May 2018 McDougall Weigh In Thread

[landog]

I'm sorry to say that I'm not a loser.
Holding steady at 151 lbs.

Actually, I'm pretty pleased. Prior to February I was in the high 160s.

100% gets easier the longer you do it.

-dog

[Sundog]

Weight today 220.2 released 2.2 lbs

Happy Friday everyone!
Learning how not to stress over what the scale says is a NSV for me! I continue to work out at the gym with my daughter and I’m feeling stronger each day. My next goal will be to get an aqua jogger belt and get in the pool and start water-jogging! Water exercise like walking in the pool or water jogging is the best caloric burn and much nicer on the joints! I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s comments, successes and struggles. Life just gets in the way sometimes but as long as we keep getting back up and walking down that straight path I believe that one day there will be no more detours! Dr. Lisle talks about the cost benefit analysis and I think about this when being offered non compliant foods!
My daughters birthday is tomorrow and she wanted to get food from a vegan fast food place. So I told her that I would not go as there was nothing I could eat! She went with my other daughter and she was happy! I was happy as I ate my compliant dinner. Both daughters did not feel well after their outing as they mainly eat WFPB SOS free meals.
Thank you Amy for your support and positive words. <3 I love reading yours and everyone’s comments!
I have no idea how to use this platform and all the tools though! Maybe I need to find a You Tube video on how to use this format! Lol
Wishing everyone a healthy happy week!
Best,
Sundog

[NellyBluth]

Day 1– 136 pounds. 20 pounds to go

[Svenja]

Good Morning!

I'll keep it short, I am on my way to a 3 day fascia-bodywork-training workshop. Packed with tons of compliant food.

I gained my 2 pounds from being sick back and one pound extra. So it's a 3 pound gain for me.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Svenja.

[amandamechele]

Jobet - Thanks for the tip. The heart symbol works on my pc too ... but doesn't appear to on my iPad .

Principality - Great job this week. This song came up on my playlist today, and it had me thinking of you: Somewhere Over the Rainbow. (In this version you can also learn to play it on the ukulele, if you're feeling so inclined...hee hee)

Jennifer - Alright, that's not too bad a gain, and you see where the trouble starts. Awesome... you'll do better this week. It sounds like its only the snacks, and your actual planned meals are going just fine. I have to do these crazy work-around strategies too until I'm out of the pleasure trap. How wonderful that you're walking now! I hope the weather where you are is as nice as it is where I am.

Lonewalker - You still had a good loss, so you were doing something right! What kind of activity do you like to do?

Rosey! - Alright!! That's a very motivational place to be in. Work hard this week and do your best to stay the course. XO. Great loss this week.
My favourite baby is so proud of you...LOL:

(This little guy has a meme for everything!)

Vic - Congratulations! I'm so happy to hear that you hit that goal before heading off for your travels. Your question about discipline is a great one. I think it is partially a way of describing one's conscientiousness level, but I'm sure there's much more to it than that. When it comes to food, the rules of the game have changed, so that leaves many very conscientious people scrambling too. That' a good question for Dr. Lisle. You could also potentially have it answered during one of the upcoming webinars. I think the email to the host, Gustavo Tolosa is [email protected] . I may not have it quite right, however, which is why I included a link to Dr. Tolosa's page because he has additional contact information listed there.
We will often find ourselves in situations that we can't control. Being prepared for many contingencies is the best course of action, and it sounds like you do that well. No one is perfect. Continue to reinforce your great habits in the situations that you can control and that will start to spill over into the other situations too. Practice, practice.
Have a lovely time at the conference in your home town and visiting with your family. Stay strong, I know you will make many great choices!

Moonlight - Wonderful to hear that you can get into some of last year's clothes, that's no small victory. You are doing great, don't sweat the pace, just be sure you're travelling in the right direction. (You are!!)

Landog - You have been an excellent example of what happens when the guidelines are followed very closely. It has been inspiring to witness. I hope your steady and consistent losses have shown proof of concept to anyone trying to figure out how to best go about all of this. Thank you for continuing your journey with us.

Sundog - Happy Birthday to your daughter. Congratulations on making a difficult choice and coming away feeling great about it. It sounds like your family is very supportive and wants to help support you. Keep being a great example to them. The present will continue to try and wedge itself between you and the future... you are correct, just keep getting back up and heading in the direction of that future goal. You'll get there. With regards to the forums, what kind of things are you looking to do? Post pictures, or links? (Last year, or so, it was Landog that showed me how to overwrite titles onto my links so that I could keep the flow and the message). I'm sure between all of us here we can help show you anything you want to learn.

NellyBluth Welcome! Have you checked out Jeff Novick's Calorie Density lecture. Its a great place to start, to figure out how to eat well and lose weight. Here are the Maximum WeightLoss Guidelines, as well, in case you haven't seen them. One more thing...ever seen the show Arrested Development? (There's a character with the same name as your username). It's pretty funny.

Svenja - I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better. Enjoy your training and that's great to hear how prepared you are with the food. Are you familiar with the Graston technique? It's some sort of fascia scraping...maybe..well, its scraping anyway. I had a few treatments when I stayed at True North for an old injury to my tailbone. It has given me great symptom relief, I think it is something I will need to continue to do periodically.

[Jobet]

I had a gain of 0.4 this week.

My oldest granddaughter graduated high school last night, and in a couple hours I'm leaving for the big family get-together, lunch, and afternoon of fun at my son's home. So thankful my son and family are now WFPB, oil free, as there will be food I can actually sample. All is McDougall compliant, but most will not be MWL, so I'll be taking my own simple food for the majority of what I eat. I'm contributing the watermelons for the festivities to share. Everyone coming to the party are SAD omnivores except for myself, my son and family. I'm so happy my DIL took a stand and told everyone attending, basically her huge Italian family, exactly what the food will be, and if anyone doesn't like it, they are free to bring their own!

My DIL's lovely Italian mother was telling me at the graduation last night that she tasted the no-tuna my DIL made last week and it was delicious. She also said she had made Fat-Free, Gluten-Free Gingerbread Biscotti and it was some of the best she had ever eaten. Just wait until she tastes her lasagna, layered dip, homemade chips, salad and chocolate cake. There may be more WFPB conversions taking place after today! ♥

♥ . ♥ . ♥ Amy, glad the hearts work for you, at least on your PC. ♥ . ♥ . ♥

[amandamechele]

Hi everyone!

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend doing whatever it is you like best to do. Thank you for weighing-in this week.

So...who watched the Royal Wedding this morning? Hehe...I was surprised, based on Facebook posts, how many of my friends and relatives watched it. I began to wonder if more Canadians than Americans would have an interest in this, based on our diverging historic relationship with the UK, yet both with a good base of immigration from that area. Anyone? I'll admit, I didn't watch, but I did look at a few photos because its not everyday that you get to witness someone become a princess. The dress was beautiful!

(This is how serious some of my relatives took this morning's nuptials...LOL...seriously!)

Back to the business at hand, applying the guidelines recommended here in order to lose weight.
I am curious to know how those of you weighing in each week (or others who want to comment) approach the slightly contentious sugar accomodation? I imagine there will be a variety of answers, bounded within a certain range....hopefully.
Dr. McDougall supports the use of appropriate amounts of sugar in order to get us to follow the bulk of his dietary recommendations, with some cautions.

For most people, simple sugars, salt and spices used sparingly at the table, rather than in cooking pg. 11.

Jeff Novick also writes about being cautionary with added-sugars. A Date with Disaster: The Pleasure Trap of Whole Natural Foods.

The Pleasure Trap inducing quality of added-sugar really got the better of me a couple of weeks ago and I can see why some people recommend staying away from it altogether. It'd be my guess that Jeff avoids added sugars.

For those of you not avoiding it altogether, how much do you think you consume a day? What do you add it to? Have you ever tried to reduce it?
I'm genuinely curious as I ratchet my use back down to just being added to my oatmeal and contemplate whether I want to remove it from breakfast as well. I did this back in October and by the end of the month was beginning not to miss it, but it took time.

I'll just add one more link that summarizes things much better than I ever could:

This was in the latest Newsletter. It is a an excellent summary of the program and the closest I have seen to what we actually do and teach at the 10-Day program.

In Health
Jeff

A Brief Summary of The McDougall Plan
The New York Times National Bestselling Book The McDougall Plan was published in 1983 (there have been no fundamental changes in 35 years)

The McDougall Plan encourages you to adopt the diet and lifestyle that best supports your natural tendencies to heal and stay healthy. This supportive lifestyle is based on proper foods, moderate exercise, adequate sunshine, pure air and water, and surroundings comfortable to your psychological wellbeing.

The primary component, the diet, is centered on a variety of starchy plant foods such as corn, pastas, potatoes, rice, and wheat, with the addition of fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. Animal-derived foods and plant products that are refined or otherwise processed are not "health-supporting" and are placed in the category called "delicacies." Plant foods that are also considered delicacies are those high in fat, such as nuts, seeds, and avocados; and foods high in unprotected simple sugars: for example, table sugar, honey, molasses, and maple syrup. These delicacy foods are to be reserved for special occasions and consumed only by healthy individuals. There are relative kinds and degrees of harmfulness among delicacies. No portions are recommended for the meal plan except that a starch should provide most of the calories (about 90% by eyeball). The quantity consumed each day is variable among individuals and their activities and surroundings, and governed by our highly efficient hunger drive. Foods that support your health easily make the most interesting and delicious meals you can imagine.

Additions and modifications of the basic meal plan include:
Supplementation of a non-animal source vitamin B-12 after three years on the plan or if you are pregnant or nursing.

Addition of foods concentrated in calories (dried fruits, nuts, seeds) to the basic diet of healthy individuals with unusually high caloric needs.

Elimination of foods that cause adverse reactions, such as an allergy, an irritation, or any other noticeable intolerance.

Limitation of foods high in protein (legumes) to one cup a day for most people and further restriction in persons with certain illnesses (osteoporosis, gout, kidney stones, liver or kidney failure).

Fruits may have to be limited in people who are very sensitive to simple sugars (those with elevated triglycerides and hypoglycemia). In general three servings of fruits a day is a reasonable amount for most people.

One-half to one teaspoon total of added salt over the surface of the foods is permitted in the daily diet of those who do not suffer from salt-sensitive conditions (high blood pressure, heart or kidney disease, and edema).

Simple sugars, such as white or brown sugar, provide pleasure and can be used sparingly, such as a teaspoon over oatmeal.

Gluten intolerance is found in less than 1% of people. In this case, wheat, barley, and rye must be avoided.

Weight loss can be enhanced by several means, such as including 25 to 50% of the food as non-starchy green and yellow vegetables. Be careful, however; with too little starch, satisfaction of the hunger drive is impossible and adherence to this kind of "nutrient-dense" diet is nearly impossible.

There are exceptions that are not fully covered in this summary. However, even with very unusual metabolic and genetic problems, a starch-based diet should be considered before moving along to fat and protein as primary sources of energy.

Ideally, children are solely breastfed until the age of six months, and then solid foods are supplemented; but breast milk still constitutes 50-25% of the child's diet until age two. After this age, starches, vegetables, and fruits provide for the basic nutritional needs.

In Health
Jeff

A Brief Summary of the McDougall Plan

The take away today is to to be cautious of, but don't fear, added sugars. Keep them to the minimum level that you can while still enjoying your food. If you currently don't use any, there's no need to add them in, but if you are using more than a few teaspoons you could be increasing your chance of cavities, keeping yourself gently in the pleasure trap or not gaining the full benefits that the guidelines suggest are possible. Give this some thought. It may not be the time in your journey to health to worry about it, but put it on the list for sometime in the future.

Have a lovely week,

Amy XO

PS. I found another interview with our favourite doctor when doing a quick search this afternoon, it's called The Health Awakening: The Starch Solution. Enjoy!

Here are the results for the third week in May:

Next Weigh-In is on Friday, May 25th, 2018

Total group loss reported in 2018: 222.5 pounds

May 2018 Weight Loss Group :: Monthly Weigh-In Results
Total group loss in January 2018: 54.7 pounds
Total group loss in February 2018: 49.3 pounds
Total group loss in March 2018: 52.5 pounds
Total group loss in April 2018: 26.9 pounds
Total group loss in May 2018: 39.1 pounds

Week ending 05/18/2018: 11 participants reported a total loss of 10.1 pounds
---------------------------------------
Arewethereyet - 0.2
Svenja - 3.0
Jobet - 0.4
---------------------------------------
Total gains: 3.6
--------------------------------------
Principality - 1.0
Lonewalker - 1.0
Rosey - 6.1
Victw - 1.4
Moonlight - 2.0
Landog - 0.0
Sundog - 2.2
NellyBluth - 0.0
---------------------------------------------
Total losses: 13.7
---------------------------------------------

Total group loss in May 2018: 39.1 pounds
Week ending 05/18/2018: 11 participants reported a total loss of 10.1 pounds
Week ending 05/11/2018: 13 participants reported a total loss of 8.7 pounds
Week ending 05/04/2018: 15 participants reported a total loss of 20.3 pounds

[amandamechele]

I had a gain of 0.4 this week.

My oldest granddaughter graduated high school last night, and in a couple hours I'm leaving for the big family get-together, lunch, and afternoon of fun at my son's home. So thankful my son and family are now WFPB, oil free, as there will be food I can actually sample. All is McDougall compliant, but most will not be MWL, so I'll be taking my own simple food for the majority of what I eat. I'm contributing the watermelons for the festivities to share. Everyone coming to the party are SAD omnivores except for myself, my son and family. I'm so happy my DIL took a stand and told everyone attending, basically her huge Italian family, exactly what the food will be, and if anyone doesn't like it, they are free to bring their own!

My DIL's lovely Italian mother was telling me at the graduation last night that she tasted the no-tuna my DIL made last week and it was delicious. She also said she had made Fat-Free, Gluten-Free Gingerbread Biscotti and it was some of the best she had ever eaten. Just wait until she tastes her lasagna, layered dip, homemade chips, salad and chocolate cake. There may be more WFPB conversions taking place after today! ♥

♥ . ♥ . ♥ Amy, glad the hearts work for you, at least on your PC. ♥ . ♥ . ♥

Jobet,

How did it go today? Your DIL is a gem! I hope everyone enjoyed the food and that you had a great time celebrating your granddaughter's graduation.

Amy

[Jobet]

Amy, that's the best summary of the McDougall plan I've read to date. Thanks for the links, I'll be checking those out throughout the day. The only sugar I use is a bit of brown in my salad dressing, which is nothing more than apple cider vinegar watered down with a bit of sugar, as I like a sweet-tart taste on my salads.

Jobet,
How did it go today? Your DIL is a gem! I hope everyone enjoyed the food and that you had a great time celebrating your granddaughter's graduation.

It was super! My granddaughter enjoyed everything and had two very special days. My DIL, being the wise woman she is, kept the food very simple with an Italian theme for her large Italian family. When her omnivorous family arrived she had coffee for them (the family members brought their own chemically laden creamers), with fresh out of the oven fat-free gingerbread biscotti her mother likes so much. And there was a huge tray of fresh watermelon that I had taken. I tasted, as in a very small taste, of the biscotti and it was delicious. While everyone was socializing and munching the biscotti and fruit, she prepared and baked huge pans of lasagna made with a spinach-tofu sauce, brown rice lasagna noodles and her made-from-scratch marinara sauce. It might have been a Forks Over Knives Recipe, I'm not sure. While the lasagna was baking, a few family members were nervously joking about "having to eat tofu," but when the meal was served all but a couple of the teenage relatives went back for seconds and were going on about how good it was. It's always such fun to see omnivores surprised that fat-dairy-meat-free whole food doesn't taste bad like they had expected it to. It was an awesome thing to watch. I had a small piece of the the lasagna and it was incredible. With such a busy and demanding weekend, my DIL forgot to make the salad she had planned, but no one seemed to notice or care. She had a fat-free chocolate cake with a chocolate frosting for dessert, which I also ate a small piece.

My son and family have lost over 80 lbs for the four of them. They don't always have so much sugar in one day, but yesterday was a rare occasion. There won't be another grad party for four years!

This was my sugar and processed grain food event of the year, and I have to admit it made me feel a teeny bit sleepy, and itchy from the whole wheat, but I'm fine today and am right back on plan.

With all the weekend events I was unable to see the Royal Wedding live, but am watching the YouTube coverage by TODAY. It is beautiful! ♥

[moonlight]

Thanks, Amy, for suggesting thoughts about sugar consumption. For me, I don't need sugar to complete things such as oatmeal. Savory oatmeal is more to my liking. But, when I use sugar for a salad dressing, or on popcorn, etc. I will quickly start craving that thing to eat. I feel lucky that I don't think too much about giving it up. Salt is similar. Salt just makes me crave more food in general. I went through a phase when I initially switched diets where I needed to use salt so I wouldn't give up on this meal plan. I put 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt in a salt shaker each day and used it guilt free. I rarely used it up. Gradually I've stopped using salt, only occasional use when the meal I've prepared is just too bland!

[momaduck6]

Is it ok to join this late in the Month of do I need to wait until June?
Thank you for your time.

[landog]

Is it ok to join this late in the Month of do I need to wait until June?
Thank you for your time.

Welcome! Join us!

I think it might work like this:

Our weigh-ins are on Friday.
Your weigh-in this Friday will be your starting weight.
That will give you 5 Fridays in June to report your progress!

Thanks,
-dog

[momaduck6]

Thank you!! I will post this Friday.
Joy

[amandamechele]

Is it ok to join this late in the Month of do I need to wait until June?
Thank you for your time.

Hi Joy,

Absolutely! You can join in at anytime. On Friday or Saturday let us know how you did for the week (or the few days, it’s all good) and I’ll add you to the tally.

Best wishes,

Amy

[amandamechele]

It was super! My granddaughter enjoyed everything and had two very special days. My DIL, being the wise woman she is, kept the food very simple with an Italian theme for her large Italian family. When her omnivorous family arrived she had coffee for them (the family members brought their own chemically laden creamers), with fresh out of the oven fat-free gingerbread biscotti her mother likes so much. And there was a huge tray of fresh watermelon that I had taken. I tasted, as in a very small taste, of the biscotti and it was delicious. While everyone was socializing and munching the biscotti and fruit, she prepared and baked huge pans of lasagna made with a spinach-tofu sauce, brown rice lasagna noodles and her made-from-scratch marinara sauce. It might have been a Forks Over Knives Recipe, I'm not sure. While the lasagna was baking, a few family members were nervously joking about "having to eat tofu," but when the meal was served all but a couple of the teenage relatives went back for seconds and were going on about how good it was. It's always such fun to see omnivores surprised that fat-dairy-meat-free whole food doesn't taste bad like they had expected it to. It was an awesome thing to watch. I had a small piece of the the lasagna and it was incredible. With such a busy and demanding weekend, my DIL forgot to make the salad she had planned, but no one seemed to notice or care. She had a fat-free chocolate cake with a chocolate frosting for dessert, which I also ate a small piece.

My son and family have lost over 80 lbs for the four of them. They don't always have so much sugar in one day, but yesterday was a rare occasion. There won't be another grad party for four years!

This was my sugar and processed grain food event of the year, and I have to admit it made me feel a teeny bit sleepy, and itchy from the whole wheat, but I'm fine today and am right back on plan.

With all the weekend events I was unable to see the Royal Wedding live, but am watching the YouTube coverage by TODAY. It is beautiful! ♥

You did well and had a very enjoyable feast day! I am amazed, though I really shouldn't be , by your family's spectacular results. I hope all of you will one day consider writing about your successes.

Amy