Trudging the Road of Happy Destiny

[JohnLarson]

Well happy early birthday! Give yourself a present of a compliant day. You can reach your goal by month's end without birthday cake.
May this year f life be filled with greater health, joy and family.

Thanks Michele! I will be eating 100% on McDougall while I am obese and overweight, mostly following MWL and restricting variety. On Saturday, the day after my birthday we will have company over and will be watching football. I will be having a taco bar set up. I will be eating rice and beans with lettuce, tomatoes and onions. I have already big plans for some doctored up beans and spicy brown rice.There will be cake, but it is already known I am not having any. I am not sure what I am doing Friday night. Most likely french fries and baked beans. We are not planning on going out. I am confident that I will be below 225 at the end of the month. I am hoping by next Monday I am under 233.

[JohnLarson]

I want to post my goals, mostly so I have them somewhere in writing. I returned to this WOE at 255 pounds. I am 6 foot tall so that has me easily in the obese range. My goal is to be at 178 pounds. When I was last following this WOE I was at 195 and had plenty to go, but was real happy at being below 200. I slowing returned to SAD and then had been in and out of this WOE trying to do it "my" way most of the time. Each of my goals has a some sort of reason, and I will post them also.

233 - weight when 22 in Air Force that prompted getting put on weight loss program.

225 - weight I claimed I was when lying about my weight

220 - no longer obese, overweight

204 - maximum allowable weight for my height while in the Air Force

199 - under 200 - Onederland!

195 - where I was before

185 - just seems like a good number, at the edge of being overweight and not.

178 - no longer overweight!

None Scale Goals:

Be off all type 2 diabetes meds, with a AIC under 6.

Be able to run a whole 5K.

Be able to finish a 5K under 30 minutes.

To be able to tuck in shirts without a gut sticking out, to feel and look fit.

To be a McDougall Success Story.

I am in this for long term and will need to be 100% even once I hit my goals. I will most likely just stick to my journal here for now.

I have been thinking about my goals at thought I should put some dates to them.

233 - January 15th
225 - February 1st
220 - February 15th
204 - April 1st
199 - April 15th
195 - May 1st
185 - June 1st
178 - July 4th

I am positive if I continue to follow MWL and the McDougall program 100% these dates will easily be achieved.

[Michele613]

So exciting! I am rooting for you. I appreciate your enthusiasm but don't get down or off track if your scheduling doesn't quite pan out. Just hang tough and committed anyway .... but....I hope it does work out. I have adjusted my monthly goals too many times so I know that weight goals sometimes aren't in concrete. All the best!

[JohnLarson]

So exciting! I am rooting for you. I appreciate your enthusiasm but don't get down or off track if your scheduling doesn't quite pan out. Just hang tough and committed anyway .... but....I hope it does work out. I have adjusted my monthly goals too many times so I know that weight goals sometimes aren't in concrete. All the best!

The dates are adjustable, but very reasonable as long as I follow MWL. The first few ones will be easier than the last few. No matter what, I just need to do my best.

[JohnLarson]

BS: 198
Wt: 233.6

E: 1 hr treadmill at gym

Yesterday's food:

L: salad, broccoli brown rice, spicy brown rice
D: salad, vegetables, spicy broccoli brown rice, wife's uneaten potato skins.

The potato skins weren't part of my Mary's Mini. It was a nice snack. My newest creation in the rice cooker came out real good. I have enough rice to make it through the weekend. I still have a little bit of the rice I made this past weekend left. I should finish it today at lunch. I am not eating the quantity that I did before. I haven't gotten sick of brown rice, if anything I like it more. I have liked the simplicity of it.

This morning I fully expected the number to be higher. I hadn't been to the gym. I ate plenty, even had potato skins when I wasn't all that hungry. For sure I would be I wouldn't he down much and might.even be up some. I am feeling real good about the number this morning. I think I am.down 10 since Christmas, when I started my Mary's Mini.

A co-worker mentioned my weight loss, I didn't make a big deal about it. I have so much to go. He has lost weight himself and has been a motivating factor in my decision to make changes. I will celebrate later, I am just getting started.

If I want to keep getting what I am getting then I need to keep doing what I am doing.

[Michele613]

Sounds good... I'll have to remember that and keep 'doin' what've been doin'. I have gotten hooked (loosely) on basmati rice with veggies. Just made up a skillet full of zucchini, peas, green beans, garlic, ginger, fennel, celery...hmmmm ....all green Added a bit of watered down teriyaki sauce and will have it over the rice. That's simple and maybe I can keep doing that....simple works. I do like brown rice as it is denser but maybe another week. I bought some homemade whole wheat pizza dough so will try a veggie pizza next week though 'breads' may not be on the MWL plan. As you said...just do our best. Keep doin' it.

BTW noticed that since day 4 I am not as hungry (obsessed with hunger...food...feed ME)....that's a good thing. Seems like our bodies are adjusting as you said you did not as much as you had before either.

[Wild4Stars]

I have not posted here in quite a while.

I returned to this WOE November 28th, 2018. Back on pills and shots, clothes fitting tight and at 255 pounds.

Very glad to have you back. I KNOW you can do this, and so do you! Vikki

[bunsofaluminum]

down 10 since Christmas is AMAZING. That's only a couple of weeks...wow!

I like your goals list. They say you go farther when you set goals. I'm excited to see how you do with it!

[JohnLarson]

I have not posted here in quite a while.

I returned to this WOE November 28th, 2018. Back on pills and shots, clothes fitting tight and at 255 pounds.

Very glad to have you back. I KNOW you can do this, and so do you! Vikki

I thought I replied to this yesterday. Thank you for your encouragement and support over the years. In AA we have sponsors who have traveled the path before us and who we can ask for guidance from. If the McDougall program had sponsors, I would consider you as mine. Your friendship has meant a lot to me. Thank you.

[JohnLarson]

down 10 since Christmas is AMAZING. That's only a couple of weeks...wow!

I like your goals list. They say you go farther when you set goals. I'm excited to see how you do with it!

It is pretty amazing. The goals were easy. Setting dates for them was a little harder. Also it was hard not to set SAD food rewards for them, something I have done in the past. In one of Dr. McDougall's books he mentions setting a date. Also, my cousins are at a retreat/workshop type of thing this week and have been posting different slides from the presentations on Facebook. One was about goals and putting timelines with each goal. Seemed to make sense.

[JohnLarson]

BS: 299
Wt: 232.8

E: 1 hr treadmill at gym

Yesterday's food:

L: salad, broccoli brown rice
D: salad, spicy brown rice, a little of my wife's leftover fat free baked beans

This was my last day of my brown rice Mary's Mini. I still have some brown rice dishes made up and will be eating them and will make more during the week. I did take some of my spicy brown rice to use for some Jeff Novick burgers. I will have to just have two if them. That will be a challenge. I also did something new with the making of the burgers, I made them the day before. That seems to be suggested often. I am freezing three patties. I am so excited about eating the burgers, some corn, and French fries tomorrow.

Today is my 53rd birthday. We normally go out to eat on birthdays. I don't want to. I think my wife is a little disappointed. I told her i wanted to wait until I was just overweight and not obese to go out to eat. I don't expect to want to go out to eat then either, but it buys some time. There really isn't any reason for me to go to a restaurant unless it is to socialize with friends and family. My wife likes Mexican food, so sooner or later I will go out to est with her. We went out to a Mexican restaurant a few days back. I had rice and some lettuce and tomatoes with salsa. No chips (which are a favorite), no cheese dip (another favorite), and no veggie fajitas with noise tortillas. Some rice, which had a shine to it which means it probably had some oil in it.

I am fairly sure if I eat SAD I will get sick. Somewhere in one of my journals I posted about eating chips and cheese dip during the Super Bowl or some event. I was so constipated and sick I wanted to go to the hospital. I used to always be constipated and had awful bowel movements. I was even prescribed a stool softener. I didn't take it much. Today I go to the bathroom more often, but shorter visits.

I am a little concerned that my blood sugar isn't coming down more. I haven't taken a shot in quite a few days, nor taken any oral meds. If by the end of the month I am not seeing a drop, I will make some changes.

Today is a great day.

[Michele613]

Hi John, Well Happy Birthday again..may this year of life be one of your healthiest!

I really like going out to restaurants but pretty much have cut them out because I have absolutely no control over the ingredients and until I get close to goal I will be avoiding them. They (fast food really not sit down types) were also an addiction...constantly treating myself. My husband is doing a lot of the food preparation to help make sure I stay excited about the program and on it (I'd like to get him on it but that is his decision).

I just subscribed to NFLgame pass and am looking forward to watching the playoffs and the big one. Well you said you weren't going to eat cake on your birthday and I guess you succeeded in dodging that temptation. Keep up the good work!

[JohnLarson]

Hi John, Well Happy Birthday again..may this year of life be one of your healthiest!

I really like going out to restaurants but pretty much have cut them out because I have absolutely no control over the ingredients and until I get close to goal I will be avoiding them. They (fast food really not sit down types) were also an addiction...constantly treating myself. My husband is doing a lot of the food preparation to help make sure I stay excited about the program and on it (I'd like to get him on it but that is his decision).

I just subscribed to NFLgame pass and am looking forward to watching the playoffs and the big one. Well you said you weren't going to eat cake on your birthday and I guess you succeeded in dodging that temptation. Keep up the good work!

There will be cake at the house on Friday. I think I will be okay. My wife has been eating Ben and Jerry's non-dairy ice cream. Maybe a bite of that or a strawberry/banana smoothie. My wife isn't part of this WOE at all, but has replaced milk with almond milk and just started with the almond milk ice cream, she has some of the "cheese food" slices she likes with toast, but it real close to be being diary free.

[Lyndzie]

Happy birthday! You’re doing so well. It’s really amazing.

I’ve had the Ben and Jerry’s non-dairy., and ended up throwing it away. I thought it tasted bad. If you’re going to treat yourself, Mary McDougall has some recipes that are quite good. Also, banana nice cream tastes good and supports reaching your goals. I’m excited to see you reach your goals, and birthdays are hard to get through and stay on plan.

[JohnLarson]

Happy birthday! You’re doing so well. It’s really amazing.

I’ve had the Ben and Jerry’s non-dairy., and ended up throwing it away. I thought it tasted bad. If you’re going to treat yourself, Mary McDougall has some recipes that are quite good. Also, banana nice cream tastes good and supports reaching your goals. I’m excited to see you reach your goals, and birthdays are hard to get through and stay on plan.

I have had a couple bites of the Ben & Jerry frozen dessert. It has oil and is not McDougall friendly, so I won't be consuming it. I am glad my wife is. Much better than regular ice cream. I did have some banana and strawberries in a smoothie.