JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Share your McDougall successes here in order to inspire others.

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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby victw » Wed Jun 12, 2019 3:48 pm

Hi all,

I've been a little too complacent lately. And a recent trip has me off track.
I'm posting now - so I get notifications and I don't forget to do the weigh in on Friday.

Vic
11/1/19 Sloppy - 137.6/21.55
1/1/19 Still maintaining - 134.8/21.11
10/12/18 Maintenance wt - 136.4 BMI 21.36
5/6/18 151.8 lbs 23.8 - Normal. 4/8/18 154.6 lbs BMI 24.2 - Normal. 3/11/18 161 BMI 25.2 Overweight.
3 years staying on plan is the goal.
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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby Lyndzie » Wed Jun 12, 2019 5:44 pm

Hi Vic! Good to “see” you again.
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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby Suey51 » Fri Jun 14, 2019 1:05 am

Weight this morning is up by 0.4 and average for the past 7 days is up by 0.3 pounds.

It’s been cold and rainy pretty much all week and I’ve been indoors, sitting down more than usual for this time of year and feeling a little under the weather. Or more accurately, as though the clouds and rain are inside my head! There were a couple of moments of challenging emotions, which provided opportunities for reflection and learning. Recently, I’ve been doing a no alcohol challenge and this week reached 100 days – woo hoo! In the past, strong emotions have been a trigger for an early evening alcoholic drink and some fatty/salty snacks. The good news is, I didn’t do that this week, but I did eat some flour-based snacks that were lurking on the kitchen counter. The items are nearly gone so I'm going to ask my husband not to buy any more or to hide them away, and I'll prepare some healthier snacks to keep close by.

On a more positive note, I did my first Park Run (well I walked almost most of it!). I enjoyed it in spite of the rain so plan to do it again and might even try a little gentle jogging on one or two of the flat sections. And I went to Tai Chi, Qigong and yoga classes which were lovely :) As I write I’m listening to this music from the Tai Chi class – it’s very calming

I’ve found some new recipes to try over the next week or two – Cathy Fisher’s Tu-no Casserole and Beef Less Stew (yes, it feels like we need winter casseroles and stews even though it's supposed to be Summer!) and PCRM’s balsamic zucchini sandwiches for a more summery vibe!

Here’s to a calmer next week with some healthier snacks!
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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby Starchyme » Fri Jun 14, 2019 1:33 am

Hi all. I weighed in at my annual physical yesterday. All was well. My weight is status quo from last year. Actually, 4 lbs lighter and
1 1/2 lower than my goal. I'm hoping now to come down another 1 1/2 lbs and re-adjust my goal weight. Loving McDougalling even more than I did initially. It's my WOE for life now. Wishing all a happy McDougalling week and Father's Day to those who celebrate.
Happy McDougalling!
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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby Mark Cooper » Fri Jun 14, 2019 6:56 am

I had a really good week for pain management, very mild pain levels for the whole week. As usual, I was 100% on plan with the 10 pt MWL checklist. I've found that Jeff's "Plate Test" is my best metric for keeping track of how I'm doing.

Lyndzie wrote:Mark - Good luck with the elimination diet. What's your game plan? What foods are you going to start with, how long until trying a food, etc?

I decided I'm going to hold off on the elimination diet until after seeing a neurologist this summer - the diet is going to be pretty inconvenient and I'm just very unsure whether it will have any efficacy with CRPS. I haven't had a significant pain flare in a couple of weeks, and even then it seems my flares are usually stress induced, which is pretty typical with CRPS.

Suey51 wrote:Recently, I’ve been doing a no alcohol challenge and this week reached 100 days – woo hoo!

Congrats! :thumbsup:

Suey51 wrote:I’ve found some new recipes to try over the next week or two – Cathy Fisher’s Tu-no Casserole and Beef Less Stew (yes, it feels like we need winter casseroles and stews even though it's supposed to be Summer!) and PCRM’s balsamic zucchini sandwiches for a more summery vibe!

Here’s to a calmer next week with some healthier snacks!

I LOVE Cathy Fisher's Beef Less Stew! I'm actually planning on making it this weekend - so delicious, and a hit with my wife and daughter, as well!

Starchyme wrote:Hi all. I weighed in at my annual physical yesterday. All was well. My weight is status quo from last year. Actually, 4 lbs lighter and 1 1/2 lower than my goal. I'm hoping now to come down another 1 1/2 lbs and re-adjust my goal weight. Loving McDougalling even more than I did initially. It's my WOE for life now. Wishing all a happy McDougalling week and Father's Day to those who celebrate.

A big congratulations on the re-adjusted goal, that is an awesome achievement!
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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby Starchyme » Fri Jun 14, 2019 7:15 am

Thanks for the congrats. It' was 20 ears in the making!
Happy McDougalling!
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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby Lyndzie » Fri Jun 14, 2019 5:37 pm

Sue - Cathy Fisher’s recipes are so good! I’m planning on making the Tu-no salad this week for sandwiches. Excellent job on going 100 days without libations. That is over three months, which is a really long time to politely decline a glass of this or a sip of that. Parkrun looks so fun, I wish we had something like that here. Cheers to a cheerier week ahead!

Starchyme - You are on fire this year! It is true, eating well feels great. You are a wonderful example to us all.

Mark - Thanks for the diet update. You’ve done an amazing job of implementing the diet. Glad to hear you are feeling fairly well.

I have re-committed myself this last week and getting rid of the “exceptions” that add up all too quickly. My rules are no animals, oil, sweeteners or soy. I’ve lost 1.2 lbs in four days and feel awesome. Sleeping like a log and energy all day.
Lindsey
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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby victw » Fri Jun 14, 2019 5:45 pm

I'm at 133.8.
I looked it up. I'm 1 lb up from the last time I posted on the maintenance thread 3 months ago. It's not bad - but I've been eating off plan a lot. And there is always junk available at the office.

I'm stuck. I did get some salads back in this week. And I should probably go back to recording my food. Mostly because it's easy to focus on what's going wrong instead of going right. With the recording this helps the honesty.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. My backpack trip was cancelled. But I will be out for a hike tomorrow. And maybe Sunday too. The heat has dissipated - it will be a nice temperature for hiking and I'm hoping for some lingering wildflowers.

Vic
11/1/19 Sloppy - 137.6/21.55
1/1/19 Still maintaining - 134.8/21.11
10/12/18 Maintenance wt - 136.4 BMI 21.36
5/6/18 151.8 lbs 23.8 - Normal. 4/8/18 154.6 lbs BMI 24.2 - Normal. 3/11/18 161 BMI 25.2 Overweight.
3 years staying on plan is the goal.
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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby Ejeff » Sat Jun 15, 2019 6:41 am

I am up 0.4 pounds, but I have noticed I’m in the 106 to 107 range this month, where last month was 107 to 108. I’ve not been making the best choices, eating too much bread still. I made the French toast with tofu and it was okay, but I’ve made it with chia seeds before and it was better. Next time I will use chia seeds ground up in the milk, but I don’t plan to have it for a while. I made a batch if the Smokey “cheese” sauce and I really like the recipe cause it’s very quick to make. I was pouring it over my farrow and over pasta. I ran out of veggies this week and I didn’t eat near as many as last week. I realized how much I missed eating them, so I guess that is a good thing to note. I stocked up again!

This week I am trying a new lasagne that has sweet potato in it. I didn’t join the 21 day challenge as I sometimes have oil in products such as bread and pasta sauce. I do need to stop that so I can be 100% oil free. I find these products difficult to locate in my usual store, but that is quite a lame excuse really. I have a hard line in the sand when it comes to eating meat, but a bit of oil and cheese (when eating out) are still consumed. Something for me to work on. Wishing everyone a good week :-D
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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby Lyndzie » Sat Jun 15, 2019 8:40 am

Vic - Glad you checked in. Your minor variation in weight shows how well your compliance has been. Work situations can be especially difficult to manage. Sorry to hear your camping trip was cancelled, hopefully the hiking is good. What kind of terrain is it? Mountains, forest, dessert, etc?

Erin - French toast is so tricky to get right without the usual eggs, milk and oil. I haven’t found one I like. Do you have a good one? It is hard to find oil-free sauce and bread, I’ve had to resort to making my own, and that takes up quite a bit of time. Are you making the Raise the Roof lasagne? Sweet potatoes in lasagne are amazing.
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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby Lyndzie » Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:49 pm

Hi all!

One of the biggest challenges that some people face with maintenance is letting small off-plan indiscretions snowball into habitually eating off-plan options. Every day seems to have a reason to celebrate, between birthdays and holidays and all the days that end in Y.

Have a good day? Here’s a treat! Have a bad day? You deserve to indulge! These temptations are easier to decline when you are focused on getting rid of excess weight, but once you’re treading water everyday can turn into a feast day. A bite of this here, a taste of that there, and next thing you know the day has been dominated with unhealthy nibbles. Jeff wrote about the exceptions creeping in in his article about the 5%.


Now, if you were someone who had no health or medical problems, all your biomarkers were excellent, and your intake was 95% or more whole natural unrefined whole plant foods, and you wanted to know what was the problem, then you would need to consider that...

A cup of dairy is 90 calories.

A TB of oil is 120 calories

A TB of sugar is 50 calories

A oz of chocolate is 130 calories

A glass of wine is 120 calories

An egg is 70 calories

etc, etc, etc,

People argue for each one individually but then include all of them everyday. The total of just the ones I listed above is about 600 calories which would be 1/3 of an 1800 calorie diet and 1/2 of a 1200 calorie diet. And that is for just one serving of each.


This is the part that really gives me pause:

When 140,000 American were surveyed and asked how many of you 1) Do not smoke, 2) are at your healthy weight 3) eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day (which i think is low), 4) get in the minimum amount of recommended exercise a week (which i also think is low).,

Guess how many did all 4?

Less than 3%.


We are here because of our high level of adherence to the recommendations put forth by Dr. McDougall. On that note, get out there, get moving, and eat those veggies.
Lindsey
My food journal: Adventures in Eating
My pregnancy journal: Maybe a Baby 2017
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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby Ejeff » Tue Jun 18, 2019 9:54 am

Yes it was Raise the Roof lasagne. It’s a good recipe, but I tripled the spice and it still wasn’t enough. Next time I would use 2 tablespoons of oregano and basil and 1 of rosemary. I love the fact that it has so many vegetables and it is such a nice hearty dish. I don’t have a good French toast recipe, but I do remember making it with chia seeds and it was better. I will try to find that recipe for you. And also I used white bread as I thought it would taste better, but I like whole wheat bread a lot more.

Thanks for the post about letting all the little slip ups become bigger! So true. I think I do eat a lot of vegetables, but I haven’t really tracked that. Perhaps I will do that for the next 30 days, track my servings of veggies and fruits. I’ll have to look up what a serving size is. Like when I make my large rice/salad bowl I probably use 3 cups of romaine so it that 3 servings. Guess it would just be interesting to know if I do or do not exceed the recommendations. I suppose especially for veggies a person can never really have too many. Not sure if that’s true for fruit, but I think eating 3 servings of fruit a day would be a good goal for me.

Like you say now it’s time to get up and moving so I’m off to the local pool/gym , which includes 30 minute return walk, 30 minutes on the bike and 30 minute swim.
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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby Suey51 » Fri Jun 21, 2019 12:40 am

Hi everyone!

Weight this morning is down 1.6 pounds from last Friday (now 0.4 pounds over goal weight). The 7 day average is the same as last week but the second half was better than the first half. Inspired by Lindsey's 21 day challenge in The Lounge, I've cut out some of the more processed/calorie dense or off-program items that had sneaked back into my diet. And snacking is trending in the right direction! I plan to keep this up till the end of June.

Lindsey - thanks for sharing Jeff's post. Very timely :) How's your 21 day challenge? Such a great idea! Sadly, I didn't spot it till this week but I'm joining in for the last 10 days.

Mark - so pleased you had a good week with the pain management :) A coincidence that we were both making the beef less stew this weekend! It was my first time and my husband and I both really enjoyed it. He's a partial McDougaller and I love to find recipes that we both enjoy. Do you have any other recipes that all the family enjoy?

Erin - the Raise the Roof lasagna sounds lovely. I'm looking for some recipes for a mixed audience so might try this out.

All - would love to hear about your favourite crowd-pleasing supper dishes for mixed McD/non McD groups please! Ideally, something that can be made in advance and reheated or left in the oven without spoiling.

It's been a calmer week with yoga, pilates, tai chi, a health walk in the rain (!!) and a trip to the gym. I made Cathy Fisher's beef less stew which my husband and I both enjoyed and her tu-no casserole (cannelini bean version). I didn't have kelp granules so the flavour was a little bland but otherwise it was great. My husband is not a fan of creamy sauces so he passed on the opportunity to taste this which meant plenty of leftovers for me!

Image

Found some brown bulgur which has a nice nutty taste and worked well as a change from rice with some steamed veggies. It took much longer than my usual bulgur to cook and was still a little too 'al dente' for my taste by the time the other dishes were ready to eat. Yesterday I cooked it again with a little more veggie stock and some veggies. The already-cooked beetroot gave the liquid a very pretty pink colour!

Image

Weeding the veggie plot this week, I thinned out some parsnips and carrots planted back in March and was very happy to be able to use these as mini veggies. The photo shows them alongside some small-ish radishes.

Image

Best wishes xx
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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby Lyndzie » Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:04 am

What a great week! We’re having some unusual weather around here for this time of year. Unexpected cold spells, and sudden downpours, it’s definitely earning the title of “climate change.” The farmers haven’t been able to plant their fields, and now it’s too late in the season to get a harvest. It’s quite different to drive through the country and see fields of wildflowers instead of the usual corn and soybeans.

Because of the 21 day challenge I’ve been more motivated to turn down many of the usual “exceptions,” such as a piece of cake at a retirement party. It’s amazing how many little things were sneaking in! I am down .9 lbs since last Friday, for a solid 2 lbs since the challenge started.

Sue - Wow! Excellent work! Isn’t it amazing how quickly the scale will reflect those little changes? I’m glad you’re jumping in with the challenge, anytime is a good time to start. My favorite casserole is the Stuffed Shells from Engine 2. I’m not sure it can be made in advance, but it comes together pretty quickly. Your pictures look fantastic, and those little carrots are adorable.
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Re: JUNE 2019 Maintenance Group

Postby Suey51 » Fri Jun 21, 2019 8:26 am

Lyndzie wrote:What a great week! We’re having some unusual weather around here for this time of year. Unexpected cold spells, and sudden downpours, it’s definitely earning the title of “climate change.” The farmers haven’t been able to plant their fields, and now it’s too late in the season to get a harvest. It’s quite different to drive through the country and see fields of wildflowers instead of the usual corn and soybeans. .


Yikes! Not good news for the farmers. We've had similar weather here in the UK, very strange. Yesterday when driving, I noticed some fields full of poppies so perhaps our farmers are having the same problem. It's certainly been a difficult year so far for some of the veggies in our garden; beetroot, runner beans and peas either not germinating or growing very slowly.

Lyndzie wrote:Because of the 21 day challenge I’ve been more motivated to turn down many of the usual “exceptions,” such as a piece of cake at a retirement party. It’s amazing how many little things were sneaking in! I am down .9 lbs since last Friday, for a solid 2 lbs since the challenge started.


Excellent work :D

Lyndzie wrote:My favorite casserole is the Stuffed Shells from Engine 2. I’m not sure it can be made in advance, but it comes together pretty quickly.
Thanks :-D I've not come across this before but I'll definitely give it a try!
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