April 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

[amandamechele]

Welcome to the April Weigh-In Thread for Dr. McDougall's Maximum Weight Loss Program.

For the program details visit the MWL Guidelines thread in this forum. Please check out as many of the links as you have time for, there is so much here to discover!
A couple of other great resources, for those just starting out, are from Jeff Novick the staff dietician for the program: The Ultimate Guide to Free Calorie Density (MWL) Resources and his 1 hour video explanation on Calorie Density: How to Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer.

Hi All,

Sun, birds, bees and flowers! I can’t wait for April to begin.
I actually haven’t seen that many birds yet, but look forward to hummingbirds, stellar jays, owls and even quail as the spring turns into summer. Embarrassingly, when I first came across a family of quail last year I told everyone I had seen a little peacock on the property. That got a good laugh out of the neighbours.... it seems there are no wild peacock on the island. What we do have in over-abundance are deer....and they will eat anything they can, especially all of my favourite flowers!! That doesn’t make them any less cute though ... this year there was a particularly cute little one that we nick-named Scruffy because he was just so, well, scruffy looking. I’m beginning to think he is a SHE now that she’s getting bigger.



I don’t just look forward to the animals and flowers in spring...I also look forward to a bit of a change-up in my recipe rotation. I find I begin to look forward to more cold grain and potato salads. In addition to the recipe section, here on the forums, is Letha’s Clickable List of MWL Recipes from the newsletters. I came across it in a post by VeggieSue. Thanks Sue.
Here’s a recipe from that list:

Costa Rican Vegetable Salad
We just returned from a fantastic week in Costa Rica on a McDougall Adventures vacation. They prepared many delicious vegetable salads while we were there using hearts of palm. This is a variation on one of those salads.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6-8

1 14 ounce can hearts of palm, drained, cut into ¼ inch rounds
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 large tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup chopped sweet onion
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper

Have any of you every tried hearts of palm? I have not, but may just get a bit daring this month and try this recipe.... if I can find them at the local grocer.


I’m looking forward to another month of working together, with all of you, to reach new milestones for our weight loss goals!

Let’s do it!

Amy XO

Here are the standard monthly instructions for participating in this thread:

Our weigh in's are on Fridays and you have until 12 PM PST on Saturday to report.

This weekly weigh in group is for those wanting to follow the Maximum Weight Loss (MWL) program or Mary's Mini's. There is a sticky at the top of this forum on the guidelines for the MWL program..

In order to tally the results please submit your results by posting the total pounds you have lost or gained that week. You don't have to share your total weight if you'd rather keep that to yourself. This is an honor system so we take the gain, loss or maintain you give us in order to tally. (Please make a new post each week)

If you are a new member and would like to join but don't have a weight to be counted for the week then you will be counted either as a body with a zero starting weight, or when you check in for the weekly weigh in the following week. Large amounts of weight lost over a period of months or weeks, prior to joining the weekly weigh in group, will not be counted towards the weekly total.

If you measure your weight in something other than pounds please convert the measurement to pounds.

All gains will be counted towards the total to encourage weekly participation. Posting is encouraged whether it's a gain, a loss, or a maintain.

You are welcome to share as little or as much as you want on your weight loss journey here in this thread. We encourage members of the group to talk to each other, cheer each other on and set goals together.

This thread is for the mutual support of all who wish to participate.

[sirdle]

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.

Yes. I feel much better. What started this was that I had a bad cold... and that led to a coughing fit... which froze my back... which caused me to miss three weeks of work! So my supervisor is very happy to work with me if it means missing less work!

Continuing the discussion of 'environmental variance'... I have a very challenging family visit coming up next week (Fri-Sat). We will all be staying at an AirBnB near where I live, so there is a chance of cooking something ourselves, but it seems more likely that we will go out to eat several times. I'm a little grumpy about that. I don't like being the center of attention... I'd much rather blend in with the wall and go along with what everybody else wants. So I'll probably find myself at several restaurants without any good options. Sigh.

I don't mind thinking of this as a two-day feast... especially when it is so rare that we all get together... but Sunday will be very difficult! After spending two wonderful days with family, I'll need to refocus and make sure I get all my weekly food prep taken care of! If I don't then my newly formed habits will shatter.

Cheers,

[JeffN]

Greetings everyone!

Welcome to the April Weigh-In Thread for Dr. McDougall's Maximum Weight Loss Program. This weekly weigh-in group is for those wanting to follow the Maximum Weight Loss (MWL) program or Mary's Mini's. The McDougall Maximum Weight Loss Program is for those who have trouble losing weight and/or are volume eaters.

***If you are not familiar with the programs and their guidelines, check out these links...***

The Maximum Weight Loss Guidelines - Long Version
https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl ... tpoint.htm

Maximum Weight Loss Guidelines - The Quick Start Guide & 10 Point Checklist
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=26620&start=150#p578019

For the Volume Eater:
https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/nov/volume.htm

Clickable List of MWL recipes from McDougall Newsletters
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10076

The McDougall Maximum Weight Loss Program is based on the principles of calorie density. Here is a full 80 minute presentation on the topic:

Calorie Density: How To Eat More, Weigh Less & Live Longer!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CdwWliv7Hg

Some forum members have found it helpful to keep a daily journal of what they eat each day and their activity. If you would like to do so, you can create a journal here. When you click on the link, you can also see several of the current journals.

viewforum.php?f=52

In addition, some forum members who are keeping a journal post in it each day comparing their day to the 10-Point Checklist linked above. This can give you a valuable self assessment and help keep you on track each day.

Here is an example from a forum member

viewtopic.php?f=52&t=58469#p587755

Looking forward to a successful April for all of you.

Let me know if you have any questions.

In Health
Jeff

[Lyndzie]

Hi everyone! Just wanting to give everyone a quick Hello. I keep up with the group, and you all seem to be doing a great job of finding your groove, so I haven’t needed to pop in to answer any questions. I’m lurking around if you need anything.

Lindsey

[moonlight]

Amy, I love the pictures of Miss Scruffy!

Sirdle, your upcoming weekend sounds like my experiences with family, especially in the beginning of changing my eating patterns. If you can be brave and just say you're trying a new diet for a while or needing a changed based on a doctor's recommendation, you may find that people forget about it. Steak restaurants are easy because you can order baked potatoes and steamed veggies, usually. (Go for 2 potatoes!). Also, you might take some food with you to the weekend B&B. The other day I made a super easy salad with cooked grains (rice, bulgar, or any grain you like) mixed with pico de gallo that I bought premade from the produce section in our grocery store. I opened a can of garbanzos to mix in. It was super easy and very filling. Good luck with your weekend!

I'm starting Mary's Mini today!

[Rosey]

HUGS!!! I'm here. Me and those scales are having it out but they are going to go the right direction on a friday not a Tuesday or Wednesday some day. laugh. My swelling has been so bad last few weeks.

[OOnaOwl]

I'm here for April! Love the pictures of wildlife. We caught a young deer buck on surveillance camera last week eating the tulips. Microphone so powerful you could hear all the mouth munching sounds .

[Shelley Crockett]

3 weeks to the day of my return from the McDougall weekend I've had a full week of normal blood sugar readings!! I'm so thrilled, I couldn't wait until Friday to share. My average reading is 6.9 for the week. Woot Woot!!

I have a picture, but can't seem to load it?

[amandamechele]

Sirdle - Oh no... well, I’m glad you’re feeling better enough to walk and go to work. I was reaching a bit with that term, whatever I’m reading at any given moment seems to slip into my thoughts and thus writing...LOL... and it should have said variation or variability, not variance, poor proof reading on my part. Is it tomorrow (today depending on when you read this) when your family arrives? I understand how you are feeling, it can be a tricky dynamic to navigate. I know you’ve seen this, but others reading this may not have, a great resource for what to do is Dr. Lisle’s Getting Along Without Going Along lecture. The best advise I can give in your situation from experience (and possibly coming a little too late now) is to enter the weekend as far out of The Pleasure Trap as you can be. That way the food at the restaurants won’t tempt you as much and maybe that will also help moderate the irritability of the whole situation too. There’s nothing like wishing you were eating what they are eating; not doing it; trying to ensure them your not judging them for eating the way they are (while possibly secretly feeling frustrated with them because you love them and want them to enjoy the health that you are feeling); and dealing with whatever other family stuff has brought them out your way. LOL. Best best wishes. I hope you can enjoy the company and keep up with the prep work. You know the drill - pre-eat, pack stuff and try to get a say in which restaurants you are going to.

Thanks Moonlight Here’s another picture of my darling deer from this week...hee hee... my phone camera isn’t so great for the distance. How is the Mary’s Mini going?


And here’s a food photo, because this is what we are here for...LOL:

Potato leek soup, cabbage with marinara sauce. Yum!

Connie - So glad you are here another month ...you tell that scale who is boss! Not really, I hope you get some relief.

Oonaowl - LOL...They always eat all the tulips, sadly. I have discovered that they don’t eat the daffodils, so that is a colourful deer-proof option. I’m happy you are joining us for April as well. Let’s see what this month brings.

Shelley - Yes, yes yes! Here is a link to a brief explanation on how I upload photos; scroll down to the quote box. There are different ways that may be easier but I have just never figured them out.

Hi Jeff and Lindsey!

[amandamechele]

Moonlight - I noticed your question about food volume in Jeff’s forum and I can give you one of his links: Daily Food Volume and Satiety.
It’s a great thread and I recommend it to anyone interested in a better understanding of this aspect of why calorie density works. He may suggest a different - more appropriate - thread, I’m not trying to step on his toes, I just happened to remember this one and thought everyone here may get a benefit from your question.

[moonlight]

Hi, Amy! I’m appreciating the Mary’s Mini. I’m not 100% compliant... but, really, that’s not surprising with me. A couple of days I was 100%. It has helped me reduce eating because of cravings, especially in the evenings. When I go off, it’s to have something else healthy, like frozen banana and blueberry “cream”. Sometimes the cravings are so strong! It’s really easy to recognize the cravings from real hunger when the option to eat is another potato or vegetable! I’m about to get tired of eating potatoes. So, hopefully, I’ll eat less. I’m hoping by the end to be only eating when hungry and not thinking or obsessing about food at other times. I’ve discovered a couple of really good potato soup recipes. So, I guess it’s continuing to be a positive situation. I’m eating 2-2.5 pounds of potatoes a day, I think.

Thanks for asking! And, thanks for the link. After reading one article it appears that an average weight female eats approximately 3 pounds of food a day. I am curious to see if that is the amount I’m eating, and if I shift from more calorie dense foods to less dense food over the course of the Mary’s Mini. I think I crave calorie dense food. Will doing a restricted diet, like MM, change my consumption of calorie density.

[Shelley Crockett]

Happy Friday everyone!

It's been a good week. My BS averaged out at 6.9 for the week, which I'm absolutely thrilled about, although there is still room for improvement.

Weight wise I'm down another 2 lbs. This means I'm averaging about 2.5 lb per week, since returning from the McDougall weekend. Honestly, I'm happy with any amount of weight loss. It so freeing not to count anything and just eat the correct food.

Hope everyone had/has a good week.

Shelley

[Dpascar]

Hello all, I am down .4 this week. Have a great week.

[OOnaOwl]

We've made it to Friday! Zero scale weight lost for me, which makes zero weight lost since I returned to this WOE about a month ago. But got super strict with it about a week or two ago, and I think I look less paunchy/puffy. I got a new smart scale that measures everything, so hopefully will be able to track progress well with it. I also need to take measurements (I've been afraid TBH!!!), maybe once the scale moves a little south I will brave the tape again. I am enjoying the food for the simplicity and peace of it. Also satiety is high! I have settled into compliant habits for the long haul. Hopefully I will begin to lose the excess fat. I have noticed some health improvements such as more general energy which is hugely welcome! Wishing everyone health and happiness here!

[Belana]

Good morning MWL People,
I may have needed a little vent last week, but this diet is working and it's a lot easier for me to stick to it than Joel Fuhrman's 'Eat to Live' diet. Fuhrman's diet needs to be renamed to 'Eat to Live While Suffering.'
Glad I found MWL!
I've got a little over a month left to go to hit my goal weight. Once the weather gets nicer an I'm able to start cycling, my main sport that I've been doing for decades, the weight will come off a lot easier. I'm looking forward to getting back into my favorite shape that allows me to ride (peloton/group ride) with fit people.

I've got a little over 5 lbs left to lose, but at this rate and if the weather gets better, so I can start cycling outdoors, I may even reach the weight I got down to when I did Fuhrman; 102. That'd be cool. I'm pretty unstoppable riding uphill at that weight.
Please forgive the bragging, but I'm excited. Being lean and fit again is well within my reach.
Weight: 110.9
Total loss: 1.5