Journal of my journey

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

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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby Ruff » Thu Apr 12, 2018 12:15 pm

Just popping in too say good luck and I will be thinking of you. No real help here, just hugs.
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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby Morris » Sat Apr 14, 2018 6:17 am

Thank you Katie.

April 14, 2018

I weighed myself this morning and I am down a pound from the gain of last week. I still need to drop 1-1/2 pounds to get rid of those brownies that I am wearing. I am amazed at how eating that fat and sugar set me back as much as it did this time. It is so hard to stop eating junk, I found myself stopping at the grocery store after running class on the hunt for junk food. And the worst thing about it all is that I justified eating it. UGH!!!

I am getting back to adding in the good to crowd out the bad, or at least making the attempt.

What I ate yesterday:
coffee
spring mix
banana
clementine
grapes

Ran 4 miles

romaine
spring mix
sweet kale
tomato
black beans
multi grain bread x 4 vegan spread

spring mix
black beans
'creamy' tomato soup (lots of veggies in this: onion, carrot, celery, sweet potato, tomatoes, cauliflower)

graham crackers x 2 packets

OKay, I need to cut way back on the processed grains (bread and crackers)
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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby Morris » Mon Apr 16, 2018 7:30 am

April 16, 2018

I am going to do one of the Beck Diet Solution's exercise this morning and give myself credit because I actually finished reading the book The Pleasure Trap. I had the book for years and joined an online book club that was reading it. I even finished reading it on schedule. WHOOHOO! I am giving myself credit because I finished something that I started.

Chapter 10 had a few take-aways for me:
1. No junk food in the house
2. Plan a weekly menu
a. gather recipes
b. complete a 7-day menu
c. bulk shopping
3. Cook in quanity
4. Create a car pack
5. Getting Help

As for #1, I went to grab some graham crackers and discovered an empty spot in the cupboard. Since that has been a struggle for me, I won't be buying them for a while.

#2, I am a spontaneous type of gal and the plan your menu is where I always dropped out in the Beck Diet Solution. It will be something I will work on because failing to plan is planning to fail.

#3, Cook in quantity, I have no problem doing this.

#4, create a car pack, this should be a solution for hubby's suggestion of eating out all the time. If I have a car pack with me, at least I'll be able to eat something better for me and not give in.

#5, getting help, this is a source of frustration for me. For years I had been considering joining TOPS, but I'd be in the KOPS. Maybe I should just do it. I'll see.

Another thing I need to keep in mind is, "that every single unhealthful behavior impacts the body in a destructive fashion to some degree". I need to keep this in mind because often we do not see immediate results of that behavior and when it does manifest there is no connection to it.

"Any behavioral transgression is a step backward from optimal health." Too often I have always looked at it just as a step backward from making progress toward a goal, usually a number on the scale. But thinking of it as a step backward from optimal health is a whole new way of looking at it. That gives it a whole new perspective.

So, I finished the book and now I can remind myself that I can stick with a plan. Next book the club is reading is Fast Food Genocide by Joel Fuhrman.
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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby moonlight » Mon Apr 16, 2018 5:01 pm

"Any behavioral transgression is a step backward from optimal health." Too often I have always looked at it just as a step backward from making progress toward a goal, usually a number on the scale. But thinking of it as a step backward from optimal health is a whole new way of looking at it. That gives it a whole new perspective.


Thanks, Morris, for this. I love that thought.

I've thought about buying The Pleasure Trap...

Conratulations on completing your goal!! You've also stuck with your goal to change your eating lifestyle!
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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby Morris » Wed Apr 18, 2018 6:01 am

April 18, 2017

Fast Food Genocide is an interesting read so far. Dr. Fuhrman seems to be attempting to make the link to aggressive behavior with poor diet. He gives some data that seems to be supporting his view, but then clarifies it to say that more studies need to be done and that not every one who eats fast food will turn into a homicidal maniac (my words). But he does make some interesting points about the stuff we now call food and some people's behavior.

I have witnessed behavioral changes in my grandsons, both who are highly sensitive to food dyes, and how they act when they eat something that has dyes in it. So, I think there is something to what Dr. Fuhrman is trying to get across. The typical SAD way of eating is so lacking in nutrition when it consists of item that have been stripped of so many beneficial nutrients just so it will have a longer shelf and gain profits for the industry And just as people don't see the connection between the food they eat and health, they will not see the connection between the food they eat and the way they behave.
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My grandson greeted me on his way home from school the other day and commented on how he only had 4 things in his lunch, but that it was okay because it filled him up. So, I offered to make him some muffins. He requested chocolate ones, so I baked him some Happy Herbivore's Chocolate Zucchini Muffins and Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (I added cocoa for some of the flour).

Am I being a horrible grandma baking him that after reading Fast Food Genocide? My daughter buys him the Hostess Twinkies and HoHo's. She thinks he is being deprived because he can't eat all the "fun" food because of the dye issue. But then, talking about the processed food affecting one's behavior, my daughter is one who stomped her feet and whined in the grocery store aisle because I wouldn't buy sugar sweetened cereal (she was 16 years old at the time). Yeah, I think I am buying Dr. Fuhrman's idea that overly processed nutrient deficient food might have an effect on one's behavior.
_____________________________

What I ate yesterday:
coffee
banana
clementine
apple
spring mix
blueberry bagel w/ smart balance

went for 2.65 mile walk

spring mix
Amy's lentil vegetable soup

muffins - chocolate banana x 2
chocolate zucchini

Taco Bell bean burrito fresco x 2

sunflower seeds (1/4 cup)
_______________________________

It was hubby's idea to eat out at Taco Bell, he's been saying he wanted tacos for 2 weeks now. He ordered things with cheese. He's been complaining about his kidneys hurting (he gets kidney stones when he eats cheese), and he orders items with cheese on it. I struggle with junk food day after day, my grandsons have issues with artificial colors, both our daughters have health issues, and yet we keep eating that C.R.A.P. Are we like totally under the industry's control?!
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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby Ejeff » Wed Apr 18, 2018 10:00 am

I think you are the most awesome granny if you bake for your grandkids and then they don’t have the twinkies. What you baked is actual healthy food, whereas a Twinkie is not. Following the McDougall plan does not mean we can’t have healthy baked goods. You can make cookies with just oats and bananas. Perhaps when you must eat out with your hubby you could always bring a healthy baked good and then order just a salad. That way you stay compliant. I think I will try this strategy also, cause my hubby is also SAD eater. And I know when we eat out I am sometimes having oil which I should not be having.
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby Morris » Sat Apr 21, 2018 8:04 am

April 21, 2018

My weight is up again. But then we have been eating out a lot lately. Plus, I am giving in to junk food again. This has got to stop. I cannot figure out what is going on with me and why it is that I cannot seem to say NO. I think I am in a self-sabotaging mode. With all this reading of the Pleasure trap and Fast Food Genocide, I am actually beginning to come to the conclusion that I am addicted to CRAP. I need to stop being in denial and focus on recovery.

This recent book I am reading Dr. Furhman's emphasis is on nutritional excellence as the solution. I know this to be true, so why can't I get with it 100%?

I have one week until my first race of the season, time to stop eating junk and focus on foods that will fuel my body. The other night, when I was at my volunteer job, I was wearing one of my race T-shits and I had three people ask me if I was a runner, when I said yes, they all replied, you look like a runner. that was a boost to my ego considering all my frustration I am having with my diet lately.

We went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant and I was not going to order, but the server went and talked to the chef and he came and asked what he could do to accommodate me. It was part of a grocery store, so he went and got a can of black beans. He made me a plain black bean burrito and water sauteed some onion and bell peppers. He came out later to ask if I was satisfied. I told him I was and I think he thought I was weird because I did not want meat, cheese or sauce. He left the table with a shrug and a "whatever".

Hubby commented on how many black beans I ate and that it was a lot. It was my total for the day, I just ate it all in one sitting. :o But there was no mention of how much meat he ate. He had at least 4 servings, plus the rice and beans, and his oil sauteed veggies; eating out is a major cause of overeating because the portions are so large.

I am trying to restart again today:
coffee
spring mix
apple
clementine
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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby Morris » Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:44 am

April 23, 2018

Well, I am encouraged, weighed myself this morning and I dropped a bit below that new set point. Between the junk and the eating out, I was getting frustrated with myself. It is such a battle between knowing what to do and then actually doing it vs. knowing what to do and not doing it. I need to do as the Nike slogan suggests: Just Do It!

I feel better when I eat food, real food not food-like products. I need to remember how much junk food I used to eat compared to what I eat now. I am selective in junk I eat and even stopped buying one of what used to be my favorite candies. I need to focus on that instead of my failures.

One thing I need to focus on is eating until satisfied because I usually go beyond that just a bit and eat until I am too full. One thing I notice is that when I eat the good stuff, I am just aware of the fact that I went a bit too far with the stretching compared to feeling nauseous when overeating on junk food.

My quote for the day is:
Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.-- Jim Rohn


I started my day with leftovers from my campfire dinner:
coffee

potato x 1
carrots x 2
onion (a few thin slices)
mushroom (1/4 of a large)

kale x 1 cup
pinto beans x 1/2 cup
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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby Morris » Tue Apr 24, 2018 7:19 am

April 24, 2018

My, oh, my, I just finished tracking what I ate into chronometer. I ate so many calories yesterday. Hubby was having some extraordinary pain issues and when he called the doctor's office the nurse said you better come on in right away. So, my plans were set aside and off we went. It is an hour drive one way.

I grabbed a banana, a clementine and a Belvita biscuit packet in case we were there a while. Unfortunately, the appointment took over 3 1/2 hours. I think the stress got to me and I went to the little store and bought a bag of Bit O Honey candies. It turned out that it was as bad as we were imagining. Huge relief.

I had my running class but the appoint took too long so I missed it. Hubby wanted to go out to eat (no surprise there), but I still wanted to get my run in and said I wanted to get home before it got too dark (we live in a wooded area and I may have been hearing some bear cubs on my previous runs - not sure though). So we agreed to stop at the Fresh Thyme deli for a bowl of soup from there salad bar. Plus we wanted to have bread with it. I couldn't find the type of bread I wanted so I grabbed a bag of potato dinner buns. (Big mistake, trigger food for me) Anyways, I ate almost 3,500 calories yesterday. The bread and bit-o-honeys were my bad.

On the positive, I got a 3.59 mile run in before dark. Running solo and not with the class, I most likely got an extra mile in. Despite the pig-out, my weight was only up about 1/2 pound.

Again, today is a new day. I really need to commit to no junk food.
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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby bunsofaluminum » Tue Apr 24, 2018 1:07 pm

Morris wrote:April 24, 2018

My, oh, my, I just finished tracking what I ate into chronometer. I ate so many calories yesterday. Hubby was having some extraordinary pain issues and when he called the doctor's office the nurse said you better come on in right away. So, my plans were set aside and off we went. It is an hour drive one way.

I grabbed a banana, a clementine and a Belvita biscuit packet in case we were there a while. Unfortunately, the appointment took over 3 1/2 hours. I think the stress got to me and I went to the little store and bought a bag of Bit O Honey candies. It turned out that it was as bad as we were imagining. Huge relief.

I had my running class but the appoint took too long so I missed it. Hubby wanted to go out to eat (no surprise there), but I still wanted to get my run in and said I wanted to get home before it got too dark (we live in a wooded area and I may have been hearing some bear cubs on my previous runs - not sure though). So we agreed to stop at the Fresh Thyme deli for a bowl of soup from there salad bar. Plus we wanted to have bread with it. I couldn't find the type of bread I wanted so I grabbed a bag of potato dinner buns. (Big mistake, trigger food for me) Anyways, I ate almost 3,500 calories yesterday. The bread and bit-o-honeys were my bad.

On the positive, I got a 3.59 mile run in before dark. Running solo and not with the class, I most likely got an extra mile in. Despite the pig-out, my weight was only up about 1/2 pound.

Again, today is a new day. I really need to commit to no junk food.


I'm impressed with your weight maintaining even though you're eating (some) junk. It reminds me of the comic "The Oatmeal". If you haven't heard of it, google, and then find "Why I Run" on the website. And also check out all the cool things there. Anyway, your fitness level is keeping your weight from ballooning, and I am really impressed. Well done!
JUST DON'T EAT IT

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simple, humble food
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The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby Morris » Wed Apr 25, 2018 8:51 am

OMG!! Too funny

This one fits me: http://theoatmeal.com/blog/justdoitlater

Just do it later -- I do need to run away from that blerch
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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby Morris » Thu Apr 26, 2018 8:28 am

April 26, 2018

I am tracking my food because I am doing a challenge on another page that requires it and I am amazed at how much fat I actually eat, even on my good days when I am close to being complaint.

I preplanned my meals yesterday and did fairly well, but went off a bit when I decided to have a Belvita cracker packet and a cup of hot cocoa. My weight is holding. I went to running class yesterday and only ran 2.5 miles, but I went for a 2 mile walk earlier. I like to run through the woods on a low maintenance road and it always has puddles at the end, so I walked it to see how wet it still is from the snow. Still too muddy to run on. Then when it dries, I'll only have a short time before the poison plane (crop duster) starts spraying. I hate living so close to corn fields. I swear they spray more than what they did 5 years ago.

What I ate yesterday (not completely compliant, but close at least no much processed

carrot cake overnight oats (oats, barley, carrot, dried fruit, flax seed)

No tuna sandwich (chickpea, onion, green pepper, just mayo) on "Thin bun"
Mushroom Vegetable Tomato Soup ( Mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery, kale)

French fries (store bought, baked at home - had oil)
Broccoli
baked beans

banana
Belvita
hot crackers
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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby Morris » Fri Apr 27, 2018 7:30 am

April 27, 2018

I am coming to the conclusion that I dislike tracking my food. I have to key in all my recipes. I often read that eating a vegan diet is so restrictive, but I eat so many different combination that I disagree with that statement. Before I became plant based, I ate the same foods over and over and over... But I am tracking because I am in a challenge that requires it to be done for points and the competitive part in me has me do it for the points lol.

Yesterday, I went over to my daughters to go golf-carting around town with her and the grandkids. The town she lives in is having their annual garage sale weekend. So we drove around to check out the stuff people were selling. Afterwards, my daughter and I went to take some photos at a creek.

I got hungry and decided to go to Subway for a veggie delight. My daughter tried to talk me into going to a different place that only sold deep fried food and ice cream. While we were eating she told me the other place was cheaper because they were able to feed all four of them for $13.00. But what they ate was: two orders of french fries and 2 icecreams. I replied that they could have eaten at Subway and bought a couple of their $4.99 footlong subs and at least got more nutrients than the french fries. Her reply, "I don't like that crap that they offer." (meaning the choice of subs for the $4.99)


That made me sad because she has so many health issues.But I am done talking to her about diet because that has become a sacred cow issue and it causes more strife than good. Besides she knows better, just like I do when it comes to eating junk. The struggle is real. I help her out by doing bulk cooking sessions with her every now and then.

I had a conversation with my other daughter and she asked me to let her know when we were headed to town again and could we take our granddaughter with us because she (our granddaughter, age 16) is now required to have her cholesterol checked. Teenagers are now required to have that checked and since doctors are not nutritional experts, I am sure that is just so they can put teens on drugs. If it is such a problem, they need to go after the food industry and clean up what is on the grocery store shelves.

I almost made it through the day yesterday with out junk food (I am not counting my vegan donuts I made -- (kidney beans, cashew milk, cocoa powder, brown sugar, whole wheat flour, chocolate chips for frosting)-- while at subway they said they burnt their cookies and had to throw them out so they offered some to the customers. Of course, I raised my hand. I am such an addict!
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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby Morris » Sat Apr 28, 2018 5:15 am

April 28, 2018

RACE DAY today!! I went to pick up my packet last night. Took my grandson along so he could do the 1k kids run. He wants to do 5ks but I think he is too young yet. I see to many young kids on the 5ks that are not really enjoying the finishing of it. Plus his doctor and my running class instructor think he is still too young for that distance. I really need to start doing training runs with him.

Today, I will be doing the 10k with my granddaughter and at this time she is not sure if she will run with me or leave me in her dust. She invited a friend to come and cheer her on, so I am thinking I'll be eating her dust :nod:

I have a good, better and best time in my head so I'll see how I do once I start.

My eating yesterday was stayed on plan with what I planned to eat. I had opportunity to eat junk, but fortunately I stayed strong and resisted. Guess What!! I survived the moment without hardly any struggle. I feel good about that today. (I hope I am not jinxing today though-it seems whenever I post something I go crazy with my eating soon afterward).
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Re: Journal of my journey

Postby Morris » Sun Apr 29, 2018 6:57 am

April 29, 2018

Race Day Results - 1:06:44 a new personal best for me in the 10k distance.

Whenever I run a race, I'll pick a person ahead of me and make that person be my pacer. My 16 year old granddaughter was in my sight this year, I crossed the line 25 seconds after her.

There was a lady in between us that I thought was in my age group and so I tried to cross in front of her, but I was not able to. When I checked the age group photos, I did not see her. So I went to the next age group and there she was. 10 years my senior and she ran awesome. She finished strong - that is my inspiration to keep at this way of living: whole food plant based and fitness.
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