"Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

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

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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby sksamboots » Tue May 30, 2017 8:47 pm

Hey KK,

Great job avoiding Starbucks. I was away on vacation this weekend and my mind was craving one like crazy. For some reason I associate taking a vacation with allowing myself to have a Starbucks. Blah! I'm so glad I had you in my head and my husband to keep me accountable or I would have caved! We will continue to resist! :nod:

How was the rest of your weekend? How are you doing today?

Keep focusing on your starch targets. I know what Chef AJ says and I do think her plan works; however, I'm not sure how sustainable it is....Yes, it is good for weight loss...I did it and I did lose the weight; however, I think if I would have been higher starch and even if it took me longer to lose the weight--I would have sustained it more with more starch in my life. It's still all an experiment but man, I do question it all if I would have stayed on plan long term. I honestly got sick of all the vegetables but honey I never get sick of a starch....specially my potatoes. I have a hard time eating veggies like you. I have to make a conscious effort to have a soup, salad and then my entree. I really just want the entree :lol: :lol:
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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby kirstykay » Tue May 30, 2017 9:44 pm

Thanks, Boots!! I really appreciate your input about UWL. I wrestle with myself. It's just really really hard to eat that much food! And I struggle to eat veggies for breakfast, although when I do, I always feel good and it sets me up to make better choices. However, it often feel like too much to me, and I find myself obsessing about food too much. I also often doubt that I can do it forever. I totally LOVE chef aj, though and I think the support is amazing! So I'm conflicted. BUT...when I think of the McDougall diet, I feel happy, not stressed, confident that I can do this forever, (especially the regular program after I lose the weight). When I think of waking up and eating my oatmeal, it just makes me happy and satisfied. When I eat vfb, I feel proud of myself, but not happy. But then I think, is food really supposed to make me happy? ...Anyhow...I think MWL is for me for now, and especially my starch targets. If I sometimes have vfb, then that's good, but I'm not going to make it one of my "rules." I do know, however that I need to eat more raw veggies more consistently. That's why these "starch targets" are really working for me, at least they cal, my brain down and keep me from feeling like a failure when I'm not perfect.

I had a good weekend and a great day today. We had friends over on Sunday. I made grilled veggies, air fries, verry berry salad, baked beans, and corn on the cob. When my friend asked me what they could bring, I told her to bring meat if they wanted to (they raise organic grass fed beef). So, we grilled that for them and they had our food as sides and loved everything. We've been friends for over 25 years, so there's no judgement. I felt in control and we had a wonderful time.

My fasting blood sugar is hanging out in the mid 200s, which is frankly an improvement, so I'm okay with it. I've been consistently hopping on my elliptical upon waking each morning and my bs after that is usually about 50 points lower. So, tonight, I am experimenting with 20 minutes on my elliptical before bed to see what that does to my numbers. Not sure I can always do that, but I'm seeing what it does.

I didn't take pictures of all my food today. But it was a great food day. I made a yummy potato salad and had it for lunch over greens, so I met all my targets today!

Starch :)
Starch :)
Starch :)
Fruit :)
Salad :)
Exercise :)

Hope everyone is having a good day!
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby sksamboots » Thu Jun 01, 2017 8:42 pm

Hey KK,

We have similar things we wrestle with, so keep talking about them here and we will walk through this together. This diet too makes me feel happy, satisfied and I don't think about food as much (really). My coworker will take a walk after every meal and his blood sugars have gone down. I'm wondering what that would look like for you? It's cool that we can do these little experiments and then see what works for us. What are you cooking this weekend? Any weekend plans? Keep on keepin on! :nod:
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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby Anna Green » Sat Jun 03, 2017 8:07 am

I see you fighting the good fight. Do you have to eat the veggies separate than the starches in the morn? I sometimes mix mine in. Like broc in oats or hashbrowns and veggies.

I didn't know that I would feel such loss either when my girl left. I'm glad you got him for the summer.
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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby kirstykay » Sun Jun 04, 2017 5:08 pm

Boots, Didn't cook this weekend yet, still eating leftovers from the week. I will probably make some kind of soup later tonight. Thanks for the encouragement. Helps me to know there are others...I feel less crazy. I had a mixed weekend food-wise, but today, I've had some time by myself to do some soul-searching, and feeling much better now. Yes, I need to keep coming here and working through all of this. I'm just going to keep at it until I get it right.

Anna, Yes, that particular plan requires that you eat veggies first, before anything else, and then follow it with the starch when you are hungry again. I agree with you, for me it is probably better to combine them. It's a timing thing. I used to add shredded zucchini to my morning oatmeal. I think I'm going to try that again.

I am a fickle thing. I am amazed at how quickly I can go from completely committed to super indulgent. Like in the same day! I spent ONE day at my mom's to pick up my daughter from O'Hare, and that was all it took to totally derail me. I don't know what it is about her house, but it's like all my brain cells leave my body and I have absolutely no resolve. So, that happened. Then I spent the next 3 days wallowing.

Today is a beautiful, sunny day with a gentle breeze. I have been sitting out on my patio listening to the birds and the sounds of the neighbor boys playing, and feeling a sense of calm and clarity I've not felt for a long time. We were suppose to go for a bike ride (and may later) but my dh has too much work to get ready for his week and upcoming work trip. I could have gone by myself, but didn't want to. This has become the story of my life this past year... He works, I wait for him to finish so we can do something "fun." It never happens. There's too much work. It's impossible. He hates it. I hate it. I get mad, feel sorry for myself, feel guilty because I can't get mad at him for working hard. I am mad at the job. At God. At Wisconsin...

But today, I don't feel mad. I feel grateful for this time by myself to reflect and think and plan. And I'm grateful for this beautiful day. And for my beautiful house and yard and neighbors. Here's what I know after my day of reflection:

~I need to do this on my own terms. In a way that is sustainable for ME. That means, I am my own "guru" not any other expert...Hell, I AM an "expert." A lack of knowledge or understanding is NOT my problem! I don't need to follow anyone else's program, rather I need to make this WOE work for ME. That means that for now, I'm going to eat WFPBNO, but I'm not giving up my coffee right now. I am not eating vegetables for breakfast because I don't have to. And if I want to have a drink with my dh once a week, or go to a restaurant once in a while, knowing there is some oil in my food, I can.

~That being said, I need to put on my big girl pants and get this done! I need to stop making excuses or self-sabotaging and take responsibility for my own behavior. I know what to do. I know how to do it. I even enjoy it! I just have to get out of my own head and relax and do it. I can eat what makes me happy (like my morning oatmeal), but I really don't need to eat things that make me dive head-first into the pleasure trap and keep me from making progress. That is not in my best interest, and I really don't need those things.

~ This isn't 100%. I've learned that from Doug Lisle. I've learned it from my own experience. I am not perfect. I will never be perfect. I don't have to be perfect. 100% is no longer on the table for me as a goal. I will do my best.

I have a list of things that are important to me, and I intend to prioritize them:
1. Love myself. Enjoy my life, and do things that bring me joy.
2. Forgive myself and others for not being perfect.
3. Eat simply and cook when I want to. I love to cook. I don't have to cook.
4. Entertain friends and family with graciousness and an open heart. Food is a big part of that, and finding ways to do it that don't sabotage my efforts is a challenge, but not impossible. And this is a value of mine, so I'm not going to shy away from having people over or going over to people's houses because that just isn't how I want to live. At the same time, my needs are at least as important as anyone else's so I'm not going to by shy about taking a stand for myself when required.
5. Live my best Life...play, have more sex, explore new things, hike, ride my bike, travel, join in, sing, do yoga in the park, read great books, say yes whenever possible.
6. Be inspired and Inspire others. I want to start blogging again, and I've been afraid to because of how I've struggled. But I have things to say, and blogging was hugely rewarding to me. I need to pick it back up again.

That's it. I'm doing this. My way.
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby Anna Green » Sun Jun 04, 2017 5:55 pm

You sound good. I believe you can be healthy with your plan. I really don't have much else to say.
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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby sksamboots » Sun Jun 04, 2017 8:38 pm

Girl, I have a big smile across my face. I just adore your openness and vulnerability. We as humans can have a vast amount of emotions throughout one day and I just love how you are feeling yours. It's giving me all the feels!!

I can relate on many, if not all. I see bits of me in you. I love how we do this as women. I want to write something about each thing you said but then we would be here for days. I feel more connected to you. Thanks for sharing.

I used to wait on others to do things and then I left my EX :lol: and started doing all kinds of things on my own and being comfortable with being with me and doing things alone. I've taken this into my new marriage and I currently take myself on hikes or coffee shops and I go alone because it's the things that I love to do. I love it.

I have to say that one thing that "erks" me a little about some of these plant based plans is the mentality about doing it 100% or don't do it at all. This pisses me off to no end. I think if we can do any thing close to it--we are better off than what we were.....

And start that blog, like yesterday. I say just copy and paste what you wrote here and there you have it! Others will relate to you because I relate to you and we like those that can go down into the deep pits with us and be vulnerable.

Love you :)
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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby kirstykay » Tue Jun 06, 2017 9:17 pm

Anna and Boots,
Thanks for your encouragement and kind words. Boots, thanks for relating to all the things I said and making me feel like my ramblings were valuable. I really AM going to start blogging again. I need to give myself a date to start. I'll be thinking about that and post here for accountability.

My FBS was 214 this morning! Happiness. I did 20 min. on my elliptical before work - only 20 min. cause hubby and I were working things out after a rough night of misunderstandings and hurt feelings. Glad we had the time and got things resolved. We also went for a 45 min walk in the beautiful weather after dinner. Such a glorious day! Still love my job. I feel so good when I'm there. I like the work and the people and I love doing something I'm genuinely good at. My job brings me joy.

Went to get my daughter yesterday. My mom drove her half way so we met in Lake Geneva, which is one of my happy places. We walked around the lake (well, part of it). And enjoyed a gorgeous day together. My mom is getting old. She's not that old, really, but she seems to be declining quickly and it's hard to watch. It really makes me want to take care of my health now, before it's too late. A lot of her problems are lifestyle related, and it's a wake-up call for me. I can't help her because she doesn't want to change. But I can help myself, and deal with my own reality, and make choices that will set me up for a future that is different from my mother.

I'm putting my daughter on a 3 day green cleanse. She lives in Taiwan, and the pollution in the city where she lives is terrible. They often have pollution days where the children in her school aren't sent out for recess because the air quality is so poor. When she comes home, she can't believe how blue the skies are! She doesn't drink the water, but she does bathe in it, and it is full of all kinds of things. She has to clean out her shower head monthly to remove all the soot and residue to keep the water flowing. Also, there was a construction project at her school that included her classroom. She was exposed to all kinds of construction dust and a very strong adhesive used for the floors that left a noxious odor even after the project was finished. She tried to air out the smell by keeping the windows open with fans, but the pollution was so bad, she didn't know which was worse. They finally got her an air purifier, but not sure it was enough to really help. She asked me if I could help her with a green juice cleanse when she got home, and now she's here. We're starting with 3 days and then she will be travelling for the next week, so she'll take a break.

I said I was done with juicing, but she has asked me to do this with her, so I am. I'm not going to juice fast, but I am going to be drinking the juice with her. For the next three days we will be having green juices, smoothies, salads, and fruit. I know this isn't MWL but I'm doing this to help my daughter, and I am secretly wondering if it will help with my blood sugar. 3 days. Interesting experiment. After that, I think it will be fun and easy to eat my cooked starches and veggies!

Tomorrow night is Yoga in the Park! My daughter and I are going and we're bringing a friend along with us. I can hardly wait even though I'll look like a big old fat lady trying to do yoga! :lol: I am super excited. Another thing on my list! Yay me!

Oh yeah, one more thing. I watched a star mcdougaller story this morning and was super inspired. I remembered that when I was first starting on this journey, I read a success story every day and it really helped me get and stay motivated. I remembered thinking, if they can do it, why NOT me? So, I'm going to start doing that again. Someday, I'll write my own, but for now, I'll be inspired by others!...oh wait, another thing on my list!! Ha!
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby sksamboots » Thu Jun 08, 2017 10:52 am

Hey KK,

There must be something in the air this week. I had a night of hurt feelings with my hubby this week too. Hope your week and day are going smoother in that regards!

Wow, your children sure adventurous! I think it's great that you are going to do the cleanse with her. It's always easier to do it when one has support. I hope yoga went well!

It would be cool if every once and a while you could post a link to the star mcdougallers story in your journal. I think it would encourage others to take a look at it as well!

Wishing you well. Keep on keepin on :nod:
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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby kirstykay » Sun Jun 11, 2017 2:06 pm

It's been a good week. The hubs and I are in a good place. Kids are home. Work is going great. Food feels easy. Life is good.

My blood sugar was 217 today. It's going down, so I'm thrilled! I haven't seen a downward trend in awhile, so this is really encouraging. My daughter's cleanse went really well. Basically, I had about one green juice a day and sometimes a smoothie. We ate dinner with the family, but kept it to salads and fruit. I found myself eating a lot more raw vegetables and it felt pretty effortless. I didn't let myself get hungry. On the last night, we grilled vegetables and potatoes. It was super short and sorta fun. I think 3 days was a good amount of time for my daughter. She was into it, but ready for it to be done after the 3 days. We may do it again. I know that longer cleanses probably do more to clean out the toxins, but this is better than nothing. I enjoyed having a juice a day, and may add that to my rotation, we'll see.

I feel really motivated again to change my life and improve my health. It's good. I know me, though, and my feelings can change on a dime, so I have to just decide to do this no matter how I'm feeling. Gotta admit though, I like when my feelings work in my favor.

My husband is heading out of the country for a work trip this week. So my daughter and I are going on a girls' trip with my mom and sister and nieces to a house on lake Michigan. I'm super excited to have something fun to do while he's out of town. It will be a nice getaway. As far as food, I'm planning on shopping when I get there and preparing food for my daughter and myself. My goal is to stick to regular McDougall and not worry about staying MWL. My family is pretty used to my "weird" eating and doesn't give me any trouble, especially when I take care of my own shopping and cooking. The hardest thing is just having other food around tempting me, but I'm feeling a sense of resolve. I think I'll be okay. Plus my daughter is a good accountability partner without being the food police.

Hope everyone has a great week!
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby sksamboots » Sun Jun 11, 2017 6:50 pm

I'm so glad you had a good week! I'm glad you have your daughter with you right now. You sound good. I hope you guys have a blast on the lake.

Hey quick questions. Has your daughter thought about taking herbs to help detox her system further? I'm going to post a link but please do more research and read into it. I've taken some of these ladies herbs and feel like they are high quality.

https://drjess.com/product/heavy-metal-master/

https://drjess.com/product/cleanse-package/

Keep on keepin on! :nod:
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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby Anna Green » Tue Jun 13, 2017 2:58 pm

KirstyKay! You sound wonderful! I so know what you mean by liking it when the feelings work in your favor. It's such a relief and makes all this pleasurable. Right now I'm not there but I'll keep coming back till I get there. Thanks for sharing. Don't get too hungry on the lake...it helps.
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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby Anna Green » Sun Jun 18, 2017 5:14 pm

I'm thinking about you. Hope your weekend was relaxing or whatever you needed it to be.
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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby kirstykay » Sun Jun 18, 2017 8:35 pm

Thanks for checking in on me, Shauna and Anna! I really appreciate it.

I'm doing well. Just had a great weekend celebrating my incredible husband who is an amazing father to our (grown) kids! All three of my chicks (plus my grand-puppy) were in my nest for 3 whole days, and we had a really nice time together. They were all really sweet and had such nice things to say to their Dad about how much they've appreciated being raised by them, and he spoke a personal blessing over each one of them as well. It was a very special weekend.

I have to say, I loved having them all here, but I'm exhausted! Seems like when kids come home, no matter how old they are, they want to be taken care of! I'm not complaining at all, but I'm also feeling more grateful for this stage of parenting where I'm not full-time cook, housekeeper, and activity planner! Made me appreciate my autonomy a little more, if I'm being honest. And that is a really good thing because I spent so much of this past year missing having my kids living with me. I think I will go into this next year a little less sad and much more grateful. That being said, we had a wonderful time together, and I cherish these times we're all together that much more because they are so infrequent.

Food was good. I cooked all compliant meals (not MWL, SS compliant). Everyone likes my cooking, so it was no problem. We had Asian noodles, veggie hummus wraps, WW pancakes with fresh fruit, Grilled Portobella Mushrooms with Air-fries and fresh corn on the cob, and Lentil Tacos. I have plenty of leftovers for the week, so that's nice.

Looking forward to having a normal week at home. Spending some time tonight getting my bearings and making a workout plan for the week around my work schedule. I have tomorrow and Tuesday off, so I can get to the gym no problem. I'll have to figure out the rest of the week. Thinking about getting a calendar together with my meals, workouts, and work schedule each week to keep me organized and committed to my plan. I think that's something I've been missing -- the planning ahead.

The hubs told me that if he can get the time off, he wants to take me to Hawaii for my 50th birthday in November...huge motivation to get serious about losing this weight and getting healthy! This has been a life-long dream of mine! It would be unbelievable to actually be able to go and feel healthy and fit!

Here's to a great week, everyone!
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

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Re: "Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

Postby Riva » Sun Jun 18, 2017 9:26 pm

KK- I just spent some time cruising through your Journal and getting to know you. Thank you for documenting your journey and being open about the various challenges as well as victories in your life. There was an article in the NY Times a few weeks ago that detailed new research that shows practicing positive thoughts and actions can upgrade your immune system.

One of them was to tell your friends your challenges. I think they said reveal your weaknesses to friends. However you look at it...it can be hard to do sometimes. But just think....increased immune system!

Riva
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