Stellar's Getting Back on Track!

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Stellar's Getting Back on Track!

Postby Stellar » Tue Aug 09, 2011 7:59 am

I've decided that today is going to be the day that I re-commit 100% to McDogalling! I am 25 years old (will be 26 in December) and it seems that over the past year, I have let myself get a bit out of control with my eating and I can see that my weight has started to become a problem. And although this year has been one of the best of my life (met the love of my life, got engaged, and got married last month), the focus on this wonderful relationship has caused the "love weight" creep on.

Although I am not overweight at this point, I'm creeping up closer to 130lbs, wich on my 5'3" frame is not pretty and does not feel healthy. Although I have been avoiding the scale lately, I know I weigh the heaviest I ever have and I'm now having difficulty zipping/buttoning up my pants. So I've decided that I'm tired of feeling fat and unhealthy and I refuse to buy a whole new wardrobe!

I am by no means new to McDougall as my mother has exposed me to this WOE and McDougall's ideas on food and disease since I was a teenager. When I was 21, I decided that I wanted to lose some weight (about 5-10 lbs) and feel healthier, so I followed McDougall maximum weight loss principles pretty closely and in about 4-5 months, I had reached my goal of 110 lbs without a great deal of effort. I felt great, looked great, and felt super confident.

Unfortunately, I fell back into old, easy food habits. The same year that I lost the weight, I began an intensive graduate program in social work (completed 36 graduate hours in less than a year with a full-time internship on top of it!) and it became too easy to fall into bad habits of eating chips, pizza, and cokes!

Ever since then, I've had difficulty getting back to this healthy way of life that I know works! So today, I'm making the committment to myself that I want to be healthy, feel good, and look good again. I'm hoping that keeping a journal will keep me accountable as well as help me keep track of my progress. I'm planning to start with a Mary's Mini to help get me back on track and help get over cravings for fat, salt, and sugar. After that, I will stick to MWL principles and use lots of fresh veggies and cook my meals at home.

I'm also planning to start exercising again so I can feel strong and energized. My husband, who is a middle school teacher, will also be the track coach this year. He's planning to take the kids to run in several 5k's this fall, and I would love to be able to participate with him and the kids in these events. So I will give running a go tonight as well.

I know I can do this. I've read some other journals and I'm so inspired! I only have about 15-20 lbs to lose total and I'm in pretty good health still. No more excuses - it's time to act!
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Re: Stellar's Getting Back on Track!

Postby goal140 » Tue Aug 09, 2011 8:10 am

Stellar,
It's so good that you caught this weight gain when you did, and didn't let it get too out of hand. I wish I had to loose your amount of weight. But weight loss is weight loss, no matter how much one has to loose. These boards provide alot of info and encouragement, so use them! :D
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Re: Stellar's Getting Back on Track!

Postby Rosey » Tue Aug 09, 2011 1:45 pm

Glad to see you re committing. It's a wonderful way to eat.
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Re: Stellar's Getting Back on Track!

Postby simoncat » Tue Aug 09, 2011 7:00 pm

Stellar, I bet you lose the weight here pretty fast. I remember when I was your age, I could lose faster than I can nowadays. Anyway, glad you're here. You must have a pretty good mother to get you McDougalling so young. I have a 14 year old who I keep hoping will join me and eat better. Keep posting.
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Re: Stellar's Getting Back on Track!

Postby Stellar » Thu Aug 11, 2011 8:46 am

Thanks for the support and encouragement everyone! Unfortunately, these last couple of days have been a bit more difficult than I had anticipated and I have not gotten back on track like I had hoped/planned. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to give up, it just means that I need to make a new "game plan!"

I've found that I run into problems when I get home with no plan for dinner. That's when I fall into the trap of going with what's easiest, not what's healthiest :? So, this morning, I took some time and actually planned out meals for the next couple of weeks and wrote up grocery lists to correspond with each week. I figure that if I am prepared, I'll be setting myself up for success.

So tonight, the plan is to make 3 bean chili with lots of veggies over brown rice. I'm going to be sure to make up about double the amont that we usually eat so that the hubby and I will have leftovers to take to work for lunch. I'm excited about the menu I've created for next week - it's full of meals that my husband and I love and that are easy to make. I'm going to be sure to make double the amount of each meal so that we have leftovers for lunch the next day.

My menu for next week looks like this:

Curried cabbage and cauliflower and curried lentils over brown rice
Lentil, pea, and barley soup
Butternut squash risotto (made with brown rice) and sauteed yellow squash and zucchini
Potato leek soup and dry roasted brussels sprouts
Bean and veggie burritos with Mexican rice and homemade salsa
Lentil, spinach, and potato soup

I know I can be successful with these meals as they are super McDougall and MWL friendly with lots of veggies and good whole starches and absolutely NO added oil. I think I may try to post pictures as I go along too.

I feel excited about creating my weekly menu plan and I'm looking forward to cooking and making some delicious, healthy food!
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Re: Stellar's Getting Back on Track!

Postby zoey55 » Thu Aug 11, 2011 9:49 am

That is a stellar menu :lol: . Planning's the thing! I even bought a kitchen blackboard that I write the menu on each week so that I stay on track. You've given me some good ideas. Good Luck on your journey!
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Re: Stellar's Getting Back on Track!

Postby Stellar » Mon Aug 15, 2011 7:52 am

Well my chili that I made on Thursday night turned out great and I've eaten off of it all weekend long! I brought the last of it with me to work today for lunch. I also biked some this weekend, which I haven't done in a while. I've really been wanting to run, but when it's over 100 degrees until about 9 or 10pm (bedtime for me), it's a little intimidating. So I figure I can ride my bike after work until it starts to cool down.

The hubby and I went grocery shopping on Saturday and I was so excited when we finished in the produce section and almost half the cart was full of fresh veggies and fruits! So, I've got all the ingredients I need for my planned meals this week and I'm so excited to start cooking tonight after I go for a bike ride!

I also sent quite a bit of junk food that had accumulated in the pantry with my husband to leave in the teachers' workroom at his school. I want to make sure to remove as much temptation as possible, as potato chips around the house are just too hard to ignore! Again, I'm just trying to set myself up for success as much as possible!
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