Those a just random strategies for my own personal challenges. What have you found to be difficult in successfully adopting this plan? Maybe we can all brainstorm with you. Definitely watch the video recommended by Qwerty988, it's from the McDougall program staff psychologist Dr. Doug Lisle. His book, The Pleasure Trap, was extremely helpful for me in helping remove the negative emotions that I felt surrounding my previous dieting failures. He has a website Esteem Dynamics that has a number of video and voice recording that you can listen to. Dr McDougall has many webinars you can also watch.

Talita - Good work holding steady for your maintenance phase . Your blood work sounds great. In most cases B12 levels can be raised with a supplement or the injection your doctor is recommending. Easy peasy. With regards to your ferritin, that is a test to assess your stored iron levels. These can be slowly depleted, so keeping track of this level over time is important. What units of measurement are being used for your tests? In Canada the normal range is 5-272 ug/L. In the States, I think it is measured in ng/ml, with the normal range being 20-200 ng/ml.
Here is what Dr. McDougall wrote on anemia:
Anemia
Also here is website that I use that can help you understand your blood tests:
Lab Tests Online. I have linked directly to the serum ferritin testing, take a look at the common questions tab. There are many possible reasons for low iron stores that you may want to have your doctor consider.
If you do have to supplement here is what Jeff Novick has to say about choosing a good brand to use: If you must supplement....

peach1 - Woohoo! Great job this week. :)
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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby amandamechele » Fri Oct 13, 2017 10:34 pm

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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby Svenja » Sat Oct 14, 2017 1:27 am

Good Morning!

Sorry ... I'll be messing up the total ... I gained 3 pounds :(
It's the time of the month ... but I did also eat a lot more, I guess it is some what compensatory for waiting for my exam results ... today could be the first day the results could be in the mail ...
I had late night meals while studying for the oral exam ... hoping to be invited ...

I dreamed last night that I was at a diet camp where the only food was vegetables .... which is pure torture for a non-vegetable-lover like me ;) but they had great adventures activities ... I went swimming with turtles :)
I usually have this kind of lively dreams :)

Have a great weekend everyone ... and do better than me and find a better vent than food for your stresses!!!
Svenja.

Edit:
The mail did actually come in today and I passed the exam :D
This is sooooo cool! And I even got 93%
Date for the oral exam is very soon: 15th of November
Last edited by Svenja on Sat Oct 14, 2017 4:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
03.03.17 = 245 lbs
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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby Svenja » Sat Oct 14, 2017 1:34 am

Amanda ... I am so impressed with your food!
Such a challenging time and you are doing so well!

It is pretty amazing!
You can be very proud of yourself!

Have a great and safe trip!!!

Svenja.
03.03.17 = 245 lbs
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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby ANNAUK » Sat Oct 14, 2017 2:53 am

2 pound loss for me this week x
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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby Suey51 » Sat Oct 14, 2017 3:01 am

Aww, thanks Amy. She is team staff for a year and then back to Loughborough to complete her staff. She is a middle-distance runner, just below national standard, but has been struggling with injuries for a couple of years. She was delighted to get this placement as she wants to work in this field and will be able to meet and train with some amazing athletes!

If you’re familiar with risotto cooking yes, its easy to make. If not, I’d suggest following the recipe instructions about stirring a lot and adding veggie stock a bit at a time ;-) I adapted this McDougall newsletter recipe for Squash Stuffed with Kale and Almond Risotto.

We've grown butternut squash this year so used one of those instead of the squashes in the recipe. However, it was small so didn’t have many seeds to scoop out to make the place to put the risotto! After roasting it, I decided to mix the flesh in with the risotto. As a result, the overall texture wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it tasted good :) I left out the white wine, and to make it closer to MWL rules, I left out the sliced almonds and used only a tiny bit of almond meal. Although I could/should have left the almond meal out completely as I couldn't taste it! I loved the combination of the iron-y flavour of the kale with the sweet squash. Next time I’ll use a weaker veggie stock as it was a little too salty for my new taste buds! Before I started MWL, I made this butternut squash risotto. It was easy to make and tasted lovely! I’ll have to try it again leaving out the oil and tahini....

How is the move going? Are you in the new place now?

Linda – Hi and welcome! I’d second Qwerty988’s recommendation of Doug Lisle’s video How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind" and also recommend Jeff Novick’s "calorie density: how to eat more, weigh less and live longer". Both videos are hugely informative and very entertaining. I’ve found it very helpful to do batch cooking (brown rice, potatoes, pulses, legumes, soups, curries etc) and veggie preparation, so I can assemble meals quickly / have suitable snacks readily available. I've found eating at restaurants difficult, so I now contact the restaurant before we go to ask what they can offer, or I eat something starchy before we go and have a salad there.

Katie – loved your description of the wedding eating experience and thoughts on celebrating success or happy moments without food. Well done on your successful week x

Love and positive thoughts to everyone xx
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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby BeHealthy » Sat Oct 14, 2017 5:34 am

I gained one pound last week.
Not my best work. I'll do better this coming week. I hope to get rid of the pound I gained back and lose one more.
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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby BeHealthy » Sat Oct 14, 2017 5:35 am

Svenja - Congratulations on passing your exam!!
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Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby Svenja » Sat Oct 14, 2017 5:58 am

BeHealthy wrote:Svenja - Congratulations on passing your exam!!



Thank you :)
03.03.17 = 245 lbs
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