FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Share your McDougall successes here in order to inspire others.

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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Mark Cooper » Mon Feb 17, 2020 6:04 pm

Sue - Your menu of exercise for the week sounds like it would be great fun - the best kind of exercise! :D

Erin - I'm wishing you a speedy and easy recovery from that bug.

Lindsey - That Valentine's party does sound fun & exhausting in equal measure! The Esteem Dynamics YouTube channel is such an awesome resource. Thank you so much for sharing that post on Jeff's grading scale - not a thread I'd seen before and it was a really excellent read.

I completely spaced out this week, and forgot all about making a maintenance post until today! I did have another pretty good week managing my condition, and the ever-so-slight downward trend in my weight continued.
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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby wildgoose » Tue Feb 18, 2020 11:44 am

Mark, you’re not the only spacey one. I didn’t get my post done either.

Sue, your nearby organic farm sounds so nice! Wish I had one of those close to me.

Erin, hope that virus is history by now.

Lindsey, good news on the weight front. Thanks for the Jeff thread on grading scales. I tend to eat more like a Jeff plan, because if I eat below a B very often, I land right in the middle of the Pleasure Trap.

Finally climbing out of the deep freeze here. Not getting outside seems to make me hungrier, but my weight is very stable.

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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby JeffN » Tue Feb 18, 2020 12:50 pm

wildgoose wrote:Thanks for the Jeff thread on grading scales. I tend to eat more like a Jeff plan, because if I eat below a B very often, I land right in the middle of the Pleasure Trap.


That is what I mostly see and why I wrote that up the way I did and my concern with grading systems.

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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Fri Feb 21, 2020 4:30 am

Thanks Lindsey for sharing Jeff's post about grading systems; its very helpful and perfectly timed! (And thanks Jeff for writing the post!) I've definitely had a period in the Pleasure Trap so refocusing on A&B is the way to go! Congrats on your success with compliance and being in your target weight zone :)

Erin - hope you're feeling better!

Mark - glad you had a good week managing your condition :) I like the phrase 'menu of exercise'!

Goose - well done on keeping your weight is stable :)

My stepson's flight home was cancelled due to Storm Dennis so he was with us for an extra 3 days. It meant we were with him on his 20th birthday which was lovely. I'm still grappling with eating out, but it's been a better week overall as we've eaten at home more often and am tackling some Pleasure Trap behaviours... My weight is down by half a pound so I'm just over 1 pound above my goal weight. This is again based on a 7 day average which is helping me me deal with a slight tendency to think, 'I can go a little off-plan at the weekend and have time to catch-up before the Friday weigh-in'. Anyone else find they are tempted to do that?

I've been using the McD checklist during Feb and it's interesting to see that the areas where I struggle are usually in the middle of the list 5-7. Here it is as a reminder:

1. Fill your plate so that 70 - 90% of your plate (by visual volume) is filled with minimally processed starches (brown rice, oats, sweet potato, quinoa).
2. Fill the remaining 10 - 30% of your plate with minimally processed fruits and non-starchy vegetables.
3. Eliminate all animal foods (i.e., dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
4. Eliminate the intake of fake meats and cheeses as most are highly processed, high fat and made with isolated proteins and oil.
5. Eliminate any added oil.
6. Limit your intake of all higher-fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy) unless you are trying to gain weight.
7. Limit added sugars and added salts. This also includes gourmet sugars and salts. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.
8. Avoid liquid calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). When thirsty, drink water.
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of daily moderate exercise (i.e., brisk walking).

I've scored my food in each of the checklist items and used fractions as I did with the MWL checklist in January. I treat breakfast lunch and dinner as each equating a third of the score, and sometimes have snacks and make them a quarter. This helps me stay on track throughout the day, as I have a slight tendency to think 'Oh I've already had some xyz at lunchtime so I might as well have some more at dinner.....' With regard to 8, I have had a little non-alcoholic beer or wine some of the days and almond milk in several cups of tea each day, but otherwise its water or herbal tea. Exercise isn't a problem, although this week I've had a minor muscle strain so haven't done some of my usual activities. 1&2 are only a problem in that sometimes I have more like 60:40 starches to veggies but I think that's OK and sometimes I've had white bread if that's the only option available.

I'm approaching 2 years of maintenance early next month, but there's still lots of learning going on!

Best wishes x
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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Fri Feb 21, 2020 9:02 am

Sue, good for you 2 years in maintenance. And yes thanks I’m feeling much better. Not really sure when I began maintenance, but I think I will say the start of this year :-D At that time I was 105 and I will consider that my upper range limit with the low being 101. Today I was right in the middle of that.

In reviewing the list I could put more attention to #6. I haven’t been eating avocados lately, but some cashews and sunflower seeds. Lost the 2 pounds from last week, so weight bouncing around a bit. Bought collard greens this week and ate them steamed with balsamic vinegar and some mustard. Very tasty. I haven’t been following any recipes lately, just cooking up the various starches and adding veggies. Pretty simple that way. Today I’m going to have pasta with some cooked onion, mushrooms, tomatoes and green pepper. This week I did cook up some mashed potatoes and cauliflower and have enjoyed that.

Wishing you all a great week.
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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:26 am

Erin - glad to hear you're feeling better and well done on losing last week's 2 pounds! Simple food rocks :D

Goose and Mark - loved your posts on willpower and observations on challenges (and solutions) to staying compliant over in the Feb MWL weigh-in thread. It's as if you've been able to see into my mind, understand the issues I've been wrestling with the past few weeks. Your words were just what I needed to hear! Thanks :D
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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Mark Cooper » Fri Feb 21, 2020 5:37 pm

Sue - How fun that you were unexpectedly able to celebrate with your stepson on his 20th. I found your observations around scoring your adherence & weighting each meal proportionately very interesting - it's cool how that reframed the "oh well, I might as well," perspective into the next meal being and opportunity to "raise the score" for the day. Neat! :thumbsup: 2 years maintenance! I'm gratified that you found something in those MWL posts that may be of use. :)

Erin Glad you're feeling better! I've been enjoying collard greens lately, as well.

My rolling average finally levelled out this week - it will be interesting to see whether this is my "new normal" or the slow downward trend will resume after some time. I continue to adhere to the MWL 10-Point Checklist, and this was another very good week managing my CRPS. Planning some chickpea dishes for the week to come - homemade hummus, Chana Masala, and Jeff's Sweet Potato Curry Burgers.

Have a great week everyone!
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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby wildgoose » Sun Feb 23, 2020 9:18 pm

Sue, congratulations on 2 years maintenance! That’s quite a milestone.

I can identify with using the week to compensate for a weekend of not-so-good eating before a Friday weigh-in. I did it so much while I was actively losing weight that I decided it wasn’t good for me to be a regular participant in the MWL group back then. Something about knowing that my "official" weight was going to be Friday gave me a little too much freedom on Saturday and Sunday, thinking I could always get serious starting on Monday.

You found a nice way to use the MWL checklist, too. I think it may inspire others over on the MWL board to do something similar.

Erin, good to hear that you’re feeling better and that you’ve lost 2 pounds. Did you mash the potatoes and cauliflower together? If so, that sounds good. I love cauliflower. I mash roasted garlic into my potatoes too, which is really good.

Mark, you’re on a good roll, both with weight and with pain management. Looks like you’re quite a fan of Indian dishes. I don’t know how to cook with Indian spices, but I have a friend who brings home lots of samples from a meetup group she belongs to that features Indian vegan food. I have to watch what I try, because some of it has oil, but the flavors are interesting.

I discovered something about my eating pattern. When I stick to rice, potatoes, and sweet potatoes for my starch, along with steamed vegetables and fruit, my weight stays stable and at the low end of my goal range. This week was a little different. I made a big pot of Mary McDougall's pinto beans. The Gander loves burritos, and I like a layered burrito bowl that I put together with brown rice, beans, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, corn, and salsa. We had those for several meals. Then later in the week, I made my 15-bean minestrone, which we ate quite a bit of. All those beans, plus the variety of having something different, meant I overate. It put my weight up a pound. Still well within my goal range, but I think I’ll go back to my regular starches and cut back on the beans a bit.

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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Mon Feb 24, 2020 8:40 am

Goose, yes I did mash the cauliflower into the potatoes. I should add the roasted garlic next time. Thanks for sharing your observations about the beans, interesting to note. I think generally I don’t eat enough beans other than garbanzo as I tend to use them for dressings and hummus.
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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby GlennR » Mon Feb 24, 2020 3:55 pm

It has been a long time coming but this morning when I got on the scale I weighed in at exactly 150 pounds, the target I've been pursuing for around five years. My first post here was on Sat Dec 27, 2014, at 9:45 pm. I was 245 pounds.

So, here I am starting my first day of maintenance. I don't really think I will make any changes to my eating or exercise other than to continue to ramp up the resistance training slowly.
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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby GlennR » Wed Feb 26, 2020 8:10 am

I have to admit I'm not entirely certain what to do now that I've reached my target weight. Perhaps I should just keep doing the same things that got me here. Perhaps I should set a goal for muscle development and fitness level.

I'm curious as to whether I simply allow my weight to find its own level or if I should try to actively manage it or eat a bit more to make sure I will stick at my target. I slipped below 150 this morning. I wonder if I can add muscle if my weight is still dropping.

Anyway, I have time to sort it out but I wouldn't mind knowing how others managed their transition to maintenance after reaching their target weight.
Last edited by GlennR on Wed Feb 26, 2020 12:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Mark Cooper » Wed Feb 26, 2020 9:28 am

Hi, GlennR! Welcome to the maintenance group and congratulations on all your efforts over the last five years! Speaking only for myself, I continue to eat in adherence with the MWL 10-Point Checklist, despite being in "maintenance." I exercise daily, including strength building exercises 3 days / week. I weigh myself daily and pay attention to my 7-day rolling average, as a useful data point. I've definitely been able to add muscle gradually while maintaining my weight ~155 lbs (I'm 6' 2.5" in height).
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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby wildgoose » Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:01 am

Hi Glenn. I can’t give you much advice, since I’ve only been in maintenance myself since about Thanksgiving. My body just found the weight it’s going to be and stays within the 3-pound range that I’ve set for myself now that I know pretty much where I’ve landed. I keep eating MWL, and I don’t plan to change that. I think every time I’ve regained weight in the past it’s been because I’ve gone back to some or most of my old eating patterns.

I must say that the weight I am now, where I let my body figure out where it’s going to be, is almost 10 pounds below my lowest (“ultimate" and "unattainable" :lol: ) goal weight from all previous diets, going back to my college years. That was a big surprise to me.

I think you and Mark are right about exercise. Much as I hate to say it. I loathe exercise. I am totally not motivated to do it. But I just got my latest lipid numbers back, and they’re not where they need to be. My diet is excellent except for a small amount of reduced balsamic and Well Your World Asian sauce, and too much fruit. So cutting the condiments and fruit, and getting off my tail feathers, are my only remaining options. If you can set goals for fitness and achieve them, I’d say that’s a good plan. Hoping I can do the same. :oops:

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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Lyndzie » Wed Feb 26, 2020 12:33 pm

Welcome Glenn! And now for the hard part: maintenance. :D Congratulations on achieving your goal, and having slow and steady weight loss. We’re glad to have you join! Mark and WildGoose gave you some great nuggets of wisdom. Figuring out what your goal weight should be is more of an art than a science, based on things such as previous weight history and BMI. WildGoose recently wrote about her experience finding her end weight. For most people, maintenance is just to keep doing what you have been doing. Please feel free to ask any other questions that may pop up.

Sue - Congrats on your 2 years! Spending the extra time with family sounds like it was wonderful. Thank yuo for posting that checklist, it gave me an aha! moment.

6. Limit your intake of all higher-fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy) unless you are trying to gain weight.


Of course! A person should not be topping their burritos bowls with avocado or a salad with tahini dressing unless they are, at a minimum, maintaining their current weight. Pure genius, thank you for that!

Erin - Good idea to mash the cauliflower with potatoes, that’s a great way to use up a stray head of cauliflower.

Mark - Your menu for the week sounds delicious!

Goose - Those are great observations about different foods and how they impact your weight. I’ve had a similar experience with beans. Dr. McDougall was right on when he said to limit beans to 1 cup per day! Those bean soups are mighty tasty, though.

As for me, the menu this week has included sushi bowls, red beans and rice (in honor of Mardi Gras), butternut squash soup, and trying out arepas.
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Re: FEBRUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby GlennR » Wed Feb 26, 2020 12:56 pm

Mark Cooper wrote:Hi, GlennR! Welcome to the maintenance group and congratulations on all your efforts over the last five years! Speaking only for myself, I continue to eat in adherence with the MWL 10-Point Checklist, despite being in "maintenance." I exercise daily, including strength building exercises 3 days / week. I weigh myself daily and pay attention to my 7-day rolling average, as a useful data point. I've definitely been able to add muscle gradually while maintaining my weight ~155 lbs (I'm 6' 2.5" in height).


I haven't followed MWL, rather I just tried to adhere to Dr. McDougal's regular advice. That saw me through the ninety-five-pound loss over my journey. I'm encouraged that you've been able to add muscle, I could use some definition at the very least.
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