I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

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

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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby amandamechele » Sat Feb 25, 2017 9:35 am

kirstykay wrote:Thank you for your honesty and transparency in your journal. I think that it's so helpful to hear not only the successes but the struggles. They are real. Thanks for being real. I read your journal from the beginning a few weeks ago, and I was so impressed with how you've just kept at it. And you've had so much success. Keep going. Glad you're back "on the rails"


Thank you Kirstykay. :-D I'm glad to hear that you appreciate it (it means a lot to me) - I am learning to moderate the tone of my message so that it is just light enough to be readable (I still, sometimes, don't get it quite right and I recognize it by the visceral response of others). Though my struggles can feel terrible at the time, I really enjoy reflecting on them and exploring what led to the trouble and the possible modifications that can be made to avoid them in the future. I really want people like me (similar personality patterns) to see that it's doable, but requires a bit more effort than they (and I) realize. I am really glad that you're sticking with it too!

With regards to those personality factors: based on a quick online Factor Five test: I have average conscientiousness and openness. I am slightly more agreeable and emotionally variable than the average. Finally, I am slightly/moderately less extroverted than the average. (It also indicates that I am as smart as a bag of hammers ;) )

Franchesca_S. wrote:Amandachele,
I'm really enjoying reading these comments and photography about your journey. One thing that has changed in more recent posts is that I can't open some of the photos. In the Feb 22 post, I see the sweet potato dish only and the rest of the photos are little icons that do not open. I've tried it in both chrome and internet explorer. Are you posting photos from two different cameras or phones?

Perhaps others may be having the same problem.

Thank you.
Franchesca

Franchesca - Thank you for your kind words and for letting me know. Is it still happening? Maybe Glenn is onto something with his suggestion. I can see all of them and want others to, as well. They do come from 2 sources - which ones exactly are the problem? I have changed my privacy settings on a few of them on my Flickr account. That could also be part of the problem. If it is still occurring the next time you visit, can you advise me again and I will see if I need to re-upload them.


Glenn - Thank you for letting me know that they are visible, at least to some ( and a possible reason why they may not be). I hear what you are saying about seeing others report consistent success and that isn't always the case for each of us. I think it isn't the case for most of us, but those types just tend to fade away from the forums because it is so demoralizing to hear about constant success and not be having any. That's why I kept this journal, even though it embarrasses the heck out of me to read it, especially the earlier days, nah, it still does currently too. But, it also inspires me to see how far I've been able to come, not just with regards to weight loss and health, but how eating well has improved my focus and thus my ability to analyze information. It has improved my mood and thus my global outlook on life. It has improved my energy and thus my interactions with people and the outdoors. So many many things I wasn't necessarily looking for when I started down this "weight-loss" path. I have realized I am actually walking towards a better life.
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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby amandamechele » Tue Mar 07, 2017 7:37 pm

amandamechele wrote: I have been watching the February ASW presentations, slowly, over the past week and just finished watching Dr. Lim's presentation 10 Common Mistakes in Behaviour Change... ...They are mistakes so many of us go through. I wish I could put his list up here. Hopefully Dr McDougall releases his presentation for everyone to see.


I just found a 15 minutes segment of this presentation on Gustavo Tolosa's Facebook page. You can check it out here.
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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby GlennR » Wed Mar 08, 2017 9:59 am

Thanks Amy, that was a good view into what goes on. Too bad California is so far away! I'd love to go and experience it first hand.
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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby hope101 » Thu Mar 09, 2017 12:15 pm

Amy, just wanted to say that I read through your whole journal this weekend and think you're being hypercritical of your tone. I very much appreciate the sense of self-seeking and truth-telling with which you wrote it. It's also fascinating to see the evolution of your food, and how your body has responded. So from one person, anyway, thanks for the transparency and information and food photos.

I say this as someone who was successful at McDougalling for quite a while, then lost my way due to a variety of factors. (External stressors not dealt with in the best way, so it's on me in terms of needing to change behaviors as I cope with the world.) It's wonderful to have a day-to-day record of someone else's success as they progressively tweak the program.
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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby amandamechele » Sat Mar 11, 2017 8:56 pm

Glenn - I highly recommend a visit out to Santa Rosa if you can ever swing it. I can't believe I'm going to put it this way, but it's such good energy. :-o

Hope101 - Thank you for taking the time to read through my history. It's difficult to be objective, so I appreciate your comments. I post pictures because they are so much easier than words. ;) I hope you are feeling able to keep at it. One day at a time!

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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby amandamechele » Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:08 pm

I haven't been keeping up with this journal lately. Mostly because I haven't had much to report. As some of you may know I have been facilitating the MWL weigh-in thread since November, while attempting to transition myself from the regular McDougall plan to MWL. As an indication of how well that has been progressing I will tell you my weight has been scaling back and forth within a 5 pound range, so in essence, it has gone nowhere. I had thought it would be a relatively easy process to move between the two programs. They aren't all that different. Just remove refined whole grain products, processed soy, and nuts, seeds and avocados, if you eat those, and keep fruit to two a day.
What I have discovered is that, for me, changing to MWL from the regular program has been just as difficult as going from SAD/junk food Vegan to the regular McDougall program. I am hitting up against all of the same "change" issues that come with learning a new lifestyle. Removing comfort foods (my homemade whole wheat pita chips), breaking ingrained habits (grabbing fruit any time I think an off plan food is going to tempt me), having to learn new recipes (goodbye delicious Mary's Lasagna and pumpkin muffins). I'm not complaining, just trying to illustrate how difficult adopting any new pattern can be. Even when going from healthy to lower calorie density healthy.
The emotional issues surrounding consistently failing at something you really want to achieve also reappear. It's not that I forget everything The Pleasure Trap has taught me, it's just human nature to not want to look incompetent or foolish all the time and thus my self esteem has been suffering.
I decided that I needed a palette reset. I needed to remove the small amounts of sodium and sugar from my diet and immerse myself back into a structured learning environment to be re-inspired and remind myself that this is doable. So, I am currently staying at the True North Health Center. It's also in Santa Rosa CA. A big bonus is that my mother agreed to attend with me and we are making a lovely vacation of it.
So, I am here doing a 10-day water fast. Currently on Day 6. When you are just drinking water, you tend to take things at a much slower pace. I have been keeping busy watching Dr McDougall, Jeff Novick, Dr Lisle and Dr Goldhamer's videos and socializing with the other patients. I will potentially lose a relatively large amount of weight during the fast, but am told that 1/2 to 3/4 of it will return during the re-feeding phase and for a couple of weeks post fast. The purpose of this fast is not to lose weight. Just to re-learn to love the food I'm eating, quickly.
I don't think the only way to do a palette reset is to fly across the country and do anything as drastic as this. (True North caters to seriously ill people who are not responding to diet) A simple solution could be to remove the sugar and salt from your diet for a week. Everything will soon begin to taste delicious, even plain brussel sprouts!

I'll post some pictures of my stay, because I find it adds so much more depth to sharing the experience.
First off my food (the Dasani bottle is not part of the program, Mom brought it from the airport):
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Now for all of the food that kind strangers let me photograph before they started to eat:
ImageImageImage
ImageImageImage
ImageImageImage[img]11https://farm1.staticflickr.com/625/33405686872_eb73796540_m_d.jpg[/img][img]11https://farm1.staticflickr.com/575/32767173313_a8e19f2e24_m_d.jpg[/img]

My goal is to transition to MWL completely when I get home. My husband is so sweet; when we were talking on the phone, yesterday, he asked what he could do to prepare the house so that when I got back I would be successful. I listed a few things that I would appreciate he got rid of. Now things don't always go as planned, so I intend to keep my expectations modest. That way there is a higher probability I will exceed them which will further motivate me to continue.
This is where I currently am in this process. It is my belief that MWL is my best bet for continued weight loss and long term health (increased healthspan) due to its low calorie density. Check out the article JeffN just posted in his thread and in the MWL March thread on the BROAD Study in the Nutrition and Diabetes Journal. Here is a link to this post. It seems to confirm that thought, specifically the weight loss.
Have a lovely evening all, I must go and drink a glass of water!
Last edited by amandamechele on Tue Jul 17, 2018 12:17 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby sirdle » Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:29 pm

I think this is going to be a very good kick-starter for you! 8)

Best wishes, :-P
"Before Enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After Enlightenment chop wood, carry water." -- Zen proverb
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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby Yomom » Thu Mar 23, 2017 11:03 pm

Amy
Thanks so much for sharing your "reset" experience at True North. What a wonderful experience you and your mother are having.
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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby kirstykay » Fri Mar 24, 2017 7:59 pm

So excited for you, Amy! I am glad you are able to be there and get a "reset." And so nice that you get to do it with your mom. I wish my mom would do something like that with me! Thanks for the update and for giving us the "inside scoop" on life at TN! I hope you have a wonderful stay. Can't wait to hear more of your thoughts about your experience.
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby Anna Green » Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:55 am

Good for you! I'm impressed you are willing to do whatever it takes and inspired.
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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby amandamechele » Mon Mar 27, 2017 11:45 pm

Thank you Sirdle, Kathy, Kirstykay and Anna. Kirstykay - It really has been a great reset, and it was nice to have my mom here. Maybe you could convince your mom to do a three day weekend type of thing to ease her in? I've done that with my parents too. The McDougalls have that 3 day intensive program, it could be a perfect fit.


I thought I'd report in again because it's the last today of my water fast. Yippee, I made it through! I've been laying low (literally) for the last few days because in this setting I have a tendency to overdo it. I just didn't want to miss a single lecture, or a single chance to sit and talk with people. In my day to day life, I will admit, I'm just not this engaged but who can help wanting to know more about every single person's good news story who has been fortunate enough to not only be introduced to a plant based diet, but also able to properly apply its guidelines and stay the course. For those who need just a bit more help water-fasting seems to be the next step.
Recent lectures that I've attend include Resistance Training by Nutritionist David Goldman, Dr Goldhamer's lecture on Why we eat, Foods to Avoid and the Problem with Animal Products, Dr C Veress's, ND, The Art of Doing Nothing Presentation and Where Sex and Health Collide by Dr O'Connell.
I thought I'd focus in on the presentation done by Dr. Veress because as I became more successful eating this way (regular or MWL plans) I began to notice other behaviours that could be optimized, like how I deal with stress. Dr Veress is my doctor here and she is an ND and LAc (licensed acupuncturist). She first discusses her list of best practices towards optimal health (they look a lot alike of other lists, such as the Blue Zones recommendations).
Foundations of Health:
Stress reduction
Sleep
WFPB diet
Moderate exercise
Hydration
Spirituality
Community
All of these things are like pieces of a puzzle that when fit together form a beautiful vibrant healthy picture. She goes on to talk about the different types of stress (routine stress - family, responsibilities. Negative change - divorce, illness, etc. Eustress - positive events or changes in life that can still be draining in the moment but are overall beneficial). Negative health implications grow the higher a person subjectively rates their external stressors. She listed a number of these health concerns such as obesity, diabetes, anxiety... but I was too slow to catch them all. I'm sure we can all pretty much list them if we really think about it though.
She then listed a variety of strategies to reducing everyday stress:
24 hr fast from electronics
Meditation
Become an idler:try bumbling (wander without purpose)
Find a quiet place to sit and watch
Doodling (adult colouring books)
Journaling/writing free hand - write 3 pages a day... makes you be creative to fill those pages reflective
Nap
Meditative activities - puzzles gardening knitting
Read
Build community
connection
At home/ how to say no
Positive mindset
How do you react to stress?
Zazen meditation in daily life
Stop multi tasking
Restful Sundays
Walk around in nature
Express yourself
Laugh every day
Happier people live longer
Be grateful
Power poses - Amy Cuddy Ted Talk
Travel
This talk was particularly important to me because I am a little on the tense side, naturally. My blood pressure seems to be highly reflective of that so I'm going to have to learn to use some of these strategies to manage my "perceived" stress. (Like maybe less social media right before bed!!) Anyhow, I will leave the report to that for today. Mom insisted on taking some photos of me to send to all of our relatives, to show them that I survived and look even healthier to boot. I will include one here. And, as usual, a couple of delicious looking plates of food. I am greatly looking forward to a couple of glasses of juice tomorrow. Let the refeed begin! (And then onto to MWL!)

[img]11https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3780/33565364181_6c2d973081_z_d.jpg[/img]
ImageImage
Image[img]11https://farm1.staticflickr.com/642/33301566870_657471364d_m_d.jpg[/img]
That's Dr V in the last photo.
Last edited by amandamechele on Tue Jul 17, 2018 12:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby Yomom » Tue Mar 28, 2017 6:14 am

Amy, thanks for sharing. TN sounds like a great experience! You look serene...enjoy your glass of juice LOL.
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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby Loralei » Fri Mar 31, 2017 4:41 pm

Hi Amy and Mom,
You look great! Thanks for sharing your journey at TN. You are in my neck of the woods. I live about 30 miles south of Santa Rosa, but I'm there every Friday to watch my grandson. Enjoy your stay. Happy refeeding :)
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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby amandamechele » Sat Apr 15, 2017 11:03 pm

Thank you Kathy - the green juice there is quite delicious, especially after nothing but water.

Loralei - You live in a lovely part of the country. I truly love being out there for the climate and in Santa Rosa, particularly, because of the relative abundance of like-minded eaters and programs..lol. I had a lovely stay and hope to go back more often once my kids are grown. My husband was a good sport about having me away for so long. I greatly appreciated it. The added benefit was he is even more grateful for all that I do at home, now that he has experienced it from my perspective.

I just checked in here to wish everyone a happy holiday for this past week and weekend! My side of the family didn't feel like cooking for Easter so we went out to eat. It was pretty fancy....Wendy's Fast Food, and Dollar store fake flowers for ambience. I have to be honest...it was fantastic! Compliant meal, no cooking or cleaning up and we had people stop and chat with us about our table step up. So fun! My mom has always been a stickler for a well set table!

Image

Tomorrow will be a more traditional meal at my in-laws place. Luckily, a couple of friends/relatives are bringing McDougall approved dishes so we can all have a bit of variety. I made a special mango banana dessert that I think all of those in attendance will love.

I am considering getting back to journaling a bit more in the future. It seems to help me stay focused on my goals (weight loss, health, exercise, reflection). I am going to think about giving myself a mini challenge of some sort. While away I briefly touched my first Goal weight of a 24.9 BMI. But, as is common after a fast I regained some of the weight and will have to work towards getting back there by eating well. It was a happy moment in time for me. So ... I guess I've just identified my mini-challenge, as I type this. Get back to 24.9 BMI. Now I will give some thought as to which strategy I will use....hmmm...I'm pretty sure I have that answered as well. MWL. I'm just not ready to weigh myself yet. It still makes too big of an impact on my mood...and most of the time not in a positive way. Okay, I'm part of the way there. I'm not ready to commit to anything yet. I will enjoy a compliant yet feast-style day tomorrow, then I sit down and make a plan.
Happy Holidays to all who are celebrating something this weekend.
:)
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Re: I've lost count of how many times I have restarted....

Postby Jeff the Chef » Wed May 03, 2017 5:35 am

amandamechele wrote:Thank you Kathy - the green juice there is quite delicious, especially after nothing but water.

Loralei - You live in a lovely part of the country. I truly love being out there for the climate and in Santa Rosa, particularly, because of the relative abundance of like-minded eaters and programs..lol. I had a lovely stay and hope to go back more often once my kids are grown. My husband was a good sport about having me away for so long. I greatly appreciated it. The added benefit was he is even more grateful for all that I do at home, now that he has experienced it from my perspective.

I just checked in here to wish everyone a happy holiday for this past week and weekend! My side of the family didn't feel like cooking for Easter so we went out to eat. It was pretty fancy....Wendy's Fast Food, and Dollar store fake flowers for ambience. I have to be honest...it was fantastic! Compliant meal, no cooking or cleaning up and we had people stop and chat with us about our table step up. So fun! My mom has always been a stickler for a well set table!

Image

Tomorrow will be a more traditional meal at my in-laws place. Luckily, a couple of friends/relatives are bringing McDougall approved dishes so we can all have a bit of variety. I made a special mango banana dessert that I think all of those in attendance will love.

I am considering getting back to journaling a bit more in the future. It seems to help me stay focused on my goals (weight loss, health, exercise, reflection). I am going to think about giving myself a mini challenge of some sort. While away I briefly touched my first Goal weight of a 24.9 BMI. But, as is common after a fast I regained some of the weight and will have to work towards getting back there by eating well. It was a happy moment in time for me. So ... I guess I've just identified my mini-challenge, as I type this. Get back to 24.9 BMI. Now I will give some thought as to which strategy I will use....hmmm...I'm pretty sure I have that answered as well. MWL. I'm just not ready to weigh myself yet. It still makes too big of an impact on my mood...and most of the time not in a positive way. Okay, I'm part of the way there. I'm not ready to commit to anything yet. I will enjoy a compliant yet feast-style day tomorrow, then I sit down and make a plan.
Happy Holidays to all who are celebrating something this weekend.
:)


Wow! Amazing journal! This is the 3rd time I've attempted this way of eating, beginning Mary's Mini-McD Diet tomorrow. I wish they had a True North Health Center in Tokyo. You've seem to have made a lot of progress. Good luck!

Btw, you mentioned that you take synthroid for TSH. So do I. Has your following the McDougall Diet helped you with your LDL and triglycerides? Apparently we naturally have higher LDL and triglycerides prior to getting synthyroid.
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