The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2024 Group

[Mark Cooper]

Thanks to everyone for getting 2024 off to such an amazing start! I'm so thrilled to have you all participating here, and to be in your company.

In case anyone missed it, the McDougall program shared an article on "How to Start a Plant-Based Diet". It is directed at new folks looking to make a change, but I think it offers a useful perspective, and many of the tips are broadly applicable. Check it out, and if you see anything that really strikes a chord, we can discuss here, too. Likewise, if you have questions or concerns when reading it, please let us know and we can address issues here.

Have a remarkable, successful, joyous week! Take care & be well!

[Artista]

Mark, thank you so much for your thoughtful responses to my questions. All the information you provided is so encouraging. I really appreciate you taking the time to do that. And thanks for the link to wild goose’s post. Several things there rang true for me that I'll keep in mind going forward, like not thinking of what life will be like “off the diet”, and keeping a clean food environment.

[Mark Cooper]

Mark, thank you so much for your thoughtful responses to my questions. All the information you provided is so encouraging. I really appreciate you taking the time to do that. And thanks for the link to wild goose’s post. Several things there rang true for me that I'll keep in mind going forward, like not thinking of what life will be like “off the diet”, and keeping a clean food environment.

I'm happy you were able to identify with and take encouragement from what wildgoose described. It took me a while to find them, but below are some places where I discussed similar aspects of my own experience.

Why I still practice the pattern of behavior recommended for MWL.

My overall experience with Dr. McDougall and MWL.

What "maintenance" has been like for me.

You may also find the responses to the group questions about "success" from wildgoose and myself to be of interest.

You aren't alone in these struggles and I'm wishing you all the best.

[BambiS]

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).
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). Most days

Victories, comments, concerns, questions good week, nothing eventful

It was a much better week. I tried new recipes and ate much better than I had been. The scale moved nice this week. The only thing was I didn’t get daily exercise like I should have. I am going to move my cubii into the living room so I use it more. The weather has been nasty to walk outside.

[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

An overall solid week. Honestly the hardest part was keeping my commitment to run with my five year old, but we did it. Three freezing cold, dark sometimes wet runs done this week. We play red light yellow light and run and walk and it’s generally going good, but I will be so happy when the days get longer and warmer! Hope everyone has a great week!

[JeffN]

Greetings everyone and Happy New Year!

I always look forward to checking in and seeing how everyone is doing especially each Saturday to see how everyone did for the week. Congratulations to each of you for your successes.

Over the last few weeks I was reading the recent threads on both the MWL group and the forums in general, and I have some comments I wanted to share with you that hopefully you will find beneficial.


All or none thinking

The MWL program is not a set of rules but guidelines to help you achieve your goals. The 10 points address the behaviors that are more likely to lead to “the passive overconsumption of calories." Remember, there are those who achieve success with just the regular program and some who find a happy medium between the two. You may need to follow all 10 of the 10 points 100% to achieve your goal, or you might need to follow a few of them all the time and a few of them some of the time. The question is, is what you are doing working for you. But you have to know yourself because as we have often seen here, venturing to far from the guidelines can lead to a lapse which might last for a while. Success is achieving your health goals through the application of the guidelines. Stephanie is a great example. She does not do all 10 perfectly but at a level that works for her and she now has almost 2.5 years at it.

Related links
- On all or none thinking.
https://www.drmcdougallforums.com/viewt ... 0c#p635568

- Clarifying the 50/50 plate.
https://www.drmcdougallforums.com/viewt ... 95#p631195

- On the Passive Overconsumption of Calories.
https://www.drmcdougallforums.com/viewt ... 22&t=37450

- Is longterm adherence possible?
viewtopic.php?p=634910#p634910

- Discussion on the ecological momentary assessment of dietary lapses across behavioral weight loss treatment: characteristics, predictors, and relationships with weight change
https://www.drmcdougallforums.com/viewt ... 67#p557267

- Lastly, If there was an 11th point, it would be to post before 3 PM ET on Saturday. Just another behavior that prioritizes your commitment to your success.

- On a similar note, the best time to come to the groups and post and share your recent experience is not only when things are going good but also when they are not. The group is here for you. No one will be shamed, scolded, reprimanded or ridiculed, only encouraged. As you may have noticed, Mark and Goose may be 2 of the most encouraging people with the most encouraging responses you are going to get anywhere.

To your good health!
Jeff

[rlechols]

Hello Time and Adherence Team!

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes, 7/7.

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, 7/7.

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, 7/7.

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). Yes, 7/7.

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Yes, 7/7.

6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes, 7/7.

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. 5/7...there were 2 days when I snacked a couple of dates.

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Yes, 7/7.

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 6/7...one day I had seconds of dinner and noticed I felt a little too full afterwards. I wasn't horribly uncomfortable but took note that it would be smart to wait a few minutes after dinner to decide whether or not I need more. Most days 1 serving satisfies me and I need to remember that.

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 5/7, I did both strength training and cardio most days. Exercise during the cold dark winter isn't something I look forward to since I'm stuck indoors, but it makes me feel much better and happier overall.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Lost 1 pound this week, for 3.5 total in the 2 weeks I've been participating so far.

I did well this week overall. Very close to 100% compliance, just a few little foibles, but I don't expect absolute perfection on a daily basis. Winter is always a hard season for me due to lack of outdoor air and sunshine. Sticking to my plans, continuing to journal, exercise and eating right help me keep my spirits up. My family is still going through some tough things, as I have a sister who is deathly ill right now. Taking care of myself is so important when there is chaos and stress going on.

Lastly, today happens to be my birthday, so I am going to allow myself a starch solution dinner and dessert tonight, and then I'll jump right back on track. Thanks for all the support here.

[Artista]

1) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.  I missed doing this at one meal.

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. I missed doing this at one meal.

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

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. Most of the time, yes, but there was one meal when I went back for seconds and afterwards realized that I was too full.

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

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
This week went pretty well except for some higher fat foods (flaxseeds, soy milk, edamame beans). There was one day when I needed to take a friend to the ER and stay with him until he was able to go home again. Everything turned out fine but I got home late and ended up just heating up pea soup for dinner and didn’t take time to preload or do the 50/50 plate.

Mark, thank you so much for the additional links you posted for me. Your journey is inspiring! I also struggle with occasional binge eating on healthy foods like nuts and dried fruit. I will usually end up overeating those foods if I have them in the house. I’ve been thinking about your question on identifying “inciting incidents” that cause me to struggle in following MWL. My answer was a little long and the system kept logging me out before I was finished so I'll have to try to post my answer another time.

[CUgorji22]

Happy Saturday, to all! I hope 2024 is off to an awesome start for everyone!!

*Guidelines:
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Compliant 

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. Compliant 

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. Compliant 

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

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

6. Eliminate any added oil. Compliant 

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. Compliant 

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

- Non-compliance/reason: There were two occasions this week I was out & about. I looked at my options & chose what I thought was "ok." Those choices were still compromises. 

- Decision to Adhere: (1) In one situation, I see the benefit of eating without a drink & waiting until everyone has made their drink  decisions. As my family members got their  drinks, I compared my choice to everyone else's and thought it was "better." My focus wasn't this guideline though. (2) I want to get in the habit of just ordering water (bottled or not) when I'm eating out. That will keep things simple! (3) I must be ok with and resolved to not order a drink at Starbucks. When I know I'm meeting someone there (like this week), perhaps I can drink my fav tea before I go, filling my belly so I don't feel the need for a drink. Perhaps that will satisfy me. Worth a try! (4) This week, I also thought about ways to redirect my meetups with friends to places without food/drinks. Sometimes I don't feel like I'm in the driver's seat to make that choice...but perhaps I should be to maintain the integrity of my health. I know what's best for me!

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

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Not Compliant 

- Non-compliance/reason: There were 2 days this week I didn't workout. I didn't work out Thurs because I had a very long day. It was such a hard decision but I didn't have the physical energy to push myself. On Friday, it was purely an emotional decision to not workout. My day was packed but I had the time. Honestly, my weight gain this week discouraged me. It may just be a fluctuation BUT I felt so defeated. I thought about how hard it is to follow guidelines with intention while others seem to be living their best lives with reckless abandon when it comes to food. I know logically those folks may experience physical/emotional consequences I don't want to go thru. But what I felt inside was totally different. 

- Decision to Adhere: I think I need to revisit WHY I'm here, in this Group. My motivation is key. I also think it's time to draw from what helped me get thru the toughest moments of my grief. I learned this statement from my Grief Recovery Group: Just do the next thing. It was a call to keep going, move forward, look ahead. My health journey is the same. My decision is to just do the next thing I know is best for my body & exercise today! 

*Weight Change: 1.2lb gain*

*SUMMARY/THOUGHTS*
Overall, I feel good about my week. I feel like the scale was not a true reflection of my effort this week.
 - I have attended a couple of events this month. I was able to wear clothes that now fit comfortably. Such a great feeling! And the compliments have been encouraging.
- I have a new Virtual, Personal Trainer. Her Program includes fitness + nutrition. I was honest with her this week and told her about the Forum & my decision to not follow her nutrition plan. I sent her a pic of dinner one night. She is super supportive and encouraged me to stay on track with my guidelines. YAY!! 
- Batch cooking saved the day (a few times) this week! It truly is a game changer to have food on-hand, ready to warm & eat! 
- A friend (who is a Health Coach) urged me to post a video on social media about what I do. I posted a video about how to eat healthy, on-the-go with kids in tow. I was able to show the starter + lunch I prepared that I ate in my van between errands. Lol! In the video, I mentioned that putting my food together at home prob took me less time than waiting in a drive-thru line for fast food. A win for me!!! 
- We hosted friends last night. I always like to have something folks can eat. I usually make vegan foods I can't eat. I decided instead to make a big bowl of fruit. SCORE! It served as dessert for my family and a better choice for my friends! I was shocked by how many servings my friends ate. It turns out people like fruit...lol

Thank you, Mark, and all of you for your support!

-Chesca

[JaBee]

Hello Everyone!

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes, 7/7, batch cooking soup helps

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, 7/7... this has now become a habit

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, 7/7 ... Don't use any of these items

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). Yes, 7/7... no problem here

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Yes, 7/7...no longer keep where I easily see these

6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes, 7/7 ... no problem, a regular habit now

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, 7/7 ... occasional cravings but these items are kept out of my immediate vision

8. Don't drink your calories...Yes, 7/7 ... not a problem, only drink water and decaffeinated beverages

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Yes, 7/7 ... occasionally hungry within an hour after eating but will eat more of allowed food to satisfy

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Yes, 6/7 .. opted for 6 days this week and felt like my body needed a break from exercise. Will likely change to 6 days per week going forward as this feels best for my body

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
So far compliant...will I get occasional cravings for items in #s 5 and 7 as these as been trigger foods in the past but it helps now that they are no longer easy for me to get. I realize there may be occasional slips up but I am determined to get back on track at the next meal. Lost 1 pound so far about half pound a week which may not be a lot but it's more than I've lost in last few months and am grateful.

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

Hope everyone is doing great! We are in the middle of a winter storm here in Chicagoland ---seems like everything is cancelled for this weekend. It is pretty to watch the snow from the warm inside. We also have a wind chill advisory through Wednesday with some negative temps expected (yuck!). I will be going to the gym to walk --- no desire to freeze my tail off.

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Mostly – 17/21. Mainly used finger food salad / throw veggies on a plate. Also had apples, melon, orange. Will make a pot of soup this week – it is definitely the season for it!

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.
I continue to work on making sure that I am eating mindfully. I do not ever starve – that’s for sure.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes, 6/7 – again took a rest day.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Mark – Thank you for your supportive feedback and for posting that link from McDougall on starting a plant-based diet. Missed checking this out when it was sent.

Bambi – Glad your week went better and that some new recipes hit the spot.
Rebecka- I am with you looking forward to longer and warmer days!!! I love how you are being active with your daughter --- that sounds like fun (and creating great memories)!

Jeff – Happy New Year! I really appreciate you sharing those comments on the program. So much helpful information ❤️! It seems to me that the All or Nothing Thinking directly relates to sustainability and is almost like learning how to optimize your health for the long-term while avoiding both The Pleasure Trap and The Ego Trap (by knowing yourself) in a toxic food environment. Also, could not agree more about the value of posting here when it may feel vulnerable to do so / things aren’t going great. Personally, I have learned the most when I was struggling and forever value the incredible encouragement and support from Mark and Wildgoose! Thank you!

Rachel – Happy birthday! Also, sending well wishes for your sister. Agree that it is so important to take care of yourself during times of stress.

Artista – So glad you asked Mark those questions and have lots of food for thought.

Chesca – Awesome story you shared about fruit (and people like it)! Had a similar experience this week when I brought a big bowl of fruit to a party and it was decimated! Love that you shared diet with personal trainer and on social media – awesome!

JaBee – Love your mindset and determination! Also, a steady loss is amazing!

A big hi to anyone to come later!

So grateful for this space to learn and share and get healthier.

Hope everyone has an amazing and healthy week!

Cheers,
Stephanie

[Starflower]

Hi MWL team!


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

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

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

It was a good week, excepting a small amount of sunflower seed butter again. I didn’t have time to experiment with making condiments. Caring for a sick family member and a birthday celebration kept me busy. I’m celebrating that I didn’t partake of a single ‘treat’ at that celebration. Not even my favorite and strongest pleasure trap triggers! Yay! Onward!

Mark, thank you for all the links! As always, exactly what was needed. I can’t wait to experiment with them!

Jeff, thank you for your supportive and encouraging post! I’ll be referring to it often. Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a wonderful and healthy week! Thank you all for support and sharing along the way!

[Mark Cooper]

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

My replies and the weekly summary will follow.

[Gimmelean]

MWL Post for week ending 1/12/24

Hello!

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.
Yes

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

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

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- some dates

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:
Hello MWL Team.
Not an unstressful week at all. In the past I would have turned to food.

7 yes/ 3 no last week
8 yes/2 no this week

I have not regained weight!

Have a good week everyone.

[Mark Cooper]

BambiS - Excellent progress! It seems like you are feeling positive and encouraged with how things are going. Great idea to position your Cubii so it is easy to access (and I can imagine it will serve as a nice reminder in its new location). Keep at it!

Rebecka22 - Awesome! You and your five year old are real troupers! I think playing Red Light, Yellow Light is really an inventive and fun idea; I'll have to remember that one for my own family. Those longer and warmer days cannot come soon enough, right? Have a great week!

JeffN - Really helpful post! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your insight with the group.

rlechols - Happy Birthday, Rachel! I hope you enjoyed a lovely celebration. It seems like you are making steady progress overall, and we will take progress over perfection 100% of the time around here. My thoughts and wishes are with your sister and you during this difficult time; I completely agree about the importance of taking care of yourself in the midst of stressful chaos. Keep planning and following through on those plans, just as you have been!

Artista - Nice! I'm glad it felt like this week went pretty well, Nancy, and that you found those links applicable for you. I can imagine having an ER visit crash into your day felt pretty disruptive and harrowing. It seems to me you handled it well. Yes, those rich plant foods like nuts and dates definitely trigger overeating for me, too (especially when they are combined together). After so many years of strict adherence, it no longer bothers me to have them in the house (but it certainly did in the past), but my hard-earned experience tells me that if I get started with them I won't stop until they are gone. Sorry for your difficulties with the posting system, it seems like the forums have been a bit wonky lately. I'll look forward to reading your thoughts whenever you are able to post them. Onward!

CUgorji22 - Happy Saturday, Chesca! I'm happy to know that, upon reflection, you feel good about this week; I continue to be impressed by your thoughtful efforts (and a big fan of your reporting format). It seems like you have been experiencing some really great non scale victories this year! I think it is natural to feel a bit discouraged or disappointed when the feedback from the scale is incongruent with the effort and attention you are devoting to your efforts.

I thought about how hard it is to follow guidelines with intention while others seem to be living their best lives with reckless abandon when it comes to food. I know logically those folks may experience physical/emotional consequences I don't want to go thru. But what I felt inside was totally different.

I think the feelings you describe here are familiar to many of us when confronting the stark contrast between what is "normal" in our society as compared to the pattern of behavior we are trying to adopt. For some of us, that discordance can feel very frustrating and even provoke feelings connected to grief or mourning in my experience. Something that I found helpful was transitioning my thinking from "doing a diet" to practicing a "lifestyle", and from what was for me a maladaptive focus on "perfectionism", toward the idea of maintaining an "overall prevailing pattern of behavior" across time.

I think I need to revisit WHY I'm here, in this Group. My motivation is key. I also think it's time to draw from what helped me get thru the toughest moments of my grief. I learned this statement from my Grief Recovery Group: Just do the next thing. It was a call to keep going, move forward, look ahead. My health journey is the same. My decision is to just do the next thing I know is best for my body & exercise today!

Very well put; I agree with this 100%. Awesome that your new trainer was willing to support your practice of the pattern of behavior we recommend. Your video of "eating healthy on-the-go with kids in tow" sounds really fun!

In the video, I mentioned that putting my food together at home prob took me less time than waiting in a drive-thru line for fast food. A win for me!!!

What a great observation! And people do, indeed, love fruit, right? That has certainly been my experience, too. SCORE!

JaBee - I think you are doing an awesome job creating a supportive environment for your efforts, staying focused, and maintaining a mindset of determined adaptability! Well done making your prep work fit your needs, and being mindful of the signals from your body. Carry on!

VegSeekingFit - Excellent efforts, Stephanie! I don't envy your Chicagoland winter weather! We've managed to dodge snow here in Princeton thus far, but it looks like that may be changing in the week to come. I loved your observation about learning the most when struggling; that has absolutely been my experience, as well. Stay in your good groove, stay warm, and stay YOU!

Starflower - Kudos! I'm glad to know you found those links useful. Caring for a sick loved one and navigating a birthday celebration seem like enough to keep anyone busy!

I’m celebrating that I didn’t partake of a single ‘treat’ at that celebration. Not even my favorite and strongest pleasure trap triggers! Yay! Onward!

Awesome! I think it is really important to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate achievements like this; they are where we show ourselves what is possible. I wish the discussion boards had a :handclap: emoji!