The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - November 2023 Group

[wstokes]

Lost 0.6 lbs

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 90%

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. 50% -some foods were like minestrone soup (is that 50/50?)

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. 100%

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). 80%

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. 80%

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. 50%....ate too much a few times

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 100%

schedule should settle down by Sunday, I hope compliance really settles then as well

[Gimmelean]

Post for week ending 11/11/2023

1) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Yes

2). Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals.
Yes.

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. See comments below.

4) Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish,)
No - see comments below

5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu,soy).
No -See comments below.

6) Eliminate any added oil.
Yes

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. See comments below.

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

9) Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full.   Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
No

10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes

Victories,Comments,Concerns,Questions:
Hello MWL team-not a good MWL week at all. I didn’t stay on track for long and completely let go with stress eating all of the wrong things- cake, candy, bread, nuts, chips, pizza. Ugh!!!

Last week, Mark posted: To everyone who showed up and participated this week, whether it felt natural or was a struggle, you have my utmost admiration and esteem! Consistently showing up, being accountable, and assessing our progress in practicing the recommended pattern of behavior is the bedrock foundation of our program.

From my perspective, one of the most useful steps to take to build from practice and self-assessment is thoughtful analysis followed by specific action. In other words, based on self-assessment, what areas require focus, what things do I need to change, what should I do differently, or what particular actions should I take to support my progress. Considering the answers to those questions, and taking direct action in response to them can make a BIG difference.

So, what say you? What actions are you taking to make the week ahead a success?



Awesome November here we come! Take care & be well!

I thought a lot about your comments and questions Mark. In the past, I would have demanded an immediate 180 of myself to correct a lapse. Expecting perfection of course never worked. Easing back into adherence one careful day at a time works for me now. I’m very much aware of my triggers this time and while I can’t change my work environment, I can and will certainly plan how I’m going to manage myself in it. Having the right prepared foods with me and at home ready for dinners requires planning, shopping, and preparation which I’m accustomed now to doing. It is a struggle at times. I’d be remiss if I said it was easy. Like the quote “rest not from duty but find rest in it” I find it very comforting to be back on track.

[Jennifer-L]

Hello All, I joined and then missed the first week. I'll do better!

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.

No - I really need to work on this one.

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.

Yes!

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.

Yes! Very minimal for both.

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).

Yes!

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).

Not completely - I've had some tofu this week.

6. Eliminate any added oil.

Yes!

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.

I've been eating some oil free pretzels at night - I need to either grab a potato or just go to bed. In the moment I feel 'starved, that weird sick feeling, but I shouldn't be hungry, can make or break a days work!

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

Yes!

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.

I think I'm doing pretty good here. It's a hard balance sometimes.

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).

No, this has been a low week for walking. Family is in to visit - this will be a priority in the coming week.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

My sister has been staying with me this week. She has been curious to see me 'in action'. She ate along with me for a lot of the week, so it's been fun. She's not ready to commit, but maybe later!

[Artista]

Greetings Time and Adherence Group.

1) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.  Yes

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 desert. Yes

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.Yes

4) Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).Yes

5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). No, ate nuts, flaxseeds, and tofu.

6) Eliminate any added oil. Yes

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, ate whole-wheat flour and dried fruit.

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

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

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: Thank you, Mark, for your encouraging words last week. This week has been a struggle. Some days are more moderate and manageable as far as hunger level and cravings go, but other days are really difficult. Maybe it’s just a matter of persevering until it becomes doable. I don’t know. I wasn't too successful at persevering this week. I appreciate your wonderful moderating of this group and all the participation by the members. I know for me group support is so helpful. The action I took for success this week was to batch cook soup, chili, and a rice and bean dish, also to wash and chop vegetables so they are ready to go at meal time. I’m trying to cut down on the amount of time I spend in the kitchen.

[letsfixmyheart]

Even though I'm nervous about it, I would like to join this group. I read the orientation and I think I'm ready. Yikes.

[Mark Cooper]

Even though I'm nervous about it, I would like to join this group. I read the orientation and I think I'm ready. Yikes.

Great! Join right in. We are nice folks, I promise.

[letsfixmyheart]

Even though I'm nervous about it, I would like to join this group. I read the orientation and I think I'm ready. Yikes.

Great! Join right in. We are nice folks, I promise.

Thank you! I'm not nervous about y'all. I'm nervous about giving up pasta and bread. Is that silly?

[wildgoose]

Even though I'm nervous about it, I would like to join this group. I read the orientation and I think I'm ready. Yikes.

Great! Join right in. We are nice folks, I promise.

Thank you! I'm not nervous about y'all. I'm nervous about giving up pasta and bread. Is that silly?

Not at all silly! But you don’t have to give up pasta. Whole-grain pasta is allowed, although we recommend including lots of veggies with any pasta meal. Bread, alas, you might miss, but it’s possible to live without it. I found starchy things that were very satisfying that I learned to eat when I craved bread. The cravings do go away.

Stick with us, and you’ll be a veteran in no time!

Goose

[letsfixmyheart]

But you don’t have to give up pasta. Whole-grain pasta is allowed, although we recommend including lots of veggies with any pasta meal. Bread, alas, you might miss, but it’s possible to live without it. I found starchy things that were very satisfying that I learned to eat when I craved bread. The cravings do go away.

Stick with us, and you’ll be a veteran in no time!

Thank you so much; this was really helpful.

[Mark Cooper]

The window for reporting this week's behavioral results has officially closed.

My replies and the weekly summary will follow.

[Mark Cooper]

VegSeekingFit - Cheers, Stephanie! Unexpectedly meeting a kindred spirit must have been delightful. It seems like you are very well-prepared for your vacation - great work! Better to err on the side of some extra prep in service of peace of mind, right?

For me, I think having a coherent plan and having a positive mindset will be key factors for success.

That is a great observation.

I will plan to stick to my plan!!! And if anything isn’t per plan, to dust off and get back on plan.

Excellent! I couldn't have said it any better. I hope you have a fabulous time!

Rebecka22 - Hooray! Great work getting back on track and following through with adequate planning and prep to meet this week's challenges. Keep doing what is working for you!

BambiS - Kudos! Glad you felt better prepared throughout this week. It's always nice to "go shopping" in your own pantry, right? Keep leaning on solid planning and preparation to support your progress!

wstokes - Nice! You didn't lose any ground from last week, so now it is just a matter of applying focus and being thoroughly prepared to adhere more closely to the recommendations. Do you have a plan for what actions and adjustments can help you attain that goal? What is the most significant obstacle at present, and how might you attempt to overcome it? Best wishes for a lighter schedule; keep doing the best you can!

Gimmelean - Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your honest self-assessment and thoughtful analysis and response! I think "knowing thyself" is a really important piece of the puzzle. As you observed, demanding utter perfection from ourselves can often be counter-productive, especially when paired with self-recriminating thoughts or words. Better to face the situation realistically and head-on, but always informed by self-compassion and kindness.

I’m very much aware of my triggers this time and while I can’t change my work environment, I can and will certainly plan how I’m going to manage myself in it. Having the right prepared foods with me and at home ready for dinners requires planning, shopping, and preparation which I’m accustomed now to doing.

Spot-on!

Like the quote “rest not from duty but find rest in it” I find it very comforting to be back on track.

I really like that. Thank you for sharing. Always onward!

Jennifer-L - Yay! Glad you were able to participate this week! How fun that you were able to give your sister a little "McDougall tour"; I'm sure you planted some seeds in your modelling of this pattern of behavior, and who knows what they might grow into given time. In regard to the evening eating, keep in mind

The fundamental basic principle of the MWL Program and the principles of calorie density is "whenever hungry, eat until comfortably full of the recommended foods."

You don’t have to figure it out or work out it. Only follow the guidelines. When hungry (regardless of whether you may think it is true hunger, appetite, or something else) just eat. Eat of the recommended foods as outlined in the 10 point checklist.

Over time, it will work itself out.

So, if you are experiencing hunger, by all means eat. Just reach for the potatoes instead of pretzels - the harder those pretzels are to access (and the simpler to get the potatoes), the easier that will be. Keep at it!

Artista - Solid progress from last week, Nancy! Great work using preparation to support your goals. Are you experiencing cravings for specific foods? Would it be possible to remove the most troubling foods from your environment? Or make them more difficult to access? Making these major shifts in one's pattern of behavior can feel really difficult; don't forget to treat yourself with kindness and compassion as you learn, grow, and continue your efforts!

[Mark Cooper]

Huzzah! The second November assessment is checked off our to do list - onward toward number three!

Thank you to wildgoose for helping to clarify the questions regarding pasta. Since we have a few newcomers in the group (and in case other folks might be following along without joining in), I thought I would share a post from Jeff that offers a fairly in depth discussion of why we include whole grain pasta among the recommended starches, and covers some other program adjustments and changes over time.

There have been a few (not many) changes to the program over the years, as with recommended supplements for heart disease, probiotics, etc. Yes, you can refer back to the newsletter on supplements but it does not represent our current position. Several things have changed since the original MWL book has come out and since the MWL newsletter which updated the book.

If you have questions about what we are doing at the program right now (and/or about what I have said or not), the best thing to do is to ask me. I am right here.

We do allow pasta, but like tortilla's, it is one of those very rare "gray' areas on the MWL.

The original MWL guidelines said "No flour products," however, from the beginning, corn tortilla's (made from corn flour) have been allowed in spite of the fact that they have a calorie density of around 1000 cal/lb. Ironically, I have never recommended them as part of my weight loss guidelines because of the calorie density. The same for puffed cereals.

On the other hand, whole grain pasta, also a flour product, was not part of the original MWL program in spite of the calorie density of only around 550-600, almost half of corn tortilla's. However, for 30 years of my career, (including 10 years at overseeing the food and nutrition at Pritikin), I have always allowed WG pasta and people successfully lost weight. Remember, I also recommended that people follow the 50/50 plate so if pasta is your starch, make sure you include lots of non-starchy vegetables. In the same study that showed the potato to be the highest in satiety per calorie, whole grain pasta was right behind it (and oatmeal) and above brown rice.

Some say they overeat on it and if you find that to be true for you, then just leave it out, but then again, some say they overeat on brown rice, so, if so, just leave it out.

My biggest takeaway was from your whole grain pasta pick... Whole grain pasta absorbs water during cooking, therefore in effect "lowering the calorie density to the same as most other intact whole grains". Hmmm... that sounds very interesting!

Yes. Pasta, is one of those few exceptions in regard to calorie density. The calorie density, after cooking, is about 550 cal/lb

My problem is that I never found a whole grain pasta that I really liked... Truth is, I really didn't try hard enough, I just presumed it was impossible and it may very well be. These days I'm doing MWL and I've had pasta only once in 4 months. Maybe if I can find a few whole grain varieties that I can try perhaps I can incorporate that into my diet in the future.

What are some of your favorite brands and types of whole grain pasta?

I have always loved pasta, even growing up as a kid. One of my favorite meals as a kid was just macaroni noodles in tomato sauce. Also, one of my first chef jobs back in the mid 70's, was at an Italian restaurant where we used to make all our pasta from scratch.

I have always just bought the local store brand whole wheat pasta (currently Publix) though for a while, I used to love & buy Hodgson Mills. I thought it had a much richer texture. My favorite cut/style is Penne Rigate (often called just Penne) or any similar shaped tubular pasta (mostaccioli, macaroni, rigatoni etc).

I like to keep things simple so usually just buy the local brands whole wheat penne.

However, I also love buckwheat pasta though it was always fairly expensive and used to only come shaped like spaghetti or fettucinni (which I don't like). You can usually find them as Japanese Soba Noodles which are usually pure buckwheat (though some are a combo of buckwheat and wheat).

Till now.

With the current gluten-free craze, buckwheat pasta has become very popular as it holds up well when cooked, has a great texture and a wonderful nutty flavor. As a result, I have found and been using buckwheat Penne, which is great and the price has come way down (though still over double my favorite store brand whole wheat penne).

I think it is also important to know that the sauce & veggies you serve with your pasta is also important to the final acceptability.

I make my own simple marinara sauce

1 28 oz Box Pomi Chopped Tomatoes (or any 28 oz can salt free chopped Tomatoes)
1/2 cup frozen diced pepper and onions
1 tbsp Mrs Dash Tomato Basil Salt Free Seasoning

Simmer 10 minutes & adjust to your own liking.

I then serve it with the sauce and following my 50/50 guideline for Calorie Density and serve an equal volume of steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots with it.

Here is an older pic using corn pasta

And if they would have virtually the same caloric density as other intact whole grains, would using them inside of MWL be a good idea?

With a caveat which I explain here.

Also, as you may know, for most people, I highly recommend the MWL program for many reasons. One is that it excludes all these processed products.

The only exception that I allow is whole grain pasta. The reason is two fold

1) while it is processed, the calorie density of the final product is the same as intact whole grains because the pasta absorbs so much water during the cooking process.

2) Part of the concern with all the other ground whole grain products is their calorie density and their absorption rate. However, the lower calorie density of pasta (and the calorie density recommendation to always consume it with a 1/4 to 1/2 ratio of veggies), slows down the absorption rate. However, there still may be rare occasions while someone is recovering their health that they may need to also cut out the pasta.

Hope you find the above to be edifying!

Best wishes for a week filled with delicious, adherent food, joy, and success! Take care & be well!

[wildgoose]

Another recommendation on pasta: Tinkyada brown rice pasta. Very tasty, good texture. It’s my personal favorite. It comes in lots of shapes, so you have plenty to pick from.

Goose

[BambiS]

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Some days


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 desert
Some days


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.
Yes

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
Yes, not an issue here

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Yes

6. Eliminate any added oil.
Yes


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). Yes


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).some days, still a lot of lifting and moving stuff around

Victories, comments, concerns, questions good week,
I completed purging the kitchen of older spices and canned foods. Cleared counter space making it more enjoyable to prepare meals.
I haven’t weighed myself forever. I think I’m going to start weighing as I’ve had some gaining back. I’m sure that is from not being prepared since I’ve been purging my home since July.
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.

[Rebecka22]

1.Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES
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. YES
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. YES
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). YES
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). YES
6. Eliminate any added oil. YES
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. YES
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). YES
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

It was a good week. Relatively easy to just stick to the plan. Trying to focus on how good I feel when I stick to the plan and remember that next week when everything is about food.