Idgie's MWL journal

[Idgie]

I'm logging my food in the other thread, but here's where I wanted to talk about the journey and how it's going.

Today was harder than it could have been, because of the heat wave, but with planning and determination, I managed it. I need to make sure to eat enough so I don't get too hungry, and I did pretty well today. I did end up having a pretty huge dinner, but it was a healthy and delicious dinner, and after a few days of no home-cooked food, it was really lovely to have.

I'm working my way through a book called The Beck Diet Solution, and it's helping me to take compliance with my diet seriously. I'm also getting support from some of the teams on SparkPeople.

On June 10, I started tracking my food and trying to eat moderately healthy. About a week later, I had a dangerously low blood sugar event. I went to the doctor on the 20th and was diagnosed with hypoglycemia. On the 22nd, I started Dr. Barnard's Reversing Diabetes meal plan, but I kept reading, and decided my best long-term solution would probably be MWL. I started that today, and I'm going to keep track of how well I do, both in numbers and in how I'm feeling.

Today's weight: 316.8, down 13.2 pounds
Today's fasting blood sugar: 90
Today's compliance: 100%

[Idgie]

We're still in a heatwave here in San Diego, so I'm not cooking much, but last night I used the pre-cooked whole grain packet my mom gave me and "fried" it up with veggies and soy sauce and made a really good unfried rice. I put the recipe at https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=3398260.

For breakfast, I ate cold (raw) corn on the cob, some red pepper strips, and some fat-free hummus. I like this food, but I'll be glad to have the normal temperatures back so I can eat more cooked foods without heating up the house.

Today will be my second day of MWL and my first day at work on the program. I will take lots of compliant foods to work with me. What I really want to find, though, is shelf-stable snacks that are MWL-compliant. Chips and crackers are out; so are nuts and dried fruits. I may go search the boards and see if someone's asked this question before.

[VegSeekingFit]

Hope the heat wave ends soon! Your recipe sounds delicious! Anyway, hope your first day of MWL at work went well...

[Idgie]

First MWL day at work went great. There was free pizza and bottled water at a work meeting. I took a bottle of water and went back to my office to grab the healthy food I'd taken in to work.

Then, for dinner, partner wanted carryout, and our best take-out choice, though not perfect, is vegan sushi, so I got some. We don't have any whole-grain takeout available, but I think next time partner wants takeout, I'll just get partner some takeout and come home and just have something better of my own. I still consider that a compliant dinner, but not an ideal one, and I want to make a better choice next time.

[Vintagesan]

Great you have a journal about your MWL journey as well now.

[Idgie]

It may be too much to hope that McDougalling is already making a big difference after only a couple weeks, but last night, I had white rice sushi for dinner, and then didn't eat before bed (I am supposed to eat a little before bed for hypoglycemia) and I didn't have a blood sugar crash. My waking blood glucose was 90, too, which is basically perfect. Maybe my body is already getting better at processing sugar. Here's hoping!!

[Idgie]

I have had a headache on and off for 2 days. It's probably either caffeine withdrawal (I stopped doing caffeine when my dietitian pointed it out it's bad for hypoglycemics) and the heatwave. I can deal with it, but I just wanted to include it in my journal.

[Idgie]

Still staying on plan, but today, I gave a moment's thought to grabbing something easy from the snack drawer. Instead, I ate some of the healthy stuff I have in the work fridge. I admit that I'm partly motivated by weight loss, but mainly I really want to reverse all the problems I have with hypoglycemia and irregular heartbeat.

[Vintagesan]

Man is a creature of habit. When you create new healthier habits it's getting easier. Not forgetting about your main goal always help you to answer the "why"...but I prefer thinking in smaller goals so you can fill in a "because" when it's needed for your motivation. Sending you a big hug from Germany, Idgie! Keep it up!

[bunsofaluminum]

We're still in a heatwave here in San Diego, so I'm not cooking much, but last night I used the pre-cooked whole grain packet my mom gave me and "fried" it up with veggies and soy sauce and made a really good unfried rice. I put the recipe at https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=3398260.

For breakfast, I ate cold (raw) corn on the cob, some red pepper strips, and some fat-free hummus. I like this food, but I'll be glad to have the normal temperatures back so I can eat more cooked foods without heating up the house.

Today will be my second day of MWL and my first day at work on the program. I will take lots of compliant foods to work with me. What I really want to find, though, is shelf-stable snacks that are MWL-compliant. Chips and crackers are out; so are nuts and dried fruits. I may go search the boards and see if someone's asked this question before.

Ooh, yummy! I love raw corn on the cob! So sweet and crispy...slurp!

as for shelf-stable...nuked potatoes aren't LONG TERM shelf stable, but they do okay for a day on the road and truly, yellow potatoes, room temperature? YUM! They are generally smallish, and easy to eat out of hand. I used to imagine that other drivers thought I was munching a bagel when I'd eat one while on the road with my former job, which had me out and about so much. LOL I also keep a bag of sliced carrots in the fridge at work. They're easier to eat than baby carrots, SUPER easy to nibble at my desk (no crumbs at all) and hold me over until lunchtime. But not so shelf stable. I can't think of any snacks that comply with MWL that aren't fresh veggies or pre-cooked taters.

[Idgie]

Thanks, buns!

[Idgie]

My challenge is becoming taking enough food to work that I don't get shaky with hunger (I'm hypoglycemic). And I need to make sure it's really tasty food, too, or I resist eating it. I was down to a jar of beans/corn/salsa the other day, and so I ate it because I was really hungry, but I wasn't really enjoying it, so it felt a little like a punishment. I'm working on making sure there's enough yummy food to grab at work that I'm not tempted by all the junk that is common in an office environment.

I do miss bread/bagels/pasta, but not as much as I thought I would. When I've lost all the weight, I'll see if I feel like adding them back in, but by then, I may be out of the habit.

Stopped taking pictures of my food. For one, I'm not a photographer, so the photos weren't doing my food any favors, and for another, I had thought it would be fun to post food photos, but it was just an annoyance.

I have a long weekend this weekend, so I'm going to work on making some starches for the coming week. I'm trying not to eat too much rice because of arsenic, but I have some brown rice in the house to use up before it goes bad. I will soak it overnight and boil it by the pasta method, to minimize the arsenic, and then freeze it in two-cup portions (or maybe more, we'll see which containers I have handy).

[Idgie]

There's a thread on one of my SparkPeople teams about whether or not we've found substitutions for some of our cravings, and I want to copy my response here:

Yes:

Fruit for sweet cravings
Roasted garbanzos with no oil but lots of spices and some salt for chips
Hummus and pepper strips for chips & dip
Cold baked sweet potato for ice cream (I know, but it's a texture thing -- it's smooth and sweet and it does the trick for me)

But the most important help with cravings for me has been an exercise in the Beck Diet Solution book: when a craving comes, I remind myself that going off my plan just isn't an option. I thought this would bother me, or just be silly, but it's SO HELPFUL and I can't recommend it enough. I just say "No, it's not an option" and that cuts short the hours of "should I or shouldn't I?" that I often go through. So far, I haven't caved to a craving since the July 3rd potluck at work.

[bunsofaluminum]

But the most important help with cravings for me has been an exercise in the Beck Diet Solution book: when a craving comes, I remind myself that going off my plan just isn't an option. I thought this would bother me, or just be silly, but it's SO HELPFUL and I can't recommend it enough. I just say "No, it's not an option" and that cuts short the hours of "should I or shouldn't I?" that I often go through. So far, I haven't caved to a craving since the July 3rd potluck at work.

Isn't it magic? "Just Don't Eat It" is one of my mantras, and it was Wylie (my S.O.) who taught it to me. He keeps junk food around, and I asked him early on to please remind me if I start munching on the bad stuff. He said "What you eat isn't my responsibility. Just Don't Eat It"...it was PROFOUND, and I've used it many times. It has pretty much kept me out of the chips/candy/whatnot for four years.

No. It's not an option.

[Idgie]

Also wanted to share my weight-loss progress. The beginning (June 10) is when I joined SparkPeople and started tracking my food and moving toward plant-based living. June 22 is when I went on Dr. Barnard's diabetes plan. July 8th is when I went full MWL. The orange line is a 2-pound-a-week goal line I set in SparkPeople. My current average weight loss is 3.1 pounds per week.