Journal for Health

[moonlight]

Chin up! It's all part of the learning curve. You are doing great. You are reflecting and adjusting. I just finished reading a few posts on Jeff N's forum about how this type of eating is important for the long-run, not short-term. I'm not sure that is comforting to you now. I feel your frustration. I've been there many times. It would be nice if we had more options in the restaurant minefield. I've wondered about the fake meat burgers that bleed red. I've always thought that part of meat eating was totally disgusting - it's what makes watching someone eat meat so unappetizing. I'm not surprised that they are loaded with some kind of fat. I think cooks/chefs feel that fat needs to be in everything to make it palatable. When people doing the taste test are meat eaters or high fat eaters they don't have the taste buds for evaluating what a truly healthy meal tastes like and how delicious food can be that is devoid of added fat of any kind.

PS I take salad dressing and spices to restaurants, too! Long ago I used to take baked corn chips to Mexican restaurants and ask for another basket to put them in. I can't find the baked version of corn chips anymore. I guess they weren't too popular.


I hope your spirits lift and you have a good day!

[keithswife]

Thanks for the encouragement, Moonlight. At least I'm learning what not to do, right?

I'm also learning that, at least for me, the simplest meals are the best ones. I just made some stir fry veggies over cous cous that turned out very good. Jan Tz's quick breads have also turned out well for me. Sadly, I am finishing off the last piece of gingerbread as I type this. I will have to make more. And although I'm not really doing this for weight loss, it wouldn't hurt me to cut my portion sizes down a bit and step up the exercise. I really wish I could give up coffee, but I don't want to. I did cut down to just 2 cups a day. It's a start.

And, my son is starting to support me. Yesterday we were out at Subway, where it was free cookie day. My son's not much for sweets, so we decided to take our cookies home for hubby. But, temptation got the best of me, and I picked one up and took a bite. With lightening fast reflexes, my kid swats it out of my hand and says "Mom! It will give you heartburn!" Once again the other patrons at the restaurant got a free show with their meals. I didn't care. It was hilarious

Today's Eats:

Breakfast- blueberry, flax and whole wheat pancake
Lunch- Stir fry veggies over cous cous, gingerbread
Dinner- maybe a salad with white beans added. Or baked potatoes. Not sure

[keithswife]

I'm in a much better frame of mind today. I've just accepted that the honeymoon phase of McDougall is over, and that it's time for me to roll up my sleeves and put in the hard work. Which isn't that hard. Today I dragged out my old iron skillet and made the crispiest hash browns for lunch. Topped with leftover chili beans and spinach, it made a wonderful meal. I'll try to sneak in a walk later, but the forecast is calling for rain. I have a stack of exercise dvds, so I guess I really can't use the weather for an excuse. It's just that after being inside behind a computer all day, I'd much rather exercise outside.

I went out to the farm where I keep my horse and gave him a spa treatment. I'm not sure he appreciated it, but the flies were much to bad to ride. Once my son is off for summer vacation, I'll have more time for riding. I can't wait.

Today's Eats:

Breakfast- Grape Nuts and soy milk, coffee
Lunch- Hash browns topped with chili beans and spinach
Dinner- baked sweet potatoes and a green salad

[VegSeekingFit]

I'm also learning that, at least for me, the simplest meals are the best ones. I just made some stir fry veggies over cous cous that turned out very good. Jan Tz's quick breads have also turned out well for me.

Hi, I so agree with you on this one!! I love just veggies + starch where you just cook and add your own choice of herbs / spices. Also, remember Jan Tz quick bread recipes. There were a few recipes of hers on the old board that I used to make as well - loved garbanzos with cranberry on top - just bake it... (easy peasy...)

[keithswife]

Yes Veg, until I can up my cooking game, the simpler the better. I remembered Jan from the old vegsource boards from years ago, I was struggling to become a vegan at the time, but I had no will power and quickly fell off the wagon. I was so happy to see that they moved her recipes here.

On a whim, I got on the scale this morning and was surprised to see that I've lost about 6 pounds since I started 4/27. I've only been doing the regular program, with a few slips here and there. What amazes me is a large improvement in my mental clarity and energy level. Like, I actually feel like going outside and doing stuff. I get by on less sleep. And my skin looks better. I did low carb for many years and I truly believe that it's detrimental to your brain health and skin. I lost tons of weight, but felt like I was in a fog most of the time. Maybe I wasn't doing it right, but the only cure for the brain fog was to go off the diet. And gain back tons of weight.

Today's Eats:

Breakfast- whole wheat and flax pancake with blue berries
Lunch- baked beans wrapped in corn tortillas, cooked veggies
Dinner- trying a recipe for pasta fagoli.

[keithswife]

I had a great day Saturday, but totally blew it yesterday. For some reason, I didn't sleep Saturday night and spent most of yesterday in a sleep deprived stupor. I had a compliant breakfast and lunch, but for dinner hubby took me to a BBQ place. One that served vegan food. I could have ordered the healthy stuff, but I didn't. I ate french fries and a huge seitan bbq sandwich that had some kind of delicious vegan cheese on it, along peppers and onions. I think it was the best sandwich I ever ate. But, this morning I'm all bloated and sluggish again. If we go back, I'm staying compliant. The fries weren't worth eating. Oh, but that sandwich...... I came home and went to bed at 7 pm and stayed there until 6 this morning. I feel so much better.

Somehow, I need to figure out a stealthy way to get my hubby and son to eat better. I worry about my husband developing heart disease and diabetes. His dad had to have quintuple bypass surgery a few years ago. And hubby's sugar numbers are creeping up. I could try serving my McDougall food as side dishes and maybe grilled meat for him. Not the best, but a start. I don't know. It's his life, but I want him to be well.

[keithswife]

Last night I was feeling mighty sorry for myself. I made the family chicken and broccoli alfredo with gooey, buttery garlic bread. It's play off baseball time in my son's league, and I knew they would come home wanting something hearty. It smelled amazing, and it was so fun to cook something that I actually knew how to make. Except, I couldn't eat any of it. That's when it hit me. With this way of eating, there is no goal, no finish line, no prize at the end except for our very best health. Most diets out there promise "all foods back in moderation" once you hit your goal weight. But McDougalling is every day for the rest of our lives. And the food is good. It's hardy a deprivation. So, I had a nice talk with myself, reminding me while I started this in the first place and why I can't back off. I want a healthy old age, if I am blessed to live that long. I don't want to go blind. I don't want to forget who my family is, while losing myself in dementia. I need to give myself the best shot I can.

On that note, onward we go.

Today's Eats:

Breakfast- whole wheat flax pancake with blueberries
Lunch- going to try to make a legal version of southern hot corn, served with broccoli
Dinner- pasta with marinara and spinach

[moonlight]

Lunch- going to try to make a legal version of southern hot corn, served with broccoli

Good morning! This sounds so good. Would you share how you make it?

[keithswife]

Lunch- going to try to make a legal version of southern hot corn, served with broccoli

Good morning! This sounds so good. Would you share how you make it?

The original is full of butter and cheese, so this is my first go at trying to re-create it. Basically, frozen corn, onion, red bell pepper, 1 jalapeno pepper, salt, pepper sauted in veggie broth, then mixed in with a sauce made with soy milk and flour to thicken. How I do the sauce is 2 T flour in a cup of cold soy milk then mixed very well with a wisp. I then pour it over the corn mixture and let it heat until it thickens. I guess this is more a dressed up version of cream of corn, but I like it. You can play around with the ingredients to suit your tastes.

[moonlight]

Thank you! I made something similar - not near as tasty, I'm sure. I was being a little lazy. I may try your recipe soon. It sounds very good.

[keithswife]

If you do make it, Moonlight, go a bit easy on the jalapenos. I about cooked my stomach with those yesterday. It was really good, though, lol.

I may just be getting the hang of this cooking thing. Yesterday I made polenta in the crock pot. I was very dubious about the recipe, picturing a solid brick of cornmeal stuck inside the pot. But it actually turned out perfect, totally creamy and yummy. I had it with BBQ'd green beans last night, and this morning with hot applesauce and strawberry fruit spread. Delicious! I'm at a loss as to what to have the rest of the day. I really need to get groceries. Hopefully I can pull something together. We're taking our son to the baseball game tonight, so I won't be able to get to the store until tomorrow.

I also need to get back to walking. Maybe I'll sneak in a quick walk at lunch today if the rain holds off.

[keithswife]

The family and I went to see a baseball game yesterday. Our seat were way up high, and the night was unseasonably cool, but we had great time. Hubby and son dined on greasy nachos topped with some kind of substance pretending to be cheese and I munched on peanuts. Lots and lots of them. Needless to say, we all came home with stomach aches. I drank a little bit of diet coke, which when mixed with the peanuts brought my gas and heartburn back to life. I should've had water.

But, poor hubby got the worst of it. He ate a few chocolate brownies after the nachos. At about 3 am , he woke up belching, coughing, and making a kind of whooping noise. I thought he was having a heart attack. He ran in the bathroom and vomited. He told me this morning that it was unbearable reflux and heartburn that did him in. So.....knowing what would happen....I tried to get him to change what he eats. This lifestyle has cured all my ills and brought me back from half dead to alive. And I get that people are attached to their comfort food. I used to eat french fries with Hellman's mayo after all. He shut down on me and refused to discuss it, accusing me of reading quack blogs that sell snake oil to the stupid masses. Which really ticked me off, because I actually went on google scholar and researched all this through peer reviewed medical journals. But what do I know? Dr. McDougall is right. It's the food. I stand by it. I guess I also get to stand by and watch people I love slowly eat themselves to death because they think I'm crazy.

Oh well. On to today's eats:

Breakfast- oatmeal with a bit of brown sugar and flax
Lunch- polenta topped with spicy broccoli
Dinner-leftover pasta marinara and a green salad

[Rosey]

The family and I went to see a baseball game yesterday. Our seat were way up high, and the night was unseasonably cool, but we had great time. Hubby and son dined on greasy nachos topped with some kind of substance pretending to be cheese and I munched on peanuts. Lots and lots of them. Needless to say, we all came home with stomach aches. I drank a little bit of diet coke, which when mixed with the peanuts brought my gas and heartburn back to life. I should've had water.

But, poor hubby got the worst of it. He ate a few chocolate brownies after the nachos. At about 3 am , he woke up belching, coughing, and making a kind of whooping noise. I thought he was having a heart attack. He ran in the bathroom and vomited. He told me this morning that it was unbearable reflux and heartburn that did him in. So.....knowing what would happen....I tried to get him to change what he eats. This lifestyle has cured all my ills and brought me back from half dead to alive. And I get that people are attached to their comfort food. I used to eat french fries with Hellman's mayo after all. He shut down on me and refused to discuss it, accusing me of reading quack blogs that sell snake oil to the stupid masses. Which really ticked me off, because I actually went on google scholar and researched all this through peer reviewed medical journals. But what do I know? Dr. McDougall is right. It's the food. I stand by it. I guess I also get to stand by and watch people I love slowly eat themselves to death because they think I'm crazy.

Oh well. On to today's eats:

Breakfast- oatmeal with a bit of brown sugar and flax
Lunch- polenta topped with spicy broccoli
Dinner-leftover pasta marinara and a green salad

Your story reminds me of Annette Larkin a raw foodist. She's really healthy for her age and her husband now says he wishes he had followed her when she changed how she ate because now he's old and sickly and she looks like she's a lot younger then she is.

[keithswife]

I had a nice conversation with a college girl at church today. She is home for summer. Since I've seen her last, she's lost a huge amount of weight and looks great. While she was at school, she ate very healthfully and ran 3 miles a day. Now that she is home, she is having trouble eating with her family. If she makes a healthy meal, everyone complains. Her Dad makes sure she eats beef and drinks milk at every dinner. The poor girl feels like she'll turn into a cow. She knows her Dad means well, but she doesn't want to gain back the weight she worked so hard to lose.

If I live to be one hundred, I'll never understand these food pushers. What someone eats is his or her business. Thankfully, my family seems to have accepted that I'm just weird and leave me alone now. I wish they'd try to eat more way. The food really is good.

Today's eats:

Breakfast- whole wheat and flax pancake, coffee
Lunch- baked potato topped with chili beans and kale
Snack- grapes
Dinner- ginger bread, banana

[keithswife]

I finally got around to scheduling that root canal I've needed since February. The pain of not getting it done has finally won over my fear of getting it done. I'm willing to put up with the procedure if it means this extreme tooth sensitivity will go away. No wonder I'm in a bad mood most of the time. So, that will be my day Friday.

I did absolutely nothing yesterday but sleep. I got up, went to church, came home, hit the couch and stayed there. Then hubby put something on TV that I didn't want to watch, so I went up to bed around 8:30. And this is why I get nothing done. I'm such a slug. The good news is my friend joined a local gym and is going to take me with her to visit. I've never done the gym thing, but who knows, maybe I'll like it.

Food is getting mighty boring again. I'm eating mostly starch and too few fruits and vegetables. I need to force myself to meal plan.

Today's Eats:

B- gingerbread, sliced banana
l- hash browns topped with baked beans
d- stir fry veggies over brown rice