February 2020 McDougall MWL 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: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby Aprincess » Mon Feb 17, 2020 5:11 pm

moonlight wrote: Amy, I hope you have a compliant day today, too!


Thanks, Moonlight! I’m hoping you had a great day, too! When I started, so many people told me that it’s a process. I guess I didn’t expect my process to take so long. Lol. I’m determined to get it though! Have a great night!
~ Amy ~ :) :-) :-D :D
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Re: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby Mark Cooper » Mon Feb 17, 2020 5:45 pm

moonlight - I'm glad you are feeling encouraged, and I agree that really knowing why you are choosing this way of eating is quite important.

Amy - Thank you so much for the kind words!

JaBee - Maintaining satiety is definitely important! :nod:

Drew - That is great that you were able to have such good quality time with your wife. I'm so impressed by how well you are managing to provide support to your parents and make the necessary preparations to keep your meals on track, while maintaining a really positive attitude! :thumbsup:

Chuck - Intact whole grains of all types can absolutely make a delicious breakfast. You'll have to let us know which you like the best. That salad prep looks awesome! My hat is off to you!

Jennifer - Way to go! That seems like a really effective strategy, you resolved your most important decisions in advance (committing to exercise and for a specific duration), but had the flexibility to accommodate your schedule. That continuing momentum is how you'll make it a habit. :thumbsup:


Building on wildgoose's post above, I think viewing willpower as a limited (and even scarce) resource is an extremely useful framework. I'm one of those "hyper-conscientious nutcases," so the ideas that follow may not apply to everyone, but are things I've observed in my own journey (particularly when I have struggled). I think the vast majority of the time, most every decision we make is the one our "brain" thinks will serve us best, under our current understanding of the circumstances and likely outcomes. But, when it comes to food, it's SO easy for our "decider" to be wrong because the modern food environment is essentially antithetical to the environment for which that "decider" was adapted. We're basically working in opposition to some powerful mechanisms. And we're able to overrule those forces because we understand the science of why this way of eating serves us, and we're able to draw on a "reserve" of willpower to take the steps needed to eat in a healthful fashion and exercise. Some positive feedback and results may follow, and we are motivated, and we build on those successes - now we are in a groove. Our routine is worked out, everything feels like it is going great, smooth sailing.

THEN, some complication arises that breaks that routine, AND NOW we have to make some decisions again. If we're lucky, we again have some willpower to spend making the best choice we can. But often, the thing that knocked us out of our routine in the first place was stressful, exhausting, depleting and our willpower tank is running on empty. Nothing left to quiet that decider, and we "revert to form." Depending on the specific environment we're in and the circumstances this might place us right back in the pleasure trap and take some real time to regain ground.

How to avoid this? What works for me is to make all my "decisions" in an environment that is under my control and when I'm in my most resilient and capable state. That's the time to do any planning and preparing, put in the work, figure out how I'll manage "known" situations that are likely to be challenging. With all that "deciding" done when I'm at my best, I can proceed to coast ahead on the strength of my habits, until the next time I need to "plan my attack." I think, especially while we're working on changing (rather than just maintaining) behaviors, we can't afford to underestimate the capacity for any little hurdle or hiccup to knock us out of a groove, if anything I've found it best to over prepare! After a significant time of proving to myself that I knew and understood the best way for me to handle just about any situation related to my lifestyle choices (mainly by actually experiencing those struggles and figuring out what I needed to make things work), I rarely have to do much strategizing for what comes, but that was hard-won experience that absolutely didn't happen in a week, or a month, or really even six months. Again, I want to reiterate that this is just what I've observed on my own journey, and what seems to have worked for me, so one's mileage may vary. But in general, it seems wise to me to do as much as we're able to avoid having to make those choices "on-the-spot," that might mean never leaving the house without an apple, banana, or some cooked potatoes in a bag, it might mean bringing along our own food to a gathering or even a restaurant, it might mean deciding in advance that before you choose to consume food that doesn't adhere to the guidelines, you will ALWAYS take a moment to eat something that is adherent first. Last week, my wife and daughter wanted to have an evening out and dine at Red Robin - the only things I can eat on that menu are steamed broccoli and a very basic salad (sans dressing). Rather than just hoping for the best, I microwaved a couple of sweet potatoes before we left, threw them in a bag along with my silicone container of lemon juice, cider vinegar and balsamic. Consequently, I was able to start my Red Robin meal with a salad, and my sweet potatoes were delicious with a side of broccoli, and we all had a lovely evening. We owe it to ourselves to do the things that will give us the best chance of succeeding, because succeeding in the world of 2020 is HARD and everything around us makes it EASY to fail.
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Re: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby moonlight » Mon Feb 17, 2020 10:58 pm

Mark, thank you for discussing your experiences with staying compliant. Very helpful! The point about preparing for and anticipating issues or situations was such a good point. Getting prepared when we have mental energy rather than being caught tired and hungry. It’s so much easier to make a good decision when there not so much effort involved.

I had another good day. :)
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Re: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby Aprincess » Tue Feb 18, 2020 2:54 pm

This afternoon I’ve been having really strong urges to eat something sweet and non compliant. I almost gave in. But, I caught myself and thought, “Amy, you are doing so good”. So, instead, I opened the McDougall boards for inspiration and I’m feeling so much better now. I’ll have to remember this experience. I hope you are all having a great day!
~ Amy ~ :) :-) :-D :D
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Re: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby VegSeekingFit » Tue Feb 18, 2020 5:20 pm

Hi,

Glad you had a good day, Moonlight!! :)

Amy, love how you came to the Board for inspiration! Awesome! :cool: Will use that strategy myself!

Mark and Wildgoose, Thanks so much for detailed posts on limitations of willpower and how to build strategies and habits.

Mark, your detailed explanation was especially helpful to me -- as I have been considering the root cause of why I "fell off" plan last year -- when I should have been maintaining. :oops: I am spending some time trying to understand this better as I refuse to let it happen again. Reading through your post triggered something and I went back to my journal from that time to confirm. On the face of it, I would have attributed my reverting to some bad habits as due to going through extremely stressful / sad time that was taking all of my energy. However, I found that also, I had already started to let some snacks into my life... Meaning, I had already built back a bad habit, but it just hadn't registered yet on the scale... (and it was an "occasional").

This is really helpful in trying to strategize for future (and current - I have a long way to go). I am a black and white type of person who is not moderate. Therefore, I will draw a black line around certain foods to NEVER eat - even if they are regular McD compliant. No opening of Pandora's Box!! I know that we are all different --- so maybe this is not of help to anyone else.

Cheers,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
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Re: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby Mark Cooper » Tue Feb 18, 2020 5:28 pm

moonlight - I'm so glad your day went well!

Amy - Good for you! I'm glad you were able to find some inspiration via the discussion board. :)

Stephanie - That is very interesting, and squares with my own experience and intuition. I'm pretty black and white myself :nod: and having those lines in the sand was very helpful for me.
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Re: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby Cnmsth » Wed Feb 19, 2020 11:27 am

A busy couple of weeks and I haven't weighed in, but I have been trying to eat as good as possible. (Though I haven't been spot on every day.) I'm encouraged because my clothes are feeling loose. I'll weigh in this week. I am in love with baked potatoes that are cooled in the fridge and warmed up in my frying pan with a variety of herbs. I add some frozen veggies and that is a yummy meal right there. I was eating my oatmeal at work later in the morning, but I switched to eating it before I leave and take a snack. That seems to be working good. Now to fix dinner and then be more disciplined. This is such an uphill journey, though I seem to wind my way uphill. Sigh.
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Re: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby Mark Cooper » Wed Feb 19, 2020 3:58 pm

Cnmsth - I'm glad you are feeling encouraged by the way your clothes are feeling. Just keep on making your way up that hill! :D
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Re: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby Mark Cooper » Wed Feb 19, 2020 4:39 pm

This week's Success Story - Elizabeth TeSelle: Beyond Veganism

I must begin this story by admitting that I was formerly a failed McDougaller. I succeeded my first time around in losing the 70 pounds I had gained in my 30s, but then I gradually slipped off the McDougall wagon, gaining back every pound I had lost (and a few more as well). I did that not by eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) as so many have, since I have been vegetarian since 1986 and vegan since 1992. I was vegan for primarily ethical reasons, however, and often used oil in cooking, as well as other calorie-dense foods. With two jobs and a farm to run, too often I fell back on frozen vegan “fast food” (marketed to appear healthy, but processed and high in fat) and picked up burritos on my way home. In my worst moments, I ate French fries, potato chips, and other junk food (and a surprising amount of junk food is vegan!). All too soon, eating that way eroded the progress I had made McDougalling.

This opening paragraph of Elizabeth's narrative rang all too true for me, having been a "junk food vegan" for over a decade with the accompanying excess weight and hypertension that came with it. After realizing she needed to make a change, she describes
a feeling of resentment. After all, I was already restricted in what I could eat by virtue of being vegan. I didn’t eat meat or dairy, and my diet was better than that of most people I knew (junk food and all). Why should I “suffer” further by returning to the McDougall plan? Note that I knew perfectly well what the solution to my problem was—I’d lost weight easily before and I knew I could do it again. Still I resisted, delayed, and tried to talk myself out of a slim, healthy future.

What worked for Elizabeth, ultimately?
I find the Maximum Weight Loss (MWL) plan easier to follow than the Regular plan, in part because many of the higher-fat foods permitted in small amounts on the Regular plan (such as tofu and nuts) are foods that I can and will overeat with ease. Knowing myself, I prefer to stick to whole foods (green and yellow veggies, fruits, grains, legumes, and potatoes and other starchy veggies), with as little processed food as possible. This works for me partly because I tend to be an all-or-nothing person, but also because I simply feel better when I stick with whole foods. I also really love to eat, and the MWL plan allows me to eat as much as I want of whatever I make!


After reading Elizabeth's story, an excellent companion piece is Jeff's thread When Vegan is Not Enough!, which includes this insightful perspective -
In fact, one of the biggest problems I see in helping people improve their diet is their use of the term vegan to describe their diet or their food choices. So much so, that I ask people not to use the term when discussing what they eat with me.

At the last 10 day program, in one of the classes, we had a long discussion on why the use of the thought process, "well at least it was vegan" can do more harm than good especially for those who are on the path of improving their health, as by using that phrase, they are mixing up two concepts. Too many times, I hear people say that they were out to a restaurant and/or at an event or party and there was not any healthy food to eat so they ate "so and so" food, and then they say to me, "but at least it was vegan!" This tells me absolutely nothing about the food other than it had not animal products in it. And, sadly, most of the time, the food they choose may have been high in fat, sat fat, oil, salt, sugar, refined/processed grains and low in fiber, etc etc (or all of the above) and was nothing more than pure junk food.

The worst part is not that such a food on a rare occasion may hurt them, but that they believe it was OK or "more" OK, because it was "vegan." However, I am not promoting veganism or vegan food but health and healthy food and so an unhealthy choice should not be rationalized in a discussion of health as being a healthy choice just because it is vegan. Label it what is it. Don't say, "at least it was vegan, say "I ate some pure unhealthy junk food that was vegan."

Best of all, make a healthy choice, and/or do the best you can in regard to making a healthy choice and keep that the focus. And, for most of us, it will be vegan too.
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Re: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby Mark Cooper » Thu Feb 20, 2020 3:54 pm

For our third February weigh-in tomorrow, please post your report in the following format -

Weight change +/- in lbs
Points from the MWL Checklist where I succeeded this week
Points from the MWL Checklist that need greater attention
General impressions & observations / resources to share / sources of excitement / requests for input & support


Your post doesn't need to be lengthy, if you are short of time or just aren't inclined to write much, but I urge everyone to evaluate their week within the context of the MWL 10-Point Checklist, as well as reporting their weight change. I think this is important and worthwhile for a couple of reasons. Weight loss is an outcome based on behavior and lifestyle, so it is folly to think that we'll see a different outcome without working on improving our behaviors. Additionally, focusing on evaluating our adherence to the MWL checklist allows us to concentrate on the PROCESS that will ultimately lead us to our goals, rather than the specific OUTCOME of a given weigh-in. The effort that we put into that process is within our control, and we are generally able to have a pretty accurate assessment of whether or not we are making our best effort. Conversely, any given result from the scale can be affected and influenced by a variety of factors; we don't have agency over all of those factors. Do those things you are able to do, and try not to worry about those things outside your control - just try to make sure you are accurately distinguishing which is which. :-D

I'll post the summary for the week on Saturday evening. As usual, I'll refrain from responding to posts individually during the weigh-in, other than to address specific time-sensitive issues / questions. I'll respond to everyone individually in a cumulative post on Friday & Saturday. I'm excited to see everyone's posts tomorrow!
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Re: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby Cnmsth » Thu Feb 20, 2020 6:07 pm

I have a coworker who is doing the Isulin IQ diet. It sounds like another version of Keto, but it focuses on insulin resistance and "healthy" fats and only allows 25 carbs a day. She literally drinks oil. Oh my heart! Has anyone heard of this? :eek:
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Re: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby Abe » Fri Feb 21, 2020 4:52 am

Weight Change: -1.1 lbs.

It was extremely challenging dietwise to have my parents staying with me for 10 days. The most difficult part was the restaurants with the rest of the family. I only went twice, and although I remained MWL compliant, it was torturous. I will be avoiding “regular”, non-health food focused restaurants like the plague. I sympathize with those of you living with non-compliant people, who have to face these challenges regularly.

I ate a lot of extra potatoes and sweet potatoes and still managed to lose weight. I really like the MWL diet.

After exercising regularly for 8 weeks it is starting to get a bit easier. I no longer feel like I want to sleep for the rest of the day after a big workout. I still struggle, and hate exercising, but I am glad to be making some progress getting in shape.
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Re: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby BlackBeanSoup » Fri Feb 21, 2020 6:13 am

-0.4 lbs

I'll have to comement later, running late this morning!
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Re: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby Aprincess » Fri Feb 21, 2020 7:47 am

Jan. 1 - 210
Feb. 14 - 205.8
Feb. 21 - 204

- 1.8 lbs.
~ Amy ~ :) :-) :-D :D
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Re: February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

Postby rlechols » Fri Feb 21, 2020 7:54 am

Today's weight: 162 lbs
Loss of 1.5 lbs
Goal weight 150

This week went well with the exception of having a piece of WFPB chocolate cake on Valentine's Day and the leftovers over the weekend. As cakes go it was pretty healthy but not in line with MWL. However, that and a few bites of popcorn were my only non-compliant foods this week. I got my cardio exercise in 5 days a week and continue with some strength training. Feeling good as the weight is slowly coming off even though I'm getting close to goal.

Eating a piece of fruit or soup/salad before meals is working great for me.

Hope everyone had a good week!
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