Re: October 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread
Posted: 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!
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.
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!
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.