Effy's Journal!

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Effy's Journal!

Postby Effy » Thu Nov 03, 2011 9:47 pm

How neat is it that we can keep journals on this board? Cool!

Anyways, I'm Effy and I'm 21. I weigh about 180 lbs and I'm 5'2". I'm definitely obese, but I was actually 220 at my highest, before I became vegan! Just by switching from vegetarian (I was vegetarian since I was 10) to vegan (3 years now) I lost 40 lbs, which was great! But I still need to lose at least 50 lbs, preferably closer to 60-70. My main goal, however, is health! I want to start getting active but I don't feel confident doing that at my current weight.

Anyways, I was following the MWL plan for a few days but today I fell off plan and ate something extremely unhealthy. But I'm back on the horse tomorrow! No point in giving up! I might just eat potatoes for a few days, like a mini-Mary's Mini! Just to get myself used to limited variety, y'know?

One problem I have is that I love the McDougall Asian soups. I like to make one and put it on top of a pound of steamed frozen veggies. But the noodles are made of flour, which isn't allowed on MWL. :( So I need to find a way to get similar flavors to serve on top of brown rice, without too much sugar or salt. I'm sure I can do it. :)

I'll start logging my food intake tomorrow. I was going great today though, before my mishap. I had 1/2 a cup of oatmeal with a banana and a McDougall cup with veggies. But my mom buys lots of vegan junk food that's hard to stay away from! But I like Dr. McDougall's quote about fat ethical vegans - that we want to be compassionate towards animals, but aren't having compassion for ourselves! (I know the quote isn't that, exactly). It's true, if I want to spread veganism for the sake of animal rights, people won't take me seriously if I look like I don't care for myself! So I'm not only saving myself, I'm saving some animals too!

That's my introduction! I can't wait to fill up some pages with the healthy, nutritious foods I'll be eating for the next few weeks - and the rest of my life. :) Bye for now!
Effy
 
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Re: Effy's Journal!

Postby Effy » Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:50 pm

I forgot to update my journal for a few days, but I've been doing great!

I have been eating totally MWL, except for fruit smoothies. The smoothies have fruit juice in them (no added sugar) but when I drink them I NEVER overeat or binge. I find that if I replace the smoothie with oatmeal of the same caloric value, I still binge eat later. But the smoothie totally removes the desire to overeat! So I will continue drinking them for now. They have helped me keep my calories at the perfect number for now.

One delicious recipe I had was lentil tacos. The recipe originally called for a bit of olive oil but I removed it and it was still delicious. I just sauteed in water instead and it worked very well. I love the smell of sauteed garlic - it reminds me of when my grandparents used to take me out to eat at the Bertucci's at our local mall. So I think I should use fresh garlic more often because it's nice to be reminded of those nice memories!

I have plenty of delicious foods around the house right now. I'm all set to stay on plan. I have lots of canned and dried beans, canned tomatoes, spices, frozen vegetables, and more. I'm doing great!

*edit: I should add that while the recipe was for taco filling, I ate it on top of shredded lettuce with salt-free salsa instead.
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Re: Effy's Journal!

Postby kirstykay » Tue Nov 08, 2011 10:08 pm

Welcome, Effy! Glad you're here! Sounds like you're doing great! Can't wait to hear more about your successes!
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

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Re: Effy's Journal!

Postby Effy » Wed Nov 09, 2011 10:40 pm

Thanks a bunch, kirstykay! I have had a great first couple of days for sure.

I bought some new spices and they've really livened up my meals without extra fat and calories! Chipotle powder especially...so good! I also found a new MWL-compliant hot sauce that's delicious on potatoes.

I'm still drinking my smoothies (about 150 calories worth per day) and they've helped a ton in managing my tendency to binge-eat. I totally ignored a huge loaf of bread that's been sitting in my bread box - something near impossible for me most of the time!

I'm definitely enjoying myself. I love MWL food. The simpler, the better. Chickpeas, rice, and diced tomatoes is one of my favorite meals ever.

I think I'm officially on day 3. I'm not weighing myself for at least a month. I know sometimes I'll weigh myself after a week of near-starvation on past diets and when I see I haven't lost, I'll feel awful about myself and just give up. I'm going to give this lifestyle a chance to work, for once, rather than just become disheartened that I haven't reached whatever silly goal I've decided is more important than gaining health.

So yes, I'm ready for day 4!
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Re: Effy's Journal!

Postby MmmCarbs » Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:38 am

Hi, Effy. Sounds like you're off and running! I like how you're focusing on figuring out new meal options and cooking techniques. Glad to hear your lentil taco recipe worked without oil. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to learn to cook without oil. You get similar results and way easier cleanup. Keep up the good work!
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Re: Effy's Journal!

Postby Effy » Wed Nov 16, 2011 2:59 pm

Thanks, MmmCarbs!

I actually used the same recipe 4 days in a row for dinner! Except I modified it - instead of making tacos, I added cooked rice (1/4 cup uncooked) to the bean mixture, and instead of using lentils I've used black beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas! I actually used quinoa with the chickpeas instead of rice and it gave it a really interesting texture! Though I think I prefer this particular meal with brown rice as my grain. I'm also going to reduce the sodium content next time I have the ingredients. It calls for tomato paste, which it doesn't really need and adds a ton of salt. Also I've been using canned, salted beans, and even when you rinse them they still have a heap of salt. So next time, dried beans, no tomato paste, and more veggies added in!

I am thinking of having the same thing for dinner again tonight, but I'm out of hot sauce so I'll probably add salsa instead. I also have potatoes which I'd like to make a nutritional yeast sauce with, but I'm not sure if nutritional yeast is MWL-compliant. The sauce I make is just nutritional yeast, water, turmeric, garlic powder, and dried onion. But I don't know how many calories are in it either, which is something I'd have to figure out. I normally add frozen chopped broccoli to the sauce (well, before McDougall) but I'm all out of it so I was thinking maybe frozen chopped spinach would be good. We'll see.

I haven't weighed myself, but I'm going to on December 10th, because that gives me a little over a month since I've started. I'll hold off on weighing until then.

Also, for my fruit servings on days when I don't drink my smoothies, I've been enjoying frozen bananas in the food processor. It's very similar to ice cream but low fat and only one ingredient! Love it. I might make some now!
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Re: Effy's Journal!

Postby Effy » Sun Nov 20, 2011 10:45 pm

Oi, so I haven't had a very good last few days. I had to bake some muffins and a crumb cake for my mom, who was having an event for work. Of course, leftovers made their way home (I asked my mom to give them all away at work but she forgot to :(). So I ended up eating a LOT of muffins and cake. I felt so sick. I must have eaten over 1,000 calories worth! I feel really stupid about it but I know I shouldn't be so hard on myself. I'm just going to work 100% harder this week to stay MWL until and after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving will be a little higher-fat for me, but not outrageously so. And it will be vegan. So I've just got to keep pushing and eventually I won't be tempted by muffins or cake anymore because I'll know how it feels to be healthy!

I have been doing very good at eating more than one meal a day. I used to eat one 500-1,000 calorie meal a day, and usually if it was less than 1,000 calories I'd end up bingeing on snacks at night. But I find that if I eat a 200-300 calorie breakfast, a 500-1,000 calorie dinner, and a 300-500 calorie "snack", I end up perfectly satisfied with a good amount of calories. I know counting calories is not necessary on McDougall, but for me, if I don't count calories I end up undereating which causes me to overeat later on. Eventually I won't have to count them anymore and I'll just be comfortable eating 3 square meals a day.

I'm watching some McDougall videos for inspiration now. They've got me excited to start fresh tomorrow!
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Re: Effy's Journal!

Postby Effy » Tue Jan 31, 2012 1:10 am

Hello!

So, I haven't posted here in a while, because I had a very unhealthy past few months. Until January 2, I had been eating whatever I pleased. Although it was all vegan, it was mostly junk, and I knew I had put on some weight. I think I was over 200 lbs at one point.

On the 2nd of January I started eating healthily. I removed all oils and refined grains. I weighed myself on the 16th and found I was 193 lbs. I felt much lighter than before, which makes me believe that I must have reached or surpassed 200 lbs at some point. A week later I weighed myself again and was pleased to be around 186. However, another week passed (today) and I was still 186. My disappointment led me to have a very self-destructive night of eating! Lots of oil and processed foods. After a month of avoiding gluten, I had some bread today and had reactions that made me think I may have a mild gluten sensitivity.

I realized I need to re-evalute my diet. There are still some bad habits I am participating in. As proud as I was about sticking to an oil-free whole foods diet for an entire month, I was still only eating one (large!) meal a day. For example, one meal I ate frequently was 1/2 cup uncooked rice (cooked, of course!), one cup of frozen corn, 1/2 cup uncooked beans (again, cooked!), and a can of no-salt-added tomatoes, with hot sauce, spices, and fresh cilantro. I think if I took this meal and split it up I would have much better results.

For the next 5 days I am planning on doing the Mary's Mini plan, alternating between rice and oatmeal when necessary. I am going to weigh myself tomorrow, and at the end of the 5 days. I am going to make it my priority to eat 3 meals a day. My meals will probably be brown rice with some veggies and soy sauce or oatmeal with fruit. If I need a snack, it will probably be salad because I have some excellent lettuce and cucumbers and balsamic vinegar on hand. If I feel like I need to continue the plan longer, I will, until the 3 meals a day sticks.

Also, in November and December I was walking my dog every night. Since then I've hardly walked her at all! Which makes me feel sad for my dog and sad for myself. So now I am going to start walking her first thing when I wake up! She loves her walks and I need a little exercise.

I hope I continue to write in this journal. I am still extremely proud of myself for my ability to eat healthy and avoid processed foods for an entire month, and I'm not forgetting that. As a treat, I bought myself two shirts a few sizes too small. I hope I can fit in them soon. :)

And of course, my goal here, above all, is health. Losing weight doesn't matter unless I feel great and remain happy. I need to gain some self confidence and losing weight alone isn't going to fix that!

Time for bed. I've got to wake up early!
Effy
 
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Re: Effy's Journal!

Postby Rosey » Tue Jan 31, 2012 1:26 am

Don't let your weight keep you from being active. I've been active for a long time and I started getting more active at my heaviest and as I get lighter I get even more active. It's a great way to get healthy a long with the McDougall Plan.
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Re: Effy's Journal!

Postby djunamod » Tue Jan 31, 2012 2:10 am

Hi Effy,
First off, kudos to you for making all the efforts that you've been making to follow this way of eating at such a young age (I'm twice as old as you are). It's great to see you planning out your food and it sounds like you're cooking for yourself too, which is awesome!

I totally understand how tough it can be trying to maintain this eating style when you're near your parents (are you living at home now?) I recently moved into the in-law flat that's part of my parents' house and although I love my parents and they are great people and try to be considerate of my eating style, they are used to having a lot of junk food around too (and most of it is not vegan). My dad is old-fashioned so he always has to have some kind of cake and/or cookies (and usually both) in the house "to have with my coffee" (sorry, Dad, that went out 70 years ago - now we just drink coffee straight without something sweet with it). He's a total sugar addict so my mom keeps sweets in the house. She also cooks a lot of stuff that isn't MWLP-friendly and she does cook with fat (though much less than the SADer). She keeps trying to push her cooking on me even though I have my own little kitchen here and I prefer to cook for myself.

My solution has been to just make sure I always have plenty of my food in the house and avoid hers as much as possible, unless it is something I know is MWLP friendly.

My stats are similar to yours (I'm 5'1" and the last time I weighed myself, I was 178, but I'm pretty sure I've lost a litte weight since then :D) and until recently, I've been pretty active with just doing some walking every day. It's a great way to keep fit.

Djuna
**************************************************
Starting Weight: 187.4
Current Weight: 182.2
Goal Weight: 120-125
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Re: Effy's Journal!

Postby Effy » Sun Feb 05, 2012 1:10 am

Thank you so much for the support, you guys. It means so much to me. I don't have any friends in real life, and I'm not in school anymore, so most of the time I really feel like a loser. But hearing all your nice comments and tips cheers me up a whole lot.

I haven't had a good few days, but I'm never giving up. Giving up was never an option for me.

I'm trying to think of small, quick meals I can eat during the day instead of fasting all day and eating a large dinner. One idea was soup. I made my first soup ever the other day and it came out really nice, definitely something I could see myself eating at lunch time.

Unfortunately, I have a really strange sleeping schedule. Lately I've been lucky if I fall asleep before 4 AM and wake up before 2 PM. I do like being up late at night, but if I could change it to falling asleep at 2 AM and waking up at 10 AM to 12 PM, that would be perfect, for now.

I've also, in the last few days, had a sudden spurt of motivation. My mom, who went vegan for health reasons, has been eating non-vegan foods lately. She hasn't lost any weight and her cholesterol has gone up because she eats lots of fatty vegan foods. I've tried to have her watch some McDougall videos or Forks Over Knives but she just won't. She told someone today that she eats "Practically nothing, probably 800 calories a day" and isn't losing weight.

This concerns me because I am a vegan for animal concerns, first and foremost. But aside from that, I want my mom to get healthy. And the only way she'll do that is if I set a good example. Over the past month when I was eating very healthily, I may have lost over 15 lbs (I really should have weighed myself when I started! Rookie mistake?). But she didn't even notice my willpower when I said no to the vegan cheese I love, or when I made her a chocolate cake (her request) and refused a bite. I always tell her how proud I am of her for different things, but she doesn't seem to be proud of me for anything. I don't want to get too personal, but I've always believed she favored my brother. Now that he's got a son, she makes it even more obvious. I really think my parents think of me as a loser, even though I have aspirations to become a pediatrician. I have other talents as well, but I keep them to myself because I don't want my parents judging me. For example, when I was in college I wrote several essays that earned A's and were even used as examples for the rest of the class. I've never let my parents read them.

If I could just lose the weight I think I'd finally feel comfortable going back to school and getting on with my life. For the past 2 years I've just been "paused" in a state of living just because. I have no purpose right now and I have so much I want to achieve.

I really hope I don't sound whiny, because that's the last thing I want to do. I've spent way too much time whining.

I think this journal will help me a ton though. I'd like to write in it at least every 3 days or so. I might keep a food log, I'm not sure. I think Dr. McD recommends one. I may have to reread the MWL book, too!

I really think I can do this this time! By the Summer, maybe I won't feel so self conscious that I wear sweatshirts and long pants all season and almost have heat stroke (that's happened to me! yikes!). Short sleeves!
Effy
 
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Re: Effy's Journal!

Postby janluvs2heel » Sun Feb 05, 2012 9:28 am

Hi Effy,

I make a big pot of soup on Sunday & then it is there through most of the week for me to eat. I sometimes will add a potato to it, depends on what kind of soup it is. I also will add fresh chopped ingredients to it as the week goes by. Potatoes can be cooked ahead of time, just place the ones that you dont use in the fridge & there will be something quick for you as well. I often throw a potato in my soup, when I re-heat it as well. Really fills you up.

I dont have it, but I have heard Jeff's Fast Food DVD is really good, it is available on this site. Also, the Right Size soup cups, while I dont use them too often, they are good over a potato or even by themselves if you need something quick.

I always make sure I have canned beans, tomatoes, corn. I can make a really fast "soup" out of those ingredients & I dont necessarily have to heat it up.

You have a great mindset, never give up. And I bet your mom did notice that you did not take a bite of the vegan cheese or the cake, she just didn't want to say anything. Be your own cheerleader & lead by example. As the weight comes off, you will start to feel better & more confident. There will be those who tell you you are skinny enough or that tell you you look sickly, dont listen to them.
Just stay on your track & get to where you want to be.
Jan
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Re: Effy's Journal!

Postby Effy » Mon Feb 06, 2012 11:18 pm

Thanks, Jan! Your post was really encouraging. I have the Fast Food DVD but I haven't watched it in probably 6 months - I think I'll rewatch it tonight before bed!

That soup idea is so smart. I noticed when I had 2 bowls of soup for dinner that I was stuffed! I think I mentioned that I have a soup recipe that I really like, but I've been thinking of ways to modify it. One way is to replace the soy milk (oil-free but still higher-fat) with almond milk, which tends to have a lot less calories. It's hard finding an oil-free nondairy milk in my grocery store! Which is silly because they have an excellent vegetarian selection.

You're so right, I need to be my own cheerleader. I'm too hard on myself sometimes, when I know I deserve a pat on the back!

I had a really good day today (I kept Dr. McD's "Eat more starch" mantra in mind). I used to stress about eating too much starch and not enough green and yellow veggies, but now I realize that if I'm eating lots of starch it means I'm not eating lots of oil or fat!

Plus, I love starch.

Here's to another good day, and lots more to come!
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