Getting Real & Getting It Done!!

[Pacificfords]

Thanksgiving was an absolute delight. I feel so good today!! It is as much a mental victory as it is physical. I FEEL so good. I am marking the date as November 17th ~ the date that I started the McDougall Plan 100%. I suspect over the months to come I will have occasional steps over into the 12 Day program, but for now I am sticking with MWL. Yesterday would be a good example. I was very proud of myself. I had a few black olives and a bite of my sister's pumpkin pie... both were McDougall friendly, but not MWL friendly. It just felt good to set limits and not say.. "well, I'll just go ahead and have a whole big piece." And, in the past I could easily eat an entire can of olives... but no more.

Today I had an interesting issue at lunch. The Sushi talk came up again and my husband really wanted to go. I decided that it would be a good compromise (he would rather go for burgers). So... we got there and it is a "track" with many different varieties going past on a conveyor belt. Each different Sushi has a label with the ingredients. There was not a single piece of Sushi on the track that didn't have fish, cream cheese or mayo in it (one of the three or all). I honestly thought that there would be one with just veggies. I asked... nope. They didn't have them and they weren't going to make them. They even had deep fried Sushi in a tempura batter. I refused to put a piece of fish or dairy in my mouth. So I had a glass of water while my husband ate. I was starving too... I skipped breakfast because we got a late start and had other errands to run first. My husband ate... because when he realized I couldn't... he got mad that I wouldn't just compromise like in the past. I suggested that he let me be me and I would let him be him... I told him to enjoy his Sushi and I just enjoyed my water and said I would eat at home.

It was a real lesson for me about letting food rule my life. I was upset, but just stayed calm. I had to think about how important food has become... how much it is used to create an atmosphere of bonding... and especially how addicted I was to eating for fun in the past. We came home and I had my sauteed cabbage and onions over chunks of leftover baked potato. It was delicious and once the hunger was gone - so was the frustration of the situation. Now it just feels like a victory. My husband commented later about how much strength it must have taken to do what I did and how much he admired it. I failed to mention how much I would have admired him if he had said "let's go somewhere else... that we can both enjoy." But... it just didn't happen that way. I still feel really good about how I handled it.

[Adrienne]

Good for you!!!! You should be proud of both your physical and your mental victories.

[Pacificfords]

My new favorite breakfast!


Oatmeal with a small spoon of brown sugar and a small bit of almond milk along with my very favorite ~ grapefruit.

Today was great... the perfect day for a pot of chili and a some steamed rice. Delicious!

I moved into the 280's today and I wanted to dance around my kitchen! I am pretty sure it is the lowest weight I have seen in over 25 years. It feels absolutely amazing. Along with my weight loss I am feeling more energetic, and needing less sleep. It also feels like my confidence level is improving each day with each victory...

[Pacificfords]

I moved my weigh in date to Sunday. I honestly try to stay off the scale in between and I am doing better. 13 lbs this week ~ GONE. The greatest part is that the weight loss is not the focal point of my choice in eating this way, it is simply one of the many benefits. I am very close to the 270's and when I hit 279 I will be at my lowest adult weight that I ever remember. I graduated high school in the 300's and have maintained those numbers most of my adult life, reaching an all time high after my pregnancy (yes after) of 404. It was a rough pregnancy and I ate and sat and sat and ate for several months after, thinking I was letting my body heal.

I don't remember my weight any further back than that. I am excited to break into new numbers. I remember being 280 sometime in 1996 for a very short time when I was dieting. To see 27_ anything will make my heart soar with confidence.

I am still challenged by my family on a daily basis. My son is getting much more pleasant. I didn't have him tested, but when he eats gluten he gets sick - so we have switched him to a gluten free diet. He feel great and loves eating healthy. I don't know if he has Celiac like I do, but it is a great possibility. Rather than all the expensive testing... clearly he feels much better off gluten, so we are just doing it. My husband... eats without complaining - anything I cook, but still consumes an extreme amount of junk food at work. He has been "cleaning" out the fridge. Once the junk is gone - I am not replacing it. We'll see how that goes.

I feel better than I have felt in months. It is amazing that even doing a moderate McDougall these past months I felt great - now I feel even better. I didn't even know that was possible. Looking forward to a couple months down the road to see how my body heals even more.

[Melinda]

So glad to read of your success with all your challenges!

[Pacificfords]

Yesterday was another victory for me... a pretty big one. My husband got a pretty amazing promotion at work and we had to celebrate. Of course, in this house, celebrations have always been centered on food and I was not going to throw a wrench in that. It was his day! So we went out for lunch. We decided on a buffet at one of the casinos because I knew that they had a huge salad bar and had a tendency to prepare more healthy foods on their buffet. Well, it was outstanding. My husband had his usual ~ not one green thing on his plate ... and I started with a salad. They had packets of fat free dressing so I could read the label (along with containers of regular dressing in the salad bar). They had delicious fresh fruit. And in the buffet... I was impressed with the vegetables... I tried a few things and other than getting a little bit of oil (no doubt) on a couple of the veggies dishes, there were no sauces or anything. It also gave me a chance to try a couple of things that I am not so good at preparing at home like kale. They had sauteed kale with onions and raisins. It was amazing! Then they had sauteed red cabbage. Those were the two dishes that obviously had a little oil in them. Steamed baby potatoes and onions, fresh steamed broccoli and steamed sweet potato chunks. All in all ~ a delicious and fun experience. I did not touch one of the dishes loaded with diary and meat, the creamy soups or special sauces. There were so many. He didn't even try to offer me a bite, which I appreciated. And when my husband had a couple of decadent deserts (there were about 20 to choose from) ~ I had a couple of strawberries and some chunks of melon. With a big glass of water. I felt amazing! It felt like the perfect compromise to me. Then we went for a nice long walk... he was having a hard time, but I was totally energized! lol...

The only downside to yesterday was throwing my scale away. It hasn't worked really great for weeks... and yesterday it just died. I have never been without a scale, but I am waiting to buy one because it is the only way I am going to stay off it!

So, all in all... a great day!

[Spiral]

And when my husband had a couple of decadent deserts (there were about 20 to choose from) ~ I had a couple of strawberries and some chunks of melon. With a big glass of water. I felt amazing! It felt like the perfect compromise to me. Then we went for a nice long walk... he was having a hard time, but I was totally energized! lol...

Ah, let's see. You were energized. Wonder why? Healthy eating perhaps?

Good job. Sounds like you are on the road to victory.

[Starchavore]

"Watched Forks over Knives yesterday and LOVED it. Totally lit a fire under me. I really believe that knowledge is powerful! I love learning."

Many of our newer members heard about this way of eating from the movie.
f1jim

Add me to that list!

[Pacificfords]

I am going a little crazy without a scale to weight. This is good for me. I know that. I am ordering one from Amazon tomorrow... so it will be a few more days before I can see my progress on the scale... however... I sure feel great.

My husband said that once the junk is out of the house - we will not purchase anymore and he will just eat healthy with my son and I. Well... that can't happen soon enough for me. All that is left... a package of cream cheese, a jar of Skippy Peanut butter and a little bit of mayo. I looked at those things and thought - how is he going to eat any of them... I should just throw them away.

Well, last night we had split pea soup for dinner. Applesauce after. No fat, of course. So after dinner he went and got a BIG spoonful of peanut butter and just ate it... then another... then another... it is loaded with so many crappy oils and tons of sugar. Watching him with a spoonful the size of a 1/4 cup each time made my heart hurt. I was proud of myself for not saying a word to him!!!! I sooooo wanted to say something sarcastic about him having a heart attack.

[nomikins]

So why not "help" empty out the remaining fatty foods? Big spoonful of pb, an inch of cream cheese, etc., then just throw out little bits. I bet he won't even notice.

[Pacificfords]

So why not "help" empty out the remaining fatty foods? Big spoonful of pb, an inch of cream cheese, etc., then just throw out little bits. I bet he won't even notice.

I didn't think of doing it that way. Thanks for the idea. I did empty the door of the fridge that way... one bottle at a time over a week or two. It is amazing what kind of crap ends up in a fridge door... dressings and sauces and such. He went to look for something the other day... and just figured we had used it. He had to use a fat free dressing instead. I felt so great about that.

The saying really is true: Out Of Sight ~ Out Of Mind

[kirstykay]

You are doing AMAZING!!!!! I'm so excited for you! I can just hear the enthusiasm in your voice, and the feelings of empowerment and determination! Great job handling things with your hubby. It sounds like he's getting on board, and even if it's only to support you, that's great! Congrats on the fabulous weight loss, too! YAY!!

[Pacificfords]

You are doing AMAZING!!!!! I'm so excited for you! I can just hear the enthusiasm in your voice, and the feelings of empowerment and determination! Great job handling things with your hubby. It sounds like he's getting on board, and even if it's only to support you, that's great! Congrats on the fabulous weight loss, too! YAY!!

Thank you

[Pacificfords]

My wedding ring fell off today. I rescued it, but I am going to have to put it away for now. I figure there is no point in getting it re-sized until I get to my goal. I've also noticed my bracelets are very loose. I can't weigh... but I can tell that I am going in the right direction! I ordered a new scale today and should have it in about a week. It has been good for me to go without it because it forces me to notice other positive effects from eating healthy.

I am fasting this morning to go get a set of labs done. The best part is that I don't have insurance now, so I can order the test direct and choose what I want. I am getting a full women's health panel. It is hard for me to believe that in the entire year of my illness... even when doctors were initially checking my heart for issues - they did not check my cholesterol. I am anxious to see that number... and although I don't know what it was in the past - I will know for future reference.

[Pacificfords]

One of my new favorite recipes! I am trying to make things my son will enjoy now that he is gluten free and eating a plant based diet with me. He LOVES these. I had one as well to see how they were. Delicious. I wouldn't eat them everyday, but he certainly could. They rise perfectly!!! I used Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour instead of rice flour.

Ingredients (12 muffins)

- 2 cups brown rice flour
-1/2 tsp baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 apple, cored, seeded and puréed with a blender, or 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp of nutmeg
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 ripe bananas

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Combine flour, baking soda and salt together
- Mix maple syrup, apple and vanilla together
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Make sure you don’t over mix.
- Mash bananas in a separate bowl with cinnamon and nutmeg
- Fold in mashed bananas into the muffin mixture
- Bake for 25- 30 minutes.