Getting Control Back

Share your daily McDougall menus and/or keep a journal describing your personal progress.

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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby katgirl55 » Fri Dec 18, 2015 11:33 am

Treadmill was finally repaired last night! It is really beautiful and huge and I feel like I am at the gym while walking on it. Being able to see the screen is a must! I will officially tes it out this weekend when I can devote a good hour to walking and playing with the features.

On the food front - blech. I shouldn't be totally negative: I have managed to not gain any more weight since Thanksgiving, I have successfully avoided holiday parties at work, and I have not bought a bunch of "junk" at the grocery store. I have been avoiding sweets but had some almond milk cocoa the other night, which warmed me up and hit the spot without me giving in to the craving with something completely decadent.

Part of my "success" lately is due to buying convenience foods such as instant steel cut oatmeal rather than cooking rolled oats. I was doing coffee mate creamer in my coffee, which I knew was less than optimal. I am going back to barista blend almond creamer which is very low in calories yet tastes pretty good. I have been trying to dial back on dinners - one thing about having a big meal at Thanksgiving was that my body wanted big portions and to be stuffed after meals for about a week. I have been eating smaller meals at night, and depending on lunch I might only have a small snack such as the aforementioned cocoa. I have a freezer full of veggies and fruits, and my plan in January is to deplete this so that I can restock. My meals have been very starch heavy but lacking in veggies that I know I need.
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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby katgirl55 » Thu Feb 04, 2016 3:58 pm

Wow! I just realized I have not posted since December! So just an update - treadmill was repaired and the holidays hit, then right after I got hit with a very bad case of the flu which knocked me out until about this week actually. I got 2-3 workouts on it and then have not felt up to exercising at a good pace since beginning of January. The good news is that it works great! A lot more smooth on the tread, no noises, and the fan works!

On the food front: the flu was so bad that I lost my appetite the first week, and have been on a soup kick since then. Unfortunately because my energy has been so low I have gone out way more than I want. Now that I am feeling more pep I plan to make meals at home. I also started back in school, which was overwhelming the first week until I dropped a class and it is way more manageable now.

My partner's kidneys have declined after a case of the flu. I did not know that flu can cause kidney damage. So, the doctor is now preparing for dialysis. This is the time for us both to really get back in gear. We both need to get in shape for changes to come.

Also, Dr. Greger will be in town on Feb. 14 and I am really excited to go hear him speak!
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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby katgirl55 » Fri Feb 05, 2016 5:32 pm

I am very excited because I just ordered a 20-meal jumpstart pack from PlantPure Nation for me and my partner. We decided to try this out, at least for the 10 days the meals are supposed to last, since what we are currently doing is not working. I am getting heavier and heavier, and my partner will be starting dialysis treatment soon due to failing kidneys. Two+ years ago we did the Kaiser Medical Weight Loss program where you use Optifast products for 17 weeks and lose a good amount of weight. I was doing well until last summer when my body decided to gain back weight and I am back on that yoyo again. Stress has been a huge factor.

Optifast worked for us for a couple of reasons: 1) it was easy 2) it took our choices away. Ask anyone who has done something like this and they would likely agree that the 4 months on product were the easiest. The hardest part was noticing how much our world revolves around food. I am sure folks here can already relate to that. Also hard was going back to regular food and planning and preparing while keeping that crave monster at bay.

So, hopefully for us, we can have some of the experience of that program with the PlantPure meals, of ease and lack of choices to keep us on track. After 10 days, we can evaluate if we should continue with the meals or start cooking our own based on the recipes, etc. I am thinking of the meals as a palate cleanser to reset taste buds and conquer cravings. Also: going to wean off the coffee monster. I ordered some decaf and some dandyblend to begin the transition. I have gone cold turkey before, and not sure I can do it this time.
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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby katgirl55 » Mon Feb 08, 2016 1:49 pm

I accidentally ordered two 20-pack meal sets in my excitement. Partner pointed out that we do not have enough room in our tiny freezer! LOL. So, Friday night I got into a panic to contact PlantPure nation customer service. I sweated all weekend over whether they could catch the order before it shipped. Lucky for me, they are not Amazon fast, and I was contacted this morning that they made the change. Phew!!! 20 meals will fit as long as I do some cleaning out of the freezer. So, I will be eating up lots of frozen veg, etc. to make room.
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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby memkat » Mon Feb 08, 2016 10:19 pm

Can I suggest making a big pot of soup once a week and making sure to have salad fixings always available. That is some thing that you can heat up in a hot minute.i
You can eat those while roasting or boiling some potatoes or cooking some rice. Better yet have rice and cooked potatoes always available. Or have oatmeal for dinner.
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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby Lizzy_F » Wed Feb 10, 2016 5:35 pm

Hi Katgirl! Sending you and your partner both well wishes getting through the kidney challenges. That has to be stressful for both of you!

Many of your posts really resonated with me. There is a seat with my name on it on the yo-yo dieting train. I am not 100% compliant either, so you are not alone in that regard. I guess all any of us can do is take this thing one meal at a time, and be kind to ourselves. I have flogged myself mercilessly for infractions, and that has never helped me stay on track. So these days I am focusing on celebrating each choice I make that is a good one. That's it.

Anyway...I didn't mean to ramble in your journal!! Just wanted you to know you are definitely not alone! I will be interested to hear how the 20-meals work out! Let us know if the food is good!
Beth

"Long-term sustainable change is what we are really after." ~Jeff Novick
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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby katgirl55 » Fri Feb 12, 2016 4:31 pm

Thank you so much Lizzy! I appreciate our response. I know there are the Star McDougallers here, but there are also us folks who are struggling to make it all work, either from life challenges or just metal ones. Each day offers the chance to make good choices, and these should be the focus rather than any negative stuff. Good luck to you on your journey too!

Update: my partner had a consult with the surgeon today about getting a catheter inserted to begin peritoneal dialysis. Such a huge life change! Now the work begins to lose weight to get to a BMI and get on the transplant list.

I was able to get my PlantPure order fixed, but still waiting for the meals to be delivered. I am getting antsy to begin. I know that I can start any time, but when I begin eating these meals it will be so much easier. On the coffee front, I am about to go cold turkey off the caffeine. My head is starting to ache just thinking about it! LOL. I have done it twice before in the last 2-3 years and it isn't like I drink 4-5 cups of coffee a day. I know I can do it.
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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby katgirl55 » Wed Feb 17, 2016 12:55 pm

Watched Dr. Greger's presentation on Sunday (apparently he did ASW in the morning and spoke again in my town in the afternoon)! What a great talk, and came away feeling pumped to make some changes. It has started a little slowly, but there is progress! I am now on day 3 of half-caf coffee. My head has not imploded nor has anyone been a victim of my wrath. Energy is a little bit low, but honestly I do not have a bunch to spare anyway.

Still waiting delivery/confirmation of my PPN order. So, they took off one of the 20-meal packs, but when I look online at status it says it is refunded, but does not reflect the remaining order that I paid $137 to receive. I sent a message and have not heard back yet. Ether send it or refund the total amount. I prefer to receive it so that I can start my jumpstart!

My mood is a bit low. I am trying my best to keep my opinions to myself, move on to other things when someone is annoying me etc. but having much difficulty. My solution is to "check out", emotionally disengage, or to speak up and cause a rift. When it is personal home stuff I check out, and for petty things life online trolls I will speak up. Ha! I know it should be the reverse, but it is easier to pop off at people you do not know or care about than people you love.
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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby Paul21 » Wed Feb 17, 2016 2:52 pm

You're doing great! Keep at it.

I also don't want to cook after a long drive home.

I prepare a batch of items on Sunday to hold me over with a top up on Wednesdays. It makes everything so quick. Although I do love some fresh baked items like Sweet Potatoes. Those I will wait for no problem. YuMMy
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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby katgirl55 » Mon Feb 22, 2016 11:32 am

I got my meals Friday and starting today on the Jumpstart. Well, it is a modified Jumpstart, because I am sharing the 20 meal pack with my partner. If she does not enjoy the taste, it will become all mine. But I am really hoping she likes it because of the two of us, she REALLY needs this right now. I am not trying to downplay my needs, I certainly need it too. But my partner is going to undergo laparoscopic surgery next week to insert a catheter into her abdomen, which will be used to do peritoneal dialysis exchanges 4 times per day until she gets her overnight machine. She is scared, because she has never undergone surgery and does not want to be put under the general anesthesia. I have had surgery and am also in better health, so would not worry as much about it. Now I just worry for her, and am trying to get her the healthiest I can to aid in the surgery and the healing process.

PS: I will post a review of the PPN Jumpstart meals. I read someone else say on here that they are tasty.

ETA: The first meal, African Stew, was very good. I added a tiny bit of salt as suggested. Partner had Sesame Noodles and I took a taste and liked those as well. Portions are pretty big, and they actually recommend two servings per meal. Since I am used to larger portions at the moment I ate all of mine. Partner saved half for tomorrow.
Last edited by katgirl55 on Mon Feb 22, 2016 4:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby katgirl55 » Mon Feb 22, 2016 12:59 pm

In reading a couple of other people's journals today, the topic of food addiction was a common theme. Last year I jumped on that bandwagon full force and bought into the "abstinence" mindset of another program (literally since I paid money for it) that I will not name here. I cannot speak to any other person's experiences, just my own: not only did it not work for ME, it turned me off of WFPB at all for a while. I did not throw out my McDougall books or whatever, but I quit listening to the message because it was too much like what I had experienced. Literally throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but just for a bit. After a few months I calmed down and analyzed what had happened...

First, it was all about total abstinence, not just from meat, dairy and oil, but also excluding other types of foods or condiments because it was decided that these were "trigger" foods. This left me eating lots and lots of potatoes, which I know is a mainstay here but I prefer not to have for every single meal because I find them very bland. Second, there was a running vibe of negativity - a very us versus them attitude, "we have now found the holy grail and everyone else is deluded, or what worked for THEM could never work for US because we are ADDICTS". Third, I felt like there were ever more hoops that we had to jump through to be compliant - many "extras" that were not about food, but supposed to help our addicted brains. What I ended up seeing were many, like me, who just could not get on board all the way for some reason. I eventually left and went back to SAD because at that point I was frustrated and had given up. I would never succeed because this was supposed to FIX ME and it didn't work!

After some time and analysis, I figured out that framing my problems as being an addiction that forces me to abstain from enjoying my food is not the right path for me. I can NOT smoke, drink or take drugs, but I must eat, and I need to like it or I get rebellious and cranky. For me, that means that I need to strive toward doing Starch Solution, not MWL or any other ultra restrictive programs out there. I cannot get wrapped up into the addiction recovery mindset that tells me I am being wrong, noncompliant, off the wagon, or failing if I have a meal that is not perfect.
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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby katgirl55 » Tue Mar 01, 2016 10:35 am

So I am on week 2 of having the PPN meals and so far all have ben very tasty. I add a little salt on mine, which is okay according to their website. I also use the Hot Logic mini oven to heat them up, which was their recommendation. I am liking this little contraption! I put my meal in at 9am, and by noon it is perfectly heated without me having to wait for the microwave in the break room!

Partner is having surgery Friday. Lots of lifestyle changes in store. I just found out my cousin in law has leukemia and lymphoma, but it is slow growing. I hope he will make some changes to his diet - I think he can still be okay as long as he takes care of himself. I have a great uncle who has had chronic leukemia since the 80s.
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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby katgirl55 » Thu Mar 03, 2016 12:19 pm

RANT ALERT - I have had a bad week. Breakfast and lunches have been on plan, but dinners have been in restaurants and I went a little crazy. Lots of stress this week with partner having surgery tomorrow. I have also been battling a headache the last two days. Part of the cause of that are sleep problems (probably from eating large dinners) and a new girl at work who insists on wearing so much perfume I can smell it in my cubicle 20 feet away! There are signs posted in her area asking people not to wear perfumes or spray chemicals, but somehow there are people who do not think that applies to them. If anyone has a sensitivity to perfume/chemicals they will understand the frustration. People think "smells" are an invisible intangible cloud with no substance, but in reality they are particulate matter from a stew of chemicals floating in the air. Our nose detects the odor, but the particulates also get inside our body when we ingest them through our nose. Yup - it is disgusting! The result for me is to get a headache, and since I cannot get fresh air or sit away from the offending perfume, taking medicine really does no good. I keep getting "dosed" with the chemicals all freakin day!
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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby katgirl55 » Tue Mar 08, 2016 4:09 pm

Partner had surgery and is now battling nausea and the stupid dialysis clinic. They did not make it clear that she would need to go in this week to flush the catheter several times. I work and it is a busy week for me. I wish I could have taken off the whole week but it is not feasible. Her parents are not reliable or desirable unfortunately. They would come from another city and would take over the whole house and I would end up having to take care of her and her relatives. But, we might need them to do it. They do not work and she needs care. I was hoping she would be okay, the surgery wen well and she was perky that day. But then her brother visited the next day and she seemed to take a downturn. I thought maybe it was just too much commotion. The day after surgery is not conducive to entertaining people.

On another note: I ordered more PPN meals. For the most part they were all tasty. Two so far for me were not my cup of tea: Asian Stewed Tofu and Bourbon Vegetables were both seasoned too much with black pepper. I am going to try to make the tofu into lettuce wraps with a soy sauce like PF Chang's serves. I think it will improve the flavor. Not sure what I can do for the other dish. Hopefully they are getting feedback from others on the seasoning issue. The only other meal I have not tried yet in the New England Chowder. Partner tried to eat it and became nauseated, but she said it tasted fishy. Since I like Clam Chowder I think I will like it.
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Re: Getting Control Back

Postby katgirl55 » Thu Mar 10, 2016 2:43 pm

OK I have now tried ALL of the PPN meals and I have to say the chowder and bourbon vegetables are the least favorite. Chowder is going for a clam chowder "seafood" taste, and so added seaweed to the recipe. Unfortunately, the result is not that great, and the seaweed strips add a slimy texture. I added unsalted saltine crackers to mine just to be able to get it down. There were also a couple of chewy bits, that mimicked the chewy clams but freaked me out a little. A good corn and potato chowder would be preferable. Also mentioned previously, the Bourbon Vegetables are over seasoned with black pepper making them barely edible. I had to take 1-2 bites at a time and wash it down with lots of water. Today I had meal 2 of the Asian Stewed Tofu, which tasted better to me than meal 1 did. It was still on the dry side, and I did not try my experiment of making it a filling for lettuce wraps. I have a new order delivery arriving today, so maybe that is what I will do next time. I will probably compromise with partner and eat the less tasty ones, giving her the better ones to stay on plan.

She is doing well physically, but mentally has been struggling. I saw her cry when the bandages came off and she saw the catheter coming out of her abdomen. Also feeling gross and dirty since she cannot take a proper shower yet. Then there is the feeling of being a burden to me, which is so not true. The burden for me is to have to go to work and school rather than devoting more time to helping her. Luckily, this was minor surgery, and she is off of pain meds already and can do most things (except shower and lift over 15 lbs). Tomorrow she will start her first treatment of dialysis, and begin learning what she will need to do at home until she gets the machine to run at night.
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