Grit and Determination

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

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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Thu Nov 30, 2017 9:55 am

Thursday Day 18 of 21-day menu challenge

I'm not feeling good. Kind of low energy... Tuesday this week went well with eating on MWL plan but I didn't feel like cooking anything. I had some food already prepared. I ate the sprouted lentil salad and creamy garlic soup. I also cooked sweet potato fries and ate with ketchup. I slept a lot, though. I woke up during the night and ate rice cakes with jelly. Yesterday I did not stay on the diet. For breakfast I had rice. For lunch I ate at Moe's. I had several corn tortilla chips. I had rice, beans, and veggies. For dinner I had garlic soup, rice, veggies, and Lightlife smokey tempeh. Later in the evening I had more tempeh with BBQ sauce and 2 slices of bread. For some reason the last few days have been a struggle for being compliant. Hopefully today I will turn a corner and get back to feeling enthusiasm about being on this new eating plan. In so many ways I love low-fat vegan eating. I'm not sure what brought on a funky mood...

B: Rice mixed with garlic soup and cheeze sauce
L: Breakfast apple rice - very good recipe
S: yukon gold potatoes Baked FF with ketchup
D: vegetable chili and rice; roasted cauliflower
late night snack: cereal, raisins, and soy milk ARGH!
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Fri Dec 01, 2017 7:32 pm

Friday - (201 lbs) Day 19 of 21-day challenge

So, I started coming out of my funky mood today. I've stayed on McDougall plan but not MWL plan. I had 2 slices of bread for lunch. I've felt like I've had brain fog the last few days and thought that eating bread would make it better. I don't think that is what made me feel better but I did finally get some work done. Yesterday I didn't think I could do any cognitive tasks... I finally got a little critical thinking done with creativity today.

This afternoon after getting a reasonable amount of work done, I watched two videos by Dr. Lisle about why people overeat. I'm glad I took the time to watch them. It renewed my energy for sticking to this diet plan. I rowed on the water rower for 30 minutes while watching Dr. Lisle.

I haven't felt like cooking. Hopefully tomorrow I'll cook some food for the next few days. I still had prepared food from last week.

B: Breakfast Apple Rice - very good recipe
L: Sandwich with bean spread. Very satisfying but bread is not on the MWL plan
Afternoon snack: Baked Potato FF and ketchup
D: Rice with creamy garlic soup, roasted zucchini, yellow squash, and mushrooms - very good, and the last of the Sprouted lentil salad - very good

Okay, I've had plenty to eat today. Probably more carbs than usual. I'm completely satisfied after dinner. I plan to win the battle with my mind over craving a late night snack of soymilk and cereal!
Last edited by moonlight on Sun Feb 04, 2018 11:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sat Dec 02, 2017 11:55 am

Saturday Day 20 of 21-day MWL sample menu plan

I succeeded in not eating late night snack last night and again tonight!!

B: Breakfast Apple Rice - good recipe; makes enough for 2 mornings
L: Corn grits, roasted zucchini, squash, onions, and bean spread
Snack: Veggie sushi
D: Cucumber Salad and Mattar Guchi - both excellent recipes!!
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sun Dec 03, 2017 11:08 pm

Sunday Day 21 of my 21-day challenge

I challenged myself to cook from the MWL cookbook for 21 days using the 21 days of sample menus. I have found several new recipes. I love the MWL cookbook. Before I started with this plan, the recipes didn't look appetizing but after just cooking them without considering whether or not I was in the mood to eat whatever came up for that day, I have really enjoyed my meals. It's been fairly easy to stay on the diet plan. Late night snacking has been an issue but I've gone 3 nights now without eating late in the evening! I lost 10 lbs. in November. I plan to start the 21-day sample menu plan over again and cook other recipes I didn't get to this time around. I can only cook about 3 or 4 new recipes a week. It takes the rest of the week to eat all the food. So, another month of MWL cookbook recipes!

Today I hiked 3.5 miles. More then 10,000 steps. I have found a great food for hiking - potato salad. It is within MWL guidelines, very filling, and easy to take on the trail.

B: Breakfast apple rice
L: Potato salad
D: Mattar Guchi and cucumber salad
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Mon Dec 04, 2017 11:15 pm

Monday (198 lbs) Day 1 of 21-day challenge

This morning the scales showed a 2 pound loss. Yay! This is inspiring! I'm not eating a late night snack this week. My mind tries to trick me every night. I think I'm hungry but then I realize it's only a craving because I know I have eaten plenty. It comes up about an hour after dinner. I realize it's a craving then it goes away. It comes back a couple more times before bed.

Tonight I made the second most terrible recipe from the MWL cookbook. The Tex-Mex Casserole... just a bunch of veggies half-cooked. I think I can do some modifications and save the vegetables but that recipe is bland and the potatoes never completely cooked.... I cooked the dish way longer than the recipe called for... It was a low point after all the chopping...

B: Couscous and orange
L: Potato salad
D: Tex-Mex Casserole and hash browns

No snack!!!!
Last edited by moonlight on Sun Feb 04, 2018 11:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
moonlight
 
Posts: 1525
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:21 pm

Tuesday Day 2 of 21-day challenge

Today I saved the bad Texan Casserole recipe. I made a potato topping, cooked it some more, and it was good! I also made the Sweet and Sour Salad. Very good. Another keeper.

B: Corn grits
L: Potato Salad and minestone soup
Snack Sweet and Sour Salad
D: Texan casserole and coleslaw
Snack: 4 rice cakes,,,
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Fri Dec 08, 2017 1:45 pm

Friday Day 5 of 21-day MWL cookbook challenge

I'm still eating leftovers from the Texan Casserole recipe and the sweet and sour salad. I've got to get my mental energy back. The last two days I've needed to eat out. Then last night the cravings hit. I gave in and ate things off the MWL plan. I didn't go all binge cram eating but I did take a few bites of a variety of things - chips, cheese, yogurt - I finally heated some plain canned corn. That satisfied the need to snack. I'm not sure why my grit and determination was not with me but I've got it back today. On Wednesday I ate out for dinner. I didn't make a very good choice. I had a small plate of nachos with beans and cheese and a few other veggies. Glorious cheese! I managed to not snack that night when I got home. I guess the nachos satisfied me. Then Thursday I ate at Panera Bread for lunch. I had a salad that had feta cheese sprinkled on it. I chose the bread as the side dish. I was starving by the time I got home about 3 hours later. That lunch was about 560 calories but it didn't satisfy me. I made baked potato fries when I got home. Then later I had leftover Texan Casserole and sweet and sour salad for dinner. Later, for some reason I decided to snack. I could feel at the time that I would be sorry later... Anyway, I'm not dwelling on that today. For the week I have lost 1 lb. I had lost 3 lbs. but gained 2 lbs back the last couple of days. I'm going to think of it as still dropping weight since I'm one pound lighter than this time last Friday.

I exercised Wednesday and today on the water-rower. I'm getting stronger and willing to work a little harder. This feels really good!

I think journaling helps me keep to my goals. I didn't journal on Wednesday or Thursday and by Thursday night I was snacking off the plan. Hopefully, I'll continue to use this as a tool to keep me on track.

Today's meals:

B: Potato hash - I love this recipe!
L: Frozen Potato Hashbrowns - baked in oven. Good! And, Texan Casserole!
D: Supposed to eat out with friends before going to a concert... I've looked at the menu ahead of time and decided on a veggie sushi roll and seaweed salad.
moonlight
 
Posts: 1525
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:23 pm

Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sat Dec 09, 2017 6:42 pm

Saturday Day 6 of the 21-day challenge

I discovered another great recipe from the MWL cookbook today! Wild Spinach Rice. It has bean sprouts and mushrooms in it. My two favorite foods these days. Bean sprouts add crunch and nutty texture.

B: Corn grits, onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers - very good
L: Texan Casserole with leftover couscous
D: Sweet and sour salad with wild spinach rice - yummy!

For some reason that I can't seem to identify, I decided to snack in the evening.... I started with a few corn chips, then rice cakes with jelly,3, then a bowl of cereal and soymilk, then cheese and crackers... argh! I'm wondering if my days off the plan caused some kind of craving... the salt and fat... I had such a good dinner... the other thing is no exercise. Maybe if I had exercised I would not have had the cravings.
moonlight
 
Posts: 1525
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:23 pm

Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sun Dec 10, 2017 10:58 pm

Sunday Day 7 of 21-day challenge

So, after my dismal performance last night, I am determined to have a good day on MWL plan. I'm not going to eat until I'm really hungry. I'm going to eat more veggies than carbs. I'm going to exercise. I weighed myself and I'm up 2 pounds. Last week I gained 2 pounds, so a total of 4 pounds going in the wrong direction... I really don't want to get discouraged and give up. I know this is the way I want to eat. I know this is the path to happiness and peace with my body. All the craving... I keep wanting to eat bread, cheese... just go out to eat and have something good. This is why I quit my vegan diet years ago. I just got tired of the hassle. The never ending search for acceptable food when eating out. This horrible feeling that I'll never be a normal weight again. I know those two miseries don't go together. I know if I stayed on the MWL I would eventually get down to a normal weight. I know that whatever I want I need to work at it. Life is not easy. A worthwhile life takes hard work, discipline, commitment, dedication to principles. Grit and determination. I will keep moving forward with adopting a WFPB diet. Eventually I will have a strong desire to keep to it for health reasons. These bad habits of going off plan will fade. I've done it before. I'll do it again.

Tonight I rowed 30 minutes. It felt really good. Lifted my mood. I managed to stay on the MWL plan today and evening. No extra snacking!!

B: nothing (I ate enough throughout the night with snacking...)
L: Coleslaw. I made the Thai Vegetable Salad from 21-day sample menu. I didn't like the mung bean sprouts or the dressing. Decided to throw it away! Made a lovely coleslaw with wasabi dijoun FF dressing. Very good! Baked fingerling potatoes.
D: sweet and sour salad and Texan Vegetable Casserole
moonlight
 
Posts: 1525
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:23 pm

Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Mon Dec 11, 2017 12:12 pm

Monday Day 8 of 21-day MWL cookbook challenge

The pounds I gained last week have dropped off. I'm back to 198. 10 lb loss since beginning of November. I was hoping to lose 10 pounds a month. I might still lose 10 pounds in December. We were planning a vacation that would have included driving to DC, NYC, and Hartford and staying in hotels the whole time. We decided to cancel the trip until the spring. I'm so relieved. I was worried about how I could stay on my diet plan. I know I'll get stronger with being able to resist the temptation to eat cheese, fat, bread, etc. Right now I need to protect myself from temptations. I avoid eating out in restaurants. I have not made good choices so far when left to choose from the menu...

I plan to increase exercise. My goal is 30 minutes daily. Also, I plan to eat more raw veggies before eating my main meal at lunch and dinner. I'm continuing to plan my meals around the MWL cookbook recipes. Last week I was discouraged after a couple of recipes I really didn't like. The Wild Spinach Rice recipe made up for the others. This is a great new recipe for me. Very filling.

B: Rice with nutritional yeast, paprika, and garlic powder
L: Coleslaw and Spinach Rice
D: Tex-Mex Potatoes from MWL cookbook - very good!!
Snack: coleslaw and a few more potato wedges

I'm not sure why I'm so obsessed with losing 10 pounds a month. I feel like if I don't meet this goal I will give up... I'm looking forward to wanting to eat this diet plan because it makes sense health wise and wise for the environment and being able to not participate in the slaughter of animals, rather than just to lose weight. I'm looking forward to being a normal weight again and not so obsessed with my weight. I count down the months until I'm in the normal weight zone and how my pants size will drop and what size I'll be wearing in March...
moonlight
 
Posts: 1525
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:23 pm

Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Tue Dec 12, 2017 2:37 pm

Tuesday Day 9 of 21-day challenge

I'm down another pound today. Super good news. I am grateful for the loss. I'm also mindful of the emotional eating. I need to learn how to not turn to food to soothe an emotion. Last night I couldn't sleep and I had to be at a meeting early this morning. Scenario for anxious emotions and desperation to get some sleep. I turn to food on nights like this. I eat with the thought that food will make me sleepy. I woke up 3 times during the night and ate something each time. First I had cereal and soymilk, then 2 slices of bread, then I had about 1.5 oz of parm cheese... I've had some sleeping issues lately. The sleep apnea mostly is treated successfully with a CPAP machine at night. I'm wondering if something has changed. Maybe the pressure setting needs to be adjusted... I'm considering a re-evaluation.
I try to remember to welcome adversity as an opportunity to grow and develop good life skills. This emotional eating is a real trigger for me. Even though my weight is going down I know I have not eradicated this habit or crutch. When I'm a normal weight again I'll still be battling the desire to overeat if I don't get it under control. I'll regain the weight. Being mindful of the desire to overeat is an improvement but I need to work diligently on this issue. I have developed this bad habit of emotional eating and it's going to take hard work to get past it.

30 minutes on water rower!

MWL cookbook recipes: The Tex-Mex Potato recipe is a hit! A new keeper. I would have never put potatoes and a Mexican bean mixture together. It's really good. It makes me crave tortilla chips a little, though.

B: Nothing! I ate all through the night...
L: Tex-Mex potatoes, Thai Vegetable Salad (minus the dressing and mung beans!) I love the radishes in this salad.
Snack: 2 Halo oranges
D: Bean, Squash, and Cabbage Soup recipe from MWL cookbook - this is a great recipe! Again, I probably would not have made it from reading the ingredients. Since I'm trying every recipe in the book, I made it. It comes together very nicely!
moonlight
 
Posts: 1525
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:23 pm

Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Thu Dec 14, 2017 11:02 pm

Thursday Day11 of second 21-day challenge

Today I discovered a perfect MWL meal at McAllister's. Such a pleasant surprise. Two baked potatoes with steamed veggies! It was easy to request no cheese sauce. Plenty of potato. I've often thought I'd be embarrassed to order two potatoes. This meal comes with two. I loved finding this place.

Tonight I had dinner out, too. Not as good a choice for dinner,,, I had half of a quesadilla, rice, beans, chips, and a beer... some restaurants just are too hard for me. I decided to row on my water rower for 30 minutes this evening. It really took away any craving for more food.
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:18 am

Friday"s Day 12 of 21

Yesterday I stayed on plan all day. Didn't exercise, though .... For the week, down one pound. I'm not going to let myself dwell on how I'd like to lose faster! The weight is still going in the right direction and I feel great! I think my body is reacting to sodium. I've been using a prepared veggie broth that has sodium then Thursday evening eating out...

B: Rice
L: veggie sushi roll
Snack: cute little sweet potato fingerlings YUM!
D: collards with rice YUM!!
Snack: Rice cake

Need more fruit and veggies in my diet!!! Funny thing to say for a vegan diet...
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:29 am

Saturday Day 13 of 21

Still cooking through MWL cookbook. This morning I made the Jicama salad. I plan to make the Rice vegetable casserole for this evening. I still have some bean, squash, cabbage soup for lunch. I want to focus on increasing my vegetables and fruit and not rely on starches so much. I'm so afraid I'm going to get hungry and go off plan. I eat more starches in hopes of preventing that.

I'm beginning to see the value in having prepared food ready to eat. If I don't have a salad and soup in the fridge I feel that I'm not prepared. This is a good thing. Today I am inspired to try harder to stay on the plan. It seems that Thursdays or Fridays I will go off plan. I'm going to try to go for at least 10 days without going off plan to get over the hump of 6-7 days.

We may have house guests for 2-3 nights (whew!) next week... In the past when this couple comes to visit it has been a big feast for all meals. We all love to cook and make incredible recipes, always trying something new. I hope I'm not too tempted with the rich food. I'll make sure to have recipes from MWL that I like, too.

B: Sweet potato fingerlings
L: Jicama salad, bean-squash-cabbage soup - so very good
D: Vegetable chili and rice - vey good recipe!
moonlight
 
Posts: 1525
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:23 pm

Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sun Dec 17, 2017 3:43 pm

Sunday Day 14 of 21-day challenge

This morning I went on a short 1 mile hike in the mountains before it started to rain.

I made 3 new recipes from MWL cookbook today. They are all a success! So great to have all these wonderful dishes to eat. No boredom with meals on this diet!.

I made Vegetable Rice casserole as written in MWL cookbook. I used half of the casserole dish. It has salsa and "cheeze" sauce. I made the other half of the casserole dish with a variation. Instead of salsa and cheese sauce, I made the broccoli mushroom sauce from MWL cookbook and used it with the vegetables. I also used couscous on that side of casserole dish instead of rice. Two new dishes for the next few days. It made enough to last me at least 4 meals. All very good.
Still loving the Jicama salad. I added shredded purple cabbage to add to it. So fresh.

B: Rice
Snack: Rice cake while hiking.
L: Casserole - yum!
D: Potatoes FF baked - 4 small russet - I thought I was making enough for another meal but I ended up eating all I cooked. The beginning of a night gone wrong. Later, got the craving vibe so strong. I gave into it and ate lots of different things. Not much of any one thing. I had several cookies, some coleslaw made for my husband that had mayo in it, a glass of juice, a few potato chip things - like air popped veggies or something... I ate 2 rice cakes with honey and cinnamon, 4 more rice cakes plain. OMG! I was watching Gone With the Wind with my husband. That was the problem (Ha!). He had never seen it... It went on forever...
moonlight
 
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