Mike's new beginnings

[Mike]

Thanks, Glenn, although I expect that you'll speed up the weight loss as well on an elimination diet. But as you write, it's about the improvement of your health.

Tuesday, day 72: 107.6 kg. Finished my annual report yesterday, so that's off my shoulders...

Exercise yesterday: 1 hour walk with the dog.

Breakfast: 5-grain cereal
Lunch: Diverse left-overs, all MWL
Snack: Baked mashed sweet potato and banana
Supper: Not really McDougall - a couple of bowls of corn-flakes with rice milk, salad. But at least no added fat and vegan.

I won't be able to weigh myself in the coming 5 days, most probably, so will miss this weekend's MWL weigh-in. So I need to prepare myself mentally for my travel, reminding myself of my bright lines...

Today's plan:

Exercise: 30 min yoga, 1 hour walk with the dog, mowing the lawn, cycling with my catrike for 15 km, 2 km indoor rowing.

Breakfast: 5-grain cereal
Lunch: Asparagus soup, brown rice with red lentil & cauliflower stew, lettuce salad
Snack: Mashed baked sweet potato and banana
Supper: Baked potato wedges, chili, tomato and sweet corn salad, steamed broccoli

[Mike]

Start of Wednesday, day 73: 107.4 kg.

[sksamboots]

Keep on keepin on!

[Mike]

Start of Tuesday, day 79: 110.1 kg. I have not done well when abroad on holiday. I thought I had done quite well, but the shock when I got back on my scales five days later was that I'd gained 3.2 kg. When in the UK I started out quite well, avoiding anything with added oils, breads etc. but gradually starting with one, then another infringement. I thought I was doing well, as I avoided cream teas (which my wife had daily) and other things (loved the Indian food, for example). But obviously not good enough! And ended the week with a chocolate chip cookie.

Anyway, back on track yesterday. (Oh, and my wife said she lost weight in the UK - how annoying!)

Exercise: 30 min yoga, 20 min walk with the dog.

Breakfast: 5-grain cereal
Lunch: Brown rice with green beans and tomato stew
Snack: Mashed sweet potato and banana
Supper: Quinoa with a kidney bean and cauliflower curry
Drinks: Water

[Starch Chick]

Travel is hard!

Now you're home and back in your routine...the scale will start moving the other way

[Mike]

Start of Wednesday, day 80. 109.5 kg. So you're right Beth, the weight is starting to come off again... when I stick to the plan... The experience makes me question my holiday planning, perhaps it's better just to stay at home...

Exercise: 30 min yoga, 20 min walk with the dog.

Breakfast: 5-grain cereal
Lunch: Brown rice and green beans, quinoa with a kidney bean and cauliflower stew
Supper: Rice noodles and vegetable stir-fry, kale soup, salad, mashed baked sweet potato and banana.
Drinks: Water

[Mike]

Start of Friday, day 82: 109.8 kg.

Am I losing my motivation? I manage to keep off the junk food and manufactured sweets etc., but I'm not sticking as well to the McDougall WoE. I've been eating too many bananas, for one thing. And yesterday evening also ate white rice and a stew that my daughter had kindly made, knowing well that it contained added vegetable oil. And I skipped all exercise in the past 2 days. It's certainly not helping that I gained so much weight last week.

This morning I'm going to do my yoga, and walk the dog again. Hopefully that'll help me refocus.

[sksamboots]

The next meal can always be 100% back on plan. Just keep at it!

[Mike]

Thanks for the pep-talk, Sksamboots! Right you are! And doing my exercise properly helped to pick my mood & motivation up.
Start of Saturday, day 83: 108.9 kg (so up 0.3 kg since my last "official" weigh in two weeks ago). Fully compliant yesterday to McDougall WoE, not fully MWL.

Exercise: 30 min yoga, 30 min walk with the dog, 2 km indoor rowing.

Breakfast: 5-grain cereal
Lunch: Brown rice and split pea stew, salad, 2 slices of bread
Supper: Spaghetti with a tomato, mushroom and lentil sauce, strawberries with polenta, salad

[Mike]

Start of Sunday, day 84: 109.2 kg

Mood: I was fine all day yesterday, except in the evening... my dear wife made an eggplant and tomato stew with white rice, but a "special pot" of brown rice for me. I insisted on taking some white rice, even though I knew it had added oil to make the nice crust on top of persian rice. After I took some more, I was reminded it was not good for me. And then I sulked (as I knew she was right) and ate a bowl of corn flakes with almond milk to continue my rebellion. Childish! And this morning I didn't feel better for it, of course.

Food:
Breakfast: 5-grain cereal
Lunch: Brown rice and lentil stew, salad
Snack: Breakfast apple rice
Supper: Eggplant and tomato stew with brown and white rice, lamb's lettuce salad (oh no, since I don't eat animals, I guess I should now call it corn salad), strawberries, corn flakes
Late night snack: Humble pie

Exercise: 30 min yoga, 1 hour walk with the dog

[Nean]

Sorry to hear you are struggling.

[Mike]

Start of Monday, day 85: 108.6 kg. Fully MWL yesterday, yay!

Exercise: 30 min yoga, 1 hour walk with the dog. (Does 1.5 hours weeding in the spring sun count? I doubt it... but noted anyhow. It was funny to see my dog graze on the dandelion flowers, moving from flower to flower biting the heads off greedily. I'd never noticed that behaviour before.)

Breakfast: 5-grain cereal with apple
Lunch: Brown rice, pulses (2 different left-over stews), green salad
Snack: Breakfast apple rice
Supper: Asparagus soup, tandoori potatoes and dal, green salad, home made kale chips, banana for desert (amazing what DW can churn out in 1.5 hours in the kitchen. I take double the time...)

[Mike]

Start of Tuesday, day 86: 108.2 kg. Another day with MWL foods, although one too many bananas.

Exercise: 30 min yoga, 20 min walk with the dog. I'm gradually adding more to my yoga practice, as I get stronger and more flexible. Still sweating quite profusely, but the breathing is getting steadier. A few months ago I could not have thought I'd manage this well by now, but equally, it's hard for me to imagine being able to do the complete primary series (Ashtanga yoga) with about 1.5 hours of daily practice... I enjoy, though, the steady improvement...

Standard food choices
Breakfast: 5-grain cereal with apple
Lunch: Green salad, brown rice and lentils
Snack: 2 bananas
Supper (late!): Asparagus soup, tandoori potatoes and dal, breakfast apple rice.
Drinks: Water

[Mike]

Start of Thursday, day 88: 107.9 kg. Had no time to post yesterday, but similar MWL day.

No exercise yesterday, as worked from 07:00-20:30 and then too lazy.

Breakfast: 5-grain cereal
Lunch: Brown rice, beans, banana
Supper: Brown rice, spinach and lentil stew, green salad, baked mashed sweet potato and banana and 2/3 of a mango.
Drinks: Water

Challenging (seated) weekend ahead w/o access to home cooking. I hope I manage better than my trip to the UK...

[Mike]

Start of Friday, day 89: 107.5 kg. Nothing special yesterday, except that I stuck religiously to MWL and pleased about it! I think I'm finding that my appetite is changing. I now eat because it's mealtime and I'm hungry and not because I'm craving more. But perhaps it's just a few good days...

Exercise yesterday: 30 min yoga, mowing the lawn, 20 min walk with the dog

Breakfast: 5-grain cereal
Lunch: Green salad, brown rice and lentil stew
Supper: Green salad, brown rice and spinach and lentil stew, breakfast apple rice for desert with bits of mango
Drinks: Water