Caroveggie's Journal

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

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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Thu Jan 09, 2014 1:17 pm

Checking in.

Haven't been the greatest with restaurant food lately. However I will recommit today. :)

I also haven't gotten much exercise except some walking. Still haven't figured out the fitbit nor the barbell situation... but I did get running shoes! Yippee! $75, they were $25 off because the new line had come in. They're very comfy and I'm excited to get started but lately have been busy in the evenings and staying out late so can't get up early in the mornings.

However, I do want to start soon. I have a friend who runs nearly every day. (What I used to do.) She just makes time. I need to get that way with exercise again..

Should be busy pretty soon too but I'm going to be McDougalling.

I have ingredients for a yummy pasta dish and since I'm home tonight, I think I'll make that for dinner. Garlic, asparagus, tomatoes, mushroom, and noodles...simple ingredients but it come out tasty.

For lunch I'm having chickpeas probably..maybe I'll take a walk to Whole Foods though. It'll take my whole lunch hour but I can buy something yummy and healthy. Actually, I'm thinking I want a McDougall soup cup..
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby JT of PA » Fri Jan 10, 2014 8:55 am

.

Caroveggie,

You made out at Christmas !!! :-) You have all the tools to help you achieve the level of fitness you want to attain this year. Glad to read your better and what a deal on the running shoes ... it's such a neat feeling when you get something you really want on a great sale. Thanks for the past dish idea ... I will be sharing that recipe with my wife ... maybe for dinner Sunday afternoon?!

All the best,
John

.
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:19 pm

And I forgot to say you put spinach in it also. It's really good! The garlic is minced or chopped very very small.

Not much to report. My mac computer froze last summer. It's wreaked havoc with my finances since I used to do my budget on excel with it. I guess I will have to do it at work. Now, this morning, my netbook wouldn't start! Just got a blank screen. Very frustrating. I'm using the library computer and I'll use my work computer... last thing I did on the netbook was try to install fitbit. I think that must have killed my netbook. I really don't have the money to get my 'puters fixed. I'll just use my work computer..s i g h ..

Foodwise things are going good. Still haven't run. Haven't played tennis. Haven't tracked my walking. Haven't used a barbell. I keep meaning to but keep putting it off a day... just other stuff I'd rather do with my time lately..

Happy McDougalling :)
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Potato Power!

Postby Caroveggie » Tue Jan 21, 2014 10:38 pm

I'm just here to report that I've been doing pretty good. Not totally excellent, but very good. :)

I've been inspired by the Potato Strong guy (http://www.potatostrong.com) who is on facebook too, and have adopted some of his simple, quick recipes. Mostly potato wedges. But I plan on making mashed potatoes too. His meals look tasty and filling. The potato wedges take 1/2 an hour, but I just set the timer and do something else during that time. I've had them with vegan gravy and ketchup. Yum yum yum.

So where I've been failing has been exercise. I've just been a lazy butt. I know that if I got up earlier and jogged, I'd get my exercise in. But it's been really hard for me to get up early. Sometimes it's because I'm out the night before and get home late. But usually it's because I'm just too sleepy anyway to get up. Well, gotta make myself do it. For some reason it's just a lot easier for me to exercise in the morning rather than the evening after work. I just have other stuff I'm doing, or my tummy is full from dinner...then it gets late and I just don't want to be out there when it's colder and dark. Not that it isn't cold and dark in the morning, but the morning light does come out. And it's a good way to start the day. Anyway. Guess I just have a lot of excuses for not moving my body in the evening hours.

I'm also having difficulty with the fitbit thing. Goodness how does this thing work? I'm thinking maybe the battery isn't in it and you have to put it in? I can't even open it though. And I've only been able to load the software at my work computer. Then I installed it and then it didn't work maybe because I hadn't worn the pedometer part yet? Not sure. Maybe it's the battery thing. I'm confused. I'm going to ask my sis how the fitbit works.

I have more motivation to get svelte and healthy. Went out with a beautiful girl last night. Woowee :) I need to get down to my smaller clothes (which is most of my closet actually!) She told me she'd had a bad cough/bronchitis for a year but got over it by eating lots and lots of raw garlic every day. She still is on her garlic regimen so it will go away completely and not come back. I still have the tail-end of my cough so I'm going to try adding more garlic to my diet.

There is also an inspirational site called http://www.healthylikeme.org that I wanted to share with everyone. It's from reddit, the reddit progress pics section. Basically it's a bunch of pictures and stories of people who have lost weight and gotten fit. However, not many of them follow a vegan diet. There is a lot of carb/starch fear there and something called keto is popular along with everyone thinking they need lots of protein (of course they mean meat) and no potatoes. Obviously I don't intend to follow the crowd's diet there... but it is inspiring to see people's before and after pictures. I have noted that many include lots and lots of exercise and portion control. I think McDougalling is much easier and more life-friendly. Satisfy your hunger, get adequate exercise but no need to go overboard, and you still lose weight if you follow the McDougall principles..

I also think it would be good if McDougallers posted their progress pics and stories there so that more people could be educated about the health benefits of losing weight by McDougalling (heart health, diabetes reversal, etc..) I think you just join reddit and post in the r/progresspics section, I'm not sure. Once I'm down to a healthier weight, I'm thinking I might post my story there.

Not much else to report. Have been enjoying potatoes a lot lately.
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Also..

Postby Caroveggie » Tue Jan 21, 2014 10:51 pm

I forgot to add I solved the budget dilemma I was in. What happened is I found where Google Docs and Spreadsheets were hiding. One day they just disappeared from my gmail account and I just thought it was my dinky netbook or something wrong with Chrome. But it turns out they just got camouflaged into these dots and then you click on Google Drive and there were all my old Google Docs etc. From there it was pretty easy to get my budget spreadsheet into Google Spreadsheets. It's been such a relief to be on a budget again! It's really put me in a much more positive frame of mind. I hadn't even realized the added stress I was living in by sort of spending blindly and trying to pay bills on time without my usual budget (I have mine structured with dates so I'm always on time with everything..)

Anyway, totally not diet related but it is mental-health related! Also now that it is in the Google cloud I can access my budget from anywhere where I can get into my gmail account. Makes me love technology!
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immune system

Postby Caroveggie » Wed Jan 22, 2014 4:43 pm

Today I've been thinking about how to boost my immune system. I want to get over the cough (which is very nearly gone) and prevent myself from getting sick again. Also I have some chilblains :? on my right hand and I want them to heal up faster (maybe improving blood circulation will help?)

Anyway, I've done a little research and think I'll add (or add more of) the following to my diet:

raw garlic ~ I'll try to add a lot of garlic cloves or minced garlic to my meals. Heavy garlic.
raw onions ~ I already add chopped raw onions on top of my aloo gobi curry and sometimes to my chickpeas..so I'll keep that going and see if there's any where else I can add them.
ginger ~ supposed to be helpful. I could add it to my aloo gobi I guess.
sweet potato ~ I'll try eating more sweet potatoes.
shittaki mushroom ~ mushrooms are supposed to help the immune system. I like shittaki, especially baby shittakis. Maybe I'll eat them raw as a snack (with a little soy sauce). Yum.
Madras curry powder ~ well I already have it on my aloo gobi, but I'll just keep that going on. :)
green tea ~ have a cup every evening. Maybe I'll have some at night too.
oats, wheat, and barley ~ I'll try to eat oats and whole wheat cereal for breakfast in the mornings (the only problem is usually I'm busy and don't have an appetite). I like barley too. I used to cook it a while ago. So I'll try to add that in some more.
brightly colored veggies ~ in general I'll try to eat more veggies.
honey ~ maybe add this to my cereal. There is also a concoction of honey and minced garlic but not sure I'd swallow that. I like what I ingest to be yummy.
cinnamin ~ can add to my cereal in the mornings or also it's yummy on bananas and other stuff too.

So that is what has been on my mind lately.
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Fri Jan 24, 2014 2:07 pm

This morning I actually got up at 6:15am and went out jogging! Not particularly fast and I had to take a lot of walking breaks (which I tried to keep short) but it's the first real exercise I've had in a while.

My sister explained about the fitbit. You have to open it up and insert the battery. It's not easy to open though. But I'll soon get that squared away.

I'm feeling pretty enthusiastic about eating this way. I think because I'm trying some new, simple recipes from Potato Strong. I like fast recipes with few ingredients that are healthy and yummy. Last night I had the tacos and they were so good! I wasn't sure I'd like them but they turned out great! He gives great instructions at his website plantstrong.com on how to make them. Don't take too long. Only thing I did differently was I cooked my rice with the tomato juice and some veggie broth to add more flavor. Also I burnt the taco shells the first time round. Maybe my oven gets hot too fast. You have to watch them. Also I'm going to invest in real oven mitts rather than just the pads. I think my roommate might have taken them/lost them/chucked them. Whatever. I will replace them. Get better, cuter ones too.

Anyway, here's the taco recipe:

can black beans, drained + rinsed
can diced tomatoes, drained (use juice to cook brown rice)
small bowlful brown rice (cook your rice in a rice cooker with tomato juice + veggie broth then just need a small bowlful of it)
can corn, drained + rinsed

Heat and stir all that up in a pan over mediumish. Once it's warm you cut the heat and add generous cumin and less generous chili powder.

To make the shells you should follow the video on the Potato Strong website. You lay the corn tortillas over the oven rack so they hang over and bake them. He says at 400 but I think I'll do 350 and then watch (because mine burned the first time...of course I got busy and had forgotten about them). You can kind of do both the tortillas and the mix at the same time. But you pre-cook the rice though. By the way you need a set of tongs to get the tortillas out. Mine are a little short and without oven mitts my chilblains hurt!

Put the mix in the shells and add your favorite no oil salsa. I like Casa Sanchez Mild. Yum.

It was very good! And really didn't take too long except cooking the rice...but with a rice cooker you just set it and forget it.

I also want to try to make garlic mashed potatoes. But I think I'll wait until I get yukon potatoes for that. Right now I have russets. They make good wedges though.

Tonight I'm having a company dinner at a Mexican restaurant. I'm a little wary of what might be in the rice. Maybe they cook it with chicken broth? I think I'll call ahead and ask. Or just play it safe and get black beans, salsa, lettuce, and corn tortillas..I have a feeling the tacos I made at home are going to be yummier!
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Sat Jan 25, 2014 12:38 pm

I was right, my homemade tacos were better. But the dinner wasn't all bad. It was fairly McDougall safe unless they made the rice with oil (I forgot to ask that. But they don't use chicken broth.)

It's beautiful out and I have a lot I want to do today. I'm thinking I'll make more potato wedgies and have them with maybe cauliflower curry for lunch and then have tacos for dinner. Not too hungry now so I'll probably skip breakfast. I'm not always the best about getting breakfast just because I'm not too hungry in the mornings usually. Also, I'm pretty sedentary so I don't worry about it.

Laundry to do. :?

I was thinking I'd go for a jog but my leg muscles are sore from yesterday. So instead I think I'll try to get some walking in.

I'm feeling very dedicated to this way of eating. I'm happy thinking about how the foods and meals I'll be eating are not going to be harming my body any more but healing it. I don't just mean weight loss, but my endothelial (sp?) cells and blood vessels, blood quality, all that. Also I'm very happy that my menstruation cycles are not painful anymore. Yay!

This weekend is a friend's birthday party at a pizza place. I will do the best McDougalling I can there and ask for no cheese on my mini pizza. They do have a larger menu but online I couldn't really find that much that could work...for instance they had a Ceasar salad which I'm sure, even if I took off the cheese, would be oily and fishy. Spaghetti and meatballs, that kind of thing. So I'll just get no cheese pizza. In the past I would let myself have some slices of cheesey pizza but I've had enough of that. I want good results, not crappy ones. It's that slippery slope idea, a mindset. Eating this way makes me prefer my own simple healthy food to restaurants.

Enjoy your weekend!
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Sun Jan 26, 2014 7:17 pm

I managed at the pizza party. My friends had already ordered pizza for everyone (including vegetarian for me) so I just took the cheese off and ate it that way. It was pretty good but all I had on it was pineapples. I wasn't even the only one scraping the cheese off, another couple are both lactose intolerant so they also didn't eat the cheese.

Later everyone went across the street for ice-cream. They had raspberry sorbet, but I just passed. I'm hungry now and I have tacos mix and shells for dinner but they are in SF and I'm in the East Bay right now. I'll probably head home soon so I can eat something healthy.

I weighed myself recently and I'm at 155 lbs now, which is 3 pounds down. Yay me!

My legs are still slightly sore from my jog on Friday. I should be able to jog tomorrow though.

I've been walking a bit and am wearing the fitbit (now on and working).
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good update!

Postby Caroveggie » Fri Feb 07, 2014 11:17 pm

I lost some more weight. I had a bout of running hit me. I'm now down to 147.5 lbs. It was actually 146.5 but went up a pound. However I will get it down more. I plan to do more regular running which seems to work well. Right now I have a blood blister on my foot though. So I'm being careful about that. Eating pretty healthy also. Need to also work on strength training.

:P
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Tue Feb 11, 2014 3:49 pm

I went rock climbing over the weekend and my arms and legs are still sore. It was fun but I think if you are light and lean you have a hand up on it. I liked it though.

I also jogged yesterday morning. I'd like to bike this evening. I'm not sure I'll jog tomorrow morning. I might need another day off to heal up.
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sad confession

Postby Caroveggie » Tue Mar 18, 2014 11:24 am

I haven't been doing too great. Utmost on my mind lately is finding a new place to live. My landlord is taking our unit to give to his son. I'll have to find something soon or else put my stuff in storage and stay with my parents for a bit. I've been traveling a lot, getting home late, crashing at my parents' ~ over all haven't had a settled routine of healthy eating and my eating/exercise habits reflect that. I hate this unsettled feeling, of not exactly having a home. I also have what apparently is a large room by SF standards, which is full of nearly a decade's worth of furniture. Most of which will sadly have to find a new home. Yeck. Downsizing. I'll try to look at the benefits. I love this website, the support here, and the good information I find which inspires me to get back on track. I'm dying to cook up a batch of potato wedges but just haven't had the time (or the potatoes on hand). Can't wait until I find something good or else get moved in with my parents and settle into a routine again.
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Wed Jun 18, 2014 12:49 pm

Well, I'm doing better. I'm living with my parents and that has definitely helped my finances. I'll probably move out around my birthday in November.

I had this idea to start a new journal with pictures of what I eat in it. Should be entertaining and help me keep on track. Coming soon! :nod:
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby Caroveggie » Fri Jun 27, 2014 5:18 am

Hm, I can't figure out how to upload my two pics.

My usual breakfast:
Image
Berry Fruitful cereal, (uncooked) oats, almond milk, cinnamon

My usual lunch:
Image
Rice (either brown or white), veggie curry called aloo gobi (potato cauliflower) (I am now making this with diced tomatoes as the base rather than just veggie broth and adding collard greens to it. Very yummy.)

I hope these pics come out!
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Re: Caroveggie's Journal

Postby chickpea down under » Sun Jun 29, 2014 11:44 pm

Hi Caroveggie!

Just read through your journal and love it! The aloo gobi looks amazing; I will have to try it. Looking forward to more of your recipe pics! :)
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