Keeping the weight off: riding the wave

[SilverDollar123]

On another post by Buns,she discovered match stick carrots as an easy snack. I got some tonight on a paper plate
added some ff Italian dressing & ate one by one. I needed that crunch/hand to mouth feeling. It would work with humus
too.& I didn't need the chips! RAS

[Suey51]

Sounds great RAS! Hope you had a good weekend x

[Suey51]

Happy Friday everyone!

How's your week been?

My weight is holding steady again

I feel I have got back into a good McDougall groove with my eating while in my usual home life. I feel what I’m doing is sustainable for life and it broadly looks like this:
1. Following McDougall program at home. Sticking to simple meals and my small repertoire of recipes when sharing with others. When travelling or outside the house, I take my own food wherever possible.
2. Sticking as close as I can to McDougall program when I go to a restaurant. Continuing to practice my eating out skills and being braver at asking for no oil options!
3. If my weight starts to shift more than a pound or two over my goal weight then I revert to MWL until it goes back again.

I made corn ‘butter’ for the first time this week which was great on potatoes and bread. I’ve also experimented with a couple of cookie recipes, including the miracle cookies suggested by Ejeff. I liked them both so will add them to my repertoire of recipes for occasional treats or baking for others.

Last weekend we ate out twice so I was also able to practice my eating out skills.

We went to a local South Indian restaurant which has plenty of vegan options. This time I felt braver to ask for food without oil. The waiter was very helpful, offering to make a dosa (large thin crisp pancake) using less oil to cook and suggesting I telephone ahead of my next visit to discuss no-oil options. Chatted to our friends about a trip we are planning to South India next year and they are interested in joining us so that would be fun!

We also went to my husband’s golf club where they were serving a set three-course meal. I’d asked for a vegan option without added oil and with any salad dressing on the side and was served: a small mixed salad with dressing on side (and didn’t have any), Mediterranean chargrilled veggie stack (aubergine, courgette, peppers but all cooked with lots of oil), shared plate of steamed vegetables and my own dish of steamed baby potatoes. The baby potatoes were so delicious I would have been happy with a big plate of those and the steamed veggies. There were roast potatoes for the other diners which I ignored and a couple of them started to make moves on the baby potatoes so I helped myself to a few more before passing the dish round. I also had a white bread roll. Something (assume it was either the oil on the veggies or the white bread roll) caused me to have some abdominal discomfort so I left the fresh fruit salad untouched. These set meal occasions I find more tricky than ordering off a menu. I was conscious of not being too difficult. Hmm, I’ll have to work on that one! And I shouldn’t have eaten the oily vegetables. Anyway, after the meal there was a live band playing Motown covers and husband and I enjoyed dancing together and the company of the other people on our table

Mary McDougall’s video 'Dining out when you must' has some great tips, so I’m rewatching today that as there are some other restaurant trips on the horizon.

Hope everyone is having a healthy, on-plan week
Sue x

[Suey51]

Hello everyone,

Had a lovely week, with a few days away with my husband in one of our favourite towns It was great to spend some time together as he's been working long hours for the past few weeks. However, my weight is up 2 pounds and my husband's is up by 3 pounds this morning. Not a surprise, as we’ve been eating off-program in restaurants, on train journeys and having fatty/salty snacks. Part of the weight gain is likely to be water weight due to extra salt but overall the food was much higher in calorie density than our usual diet. Looking at why we ate off-program, I guess its what Dr Lisle would call 'turbulence' in our environment knocking us out of our 'healthy eating groove'.

We're out for the day today, meeting up with some very old friends and eating in unfamiliar restaurants. Back to eating at home after that, back to much closer McDougall compliance and, hopefully, back to goal weight.

PS I'm curious to know what weight parameters others use when maintaining a weight loss? I've gone for 2 pounds above my goal weight, because 1 pound seems a 'normal' fluctuation but also because it takes me across a psychological barrier of 9 stones in English weight (126 pounds).

Best wishes to everyone, Sue

[SilverDollar123]

Good Morning! Haven't been here in awhile,but doing good,food&health wise. roundcocconut had interesting
comments in the Lounge today on missing the mark on eating this way. Hope all is well with you & everyone.
RAS

[moonlight]

Hello everyone,

Had a lovely week, with a few days away with my husband in one of our favourite towns It was great to spend some time together as he's been working long hours for the past few weeks. However, my weight is up 2 pounds and my husband's is up by 3 pounds this morning. Not a surprise, as we’ve been eating off-program in restaurants, on train journeys and having fatty/salty snacks. Part of the weight gain is likely to be water weight due to extra salt but overall the food was much higher in calorie density than our usual diet. Looking at why we ate off-program, I guess its what Dr Lisle would call 'turbulence' in our environment knocking us out of our 'healthy eating groove'.

We're out for the day today, meeting up with some very old friends and eating in unfamiliar restaurants. Back to eating at home after that, back to much closer McDougall compliance and, hopefully, back to goal weight.

PS I'm curious to know what weight parameters others use when maintaining a weight loss? I've gone for 2 pounds above my goal weight, because 1 pound seems a 'normal' fluctuation but also because it takes me across a psychological barrier of 9 stones in English weight (126 pounds).

Best wishes to everyone, Sue

Hi Sue and all other Maintaing McDougallers riding the wave! I just wanted to say hi and tell you all how awesome you are! I love hearing how you are coping with being Maintainers. Seems to me, going on vac for a week or so, being aware of a little weight gain which would be expected with more sodium in the diet, but then being aware of diet on return home and making the effort to eat a little less, making sure to get back on a healthy eating routine with regular exercise, all sounds like the way a healthy person lives. Congratulations!

[Suey51]

Hello everyone!

Weight today is down 1.4 pounds from last week, so now just over half a pound above my goal weight. I’ve eaten at home 6 out of 7 days so it’s been much easier to stay on track. On the downside, there were a handful of slippages, where I was tempted by off-program items in the house and some richer plant foods, but on the upside, I kept a careful eye on the proportions of starches to veggies and had more salads. The weather has been very warm so salads seem much more appealing My husband and I have shared several evening meals in the garden which is a rare treat in the UK.

Last Friday I went to a South Indian restaurant in Central London for a meal with friends. I hadn’t been there before so popped in during the quiet late afternoon period and was able to speak to the maitre d’ about what they could do for me without oil. When one of the chefs, sat nearby on his break said they couldn’t cook without oil, I remembered Mary McDougall’s video and replied with ‘could you use a little water or veggie stock?’ He then kindly offered to make me a mixed vegetable curry without oil. It was a useful reminder of something my Mum says, ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get!’ Luckily we also established that I’d booked for the wrong day so they changed the booking for me – haha!

Hi RAS! Thanks for stopping by and its great to hear that you’re doing good Thanks for mentioning roundcoconut’s posts in The Lounge (here), as I hadn’t seen those. A couple of phrases stood out for me:

“keeping the benefits of what we are doing ABSOLUTELY at the front of our minds, is an important protection against doing something stupid.”

And:

“stories that we tell ourselves about "What are the alternatives to staying on plan?" are probably a really big factor in our decisions.”

The goal of “Keeping the weight off” is big in my mind but I haven’t perhaps kept all the benefits of this way of eating at the front of my mind recently. It’s easy to let things slip a little, for example, gradually eating more foods that are higher in calorie density and thereby increasing my overall calorie intake or eating the occasional off-program item that I’m offered. Doing these things VERY occasionally might be OK, but it's easy to let it happen more than occasionally and then it becomes a problem. So, I’m going to try to keep in mind the other benefits of eating this way: the many, many health benefits, sleeping well at night and looking good in my new smaller clothes.

It’s also easy for me to tell myself stories like “oh I’ll have that one off-program item today and get back on plan tomorrow”. Or “there’s still a few days before the weekly weigh in so I can get back to lower calorie density foods tomorrow.”

So, I’m reflecting on how to alter the story, for example: “no you don’t HAVE to eat well today but the alternative is to go back to the abdominal pain you had before”. Thinking about this earlier, I realised that even small slippages cause me discomfort

Hi Moonlight! Great to hear from you and thanks for your kind words! Also, many congrats on this week’s weight loss – awesome job

PS The process of keeping the weight off has reminded me of a fabulous trip I took with my husband nearly 3 years ago. The image in my mind, is of us in a small boat with my hands on the steering wheel and speed controls and him looking ahead. Even when the water is calm, and the waves are small, a steady hand is needed, making tiny adjustments to the direction and speed, and a steady eye, looking out for approaching hazards, to keep us traveling in the right direction.

Wishing everyone good health and a great weekend, Sue xx

[bunsofaluminum]

On another post by Buns,she discovered match stick carrots as an easy snack. I got some tonight on a paper plate
added some ff Italian dressing & ate one by one. I needed that crunch/hand to mouth feeling. It would work with humus
too.& I didn't need the chips! RAS

aww, this made my day! I'm so glad we have this forum, for help and tips and encouragement! Suey, I'm going to follow this thread, though I have a LONG way to go. Again. But I'm glad it's here, and it really is a good point: While we are losing, we are in diet mode. Period. Once we get the weight off, maintenance is a different kettle o'fish. I'm eager to see what things people do to make it solid in their lives, permanently.

Did Round Coconut see the thread? She's in maintenance, herself.

[WeeSpeck]

Hi Sue,

This is another inspiring post. I really like your boat analogy. Ironically, I used a boat analogy in Stephanie's VegSeekingFit journal before I even saw your post.

I think you nailed it on so many points. In some ways, I feel like it is easier to get to goal weight than it is to maintain it. For me at least, I am always wanting to push the envelope. It never turns out well. At this point, the foods of my past don't even taste good to me now, no matter what my memory tries to tell me. My body cannot process the richer foods any more. I get so sick. These checks and balances are a nice reminder to stay the path of maintenance. But, I shouldn't even be challenging it.

So, then it becomes a mindset. I am a thin, healthy, mature woman. I like my smaller clothes. I like the confidence I feel in public. I can walk tall (as tall as a 5'3" woman can) and not try to hide my body in baggy clothes, or a stance that downplays my body shape.

I want to feel this way always. I don't want to feel sick and fat ever again. And each day, each minute, each bite is an opportunity to make the right choice. We can always say yes to health and we can start this second. And be reminded that no matter where we are today, we can be the person we envision in our head if we just put our mind to it.

Thanks for your journal Sue! It is a great inspiration to me.

[Suey51]

On another post by Buns,she discovered match stick carrots as an easy snack. I got some tonight on a paper plate
added some ff Italian dressing & ate one by one. I needed that crunch/hand to mouth feeling. It would work with humus
too.& I didn't need the chips! RAS

aww, this made my day! I'm so glad we have this forum, for help and tips and encouragement! Suey, I'm going to follow this thread, though I have a LONG way to go. Again. But I'm glad it's here, and it really is a good point: While we are losing, we are in diet mode. Period. Once we get the weight off, maintenance is a different kettle o'fish. I'm eager to see what things people do to make it solid in their lives, permanently.

bunsofaluminium Thanks for dropping by! Yes, the forum is a wonderful resource isn't it! I'm still learning every week

Did Round Coconut see the thread? She's in maintenance, herself.

I'm not sure. But you've reminded me that I wanted to pop over to her journal to thank her for the posts that RAS mentioned last week so thanks!

All the best to you xx

[Suey51]

Hi Sue,

This is another inspiring post. I really like your boat analogy. Ironically, I used a boat analogy in Stephanie's VegSeekingFit journal before I even saw your post.

Thanks Nancy for your kind words. Haha, that's a coincidence! I'll check out Stephanie's VegSeekingFit journal

In some ways, I feel like it is easier to get to goal weight than it is to maintain it. For me at least, I am always wanting to push the envelope. It never turns out well. At this point, the foods of my past don't even taste good to me now, no matter what my memory tries to tell me. My body cannot process the richer foods any more. I get so sick. These checks and balances are a nice reminder to stay the path of maintenance. But, I shouldn't even be challenging it.

So, then it becomes a mindset. I am a thin, healthy, mature woman. I like my smaller clothes. I like the confidence I feel in public. I can walk tall (as tall as a 5'3" woman can) and not try to hide my body in baggy clothes, or a stance that downplays my body shape.

I want to feel this way always. I don't want to feel sick and fat ever again. And each day, each minute, each bite is an opportunity to make the right choice. We can always say yes to health and we can start this second. And be reminded that no matter where we are today, we can be the person we envision in our head if we just put our mind to it.

Wow! What inspirational words, they have touched me deeply. In fact, they could become my weight maintenance mantra

Best wishes, Sue xx

[Suey51]

Hello everyone!

Thanks to all who have dropped by to read and/or comment here. Its great to feel part of the McDougall global village and I’m very grateful for your inspiring and supportive messages. Posting here is helping me continue to follow the McDougall Program

Today I’m back to goal weight It’s been another week of learning and fine-tuning my food to keep my weight and health on course.

I have mostly eaten at home this week, and noticed that I have been straying again towards some of the more calorie dense plant foods that lurk there. There’s been some bread in the house, right on the kitchen counter next to the fridge and it has been singing my song. Also, some dried fruit and nuts in the store cupboard that I grabbed as evening snacks. Yesterday it (finally) dawned on me that I had let one of my MWL habits lapse, which was keeping chopped up carrot, celery, cucumber, courgette etc in the fridge for easy snacking or to add to a quick meal. Re-reading ‘The Pleasure Trap’ I realised I had forgotten about the Energy Conservation aspect of the motivational triad. The fridge is now stocked up

I was due to give blood on Wednesday evening at 5pm and then go straight on to a ballroom dancing class with my husband at 7pm. I popped some leftover salad and baby potatoes in a tub and packed it in my bag to eat in between. Sadly, the salad had some beetroot in which I figured would be risky to eat in the light-coloured outfit I was wearing and the donation session was running late. Anyway, this mini turbulence led me to hoover up some of the snacks they provide for you after you've given blood. Next time it'll be bananas or potatoes in my bag!

By chance, I read a diary entry from a year ago when I was 14 pounds (a whole stone in English money ) heavier than today which reminded me that I am so grateful to be the weight I am today. But, more importantly, I am grateful for my good health.

Best wishes, Sue

[moonlight]

Hi Sue,
Congratulations on getting back to your optimal weight. Perseverance is the key to staying healthy. I love that you are going ballroom dancing, too! I think that would be fun. Isn't this website awesome. I can see how it may be tempting to gravitate back to higher caloric foods. Our bodies naturally prefer them, I think, especially when we are hungry. We think we need the more calorie dense food but most times the lesser calorie dense food will satisfy the hunger pangs.

I hope you have a great week!!

[Suey51]

Thanks moonlight Yes, I think you're right. This week I've found that having lots of veggies with my meal (as well as trying to eat more slowly) has made the meals feel more filling, so I've snacked less.

Hope you're having a good week xx

[Suey51]

Weight today is down by just over a pound after a week of close compliance to the McD regular program.

Keeping it simple
"We follow this way of life, not for it to become our life but for it to give us back our life."

When I first read Jeff Novick’s post ‘Get a life!:)’ which quotes this advice from one of his mentors, I instinctively rejected it. I was little miffed at the implication that I should get a life..... Well as usual, Jeff was right. It’s taken me a few months to appreciate the value of that advice, but then it took me several years to move to McDougalling! Sometimes the truth seems to challenge my sense of identity and current understanding and my ears or brain temporarily close up. I’ve been reminded that Rule 9 in Jordan B Peterson’s ‘12 Rules of Life, “Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don't.” can also apply to reading

Over the 14 months of McDougalling, I’ve gradually edged closer to a simple menu. It started with breakfast, then lunch and now dinner. This week, I haven’t eaten at a restaurant and have really enjoyed my simple meals at home. In fact this is probably my most compliant McD week (since following the regular program) ! There is a joy and sense of liberation in not having to think ‘what am I going to eat?’ every time I’m hungry. Instead I open the fridge and get out whatever starch I’ve cooked previously, and veggies prepared previously, and hey presto, delicious and nourishing meal in under 5 minutes!

This week, I’ve been eating my usual banana porridge with fresh mixed berries from our allotment for brekfast. Lunch has been rice, quinoa or potatoes with veggies and sometimes salad. Dinner has been rice, quinoa or potatoes with veggies. I made a batch of compliant cookies, had the occasional slice of wholemeal toast or fruit as a snack. I’ve been eating fairly large plates of food for my main meals, but with lots of veggies. We are lucky to have peas, broad beans, runner beans, French beans, kale, cavolo nero, lettuce and onions from the garden and allotment at the moment. Due to spending time watering the garden once the temperature gets cooler, I’ve been eating dinner a little later in the evening which has reduced the after-dinner snacking!

Last weekend I made my first McD picnic for an all-day music festival which I found a little challenging, particularly as I was catering for others. So, the food was different and slightly higher in calorie density than my usual meals. We had vegan ‘tuna’ salad sandwiches and (little bit of) avocado and (lots of) salad sandwiches for lunch, plus brown rice, lentil salad, some leftover cooked garden veggies with garlic, raw veggies, corn ‘butter’ and carrot dogs (just the carrot bit!) for dinner. My lovely friend who came with me on one of the days had said she would be happy to eat 'my food' and seemed to enjoy it – phew!

And in the rest of my life, this week, there has been plenty of time for interesting and rewarding voluntary work, going to a weekend music festival, spending time with friends, gardening, writing, reading and exercise classes. Thanks Jeff for that post!

Best wishes to everyone, Sue xx