AUGUST 2019 Maintenance Group

[JeffN]

I am sorry for not responding to everyone sooner. Things in the "real world" here have gotten busier, and I am dropping the ball here.

Nothing to feel bad about. You have done a great job with this group and we are thankful for that.

While I can definitely continue to get the monthly threads going, I'm not able to get back to people as quickly as I'd like. I would love if anyone would like to help keep the momentum going, or just post an interesting McDougall article or video, anything really. Or, if you'd like to take over completely, shoot me or Jeff a PM.

Yes. If anyone is interested in helping out with the group, PM me and let me know.

Thanks
Jeff

[Mark Cooper]

I had a good week for pain management, generally pretty moderate throughout the week. This week we started receiving Misfits Market food boxes, so had a bunch of organic fruits that I don't normally buy - nectarines, plums, pears - they were all pretty good. I did discover, however, that nectarines can go from not ripe to very nearly too ripe overnight, so we scrambled to make sure and eat them quickly! I also ordered 12lbs of Hawaiian Purple Sweet Potatoes that should be arriving toward the end of the month, I really looking forward to those (and they may kick-off my next dive into the elimination diet).

I'll make a point of keeping an eye open for useful videos, articles, &c to share in this group. Lindsey, thank you so much for all your efforts here, and please don't feel AT ALL bad about not having time to do more - you contribute a great deal to the discussions; IMO, no "dropped balls" here.

[Starchyme]

Hi, all. I am still weighing in once a month and doing well with it. Am still down a pound from my goal, so I'm absolutely thrilled. I'll report in the first Friday in September. Much success to all!

[Mark Cooper]

Here is an interesting video I came across today that I had not seen or heard about before - regarding essential fatty acids. I found it to be an extremely interesting and thorough review of the full spectrum of available research.

https://youtu.be/NI7_QekdVoI?list=WL

Essential Fatty Acids: Recommendations for Plant Based Diets
Tim Radak, RDN, DrPH, MPH Academic Coordinator for DrPH and PhD
Public Health Programs, Core Faculty
College of Health Sciences Walden University

tl;dr he basically backs up everything Dr. McDougall and Jeff Novick have said regarding essential fatty acids and really explores from where many of the misconceptions that are seen so commonly (especially on social media, youtube, &c.) arose.

Personally, I have elected to include a daily tablespoon of ground flaxseed in my diet, but for many individuals even that might be unnecessary.

[Ejeff]

Thanks for the link Mark I will watch the video in the next couple of days. Weight same this week. In another thread they are talking about the cram circuit by Dr. Lisle so I watched a couple of the videos linked there. I came to realize that’s exactly what I’ve been doing some evenings. He basically says you just need to break the habit and so I’m working on that. He does mention it’s okay to finish dinner with a small treat so last night I finished mine with nice cream. I’m just going to remember what he says once dinner is over, and you are comfortably full, that is it get up from the table and don’t go back into the kitchen for anything, not even a cup of tea. Water only. This is what I will keep in mind when I get that urge to cram. I ate those purple sweet potatoes this week, very good, I baked them in the oven and ate them at room temperature at work. My everyday meal is still the Buddha bowl it is so loaded with veggies and I never seem to tire of it. I made pumpkin squares from the Jaroudi family. Super easy to make just pumpkin, ground oats, dates, milk and spices. I only had a large can of pumpkin so I doubled the recipe and froze them. They are not overly sweet which is nice. I hope everyone’s week is good.

[victw]

Well I'm down a couple of lbs from a few weeks ago. I realized that I might have been sounding a little crazy since I was complaining about gaining weight even though I was at goal weight. But from the picture you can see that the trend was going the wrong direction.


This week I made a batch of Mary McDougall's Festive Dal Soup.
I made a batch of No Mayo Potato Salad from WA Post. I sub hummus for the oil.

I recorded all of my food in cron.

I only ate out once - and had a small convenience item as part of another meal.

It's nice to feel like I have tools to nip the slides. But it's a little frustrating to think that I just can't seem to go on automatic pilot. I might always have to be vigilant.

There was also no junk at work this week - except for nuts - which generally aren't a problem for me.

Wishing you all the best on your journey.
Vicki

[Suey51]

Mark - great that you had a good week for pain management. Love the sound of your misfit fruit boxes and am jealous of your bulk order of sweet potatoes! Have you cooked with any of them or just had them raw? We have had a small batch of plums from a friend's garden, but the tree has produced only a small fraction of the amount that it did last year, so we'll be using them sparingly! Thanks for sharing that video - I'll check it out

Thanks Erin for mentioning the Cram Circuit challenge thread and video. It's prompted me to reflect on my after-dinner eating as well. Your recipes sound very good; I'll add them to my list to try! I had to Google Buddha bowl as I didn't really know what one was Brown rice and veggies is one of my favourite meals, but haven't been adding beans recently. This may explain why I feel full immediately after eating, but then get hungry fairly soon afterwards.

Vicki, understand how you feel when there is an upwards trend in the weight. Good job on losing a couple of pounds! The soup and no mayo potato salad sound lovely; they'll go on the list as well!

This week my weight is the same although the average is down by a half pound. We've been eating white potatoes, courgette, various leafy greens, beetroot, carrots, parsnip, green beans, raspberries and blackberries from our allotment. I've been recording what I eat in a spreadsheet (not quantities) and I can see a tendency to graze on higher calorie items after my evening meal. Having some fruit or other sweet dessert seems to help; as does making sure I have a large enough portion of the main course. Last weekend I tried out a no-oil carrot cake which was tasty but not a total success, as it wasn't properly cooked It went back in the oven for the same amount of time again to try to get it dried out! I've made some notes to tweak the recipe and will give it another try. Also tried out a minestrone soup recipe from an old cookbook of Italian recipes to use up some courgettes and beans. It was pretty good, but the potatoes got over-cooked and made the soup go a little cloudy so I'll leave those out next time.

Best wishes, Sue x

[Ejeff]

Sue, minestrone soup sounds good I need to make that. Just to clarify I call it a Buddha bowl because calling it a salad just seems to sound too plain. I haven’t normally tried to add in protein, but adding some beans would probably be a good idea. I never even think about protein I focus more on starches and veggies. What I usually do is put some brown rice and sometimes corn into my big bowl and heat that in the microwave. Then I add all the other veggies, like peppers, red onion, roasted zucchini or whatever I have on hand. I like to keep red cabbage at the ready which I slice thin in the mandolin and that adds a nice crunch. I usually sprinkle some sunflower seeds in. Last I add the romaine lettuce and kale if I have it. Mint is so good too. Maybe it should just be called a power bowl! But it’s the dressing that keeps me eating it everyday which I’ve been shaking in a jar. I put some hot water in, add tahini, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, bit of maple and bit of soy sauce sometimes. A small amount of nutritional yeast. I just adjust it to taste. My magic bullet broke and I will get another one soon. It would be nice to make it in the bullet with a date instead of the syrup.

I also forgot to mention that I made the pasta casserole that Dillion at Well Your World made a video of. Good thing I was warned it makes a lot so I halved the recipe and it filled a 9 x 13 pan quite nicely. It was very good, nice and garlicky which might not be good for your spouse if they aren’t eating it lol. Had mushrooms and lots of spinach too.

Vicki I like using the graphs also, good to see the trends.

[Mark Cooper]

I had another really good week for pain management; I realized I've actually had a really good month for pain, overall - maybe I'm doing something right (now if I only knew what it was)!

My hawaiian purple sweet potatoes arrived the other day and I went ahead and baked the whole 12lbs (3 hours in the oven at 275F) - they are SO delicious, really the tastiest sweet potatoes I have ever eaten and just stunningly vibrant in color.

I had my blood work this week - total cholesterol was 132, so no question that eating MWL has benefits!
My serum sodium, chloride and creatinine were all a bit low, and potassium was a bit high - I'm not sure whether that is related to my CRPS or some other issue. I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow for my annual check-up and ongoing follow-up on my chronic pain - hopefully it will be productive.

[Lyndzie]

Thank you all for being so understanding! I had high hopes that I would just be a clone of the amazing Amy, but have come to realize that: 1) that would be impossible, and 2) this group does not have the same set of needs as the MWL group. Since so many of us have "graduated" from the MWL group and have been eating this way for years, we don't have that initial learning curve anymore, and don't need quite the same level of support and education that we did in the beginning, while still wanting a place to check in regularly.

I can easily get the monthly thread going, and from there we can continue to check in on Fridays. I will do my best to get back to everyone in a somewhat timely manner.

Sue - Thank you for sharing the soup recipes! I will definitely let you know next time I am over in your direction. Our weather here is staring to get cool around the edges, too, and hints that summer is winding down.

Erin - Do not even get me started on politics, I see a lot of room for improvement these days!

Mark - How is the Misfits Market going? We did Imperfect Produce last summer, and I did not find it to be less expensive than shopping at Aldi, especially when considering the delivery fee, but it was like getting a weekly present of food and got the kids to try some new veggies. Thanks for posting the video, I will put it in my queue.

Starchyme - Good to hear from you and that all is well.

Erin (again) - I've been reading the cram circuit thread, and I was under the impression that cramming involved calorie dense foods (crackers, chocolate, cake, etc), but it seems like a lot of people are concerned about an excess of fruit. I should probably go back and rewatch the videos again, too. Dillon's pasta dish looked good, glad to hear you enjoyed it.

Vicki - Love the graphic. My weigh ins bounce all over like that throughout the week, but the trend, as you point out, is what is important.

Sue (again) - You garden allotment sounds amazing. Such an abundance this time of year! Please share the carrot cake recipe when you get it all worked out, it's my husband's favorite.

Mark (again) - That is an impressive amount of purple sweet potatoes. Excellent bloodwork numbers! You must be doing something right. Hoping you got good news at your doctor's appointment.

[Starchyme]

I'm reporting in once a month now. I am doing well and holding to 1 lbs below my goal weight. A very happy McDougaller!

[Ejeff]

Nice going Starchyme! Week was good, I seemed to have gotten the evening eating under better control. I made some veggie type pancakes with chickpea flour this week, but they weren’t that great. Kale was super cheap so I’ve been eating that as well. Also made sushi with brown rice and it was very good, I just put raw zucchini and peppers in the middle. Weight is down about 1.5 pounds. Lyndsey I will be thinking if you this week as it’s back to school time and I imagine you are very busy getting ready for that.

Today is our 33rd anniversary and we are going to try out a new restaurant which is plant based and no oil. Well it’s been around for a couple years, but I didn’t know it existed. They cater and also sell a lot of take out so I hope it’s good. Wishing you all a good week.

[JaniceYvonne]

Hi Why is this maintenance thread on Testimonials and Success Stories?

[JeffN]

Hi Why is this maintenance thread on Testimonials and Success Stories?

Because this thread is for those who have reached their health and/or weight goals and are now working on maintaining them.

There are a few threads back in December 2018 where members were discussing the possibility of having such a thread as this. We started it in January.

In Health
Jeff

[Mark Cooper]

Starchyme - Way to go! I'm so glad you feel so empowered and are doing great!

Happy Anniversary, Erin!

I had another very good week managing my CRPS, no flare-ups and only moderate pain all week. My doctor advised me to keep doing what I've been doing; he wasn't concerned regarding my serum minerals being a bit off, he suggested maybe I had just been drinking too much water. I don't feel like I drink an exceptional quantity of water, but I definitely do eat a very high water content diet in terms of my food choices. I've started graded motor imagery therapy for my CRPS and I'm very hopeful that it will have a positive effect. It is very similar to the mirror therapy that is sometimes used for phantom limb or stroke recovery.

Mark - How is the Misfits Market going? We did Imperfect Produce last summer, and I did not find it to be less expensive than shopping at Aldi, especially when considering the delivery fee, but it was like getting a weekly present of food and got the kids to try some new veggies. Thanks for posting the video, I will put it in my queue.

I feel exactly the same regarding Misfits Market - not the best possible deal, but a fun treat. I haven't decided yet how long I will continue the subscription.

Mark (again) - That is an impressive amount of purple sweet potatoes. Excellent bloodwork numbers! You must be doing something right. Hoping you got good news at your doctor's appointment.

I just want to be clear that I didn't eat ALL 12 lbs of sweet potatoes in one sitting!
I thought folks might enjoy seeing how colorful they were, here is a photo:
Hawaiian Purple Sweet Potatoes by Mark Cooper, on Flickr

I ordered them from https://hawaiiveggiefarm.com, they offer free shipping!