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

[Asia]

Your meals look so elegant. Are you a professional food photographer? (If not, you should be!)

[amandamechele]

Asia - thank you! I'm not a photographer of any sort, unless you count taking a lot of pictures of my kids and sharing them on Facebook.


I had an experience yesterday that reinforced, to me, the wisdom in the proverb You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I attended a wedding that included dinner - standard wedding protocol. The server came to our table and went through her list to confirm the dietary restrictions and requests for everyone sitting there. At my table there were 5 vegans...pretty cool. After she finished with everyone, I spoke with her and asked her if it would be possible to get get an oil-free meal. She said she would check with the kitchen but did not look hopeful. I made sure to add that I'd be happy with any undressed vegan food like plain fruit or vegetables. She came back, after checking, and advised me that the kitchen would not be able to accomodate me.
Since I knew this was the most probable scenario I had brought a meal to the wedding and stashed it in the car, just in case. I thanked her for checking and said I was so sorry for causing the extra work, and then gave her a two-line version of how I used to weigh 100 pounds more and just didn't want to chance throwing myself off track and could she just bring me an empty plate when they served the meal so I could put my own meal on it. She said she could do that and went about her other duties until the meal was to be served. After serving everyone at my table she came to me, not with an empty plate, but with a bowl of plain salad and a plate with some steamed potatoes and vegetables. She smiled and said she just didn't feel right not serving me anything.
How cool was that! Keep expectations modest and you will always be pleasantly surprised.

Saturday's food:



Pictured here:
1) 1/2 small pineapple, oatmeal, cinnamon, brown sugar
2) Brown rice, instant pot lentils and leeks, salad greens, broccoli sprouts, green grapes and a banana
3) Steamed potatoes and vegetables and plain salad
4) fresh fruit sorbet and mixed berries
5) A banana
6) Twice baked potato (1/2 large russet), cherry tomatoes, carrots and sugar snap peas (that meal I brought to the wedding became my midnight snack)
7) Vodka and soda
8 ) Vodka and soda
Not pictured:
1 pot of green tea
Numerous glasses of sparkling water

Sunday's Food:

Today was the monthly meeting of the Toronto Starch Solution, a local potluck group who eat and educate McDougall style.

Pictured here:
1) Split pea soup, 3 different types of lentil stew or Chili, brown rice, avocado salsa on Wasser crisp bread, mango bean salsa and a bowl of fruit.
2) Veggie tofu rice noodle soup, a large Apple and a cup full of grapes (still on the vine)
3) Oatmeal, cinnamon, brown sugar and green tea
Not pictured:
2 pots of green tea

Now back to the Steelers game... Good night all!

[kirstykay]

Could you please tell me how you upload your pictures? Mine are huge. I'd appreciate any tips! Thanks!

[amandamechele]

Hi KirstyKay,

I use Flickr.
Here is a link to my account, I will describe the steps I use to post a picture:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/95182338@N07/

Once you have an account and have uploaded some photos, from the toolbar at the top of the page click on You, then Photostream from the drop down menu.
Next, click on the photo you wish to use. Press the downward pointing arrow in the bottom right corner of the shaded part of the screen.
It will show you a list of sizes to choose from. Click on the size you want (I choose small or medium). You will be taken to another screen showing the image at that size.
Copy the link by selecting all.
Back here on the McDougall forum, paste that link between the following code to have it appear in your post
[img]paste_link_here[/img]
Let me know if you have any other questions.

Amy

[kirstykay]

Thanks Amy! That is really helpful! I appreciate it.

[amandamechele]

I've gotten a bit behind on posting what I'm eating. Here are some photos of the good choices that I made this week:

[sirdle]

Hey Amanda!

I love looking at your pictures!

The picture above with rice (?), chickpeas, and sauce... what is it? I looks yummy.

Cheers,

[amandamechele]

Hi sirdle,

It is yummy... one of my favourites. It's Chana Masala using a modified recipe from the Minimalist Baker:

I posted the recipe links here, if you're interested (at the bottom of the post):

https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=54072&start=135#p551949

I hope things are going well for you!

Amy

[Morris]

i am glad I read your journal, I have been trying to figure out how to post pictures of what I am eating. Having that visual just might be what I need to get with and stay with the program.

[amandamechele]

Thank you Nancy. I find the visuals and structure are helpful, and really should get back it.
Best wishes on training for your 10k. I hope it's not too slippery out where you are.

Amy

[sirdle]

Hi sirdle,

It is yummy... one of my favourites. It's Chana Masala using a modified recipe from the Minimalist Baker:

I posted the recipe links here, if you're interested (at the bottom of the post):

https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=54072&start=135#p551949

I hope things are going well for you!

Amy

Thanks! I will definitely be making this!

Cheers,

[amandamechele]

Sigh...I really have to learn to type up my longer posts elsewhere and then transfer them here. I lose way too many thoughts to what I will call weird glitches, that I imagine are actually user error. Knowing it's my own fault isn't making this pill any easier to swallow.
I just wrote a very long post reflecting on the photo journal I had been doing that did not make it from Preview to Submit. Well, it's for the best, I guess. I got a chance to really think about the process without all the hassle of looking foolish for talking about things all of you have already figured out.
To summarize: When used as a tool for behaviour modification, a journal is only as good as it is accurate and consistent.

I have been inspired by a few others on this forum to get back to it, constraints and all. I am taking up Landog's Unprocessed February Challenge. I'll post photos of what I eat for the month.

February 1:


Not Pictured:
2 pots of green tea

February 2:



Not Pictured:
2 pots of green tea
1/2 L of sparkling water
Note: I forgot to photograph my oatmeal this morning so that is an older photo.

[sirdle]

Sigh...I really have to learn to type up my longer posts elsewhere and then transfer them here. I lose way to many thoughts to what I will call weird glitches, that I imagine are actually user error. Knowing it's my own fault isn't making this pill any easier to swallow. I just wrote a very long post reflecting on the photo journal I had been doing that did not make it from Preview to Submit.

I often use a text editor... like Notepad (on Windows) or Leafpad (on Linux), but one thing you might try is:

... before I hit the 'Submit' button, I select all the text in the text box and type ctrl-C (to copy everything to the clipboard). If the computer/Internet suffers a glitch, I start all over again and type ctrl-V (to paste everything from the clipboard back into the text box).

This has saved me from recreating some long posts.

[amandamechele]

Sirdle - Thank you for the wonderful suggestions. I have begun to use them. Nothing has been lost since. Fingers crossed that it continues.

My Unprocessed February is not as unprocessed as it could be. I will continue to refine my choices.

February 3:



Not pictured:
2 pots of green tea
Notes: Ate out both meals. No oil in either, but some added sugar/salt in the sushi rice (so I skipped the soy sauce).

February 4:



Not pictured:
1 pot of green tea
Note: Ate out at dinner for a family birthday celebration (70th): No oil in meal - I was thrilled... this restaurant really came through, even if my home cooking would have tasted better.

[amandamechele]

February 5:


Leftovers not eaten:

Not pictured:
2 pots of green tea.
Notes:
I decided to stop eating the noodle soup on Sunday. It really doesn't fall into the spirit of Unprocessed February.

February 6:
[img]11https://farm1.staticflickr.com/553/32714403816_605922c41b_m_d.jpg[/img]
Not pictured:
2 pots of green tea
Notes:
I did not eat that little boy.