SEPTEMBER 2020 Maintenance Thread

Share your McDougall successes here in order to inspire others.

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SEPTEMBER 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Lyndzie » Wed Sep 02, 2020 8:25 pm

Welcome to the McDougall Maintenance support group! Let’s join together for support and camaraderie while we strive to maintain our successes.

Many of us have lost weight and/or reached other health goals. We’re ready for that next chapter, maintaining the gains we’ve accomplished.

This group will have Friday check ins, where everyone can touch base. Weigh-ins are optional, and will not be tracked. Please feel free to share your non-scale victories (NSV) as well.

In order to foster group participation, we do ask that only participants post, so please do join! You can join at any time simply by hitting the “post reply” button and saying something along the lines of “I’d like to join.” As they say, the more, the merrier.


Hello everyone!

The sun is setting a little earlier everyday, and little hints of the changing of seasons are happening all around. Here we have been raising butterflies. Here in the Midwest, Eastern Black Swallowtail butterflies lay their eggs on dill, parsley and fennel. The caterpillars spend about two weeks munching away before forming a chrysalis, then emerge with beautiful black wings dotted with simmering blue. We’re also caring for Monarchs, which fortunately don’t share our garden, but eat various types of milkweed before pupating. The butterflies that emerge this month will begin a long migration down to Mexico to overwinter in trees.

While I haven’t had time to write, I’m glad to see everyone is conversing in my absence. Hopefully things get a little less busy here in the next couple weeks and I can get back to my online McDougall community.

First check in for this month is Friday, September 4, 2020.

Stay safe, wear a mask, and eat starch,
Lindsey
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Re: SEPTEMBER 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Fri Sep 04, 2020 9:46 am

Lindsey, thanks for getting this months thread up. I can imagine how busy you are this time of year. Very interesting watching those butterflies.

Sue, I have zero excuse for eating anything off plan, it’s just there so I did it. This week has been much better. I’ve been getting in lots of kale and cauliflower and for most meals eating a 50/50 plate. Scale is holding steady. I’m not yet sure if the arm weight routine is paying off, I did take a video of my arms before, but I will wait at least a couple more months and compare. I know the weights cannot hurt and my routine is short and very doable so I will just keep going. Very good you are sticking with your running routine.

I had a massage yesterday and she really worked on my sore right leg. It seemed to help and I will start rolling everyday also. Still enjoying outdoor pickleball, but I have been walking less. That’s my rest lol.

Not much cooking this week, just fast simple veggie bowls etc. Oh I did make a lentil loaf which was good. And I made a large pot of all veggie soup which I ate as a preload for several days. I added about a tablespoon of a puréed Adobe Chili and it gave the soup a nice spicy kick.

Have a good starchy week everyone.

Erin
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Re: SEPTEMBER 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Sun Sep 06, 2020 11:49 pm

Hi everyone,

Lindsey - how lovely to be able to watch those butterflies and educational for your children.

Erin - good job keeping the weight steady and sticking to your weight routine. Good to be able to have a massage on your sore leg. Yes, I understand about off plan foods just being there and eating them. I do the same thing!

Thanks Plumerias. Yes, totally agree about feeling better being a motivation to continue eating this way. We are lucky to have a garage so we have stored pumpkins on a shelf for now. They are a smaller variety called Sunshine and go a very dark orange/red colour. We will roast the pumpkin with some spices and have it with salads or in wraps (along with coleslaw, salad etc.) or use it in soups. A black bean and pumpkin chili sounds good - does your husband have a recipe for that? All the seasonal produce sounds yummy. Yay - congrats on getting an offer on the RV - hope that all goes through OK!

Weight is holding steady again this week. It's been a pretty good eating week apart from a slice of cake at an outdoors get together with 3 friends and some oil in a restaurant meal, which gave me indigestion for the rest of the day :-( My body is definitely less tolerant of off-program eating these days. Made another batch of the vegetable soup, some roasted squash, hummus, bulgur with roasted veggies (mostly courgette/zucchini and tomatoes as we lots from the garden). My husband made a big batch of green lentils with rosemary last night which we had with mashed potatoes, spinach and roasted beetroot, all from the garden/allotment. The potatoes were from some that grew in the allotment without us planting them. No idea what variety they were but we'd decided to let them grow and they were delicious!

I've continuing with my running program, been to the gym 3 times and done some yoga and pilates classes online. The gym will now be closed in the mornings as its part of a school and the pupils return next week so I'll need to go in the evenings and/or do some weights elsewhere. There have been some lovely autumnal days, and the leaves are starting to change colour. We are hoping to restart our health walks in October so have been out to do Covid reccies on a few routes, enjoying some blue skies, crisper temperatures and beautiful countrywide locally.

Best wishes, Sue xx
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Re: SEPTEMBER 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Plumerias » Fri Sep 11, 2020 4:43 pm

Well gang, I'd say happy Friday, but here in Portland it's anything but. A wee bit ago the air quality index read 596. My husband read a piece that said it's presently the worst in the world. Gulp. Relief is days away. We haven't been outside since Tuesday, and that was in a wind that we refer to as a tree stripper, and boy did it. For days. We are grateful that we are safe, and still have a roof over our heads, as there have been massive evacuation orders issued along the entire west coast, and enormous losses. Oh, my, evacuate to where in this horrible situation?

I really miss my walks. On the beastly hot days we'd only get to walk in the mornings, when it was cooler. On less nasty days we also go again, around 4 in the afternoon, so we're home before rush hour, and the resulting traffic, hits. Now, for those who think exercise doesn't matter, mentally or physically, I will beg to differ. My parts are objecting to the lack of exercise, and my head certainly misses it as well. To both of us, it's every bit as important as what we eat. And sadly, but not unexpectedly, it's showing up on the scale.

We didn't get to go out to the farm this week, owing to the wildfire smoke, so we're making due with the grocery store produce. Oh, pout, pout. :( I'm so spoiled shopping locally during the growing season. But last week I made a big pot of corn chowder with the local potatoes and corn. Yum. At least, I thought it was a big pot, until that husband wanted some. :lol:

On a more fun note, I am still watching the online offerings for local farms and farmers markets. There are quite a few winter squash varieties that are unfamiliar to us grown here. Oh, I suppose I'll need to do some research and see what I can do with some of them. Galeux d'Eysines, listed as from France, Red Kuri, oh so pretty, Sweet Meat, oh what a name, and several others, as well as some familiar varieties, like the pie pumpkins hubby uses for chili. Hmm, perhaps a recipe for soup that contains some pears as well, need to think about that. The oven in the RV wasn't especially a good one, we referred to it as an Easy Bake Oven, which many will remember from our childhoods. Gosh, we can actually roast a squash now, oh my!

Sue, sorry, no, no recipe for the chili. He's not one for writing down what he does. However, when he gets to it, and it's much too early for that at present, I will request that he make some notes. Ages ago, when we first stopped eating animal products, we got a slim volume by Robin Robertson at the used book store. I think it cost us all of $5. He did use it as a guideline. Here is the recipe with which he started, although his is now much different. He's also of the mind that if he's doing this, he's making a large enough pot that there are leftovers. Do you have access to dried chiles, like we can get at a Hispanic grocery? I suspect Sainsbury's probably has some, at least a full size store as opposed to an Express.
https://robinrobertson.wordpress.com/ca ... nut-chili/
http://www.tucsoncsa.org/2007/01/pumpki ... ean-chili/

In the autumn in Ohio, fresh apple cider is available. Not the pasteurized shelf stable stuff, the freshly made stuff that you get directly from the orchard or farmers market, the stuff that you need to drink promptly lest it start to turn to vinegar before next Saturday's market. It makes a lovely, full-bodied addition to any autumnal/winter chili recipe. Yes, it freezes nicely, apple cider does. Hope I can find some here. :unibrow:

The RV did indeed sell. YAY! Of course, his timing with respect to going somewhere in this mess, well, maybe he got somewhere before the fires got bad here.

Butterflies, ah, how lovely. The conservatory in our former hometown had/has an annual butterfly time, it was always fun to go on a sunny day and watch them all fly about.

Volunteer potatoes, eh? How fun! It's amazing what can volunteer in the compost bin, for example. It sounds like you grow most of your own produce during the growing season. That's lots of work, and a lot of satisfaction.

Have a good week all.
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Re: SEPTEMBER 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Lyndzie » Tue Sep 15, 2020 7:50 pm

Wow, 2020 has been a year!

Erin - A massage sounds lovely! Great to hear that it helped with the sore leg. Are you planning any traveling this fall?

Sue - Your garden allotment sounds mouth watering. Did the schools start on time in your area? The ones around here usually go back at the end of July (!!!) but everything got delayed, and then moved online. It’s great that you’ve been able to stay active, and such fun activities, too.

Plumerias - The air quality in Portland has been newsworthy. Glad to hear you are ok, albeit stuck indoors. We just got a pull-out couch in the entertainment room, we’re happy to host fellow McDougaller’s anytime (I should probably ask my husband before I start inviting everyone over, haha). Thank you for the apple cider reminder, we’re starting to get cooler mornings, and cider is the perfect addition to shortened days and crisp air.

I’m hoping that life around here has settled down a little bit. Nothing specifically too crazy going on, just this year has been a roller coaster. My days have started when the kids get up and doesn’t end until they are in bed, with no breaks, and it has been a lot, since the usual excursions and socializing are unsafe. We finally got a TV after not having one for 1 1/2 years. As far as food goes, I’ve had stretches of A+ eating peppered with some off plan items, which is directly linked to how stressful life is right now. I miss my WFPB pitch ins. Things will get better. They always do! Thanks for keeping this thread going even in my absence.
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Re: SEPTEMBER 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Fri Sep 18, 2020 6:01 am

Plumerias – oh goodness. Glad to hear that you’re OK in the circumstances and hope the situation is starting to improve. Thanks for the links to the chilli recipes. Your husband sounds a bit like mine; he who doesn’t write anything down when he cooks! Yes, we can get dried chillis in the supermarkets here as well as in some of the stores that specialise in international foods. Your various squash sound interesting, am curious to hear what you make with them.

Lindsey – the English schools closed in March, stayed shut for the entire Summer term and reopened in time for the start of the Autumn term in early September. Yes, I can imagine you’ve had a busy time with the children at home full-time. Must be exhausting so well done on the stretches of A+ eating :) Like you say, things will get better!

Weight is holding steady this week. Eating has been pretty good. Tried two new recipes, both which I'd recommend:

A simple but delicious Rosemary Potato Bake with Onions and Tomatoes dish with veggies from the allotment. Liked it so much (and we have lots of both veggies) that I made it again. It was also good cold with other salad items.

And a comforting Vegetable Congee (rice porridge) with kale from the garden. I used long grain brown rice and a mushroom stock cube plus fresh mushrooms as our local supermarket didn’t have any ‘normal’ dried mushrooms. I topped it with a little sliced green onion, liquid aminos and chili sauce when serving and it was very tasty!

Exercise has been pretty good. Have been running 2-3 times a week and now up to 5k in 33 minutes which I’m very happy about. Haven’t been to the gym as much as it’s within secondary school premises and its decided to close to the public in the mornings since the school reopened for the Autumn term. Have done some yoga and pilates online but feel a little tight in some muscles so will aim to do more stretching next week.

In other news: my husband celebrated a year without alcohol last week and has announced publicly that he is now teetotal. He estimates that he's followed the McDougall Program about 85% of the time during the last year and has lost another 10 pounds. Between the two of us that’s now 73 pounds lower than our heaviest weights in early 2013 (and 53 lower than when I started the MWL programme in May 2017) – woo hoo!

Best wishes, Sue xx
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Re: SEPTEMBER 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Plumerias » Fri Sep 18, 2020 11:57 am

Good morning all!

It's raining! I don't remember when was the last time I felt such joy at seeing rain. I know that the rains will cause some more smoke, just think about putting out your campfire, but it's a start. Today's air quality, while by no means great, is much improved. I still must remain inside, as I fall into the sensitive groups, oh well. I think I'm wearing a path in the flooring with my pacing. Looking at the upcoming temperatures, I'd have to say that summer is over. I wonder if Indian summer occurs here. Guess we'll find out.

The scale reflects the lack of exercise and some stress/boredom eating.

We still haven't been to the farm again. I miss that. I miss hearing the geese overhead.

Sue, what kinds of spices do you use with your winter squashes? I need to learn more about these, as there are even more varieties listed this week. We had a lovely pumpkin soup at a restaurant in Venice once, I wish I could remember more about it. Kudos to your husband with respect to joining you in being alcohol free. Bet that's good for the budget as well!

Erin, has your fall color season started?

Lindsay, and when you got that TV, did you find anything worth watching? Okay, the little one might find PBS programming interesting, but the other two, they're busy with school, yes?

Sorry, not feeling especially chatty this morning, so have a good week all.
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Re: SEPTEMBER 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Sat Sep 19, 2020 8:47 am

Good morning.

Lindsey, we are not planning any travel, perhaps if the border opens we will head to Arizona again in January. My hubby had knee replacement surgery a week ago so we need to stay around for recovery and Physiotherapy.

Plumerias, yes the colour change has started now. Such a beautiful time of year. My son has kayaks so we went down our river for 2.5 hours yesterday afternoon. Very peaceful and beautiful, I’m lucky to live here this time of year.

Sue, the potatoe bake sounds really great. I will make it soon. And congratulations to you hubby on the no alcohol and to both of you on losing weight together. It’s so nice when couples have the same health goals!

We haven’t been shopping for food, been using up what we’ve had in the freezer. I like to empty my freezer out from time to time, makes me feel more organized when I can see what’s in there.

I did for the first time make some corn tortillas. I don’t have a press so I used a cutting board to press the dough down. Very easy to make and I ended up using a couple as a burger bun. Was very tasty so I will do that more often. I might try making some a bit larger to use as a wrap also. Weight is up another pound so I’m one pound above my max. Likely due to less walking and also some over eating. I will aim to get more on track this week. I will need to start buying lettuce again as I have cleared out my lettuce beds. Will definitely plant it again next year as it was handy to have the produce right outside the door. Sweet potatoes are on sale now so I’m planning to stock up on those. They seem to be half price twice a year at thanksgiving and Easter. I like to make fries in my air fryer and then I dip them in a spicy sauce. This week I blended up white beans, lime juice, and chipotle pepper. As long as the dip is spicy I enjoy it. I will bake up a bunch and freeze so I can use it for baking or soups.

I watched a new Jane and Ann Esselstyn video yesterday. They were reviewing the list of best greens to eat. I found it interesting that Napa cabbage was mentioned, but not purple cabbage. I would think that purple cabbage would be as nutritious as Napa. I always have purple on hand and shredded fine as I add it to salads and wraps for the crunch. I will plug both types of cabbage into cronmeter to see what it says. Inquiring minds want to know lol.

Have a great week!
Erin
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Re: SEPTEMBER 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Fri Sep 25, 2020 2:07 am

Good morning all!

Plumerias – yay for the rain! Yes, I can well imagine the joy you felt :-D How are things this week? Has the air quality continued to improve? I made up my own spice mix for pumpkin, trying to copy the flavours of a dish we’ve enjoyed in a local Turkish restaurant. It includes 2 parts paprika to 1 of crushed dried chilis, ground cumin, chicken seasoning, onion powder and gambas pil pil mix. We buy the pil pil mix in Spain and I don’t have the original packaging to hand to check ingredients sadly. One you can get on Amazon says it contains smoked paprika, oregano, garlic, basil, thyme, saffron. I haven’t been able to buy the same chicken seasoning recently and the other brands have a different flavour. Think I might have to go back to basics…. Thanks, yes it has been good for the budget!

Erin – how’s your husband doing after his surgery? I hope his recovery is going well. My Mum’s had both knees replaced and its made such a difference to her life :-D Thanks! I am so proud of him for the changes he’s made. We’ve been looking through some old photos to do a before and after shot for him and it's surprised me at how different he looks. I guess we don’t notice the changes day to day. Good idea to make your own corn tortillas on the cutting board! How do you find the air fryer? How often do you use it? How did the cabbages compare in the cronmeter?

My weight is up by a half pound after some richer foods during a short trip away to the coast. We were very lucky to have some beautiful warm weather and enjoyed being outside walking and cycling. We felt very grateful for the change of scene and for the hotel staff who made the experience feel safe. My muscles are still a little tight after my first cycling in a very long time so I’ve been spending a couple of days resting and doing some yoga. Did a couple of short runs while we were away and will get back to normal running routine next week. I'm really enjoying being more active and noticing the way it lifts my mood! It's a revelation for someone who's never been sporty. :lol:

Best wishes, Sue x
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Re: SEPTEMBER 2020 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Sun Sep 27, 2020 9:11 am

Sue, my hubby is doing well so far. Staples were removed Friday and the swelling is really coming down now. He starts Physiotherapy tomorrow. Glad your Mum did so well, I’m sure my hubby will be the same. I bought the air fryer that has a rotating arm so I cannot lay things flat such as coated items. I do use it quite frequently to roast peppers, zucchini and potatoes. I’m sure an oven could do the same, but this is faster about 20 minutes to do peppers. Glad you are enjoying being active that’s wonderful to hear. I bet we could be great walking buddies if we lived in the same neighbourhood :-D

The Napa cabbage did have a bit more nutrition on some vitamins and minerals, but the difference wasn’t huge. I will keep eating the red cabbage too. I think variety is important. I was good at eating lots of greens this week and I roasted some cauliflower too. I’m always amazed how much the veggies reduce when cooked. Guess I should be used to that by now!

Another family birthday this week. I made Chef AJs raw pecan pie and also hot cocoa cookies from Monkey and Me. Main course will be lentil sloppy joes from Monkey and Me, with the coleslaw. All these recipes are new to me so I will let you know what the family has to say. Doesn’t matter if they really like the pie as I doubt I would make it very often. Uses a lot of dates and pecans so it’s one expensive dessert haha. I baked several sweet potatoes and I will freeze most of it to have ready. I’m planning to make a big batch of marinara so perhaps I will add some to that as well.

We have been enjoying beautiful fall weather and it’s expected to continue this week. The leaves are falling and it smells nice. Had a nice hike at a little lake close to home this week and of course lots of pickleball. Trying to get the last few weeks of outdoor play squeezed in.

Have a great week everyone.
Erin
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