JANUARY 2019 McDougall Maintenance Group

[Lyndzie]

So nice to meet you, Karin! I am so impressed with what you have accomplished and maintained for so long. You are a perfect fit for the group. I am in the same boat as you when it comes to old favorites - there are foods I know I will always be attracted to that are not health promoting. This is definitely the place for McDougall-only support, none of that McDougall Plus that just leads to confusion in the details.

[viv]

Hi Lyndzie and McDougall Friends I would like to join the McDougall Maintenance Group. I started in March 2013 and lost 60 pounds to date. I have vacillated the last year over a couple of pounds here and there and I need to tighten the reins. The weight came off very slowly over three years but I wasn't concerned because I knew I was in it for life. The McDougall Diet has revolutionized my life, my health, my career, my finances, my exercise habits, everything. I'm looking forward to being a part of this wonderful group!

Happy New Year Everyone!
Viv

[viv]

Hi everyone

I hope I'll fit in here - I did meet all my goals in 2009/2010 (I lost about 63kg/140lbs) but the last few years have been a challenge. I first found out about McDougall in the late 80s through his books, then I was on his support board when it was at VegSource, then he started his own forum and I hopped over.

I kept a journal here of my Big Effort.
First twelve weeks: viewtopic.php?f=52&t=11503
Then a longer followup: viewtopic.php?f=52&t=13138

Here's a visual of before and after: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qf34j3lrcrmqu ... r.png?dl=0

HI Karin,

Your before and after pics are stunning. Many congratulations on your wonderful achievement. It's great that we can all support each other on our maintenance journey, because as we know living in this toxic food world there are still challenges!

Viv

[Lyndzie]

Viv, I am so glad to see you! Welcome!! I feel the same way as you - this is a lifelong journey.

[Lyndzie]

Food for thought:



Jeff recently wrote an interesting food fact that I hadn’t heard before: Chickpeas and avocado have about the same caloric density - roughly 750 cal/lb. After that, they differ drastically. 1 lb of chickpeas is 40 g protein, 35 g fiber and 12 g fat, having 13% of calories from fat. 1 lb of avocado is 9 g protein, 32 g fiber and 70 g fat, making it 77% fat!

The higher fiber, lower fat and even higher protein all contribute to the chickpeas being more satiating than the avocados for the same calorie density.

In the Top 10 Secrets to Success post, #4 is never stop learning. From this website I have learned so much, from both Dr. McDougall and Jeff, but also from the great members who participate on this board.

Wishing you all a great week!
Lindsey

[victw]

@karen_kiwi - It's good to see you again. I used to be more of a regular poster and started back in the vegsource days.
I use cronometer to log most of my food. It gets a little sketchy on the weekends. I weigh and measure - most of the time - but I try to use it not to limit - but to get more veggies. I'm trying to maximize the vitamins and nutrients. But I would not be 100% honest if I didn't say that I was also trying to limit calories. I'm also never hungry if I focus on Jeff Novick's Healthy Plate concept.
I tend to stay quiet about the weighing and measuring. I agree that for most people it's not necessary - but it's working for me right now.

I also did a 10 day water fast at True North. I booked it before I hit goal weight thinking I would need the additional resource to hit my goal. I hit my original goal weight a month before attending. It was an interesting experience.

Lyndzie - ahh - the Pleasure Trap. Sigh - I'm still a little hooked. We don't have junk food at home. Just work - and I've been looking around for some even when I'm not hungry. Having good fruit around helps. Thanks for labeling it - wow - it's a surprise.

I made a batch of beans yesterday. I'm making soup tonight. I prepped some cut carrots and jicama yesterday. I also made a batch of Jeff's oat burgers yesterday. I take them for breakfast. The holidays whacked some of my good prep habits - so I'm looking forward to getting back into the groove.

Vici

[geo]

OK, so my maintenance issues revolve around life changes at the moment. I went from a 100% sedentary job to a 100% physical job. Basically, I stand , walk and lift heavy boxes for 10 1/2 hours a day 4 days a week. To give you an idea, I've been wearing a pedometer and I put in about 20,000-25,000 steps a day when I work. thats equivalent to about 15+ miles a day of walking. Now this isn't walking at speed, its more of walking at about 3mph (casual walking) so I don't think it falls into the "exercise" category really for me, more of just a movement actiity. Never the less, it is quite helpful for building overall endurance...and making you very tired at the end of the day

So now I have to regulate my eating to ensure that I try to stay in balance with my weight while getting enough calories to ensure I make it through out the day with enough energy. Even after 4 1/2 months of this new job, I still dont quite have it all worked out. I have noticed periods where I will lose 1-2 lbs in a week and then gain it back. I've also noticed a bit more muscularity, so I assume I'm losing fat and replacing it with some muscle. I also notice a tremendous change in hydration levels, drinking upwards of an extra gallon of water a day over what I normally drink during the day previously (and this is without a coincident increase in urination levels which seems to indiicate a lot of sweating through physical activity.) I can verify this most of the time.

Compounding this is that i have very limited time to eat during the day while working which tends to leave me with eating lunch while at work and then eating much larger meals in the later evening when I get home. This of course interupts somewhat my normal sleeping pattern because I hate sleeping on a full stomach. I go to bed early and rise ealy naturally without the use of a clock/alarm.

So you can see, trying to balance all these things 4 days a week and then eating more normally 3 days a week when I'm off is a bit tricky and I haven't gotten it quite right yet. So thats my issues right now. Trying to balance this all out and stay on some new eating pattern/schedule. So far its been a lot harder then just following the MWL as I need to form new habits, yet again. But I'm sure I will get there as I am trying to focus a lot more on what I need to do given my new life experiences. Hopefully, someone else has been in my shoes and can provide a few clues or tips on my new journey

[Lyndzie]

Hi Geo. I used to do scheduled shifts with scheduled breaks, and understand the challenges that presents, and I was nowhere near as physically active as you! I found it hard to just eat enough during my breaks, because real food actually requires time to chew. Do you have a 50/50 lunch, or lean more heavily on starches to fuel you through the day?

I came across your old journal yesterday and read a few pages from the beginning. It’s amazing how quickly you got results. You mentioned your wife’s hesitation at first. What is her position now that you’ve had so much success with the program?

(On a non-food note, you also mentioned your daughter’s dance. My oldest does ballet, so I could totally relate to being that proud parent in the audience!)

[karin_kiwi]

@Viv - thanks!!!! It's good for me to remind myself how far I've come during those times I get discouraged.

@Vici - it is nice to see both new and "old" names here. And it's good to know that I'm not the only one who tracks and has to consciously limit calories (partly by eating lower calorie density foods to "accidentally" reduce calories, partly by actually keeping track of them). It's not always a welcome practice. I also don't shove it in people's faces, but it can be useful or even necessary for a small proportion of us. And I also found the True North experience interesting. I was troubled by the anti-McDougall theme (and ignorance about what McDougall actually says) that many of the guests and at least one of the speakers demonstrated.

Friday check-in (because it's Friday here in New Zealand). I'm up a couple pounds over the Christmas period. One of the times I struggle most to eat healthfully is when I'm tired, depressed, and not busy. I know there are things I could do to distract myself and stop a binge session, but I don't want to do them. I want to binge. I am trying to find things that are genuinely pleasurable I can do instead - that won't break the bank. Keeping busy is also important for me. So the return to work will help.

[Lyndzie]

Happy Friday!

I’m still up from the holidays, but also know what needs to be done and dragging my feet about doing it. Thankfully the concept of calorie density is fairly easy, next is step is to practice what you know. Last night my husband and I had an unexpected night without kids and went to his favorite restaurant. That place is chock-full of temptations, and I’ll admit to veering off course, but this morning is back to the routine.

My plan this week is to avoid tofu, nuts, seeds and avocado, but keep my meals the roughly 90% starch that is recommended in the starch solution, and eat 1 meal with potatoes and eat 1 cup of beans each day. I’m finding that if I do a 50/50 plate I start craving CRAP, and fighting the pleasure trap is no fun. I’m also nursing my 6 month old, and noticed my milk supply negatively impacted when I go low on starches as well.

Best to everyone!

[ImHere]

Hi. Hope everyone had a good week. I’m back to work after some time off for the holidays. That always makes breakfast and lunch much easier to plan but comes with the challenge of avoiding the break room snacks. I only caved once this week with a bag a pretzels.

GEO - could you take mashed potatoes to work? They are quick to eat.

I am challenging myself to avoid all the break room food this next week.

Sharon

[Lyndzie]

Karin, you hit the nail on the head! The HALT acronym (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) rings so true for me, especially tired. Good decision making can quickly fly out the window. What fun things are you going to do?

Sharon, best to you with return to work. That can definitely be a place with a unique set of challenges. Good luck avoiding the break room and all the Calorie Rich And Processed junk that is in there.

[JeffN]

Glad to see this group is moving forward.

Don’t forget, this group is set-up like the weigh-in thread, is for those who have are in maintenance mode and while weigh-ins are not required, we do recommend you check in each Friday and let us know how you are doing. Doing so will help build a supportive place where we can help motivate and learn from each other.

In health
Jeff

[DanTheYogi]

I think I will join the group as well.

I have been really struggling with eating healthy since moving home. I have fallen into a number of bad habits, and eating junk is probably the biggest one.

I have gained considerable weight since July, around 20 pounds. For reference, I'm a 5'11 male, and 25 years old. At one point I was as low as 135-ish, way back in May. Now I have creeped over 160. It all started when I went from living by myself to living with family back in July. I went from essentially a house with nothing but MWL foods to being surrounded by junk everyday. It started out innocently enough, occasionally snacking on some raisin bran or crackers that I found in the pantry. Over time it got worse and worse to the point of eating junk food cereal, potato chips, and ice cream on some nights. I really identify with Dr. Lisle's "cram circuit". I become a bottomless pit when it comes to junk!

I am deep in the pleasure trap at this point, and it's so hard to find the motivation to stick with healthy food, especially because I am young, not overweight, and in excellent health, so the there's nothing but a desire to create healthy habits that really motivates me to stick with eating well. It was so easy living by myself, I didn't understand why people struggled. Now I understand. The temptation of the calorie dense junk just a few steps away sometimes feels irresistible.

I have more to say, but am about to go watch my sister cheer, so I will be back later. Looking forward to committing to this group and rebuilding my health promoting habits!

[Lyndzie]

Nice to meet you, Dan! It’s amazing how life circumstances can change and we have to learn some new tricks to navigate our surroundings. The pleasure trap is definitely the biggest challenge, in my opinion, of our “toxic food environment.” Living with other people who eat differently and have hyperpalatable foods around can wear down will power and resistance. Do you have a plan for getting back to a place you are happy with?