Birdy Takes Flight

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

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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Wed Apr 11, 2012 5:15 pm

I've been sick with a bad respiratory flu for ten days now and am wiped out. Haven't had much appetite either, but any weight I may have lost since last week is ill-gotten in the true sense of the word.

I'll post again when I'm feeling better.
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Fri Apr 13, 2012 4:33 pm

I'm finally feeling better although it'll be a few days before I'm back to normal. Humdinger of a flu. I ended up having to take antibiotics which I haven't done for many years. Went back to work yesterday for a few hours and today the same. I'm way behind but didn't have the stamina to work more than five hours today.

I got on the scale this morning and was very surprised to find my weight up a pound and a half after being so sick. I've been eating less for more than a week, but having the flu I haven't exercised. How can you gain a pound and a half when you have the flu? I'll reluctantly adjust my ticker UP :(

On a positive note, I've signed up for vegan cooking classes in May. I've never taken cooking before so it should be fun. These classes are based on cooking without recipes which I like to do.

Tomorrow, Saturday, I plan to go to the famous Snoqualamie Falls east of Seattle with my DH where we'll have lunch and walk the trail to the falls. We've lived in this area since 1985 but have never been to the falls before. I'm excited.

Beyond that, the weather is so beautiful. I have a fig tree, climbing pink rose, and a grapevine to plant tomorrow before we leave for the mountains. These are all bare root plants (little babies) so I hope they do well.

All for now...If I don't post, I'm still checking in.
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby sksamboots » Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:28 pm

Hey Birdy,

I have a rule I follow when sick--do not weigh yourself. LOL. Wait until you feel good and back to health, okay. Wishing you all the best :)
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Rosey » Sat Apr 14, 2012 6:09 pm

A lot of times when we are sick we have bloating/inflammation going on which will make us more on the scales.
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Anna Green » Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:43 am

birdy, hi! So sorry about the flu. I felt for you when you said the weather was nice and you couldn't enjoy. I know you don't get too many nice days this time of year.

I hope you enjoyed the falls and took a pic to share.

Good decision on the oil. The lentil stew sounds good. What seasoning do you use?
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Thu Apr 19, 2012 9:22 am

sksamboots thanks for your kind wishes! I'm back to normal, yay. And Rosey, you were right - my weight popped back down the pound and a half as soon as I was over the flu. So I'm "back on the horse" so to speak with McDougalling and hope to report another two pound weight loss this next week!

Anna I usually rely on the flavoring from the onions and garlic in the lentil stew, and I add a bay leaf or two at the beginning of cooking, then salt and pepper to taste at the end. Also, I like to stir in a tablespoon or so of dark molasses which gives it a wonderful flavor and adds some nutrients. Snoqualamie Falls was so awesome, but I was surprised at how close to the road it is. I thought it was more of a hike to get there. Most of the hiking trails are closed presently due to work that's underway I guess or muddy slippery trails. There were a lot of people there also. My husband took photos with his I-phone but I didn't. I'm still in the stone age when it comes to technology.

Last night I made a Tamale casserole from Lindsay Nixon's The Happy Herbivore. Here recipes follow McDougall principles and many look good. My family liked the casserole and, since I doubled the amount, we have leftovers for tonight. I served it with collard greens which are my favorite leafy vegetable (but both DH and DD mostly didn't like). So tonight I think I'll make a green salad to go with it. Tomorrow night we have some friends coming over at dinner time and I plan to make several pizzas (vegan for me and regular for them) with finger food vegies such as baby carrots, radishes, cucumbers, celery, etc. with hummus and maybe another dip.

We went to Trader Joe's last weekend on the way home from the falls and I was disappointed in it. It's a new store that just opened in our area and is small, very crowded and all the produce is prepackaged in plastic. There's a Whole Foods market in another area to the south of us which I've never been to but hope to try soon for comparison. I've shopped at a local cooperative grocery for years which I like much better than TJ.

Well, I'm off to work hi ho. Have a great weekend!
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Thu May 03, 2012 9:51 am

I just ordered a copy of Dr. McDougall's new book, The Starch Solution which won't arrive for a couple of weeks, but is something to look forward to. In a post on this board, under the thread about his new book, I read the review on USA Today. This sentence really resonates with me, 'The biggest mistake dieters make: "Believing the fault is their own. They must stop believing there is something psychologically wrong with them."' I'd certainly fallen into believing this and I appreciate Dr. McD addressing it.

Tonight I start a five week cooking class based on cooking vegan without recipes. I'm so amazed that there is such a class and hope that it will further support my efforts to stick with a vegan diet.

Last week we went to Canada for four days while our youngest child participated in an athletic event. It was very fun and we did a lot of walking. I also didn't touch a computer for the whole time we were gone. Lately it's become apparent that the time I spend on a computer could be much better used exercising or gardening or even doing housework.

On that note, I'm getting off the computer right now!
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby purplerain » Thu May 03, 2012 12:19 pm

'The biggest mistake dieters make: "Believing the fault is their own. They must stop believing there is something psychologically wrong with them."'

That is very interesting, I feel there must be something wrong with me, I just can't stop eating.
Thank you for keeping your journal, I've really enjoyed reading through it. I would like to know what you cook at your cooking classes, that sounds wonderful!
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Anna Green » Thu May 03, 2012 8:57 pm

The PCC? Ahhh I love that store. It was the first of it's kind for me. I loved those little cards they'd put next to some items telling customers what was up with that product if there was some kind of controversy.

You sound good in that you are keeping at it.
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Fri May 04, 2012 7:46 pm

Thank you for your comments purplerain and I'm glad you enjoy my journal. Oftentimes I think it must be boring! I also really like Dr. McDougall's comment about feeling there's something psychologically wrong when, in fact, there isn't. Am looking forward to reading his new book.

Yes it's PCC Anna. And I loved the first class - it's full of information and teaches a completely different approach to cooking than I'm familiar with. Our homework assignment is to make various grain salads using methods taught in class. However, tonight is Friday and I'm tired from the workweek so am eating whatever I can find in the frig and/or cupboards.

I've really eaten terribly this week - not even vegan, sad to say. I don't know what gets into me sometimes. Part of it is due to not being able to get any exercise whatsoever which makes me crazy and erodes my will power or simply undermines my balance (more this I think). But every bite is a chance to get back on track so dinner will be healthy vegan whatever it is.

Tomorrow I'm going for a nice walk even if it's a downpour out. We're really getting the rain!
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Anna Green » Mon May 07, 2012 6:08 pm

Birdy, I hear you. White knuckling it myownself. Exercise is a big motivator for me too even if it's just calisthenics in front of the tv for 10 min. I don't tend to eat crap when I'm exercising. Hope you are doing well. Would love to hear a tip from your class.
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Thu May 10, 2012 11:27 am

Hey Anna! Well a tip from my class is kind of hard to give because there was so much info presented and it all tied together. Basically it's about cooking without recipes, but instead using concepts of "layers" of food and proportions of the various types of ingredients. If there is one tip, I think it's to rely much more heavily (than I think we ordinarily do) on smell as a gauge of which ingredients to include in a dish and in what proportions. If that sounds vague, it's part of the whole concept of intuitive cooking that is being taught in the class. I made a grain dish for dinner as part of the "homework" and my family gave it an 8 out 10. Ten out of tens around my house are almost always animal food based meals. I've had so many absolutely delicious vegan meals in various restaurants that I would like to be able to cook like that and am hoping this class will teach me how.

My copy of The Starch Solution is on the way and I'm looking forward to getting it! Amazon has a good discount on it if anyone is interested.

Went to the doctor for an overdue routine exam. Good news is I'm no longer in the overweight category (still right on the edge and need to lose more). Bad news is the doctor felt an abnormality in my abdomen and I'm scheduled for an ultrasound next week. I feel certain it's nothing, but was kind of shaken up for a couple of hours. I got the usual talking to about not having regular mammograms and a referral for that and a colonoscopy. Following Dr. McDougall's advice I may have the colonoscopy but not the mammogram.

Have been walking more and gardening. I planted two peonies recently which is so gratifying because these plants can live for more than a century! Not to mention how beautiful they are.

I just skimmed through a book called The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith who was a vegan for twenty years then reverted to an omnivorous diet because of health problems. If you even think about reading this book, first read vegan dietician Ginny Messina's critique of it on her "The Vegan RD" website. The book is poorly written and not worth reading.

Well those are my two cents for today. Enjoy the spring weather!
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Sat May 12, 2012 11:50 am

I went to the second cooking class this week and am kind of dismayed by how much oil the chef instructor uses in all his dishes so far. He's prepared about 7 dishes total during classes one and two. I'm not talking about teaspoons or even a tablespoon, but a whole layer of oil in the bottom of cooking pots or dressings/sauces. Also, he uses a lot of salt which, as he said, doesn't concern him because he doesn't have high blood pressure (and he's in his early fourties I would guess). So I'm feeling a bit less satisfied with the class. Still I think the general information is useful and will make me a better cook, but not in the specific way he's teaching it. We have two dishes to prepare for "homework" and I think I'll experiment with substituting broth or some other liquid for the oil that the teacher uses.

The Starch Solution arrived in my mailbox yesterday. I haven't had time to read much of it yet, but I plan to post about it when I've finished reading.

Wishing you moms out there a very Happy Mother's Day!
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Anna Green » Thu May 17, 2012 6:47 am

Birdy, just read your last two posts. I hope everything came out ok with your tests. Let us know, ok?

How's the book?
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Thu May 17, 2012 12:41 pm

Hey Anna, thanks for checking in. I'm still reading The Starch Solution which has a lot of familiar information in it, but also is dense packed with additional info. Hopefully this new book will help get Dr. McDougall's message out to more people. The recipes also look good as always from Mary McD.

I go in tomorrow morning for an ultrasound but don't know how long it will be before I know the results of that. This is definitely a little scary. Will for sure update when I know more.

My weight is holding steady and I would call it a plateau except I know it's really due to not following the McDougall program properly. Everything I've read about common diseases and those that particularly concern me (cardio, blood pressure, cancer, etc.) all are prevented and/or treated with low fat diets.

I came across a fascinating article about the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico which reinforces the plant based, very low fat concept. You can find the article on PubMed, probably. It was originally published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 32: April 1979, pp. 905-915.

Going to another cooking class tonight.

Going for a walk after lunch. Strength train this afternoon after work.

Had a plain waffle for breakfast and coffee with soy creamer. Was still hungry an hour later so I had a slice of leftover vegan pizza (no soy cheese - I don't like that stuff thankfully).

For lunch, brown rice and salad.

Will probably eat dinner from the store where my class is taught, plus the chef instructor cooks as he teaches and feeds us little samples. As mentioned, it has oil but that's the way the cooking is done in that class, so I can't do much about that and the samples are very small portions.

One last thing. I posted in the Lounge about this, but there's a wonderful free video by Dr. Michael Klaper from the last advanced study weekend that Dr. McDougall posted on his home page. It's long - about an hour and a half - but well worth the time to watch.

Have a lovely day!
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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