MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Share your McDougall successes here in order to inspire others.

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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby deweyswakms » Fri May 15, 2020 4:19 am

Is it Friday again? May 15, 2020

I lost a pound, but gained it back. Is OK, I know I will lose it again. Nothing uplifting to report. Looking for inspiration. Hope all are doing well. Marsha

Later: sun is out so I'm going out for a walk NOW before rains move in for the weekend. Had a good breakfast with leftover veggie chili and brown rice. Yesterday I bought a pint of fresh Oregon strawberries (soooo good!), sliced them up and enjoyed some this morning. Later today I'll make the Egyptian red lentil soup again plus the NYTimes bean burgers. I would like to make that zucchini corn salad but can probably make it up (will add tomatoes I think).
Last edited by deweyswakms on Fri May 15, 2020 9:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Fri May 15, 2020 4:19 am

Hi all,

So sorry I missed checking in last week!

Goose - like you I'm struggling a to get some structure sorted, its definitely a work-in-progress. Your days sound productive, particularly in the current circumstances. Keep us posted on how the sweet potato plants progress!

Erin - congrats to your daughter on on her new position and how lovely to be able to have a family meal :-) Intrigued by your idea of freezing cooked oats so I'll give that a go.

GlennR - good work on increasing the workout weights. We also had a cold snap this week which damaged our potato shoots and killed off neighbours' beans and courgette/zucchini plants. Luckily ours were still in the greenhouse :) Look forward to hearing how it goes with the raised beds.

Viajera919 - your brown rice dish sounds delicious! I'll try out that combo
Mark - pleased to hear your pain improved last week and well done on your consistent approach to following MWL, exercise and weight.

Marsha - the Egyptian red lentil soup sounds yummy! I had an old lentil soup from our freezer this week but can't remember which recipe I used toi make it :lol: Will have a look through my recipe folders to see if anything jumps out at me!

Lindsey - how lovely to have some more chicks for your flock! Hope you've had a better week xx

My weight has been fairly stable over the past fortnight. Today's 7 day average is 0.5 above my goal weight and my health is good. The evening snacking has improved (although not perfect!) and there are fewer off-program items in the house so I haven't been tempted by those.

Exercise-wise this week, have done daily walks, You Tube yoga, two live pilates classes and a resistance bands workout. Finished making the scrubs tops from pre-cut fabric so have made a couple more masks, lavender sachets and been spending time in the garden. The weather is improving and we are hoping to plant out some caulis, lettuce and chard this weekend. Following a tiny bit of lockdown loosening I visited a local garden centre and was very happy to pick up some celery seeds. It was a joy to be able to browse for them in a physical shop rather than sitting at home scouring the internet (where they are mostly sold out and delivery times are understandably slow); bliss! And my husband was very happy that he can now play golf again.

Best wishes, Sue x
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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby deweyswakms » Fri May 15, 2020 4:29 am

JeffN wrote:
deweyswakms wrote:Are we allowed to post recipes here? I really want this vegan paella! Tired of my round of recipes.


Yes.

Just a few things....

-
Jeff


Oops, noted,sorry. Actually I went to the Recipes forum to look for the zucchini corn salad. Didn't find it; found a tomato-corn-bean salad and clicked on that link - goes to an oatmeal recipe.

Marsha
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby JeffN » Fri May 15, 2020 5:52 am

deweyswakms wrote:Oops, noted,sorry. Actually I went to the Recipes forum to look for the zucchini corn salad. Didn't find it; found a tomato-corn-bean salad and clicked on that link - goes to an oatmeal recipe.


https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... lad-video/

In Health
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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Fri May 15, 2020 8:12 am

Happy Friday! Sue good for you with all the variety of exercise. My week was good, seemed to fly by again. The potato leek soup I made was tasty even though I forgot to include the garlic and celery haha. That’s what you get when you chop and prep early! It only had potatoes, onion, and leek and I puréed it. We have been doing the front load with soup only at lunch time. This week it has been a veggie soup with a couple tablespoons of split peas added. Seems to be working well and it really is filling. I made Jeff’s chubby chips for the first time. They are great! And using the broiler with the tray about half way down in the oven, it took only about 6 minutes each side. I will be making these on a regular basis. I also broiled some mini burgers. It was the simple 3/2/1 recipe I think I’ve mentioned before. I made them mini as I used my cookie scoop and then flattened them, flipped half way. They were nice and crispy. I’m sure I already knew this, but adding lots of spice makes all the difference. Sometimes I just sprinkle it in and it’s not enough. Exercise was lots of walking, weights and some cardio. Twice a week I’ve been doing the stairs in my house (33 times). Takes about 8 minutes. Scale shows 1 pound loss this week.

I also made the Smokey pasta sauce again and I have a cooked butternut squash to use up. Will make more sauce lol.

That zucchini corn salad recipe looks very tasty. I’m going to try it out soon.

Lindsey, I’m only planning to plant some lettuce and maybe kale. We don’t actually have a true garden in our current home so I’m using just a couple boxes. A friend of mine did this and she said there were enough greens to feed her family all summer. So I thought I would try it out this year. I will let you know how it works out.

Have a great week everyone!
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby deweyswakms » Fri May 15, 2020 9:59 am

JeffN wrote:
deweyswakms wrote:Oops, noted,sorry. Actually I went to the Recipes forum to look for the zucchini corn salad. Didn't find it; found a tomato-corn-bean salad and clicked on that link - goes to an oatmeal recipe.


https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... lad-video/

In Health
Jeff


THANKS! I get his newsletter with recipes, didn't think to look under Education. Be well. Marsha
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby viajera919 » Sat May 16, 2020 5:28 am

Dewey and Sue, sounds like you’re making the most of the weather and exercising. Good for you both!

Ejeff, I also did the stairs in my house while looking to lose the weight from my most recent pregnancy. I’d strap the baby in a carrier and he’d nap while I walked the stairs listening to a podcast. It’s a really good workout!

This week has gone well. I’ve noticed during COVID that I’ve picked up (compliant) foods while shopping every 3 weeks just to be sure to have enough food at home, even if I don’t like that food a ton or am satisfied by it (pasta and Yukons). I eat them for food to not go to waste but am not satisfied by it (bc I don’t love it) and end up eating more after my meal so I get to eat more foods I enjoy. I gotta knock that off and just buy the food I enjoy.
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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby deweyswakms » Sat May 16, 2020 7:38 am

viajera919 wrote:I’ve noticed during COVID that I’ve picked up (compliant) foods while shopping every 3 weeks just to be sure to have enough food at home, even if I don’t like that food a ton or am satisfied by it (pasta and Yukons).


I also did that in the beginning of this, and lately have stocked up on rice and beans, anticipating the meat shortage which will send more people over to our way of eating! So far the produce aisles remain fully stocked, which amuses me. I don't eat much pasta either but do love potatoes.

Life is interesting now.

Marsha
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby GlennR » Sat May 16, 2020 6:12 pm

Late to the party again! The week went about the same as the previous one with no real ups or downs. The resistance training is going well. I've been busy in the backyard installing 11 new square foot gardens. It's pretty labor-intensive but I hope it will be worthwhile with getting a lot of homegrown produce. I only have four ready for soil so there's lots more to do yet. Stripping off the grass is the laborious part of it all. The planting is fun and easy.

I wish you all a good week.
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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Lyndzie » Mon May 18, 2020 2:08 pm

Viajera - You are a pro! How long have you been McDougalling? I’m in Indianapolis, so we’re state-neighbors. It sounds like you are a very understanding mom, letting the little one share a room with you. We’re done a variety of co-sleeping arrangements throughout the years, too, depending on the situation. How has remote learning been going for you? My husband stocked up on a bunch of weird stuff he doesn’t usually eat, too, I’m guessing we’ll have to donate it because the level of desperation hasn’t gotten to the necessary level to consume it, haha.

Marsha - Inspiration is tough these days. Maybe doing some random acts of kindness would help? I had a friend send out old postcards to people as a way to support USPS and spread a little cheer. Did you come across any new recipes to try? I have the vegan8’s bbq lentil loaf on the menu this week (I use store-bought BBQ sauce, but you can obviously try the one she has in the recipe).

Sue - You are doing a fabulous job os staying active. Kudos on completing all those sewing projects. Your garden sounds lovely. Keep us posted on everything!

Erin - Chubby chips are so good! They are part of our regular lunch rotation. Those stairs sound brutal - that’s a tough workout. What’s the smokey pasta sauce recipe? Greens are a great choice for container gardening. I’ve even seen people just split open the top of a bag of soil and sprinkle seeds on top.

Glenn - How big are your gardens? That is a lot of work, and a great way to be active and get fresh air.

Mark - How has the remote learning been going for you all? Is your wife still working from home as well?

Things are going much better for me, food-wise. Got all the junk out of the house that had slowly creeped in, and have a good rhythm for getting groceries that is keeping us stocked. We got the gardens planted, not we just need to get the front lawn looking a bit more managed - it’s all green, but mostly clover and dandelions, not grass. Gosh, such boring adult subjects! Lots of home maintenance projects. Everyone is itching to get out and reconnect, but we’re still keeping things small - the girls are now allowed to play with one friend outside. I think I’ll make the lentil loaf today. I usually make a double batch because I like it so much. Stay safe, everyone!
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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby GlennR » Mon May 18, 2020 5:37 pm

Ten of the new beds are four feet by four feet by 12 inches deep. The other one is a starburst pattern, roughly eight by eight feet with the center of the stepped bed being about a foot and a half deep. It will take about ten yards of soil to fill them. Of course, once they are up and running they are not a lot of work to maintain.
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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Tue May 19, 2020 6:18 am

Lindsey, the Smokey pasta sauce recipe:

https://www.copymethat.com/r/fzkH3rR/ve ... nd-greens/

Potato, carrot, onion, and seeds got into pot, boil until tender. Discard water.

Put rest of ingredients into blender, except for the kale. Blend boiled ingredients to make the sauce.

When you cook the pasta throw the kale in at the end. You can bake it once all mixed covered with bread crumbs, but I’ve never done that.

I am finding it handy to make the sauce and just keep in jars to pour over veggies or potatoes throughout the week. This week I made it fat free as I had no sunflower seeds on hand so I substituted celery instead. I also like this recipe because it doesn’t call for nutritional yeast which most “cheese” type sauces do.

Glad things are going better for you in the kitchen!
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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby viajera919 » Tue May 19, 2020 12:27 pm

Lyndzie wrote:Viajera - You are a pro! How long have you been McDougalling? I’m in Indianapolis, so we’re state-neighbors. It sounds like you are a very understanding mom, letting the little one share a room with you. We’re done a variety of co-sleeping arrangements throughout the years, too, depending on the situation. How has remote learning been going for you? My husband stocked up on a bunch of weird stuff he doesn’t usually eat, too, I’m guessing we’ll have to donate it because the level of desperation hasn’t gotten to the necessary level to consume it, haha.

Things are going much better for me, food-wise. Got all the junk out of the house that had slowly creeped in, and have a good rhythm for getting groceries that is keeping us stocked. We got the gardens planted, not we just need to get the front lawn looking a bit more managed - it’s all green, but mostly clover and dandelions, not grass. Gosh, such boring adult subjects! Lots of home maintenance projects. Everyone is itching to get out and reconnect, but we’re still keeping things small - the girls are now allowed to play with one friend outside. I think I’ll make the lentil loaf today. I usually make a double batch because I like it so much. Stay safe, everyone!


I don’t feel like a pro but with time comes experience, I suppose! I’ve been McDougalling for 10 years this July. Homeschooling is going alright. I am a HS teacher (I took this year off to be home with the little - and will take off next year as well - my 2 year allotment) so teaching is more natural to me, though not this age group. The tricky parts are doing it with a baby and my own son, and a different age group than my usual...not as easy as with students. How is it going with your girls? You’re right about the sleeping...as soon as we get something that works, the situation changes so we have to adapt. Right now the baby just doesn’t want to sleep as he’s working on both crawling and pulling himself up - much more fun. Does your husband eat McDougall as well?

We have been spending a lot of time on boring home and yard maintenance as well which is so boring. I think this coming week we will have fun outdoors as well. I’ll likely plant my garden. Did you do any veggies? What are you planting?
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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Fri May 22, 2020 7:10 am

Glenn - those veggie beds sounds beautiful! We made some raised beds when we first got our allotment 3 years ago. Like you say, not a lot of work to maintain once they are up and running.

Lindsey - glad to hear things are going better for you food-wise :) Good idea about sending out old postcards. I know my Mum, who now lives on her own, loves to get surprises through the post and she's been sending notes out to friends and family. I've been posting or hand delivering the lavender sachets as surprise gifts. The recipients seem to appreciate them and it also makes me feel good.

Erin - the smokey mac and greens recipe sounds good and I like the idea of keeping the sauce on hand to use as and when.

Marsha/Viajera - we also have a stock of compliant foods purchased early on during lockdown, and stored in a cupboard away from the kitchen. I've asked the quartermaster/cupboard librarian (AKA my husband) to occasionally remind me what's there so we can base meals around them. Otherwise they could be there for a long time!

Weight-wise I'm down by half a pound since this week. On the meal plan this week was root veg and pearl barley soup, chick pea 'tu-no' salad, green lentils with rosemary, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, garlic mushrooms, roasted aubergine and tomato pasta, roasted squash and baked potatoes. My husband and I have got into a routine of batch preparation every few days. He does the veggie chopping and I do the assembly and cooking. He also keeps the meal planner up to date which is also useful for remembering what we had the last week!

Exercise-wise it was similar to last week; pilates, yoga and walking but I haven't done the resistance bands workout yet. The weather has been warm so I've been able to plant out cauliflower, kale, chard, cavolo nero, onions, beetroot in the allotment and now walking there to water every day. It's a beautiful spot with trees and lots of birds so its a pleasant place to visit. There are tomatoes, courgettes/zucchini, cucumber, squash in pots in the greenhouse which we'll plant out in the coming weeks. We also have lettuce, radishes, spring onions, baby chard in troughs on the patio which makes it easy to make a quick salad!

Best wishes to all, Sue x
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Re: MAY 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Fri May 22, 2020 7:58 am

Sue, how nice you and your hubby cook together. And wow you grow a lot of veggies! Week was good for me, they all seem to go so fast. I made lentil loaf again this week with extra to freeze. Also made falafels with a spicy tahini sauce and a batch of tzaziki. I used sunflower seeds as the base for both sauces as much cheaper than cashews. Still eating veggie soup everyday for a meal or as a preload.

We have a robin nest right outside our back door. They built it on top of the speaker right under the eaves trough. She is still laying eggs, but I think she will start sitting on the nest full time very soon. I read it takes about 12 days to hatch so we might hear some baby birds soon.

My hubby prepared tuno salad yesterday. I tasted it and it really did seem like tuna. It’s because he used a nori sheet in the recipe he was following. When I tasted it I wasn’t sure if I actually liked it as it reminded me too much of the real thing. That’s interesting to me as I believe it indicates my taste buds have really adapted well and I don’t miss any foods from SAD eating. On a daily basis I count my lucky stars that I found Dr. McDougall and this forum.

Have a great week everyone :-D
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