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

[Suey51]

Your food's looking great! You've got this

[amandamechele]

Hi Sue - I just typed up my entry for yesterday and mentioned you, before I saw your message. XO Thank you for the encouragement! I hope your plan is going well too!


Yesterday didn't go according to plan, and I am having to force myself to post this because I have some good momentum that I don't wish to lose.

I seem to have forgotten to photograph breakfast. It was a large bowl of oatmeal with 2 tsps of sugar. I feel like I photographed it, but breakfasts really do look all the same so that must be why. LOL!

I also had a bit of a nighttime cram. I didn't photograph that, but it is easy enough to recreate, as it was a box of Lara bars and a box of salmas. So the caloric intake yesterday was quite obscene. I like to think about what led to this kind of thing, but maybe its just not worth it. I'll have to think on that....LOL... so much thinking. I'll also do something about it too. I'm just going to keep on keepin' on as fellow McDougaller Sue likes to say.
Possible things that contributed to the runaway train were accidentally missing dinner the other night and avoiding the party food in the house; the children had a gingerbread house building party on Saturday evening with 9 friends and there was candy and junk food all over the place. I've packed up the last of it to send it to school with them. I know how many here feel about letting your kids eat this stuff, but I figure I keep the house pretty clear of true junk 6 days of the week (and more often, but I also don't want to overstate it), that it is what it is...they enjoyed the time with friends doing things that other kids do. I'm the only one who really struggles so its important to get it out of the house fast! Lesson re-learned...again...! I noticed some talk on the boards about willpower and motivation recently. I find this a tough conversation because its something that seems to trip me up a lot whether others think it is a problem or not. I think I'm pretty serious about eating this way, I certainly spend a lot of time preparing and planning to eat this way, but I consistently fall prey to something pulling me off track. Ah well, I'll just keep at it. What else can I do?

I'm out of the house today, so I've photographed and packed up everything until dinner. That should help keep me on track until then.

Here's what I ate yesterday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal, 2 tsp (not pictured







Additionally: 2 pots decaf tea

[Idgie]

I think you deserve some credit for your binge. Yes, you heard me right. At least for me, in the "old days," my binges were french fries, ice cream, mountains of animal foods with mayo on top, etc. A binge on salmas and lara bars is a huge improvement on that. I'm all for getting right back on track, but I think it's important to notice the improvement. Way to go!

[f00die]

...
Ah well, I'll just keep at it. What else can I do?
...

thats as good as it gets
once one sees that theres really no good alternative
i think thats the home stretch (all the way to year number 98)
that realization only gets more
not deeper, widespread is more the feel of the word im looking for
getting the next meal right
and keep trying to do just that
thx again for sharing

[amandamechele]

Hi F00die - I hope we both are fortunate enough to see our 98th year. We are hopefully increasing the probability of getting there by eating this way.

Idgie - Thank you. XO. That is a great way to look at it, and I appreciate the supportive words. I absolutely agree with you and have the same experience in the old days. I think the change in what I cram is part of the reason I've been able to cling to this 90 pound loss thus far, even with periodic binge episodes. The average intensity (meaning caloric intake) is possibly lower than it was when binge eating classic junk, and the frequency is much less often. Combine that with very close adherence to regular McDougall program food, and intermittent attempts at MWL on all the other days and this equals having kept off the bulk of my weight. I really do I want to continue to lose weight, however, so I'm going to have to keep working on getting even better at avoiding situations or setting up situations that lead me to those episodes, while also working towards consistent MWLing to make up for the times that they do happen. I'd love to actually stop the process, but I'm not sure my home environment can support that until maybe the kids have grown up and moved out, which is years away. I remove one trigger only to have it replaced by the next highest calorie density food available. I do truly wonder if I'd binge on whole-natural foods if they were the only things left to do so with when on a binge. When I stayed at True North, my travel day food didn't even last the night on my last day there. If its in my pantry and its the slightest bit novel (which has a moving scale) I eat it and eat it all when in a certain frame of mind. I need to keep resisting this bad habit, and follow the consistent time and adherence guidelines. I will keep at it. I think even just consistent MWL with periodic binges should still get me to a normal weight if I can just keep at it long enough. (Sorry Idg, that got a bit long and is really just thinking out loud...trying to rally my reserves)

Here's what I ate today:
Breakfast: Oatmeal 1 tsp sugar. Snack: cherry tomatoes and carrots and grapes

Lunch: white rice, sweet potato, broccoli, corn. Lunch 2: Cabbage Lentil soup

Dinner: Sweet potato and broccoli slaw with kechap manis. BBQ quinoa encrusted cauliflower

Additionally: 2 pots green tea
Exercise: 13 flights stairs

[Lyndzie]

Amy - I am super impressed with how well you handled your cravings. There are definitely unique challenges to living in a house with spouse and kids who have their own preferences. You are such a great role model, because you are a very realistic example of how to implement this lifestyle in the real world, the struggles that one can encounter, and how to overcome them. I don’t look to people who are perfect as role models, I look to someone realistic and successful, like you!

[amandamechele]

Lindsey - XO. Thank you for your kind and beautifully written comment. (There are a higher than average number of eloquent speakers/writers on this site. I often notice how clearly and concisely you and many others can get a point across. This is not a skill that I have...LOL.) Your family is quite young, I can't even begin to imagine how you manage all of the different dietary requests and needs while also in the thick of the busy baby years.

Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast: Oatmeal, 1 tsp brown sugar

Snacks: cucumber, carrot, celery, cherry tomatoes, grapes, cabbage lentil soup, large apple

Lunch: pear, more cabbage lentil soup, BBQ quinoa cauliflower

Dinner: Sweet potato broccoli slaw, more cauliflower, the potato I didn't eat earlier (pictured above), hummus and pico de gallo, quinoa bean salad


Additonally: 2 pots decaf green tea
Exercise: 23 flights of stairs

[amandamechele]

Here is what I ate today:
Breakfast and Snack: oatmeal, 1 tsp sugar, grapes, decaf green tea


Lunch: green beans, carrot, spinach and quinoa black bean salad


Dinner: broccoli, potatoes, more quinoa black bean salad, grapes, pico de gallo, tea


Additionally: 2 pots decaf green tea
Exercise: 18 flights of stairs

[Rosey]

Your meals look so beautiful. Mine are extremely simple compared.

[bunsofaluminum]

yummy I googled Ketjap manis and found out...I want some! and I will make some your foods all look wonderful. I'm impressed with your level of planning. Keep on going!

[amandamechele]

Hi Rosey, Thank you. I go through phases of very simple eating too. I'm sure the fact that I'm currently photographing my meals is influencing what I'm choosing to make, even if I don't consciously realize it. This is just what I feel like eating right now...LOL. I tried to look at your kitchen photo in your journal, but Google tells me I am required to download the 4000 or so photos on my iPad to access my Google photos account to look at your photo...so I'll try again tomorrow once my computer does whatever it needs to do to allow me to access it.

Hi Buns - Thanks. I'm definitely going to try and keep up the photos for December, at the very least. I'm needing some motivation in the form of actual progress and it looks like I'm going to have to work for it. Go figure. Kechap manis and another good paste called sambal oelek can create sweet, salty, spice-y bases for different sauces for veggies (certain brands of chili paste have have oil and shrimp paste in them, so be careful). When I use it, it reminds my husband of his mom's cooking. I try to keep the amounts quite tiny because it is essentially just adding sugar and salt to your food. But it bumps up the flavour really well and satisfies the non-McDougallers eating with you too. One day I want to try and recreate a soup that is a favourite of all of my husband's family. His mom calls it sumur soup (I don't know the spelling). It is an Indonesian meatball soup, with beef meatballs, and large chunks of potato and carrot and tomatoes in a sweet tomato flavoured broth (mostly made from actual ketchup, kechap manis water, pepper, chilis and garlic). I haven't been able to create a faux meatball that can handle staying in a soup without disintegrating. I'll have to keep working on that. I've mostly tried lentil and grain style loaf recipes for the faux meatballs, but maybe I'll have to try adding tofu. This would be for the kids and hubby because it would be a bit too tasty for me to get into. There are so many great Indonesian dishes that can easily be McDougallized. Nasi goreng, mei goreng, spicy green beans....Susan Voisin of Fat Free Vegan makes a delicious looking vegan soto ayam too... mmmm...now I'm getting hungry. These are not MWL dishes...best to move on. Ha!

Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast: I absolutely know that I took a photo of it... LOL...but when I look on my phone it's showing under yesterday's photos. Maybe that's what happened early this week too. Oatmeal, 1 tsp of sugar and decaf green tea.

Lunch: quinoa black bean salad, 1.5 mangoes, green beans

Dinner: brown rice, frozen riced sweet potato and cauliflower, frozen corn, Esselstyn's homemade garlic hummus, pico de gallo, iceburg lettuce, chipotle chili spice. Super yum! I'm having this again tomorrow. I almost want to goto bed right now just so tomorrow comes sooner so I can have it...LOL. It'll be like Christmas.


Additonally: 2 pots decaf tea, 1 regular tea
Exercise: 23 flights of stairs

[amandamechele]

Here's what I ate today:





Additionally: 2 pots of decaf green tea
Exercise: 23 flights of stairs

[amandamechele]

Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast: steel cut oats, 1 tsp sugar. Snack: Banana

Lunch: Veggie sushi (it had white rice and avocado in it - so not entirely MWL), carrot and bell peppers (I forgot my lunch at home and tried to make due at the cafeteria )

Dinner: baked oven fries, steamed spinach, chana masala, brown rice, broccoli corn stir fry with soya sauce


Additionally: 2 pots decaf green tea, 1 regular tea, 1 regular coffee, 1 tsp sugar

[amandamechele]

Here is what I ate today:





Additionally: 2 pots decaf green tea

[amandamechele]

I got a bit busy and missed a couple of photos, and then got lazy about keeping track. I'll be sure to be more careful tomorrow.

Here is some of what I ate today:



That's actually only about 1/5 of the potatoes I ate today. I only remembered to take that last shot when I was almost finished.

Today I am grateful to have a warm home on a cold and rainy night (edited out late night ramblings that were a bit braggadocious and irresponsibly specific).