August 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Group

[Golightly]

Weight loss: -2
Yay! So pleased with this!

10-point checklist:
1. Start each meal... Yes!
2. 50/50 Plate...& fruit for dessert: Yes!
3. Reduce added sugar and salt: Yes!
4. Eliminate all animal foods. Yes! For 4 yrs now.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant food. No— I had Chia seed, ground flaxseed, and a handful of cashews this week on 3 different days. I used the cashews in a dressing and put the seeds on oatmeal.
6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes! I got rid of the oil weeks ago and do not miss it!
7. Eliminate all high calorie-dense food... No. I found a pack of saltines in a kitchen drawer and instead of throwing them away I ate them! What was that about?!?!
8. Don't drink your calories. No. I had a kale and fruit smoothie for one of my breakfasts this week.
9. Don’t starve, don’t stuff.... Yes!
10. Avoid being sedentary... Yes! I walked at least 30 minutes every day this week.

Discovery: in watching and listening to videos of Chef AJ and Jeff Novick I realized how common cruelty to animals is the starting point to go vegan. For Chef AJ it was the beheading of a salamander in an anatomy class. For Jeff it was seeing a beef tongue in his family’s butcher shop. For me it was watching a documentary on Asia and seeing a man pick up a live cat at the end of a rod around it’s neck and dipping it in boiling water. I still have nightmares.

[BarbaraLynn]

Good morning!

Weight Change: Down 2.2 lbs! (Yay)

I'm certainly enjoying both how I feel and the results I'm getting on the scale from this WOE. I feel strong and satisfied. The only area lacking this week, on the 10 point checklist, was exercise. I did exercise several days, but certainly not every day. I am working my way up to that, but could have done better this week. Next week I'm taking some time off of work to again visit local parks and get some hiking in. I so enjoy doing that. I'm sure next week's exercise report will be much better. I love how MWL feels so normal now. Have a wonderful week everyone.

[ladevereaux]

08/03/2020: 246.7
08/07/2020: 241.7
08/14/2020: 242.7
Weight change: +1 lbs

10-Point Checklist:
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. NO
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. NO
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. NO
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). NO
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). NO
6. Eliminate any added oil. NO
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. NO
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). NO
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. YES
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). YES

Observations:
My birthday was this week, and since Marc said last week to give a yes/no assessment of the 10 points, I am Yes on points 9 & 10 and No on all the rest. But I will say that with the exception of my actual birthday, most of my meals were on plan and when I went off plan I made a conscious effort to make a better choice of what was available at the time and to not overeat. I think that’s why my gain was only 1 lb and I’m ok with that. As an added bonus, I checked my BP this morning and it was 128/80. I haven’t seen it this low in forever!

[Vegeloon]

I am up .2 pounds this week. Strayed off from the 10 point checklist. Back on track this week and looking forward to seeing a good loss next time!
Thank you Mark for the time you put in responding individually to all of us - it is a huge help and very motivational!

[Hope410]

Good Morning All,

Weight change: -1.0 LB

Points: 2, 3, 6, 8-10 all were 100% this week. Finally walked everyday: 5X for 35-45 min. and 2x for 25 min. Will work to repeat it next week.

Points: 1, 4, 5, and 7 were at 90%-95 % so they need more attention. I did not have any prepared pre-load foods ready for a couple of meals. Also a loaf of zucchini bread found it's way into my house and into my mouth before I was able to chase it right out of here. It's gone now!!

Here's to a great week everyone.

[Trish]

Hello my fellow travelers on this McDougall pathway! It is 12:04, so I am hoping to slide in under the weigh-in line
Starting weight: 144
Current weight: 119.5
Lost this week: 2.5 lbs.
Thank you for your suggestion’s and encouragement, Mark, I have remembered them daily even though not totally adherent, better by far. I really needed it.

What has been my strongest change is to truly not eat, when not hungry. Sometimes this overlaps with meal times, it just does. I’ve not been sure quite what to do with this as I am quite active with exercise and would expect to be hungry more often.. so this week, just followed the guideline, don’t eat when not hungry.

Also making progress on increasing starch rather than as much fruit. Rest of guidelines are going well, at least 90%, no animal products, plenty of veggies, starch increasing, only one juice for low blood sugar that was severe (misjudgment on my part) and starch is too slow, limit high fat plant foods 95%, loving sweet potatoes whenever!!

Tried a new bbq sauce from over on Dr. Edelstyne’s webpage, “Bone Suckin’ Sauce” if you can believe that name recommended by one of our vegan colleagues! Sheesh... NO oil, some sugar as BBQ sauce tends to have unless I make it myself (Joel Fuhrman has a great recipe, but it is time consuming though worth it.. uses a few dates vs. sugar to sweeten and of course, no oil).

Odd as I am, I really enjoy raw cauliflower or cooked potatoes lightly dipped in low sugar catsup+bbq sauce - very satisfying bland and sharp tastes.. maybe try it! Cocktail sauce works too!

Exercise 7 days, running or walking, one weight training which I would like to increase next week.

Often in this weight loss journey, times of no and times of some pounds left behind are a real mystery to me. I get discouraged an feel like my “body is working against me” which leads to upset which leads to wanting to give up because “I can’t win”... none of which is true. But it sure can FEEL that way.

Anyone else do that when weight loss stops?

Mark’s guidance to focus on what I am eating rather than what I am weighing, and to remember that closer to goal, weight loss becomes slower or less predictable and to hang in there, and reading your posts, has really helped me have a more attentive and realistic focus. 100%

Thank you, thank you. Now to go and read everyone’s weekly stories!!

I

[connielovesdogs]

- 3.3 lbs
CW: 185.7

01) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit: yes
02) Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals: YES
03) Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and salts: YES
04) Eliminate all animal foods: YES
05) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods: YES
06) Eliminate any added oil: YES
07) Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods: YES
08) Don’t drink your calories: NO (still struggling with those soy lattes)
09) Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full: YES
10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily: No and Yes...so I'm doing great with getting 30 minutes (usually closer to an hour) of walking or biking every day. However, during the work day I am not getting up often enough...I get so absorbed in work and end up sitting for 4 hours without moving.

I have vacation next week (pandemic staycation), which will be great for movement and breaking the soy latte habit! My vacation does start with a colonoscopy, though, so as part of the prep I'm not allowed to eat high fiber food for 2 days (today and tomorrow) and then only liquids on Sunday. I don't know how this will impact my weight loss next week, but am still able to avoid animal products, high fat plants, oils. I can eat mashed potatoes as long as no skin. I can eat canned veggies and melons and bananas.

I hope everyone has a terrific week with many successes each day!!

[vegyluvver]

Lost 2 pounds this week. Food compliance was all over the place, but I do usually drop weight the week of my period, so there you go, more than you wanted to know about me.

As for the checklist, I don't seem to do moderation so it was either great or terrible depending on the meal this week. I'm going to keep closer track this week. I'm creating a physical journal sheet with all the guidelines on it and I will check them off daily and report back next Friday.

I am going to put the exercise bike in the TV room and see if I can manage it. My joint pain has been less, so maybe.

[rlechols]

Last week's weight: 145 lbs
This week's weight: 145 lbs
Loss of 0 lbs

Thank you to those who commented on my before/after pictures I posted last week. I hope for those of you just starting out it is helpful to know you can do this!

This week I had all sorts of interruptions to my routine...friends over for dinner one day and then my son came home from college and stayed for 2 weeks, and the past 3 days his girlfriend also flew out to meet us. We've been sightseeing and eating out. A few times I went a bit hungry and a few other times I ate something minimally off plan.

I would say I got 5 days out of 7 on points 1, 2, 5, and 7. The rest were 7/7. Exercise was still daily but shorter than usual.

Hopefully next week I can more fully follow my routine that has been working so well for me.

[Kathie]

226.6

Did good on most of the 10 points. Need to work on planning better so I have veg. soup available most of the time.

And not eating late. We've been exercising late and I come home hungry and eat too late. But if I eat before I go, I don't do as well exercising.

And I guess I won't be eating chocolate anymore. Oh well.

[vegyluvver]

226.6

Did good on most of the 10 points. Need to work on planning better so I have veg. soup available most of the time.

And not eating late. We've been exercising late and I come home hungry and eat too late. But if I eat before I go, I don't do as well exercising.

And I guess I won't be eating chocolate anymore. Oh well.

I think if you come home hungry you're supposed to eat. That's number 9 on the checklist.

[Amberlina]

08/14/2020 - 153
Weight change +/- in lbs - (-1)
Total loss since 7/7/2020: (-7)
Points from the MWL Checklist where I succeeded this week- Points from the MWL Checklist that need greater attention- Whole foods, moving the body more and more salads/greens are some good points this week. Trying to eat veggies first,then starch. Added fruit to oatmeal every single morning.
General impressions & observations / resources to share / sources of excitement / requests for input & support-
I really expected to see at least 2 pounds gone this week, as I really stepped up my game. There is something I am going to try and do differently to see if that may be why.
I am the only one in the family (husband and teenage son)that eats this way. I make all of our meals at home and I usually modify mine to remain compliant.For example, they have spaghetti with meat, buttery garlic bread and salad with full fat dressings and croutons. I have sauce with no meat, fat free salad and a couple of pieces of NON buttered toast. They have tacos with cheese, sour cream, meat, beans and all the fixings. I have rice, beans, lettuce, tomato and salsa with a couple of roasted tortillas.I pack meat and cheese sandwiches, chips etc for my husband’s lunch. I cook potatoes and have a fat free salad.
And this is how I have been cooking within our budget and following my plan. I want to pay close attention to any places where I am not following the checklist and maybe I am not realizing it. It makes it hard to be making their garlic bread and corn tortillas or putting croutons on their salads. But I am on a mission for better health. A healthy weight range for my height is 113-138 lbs. Today I am at 153. I am 7 pounds closer to being in that range and that is something positive I need to keep in mind.As an experiment this week, I am going to cut out the toast, and the tortillas etc to see if that makes a difference. Maybe those little things are adding up throughout the week.

[Violet3135]

August 1: 176
August 7: 176
August 14: 174
Net loss: 2 lbs

I am happy to see a loss this week. Slow and steady . . . . I return to teaching on campus( mask in face!)next week and will stay away from home a few days of each week. I stay with a colleague and it provokes a bit of anxiety as he observes and sometimes comments on what I eat. Shoring myself up to not be so sensitive to others' comments. Wish me luck!
Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes
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. Yes
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. Yes
Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). Yes
Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Yes
Eliminate any added oil. Yes
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. Yes
Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Yes
Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don’t starve yourself and don’t stuff yourself. Yes
Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Yes

[laura_delao]

Weight Loss: -1.0
CW: 135.2

I am very pleased with this week's weight. I continue going to the gym but still too sore to go for a daily walk. I've been reading a book called Chi Walking and planning on implementing it. I had a couple of green smoothies for breakfast this week since it seems to help with constipation, which I've suffered for many years. I thought that would improve when I went plant based but it did only temporarily. Before doing the MWl I was trying to do Chef AJ's Ultimate Weight Loss and the smoothies helped. Any recommendations Mark? I am having soup and salad every dinner. Continue having a breakfast at a restaurant and the least offensive meal are the pancakes. There is not much of a choice in this small community where I live, but because it is a time to sit down and relax and go over the week's happenings with my husbands I try to make up during the week for this slip up. Haven't bought milk anymore. I always have baked potatoes and sweet potatoes on the fridge to snack on. Who knew that a baked potato with Cholula was a great snack to eat while watching TV instead of popcorn?! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[Beeshell]

Weight Change: + .9 (not surprised - birthday last weekend)

1) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes breakfast, need to do better with L and D. Bought items for salad and soup this week.

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. Another area that needs focus. I am planning on expanding my greens this week.

2) Choose fruit for desert.Yes. except for last weekend when we had some vegan cupcakes. I'm glad they were cupcakes rather than cake so there wasn't any left.

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. Birthday...but able to move on after consuming after weekend.

4) Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).Yes - don't eat any of these.

5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 75 %. Ate some tofu with stir fry

6) Eliminate any added oil. yes 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. 75 %.

8 ) Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). 100%

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% exercise every day.

Plan: more greens with lunch and dinner.
Read more of the messages. Haven't done this much and when I do, find it motivating and I learn things and get ideas.