June 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Group

[abible]

2020-06-19: 192.1 pounds
2020-06-26: 191.1 pounds
Wgt Loss: -1.0 pound

A little better this week, but a couple of days relapse mid-week.

When I first started this program I made recipes with several servings
so that I could have them ready to go when I had not prepared
something. That works really well, and I don't know why I stopped
doing it. It puts me in a bad place when I'm at the end of the day
and want something to eat. So I have made two changes starting
yesterday. I have started making multi-serving meals again and
storing the extra in our too small refrigerator. I made a large pot
of vegetable soup with a veggie soup mix, water and some spices. I
added some beans and diced tomatoes at the end -- no-salt beans and
low salt tomatoes. I do not find any soups locally that are low salt
enough. This replaces the starter salad. Salad is a bit of a bother
to make, especially if I am in a hurry, and the soup just needs to
live in the microwave for a few minutes. I still make the salad to go
with the starch part of the meal most of the time. At least, that is
the plan.

Cheers to all.

tony

[GreenFroG]

Hello,

Weight change: -1.8
Weight last week: 159.2
Current weight 157.4

Week Review:
Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
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.
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.
Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Automatically put flaxseed on oatmeal a few times without thinking.
Eliminate any added oil.
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.
Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don’t starve yourself and don’t stuff yourself.
Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).

I felt really good about following the plan this week. Exercised with brisk walking at least thirty minutes each day, and three times this week went for about an hour. Made a couple of the recipes that were really good: BBQ bean salad and the potato casserole. Noticed that I automatically add flaxseed to my breakfast without thinking, and will have to work on being deliberate in my actions. I am learning to reach for veggies or potatoes for snacks.

Also, thank you everyone for your feedback and support! Have a great week!

[Tian-De]

Dear the MWL Team (Mark, Jeff, Goose, and the weight loss super friends)

How is this even possible! The laws of physics that bind the universe together are revealing themselves in strange and mysterious ways! Old notions are being shattered!

Thanks Mark for checking in with us every week and giving great feedback!

(I Clocked in at 69.9 Kg today. Pretty excited. Never thought going under 70 was even possible)

Max weight 2007: 103 Kg (227 lbs)
Start in April: 170 lbs
June 5th: 161.3
June 10th: 158.4
June 19th: 155.3
June 26: 153.8 lbs

Weight loss this week: -1.5 lbs

In terms of the 10 guidelines, I honestly felt I did really poorly this week. But it may be that being in the group for three months is making the "off track" meals seem more extreme.

I got 8.5/10 for most of my meals except six. The -1 for each meal is that I've not really been preloading meals systematically. The -.5 is that most of my meals were probably more starch than veggies.

The six off-meals were these:

1) Indian take-out: Rice & Bean Burrito with Chick'n (Probably Gardein), Fries, and Pakora (Fried Veggies with a sweet dipping sauce)
2) Chip binge: #1 caused a pleasure trap spiral in which I consummed nearly a whole back of popcorn chips, labeled "low-fat", but quite calorically dense.
3) Dinner with friends: All white rice and veggies, but the veggies were light sautéed in oil. In all honesty though, probably what Dr. McDougall was talking about when he mentioned the three generations of Asian-Americans, so not too terrible.
4) Dessert: Taro pudding with coconut milk and tapioca pearls (A delicious [yet impossible to digest] gift from a Taiwanese aunty)
5) Dinner at home: Wife made stir fried tofu and veggies, a bit of oil. (But again, not the worst thing in the world, it was a side-dish.)

6*) Crackers: I ate some buckwheat crackers before going into the grocery store because I knew I would make better choices than if I went in hungry. I consider this a win though because I didn't buy anything I would regret later. WOOHOO!

Everything else was fruit, spuds, veggies, grains, and beans.


In terms of action items for this week.
1) I need to keep making starches in bulk. (I eat so much that this is actually only an extra half a meal.) I'm finding that having some oatmeal or potatoes already made when I get an unexpected craving to be really helpful.

2) I need to NOT tell people I've lost weight. I think off-meals #1, #2, and #4 wouldn't happen if I didn't tell people I lost weight. They care about me, and in their minds, they remember a 天德 with more cushioning.

Thanks Again!
天德

[lmggallagher]

SW: 241.9
GW: 150.0

Last Week: 220.2
This Week: 218.8
Total Lost: 23.1

Lost 1.4 lb

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
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.
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.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
6. Eliminate any added oil.
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
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages)
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 and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Still not a possibility - I'm having trouble with the toes of my left foot. Not terribly painful but swollen and if I put shoes on I have major tingling and numbness. Walking is currently the only exercise that would otherwise be available to me now.

Observation for the week -- Friday mornings are a real treat I stop doing chores around the house (currently cleaning all cupboards, closets and drawers room by room -- with no place to donate -- didn't think that through ) and sip tea while reading all the weigh in posts. I learn a lot and get great motivation from you all! Last week Mark posted that he eats his meals from a giant stainless steel bowl - I had to laugh as so do I. I haven't used a plate in eons - unless I am dining at someone's house. I'm currently not dining out Glad Goose's goal weight insights were reposted too. That's been a problem for me and I completely identify with the I reached my goal weight now I can bring some "cheats" back in! I had already adopted the interim goal method without a real nod to the ultimate goal. Now it's like my goal for this week was I can reach the weigh I was when I retired - I achieved that today and that was 14 years back! I also am in a smaller size of pants which is exciting too (out of the 1Xs, yay!). My main goal is to hit a weight where I feel super good. My first McDougall experiment was years back and I got down to around 200 pounds. That is about when I will hit the overweight vs. obese category. I felt so great then! I know I can get there pretty quickly - once I can exercise again. So I'm hoping for faster healing of these toes!!!

Good progress to everyone and stay healthy - Michelle

[chaz01]

Weight Change
Week: -2.6 lbs
June: - 4.8 lbs
Year: -69.4 lbs

Nice loss this week, but that just reverses the gain the scales showed last week, so I'm pretty much even to where I was two weeks ago.

Did a good job this week following the MWL guidelines, including eating lots of salad, 50/50 vegetables/starch, eliminating higher fat plant foods, and exercise. The star vegetables this week from my CSA is cucumbers and green onions, In addition to using these in my salad, I've been enjoying these as a light snack, with either a little bit of salt and/or a salsa dip.

Not much else to report this seek, hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.

Chuck

[wstokes]

-1.0
Weighed before workout, but was heavier most of the week. Last week was 3-4 nights of heavier meals as we’ve socialized some more with some C19 restrictions easing. I really want to see steadier weight all week, but tonight will be a meal that is a bit rich. Maybe steady going will smooth things out in the coming days. This Friday reporting really gets my attention around Wednesday. I even put fresh batteries in the scale in case that was causing the fluctuation. Or, maybe that’s how it goes sometimes.

[Mark Cooper]

josietheschnauzer - I would agree that June seemed to just zoom right by! Congratulations on those 3 months of consistent participation here and your 22.2 lb cumulative loss! It appears you had an excellent week, and your plans for maintaining your adherence when socializing / dining out show you are putting thought into protecting the nice groove you are enjoying.

Abe - Let me again applaud your diligent attention to the MWL principles and your thorough assessment with the checklist! Keep on focusing on the process of practicing the recommended behaviors - you are in an excellent position to continue to fortify the resilience of your routine and demonstrate to yourself the ability to successfully navigate a variety of circumstances and situations. I think feeling happy and content is a really important component of making this WOE work. It seems possible that there could be some positive outcomes occurring that may not be immediately apparent or easily measurable, so it's great that you are forging ahead with patience and composure. If you feel like it could be helpful, you might consider keeping a journal / food diary to fully capture your progress and make any trends more easily visible.

AnnetteW - That is an excellent assessment for this week, Annette! Well done! I'm delighted that you are feeling good; things seem to be right on track.

Ren1999 - Kudos! Completely following through on 7/10 points is awesome! As Jeff discusses here, the frequency of meals that helps you maintain a durable pattern of adherence is fine - find the routine that works for you and allows you to practice the behaviors recommended in the MWL 10-Point Checklist each time you eat.

The best take-away from this week was talking to the friend who told me about the MWL website. He knows about my history of seemingly being unable to lose weight (ie in the first 2 weeks of this diet I haven't even lost a full pound)... He said just do it and forget about what the scales say... You know this is the ultimate way to eat, just commit for a year and see what happens.

What a great takeaway! I think you friend's advice is excellent and I salute you for putting it into practice!

rlechols - That is so awesome, Rachel! You are certainly demonstrating that with some consideration, planning and effort, travel needn't be something that derails an excellent pattern of adherence! Fantastic!

NateKruse - Kudos for a good June, you're down an even 8 lbs this month! Cashews are ~2500 calories/lb with 66% of those calories coming from fat, so one can see how they could significantly raise the overall calorie density of a meal and contribute to passive overconsumption. Jeff's thread on Dining Out provides some valuable principles you may potentially be able to apply during your vacation. His ideas for travel food could also prove helpful. Enjoy your trip, endeavoring to maintain a pattern of behavior that supports your goals as best you are able. See you in August!

Ejg - That sounds like a great week! Rather than force yourself to forgo cherries, might it be helpful to aim toward pairing them 50/50 with a starch or combined with some non-starchy vegetables comprising half of a 50/50 plate matched with an equal volume of minimally processed starches?

So ... if optimizing weight loss is my goal ... and I'm legitimately hungry, or really munchy and want a snack ... which would be better? Popcorn? Fruit?

IMH(P&P)O, and based on calorie density, of the two, I would say fruit. However, vegetables would be a better choice and/or a meal of 50% starch and 50% vegetables (and/or fruit) by volume. A meal of 50% starch and 50% vegetables by volume would have a very low calorie density. So, a bowl of 50% oatmeal and 50% berries by volume or a bowl of 50% rice and 50% veggies by volume may be the better choice. You get the starch to help satisfy you and the fruit and/or veggies to help lower the calorie density.

Happy summer to you and keep up your excellent efforts!

abible - I'm glad this week felt like it went better for you, Tony! You are down an even 4 lbs this month, I believe, so a nice overall average of a pound a week for June. Well done recognizing what a valuable supporting role preparation can play in adherence, and making the appropriate changes to (re)include that batch cooking in your routine. As Jeff discusses in On Salad, Soup, and Success, there is evidence to indicate a calorie dilute vegetable soup can be superior to salad in terms of satiety / calorie, so beginning your meals with soup is great.

Salads are not required for success. They can be very time consuming and expensive, which are often key issues for many. All of the time, energy and money spent on salads is not only unnecessary, it may not the best way to incorporate veggies into your daily diet. (The same applies equally to raw vegetables.)

While adding vegetables to a meal lowers the overall calorie density and is an important part of my recommendations, salad is not required. In fact, when we look at the research on this, the form of vegetables that lowered overall calorie density the most and was the most filling was not salads, but vegetable soup.
(See references 1-10 below.)

As someone who cohabitates with family who don't practice MWL, I totally understand that it isn't always feasible to remove all troublesome foods from the environment. It sounds like you are doing your best; like you, I've found it helps to try to ensure that non adherent foods in the house aren't any previous favorites of mine. I wish your wife the very best with her health issue.

GreenFroG - Fantastic! That seems like an excellent week diligently practicing the recommended behaviors! Way to go and have a great week!

Tian-De - You seem enthusiastic and in good spirits, 天德! Just keep doing your best to behave in accordance with the MWL 10-Point Checklist; hitting those 8/10 points is solid, and your action plan for eliminating / minimizing those "off-meals" with adequate preparation seems sensible. I think this excellent short video from Dr. Lisle speaks (in a very succinct fashion) to both preparation, and the practicality of refraining from communicating our personal goals with respect to this WOE to friends / family - Dr. Lisle's Three Top Tips for Dietary Success. It is among my all time favorites.

lmggallagher - Woo-hoo! Great week and you are down 6 lbs this month! Congratulations on attaining that waypoint on your ongoing journey, your retirement weight and downsized pants! I visualize my own personal goal as just doing my very best each week to behave in accordance with MWL 10-Point Checklist (as well as practicing some other daily behaviors that are important to my ongoing physical therapy and well-being). That's a specific goal that is time bound, measurable, relevant to my situation and within my control. By getting the pattern of behavior right, my weight sorts itself out. You are hitting the bullseye on 9/10 points; once your foot recovers, there wouldn't appear to be anything holding you back. Great progress!

chaz01 - Well done, Chuck! Way to rebound and get everything back headed in the right direction. Looks like you did great with the MWL fundamentals. My favorites from this week's CSA box, thus far: beets with stems and greens, loads of beautiful fresh basil, and 4 different varieties of green leafy vegetables. YUMMM!

wstokes - Kudos on another nice loss, you're down over 10 lbs this month! Keep doing your best to follow the MWL 10-Point Checklist, as you are able, at each meal on each day. When deviations happen, you can take note of what they were and why they occurred, and then get right back on track with your next opportunity. Perhaps take some time to brainstorm some ideas for socializing in ways that make it easier to remain more closely adherent?

[Judy_Bell]

Hi All,
Just checking in - no weight change this week. I blame last week I anticipate next week will be better.
On the 10 guidelines, I did fairly well on all but exercise (once again). I'm not sure why this is such a sticking point for me. I am sure I would feel better if I were more active. Although, since changing to this way of eating back in February (whole food, plant based, no added sugar, oil, salt) I have already been feeling a lot better.
I will make a concerted effort to exercise at least 1 (one) day this next week, and see how it goes.
Hope everyone else is having a wonderful week!

[Hope410]

Hello Mark,

Weight loss this week: -2.2 LBS

Points 1-9 were all at 95-100 percent, so I am happy about that.

Point 10 was a challenge again this week, although I was able to walk 3X for 40-50 minutes each time. I also spent time gardening and mowing the lawn, which took 2 hours, so I am considering that as an additional exercise day.

Looking forward to July to continue trying to settle into the MWL way of eating as normal.

Have a great week everyone.

[Lucas]

4/27/20: 203.2
5/1/20: 201.8
5/8/20: 200.0
5/15/20: 198.6
5/22/20: 197.8
5/29/20: 196.0
6/5/20 : 193.8
6/12/20: 192.8
1/19/20: 192.6
1/26/20: 191.8
Change: -.8

Hi,

Oops, so last week I failed to post on time. On Saturday by the time we got back to the house it was too late.

So this week I did better in terms of the guidelines. Can't say I followed them perfectly. It's the usual points for me these days. I was good with points, 1,3,4,5,6,7,8 every day last week. Room for improvement in terms of consistency throughout the week with point #2, #9 and #10, but still not bad for most of the days last week. Overall I felt really good this week. I have been going back and forth between two pant sizes. It's time to switch to the smaller pant size at least work and get rid of some clothes.

Have a great week everyone!

[taymariekay]

Loss this week: .4 lbs

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. None
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%
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. 70%
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). 95%
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). 95%


I don't think my weigh-in's have been accurate due to the gut issues I've been experiencing with the volume of vegetables. My clothes are fitting looser despite what seems to be slow weight loss on the scale. I think I will be taking a break from MWL for the time being just because I am trying to figure out how to eat this way without pain. Probably lowering my fiber quite a bit while still sticking to MWL as much as I can. I will probably be going back on elimination diet temporarily. Yesterday I ate only 1 cup of vegetables, zero fruit, no beans, and just starches and my pain went down 80%. So we will see. I may be back in August. Thanks so much Mark for everything!!!!!!

[Zoey]

Hi everyone. Reporting my .4 loss this week, and feeling bummed about it, because I was 'feeling' lighter and beginning to recognize myself in the mirror again. Then the numbers didn't coincide with the way I feel, and I've let it get me down. Ridiculous, I know, but still true.
So since I started this in May, I'm barely averaging three-quarters of a pound a week.
Nine checkpoints are still easy for me. As for the one giving me trouble, I continue to drink fewer and fewer calories every week. All the tips are helpful, like little pieces of fruit with my sparkling water, so I appreciate everyone's help.
Anyway, no plans on stopping, just had to pout a little.

[chaz01]

Mark, we got some beets as wel this week. I've got a few recipes for the beets, but I'm not sure what to do with the greens. Any suggestions? And you include and eat the stems along with the leaf part?

chaz01 - Well done, Chuck! Way to rebound and get everything back headed in the right direction. Looks like you did great with the MWL fundamentals. My favorites from this week's CSA box, thus far: beets with stems and greens, loads of beautiful fresh basil, and 4 different varieties of green leafy vegetables. YUMMM!

[moonlight]

No weight change...

I kept getting off track this week. Mostly from nibbling here and there. No crazy binging on anything. Some bread came back in this week. I'm pretty disappointed that I can't seem to stay consistent from week to week. I think I would have showed a gain this week but I had a couple of days with a lot of exercise. I guess I will celebrate losing 2 lbs. during this month.

[goal140]

Good morning,

It’s going to be a busy weekend. So I have to post and run.

Last week: 164.4
Today: 164

—.4
Lost. .4 lbs