New Year, New Me!

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

Moderators: JeffN, f1jim, carolve, Heather McDougall

Re: New Year, New Me!

Postby kirstykay » Tue Jan 10, 2012 3:45 pm

Thank you Anna and Kelly! I really appreciate having others along on this journey with me...I think that is one of the keys to success for sure!

f1jim wrote:Everyone has excellent points. There is truth in all viewpoints. We must look at these issues from a daily survival standpoint and ask some basic questions.
Is someone fighting these "addictions" hopelessly stuck in lifetime battle never getting a grip on them and overcoming the hold these objects have on us? Must we forever be relegated to a slave/master relationship with these foods and never truly be free from them?
Clearly many have broken this bond of entrapment and managed to change the nature of the relationship to these foods. Some have not. What that means can be very complicated and upsetting to those still feeling rather powerless against these urges/cravings. It seems there are ways out of this "addictive" relationship with foods and there are clearly different, successful methods of achieving ones dietary and health goals.
For some it's a lifetime of portion control of their standard western diet, never able to stray from the scale and the portion sizes. Others have used methods such as calorie density to solve the riddle of how to save themselves. Dr. McDougall notes that obesity is something rare in nature and our species is the only one that deals with it unless mankind visits it on another species. He says that eating our natural diet spares us from these conditions as well as the wide range of chronic disease plaguing most of us. So if we follow our natural diet we avoid these issues and if we suffer from these conditions we can usually reverse their course by reverting to our natural diet.
So all that brings us back full circle to addressing these issues of "addiction/craving" and how do we escape this vicious circle they place us in. The answer is to return to that natural diet and let the diet take care of the health/weight problem for us. We have to be on that diet and avoid the western diet long enough to effect the change we are looking for. Easier said than done! Everyone could do it locked in a cell and fed only the natural diet and not exposed to anything else. Our bodies would have no choice. But we are not locked in a cell and the offending food is everywhere.
Ultimately, the closer we get to that controlled, locked up environment with our food choices limited to only healthy, life promoting choices the better we will do and the faster those cravings/addictions will become a thing of the past. In our lives it seems our mission is to put ourselves in the best possible situation for having such drastic control over our diet. Some will have to be more drastic than others but the same rules will apply to everyone.
Get control over these addictive, destructive, creations of modern man and we will have all we could want out of our bodies and our health. We all must come to the realization of what that means for us as individuals and then follow through to see that happens. THAT is our responsibility. Everyone can do it. No one is hopeless. The power to effect change is within us all. Some will make these changes and see their life change dramatically. Others will die fighting the struggle their entire life. It is a choice we all have. No one must die thinking they are powerless. Everyone here has been given this message and there will be many different choices we will see played out. Everyday those choices are visited on us and we choose a path. The choices many times are not the ones regarding what to eat but the plans we lay down long before that choice reaches us. Many of us have to plan long before mealtime, long before the trip to the supermarket, long before the trip to the restaurant. It's a decision about what they want from life and what it will take to get there. The path of the natural diet or another way.
It's not easy but it is simple.
f1jim



This is such a great summary of addiction, our role, and our hope in it all...I just wanted to have it here to reference. It's from a thread in the lounge if anyone is interested in the context. Thanks, Jim, you state this with such honesty and clarity...not easy, but simple. And no need to ever feel powerless!
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

Image
kirstykay
 
Posts: 2233
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:20 pm
Location: South Carolina

Re: New Year, New Me!

Postby kkrichar » Tue Jan 10, 2012 4:00 pm

I read that post in the Lounge and thought it was wonderful! Very thoughtful and well written.
Image

HW: 220 lbs BMI=36.3
CW: 162 lbs BMI=26.5
GW: 135 lbs BMI=22.3
User avatar
kkrichar
 
Posts: 1223
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:05 am
Location: Iowa City

Re: New Year, New Me!

Postby kirstykay » Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:47 am

I'm going to start using my journal more regularly to track my food and exercise. I used to do that, but I got out of the habit, and frankly a little tired of doing it. So, here goes. I'm on a soup kick lately, and I've had so much fun making different soups, that I've decided to eat different kinds of soups for a while and see how long it takes me to tire of it. That is, if I ever do, because right now, I can't get enough and I have more recipes to try than I can count!

Bkfs: Butternut Squash Soup http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/ho ... shSoup.htm
Snack: grapefruit
Lunch: Eat the Rainbow Black Bean Soup http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2011/10/ea ... -soup.html
Dinner: Chickpea Rice Soup with Cabbage http://www.theppk.com/2010/12/chickpea- ... h-cabbage/

Exercise: 60 min. elliptical / 60 min barbell strength class

I'm feeling really motivated and excited today. I am ready to Finish Strong!
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

Image
kirstykay
 
Posts: 2233
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:20 pm
Location: South Carolina

Re: New Year, New Me!

Postby kirstykay » Thu Jan 12, 2012 2:39 pm

I'm looking ahead to a long and busy weekend. I'm glad I have so many soups already made, so I can just grab and go. I did find a recipe that looks really yummy that I may make this weekend:
http://www.theppk.com/2011/11/dilly-ste ... dumplings/
It looks really good and comforting (I'll make it without oil and w/ ww flour) It started snowing here and looks like it'd be a good night for some "comfort food" as the website labels this...I'll go easy on the dumplings, as that is the one thing that looks like it could be dangerous about this recipe. But I think dh and ds will really like it!

So, food today looks a lot like yesterday: Butternut squash soup, black bean soup, and probably the dilly stew for dinner if I get around to it this afternoon, otherwise, maybe tomorrow after a day of sledding (finally) with my son who has the day off from school. I may not log in now until Tuesday 'cause of the long weekend. Hope everyone has a good one!


Edited to add: The Dilly Stew was good. The Rosemary Dumplings (as altered by me-with ww flour and no oil) really didn't work. I ended up throwing them out...but the stew was really good, so dinner was saved.
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

Image
kirstykay
 
Posts: 2233
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:20 pm
Location: South Carolina

Re: New Year, New Me!

Postby kirstykay » Mon Jan 16, 2012 1:01 pm

Had a wonderful weekend! I enjoyed seeing my daughter play in the pit orchestra at her college, and my dad was in town, so it was nice to visit with him as well.

Overall, I'm not tired of eating soups yet, but I am slowing down on how many I'm making! This weekend I made a version of refrigerator soup that turned out really delicious and will last a whil. I have 3 different soups to finish now, so I probably won't make any more until these are gone. Good thing my dh likes to take them for lunch and my ds will take them in a thermos to school! It's been fun trying new recipes, but I find what I like best are the ones I make off the top of my head. I just keep adding ingredients that sound good until the soup tells me it's done, and then let it simmer all day long. Today, I got a hankering for chili, so I'll probably make some version of that next!

Food Today:
BKFS:Old Fashioned oats with cinnamon, 1 Tbs. raisins, 1/2 apple, 2 walnuts, & unsweatened almond milk
LUNCH: Chickpea Rice Soup with Cabbage
DINNER: Veggie Stir-Fry with brown jasmine rice
SNACK: Banana

EXERCISE: 70 min Spin Class
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

Image
kirstykay
 
Posts: 2233
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:20 pm
Location: South Carolina

Re: New Year, New Me!

Postby kirstykay » Mon Jan 16, 2012 1:20 pm

I ran accross this great article today by Dave Ramsey. He's a financial guy so that's what he's talking about here, but I found that it applied perfectly to my health and fitness goals as well, so I'm posting it here.

BIG GOAL, LITTLE STEPS:

Think back to when you were 5 years old.

If you were playing with a set of blocks and wanted to build something, you would put one block on the floor and stack them from there.

So why is working toward a goal any different? Build something grand by going one step at a time. If you want to accomplish something over the course of a year, for example, the key is to build that year out of solid days.

A year is made up of months that are composed of weeks, which boil down to days. If it’s Monday and you have a big presentation on Friday, you’ll do a good job by working hard and being solid in the days leading up to the presentation. You don’t do a week’s worth of research and preparation the night before. You do it piece by piece. One day at a time.

Many times people become discouraged from accomplishing a goal because they think they have to do the whole thing at once. If the objective is to lose 20 pounds, they’ll look at their bellies and think they need to see abs before the end of the day. That will discourage them from working, and no progress will be made.

Instead, set a goal and commit to make strong progress toward it today. Let’s say you want to run a marathon in six months. When you wake up Saturday morning, can you do Tuesday’s run at that time? Of course not! What you can do is put in a good workout for Saturday. If you do, then you can go to bed that night knowing you did well in laying a piece of the foundation for what you will accomplish down the road.

If you repeat that process each and every day, then, as time passes, you will become more ready to tackle that marathon. At the starting line, your body will be fine-tuned not by one super training session, but by a bunch of strong workout days.

If you have enough strong days in a row, that makes a strong week. If you do it again, you’ll have two strong weeks. Do it some more, and you’ll have built a strong month. Keep it up, and you will have a strong year—one strong day at a time.

Setting goals can start anytime. It doesn’t have to be just at the new year. Starting on April 8 so you can finish by August 23 is perfectly fine. Don’t put your goals off. Don’t say that you’re going to start doing something “tomorrow.” You can’t do anything about tomorrow. But you can do something about today.

© 2012 Lampo Licensing, LLC. All rights reserved
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

Image
kirstykay
 
Posts: 2233
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:20 pm
Location: South Carolina

Re: New Year, New Me!

Postby kkrichar » Tue Jan 17, 2012 10:05 am

Hi Kirsty,

Looking good! I'm on day 11 of following the plan 100% and I've lost 6.6lbs!!!! Why do I ever go off??? Fat and sugar are cunning, baffling and powerful. Anyhoo, it makes me so happy to see you here. I always get nervous about coming back after a bad spell but it's comforting knowing you're here.

We're totally going to get this.

Kelly
Image

HW: 220 lbs BMI=36.3
CW: 162 lbs BMI=26.5
GW: 135 lbs BMI=22.3
User avatar
kkrichar
 
Posts: 1223
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:05 am
Location: Iowa City

Re: New Year, New Me!

Postby kirstykay » Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:41 am

That's AMAZING, Kelly!!!! I'm sooo happy for you. It's those kind of results that make us able to keep on keepin' on! ...And make us say duh...why did I ever stop believin'!!!!! Great job! I'm feeling the same way...excited, motivated, and empowered to finish! This is our year!

Hey, what are you doing for exercise this winter? I know you were running before. Just curious. I've been toying with the idea of doing a mini-triathlon in the spring...not sure I'm brave enough, but I want to be!
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

Image
kirstykay
 
Posts: 2233
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:20 pm
Location: South Carolina

Re: New Year, New Me!

Postby nomikins » Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:55 am

I'm right there with you, ladies! We are all at about the same place. I'm off my @$$ now, too. With some big life changes (for the better) coming up, I am officially joining you in the home stretch.
Image
User avatar
nomikins
 
Posts: 1869
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 9:36 pm
Location: SEAZ

Re: New Year, New Me!

Postby kkrichar » Tue Jan 17, 2012 12:05 pm

I'm still running. I have a treadmill at home. I'm adding some weights now. I always say I'm going to and never do but, hopefully, I really will this time. I have a Bob Harper DVD with 2 workouts on it. One is just under 20 minutes and it's for weenies. The other is 1 hour and the people on the video look like they're going to cry. So far the weenie workout kills me but I've only done it once. I'm doing it again tonight before Biggest Loser. I could finally lift my arms again a couple days ago so I should be good to go.

I'm heading to North Carolina in March to visit relatives. We're going to run a 5K for Habitat for Humanity. That'll start my racing season. Then I have 2 10Ks in April, a 10 miler in May and a 20K in June. Then my usual 7 mile killer course at the end of July, something fun in August, a 10 miler in September culminating with the Des Moines Half marathon in October. I am praying to all things holy I can make it through this year without injury. I am transitioning to minimalist shoes and completely changing my running style. I'm getting really tired of starting over every single year at or worse than I started the year before (just like my food).

I've never done a tri. I like to swim but I don't like to bike. I used to but I don't even own a bike anymore. You should totally sign up for something. Do you have any friends who would want to do one with you? I train by myself but I usually participate in races with friends. It makes getting out of bed on race day morning and actually showing up a lot easier.
Image

HW: 220 lbs BMI=36.3
CW: 162 lbs BMI=26.5
GW: 135 lbs BMI=22.3
User avatar
kkrichar
 
Posts: 1223
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:05 am
Location: Iowa City

Re: New Year, New Me!

Postby kkrichar » Tue Jan 17, 2012 12:06 pm

Yay, Nomi!!!!! I'm so excited for us.
Image

HW: 220 lbs BMI=36.3
CW: 162 lbs BMI=26.5
GW: 135 lbs BMI=22.3
User avatar
kkrichar
 
Posts: 1223
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:05 am
Location: Iowa City

Re: New Year, New Me!

Postby RAS » Tue Jan 17, 2012 3:12 pm

Hi Me too guys.Fell hard for a short while.Going to get the final pounds off this year.Today is the 1st. day of 100%.My body is rebelling big time right now,with withdrawel.(sp)doing a lot of soups today and water. Great to see you Kelly,and Nomikins.Am going to do a 10k in March with my grandson.We are in this together. :nod:
Take care. RAS
RAS
 
Posts: 984
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 6:58 am
Location: North Carolina

Re: New Year, New Me!

Postby kirstykay » Wed Jan 18, 2012 9:11 am

Hi RAS and Nomikins!!! Great to see you! It's so good to have fellow sojourners on this road...there's power in numbers, as they say!

RAS, I've been eating mostly soups for a week now, and I'm really happy with how quickly I've gotten back on track. The New Year and my anniversary getaway with dh almost derailed what was a really great holiday season up to that point! It was frustrating to see the scale go up SO quickly when I had felt like I had MOSTLY been doing really well. No matter...the NOW is what counts. Glad you're back fighting again. You made such great progress last year, I'm sure once your body realizes you're serious, you'll be right back in the groove!

Nomikins, you're right! We're all right about the same place! That's kind of fun and exciting...we'll all get to the finish line sooner than later, I'm sure of it! Good luck with your big life changes that are going on! I'm sure you will only be stronger and more ready to handle change (even good change has its challenges) with your eating and exercising on track!

Kelly,
WOW! That sounds like a great season! I am SO NOT a runner! I don't even know what my "running style" is or if I have one...pretty sure that means I don't. :lol: Good for you! I've only just gotten brave enough to run intervals on the treadmill at the gym. I'm talking a few minutes at a time. I LOVE to bike and swim, though. The tri is a MINI tri through my gym, and I think I really might do it even though it scares me to death! It's not until May, so I've got time to get there. Good idea about doing it with a friend, I'll have to think about that.

I'm glad we're all in this together! We're gonna ROCK this!

Join me over at my new journal: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=27112

Oh, wait, it looks like you've already been there! YAY!
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

Image
kirstykay
 
Posts: 2233
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:20 pm
Location: South Carolina

Previous

Return to My Daily Menus & Journals

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 17 guests



Welcome!

Sign up to receive our regular articles, recipes, and news about upcoming events.