Grit and Determination

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

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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Fri Mar 16, 2018 3:42 pm

Friday Day 123 (188 lbs.)

Hiked 8 miles today

B: Oatmeal
L: potato salad and dried beans
Dinner: oven fries; stir fried kale, onion, cabbage, mushrooms, and garbanzo beans

Feels good to hike two days and not feel exhausted. I've had plenty of energy!
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Mon Mar 19, 2018 10:08 am

Monday Day 126 (187 lbs)

I'm finally starting to prefer MWL foods. the exception is bread and pasta. I have lost an appetite for cheese. I eat a little bread and occasionally have some WW pasta. I feel great! I don't feel like I'm constantly in a battle with willpower. I know there will be exceptions but if I keep foods I like available to me and don't get too hungry, I'm good. I've noticed I'm getting more comfortable with a little hunger. My main starch is potato. I mix it up with rice, bulgar, and oatmeal, but I feel most satisfied eating potatoes.

Yesterday I hiked 5 miles in the mountains - up and down - changing elevations. I felt like I had a good work out. So in 4 days I managed to get in 19 miles hiking in the mountains. Good exercise and great environment! Spring wildflowers are beginning to bloom. I love my 'trail food'. I took dehydrated beans that I had cooked then dehydrated. They were like eating nuts without all the fat. A good protein source. I took poato salad and coleslaw each day. Also, I had a piece of fruit. So, no power or protein bars, no nuts or peanut butter, no dried fruit, no crackers or bread - usually the staples of hiking food.

Today:
30 minutes on water rower

Brunch: oven roasted potato fries
Lunch: Kale salad
Dinner: kale, carrots, cabbage, garbanzo beans, horseradish, and sweet potatoes stir-fried. Very good!
Last edited by moonlight on Mon Mar 19, 2018 5:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby Ruff » Mon Mar 19, 2018 12:18 pm

Some thoughts about food in the hills.

When I started running I used to carry food all the time. Nuts, dates, home baked oatmeal scones (very dense, no oil). And I would eat it. As time has gone by I eat less and less on the trail. Now I rarely eat if I am out for less than 4 hours. I always have food with me and have learnt to be aware of when I need it. But often I don’t! Last time I climbed Mt Isobel, about 4 and a half hours, although I drank often, I didn’t eat until quite near the end, when I just had a couple of nut/date balls. And then only because I had stopped at at conical hill lookout to admire the view, have a drink and chill for a bit (not a serious runner, obviously!)

So where am I going with all this? It’s just as you tramp more, you will get used to it and get less hungry. Don’t let snacking on the trail become a habit. It’s fun to sit at the summit and eat, but is it necessary?

Equally....don’t go too far the other way and faint on the trail! Far too embarrassing! :lol:
Katie

My testimonial. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=38433
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Mon Mar 19, 2018 5:02 pm

Thanks, Ruff, for the advice. I've noticed I don't need that much to eat on the trail. I used to believe I was burning so many calories that I needed to eat very dense foods but I don't think I really need that much when I'm doing a day hike. It might be different when I go overnight with a 35 lb pack. I just eat when I feel hungry or start feeling out of energy. My relationship with food is changing.

That's great you can run for 4 hours! That's got to be a lot of calories burned. Do you eat more when you are finished than on a day you don't run? The other day I hiked longer and felt like that night I needed to eat more. I'm losing weight so the balance must be in my favor.

Cheers to outdoor exercise!!
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Tue Mar 20, 2018 8:36 am

Tuesday Day 127

Late night eating again... 2:30 AM I ate a serving of my husband's pasta salad :angry:

Seems like the middle-of-the-night willpower is not as strong as the craving for something to eat... I'm going to put a chair in front of the door to my bedroom - not to bolt the door but something I'll have to pick up and move to get through the door. Maybe that symbol will be enough for me to have second thoughts and re-evaluate my need to eat in the middle of the night. It's like I'm in a trance. My eyes pop open and I immediately think of something in the fridge that I should eat. Crazy!

I have discovered another motivational tool. However, right now it seems pretty overwhelming... waist circumference. For my height the ideal waist circumference is 27 inches. I need to lose 9 inches on my waist! Wow. With BMI there are stages. Now I'm in the 'overweight' category which is better than where I started. I guess that's a false sense of well-being. Like having a BP reading in the range that isn't treated with medication. You think you're not doing so bad... I know, I'm making progress. 9 inches!!! Maybe I should hang a sign on my chair in the bedroom with that written on it!!!

30 minutes on rower

B: Rice casserole
L: bulgar, cooked cabbage and carrots
Snack: popcorn
Dinner: Potaotes
Last edited by moonlight on Wed Mar 21, 2018 5:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby Ruff » Tue Mar 20, 2018 5:27 pm

I can’t run for 4 hours! I’m OUT for 4 hours (or more), I just run as much as I can! Walk the rest :lol: :lol:

So....hide the stuff you shouldn’t eat in the garage (buy another fridge if necessary) and put carrot sticks and oil free hummus at eye level in the fridge, in the kitchen.

A dog trainer taught me this. You got to work with what you know is going to happen. My dog used to play keep away and not be caught whenever we reached the beach exit we left by. Trainer said “you know she’s going to do it, so change the rules of the game!” Now I leave by a different exit every time, sometimes I leave, walk to the next exit and go back onto the beach! :lol: keep her guessing!

So you know you are going to eat at night....change the rules! Now all that’s available is compliant, unless you want to find the garage key and climb over all the obstacles I hope you left in front of the other fridge..... :lol: :lol: :lol:
Katie

My testimonial. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=38433
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Thu Mar 22, 2018 7:45 am

Thursday Day 129

Hi Ruff, I love the way you think about these things. Be radical! Change the rules! Well, I think I've turned the corner! Last night I woke up about 4:00 and couldn't get back to sleep. It was the second time I had been awake during the night. I had drank all the water I had and wanted more. Did I dare go into the kitchen?!? I did. I only got water. I read until about 6:00 then went back to sleep for a while. I realized that this night-time craving was just like the late evening cravings. I'll have to suffer through them until they go away. Hopefully, now that I've developed a different pattern for dealing with them, I'll be able to get past this, too. I must keep a good book near my bed!! Thanks for your continued encouragement.

B: Oatmeal and banana
L: cooked purple cabbage, onion, carrots, kale with bulgar
D: oven roasted potatoes
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Thu Mar 29, 2018 7:58 am

Day 136 (187 lbs)

Wow, it's been a week since I've had time to sit and write in my journal. In a sense, that is a good thing. I've used this journal as a place to write out my frustrations about the difficulty of switching to the MWL diet. This last week I haven't had the frustration. I have a sense of calmness and desire to eat MWL foods - or not. I was out of town, staying in a hotel with a friend one night this week. I chose to eat off the MWL plan. I had some cheese in my meal and probably some cream. It was okay. It wasn't something I craved or something I binged on. I got full quickly and stopped eating. There was a different feeling about it. I know I don't want to eat that way very often but it also didn't scare me that it was going to trigger cravings in me. It was the opposite, really. I craved getting back to the food that really satisfies me. Also, I noticed that my digestive system had more rumblings than usual after that meal. Not a pleasant feeling.

Earlier this past week I was at a music festival for 4 days. It was a city festival so I went home every night. The frustrating part was that I couldn't take any food or drinks into the festival venues. The first day I ate middle eastern food. Roasted vegetables and rice. It was all covered in oil. The second day I searched out a place that served pinto beans without meat. That was very nice. The other days I took MWL food and left it in the car. When I had the opportunity, I would go eat healthy food from the car. The first day was frustrating but all the other days I felt in control and I didn't feel deprived and starving.

I think there's been a shift in my approach to food. Sometimes I get caught without MWL food. I adjust. I plan more for those times. Food prep is easier. I know that I can purchase food in a grocery store that doesn't take cooking and that will keep me satisfied. I'm not 100% MWL compliant but I'm probably 90 to 95% compliant and that's good enough for me. I'm encouraged that even in a very busy week I managed to have a good diet. I know that I must stay focused and have appropriate food available, and that it could get out of hand quickly if I allowed myself to have many non-compliant meals. Hopefully, I'll get back in a routine of exercise and home cooking.

30 minutes on water rower

B: oatmeal with blueberries
L: veggie stir-fry; coleslaw
snack: popcorn
D: potatoes
Last edited by moonlight on Thu Mar 29, 2018 7:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby bunsofaluminum » Thu Mar 29, 2018 9:44 am

Hi Moonlight,

Been reading here and there in your journal. It's very encouraging to see your ups and downs...a reminder that there are gung-ho days of full compliance, with days of "meh, not feeling it" and days of "dangit why did I EAT THAT!!!" and it's also very cool that you've gotten comfortable enough with your transition to MWL, that you didn't feel the need to make an entry in this journal. I also love your attitude about the late night appetite surges.

Believe me when I tell you: The appetite will calm down if you don't feed it. I'm living proof. And if you do pick up a snack when your munchy monster growls, that'll wake things up and you will begin the fight with appetite all over again. I'm living proof of that, as well.

but you are doing so great! I can't wait to get out and hiking again, myself. :)
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: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Thu Mar 29, 2018 7:47 pm

Hi Buns,

Thanks for stopping by! :nod: This is quiet the rollercoaster ride! I'm starting to get in my groove, I think! Losing weight is very inspiring! I'm down a size in most of my clothes. I'm able to wear clothes that have been just sitting in my closet for a very long time. It's like I've been on a shopping spree!

Have you watched the film "Obesity: Post Mortem"? I watched it on YouTube. Amazing! It definitely will be affecting my food choices if I get tempted to go back to a SAD diet. I'm even more encouraged to try to get the extra weight off for good!
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby Ruff » Thu Mar 29, 2018 11:56 pm

Hi Moonlight, I have been away from the forums for a week too.

I know what you mean about fitting in the clothes. It is soooo exciting to work your way back down your wardrobe. I am back in a smaller size of jeans :-D

And it sounds like you are getting in the groove with MWL....just Easter to navigate now.
Katie

My testimonial. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=38433
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Fri Mar 30, 2018 9:45 am

Day 137

Hi Ruff,

Yes, the smaller size jeans! I keep stopping to admire myself in the mirror! :o Funny thing, the last time I weighed 187 lbs. I felt like a huge whale. I was gaining weight then. Our perceptions are so strong and generally not true!!

Do you like to play around with food prep? There's a recipe out there where you take smallish round potatoes. Steam roast or boil them - not too much- they need to be somewhat firm. Scoop out the middle. Mix the scooped out potato with green onions, capers, pimentos or whatever - like you might make for deviled eggs. Put the mixture in the potato shells and serve as deviled potaotes. Very fun for Easter. Now, I'm wondering if small white potatoes cooked in beet juice and a little vinegar would come out purple or red? Like Easter potatoes instead of eggs. I may have to see...

30 minutes on water rower

B: poatoes onion bell pepper and mushrooms
L: popcorn
D: Mexican restaurant - spinach enchiladas, a few chips
moonlight
 
Posts: 1525
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sat Mar 31, 2018 10:32 am

Day 138 (186 lbs)

So I'm down another pound. I'd like for the pace to go up just a bit; I'll focus on more veggies and more exercise. I'll see if I can lose 2 pounds this week. One reason for the urge to go at a faster pace is the sleep apnea. I'm using the CPAP machine but I have a couple of issues with it. My face around my eyes are so puffy in the morning. I hold fluid under my eyes right above the mask. This seems to be getting worse. Some days I see the indention of the mask all day. The other issue is sleeping with others. I feel like a freak. My husband and I have usually slept apart for almost 2 years, mainly due to his health issues. Now, with the CPAP, I really feel better sleeping alone. Also, I go on trips with girlfriends where we share a hotel room. I feel pretty awkward using the CPAP. Last night I slept without it. I didn't wake up several times during the night like I did before I started using the CPAP. I guess a sign that I wasn't having apnea events but I had taken Xanax so I'm not sure if I was having apnea events and didn't know it. I like the pace of losing weight one pound a week. I don't feel as deprived, like I'm having to really work at losing weight. It feels more natural. I'm just motivated to be rid of sleep apnea and the CPAP machine!

B: potatoes with veggies stir-fried then roasted
L: potatoes and coleslaw salad
D: WW pasta, lots of veggies, and spaghetti sauce - hmm WW pasta is not MWL compliant....
snack: banana
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sun Apr 01, 2018 8:28 am

Day 139

I tried sleeping without the CPAP last night but woke up with a gasp and dry mouth during the night. I guess I can still experience sleep apnea. I had a bad night trying to sleep. I resisted taking Xanax since I've taken it 2-3 times this week. I drank coffee late yesterday. The good outcome is that I didn't go to the kitchen a binge on food. Baby steps.

The issue of weighing daily or weekly or monthly or not at all has been on this discussion board lately. My guess is it stays a topic on a discussion board of people trying to lose weight! I've found that weighing often keeps me on track. When the weight goes up for several days I get obsessed with it but it's not looking at the scale, the feeling of anxiety at that moment that's the problem; it's the 'what am I going to do about it?' that really causes the anxiety. I know if the scales show a gain for a few days in a row that I'm not doing anything about it. That is were the problem is and I need to address it. So, the weighing frequently keeps me accountable. I don't worry about one pound up but two pounds up gets my attention and if I have two weeks straight where I don't lose any weight that gets my attention, too. I try to stay focused on the fact that I want to lose weight. This website gives me all the tools I need. I must figure out how to make it happen. If I ignored my weight for weeks or even for a whole week I know I would be in the mindset that ignorance is bliss. The other trick for my mindset is setting smaller goals. I have my goal weight set at a BMI of 24.9 because that is, on the charts, considered the normal range. My intention is to go lower than that. Hopefully I can get to a BMI of 21, but that won't be my focus now. It freaks me out to think I need to lose 50 more pounds. It makes me feel good to know I'm 44% to my goal of a BMI of 24.9. Now that is inspiring and makes me want to eat my veggies!

1 mile walk outside

B: millet
L: WW pasta with Rotel fire-roasted tomatoes and broccoli
D: Corn on cob, potatoes, purple hull peas, salad
snack: popcorn
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Mon Apr 02, 2018 7:51 pm

Day 140!

Today I got caught on the road without my food. I was so hungry. I dreamed of hamburgers, cheese sandwiches, bbq,,, but I stopped at a large grocery store to look for veggie sushi. It didn't look very good. Settled on seaweed salad. That was good but about 3 hours later I'm very hungry again. I dreamed of food all the way home - 45 minutes! I made it! Whew!

B: nothing
L: ww bread and bean spread
snack: seaweed salad
D: potatoes and purple hulls peas and salad
snacks: popcorn and banana
late late night snack :angry: : a few tortilla chips
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