MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

[deweyswakms]

Good morning, Friday May 22, 2020!

Loved reading all your recipe and food ideas. And WOW the gardening plans. I used to have raised bed gardens, but sold that house and am in an apartment. I do miss a bit of gardening. It's so smart to grow your own food. My mom always canned fruit; have never had anything better than her canned Elberta peaches.

Today I'll make John's beans; it's really easy and tastes great. I do add some things to give them a BBQ flavor. https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... hite-Beans

And now I want to try the lentil loaf; have never made it. Thumbs up on the no-tuna recipe; I make it often, so good. I use a can of chickpeas; chopped celery, carrots, maybe 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, sometimes a few dried cranberries; I add some sweet pickle relish too. I love to eat it in rolled up romaine lettuce leaves. Probably good in pita bread too.

Our weather here in the gray soggy NW is finally warming up! yay!! I am solar powered so it really helps my energy levels. Want to lose 2-3 more pounds but finding it hard right now. Enjoying walks up in the hills. Marsha

[GlennR]

Wow, I actually got here to post on Friday for a change. I have spent the last three full days gardening. I have 12 raised beds ready to plant and three to go.

I skipped my workouts this week due to the heavy garden work I did. Moving five yards of soil and digging the bed areas before building the raised gardens was tiring.

I think I've learned that adding eleven new beds in one go is a bit too much. I haven't weighed this week so I'm not sure if I gained or not. I'll weigh in tomorrow so I don't get too far of track.

[viajera919]

Sue, how wonderful the coordination you and your husband have with cooking!

Jeff, my tastebuds have absolutely done the same thing. Things that resemble eating animals absolutely repulse me. It got exacerbated during this last pregnancy; if I came near the smell of any type of greasy diner food I was sick. That has stayed with me now. The bonus is all these very crazy new vegan fake foods don’t lure people like you and I!

Dewey, before being diagnosed with Celiac, I LOVED Dreena Burton’s nofu loaf. Now I use Straight Up Food’s recipe for lentil loaf and still do the topping from Dreena’s on it.

Glenn, that is amazing the amount of gardening you have! I’m impressed. I have just 10 potting canvas bags. We got quite a bit out of them last year but I was very pregnant and our water spigot is so far away that this year with a baby I’m not sure I want to drag the hose every day around the garage then roll it back up. My son and husband want the veggies which is motivating but I know the watering will land on me. Carrying a watering can would be just as annoying. Any ideas?

This week I stayed on plan and still ate my normal huge portions of not calorie dense food. Love it. I discovered ume plum vinegar and dear god it is amazing. So much so that I ate enough raw baby carrots with it sprinkled on them to knock a filling out of my tooth! Luckily it doesn’t hurt and I can get it fixed next Friday. I’ve consistently been doing my 7 minute a day arm workout with 3lb weights (in addition to carrying a baby everywhere). I love that with this way of eating I can do such quick and small workouts and see results fast because I don’t have to burn fat. My core is still weak from pregnancy so still just doing 10 minute ab breathing exercises to help those muscles repair before doing anything extra. It’s wild that I can have an 18.5 BMI but the shape is not what you’d expect being postpartum. Doing daily walks and family bike rides still. Looking forward to nature walks this weekend if we don’t get too much rain.

[Lyndzie]

Glenn - That is an impressive garden! To grow enough food, you really do need quite a bit of space. We only got three raised beds in this year, and it’s just not enough for five hungry people.

Erin - Thanks for the recipe! I’ll put it in the queue.

Viajera - Wow! Teaching high school is so incredible. That is nice that you can take two years off, and what perfect timing with the current events. Is your school even planning on returning next year? We haven’t had anything come out for our local district. My husband does not McDougall, the reason that we got the chickens recently was to take care of part of his morning eggs and sausage breakfast. A nice bonus is that the ethical concerns of egg production are alleviated when you are caring for them yourself. We homeschooled already, but the kids were going to attend school this fall, so that looks like it won’t be happening now.

Sue - Your food for the week sounds delicious! That sounds lovely to have your husband as your sous chef. You sounds like a solid team. Cavolo nero is commonly known as lacinato or dinosaur kale in the states. Speaking of minor language nuances, we’re reading Harry Potter, and got the most beautiful illustrated books that are in the original British version. I hadn’t realized what a difference there is, but slowly my poor excuse for a British accent creeped back in. There are so many little differences! Dustbin/trashcan, learnt/learned, sellotape/scotch tape.

Erin - We did lentil loaf, too! So good. Served with mashed potatoes and green beans. Thanks for bringing up falafel, I’ll do that again. Those robins will be so lovely to watch grow. We used to have house finches at our old house. If the babies see you every day they won’t be scared of you when the grown up. It is amazing how the palate will adapt over time. There is a whole world of delicious foods that we were blind to before. Our world has expanded for the better!

Marsha - Warmer weather and sunshine is so good for the spirit. I was trying to think of a good recipe you’d like, but so much of what I made is not MWL-compliant. Have you tried Jeff’s longevity soup? I make something similar and it’s great to whip up quickly and hits the spot. If you are itching to garden, maybe there is a local community garden you can participate in. It’s a great way to get outside and get some food, too.

Viajera, again - Ume plum vinegar sounds fantastic. Can you do the watering when the baby takes a nap? It’s not the most fun way to spend those precious moments, but it might get done more quickly and easier. Is he ok being in a baby carrier on your back? I’m in the same boat as you regarding having a low BMI yet not having the shape I’d like. I read an article about diastatis recti a few years ago and it gave me a few ideas that helped. I’m still not there yet this time and the little one is almost two, but there is not as much time for exercise with three kids running around.

I’ve had a fantastic week food-wise. Unfortunately, we’re going to my mom’s for a cookout today and she’ll have a bunch of tempting stuff there, and then my dad is hosting a brunch on Monday with similar problems. I have a batch of Jeff’s burgers to take for today and homemade tortilla chips. No clue what my plan is for the brunch yet, might just take a chickpea salad sandwich. Or pre-made pancakes! Happy Memorial Day weekend to those in the states, though admittedly, it’s not much different than every other weekend at this point because of the pandemic.

[deweyswakms]

Any ideas?

.

regards the garden watering problem, what about putting in a rain barrel by your garden, to save water from the rain gutter? then you can hook up a hose to the rain barrel to water the garden.

Marsha aka Deweyswak

[deweyswakms]

Have you tried Jeff’s longevity soup? there is a local community garden you can participate in. It’s a great way to get outside and get some food, too.

[

Thanks for the ideas Lyndzie. I make soup ALL the time and am craving something different right now, so going to do a lentil loaf today. Need to add something new to the menu rotation! Another thing I love is to make veggie burgers but make meatballs from the mix and add to a lentil marinara sauce = spaghetti with meatballs. The community garden is a good idea; the nearest one to me is about 5 miles away and has no open spaces. I might widen my search to 10 miles away though.

Have a good, dry, day. Marsha aka Deweyswak

[deweyswakms]

Friday May 29, 2020

Good morning; happy to have sun and warmer weather here in the NW although next week clouds and chilly rainy weather returns. OK I guess because the West is in a drought. Meanwhile, long walks are so good.

I am happy that my weight stays at 178 (recommitted to MWL last July at 197); still aiming for 175. I dropped to 177 this week so I know my body is working on it.

Summer fruits are good; apricots and pricey cherries! I still enjoy the cherries because they aren't around all that long. Funny: could get a pound of cherries ($5) or a fancy coffee. Oh and the Oregon strawberries are delicious.

I made the delicious Mexican corn salad. It's really good as a quesadilla filling (I used corn tortillas). 1 can of black beans drained and rinsed; 4 cups of cooked corn (fresh or frozen); 1 red pepper; 1 cup of salsa; 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped parsley or cilantro; avocado if you like them and can't take the added fat); 1/2 cup green onions. I squeezed a lime over it; added seasonings to taste. I think diced zucchini would be good added to it too. So fresh and tasty!

Stay safe and healthy, Marsha

[Ejeff]

Happy last Friday in May. Week was good, although I am eating WAY too many baked treats and it showed on the scale today up a couple pounds. Better stop that as it is so easy to develop bad habits. Played pickleball for the first time in a couple of months and that was fun. Other than the sweet treats food has been the usual. Made some quick burgers last night and we ate Chili a few times.

Almost out of produce so will need to get some groceries. The robin abandoned her nest, and the eggs are gone so we are thinking a squirrel or other larger bird got them. Oh well maybe next time we will see babies or at least hear them. Had a couple social gatherings this week. For the one group event we each brought our own food which kept it simple. But someone brought donuts and I ate one, stupid as it wasn’t very good lol. I will do better this week!

Marsha, glad you enjoyed your mexican salad. Not sure what’s on our menu this week, some sweet potatoes for sure. One thing I tried this week that I haven’t done before is I added riced cauliflower to our oats. It’s a great way to get in another serving of vegetables. You don’t even know it’s in there...I still had it with berries and banana. So I will be adding cauliflower more often to various meals.

Hope the week is good for everyone.

[deweyswakms]

One thing I tried this week that I haven’t done before is I added riced cauliflower to our oats. It’s a great way to get in another serving of vegetables.

Great tip! thanks. I eat oatmeal almost daily but for dinner because in the morning it seems to mess with my blood sugar (I get my tired and have to lie down). I will try cauliflower rice in it!

Marsha

[viajera919]

Marsha - that is my long term goal! My house is far from the garden so I can’t use that gutter system and my garage which is close to the garden doesn’t have gutters. I don’t know if I’m going to garden this year - maybe next year.

Jeff - cauliflower with oatmeal sounds good! Cauliflower is so easily versatile. I may try that for the 50/50 plate.

Lyndzie - My school has nothing definitive set yet but they’re preparing for multiple scenarios. It is perfect timing with this pandemic. I feel lucky that I can just focus on my own children right now. Do your children eat vegan or McDougall? How do meals look like at your house? I’m sorry to hear your plans for public school don’t seem to be working out. How do you feel about that? You’re right about the few precious moments during nap time. Right now I’m learning to have a better relationship with self care and selfishness so I’m using that time to read and meditate. Thank you for sharing that article - I’ve actually read it and I do 10 minutes of breathing a day that is described in that article - like zipping up your tight pants. Who knows if it’s helping!? But, like you, it is the only thing I can do right now lol

This week has been good. I noticed that even though I do a 50/50 MWL plan I’ve been doing more than my cup of beans a day and eating until over satiated. I think as my baby eats more solids my nursing is slowly going down and I need less food. It’s a bummer because even though I eat simple food - I love it! So I’ve been eating smaller portions since I was getting to the next meal time with family and wasn’t hungry. I take the portions I usually would eat but haven’t as a snack before bed if I’m hungry. It’s been working well and I noticed I’m not just eating to eat now and am actually hungry at meal time rather than just eating bc I love food haha

[GlennR]

Duplicate post

[GlennR]

Nothing special to report but I'm nearing the end of the Spring gardening rush with the beds all ready for planting or planted already. I will be putting in some mulch pathways and then it's into maintenance mode. I'll be happy to get there. The weather has been variable, some days are hot as an oven, others cold and damp.

I changed my resistance training schedule to two days a week as three seemed a bit too much to fully recover between sessions. If my progress slows or stops, I'll go back to three.

[Suey51]

Lindsey - those illustrated Harry Potter books look gorgeous. I love imagining you reading them to your children in a British accent! It is interesting how many words are different between US and UK English isn't it? How did the cookout and brunch go last weekend?

My weight is holding steady this week. The talk here about lentil loaf inspired me to get the recipe out to make it this week. It's been sitting on the kitchen table for 4-5 days, but haven't made it yet This week we've kept it fairly simple, mostly soups, baked potatoes (or as we call them in the UK, jacket potatoes!), steamed greens and salads.

As we move into June I am going to set myself some new challenges on the food and exercise front. I've changed my exercise tracking spreadsheet to count the number of times I do, for example, yoga. I was feeling frustrated at not doing it as often as I’d like, but when looking at May's notes I realised I had done it on average every other day, which is big progress! It surprises me that many of the lessons I learnt/learned doing the McDougall Program are so helpful in other aspects of my life - keep going, if you stumble get back on track the next day, try something for a week/2 weeks and see if it works, focusing on the process rather than outcomes etc.

I recently listened to interviews between Rich Roll and David Clark (Rich Roll Podcast Episodes 113 and 290). David Clark lost 150 pounds, overcame alcoholism and became an ultra-marathon runner. I was particularly interested in their discussion about how our narratives/identities can prevent us changing behaviours and suggesting we create a new narrative about who we are and reinforce it with behaviour. For example, saying to ourselves ‘I’m a McDougaller/runner/yogi’ or whatever and then when faced with choices or challenges, asking ourselves ‘What would a McDougaller/runner/yogi do?’ They also said there’s always evidence to support whatever narrative you create, and my experience with the yoga data this month bears this out! It got me thinking about my own narratives and whether I might change them to help me achieve some more change in my life.

Has anyone had any experience with this in their health journeys?

Best wishes, Sue x

[Lyndzie]

It’s up and running...The June Thread.