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 » Sat Jun 01, 2013 12:09 pm

I celebrated my 63rd birthday yesterday. I thought about the seven year cycle that our bodies have where every seven years the cells throughout our bodies have died and been replaced with new ones. This may be an urban myth! But, if true, then at ages 7 years, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, 77, 84, 91 and 98 we end a cycle and begin anew. So I like to think I'm beginning the first cycle of old age and am on a good path with a plant based diet.

The FitBit device continues to be a good reality check for daily activity. I've had several 10,000+ steps per day (up from a shocking average of only about 5,000 daily) and one 15,000 step day which I definitely felt the following day! Last weekend we took my brother-in-law and his wife for a beach walk near our house and met a 99 year old woman taking a walk on the path using two light walking poles. Just amazing. I hope to be like her when I'm 99! Today I'm walking and gardening.

Food for today:
Breakfast: Toast and coffee (I've been having the McDougall's oatmeal that is simply soaked overnight in soymilk with cinnamon and raisins - delicious! But I forgot to make it last night.) Water

Snack: one orange

Lunch: Bean and brown rice burrito; water

Snack: apple; iced or hot tea

Dinner: Mary McD's Quinoa Chowder; green salad with Jane's 3-2-1 salad dressing

I haven't posted as much as perhaps I should in order to make progress. Using a computer for hours at work makes me not so much inclined to use one at home. Also, I agree with Julie who posted in her journal about foregoing "virtual" life with getting out and living real life! There's a lot to be said for that. But this online forum is invaluable as well and I'm thankful for this virtual community.

Happy June!
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby f1jim » Sat Jun 01, 2013 5:33 pm

HBTY HBTY HBDB HBTY
f1jim
While adopting this diet and lifestyle program I have reversed my heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, and lost 54 lbs. You can follow my story at https://www.drmcdougall.com/james-brown/
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Thu Jun 06, 2013 11:47 am

Thanks for the birthday wishes Jim! It took me a few seconds to figure out :-D but made me smile when I got it.

My weight is slowly coming down.

I've been as near 100% plant based as possible for at least two weeks, but this morning I ran out of my soy creamer for coffee and had a tablespoon of half and half in it. My daughter likes that for her coffee, but it's true that having non-plan items around results in temptations that are hard to avoid. But still I'm doing well. Exercising more and feeling better.

Last night I hardly slept due to really bad insomnia. So far today (since about 4:30 this morning) I've had toast, coffee and just now leftover black eyed pea & brown rice salad. Oily stuff is not as appealing as it was. I do notice that, for me, eating enough protein prevents between meal hunger and my energy stays more balanced throughout the day. There's a field roast made with mushrooms that I like that's high in protein but low in fat. Also, of course I'm eating beans or tofu pretty much daily. I cut way back on nuts or things made with nuts or seeds, such as peanut butter or tahini.

As for dinner tonight, I'll make some kind of pasta and fresh vegetable dish. Snacks today are an orange in the a.m. and an apple in the afternoon. Water throughout the day and decaf iced tea this afternoon also.

Not much other news to report for now. I'm too tired to think!
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby bunsofaluminum » Thu Jun 06, 2013 1:44 pm

birdy I love that about the new cells! you are right on track: your body will thank you for it.

and I've been at it for 3.5 years :) so I'm halfway there! woot!
JUST DON'T EAT IT

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simple, humble food
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The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Anna Green » Sat Jun 08, 2013 4:42 pm

Birdy, hey! Lookin good! And belated Happy Birthday! I wish you a healthy and joyful year. When you are 99 and walking that beach, I'll get myself on up there and go with you.
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:20 am

Ha Anna. If you're ever up my way, that will be a fun time! I'd love to meet up one of these days :)

Okay, so I'm just not doing well with food. I'll start and do great for a few days or even a couple of weeks, but then fall off the wagon. I'll lose 5 pounds then gain it back. One of my downfalls is loving to cook and wanting to make stuff that the omnivores (especially the teenage omnis) find delicious. Let's face it, super low fat vegan food doesn't taste like old fashinoned lasagna or a chicken Caesar Salad. If I try to have sides for the omni family members and friends, I end up eating it too. We have a fair amount of company each week, so it's an ongoing challenge.

Okay enough whining. I know that no one opens my mouth and puts the wrong food in. I do that all by myself. As Anna Green and others demonstrate so successfully, it IS possible to live in this world of SAD and still succeed. I have succeeded for months and lost half of the weight I need to lose, but I did "fall off" due to the aforementioned temptations. This is definitely my Achilles heel and after years of this nonsense, I still can't figure out how to overcome it. I notice that a lot of McDougallers' strategies are a variation on the "pick yourself up and get back on plan" approach. That's got to be the only way to make this work, at least for me. I just need to get WAY better at doing this and doing it quickly.

So you'll notice from the ticker below that I'm back to my square one at 159 pounds. My old highest weight was 163, but 159 has been the steady number for a long time now. So I still have the same 30+ pounds to lose. Picking myself up, dusting off, etc.

Breakfast: coffee with soy creamer/sugar; whole wheat bagel with tsp. peanut butter.
Snack: orange
Lunch: Quinoa w/beans, sprouts, avocado
Snack: apple
Dinner: Spaghetti with ff marinara; green salad

Exercise: 30 minutes of swimming
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Thu Jun 27, 2013 7:42 am

On my feet. Dusted off.

Breakfast: one piece of toast w/tsp. peanut butter; coffee w/soy creamer
Snack: fruit
Lunch: going shopping with a friend and will probably have something like Thai noodles with vegetables
Snack: no-added-oil trail mix and fruit
Dinner: leftover spaghetti with a kale salad

Exercise: 30 minutes of swimming and upper body weights.
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Anna Green » Thu Jun 27, 2013 10:49 pm

Birdy, hey! Glad to see you. Don't send the dust my way. I have enough of my own! :) Seriously, the only example I could be at this point is that I get back on it and kept a lot of weight off for a long time. Even that though has been threatened. Last year I gained and I'm hoping I don't go back to where I was.

but I do still know that we can do this and that it is worth it and that the people around us will adjust. Our kids can learn about the joys of simple foods from us too.
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Thu Jul 04, 2013 4:14 pm

Ok, Anna, no dust coming your way :lol:

I get what you mean because being an "example" to others is great, but I do get off track sometimes just because someone comments to me about losing weight or looking better. Doesn't make sense really.

So I'm also still struggling along as usual. But I'm swimming several times a week and think I'll keep at that. My feet are bothering me so much (arthritis?) that swimming is a good aerobic exercise for me now and I like how accessible it is in any kind of weather. Still not doing the strength training, but maybe once I'm well established with swimming I'll do the weights. For sure it's necessary because of bone strength since swimming isn't weight bearing.

I bought a pair of vegan Dansko shoes today! They're canvas and squishy so my feet feel better wearing them than other kinds of shoes. Apparently a lot of nurses and doctors wear Dansko because of their feet and legs.

I'm really liking Mary McDougall's overnight oatmeal from The Starch Solution. For years and years, I ate toast with butter for breakfast and had a hard time changing that habit, but now that I have it's a big improvement. It's nice to have a "go to" breakfast that I make the night before. This makes it easier to start every day on plan.

I also really "get" the concept of oil being bad for us now. That didn't sink in until recently when I listened to a lecture on the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii website given by Steve Blake, PhD who explained the chemistry of oils in our bodies. I do believe that small amounts of nuts, seeds, tofu and avocado are good and I plan to continue using these foods unless weight loss totally stalls out.

Breakfast: Mary McD's oatmeal; coffee; water
Snack: fresh fruit
Lunch: quinoa salad made with tofu and vegies; water
Snack: fresh fruit and iced tea
Dinner: large green salad. We're going to a potluck and I don't know what else will be available to eat.

There's an interesting question on the Lounge board about "What is one main selling point of this way of eating?" I find the question useful and the responses interesting. For me, weight loss is the main selling point since it's also a marker for so many other benefits to eating this way, such as improving appearance, lowering blood pressure, reducing the need for medication for high cholesterol, diabetes or hypertension or migraines, reducing risk of cancer, etc.

Have a fun and safe 4th of July!
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Sun Jul 07, 2013 2:25 pm

Today's entry:

Breakfast: 1/2 whole wheat bagel; coffee
Snack: 6 walnut halves
Lunch: 1 tortilla with 1/4 avocado, cheese (yes I know), salsa; 1/2 cup coffee; water
Snack: fresh fruit; iced green tea (sweetened) with lemon
Dinner: homemade pinto beans in a Vegetable Tamale Pie; coleslaw made with a vinegar & agave dressing

Exercise: Spent the morning watering plants; am on the way to a nursery for vegie starts that I'm late getting planted. Yellow cucumber, tomato, zucchini, and anything else that seems like it can take the summer heat. Then in mid-August I'll plant fall vegies that like cooler weather, such as kale, Swiss chard, etc. I have tons of beautiful flowers and some new shrub/trees such as a fig and a grape plant which I planted last year.

Other exercise today may include a bike ride and upper body strength training.

I went swimming yesterday and am getting stronger. Much less body aches and stiffness today.

Tomorrow's meal plan:
B: Mary's oatmeal; coffee; water
S: fresh fruit; water
L: Leftover Tamale Pie; water
S: fresh fruit; water
D: probably leftover coleslaw with vegie burgers

Exercise for tomorrow: 30 minute swim
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Anna Green » Mon Jul 08, 2013 3:57 pm

Great post. I think it's good to state what your plans are as well as what you have done. The writing helps implant in our brains what it is we need to do, imho. Also I got a nice pic of you and your flowers, veggies, bike riding, swimming and yummy healthy food. It's a pic of a life I want to live as well.
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Thu Jul 11, 2013 10:26 am

I went to the doctor for a routine exam/blood work on Monday and am interested to hear the lab results. It's been two and a half years since I was tested. She did find my oxygen rate to be low. They measure it with a little gismo placed on one finger. Probably I just need more exercise!

Yesterday I bought Leaane Campbell's The China Study Cookbook (T. Colin Campbell's daughter). It has 120+ recipes that all fit Dr. McDougall's guidelines, but that also incorporate nuts & seeds, avocado, and coconut. I'm happy about this cookbook because, as mentioned in a previous post, I'm including some higher fat plant foods in my diet, unless I don't lose much weight. A couple of years ago I ate this way and lost 14 pounds easily, which was about half of what I need to lose. But now am back at square one..... :( It does seem true that losing weight isn't as hard as maintaining that loss.

Food for today:
B- toast with peanut butter; orange; coffee; water
L- burrito with beans, brown rice, vegies, salsa; water
S- sugar snap peas; iced tea
D- Sesame Noodle Salad from China Study Cookbook; water

Exercise: Swimming 30 minutes
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Wed Jul 17, 2013 10:49 am

For some reason the font is defaulting to bold and I can't get it to change right now. So please ignore it.

Tomorrow I'm going to visit my oldest daughter in Texas. Am so looking forward to seeing her. I won't be posting again until the end of next week.

Food for today:
Breakfast - toast with tsp. butter; banana; coffee; water
Snack - orange
Lunch - leftover Japanese buckwheat noodles with vegetables; water
Snack - iced tea with lemon; small amount of nuts
Dinner - vegie burger; baked potato with mushroom sauce; green salad with avocado & vinigrette; water

Exercise: 30 minute swim

I went for a walk yesterday for the first time in several weeks and, even though I only walked about 30 minutes, my ankle is bothering me quite a bit this morning. Sigh. I love walking and look forward to the time when my feet/ankles are better.

So the lab results came in from my doctor who is still saying I need to take medication for hypothyroidism. The TSH level is only slightly elevated at 3.5 and after doing a lot of research, I'm just not convinced that I need to take meds for this. Am already taking one medication every day for blood pressure. So for now, I'm a non-compliant patient I guess. If I can be more successful with a plant-based diet, I should be able to get off the BP med too.

Boring info, I know.....But these journals are for our own reflection and improvement. In my case, I notice a lot of repetition over the course of my journal and am aware of being in a rut, not making progress. So that's good feedback too for me and I'm aware of needing to either accept this or change it. Like my mother-in-law used to say, "Sitting on the fence is the hardest place to be."

Have a great week!
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Birdy » Thu Aug 01, 2013 11:25 pm

Howdy ya'll! Back from Texas last week and I had a great time. Fell off the diet wagon into SAD and really felt the results. However, I'm back on track now and am starting to feel better.

Breakfast today: overnight oatmeal from The Starch Solution; nectarine & cherries; coffee; water

Snack: banana

Lunch: 4 vegan spring rolls with peanut sauce

Snack: one plain pita bread; small glass iced tea w/lemon

Dinner: I made Heather McDougall's "Sushi Bowl" from the most recent McDougall Newsletter and it was DELICIOUS! Try it. It took me quite a while to get everything made, but I think it'll go quicker once I have made it a few times. I made the Asian sauce to go with it, rather than the peanut sauce, and have about a cup leftover, plus enough of the dish for lunch tomorrow.

Exercise: As with my diet, exercise kind of went out the window during and since my trip to Texas. I was doing pretty well with the swimming and just have to get myself back there again and stick with going several times a week. I'd started to notice improved muscle tone and a general improvement in my sense of well being just before I went out of town. It's weird how resistant we are to doing the things that make us feel so much better!

Recently I watched one of Dr. McD's older videos where he talked about common mistakes people make with this diet. In it he said to pick maybe 10 recipes and make those over and over. He said people make this way of eating way too complicated. I get his point. I do like cooking and trying new recipes, but it's obvious that making this as routine and simple as possible makes it more automatic/habitual. So I sat down this morning and listed six broad categories of meals for lunch and dinner that can become familiar and reliable "go to" meals. For breakfast I'm just going to stick with the overnight oatmeal with fresh fruit because that solves 1/3 of my problem planning meals each day, as I mentioned in a previous post.

Okay that's it for tonight. Gotta go make my oatmeal for tomorrow.

Goodnight.
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: Birdy Takes Flight

Postby Anna Green » Fri Aug 02, 2013 1:21 am

It's weird how resistant we are to doing the things that make us feel so much better!


It's absolutely frickin ridiculous, isn't it? I don't get it. I have eaten crap before that I did not like as much as my healthy food. That is the definition of insanity, for me at least.

The great thing about life is that we can do it differently today. You go, Birdy!
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