October 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: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby amandamechele » Fri Oct 25, 2019 1:54 am

Hi All!

Thank you to everyone who has checked in so far. I look forward to going through the comments a bit more thoroughly tomorrow (tonight!). :-D
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Re: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby AnnetteW » Fri Oct 25, 2019 7:19 am

Sounds like a few of us are under the weather. I wish us all (me included) a speedy recovery.

So the weekly weighing does slightly (only slightly) discourage me. I tend to weight daily and use a trend. It smooths out the ups and downs. I always seem to weigh less on Friday than Thursday too. So odd (today I was 2 lbs lighter than yesterday). But I know it's just a number, and a way to stay accountable no matter the number. And I try not to make it a mind game.

We're always told that if it messes with our head too much, to not weight so often. I do better weighing more often, as I don't see the loss otherwise.

Which currently is extremely slow, but that's okay, I know it's okay.

I just read something recently that weight loss tend to slow/stop around 30 lbs and/or 6 months. It might have been in the Clarence Bass "Take Charge" book I've just read. I will have to look that up again, I think I took a note.

I'm just past the 6 month mark, AND also just past 30 lbs. So I found that quite interesting.

Because I need to keep reminding myself that I am losing, albeit much slower right now, I changed my signature to reflect my monthly losses. I hope I find that encouraging.

Wishing everyone a loss this upcoming week, and clear sinuses. :nod:
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Re: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby stillcrazy » Fri Oct 25, 2019 7:33 am

Wow Annette! Your signature line says you are doing extremely well. Just keep doing what you are doing. :D
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Re: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby Artista » Fri Oct 25, 2019 10:12 am

I'm up .4 lbs. this week. :(
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Re: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby Belana » Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:22 pm

Wow, my life's definitely out of balance. I've gaied 3.1 lbs this week.
The cause: disinhibition due to booze.
What's interesting is that whenever I start drinking and eating the way I've been, it's because there's something off in my life. Suffice to say, I know exactly what that is. One part of my life's disequilibrium will be a long slog to fix, and I'm slowly tackling it. Eventually, and this may take a year or longer, I'll have my life the way I want it. The other difficulty is something more immediate that's not easy and is quite unpleasant to fix, but although I'm going to be staying with my mother; who's a big booze and food trigger for me, at least I'll be leaving behind the food and booze trigger that I've allowed into my life here at home. Unfortunately, as I'm writing this, I'm acutely aware that it sounds like I'm trading one trigger for another! :lol:
Actually, as I sit here analyzing and critically thinking, I believe, for now, that the environment at my mother's may be a challenge, but I think I'll be able to do the kind of food prep and food control that's necessary for me to start losing this weight despite the difficulties. Plus, the weather is warmer where my mother lives, so that will help motivate me to lose weight. It's cold where I live and I'm not liking it. It's always been difficult for me to lose weight when it's cold.
If I can't control my food situation the way I need to or it becomes too stressful at my mother's place, I'll just bite the bullet and drive the long slog back home.
Weight: 110.5
Gain: 3.1 lbs. :(
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Re: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby amandamechele » Fri Oct 25, 2019 10:50 pm

Hi Again!

This is the final week in October and we made it through together!
Image

This past week I have had two McDougall friends message me on Facebook because they are struggling to stay on track and are just so tired of struggling. These are people I know IRL but originally met via some sort of McDougall social media or event. They’ve been cyclically or intermittently eating this way for way longer than the 3-5 years that I’ve know them and yet haven’t been able to make progress. I love these women...much how I feel about all of you here (this is interesting to me that I can feel this way about virtual friends - it seems common goals and struggles, common ethical and dietary values and just plain time interacting appear to have worked their magic on me, but I digress :) ).
How can any of us help/support someone who has the knowledge of what they need to do but just can’t seem to play the game long enough for a win? I ask myself this question quite often when I am reshuffling my deck of strategy cards to see if the new hand I’m dealt will be any more successful than the last. Sometimes I get a great hand (and lose a bunch of weight); more often it’s just run of the mill (and I’m maintaining) and sometimes I’lI get a few really crappy hands and think the game is sunk (meaning gain back some weight).
But the key to winning any game is to keep playing even when you’re not winning and to figure out how to play smarter.
The Ace in this game is your personality. The value of very high conscientiousness and not so high openness cannot be overstated as the easiest means of sticking to the guidelines. If this is you, congratulations, I am envious and I say that with a complete lack of sardonic inflection. But this is not something we can control and most of us just don’t have quite enough of it to rest on our laurels, so it’s folly to bank on this strategy alone. You will just end up draining your willpower each and every day into frustration.
The King in the game is your motivation. Oh that fickle King. When motivation is strong it can take you further than you ever imagined; but it can wax and wane depending upon your current circumstances. A bad lab result at the doctor’s office can temporarily scare some motivation into you, as can a recent breakup. But for many the fear fades and the poor dietary choices creep back in. The best way I have found to navigate the sometimes intermittent nature of attempting to leverage motivation is to be ready for it when it appears.
The Queen in this game is your environment. Mastering this is difficult but you can absolutely drive changes there. Major sustainable changes. Since many of us live with and/or work with others, even great mastery of your pantry and office snack counter can hit snags when you don’t hold an Ace in your hand.
Thus, to navigate when face cards are in short supply use those workhorse strategies that I refer to when I say be ready. Keep food prepped and ready to be eaten. Keep checking in with your accountability system. Keep journalling your choices. Keep measuring your progress (or lack thereof) in as comfortable a way as possible. Keep your goal on your mind. These represent your Jack, 10, 9, 8 and 7. You always have a couple of these in your hand. These give you many small wins that add up over time. This is how you win the game of weight loss. XO.

I write this for those 2 friends: thank you for lurking here and for giving the ultra simple version of the guidelines a shot. Here is the next level up in simple MWL meals for you to try.
Jeff Novick’s Fast Food Handout.

Have a lovely week everyone! I’m sorry to hear that so many of you are under the weather. Whatever is going around, I’ve got it too! My plan is to lay around snuggled in blankets until the coughing stops and the fever brakes and sip Heavenly Vegetable Soup.

Here are the results for the fourth week in October:

Next Weigh-In is on Friday, November 1st, 2019

Total group loss reported in 2019: 414.22 pounds
October 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
Total group loss in April 2019: 33.55 pounds
Total group loss in May 2019: 38.2 pounds
Total group loss in June 2019: 13.4 pounds
Total group loss in July 2019: 37.3 pounds
Total group loss in August 2019: 23.8 pounds
Total group loss in September 2019: 19.3 pounds
Total group loss in October 2019: 22.1 pounds


Week ending 10/25/2019: 10 participants reported a total loss of 2.7 pounds
---------------------------------------
AnnetteW - 0.5
Sirdle - 0.2
Artista - 0.4
Belana - 3.1
---------------------------------------
Total gains: 4.2
--------------------------------------
LauraG - 0.0
Deweyswakms - 0.6
Vegman - 0.7
ShortnSweet - 0.9
Stillcrazy - 0.7
Moonlight - 4.0
---------------------------------------------
Total losses: 6.9
---------------------------------------------

Total group loss in October 2019: 22.1 pounds
Week ending 10/25/2019: 10 participants reported a total loss of 2.7 pounds
Week ending 10/18/2019: 10 participants reported a total loss of 4.6 pounds
Week ending 10/11/2019: 10 participants reported a total loss of 13.3 pounds
Week ending 10/04/2019: 9 participants reported a total loss of 1.5 pounds

Laura - I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble logging in. Thank you for still trying to check in with us. If it continues, please send a PM to f1Jim and maybe he will be able to help you. Your soup sounds lovely and very soothing to a sore throat.

Annette - I hope you feel better soon. Being sick is the pits! Keep doing what you are doing - making changes towards better adherence slowly and maintaining like a pro interspersed with a loss here and there. It will get you where you want to go too. With regards to the book and quote that you mention, I will admit that I haven’t read it (or even looked it up), however I think a slowdown in weight loss is most likely correlated to 1) If still significantly overweight someone may be eating more calories that they realize (or to put it in our terms which don’t involve calorie counting, they are eating a higher calorie density then they realize) 2) When approaching a healthy weight for your height your calories in and out reach a bit of an equilibrium and weight loss will slow or stop. I hope you find your signature inspiring, I sure do! Way to go.

Marsha - Great loss! Do you do any batch cooking? I find it works well for stews and bean dishes as well as for veggie bean burgers. I still have 6 more in the freezer from the last batch I made. Let me know if you find a good squash recipe. I bought one recently thinking I’d make it for Thanksgiving, but I never did.

Sirdle - Stable is good! Thanks for checking in.

Vegman - Ya! Image

ShortnSweet - Awesome!

Vee - Enjoy the potato mini! Let us know how it goes. :)

Moonlight - The silver lining of being sick! Hope you feel better soon.

Artista - Thank you for checking in. Best wishes this week. :)

Belana - Weight gain feels awful, but thankfully you know what needs to be done and when you finally hit a number that changes the cost benefit ratio of the drinking, you will be motivated to stop. I’m glad you’re able to do food prep, because going completely off the rails is even more difficult to recover from (but still totally doable!). Here’s an article that Jeff recently posted on Facebook Alcohol: 16 Reasons to Rethink Your Drink by Dr. Thomas Campbell. Best wishes...let me know how it goes with your mom. Maybe try being there for her, but also giving yourself as much space from her as reasonably can. If your interactions with her are increasing your desire to drink, it may be best to try and minimize those in the kindest most unnoticeable way possible.
Last edited by amandamechele on Sun Oct 27, 2019 11:53 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby deweyswakms » Sat Oct 26, 2019 9:01 am

AnnetteW wrote:Sounds like a few of us are under the weather. I wish us all (me included) a speedy recovery.


Wishing everyone a loss this upcoming week, and clear sinuses. :nod:


Wow, I am impressed with your weight loss since Feb! I also weigh almost every day. Seeing the # motivates me as I am into the 180s and haven't seen these #s in probably 20 years.
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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Re: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby deweyswakms » Sat Oct 26, 2019 9:22 am

amandamechele wrote:Hi Again!



Good morning Amanda, to answer your question, YES I batch cook a lot. I am just cooking for me so I can fix 2 or 3 things and enjoy leftovers for a few days. If I don't have something already prepared, I can get into trouble. I have other things I really want to do, and it's too easy to let food prep slide. Right now I REALLY want to start a painting, but my fridge is empty so I will do a quick stir fry with fresh veggies, 1 can of black beans, and serve over rice. Now I have a meal prepped for later and it only takes maybe 10 minutes.

As for the acorn squash, I simply cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, a little salt & pepper. I turn the upside down in a pan with some water, into a 350 oven and they steam. How long? not sure, 20 mins test to see if they are soft. I have a quinoa rice pilaf recipe somewhere that would make a good stuffing, and I add peas to it. This looks good; just skip the oil. https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/quinoa-pilaf.html

As for the friends who can't make the program work for them, I can offer my 2 cents. I have been plant based for years and I did initially lose weight. Then I got sloppy in my eating - never any meat but some dairy and treats. I would lose 2-3 #s then gain it back. Finally fed up with it! Really wanted to lose weight. What to do? Never any keto or high protein type diets; besides I want something that is a lifelong simple way of eating. So I came back here, looked at the MWL guidelines and decided to commit and try them for one month. Well, I lost weight in July, so thought OK let's do August. Lost more weight. Clearly, this way does work. And I confess that I didn't really understand the program from just reading a few books.

I think we all have to learn the combos that work for our bodies. I am ultra sodium sensitive, so eating out just doesn't work for me. I can order steamed veggies and a potato though or a cup of soup. I have also discovered the power of potatoes! I eat them with almost every meal now. And the power of caloric density to eat lots of low density foods and feel full. I am not good with lingering hunger, so I finally understand to eat twice as many veggies as before.

But if your friends aren't ready, they aren't ready. Just try to eat cleanly, stay away from meat, dairy, snacks, desserts. Double up veggies. See what happens.
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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Re: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby Belana » Sun Oct 27, 2019 11:36 am

Thanks for the article and words of encouragement.
Whenever I fall off the MWL/McDougall eating lifestyle, I reactivate my cravings. It's very difficult to get back to eating compliantly when I completely fall off the wagon, but as soon as I get back to McDougall/MWL eating, I immediately feel better. That in and of itself, motivates me to keep going.
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Re: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby amandamechele » Wed Oct 30, 2019 8:55 pm

Hi All!

Weigh-in for this week will take place in this thread. I’ll put up the November thread late Friday night when I do the tally for this week’s weigh-in. That way everyone will only have this thread to choose. I’m sure there were way more ways to say that in different a way not using the word way and thread so much...hee hee.

I hope all of your week went well!!

Happy Halloween!

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Image


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Re: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby deweyswakms » Thu Oct 31, 2019 5:39 am

Oct 31, 2019
Boo! I weighed yesterday and today and can't believe the #.

10/17/19 weight is 189.8
10/24/19 weight is 189.2
10/31/19 weight is 188.2
so lost 1 whole # in a week. YAY.

Now I WANT to eat potatoes and mashed carrots, spinach and broccoli, quick and easy stir fries, and all the other good food.

On to November. Marsha
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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Re: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby deweyswakms » Thu Oct 31, 2019 6:00 am

Belana wrote:Wow, my life's definitely out of balance. I've gaied 3.1 lbs this week.
The cause: disinhibition due to booze.
What's interesting is that whenever I start drinking and eating the way I've been, it's because there's something off in my life. :(


Good luck Belana. Insight is always the 1st step toward improvement, for me at least. You're a good daughter to want to help your mom. Just be sure to remember to help yourself. I LOVE the sun, always feel better when it is summer. Oh well, seasons do change.
Marsha
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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Re: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby vegman » Thu Oct 31, 2019 6:20 am

Last Thursday: 159.8 (BMI 23.8)
Today: 159.8 (BMI 23.8)
Change: 0 pounds

Goal: < 148 (<BMI 22)

Same as last week. Not bad after 3 prior weeks of losses.
Last edited by vegman on Thu Oct 31, 2019 6:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby AnnetteW » Thu Oct 31, 2019 6:24 am

Oct 3 - 149.6

Oct 10 - 148.2 (loss of 1.4)

Oct 17 - 148.7 (gain of 0.4)

Oct 24 - 149.2 (gain of 0.5)

Oct 31 - 147.1 (loss of 1.9)

Total loss in October - 2.5 lbs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part of me doesn't want to report in for November, but I'm going to be strong and stick with it. I know I need to get back on track, I'm slacking much too much. I do the plan really well, and then I cheat, not with meat, not with dairy or eggs or oil, but with sweet (which do have fat in them too.)

When I break it down like that, it's really just one little thing to focus on. Early on I was still struggling mentally with dropping wine. Now a couple glasses in a month seems like nothing, and even that I could drop easily, though I haven't as I do enjoy the social side of it.

Or coffee, who would have ever thought I could give up coffee. My husband and I were just talking about that last night. It's been almost 4 months now. I did a small taster at Sprouts the other day, and while it was good, it doesn't make me want coffee again.

But sweet stuff, I'm still craving the sweets and need to focus on that. Sometimes I still feel deprived, and once I start I can't stop.

I guess that's my goal for November, totally avoid the sweets.
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Re: October 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

Postby sirdle » Thu Oct 31, 2019 7:25 am

Woot! Down 1.4 lbs this week.

Less than 1 lb to go. Very excited about that!

====================

My mom died 10 years ago this morning. I wrote a little tribute.

Cheers, :-P
"Before Enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After Enlightenment chop wood, carry water." -- Zen proverb
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