March 2019 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: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby anelson108 » Fri Mar 29, 2019 8:45 am

Weigh-in today: 197.6
Last week: None
Results: 4.4 gain
Total loss (since joining MWL): 7
Goal weight: 150 pounds (5' 6" height)
NOTE: While attending an out-of-town conference, I ate a lot of high-fat 'exceptions' to the MWL plan.
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Re: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby OOnaOwl » Fri Mar 29, 2019 8:57 am

I strayed away for past 5 months but back again to try again :)! Weight today: 119.
This is down slightly from my peak weight. I have about 10 to 20 fat pounds to lose
on my tiny frame. Focusing on health & staying on plan, thankful for this WOE and this
group! Wishing everyone good health & happiness.
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Re: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby Belana » Fri Mar 29, 2019 9:44 am

Hello, MWL folks,
Weight: 12.4
I lost 1.4 lbs.
According to the math, I ought to be close or at my goal weight by May 15th, seven weeks away. :-P
It ain't easy. :|
I'm still forced to say no to most social gatherings. I'm constantly running home to eat and my entire life feels like it revolves around this diet. :roll:
It feels like all I do is go to the grocery store and food prep.
Although unpleasant and unfavorable, being overweight is a whole lot easier. Since I don't want to be overweight, here I am, biting the bullet.
On the bright side, it's nice fitting into clothes there's no way I could've fit into when I first started this diet! :shock:
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Re: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby Rosey » Fri Mar 29, 2019 5:51 pm

Weight is up this time. was 276.1 lbs is now 282.3 lbs so up 6.2 lbs from last week.
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Re: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby amandamechele » Sat Mar 30, 2019 1:04 am

Hi Moonlight - You’re welcome. Eating out is awful for giving false scale readings due to the sodium. Hopefully your week has been pretty good. I’ve been watching a lot of the webinars this week, partially to keep focused and partially procrastinating on other things. :eek: I find when my stress is high and I am feeling tempted to soothe with off plan food - and right now I’m feeling it a bit - I need to ground myself with info to keep my focus. Do you find that helps? I missed Thursday’s webinar where Dr. McDougall interviews Andrew “Spudfit” Taylor, so I’ll watch that while I do some food prep tomorrow. Today I’ve struggled a bit and have been grazing all day. I switched to regular McDougall program food when I feared I’d veer off plan. I allowed myself healthy but higher calorie density foods and that has, thankfully, kept me out of an all out cram. I’ll try for MWL again tomorrow. How did your plan for exercise go this week?

Sirdle - That’s awesome, it’s so nice that your workplace is willing to be so flexible. Wonderful loss this week!

Dan - Good evening and great loss! Best wishes this week.

Shelley - XO. I love hearing this. I’m glad you have been willing to work so hard towards great adherence and can see the potential. I mean, I know you know the potential this style of eating holds for your health - you’ve had really good success with weight loss before joining us here in MWL, but hopefully these great blood sugar numbers can solidify your dedication to keep trying your best for a time. Yip yip yippee! Hahaha. I like your next goal!

Angela - Did you enjoy the conference? Will you be travelling for much longer? I’m thrilled with your consistency with checking in. (PS. I just realized I’ve been using your username lately and not your actual name. I like to use real names when provided with them here because then it feels a bit more like a real discussion, like we almost know each other...LOL. I, personally, prefer when people remember my name, so I apologize that I haven’t been as careful lately in using yours)

OonaOwl - I like your tenacity. You’ve been around for quite some time and you just don’t give up. I wish you much focus, good health and happiness this week! Maybe a strategy could be to find at least one comfortable way to lower your current calorie density. Something you will do everyday with ease. It may only give you 1/2 pound a month loss, for example, but if it is something you can do consistently, even that will get you to your goal in the longer term. I’m not sure exactly what to suggest, it would depend on your current adherence level and whether you already eat an MWL plan. If you were already eating a very low calorie density plan, it could be as easy as switching from using a banana on your morning oatmeal to a 1/2 cup of berries. Just one step and see how it goes. XO. What do you think? Do you have an idea of how you will proceed?

Belana - Sending you a hug... and a congrats on the weight-loss. Steady as she goes, as Sirdle said last week. I’m happy to hear about your bright side! Nice clothes are fun...but if you have nowhere to wear them because you don’t feel like you can join in with your friends then you may have some choices to make. Being overweight can be the default for so many of us in this obesogenic environment. You will have to swim against the tide for as long as you want to follow this style of eating. That being said, the longer that you do it, the less you will probably crave the unhealthy foods and probably the alcohol. I don’t think you will ever stop craving the social interaction, though, if it is something you enjoy, i.e. going from being an extrovert to an introvert is not a condition that the McDougall plan can reverse...LOL! May I ask, what situations are you avoiding and for what reasons exactly? With regards to food prep, it can be as easy or difficult as you (or I) decide to make it - I’d say my prep level is intermediate - not fancy - but also not just plain cooked foods. What does a day in the life of MWL look like for you? Have you ever tried making Jeff Novick’s SNAP meals? When I’m feeling super lazy (yet still using good adherence) I goto the Wendy’s restaurant drive-thru for potatoes and side salads. Someone mentioned to me recently (it could have been here, but I feel like it was in person) that Wendy’s will also give you steamed broccoli. Of that I had no idea. I also do brown rice sushi from the grocery store. So, while I’m glad you keep biting the bullet, so to speak, please don’t make yourself miserable. You may want to take some time to develop strategies that will make you more socially happy. This is supposed to be about making our lives better and happier!

Rosey - Thank you for checking in. I was wondering about your name as well (since I am thinking about real names and such right now). I recall, when I said hi in your online journal, long ago, that I read that your name was Carmelita . Am I remembering that correctly? Do you have a preference? :)
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Re: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby moonlight » Sat Mar 30, 2019 2:53 am

Thank you, Amy, for your kind words. I’m hanging in there. My weight dropped some more so I’ve ended up 1 lb above my fabulous 172. I’m happy about that. I appreciate your reminder that when feeling shaky it helps to immerse into lots of inspiring videos. I need to do that. My exercise has been going good. I’m exercising daily. I realized I’m doing better on exercise than I thought. I’ve exercised 5 of the last 7 days. I think when I miss a couple of days that I’m really backsliding. Just like if I stray from my diet a little one day, I feel like I’ve totally screwed up. Keeping a record to look back on helps tremendously to keep things in perspective. It’s spring and gardening time and nice hiking weather! WootWoot!
Good luck to everyone this week!
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Re: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby cena » Sat Mar 30, 2019 8:53 am

Down 1 pound.

Happier and happier that the scale still goes down.
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Re: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby Ellen N » Sat Mar 30, 2019 11:56 am

I finally broke through the 160s barrier after weighing 161 for about 3 weeks, was happy to be down to 158 this morning. I had to weigh myself 3 times to be sure. I have been cheating a little. I actually ate one of my sons pizza crusts last night!
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Re: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby Rosey » Sat Mar 30, 2019 11:22 pm

amandamechele wrote:Rosey - Thank you for checking in. I was wondering about your name as well (since I am thinking about real names and such right now). I recall, when I said hi in your online journal, long ago, that I read that your name was Carmelita . Am I remembering that correctly? Do you have a preference? :)


Condalicia Connie for short. Rosey has been an online name for many years starting with BBS systems before internet really came out.
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Re: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby amandamechele » Sun Mar 31, 2019 1:08 am

Hi All!

I want you all to know that, for me, it’s always a pleasure to hear from each of you. Each check-in/weigh-in may not result in any weight loss - which can be frustrating...so so frustrating...LOL - but it is a chance to continue to make accountability to oneself a priority and a habit.

Let’s talk environmental variation! It’s something that seems to have been tripping many people up lately (myself included for quite some time).
What are examples of environmental variation with regards to struggling to adhere to the MWL program? It’s how we each are affected by vacations, conferences, moving, or even things as apparently benign as your workplace or what you’re doing on a Friday night.
Sometimes the interaction between our bodies, our process (say, lifestyle or eating choices) and the environment are noticeable quickly. Vacations tend to lead to more salt and alcohol and richer food, less exercise maybe, and the scale can reflect that differentially in each of us. Alternatively, we may not really recognize the effect of an environment for quite some time. I have a personal example:
I moved a year and a half ago from a condo in a large city to a semi-rural property in a small town. I honestly thought it would lead to further weight loss: I’d be outside more often, in the fresh air, gardening, etc, etc.. But, as it turns out, when I lived in a big city I was able to maintain about 10 pounds less than I do now with no additional effort. Why would this be? My cupboards were still full of the same foods (and I’m not suggesting this isn’t a part of the problem...LOL...but my focus is on outside of our homes for this post). In the city I was forced to walk everywhere because driving was too inconvenient. I lived in an area with no fast food restaurants and I had less overall responsibilities dividing my attention. My cost for moving/changing environments appears to be a pretty stable 10 pounds weight gain at current dietary adherence and exercise levels. I am not blaming the particular area’s factors for my gain (that’s a whole ‘nother discussion for the public health policy makers and epidemiologists to debate); I blame how I am interacting with it.
This means for continued progress towards my weight loss goals I will have to sort through and create another way of interacting with my new home in order to find the right balance that will get me back to a comfortable slight-calorie-deficit (while not focusing on it in that sense on a day-to-day basis, of course). My other choice could be to move back to the city, but that isn’t really feasible (or desirable) at this point in time so I will have to develop some new habits to figure out how to interact with the environment that I currently find myself.

If you travel often (for work or pleasure), socialize a lot or have a job that moves you around the country or surrounds you with food temptation - you will probably have a bit more work to do than a person who has a very stable life with regards to forming good lifestyle habits. We are all going to be faced with these challenges every once in awhile. Taking some time to anticipate potential issues and develop situation-based strategies can help mitigate deviations from your plan. If your weight loss has been stalled for quite some time, try looking at a longer time-frame to identify issues.

The best strategies haven’t changed:
1) First and foremost adjust to a comfortable and appropriate calorie density! This can equate to more consistent weight loss.
2) Be prepared - with your shopping, chopping and food prep.
3) When eating away from home ensure there is something appropriate for you. Call ahead at restaurants, or suggest where to go. When visiting someone else’s home bring a dish or two to share.
4) Find other little ways to interact differently with your world in order to gain additional slight metabolic advantages. Sirdle’s example is a fabulous one. He wanted to include more movement in his day and so he changed his work schedule, very slightly, too accommodate that.

Can we find similar little things like that to do comfortably and consistently? What strategy got you out of a tricky situation or kept you on-plan?

My final thought: when a process isn’t working it’s important to think and reflect and figure out why. When a process is working it’s time to turn off that thinking and just do it. I’m happy to see so many of you turning all this thought into action!

Amy XO

Here are the results for the fifth week in March:

Next Weigh-In is on Friday, April 5th, 2019

Total group loss reported in 2019: 226.57 pounds

March 2019 Weight Loss Group :: Monthly Weigh-In Results
Total group loss in January 2019: 140.53 pounds
Total group loss in February 2019: 78.64 pounds
Total group loss in March 2019: 7.4 pounds


Week ending 03/29/2019: 10 participants reported a total loss of -2.9 pounds
---------------------------------------
Anelson108 - 4.4
Rosey - 6.2
---------------------------------------
Total gains: 10.8
--------------------------------------
Dpascar - 1.4
Shelley Crockett - 0.0
Sirdle - 0.9
OOnaOwl - 0.0
Belana - 1.4
Cena - 1.0
EllenN - 3.0
Amandamechele - 0.2
---------------------------------------------
Total losses: 7.9
---------------------------------------------

Total group loss in March 2019: 7.4 pounds
Week ending 03/29/2019: 10 participants reported a total loss of -2.9 pounds
Week ending 03/22/2019: 8 participants reported a total loss of 1.6 pounds
Week ending 03/15/2019: 13 participants reported a total loss of 13.5 pounds
Week ending 03/08/2019: 15 participants reported a total loss of 3.8 pounds
Week ending 03/01/2019: 15 participants reported a total loss of -8.6 pounds
Last edited by amandamechele on Thu Apr 04, 2019 10:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby moonlight » Sun Mar 31, 2019 7:56 am

Ellen N wrote:I finally broke through the 160s barrier after weighing 161 for about 3 weeks, was happy to be down to 158 this morning. I had to weigh myself 3 times to be sure. I have been cheating a little. I actually ate one of my sons pizza crusts last night!

Congratulations, Ellen. I bet seeing a 3 lb loss was exciting! Are you exercising? Please, share your strategies!!

sirdle wrote:Yes the exercise is new. I often sit for 8-10 hours a day at work and then try to exercise in the evenings. Sometimes this works, but more often, it doesn't.

About 8 weeks ago I approached my boss and asked if I could extend my workday by 45 minutes, unpaid, so I could walk during the day. He happily agreed. So now, every 1-1/2 hours I get up and go for a fast 6-7 min walk. The walking helps clear my mind and keeps my back limber. I also get a little bit of sunshine.

Sirdle, this is so cool. It's great your supervisor gave you permission for the flexibility. I bet you feel better at the end of your day, too.

Amy, it seemed like recently I had several environmental hurdles in a row, from attending a city music festival where the venues would not allow food and drink inside (had to eat in restaurants) to circumstances with friends. I finally took control. On Friday I had plans to meet a friend for dinner then go to her house to help her get ready for a yard sale. I decided to speak up (I didn't want to eat in a restaurant). I asked her if we could just eat at her house because I wanted to stay on my diet. She agreed. It felt so freeing to just put my needs out there and state that I wanted to stay within the guidelines of my eating plan. Usually I don't talk about this, I just do the best I can with the situation.

Speaking of getting control of my eating plan, since last week I've been fighting off cravings and snacking when I'm not hungry. I've decided to do Mary's Mini for 10 days, starting tomorrow. I'm hoping this will help me get my focus off food. Since the MM is within the guidelines of MWL, can I still report in the monthly weigh-in?
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Re: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby OOnaOwl » Sun Mar 31, 2019 10:27 am

amandamechele wrote:

[b]OonaOwl
- I like your tenacity. You’ve been around for quite some time and you just don’t give up. I wish you much focus, good health and happiness this week! Maybe a strategy could be to find at least one comfortable way to lower your current calorie density. Something you will do everyday with ease. It may only give you 1/2 pound a month loss, for example, but if it is something you can do consistently, even that will get you to your goal in the longer term. I’m not sure exactly what to suggest, it would depend on your current adherence level and whether you already eat an MWL plan. If you were already eating a very low calorie density plan, it could be as easy as switching from using a banana on your morning oatmeal to a 1/2 cup of berries. Just one step and see how it goes. XO. What do you think? Do you have an idea of how you will proceed?
)


Thank you so much for the good ideas & moral support! Yeah, I will take a look at swap outs. I am eating 100% on plan right now, doing the visual plate method of half starch half non-starch veggies for lunch & dinner. Breakfast has been oats with berries. I am eating VERY simply, very close to Mary's Mini style. I keep a journal here to stay accountable but also to track my goals and experiences. Reviewing my journal from last fall really has helped! I still haven't lost any weight this time, it's been a few weeks. I see from last fall I was able to lose a few pounds, so I hope that starts to happen soon.
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Re: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby amandamechele » Sun Mar 31, 2019 10:44 pm

Moonlight - Our minds seem to work alike when things don’t go as planned. Yourjournaling is a great way to keep a proper perspective and keep any negative valenced and thus potentially skewed memories from insisting things are much worse than they actually are. Your spring gardening and hiking comment may have influenced my thinking for my April post...LOL... I’m excited for a bit more time outdoors too.
You can absolutely still post while doing a Mary’s Mini and weigh in. I’m not against anyone posting no matter what version of the McDougall plan they are following. I just try to keep the talk mostly about MWL recipes and issues because that is what this forum is for specifically. But anyone can weigh-in if it helps them be accountable and they are willing to ask their questions about regular program foods in the recipe section, lounge or their journals. I mean we all talk a little bit about when we slip and struggle off plan, that’s normal for many of us (see my pizza comment below...LOL...not my best MWL moment). I’m pretty laid back about this stuff because it can be a tough go for many and I don’t ever want to lose anyone to feeling that they don’t belong because they are not specifically following things exactly. (Yikes that got long, sorry!)

Cena - I’m so happy for you too!

Ellen - Yay! Big congratulations...pizza crust and all. :) It’s tough when other foods are around. I made pizza for the kids last week and ended up eating some too... healthy recipe, no cheese, lots of veg...but 4 pieces! That’s not going to keep the weight coming off...LOL. Better luck next week keeping those foods away!

Connie - Sorry, I really got that wrong...yikes! Do you have a preference? I’ll admit when I imagine I’m talking to you Rosey things comes to mind - happy, pink, flowers...LOL. But I can peg that too Connie too. It can be Connie with the Rosey personality...LOL.

Oonaowl - XO. It sounds like you are doing it all quite well. Now the loss is just a function of time at that adherence level. It may be slow...try giving it a number of months of action, before reflecting and reassessing. I can’t remember where I read it (possibly Drs Yoni Freedhoff or Stephen Guyenet’s twitter feed), but there was a post about how many/most people aren’t slowly putting on weight, bit by bit each week, but in clumps during the holidays and on vacation. I think weight loss is like that too, based on times of great adherence. We take a bit off when we are really focused. Most people gain it right back during the next holiday or vacation. BUT, if we have the right plan, like MLW, and solidly developed habits we can maintain that for awhile, or maybe have a little bit of creep. Then, the next wedding or high school reunion comes along and BOOM, motivation for another “clump” of weight loss...LOL. I am wishing you many clumps of loss in the near future!
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Re: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby amandamechele » Sun Mar 31, 2019 10:47 pm

Here’s the link for the April 2019 Weigh In Thread.

I hope you all join me there for another month!

Amy
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Re: March 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby Rosey » Mon Apr 01, 2019 1:30 pm

amandamechele wrote:Connie - Sorry, I really got that wrong...yikes! Do you have a preference? I’ll admit when I imagine I’m talking to you Rosey things comes to mind - happy, pink, flowers...LOL. But I can peg that too Connie too. It can be Connie with the Rosey personality...LOL.


Laugh. Yeah you were way off. Condalicia isn't one you really see much my Mom Combined Connie and Alicia when she was 13 years old and said her first daughter was getting the name. Was her 2 best friends at time. I happen to be the first daughter. I go by Connie, Alicia, Rosey, or Zippy I like all 4. I think my original name is to long but if you want to type it that's fine too. laugh.
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