May 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

[mimiljd]

Hello,

Got a big problem, during the day I am not hungry and I eat around 2 or 3 pm, my first meal. But after dinner, i can eat all that I find.
I can't help myself!! And it's not food that are authorized unfortunately...
it makes me desperate since the day I stick to the program.
I got to say that I go to bed very late.
should i force myself to eat in the morning?

[Mark Cooper]

mimiljd - Whenever you are hungry, at whatever time, eat until you are comfortably full in the manner described by the MWL 10-Point Checklist. When you feel hungry again, eat, once again as outlined by the checklist. If the problem is that you don't seem to be hungry, and then suddenly you are ravenously hungry and eat foods that do not adhere to MWL, it might make sense to try to have a meal sooner than you have been; but, the key is to not neglect the starch component of the meal, and to make sure whatever you choose to eat at any time satisfies the MWL guidelines.

[mimiljd]

mimiljd - Whenever you are hungry, at whatever time, eat until you are comfortably full in the manner described by the MWL 10-Point Checklist. When you feel hungry again, eat, once again as outlined by the checklist. If the problem is that you don't seem to be hungry, and then suddenly you are ravenously hungry and eat foods that do not adhere to MWL, it might make sense to try to have a meal sooner than you have been; but, the key is to not neglect the starch component of the meal, and to make sure whatever you choose to eat at any time satisfies the MWL guidelines.

Thanks I will try to eat sooner. Hope it will resolve my problem.

[Mark Cooper]

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's weigh-in and seeing everyone's reports! Friday is this group's weigh-in day, and participants have until noon pacific time (19:00 UTC) on Saturday to post a report of their result for the week. Reports posted outside that window of time won't be included in the summary that I compile for Saturday evening. This group is all about changing patterns of behavior, so it seems reasonable to me to expect those who choose to participate in the weekly weigh-in to honor that time frame for reporting. In addition to reporting your weight change in pounds, more importantly, please be sure to evaluate your behaviors within the context of the MWL 10-Point Checklist, if you please. I will respond to everyone's reports in a cumulative post on Friday evening and Saturday evening, and the summary for the week will be posted Saturday night.

If you would like more detailed information on why participants are recommended to weigh themselves once a week, check out this excellent and thorough article from Jeff - To Weigh or Not to Weigh

Take care everyone, and I'll see you tomorrow!

[carolw]

This week I lost 2.2 pounds. I have not lost weight for the last 2 weeks. Physical issues have keep me from exercising and I thought that was the reason for the lack of weight loss. But this week I also did not exercise but I still lost 2.2 pounds. I believe the difference is that this week I managed to make progress on a food behavior that has beleaguered me for a long time-maybe 70 years -off and on. It’s called “grazing” and it manifests itself in eating standing up in the kitchen as I am preparing a meal or batch cooking or taking a snack or putting away food after a meal. As I go about my work I pop “allowed” (only MWL) foods into my mouth. A little salad here, a mouthful of rice there. So whats the big deal? Aren't we allowed as much food as we need if hungry? (Principle #9)

But I do not ask myself “am I hungry?”. I see the food, I eat the food. In jest it’s called the “seefood” diet. It is an impulsive reaction to an addictive stimulus I guess. And I can't stop. it I have been able to change the kinds of foods that I am addicted to but not that particular food behavior. There are 4 reasons I want to give it up. 1. It is compulsive, 2. it is ugly, and 3. it is dangerous. Often in my rush I choke on a grain of rice or a piece of celery gets caught in my throat. Not a good idea for an older woman. In addition 4th reason is: As much as I think it doesn’t count calorically, grazing behavior does add weight- even when adhering strictly to MWL principles Thats what i learned this week from giving up the grazing behavior and still losing weight.

A week ago I instituted a new "campaign" called NEWS – No Eating While Standing. I eat my large MWL meals and take no extra food into my mouth. If I feel hungry I can take a snack and put it on a plate and take it to the table and eat it sitting. But if I am hungry it’s a sign that I haven’t eaten enough at the last meal. For a week it has worked well. I am no hungrier than last week when i was grazing .With a little help from you and my other friends (in a 12 step overeating program) I’m hoping to surrender this habit for good.

[tinathescreamer]

Weight loss -1.6 lbs
Sucesses no animal products, no flour products, no added oils. After almost 6 weeks these habits now seem normal. I like the fact I now feel lighter after eating, tho I eat till I am full without stuffing.
needs greater attention I've been under the weather this week so no exercise. Rather than cook, I relied on what was quick and easy to prepare so lots of fruit, microwaved potatoes and muesli with soy milk - that last was definietly non compliant. The last few days i've been making rice and veggie soup with white rice, which seems to be easier on my digestion. As soon as I can get to the store I'll get some brown and eat half and half.
General observations my pants are looser

[NomeOslo]

5/1 - 134.8
5/8 - 133.2

Weight - lost 1.6 lbs

This is a week for a little celebration - I have officially lost 10% of my weight (from January 1st). I know it probably doesn't sound like a lot of weight, but at my height (4'8"), every pound makes a big difference. And maybe because of that, I think it's better for me to keep a written record of what I eat. Otherwise, all those little "tastes" start adding up (thank you carolw for your comments on that - I totally relate to eating while prepping).

I did discover that it's definitely not good for me to weigh myself daily - it went up and down, and I found myself feeling down if it was up, and willing to eat off plan if it was down. So, once a week for me is plenty.

I didn't follow the principles 100% this week, but was fairly close. I hope everyone is staying healthy.

[Note: I haven't read any of the comments since last Friday, so some of my reactions may seem a bit old.]

carolw, thank you for sharing your story. It's an inspiration!

Chaz01, I can relate to the BMI categories. I have just now crossed over from obese to overweight. And I think we should celebrate (with something other than food of course).

Lucas, for something to drink other than water, fruit or mint leaves steeped in water make a nice treat. You don't need much of either, and just a half cup of cut up fruit in a 2 qt pitcher is delicious.

Noella, I'm with you on the kitchen cleanup! I made a beef stew for my husband this week, which I don't normally do (the beef was a gift) - and spent extra time sanitizing the counters and equipment I used - cooking meat now makes me nauseous.

Hope you all had a good week, and have a good week to come!

[Abe]

Weight Change: -1 lbs.

MWL Points:

1. Start meals with soup or salad.
2. Follow 50/50 plate volume.
3. Eliminate sugar and salt.
4. Eliminate animal based foods.
5. Eliminate higher fat plant foods.
6. Eliminate oil.
7. Eliminate higher calorie dense foods.
8. Do not drink your calories.
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don’t starve yourself and don’t stuff yourself.
10. Avoid being sedentary.

Comments

1. My weight fluctuated 2-3 pounds up and down throughout the week, but I finished down a pound today.
2. I am celebrating my 50th birthday on Sunday. At first I was struggling to think of a healthy cake/treat that we could all enjoy, but my sister suggested that I not celebrate with food. The idea never occurred to me, but of course it is the safest bet and what I intend to do. I will enjoy the small family gathering of people within my lockdown circle playing some boardgames that I enjoy.

[courtneywagasky]

05/01: 127.4
05/08: 126.6

Change This Week: -.8 lb

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 6/7
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, choose fruit for dessert. 7/7
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. 5/7
4. Eliminate all animal foods. 7/7
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 4/7 (1 tsp Flax)
6. Eliminate any added oil. 6/7
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products, puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. 5/7
8. Don't drink your calories. 6/7
9. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 6/7
10. Aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily. 7/7

Reflections
The Sunday after weigh-in I had a rough evening. I won't get any ideas in anyone's head but I wasn't compliant. It really made me think about this way of eating and I tried my best to stay on track this week! I did incorporate flax into my breakfast some mornings which is why my score for higher fat plant foods is lower, but I only put in a teaspoon with my cooked oats so I don't see it as a problem, just honestly logging it!

Cinco de Mayo I did have 3 corn tortillas baked so that I could have a tortilla chip alternative. Sometimes I read that corn tortillas are okay but other times I don't. Can someone confirm?

I also made a WFPBNO/MWL instagram to keep me accountable. Which I think will help. Otherwise, ready to tackle another week!

[Tian-De]

05/08/2020: 163.0

Change This Week: +.02 lb

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 3.5/7
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, choose fruit for dessert. ?/7 I feel like I don't do this at all for snacks.
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. 5/7
4. Eliminate all animal foods. 7/7
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 5/7
6. Eliminate any added oil. 6/7
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products, puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. 6/7 (Does Soba with lots of cabbage count?)
8. Don't drink your calories. 6/7
9. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 6/7
10. Aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily. 7/7
11. Don't mix in other things. pretty good, but It's hard not to be tempted by quick fixes that are similar and vegan like, intermittent fasting, tricks from Greger's "How Not to Diet" book, or the Fasting Mimicking Diet, but after looking at the successes below, I know I need to stay the course.

Successes

~ My anxiety/depression is a lot better. Part of it may be the nightly journaling, but I'm feeling the diet is a major contributor.
~ I checked my fit bit and found the my resting heart rate has dropped 14 points (from 165 to 151) since starting the program.
~ Discovered several amazing foods I never tried before - Buckwheat, Farro, Kamut Wheat, Chocolate Tea.

Room for Improvement

~ I still haven't gotten the hang of the pre-loading of meals or the 50/50 plate. I try to do both, but often the desire to eat filling starchy foods overcomes to patience to make a big soup or salad. My go-to snack is a can of chickpeas (usually airfried) I could get in the habit of making a big salad and eating them with that. Basically, the first two rules are the hardest to be solid with.
~ When I cook asian style dishes, it is easy to go heavy on the soy sauce.
~ Like with cronometer before, I'll often get moved by my fit bit and see that I burned X calories today and think, I could eat more. It's like the thought of how much I've theoretically burned hi-jacks natural impulses. Maybe I could just leave it on heart-rate or steps.

Considerations

~ I haven't maintained a weight below 164 long-term, so despite two weeks of a tiny bit of gain, I'm actually doing alright. Even if I don't lose any after this, the way I feel (energized and happy) and improvements in my resting heart rate are both reasons to stick with this long term.

[pootsy]

Good Morning! Weight loss 12 # , a lot of it water. Working on getting back on track and changing those behaviors.
Need to focus on checklist # 4,5,6. Dairy was a struggle before and again it is something I need to improve. I had pasta with jarred pesto this week and will need to find a healthier alternative.
I have gone back to my mainstay foods of oatmeal, soup, fruit, corn and potatoes, sweet and white. I find keeping it simple easier as I try to get 100% compliant. I went this week to a wholesale produce farm that is selling boxed fruits and vegetables for $10 that they usually supply to restaurants and schools. The cars line up and they just put it in so a safe outing during this lockdown. I shared with my neighbors which was fun and glad to help the farmers so a win/win!
I had success with increasing movement this week, my pool reopened so I have done an hour a day of pool exercise and I got my bicycle, actually a trike! I couldn't manage the two wheel safely and I love being able to ride again!!!!
Happy Mothers Day to all the Moms out there!!!!

[wildgoose]

Cinco de Mayo I did have 3 corn tortillas baked so that I could have a tortilla chip alternative. Sometimes I read that corn tortillas are okay but other times I don't. Can someone confirm?

@courtneywagasky Corn tortillas, especially baked ones (which removes the water) are high in calorie density and so are not recommended. You are right, the unbaked ones used to be allowed, but the guidelines have changed. Jeff has done a good explanation:

There was a time that “soft” corn tortilla’s were allowed but never if they were baked. Baking the tortilla increased the calorie density fairy high. . Soft corn tortilla's are around 1000 cal/lb, while baked corn tortilla's are about 1800 cal/lb. You can read about the issue with corn tortilla's here...

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=58681&p=591201&#p591201

You can read about why the calorie density goes up so much when the tortilla is baked in this discussion here about baked potato chips

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=48112

Hope that helps to clear up the confusion.

Goose

[wstokes]

down -2.8

I am not sure what was so different this past week. Maybe my lower "cheat" activity on the weekend left me better off. I'll take it!

[jasonrhoads1]

Hello Everyone!

Starting weight 228.4 lbs
Previous weight 217.2 lb
Weight change -1.8 lbs 215.4 lb now
Points from the MWL Checklist where I succeeded this week 3-10
Points from the MWL Checklist that need greater attention. 1, need to make up some more soup and 2 the 50/50 plate. This is mostly a challenge for me regarding breakfast.
General impressions & observations / resources to share / sources of excitement / requests for input & support.
For what ever reason, I am finding it a challenge to have the 50/50 plate in the morning. I am having one serving of hashbrowns, no oil, at about 6:30am then oatmeal at 9am, there have been a few days that I have had more success.

Does anyone have a good morning style veggie recipe?? or suggestions on how to include more veggies in the morning.

Hope everyone is well and safe
~Jason

[NateKruse]

01 May 2020 weight: 230.6 pounds.
08 May 2020 weight: 227.6 pounds.
Weekly Change: -3.0 pounds.

I am continually amazed how I can eat as much as I want, whenever I want, and still lose a couple of pounds week after week.

My diet was basically identical to last week except I tried Plantiful Kiki's Chana Masala recipe from her YouTube video for the first time. This dish is amazing! It calls for Trader Joe's fat free coconut creamer but I forgot to put it in. The nutrition label says it has zero grams of fat per serving, but the serving is only 1 tablespoon so I'm skeptical that it is truly fat free. I did add the coconut creamer to mashed potatoes and they turned out delightful!

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.100%
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. 90%. Still room for improvement by having less starchy vegetables, but it is working for me so I am not going to change it.
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them. 80% Still using canned vegetables with sea salt. Also adding garlic salt at the table.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). 100%
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 100%
6. Eliminate any added oil. 100%
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. 100%
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). 100%. One gallon of water every day.
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 100%
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).100%. 45 minute morning walk with the dog and a 45 minute home workout every day.