DECEMBER 2019 Maintenance Thread

Share your McDougall successes here in order to inspire others.

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Re: DECEMBER 2019 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Fri Dec 27, 2019 7:29 am

Happy 2020 to everyone! With the New Year just around the corner and the Christmas feasting behind us I am feeling very blessed to have found Dr. McDougall. For this week I have gained back a pound and it’s never nice to see the scale go up. What I do find interesting is I went back and reviewed my weight from the past 2 years and the long term trend is still down for me. Overall my weight is down 6 pounds from 2 years ago. This just reinforces to me how starch based eating works, and works very very well. In the 5 years since adopting this way of eating, I lost 32 pounds. That number doesn’t sound huge, but the loss is 23% of my body weight.

All around me many people I know continue to struggle with excess weight, trying to lose it for a bit and then gaining it back. I was the exact same way for many years until I listened to Dr. McDougall. I hope next year I can influence at least a few people to eat a bit healthier. I will continue tryIng to lead by example and share information when I can.

One of the best parts of this WOE is I can eat very simply just a baked potatoe and some corn or a bowl of oatmeal and fruit is a meal for me. Or when I feel like cooking I prepare delish food like lasagne, veggie burgers, sweet potato fries, and burritos. The list is endless. I never feel deprived and enjoy my food everyday.

Using this forum to connect with like minded people helps me stay focused every day. Thank you Lindsey for keeping this post going and for everyone that takes the time to contribute. Thanks to Jeff Novick for posting new information and constantly reinforcing how this really does work and how easy it can be. And mostly especially thank you to Dr. John McDougall for providing this site and information all for free, and for never giving up on spreading the word on eating starch and plants. It’s impossible to say how many people you have helped, but I am very thankful to be one of them. :-D
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
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Re: DECEMBER 2019 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Sun Dec 29, 2019 4:55 am

Hello everyone!

Hope everyone who was celebrating the holiday season had a joyous and peaceful few days.

Erin - yes, we are snowbirds too! How long are you going to Arizona and Palm Springs for? What activities are you planning? Pickleball looks fun - I'm going to see if I can try that anywhere locally. It was good to read your reflective post this morning. Your weight loss and maintenance numbers are impressive - well done you!
Mark - hope you had a lovely time in Washington state with your wife's family and that you've had a good week for pain management.
Lindsey - congrats on your spectacular compliance! What did you take to your neighbourhood gathering?

My weight on Friday was 0.6 up on the week before which is 1 pound over my goal weight. Erin's post prompted me to look back at my own numbers and this time last year (my first weight maintenance winter) I was 2 pounds heavier than I am now. That perspective is helpful :)

Is anyone making any resolutions for 2020?

Pre-McDougall, I would halfheartedly make resolutions and not stick to them. This year, I mostly plan to stick with what's already working with a couple of tweaks...

I looked at Dr McDougall's December 2009 Newsletter A New Years Resolution Based on Three Decades of Success Now that we are through the feasting season I plan to cut back on foods from category III on this list with the aim of getting my weight down by a couple of pounds. I've definitely eaten more foods from this group over the past few months so the newsletter has given me a nudge in the direction I need to go for a few weeks.
I'm going to continue with my alcohol experiment, certainly until early March, which will be 1 year - yay! This was my first Christmas without any alcohol since I was a teenager and was much easier than I thought it would be and way more enjoyable :-)
My new focus is on exercise and I'm framing it as an experiment as that has worked for me with food and alcohol. I'm going to try some new activities to see which ones I like and just generally be a little more active.

The McDougall Program has helped me lose weight, deal with some health problems and also been a catalyst for me to make other positive changes in my life. Like Erin I'm so grateful to Dr McDougall, Jeff Novick, Dr Lisle, Lindsey and everyone associated with the program and this forum.

It's been a joy to share this maintenance journey with you all this past few months. Even if I don't comment for a couple of weeks, I always read the posts and it really helps to feel connected to a group of like-minded and supportive people :-)

Best wishes to you all for a healthy 2020 xx
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Re: DECEMBER 2019 Maintenance Thread

Postby Mark Cooper » Sun Dec 29, 2019 11:50 am

Thanks for the well wishes, Sue! We did have a lovely visit and my pain was quite mild throughout the week. I love your focus on exercise and wish you great success and an enjoyable period of exploration.

Erin, that is a wonderful overall history of weight loss and maintenance! 23%! Thank you so much for sharing that.

Lindsey, I hope you enjoyed / are enjoying a lovely holiday! I always appreciate your work facilitating this thread (and I really appreciate your willingness to help with the MWL group in 2020.) :D

I actually lost a fair bit of weight over the course of our holiday travel, as usual I stuck strictly to the 10pt MWL checklist. I did find myself in several situations between travelling and social events where my best available option was feasting on fruit and non-starchy vegetables, so I would imagine my weight loss comes from eating an even lower overall calorie density than usual. I had an excellent week for pain management, very mild. I found a fitness center just a 15 minute walk from my in-laws and was able to purchase a week-long pass, so I could continue my every morning exercise routine throughout the visit - I think that really helped to keep my CRPS well-managed. Looking forward to a lovely start to 2020!
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Re: DECEMBER 2019 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Sun Dec 29, 2019 1:48 pm

Thanks Mark! So pleased you had a good week :) I admire your continued and consistent application of the MWL guidelines. I’m happy to hear that you are taking on the MWL weigh-in thread facilitator role and that Lindsey will be helping out :-) I’m sure you’ll both do a fab job.
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Re: DECEMBER 2019 Maintenance Thread

Postby Lyndzie » Sun Dec 29, 2019 2:40 pm

Friends! I am excited to report that I got a new ipad with keyboard for Christmas, so no more pecking messages out on my phone with the tiny screen. I’m hoping that leads to better and sooner response times (and less typos!).

Mark - I am so excited to see how you make the MWL group your own. While Amy will be greatly missed, I look forward to what the future holds for you. I generally only post in the MWL thread to respond to time sensitive questions or “Can I eat this?” inquiries. If there is anything else you need (or don’t need!), please let me know. It sounds like you’ve had a great holiday and successful trip. Cheers to 2020!

Sue - That is such a timely post about New Year’s Resolutions! You have a very good plan laid out before you. I am still giving it some thought, and will report back. 1 year without alcohol is quite a feat! Do you have a “fancy” drink you enjoy instead? My sister brought over some Orangina the other night, which looks like a mimosa in a flute.

Erin - Your gratitude is so heartwarming. I had not realized that you had achieved substantial weight loss with this way of eating as well. 5 years of McDougalling and maintaining is quite a success story! Your plan to lead by example is a sound way to show the people around you of what is possible. It is difficult to see so many people struggle when the solution is so simple.

As this year closes I want to extend my gratitude to all of you who are here and stay in contact. This has been a great year of learning for me, and I am grateful for the camaraderie and support of knowing that other people walk this path along side me all across the globe. Thank you for participating, and I look forward to seeing who else will join us in the coming year!
Lindsey
My food journal: Adventures in Eating
My pregnancy journal: Maybe a Baby 2017
www.lindseyhead.coach
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Re: DECEMBER 2019 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Mon Dec 30, 2019 3:54 pm

I think we all can agree, supporting each other online via this forum is working well, so yay to that!

Sue, we spend 4 months in USA which is nice because by the time we drive home in May there is no snow and it’s actually spring. I try to take advantage of everything the RV parks offer. Last year was just our first year of retirement. I swam, hiked, played poker and lots and lots of pickleball haha. I also did some exercise classes like Zumba and I will dance more this year as they have classes and such. This year I will also play more cards and learn some new games. I always enjoy meeting new people and there is a lot of opportunity to do that. What types of activities do you enjoy while away?

As we are on the road now once we crossed the border we popped into Walmart and I got oats, 3 potatoes, can of black beans and corn. I’m all set to eat as I also have some nice salsa I brought with me. I packed lots of healthy cookies to snack on. I must admit this website has definitely helped me be more strategic in how to eat healthy as in the past I would have tried to just eat out and it’s near impossible to avoid oil doing that. Super easy to quickly bake a potato in the microwave and top it with good things.

Mark and Lindsey thank you both for leading these forums, greatly appreciate it. The sun is shining on me as we aware driving today, can’t ask for more than that :-D
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
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Re: DECEMBER 2019 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Tue Dec 31, 2019 9:24 am

Lindsey, meant to say that’s great you got an iPad! I got one about 4 years ago and really enjoy using it. I dropped it yesterday and thank goodness just the bottom corner cracked. Really don’t want to buy another if I don’t have to. Enjoy your new device.
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
Ejeff
 
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Location: Alberta, Canada

Re: DECEMBER 2019 Maintenance Thread

Postby Lyndzie » Tue Dec 31, 2019 8:58 pm

Thanks, Erin! I used to have an ipad, but it eventually died, so it’s just now getting replaced. Long overdue. Also, welcome stateside!

As far as resolutions go, salt has been overdone here lately, and I’d like to get the flour products out of rotation, but the family likes baguettes with soup, so that might take until the weather turns warmer (but then they will be asking for baguettes sandwiches). I’ve done well with limiting sweeteners this past 6 weeks, so I will be continuing with that as well.

Here is the January 2020 thread.
Lindsey
My food journal: Adventures in Eating
My pregnancy journal: Maybe a Baby 2017
www.lindseyhead.coach
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