October 2018 McDougall Weigh In Thread

[amandamechele]

Hi All!

Thank you to everyone checking in or weighing in this week.

Much like a couple of you commented this week, I also really enjoy hearing how everyone is doing. It keeps me motivated knowing there are others going through the same trials and struggles at the same time that I am...going through the same process of learning lessons and lessons learned.

I thought I'd keep with this week's much chatted about topic: To Weigh or Not to Weigh, just to ensure I present all of the evidence and suggestions that this program has to offer.

Here is what Dr. McDougall has said on the topic of long-term success at weight loss, including self monitoring, in the July 2005 McDougall Newsletter : The Only Way to Lifelong Weight Loss.

Long-term weight loss maintenance by Rena Wing in the July 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition provides the latest report on the findings of the National Weight Control Registry. This compilation consists of people who have successfully lost weight. The average weight lost by more than 4000 members of the Registry is 33 Kg (72.6 pounds) and that loss has been maintained for an average of 5.7 years. The demographics are: 77% women, 82% college-educated, 95% Caucasian, and 64% married. The average age at entry to the registry is 46.8 years. Eighty-nine percent reported using both diet and physical activity for weight loss; only 10% reported using diet only, and 1% reported using exercise only for their weight loss. The most common dietary strategies for weight loss were to restrict certain foods (87.6%), limit quantities (44%), and count calories (43%).
Six key approaches for long-term success at weight loss were identified:

1) Engaging in high levels of physical activity

2) Eating a diet that is low in calories and fat

3) Eating breakfast

4) Self-monitoring weight on a regular basis

5) Maintaining a consistent eating pattern

6) Catching "slips" before they turn into larger regains

Initiating weight loss after a medical event may also help facilitate long-term weight control.

(There is more, so please check out the link!)

So, I offer up Dr. McDougall and Jeff Novick's suggestions for you to peruse. This particular MWL group weighs weekly, Dr. Lisle recommends weighing yourselves 3 days in row, each month and taking that average. In the link that I posted above Dr. McDougall mentions weighing yourself daily while attending a program. I can't comment for Dr. Lim because I do not know what he recommends, but my point is there are a variety of ways to self-monitor and be successful.

Have a good week everyone! I am rooting for all of us to keep up the dedication to good adherence. Let's try to be just a little lighter at the next weigh-in!


Amy XO


Here are the results for the third week in October:

Next Weigh-In is on Friday, October 26th, 2018

Total group loss reported in 2018: 483.91 pounds

October 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: 50.8 pounds
Total group loss in June 2018: 54.3 pounds
Total group loss in July 2018: 50.3 pounds
Total group loss in August 2018: 73.85 pounds
Total group loss in September 2018: 44.06 pounds
Total group loss in October 2018: 27.2 pounds

Week ending 10/19/2018: 15 participants reported a total loss of 1.1 pounds
---------------------------------------
Squealcat - 2.2
Lyndzie - 1.1
VegSeekingFit - 1.0
Moonlight - 4.0
---------------------------------------
Total gains: 8.3
--------------------------------------
Idgie - 1.6
Yomom - 1.0
Rosey - 0.5
Stacey - 0.0
Alicect - 3.0
Mark Cooper - 0.4
Moonspirit - 0.7
Choufleur - 0.0
Svenja - 1.0
Werner1950 - 0.0
Amandamechele - 1.2
---------------------------------------------
Total losses: 9.4
---------------------------------------------

Total group loss in October 2018: 27.2 pounds
Week ending 10/19/2018: 15 participants reported a total loss of 1.1 pounds
Week ending 10/12/2018: 12 participants reported a total loss of 4.9 pounds
Week ending 10/05/2018: 21 participants reported a total loss of 21.2 pounds

[amandamechele]

Lindsey - That tracker is a great idea, and makes pattern spotting very easy. How has this week been going? I had my first blip in a few weeks. I'm little disappointed in myself. The blip was a veggie sub - 12 inch - not the end of the world, but I had been really proud of the recent MWL streak. So you can mark me as a red circle for today!

Idgie - Thanks, No Salt Added, that seems obvious now...hahaha.

Becca - How was your birthday dinner? It sounds lovely. I'm so excited to hear that you've hit the halfway point. You must feel so good and proud of all of your hard work.

Choufleur - Thanks for checking in. I hope the week is going well for you.

Moonlight - As Taylor Swift says Shake it off! It sounds like you had an awesome time and those kinds of moments are important. Definitely don't backfill any great memories with food guilt! What soup did you end up making? Any trouble getting back on track?

Svenja - Good job on the loss! Happy Belated Birthday! I think that means there are at least 4 Libras in this group right now. A whole bunch of celebrations of late. I hope it was lovely and that the only trauma you experienced post trauma training were the cookies...LOL. Oh... how did the guests react to the vegan spread?

Werner - Glad to have you back, that road paved with good intentions isn't heading in the right direction. It can be so frustrating to get nowhere, but regular focused effort will bring positive changes, slowly. How has the week gone so far? (I already made my confession above...embarrassment isn't going to stop us!)

Stacy - I think it is so nice that a few people want to do non-scale tracking with you. My lead-balloon of a post didn't necessarily get that across well, but I was trying to share that there are many tracking strategies that can lead you to success. I hope you have had a very positive week!


I'm listening to the rain pitter-patter down my roof as I type this. It's a gentle rain, lovely to listen to. Have a good night all! I hope to hear from you on Friday.

[moonlight]

Thanks, Amy, for the kind words. I love the saying on the picture:

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.

I’ve been feeling a little defeated this week because I’m staying in a holding pattern. Too much non compliance, thus no weight loss. I’ve stayed on plan pretty well this week. I’ve had to go through withdrawals. I’ve been craving rich food. No surprise there! I’ve been impressing myself by making food in the morning before running out the door for work. One day I put on some split pea soup in the crockpot. It was very easy to do. I think it took 15 -20 minutes. Yesterday I steamed potatoes while eating breakfast and made potato salad for lunch. I used a store bought fat free salad dressing. Really fast. I’m getting back on track, though. One of the tasks in the Beck Solution this week was to notice what I’m thinking when I’m thinking about going off my food plan. Like, sabotaging thoughts. That’s been really helpful to get back on track. My sabotaging thoughts have mostly been ‘Dieting is too hard. I’m tired of the pressure of dieting’. And, ‘This doesn’t have many calories. I’ll get back on track after eating just this bite’ ,,, It’s very calming to realize I’m just having these thoughts and I can choose to not follow them. Weird, but it works.

[Svenja]

@ Ami ...

It was a nice evening and people really enjoyed the food. (It was a little oily for me)
But I was happy that nobody even mentioned that they were missing anything.
(Too bad that I still didn't figure out how to add photos here)

The 'trauma course cookies' where a bit of a challenge ... cause I wanted more of it after the course.
Too much rich food at the course and the birthday ...
But I am fine now!

I have a question:
In one of the quotes you shared about successful weight loss ... it says that breakfast is one of the keys.
Is this your experience?
I've been playing around with intermittent fasting (disclaimer: it's not part of the Mcdougall program!) but I also have a strong bond with the Traditional Chinese Medicine which puts a strong emphasis on a warm, cooked and filling breakfast (which I enjoy in the colder seasons).
So I am still wondering ...
Maybe you (or someone else) has some personal experience regarding this topic.

Greetings,
Svenja.

[Stacey]

Hello,

No, the post earlier this week came accross really well. Amy, you are really good with words, and it is nice to read your posts. I am very happy that people are willing to do the non-scale thing with me, although like I said last week, it is not needed. I just need the positivity because it feels like I have been in this plateau thing for a while. I have had an ok week. It started out really positive but then by yesterday it went down quite a bit. But, at this time, I am going to put that on my time of the month. Even if you don't weigh yourself, at that time, you still feel not lean at all.

However, yesterday afternoon I went for a nice run, and did many, many burpees and was feeling better. And I was able to choose the just right perfect amount to eat. That is the one thing I struggle with is figuring out how much I need to eat. I like choosing the right amount, and eating it, and being like, yup that was good. I was able to do that last night. It was a talent I had in my early 20's and one that I am trying to bring back.

I will say hi to everyone tomorrow.

Stacey

[alicect]

Hi to all!

I am up 0.2 lbs this week. And actually went up more during the week, so I am starting to head back in the right direction. In looking at the week: I was on the road more this, and ate out on the road more: soy lattes at Starbucks, 2 trips to Chipotle (ordered their veggie bowls pretty close to the MWL plan (brown rice, veggies, mild salsa, corn, pinto beans, lettuce)- except I am pretty sure that Chipotle's "veggies"/onions & peppers are cooked in oil. I also went to a small birthday celebration for my grandson this week. I ate before going, skipped the cake, but gave in to a few chocolate chip cookies, and a couple of slices of pizza with the cheese removed

I think I am lucky that I didn't gain more yet. This weekend's test will be a family baby shower. My daughter is running it and ordered a few vegetarian-ish dishes like eggplant parmesan - I explained that I am now not only eating vegan & whole foods, but also cutting out the oil...

We'll get there eventually. A little side note, when my husband and I arrived at my daughter's for my grandson's cake - a family member says "the vegans are here!" So it's official: we are now my family's vegan contingent.

Moonlight hang in there, I know what you mean about the cravings. I am getting a little bored, but I don't have the energy at the moment to seek out better recipes. Keep at it, and you'll break through that holding pattern. Kudos to making food ahead, planning - that is progress!

Mark Thank you, and I will post the pasta e fagipoli here on the forum this week. I also saw in the family cookbook, a recipe for Ci Ci pasta that looks like a good one to try. It seems to be essentially use chick peas and pasta with onions or green peas and pasta with onions! Will post that one too.

I guess I should try cooking more often! My go to meals at home have been fast & easy - and repetitive: I will often heat up Whole Foods canned beans and frozen brown rice or microwave a potato and add frozen vegetables or throw together a quick salad.

Amanda Thank you, yes, good points - I will keep in mind any loss is a good loss!

Thanks to all for sharing - it is inspiring. It helps to keep on track!

[moonlight]

Hi everybody,
Another eventful week in MWL World! I'm down 4 lbs. Yay! This is very cool BUT it just keeps me at the same place I was 2 weeks ago. Hopefully, I'll continue to lose. My goal is to tell you next week that I've started exercising again.
Alicect, thank you for the encouraging words. It's good you are "OUT" to your family as the vegans. That's huge to announce that to family members. I think it will help keep you accountable when at family gatherings.
I wish everyone a positive energized week!

[Idgie]

'morning, all. I'll be quick, because I'm off to a work retreat in a half hour.

moonlight: woo-hoo!

I'm sure it will come as a huge shock to everyone that after 7 days of 100% compliance, I'm down 4.2 pounds.

[Lyndzie]

I am down -2.3. That is a total loss of 10.7 pounds in roughly three months. Only 6 pounds to go! I got Jeff’s Fast Food DVD, and found it very helpful to actually watch him make the dishes. Of course I had come across them multiple times, but seeing is believing in this case. I’m on my way to the grocery store to clear out their frozen veggie section right now.

Super big CONGRATS to Idgie. She posted in her journal that she’s down almost 50 lbs since she started. Your commitment is resulting in great success.

[Werner1950]

I have disproven an aphorism. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
I 'ventured' a whole lot. But gained nothing. Nor have I lost a thing.

172.6. On the button!
But I venture to say that next Friday will tell a different story!

[Mark Cooper]

I'm up .7lbs this week, which I feel pretty good about - I feel like I've started to regain some muscle mass after two weeks of resumed calisthenic strength training, and I'm visibly very lean. My bone marrow results came back completely normal! Really great news. After all the tests, my primary care doctor thinks my pain is being caused by some type of nerve issue (maybe CRPS), so I'm trying Gabapentin at low dosage - after a day and a half my pain is noticeably improved. I really excited because the pain level had already been improving and today it was the mildest it has been since my symptoms began. It isn't completely gone, but I'm really hopeful that between the Gabapentin, continued exercise and the capsaicin cream I've been using it will eventually go away.

Moonlight - way to go preparing compliant food before work! Having readily available MWL food at hand is soooo helpful to staying on track, I have found. A 4lb loss! That is awesome!

Stacey - glad to hear you had a pretty good week and a rewarding afternoon of exercise.

alicect - I'm excited to try those recipes! Thanks so much! I'm happy you feel like you are heading back in right direction.

Idgie - you are SO in the groove this week and your overall loss is SUPER inspiring! Way to go!

Lindsey - great loss and that is an awesome total in the past 3 months! I've been really wanting to buy Jeff's DVDs, did you find them on amazon or some other venue?

Werner - Ha! Great quip! I'm sure your efforts will show up on the scale next time - way to stay upbeat!

[Lyndzie]

Excellent news, Mark. I was listening to the TED Radio hour in the car a couple weeks back, and I think they described CRPS. I haven’t had a chance to hear the whole thing. It’s the Sept 21st episode: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510298/ted-radio-hour

The Fast Food DVD is from Amazon. To be honest, almost all of the information is available here in the forum, but I still feel like it was worth every penny. Just getting the information in another form really helped the concepts I’ve read over and over sink in. Also, my kids watched it and now request “Jeff’s oatmeal” for breakfast.

Jeff Novick's Fast Food 1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00466DP42/re ... 0BbS61B88Z

[Mark Cooper]

Thanks for the links, Lindsey! I'll check out the podcast and I'm thinking Jeff's DVDs may be a Christmas present to myself

[Yomom]

Hi MWL group
I am away from my scale for this weigh-in, as well as the next, on a desert backpacking trip. Please put me down as “zero” for both, and I’ll try to stay compliant enough for that to be true when the reckoning comes.
Cheers everyone.
Kathy

[amandamechele]

Moonlight - (This was in response to your first message) Totally not weird...you are catching yourself just before a wrong turn, and then choosing to take the alternate path. It's not as well trodden a path as the one you usually take, but if you choose it enough times it will become just as visible in the distance giving you time to plan the proper route. That book sounds very helpful! Try not to feel defeated by remembering the good choices, not just all of the bad ones. You need to keep your motivation high in order to get a couple of objectively successful weeks under your belt. You need this to show yourself that you ARE doing this, maybe say to yourself No, I won't back down!! (I'm more of a TP fan than JC - but here's his version too, pick your fave ) (Response to 2nd message): 4 pounds down is very cool! Best wishes adding the exercise this week.

Svenja - Good to hear that the trauma cookies didn't have you fall into the Pleasure Trap, and that your party food was enjoyed by all. With regards to breakfast, the recommendation comes from the National Weight Control Registry data, which shows that the majority of those who lost weight successfully and kept it off for over 2-3 years ate breakfast each day. That doesn't mean everybody ate it, but many more people did than didn't (almost 80%). I think the key here is to know yourself. I, personally, go through phases with breakfast. For the past couple of months I haven't been eatinging breakfast; I'm not hungry while rushing around to get up and ready and the whole family out of the house for the day. I make my tea (which has been upgraded to decaf green tea, from green rooibos - or downgraded depending on one's opinion LOL) and take that with me. This works much of the time until it doesn't. By not eating breakfast I have introduced more risk into my day than if I did eat breakfast. The other day, when I ate that veggie sub, is an example. I didn't have breakfast, as usual. But I ended up being engaged until late afternoon and thus missed a chance for lunch. Still solvable, if I had just headed home and grabbed my prepared food out of the fridge. But, after picking up the kids from school, one of them needed something from the mall, leading to everyone suddenly discovering their shoes no longer fit and that they needed new ones and then ... dinner was upon us. I was so hungry that I didn't make a good decision. Having breakfast could have changed the course of events that day.
For you, I say give the no breakfast thing a try, if you are interested because, remember, you can always switch back to eating it again. XO

Stacey - XXOO. With regards to figuring out the right amount of food to eat, I recall Dr. Lisle covering this very question in a lecture or interview, but I cannot remember which one (if anyone knows, I'd love to hear from you). He basically said there is no generalized right amount of food to eat because it is context dependant - time of last meal, amount of activity preceding, etc. If you are eating the right foods* your body should be able to let you know the right amount. Those are his thoughts. If you are still concerned, you can always start with less on your plate, wait a bit and then eat more if you are still not quite feeling sated. *The right foods being the ones that are recommended by Dr. McDougall et al.

Alice It's great to hear that your family know about your dietary changes, that shows you are being consistent enough for them to understand it is important to you. Unfortunately, I haven't had any luck finding any compliant Mexican restaurants...they do all seem to oil their rice and wraps, and who knows what else. If you haven't watched this already, I highly recommend Mary McDougall's Dining Out When You Must. She gives a number of great ideas and strategies for staying on plan while eating away from home. Best wishes at the baby shower this weekend. I miss those baby days sometimes, there's nothing like snuggling up with a wee one in your arms...they smell so good! Do you have a plan on how to get through the inevitably offered off-plan food?

Idgie - I hope you had a lovely work retreat. Keep showing us the power of 100% compliance! Good job this week.

Lindsey - Great loss. I've watched some of those videos...I love them! I keep meaning to buy/download the others, but then I realize how un-tech savvy I am and do nothing. I most especially want to see his lecture on Nuts.. Just like you have said, I know all of the information can be found here in his forum, but it's the added fun of watching him present that makes me want them. So much good energy!

Werner - I'm happy to see you treating this venture as an adventure, and I want to hear how this story unfolds.

Mark - Double yay for the normal tests and the pain relief. Ugh, I can't begin to imagine what you've been going through. You are a trooper.

Kathy - Enjoy the backpacking! Thanks for taking the time to check in.