Ben's journal

[Ben]

Hi

I'm guessing this is about the 5th or 6th time I am starting a journal. Every other time I have done so I have lasted only a very short time (sometimes, I think from memory, less than a day?).

I can't say at this moment that I really want to start McDougalling, but it is becoming clearer and clearer to me that I need to. Although I can still get around and do everything I really need to I have been finding it harder to do things like get out of chairs, and walk up even one step. Also, I had to get photos taken of myself on Friday for work reasons, and I have looked at them today and they are horrific. They show a sad person who is totally out of control with his weight.

I'm not really sure what the main reason I have not taken any action yet is. Mainly laziness I suppose...and a denial of how bad the situation is. I am 100% sure that a McDougall way of eating is the best way for many reasons, and I feel like I have a good knowledge of what to do (I have read this board about twice a day every single day since the day it began, plus have many Dr Mcdougall books and dvds - also by other similar people).

I would say that 80-90% of my calories that I have been eating for years has been from ice-cream or chocolate. I have really been eating horribly and it's a miracle that I am not even fatter than I am.

I am going to begin on MWL from tomorrow morning. And I am going to aim for as little processed food as possible. Someone posted a little while ago (sorry, I don't remember who) that they wanted to post only the food they ate that was off-plan for them instead of posting everything they ate. This is what I would prefer to do. I will post anything that is either processed or not MWL-legal. Mainly because I think I'd find it too tedious to post absolutely everything.

I'll post every day - this is a promise to myself

Ben

[Ben]

ps. My ticker is saying that I have lost 3.5 poubds. That is since my first weight that I entered months and months ago....not what I have lost in recent times

[f1jim]

Welcome back (even if you never left!) You have been given some good advice over the time you have been here. You also have been motivated to stick around through all this. So I would ask a few simple questions to see where you are falling down.

1. When you attempt to follow the program what steps have you taken in preparation for starting? Off plan foods out of the house? On plan foods well stocked?

2. At what step do you crumble? Around the house? At work? Where do you find it hard to stick with it?

f1jim

[to_our_health]

Welcome back too and kudos to you for trying again.

Great questions from Jim. I notice from lurking and reading all these years that one of the biggest downfalls people talk about when they go off plan is not having planned! Planning means anticipating and preparing for all eventualities...oversleeping in the morning and running off to work with no food for the day, getting caught up running errands later than thought and getting really hungry (I see this one all the time!), having a meal out with friends, getting really busy and not getting to the grocery store to stock up, etc. I've noticed that the folks who learn to plan for all of these and have food ready are the ones most successful about staying on plan, which is then a positive cycle for them of eating better, feeling better, continuing to lose weight, etc.

I'm also curious about the health aspect, in terms of helping with motivation. I'm hearing about the distress of being overweight, but not about how that is impacting your health. Have you had tests done, like cholesterol and glucose, and our blood pressure checked? A lot of people get shocked into sticking with the plan when those numbers are way out of range for them and they are faced with, if not immediate life-threatening issues, issues that could fairly quickly become that. And they are pleased and motivated when those numbers quickly begin to change for the better when they are on plan.

I've also noticed that just sticking with the plan a short while helps a lot of people to begin to switch their thinking from feeling deprived to feeling excited about a whole new world of eating opening up and new tastes as their taste buds recalibrate.

Hope all these good things begin to happen for you, best of luck!

[WeeSpeck]

Hi Ben,

The very fact you are drawn back here again and again is a testament to your desire to change your health.

Start again for the very first time!
Start again at your very next meal.
Start again at your very next bite.

Eat thoughtfully.
Chew with mindfulness.
Own it!

Plan for tomorrow, today.

Your momentum will build with each successful step forward.

Your note emotes your struggles so clearly and your desire to regain control of your health. Good luck and stick with it.

You can do this!!

[Ben]

Sigh

Well after a good breakfast, the rest of the day was not a success at all...it was on par with a normal day for me. I did not feel the same motivation as I did last night and got lazy.

To answer your questions that you asked....Jim, it is everywhere that I eat badly, and not having bad food in the house doesn't help. I can't remember ever not eating something I wanted because I did not have it on hand...if if have wanted something I have always gone out and got it As far as health problems....I have been told I have a fatty liver, other than that I have mild asthma and (medicated) hypothyroidism.

It is nighttime here again and I am unsure of my plan of action for now. I will see how I think about things tomorrow. I have a few ideas but will sleep on them

Ben

[Ben]

Ok, I have been thinking....I think I am going to try another course of action. I think one of the problems is that when I tell myself I am going to go 100% I start to get freaked out and at some point, very soon in, doubt my ability to do it....then I just eat crap.

So I have decided to ease myself into it. I haven't set out a solid plan at the moment, and I haven't even decided if I am going to make one yet. But I'm going to start by lowering my fat and dairy intake....just lowering at this stage, not eliminating yet.

I am also going to commit to going on a 15 minute walk each night....before dinner. I'm not even going to think about speed or distance. The main reason will be to get out of the house at a time when I would normally be bunkering down for an evening of eating. It might also help me to feel a bit more energetic?

And I am determined to keep posting here. I'm in this for the long haul. And one day I'm going to be a star McDougaller!

Ben

[Ben]

So today I had a good breakfast....oatmeal and a banana. This is not something I regularly do, and it is the first thing I am going to initiate as a regular thing...to start the day off well.

I did not go for the walk that I had planned, but will tomorrow.

[f1jim]

Your breakfast, along with some berries on top has been my go to breakfast for 5 years. I have not gotten tired of it once I was past my first two weeks.
f1jim

[nomikins]

Maybe it would be less overwhelming to you if you just think about your next meal - it will be a McDougall meal, just that one. Don't worry about tomorrow or next week. Just approach your one upcoming healthy meal.

As you know, it's imperative to plan and ensure you have enough food on hand as well. I'm concerned you let yourself get too hungry and all of a sudden, it's chocolate city.

Come on, you can do this. It's your choice. Read my new journal and see what I've been up to. Choose to live.

[Hamster]

Hi Ben,

Firstly it’s great to see you hear and I look forward to reading your journal.

I can only talk about what worked for me and of course it may not work for you. Like many people I’m a creature of habit and forming new habits is difficult but of course once these habits are formed it then becomes easy.

Firstly try to identify something that you are eating that is both unhealthy and is something that you can readily eliminate. One thing that I was doing was buying a bottle of flavoured milk in the morning. All it did for me was to eliminate thirst but it added 335 calories, 6 gms of saturated fat and 45 gms of sugar. Another small change I have made is that instead of using full-strength apple juice on my morning muesli I now dilute it about 50/50 with water. That removed another 120 calories. By itself these won’t change my life but they were easy changes and combined have moved me from a situation of slow weight gain to slow weight loss.

Your goal of going for a 15 minute walk in the evenings is awesome. At first you might have to reduce it to 10 minutes or even 5 minutes but the important thing is to keep doing it. As your muscles strengthen and the weight begins to drop it will become easier and easier. Then the amount can be gradually increased. Even if you start at 5 minutes per day and increase by 5 minutes for month then after a year you’ll be walking for an hour.

Again, only my personal opinion but it is better to increase the duration of your exercise rather than trying to increase its intensity. High intensity exercise risks joint and muscle injury. Your walking speed will increase naturally and there is no need to force the issue.

While on the subject of exercise it is also my opinion that it is far better to have an active lifestyle rather than engage is exercise. Look for opportunities for becoming more active and time in your day that could be better spent doing something physical. There will be lots of little opportunities and whilst individually they won’t do much, combined the effect will be enormous.

Good luck with your journey, soon there will be a whole new Ben.

[Ben]

Thanks for your posts everyone. I am still here.

I have been making a very slow start, I think I'm getting used to idea of change still. I need to change. I am having an energy crisis, and am tired all the time. Today I went for a fitting for a suit as I'm going to an awards dinner in ten days and I am big. Am gonna send my measurements to the suit hire place in my capital city where the ceremony is and cross my fingers that they will have something that will fit me.

Change is coming

Ben

[Rosey]

Hi Ben,

The very fact you are drawn back here again and again is a testament to your desire to change your health.

Start again for the very first time!
Start again at your very next meal.
Start again at your very next bite.

Eat thoughtfully.
Chew with mindfulness.
Own it!

Plan for tomorrow, today.

Your momentum will build with each successful step forward.

Your note emotes your struggles so clearly and your desire to regain control of your health. Good luck and stick with it.

You can do this!!

Hay those were going to be almost my exact words.

[Loveskale]

Welcome back Ben! The people on these boards are a good source of inspration, and will have a lot of good information for you! Keep us posted!

[afreespirit]

We are rooting for you Ben!