Double Rainbow's Journal

[DoubleRainbow]

I was concerned with the sheer bulk of food that I consumed yesterday, particularly that it would have an adverse effect on my weight loss. I needn't have worried. I stepped on the scale this morning and found myself 4 lbs lighter!!! I am thrilled to see such fantastic results this early on. It doesn't hurt that I have cut out nuts and nut butters, avocado, tofu, flour products, caffeinated teas, sugar, have started eating more salads and fewer fruits. I have also been keeping my meals extremely simple. Basically the MWL program.

Tonight, I am going to a local vegan restaurant with a friend, and I hope to find something at least somewhat compliant. Eating out is still something for me to master.

[DoubleRainbow]

Yesterday's food:
Oatmeal with raspberries
Red Cabbage
Potatoes
Broccoli
Corn Thins
Apple
At the restaurant: Salad, potato lentil soup, Hickory Sloppy Joes (chickpea base) on a bun - there was some daiya cheese in this and some oil
Sparkling water, herbal tea, water

So, it wasn't perfect as you can see, but I did the best I could at the restaurant. I had a nice time, and the food tasted good, but my stomach hasn't felt very well since eating there. Daiya Cheese usually has that effect on me. Luckily, I don't care for it anyway. Anyway, today is a new day!

[DoubleRainbow]

Yesterday's Food:

Oatmeal with berries
Apple
Pomegranate
Big Salad (red cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, sweet pepper, carrot)
Potatoes
Fat Free Vegan's Rainy Day Lentil Soup
Corn Thins (3)
Herbal tea, Sparkling water, water

Did some outdoor work, raking. We went to the movies to see Doctor Strange, and I chose not to eat a snack while there. I'm pleased with myself!

[DoubleRainbow]

Blood test results are in! The only problem is, I haven't got a clue how to interpret them! lol I was told everything was within the normal range. I did end up doing a little internet searching to see what the ranges should be, and I think I agree that they look okay. I am a little concerned about the iron. I know it is considered normal, but it seems a little on the low end...

Total Cholesterol: 4.17
B12: 358 (I supplement a bit, but I am very irregular about it)
Ferritin: 31 (I don't supplement this, and I have been low in the past)
Glucose/Fasting Blood Sugar: 5.0
Thyroid: 1.48 (I know this is pretty good)

[DoubleRainbow]

I feel pretty good about my test results yesterday. Even though I have a little more weight on my body than what I would like, my plant-based diet was doing me good (even with the junk I was periodically eating). I have had high cholesterol in the past, and low iron - so I am pleased to see that these were now within a normal range.

There is a risk that seeing those good numbers will demotivate me. It is now easier for me to say, "Well, I was fine obviously. Everything checks out. They even said I had a healthy BMI." But, I do realize those numbers are not the only markers of good health. The way I emotionally and physically feel and look is improving more and more as I clean up my diet. Plus, there are things they probably can't measure, or measure easily, that will be improved (or prevented) through eating well. You know, the mind plays tricks, though. I feel that addictive part of myself would really like some sugar and fat and when my will power is depleted or compromised is says, "C'mon, have a litte bit... it won't hurt you...Come to the dark side" I wonder how people who eat this way without having a major illness to keep at bay, who weren't really very overweight to start with, stay committed and strong when they get to the weight and numbers they want to see.

Yesterday's meals:
Oatmeal with berries
1/2 Pomegranate
Salad
Leftover Rainy Day Lentil Soup
Potatoes (several over the course of the day)
Steamed Broccoli
Rice
Grapefruit
Pinto Beans
Salsa
Corn Thins (2)
Herbal Tea, Sparkling Water, Water

[DoubleRainbow]

Yesterday's Food:

Oatmeal with berries
Potatoes
Homemade oil-free hummus
Raw Radishes, Carrots, Mushrooms, Sugar Snap Peas
Apple
Corn Thins
2 Bowls Fat Free Vegan Chickenless Soup (using chickpeas instead of tofu) http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/01/chickenless-soup-for-cold.html
Herbal Tea, Water, Sparkling Water

It was a day of delicious food. I was very satisfied with everything I ate. Particularly the hummus and raw veggies. I also enjoy putting a little hot sauce on my potatoes.

The scale looks like it has shifted a little further, down another pound to 145 lbs. That leaves only 10 more pounds until I hit my goal weight! I was talking to my children about how I was struggling to stay the course and remain motivated (I would kill for some bread with peanut butter right now lol) and my eldest child said, "Just turn your attention onto something you like. Distract yourself." Good advice! So that is exactly what I did. It worked. Today I feel better again. One day at a time, one decision at a time.

[DoubleRainbow]

Yesterday's food:
-Oatmeal and berries
-Sugar Snap Peas
-Potatoes
-Leftover Fat Free Vegan Chickenless Soup
-Rice
-Chickpeas
-Corn Thins
-Cucumber with Mustard
-3/4 Pomegranate
-Herbal Tea, Sparkling Water, Water

[DoubleRainbow]

Keeping a journal consistently has been tough, but worthwhile. It keeps my interest from waning, while keeping me accountable. It makes it far easier to say no to temptation. It doesn't hurt that I can see and feel the weight loss before my very eyes.

As you can see from my meals, I like to keep food, particularly breakfast, fairly consistent and simple. Nothing fancy. I like to put a bit more effort into dinner maybe, but even then it is a relatively simple recipe. I have always felt some people worry way too much about novelty and presentation when it comes to their food. Gourmet food has never attracted me. Too complicated. No disrespect, but when I was a raw foodist, I would shake my head at the hours of effort fellow raw foodists would put into meal preparation. Dudes, it is so much simpler to just get some broccoli, wash it, eat it, then get an apple, wash it, then eat that. lol Maybe that makes me boring. So be it. It's sort of a funny thing about me, since as someone with ADHD I usually tend to hate the boring or repetitive, preferring shiny, new things. I guess food is an exception. I love a minimalist approach to food even if it isn't as pretty. I actually get excited when I see a plate with steamed vegetables, especially if one of those vegetables is a potato!


Yesterday's Food

Oatmeal with berries
Rice, Chickpeas, Red Onion, Steamed Broccoli and Carrots with some low sodium soy sauce
Homemade Potato Leek Soup (2 bowls) http://www.theveggiequeen.com/2015/12/19/potato-leek-soup-recipe-correction/ (Using water to saute the leeks, obv.)
Fruit Smoothie (rice milk, mango, banana, raspberries)
Ryvita Crackers (3)
Popcorn
Herbal Tea, Sparkling Water, Water

[viv]

Hi Double Rainbow, Congratulations on following the McDougall Diet, seems like you are doing great.

At 150 lbs and 5'9", your bmi is 22 which is middle of the normal range. My bmi is 23.5 after losing 60 lbs and I'm very happy with that. Just curious as to why you want to lose more weight?
Viv

[DoubleRainbow]

Hi, Viv. Thanks for visiting my journal and for your comments.

Why do I want to lose weight while I seem to be a perfectly reasonable BMI? You aren't the first person to ask me that! Well, the weight loss it is only part of the equation for me, but since you ask, I think it comes down to the fact that everyone's body is different. That's why I think the BMI accounts for quite a range of weights. My build is small-framed and willowy like a ballerina (though I definitely can't dance lol). 150 lbs has had me with a pear shape, and a fair amount of fat on my abdomen, bottom, and legs. I will also point out that my goal weight, 135 lbs, is also within the normal range, albeit on the lower end. Just to let you know, when I got married many moons ago - I weighed a mere 118 lbs! People always assumed anorexia, but I can assure you that has never been the case. And in my mid-twenties, I weighed 165 lbs (also considered a normal BMI for my height) and had high cholesterol. I have never, ever counted calories, or limited servings. Too much bother, plus I have always loved my food way too much. So in the present day, while I eat my hardy servings, I am losing weight fairly quickly (I'm at 145 lbs now) and I take that as a sign that my body also desires to become a bit lighter. I imagine it will settle at some point and I'll be left where I should be, effortlessly.

[DoubleRainbow]

Yesterday's Food:

Oatmeal and berries
Potatoes (1/2 sweet and 2 whole russets) <- with some hot sauce
Corn Thins (3)
Rice, chickpeas and red onion <- with soy sauce
Apple
Yonanas (banana, vanilla, raspberries)

[DoubleRainbow]

I have decided to give myself a break from the daily check-ins to see how I do. I'm hoping that things are habitual enough that it is no longer necessary to write down what I've eaten every day, since that is not sustainable and has become a bit boring/repetitive for me. And you know I don't like boring!

I have lost several more pounds. I weighed myself this morning and the scale said 142 lbs., so that is another 3 lbs! Only 7 more pounds until I reach my goal weight of 135. I really notice the weight loss in my stomach, it isn't as thick and the roll is nearly gone when I sit down. I'm not sure if losing weight this quickly is normal, or common, but it has always been this way for me. I can put it on quickly and take it off quickly. Double edged sword, really. I have been eating quite a bit of food every day, sometimes a bit too much because I feel way too full at times. It goes to show though, loads of starchy carbs don't make a person gain weight, because I haven't even kept up with my decision to eat more salads! It has mostly been potatoes and rice and beans. The odd soup. Steamed veggies. I cut out tofu, nuts/seeds and their butters, caffeine (this wasn't difficult, I am caffeine sensitive and could never have much anyway), pop, sugar, dried fruit, bread. I was already quite good about avoiding oil, in cooking in any case, though there definitely was oil in the junk food I was eating. If there is one thing I miss, it is peanut butter on toast.

My sleep hasn't been great lately, but that is likely down to my struggles with an anxiety disorder. I have had a few night terrors after particularly stressful things. I was hoping that this way of eating, even if it didn't cure me altogether, would at least help in that area. And it may? I will wait to see on that front. I'm sure the ups and downs of riding the sugar train can't help a person with anxiety in any case and having more energy, and clarity can't hurt!

Fortunately, my ADHD hasn't had me losing interest in what I am doing with my diet. I have made it dead simple for myself, which helps. If I had turned it into something that took daily effort in any way, decisions that needed to be made, I would have been screwed (pardon my French). Also, I have been doing this plant-based thing for quite a long time, so there is a familiarity there. I didn't have something new to learn, I was simply recommitting and acknowledging that too many "treats" were being consumed. Apparently, I was eating a lot more junk that I was willing to admit to myself!

[DoubleRainbow]

I obviously haven't been recording my daily progress, but that hasn't had any negative consequences. I still continue to make progress. The weight loss isn't as fast, but I'm confident it will still shift albeit more slowly.

I have added a few foods in, McDougall compliant ones, to add some variety. For instance, I allowed myself to eat some bread (oil-free, vegan) and I really enjoyed it. I don't think I'm in any danger of eating it like I was before, since I haven't allowed myself to go back to eating nuts/nut butters. I love peanut butter, I might as well admit, and I think the daily consumption of this probably wasn't helping my weight loss before.

I am feeling pretty good! I haven't had any desire to stop what I am doing, and that is good. I did not want to treat this as a temporary thing, but rather as a lifestyle choice that I will continue indefinitely. My family has come to accept it, and has been supportive. My husband, famous for bringing me home sugary treats as little gifts, has started bringing me pomegranates and Ryvitas. That's progress!

[WeeSpeck]

A husband who brings you pomegranates!!! That is love....

[DoubleRainbow]

WeeSpeck, true dat.

Things have still been going well. I have plateaued a bit with my weight loss, but I am okay with that. I will concentrate on eating more of the foods that I should be eating (rice, potatoes, beans, veggies, etc.) and I'm sure that things will sort themselves out. I feel pretty good, sleep is good. I haven't been out walking as much as I was. The weather is starting to get a little brisk here, and there is snow on the ground. Despite being Canadian, I don't like being cold at all. (I should also note that I also don't particularly like being hot either. I feel like I was born to enjoy tepid weather. I hear people complain about the weather in the U.K. but I think it sounds glorious. lol) Maybe I'll try to bundle up and get out today anyway... I feel like fresh air is important. I think I should consider starting a bit of an exercise program for the colder months. I have a ton of old Beachbody videos (Tony Horton, Turbo Jam) I should break out.