Grit and Determination

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

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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Mon Nov 13, 2017 8:51 pm

Monday - Day 1 MWL 21-day meal plan

B: potato hash - very good, got me out of using same ingredients for potatoes in the morning which has been usually potatoes and maybe an onion.
I love measuring out 1/2 tsp salt for the day. Guilt-free salt consumption! I've wondered if it will reduce my craving for potato and corn chips.
L: barley mushroom soup - very good. Added a little rice vinegar
Snack: carrots, whole grain crackers
Dinner: tortillas, beans, enchilada sauce, and pico de gallo.

I didn't have time to make the dinner listed for the 21-day plan. I will continue to make as many of the recipes as I can but I didn't grocery shop to prepare for the meal plan. I'll continue to follow the menus as much as I can. Seems to be more cooking than what I want to do during the week.

*** Confession time... Late evening snacking!!!! I'm not sure why this happened but I decided to eat several snacks that are not on MWL plan this evening. It started with dried black olives ... then cereal and soymilk.. then potato chips!!... then at 2:00 in the morning cheese! I think I ate a total of 800 calories. I'm not sure why... I didn't eat enough veggies today and I didn't drink enough water.
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Wed Nov 15, 2017 8:51 pm

Tuesday Day 2 of 21-day challenge -

Thank goodness I made such wonderful recipes yesterday. They will feed me today! Late last night my dog got sprayed by a skunk and I was in the bathroom giving her a bath at 1:30 in the morning. Finally got to sleep around 2:30. I slept later than usual so I don't have any time to cook today. I also may not get home in time for dinner, as I have a class that starts at 6:00.... I plan to take enough food for lunch and snacks. I'll get a salad for dinner.

B: potato hash with pico de gallo - Yum!
L: Baked sweet potato fries (cooked while getting ready for work this morning)
D: small salad at Panera Bread with barley mushroom soup (from yesterday's MWL plan)
evening snack: potato hash, grapes, and a few potato chips,,,,
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Wed Nov 15, 2017 8:56 pm

Wednesday Day 3 of 21 day challenge

Again not able to cook from the menu plan. So glad I made potato hash and barley mushroom soup. Both are excellent new recipes for me.

B: potato hash and brussel sprouts
L: ate at Moe's with work colleague, rice, beans, veggies and chips
D: barley mushroom soup
snack: unsweetened applesauce

I'm looking forward to cooking tomorrow.
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:11 am

Thursday Day 4 of 21 day challenge

Breakfast menu today is unusual for the MWL cookbook. Baked Millet Breakfast Squares - takes 2 1/2 hours cooking time before it's ready. Not something I was willing to do this morning. I started cooking the recipe but made quick millet on the side. I plan to substitute millet in the Day 2 breakfast recipe (Couscous and Orange Cereal) since I didn't get to make it on Day 2.

Even though it has been a struggle to get the recipes made, I appreciate having a plan. I don't have to choose what I eat. Sometimes nothing sounds appetizing. With a meal plan already to go, just making the recipes in an adventure and I am widening my food combinations. And, I've lost 3 lbs. since Friday!

B: millet and Orange Cereal (Yummy!)
L: Mexican Potato salad - very good. I didn't even want to add salt. I did add a fresh jalapeno.
D: Curry Stuffed Peppers

The recipes for today instructed to boil the potatoes, which I did. Next time I will steam them. I think steamed potatoes are more flavorful. Also, if I choose to make the curry stuffed peppers again, will chop the peppers and add to the saute, then put it all in a casserole and bake with the sauce on top.
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sat Nov 18, 2017 9:41 am

Friday - Day 5 of 21-day challenge with MWL cookbook menus

I am not able to make each recipe on every day of the 21-day menu plan. I think it will take me at least 3 months to get through all the recipes on the Sample Menus for 21 Days, which is great! The recipes are designed for several servings and I am cooking for only me. I could half the recipes but if I'm going to all the trouble to cook I feel like I want to make the whole recipe and have leftovers. So, when my fridge gets full, I'll take a break from cooking eat what I've got prepared. I've always loved trying new recipes and this way I'll already have a planned menu.

B: Baked Millet Breakfast Squares - I had these with unsweetened applesauce. Great breakfast food! I will definitely keep this recipe as a favorite. I doubled the recipe and now have enough breakfast squares for a couple of weeks worth of breakfasts. I plan to freeze them.
L: Mexican Potato salad and carrots
Snack: leftover barley mushroom soup
D: Vietnamese restaurant - rice vermicelli noodles with vegetables and tofu. This dish would have been so perfect if I had asked them to leave off the tofu. They brought the peanut sauce on the side so I could have asked them to not bring that as well. Hindsight! The tofu was fried. I started out pouring the peanut sauce on my food without thinking about it. Then I planned to not eat the tofu but that plan did not work with it sitting there on my plate...

In the evening I did the binge eating thing. I'm not sure what triggered it. The salt and oil in my dinner? I ate grapes first, which was okay. Then I had a few potato chips to balance the sweet and salty thing. Then late I ate an ounce of cheese and drank a cup of chocolate almond milk. Then I woke up after sleeping about 1.5 - 2 hours and had a bowl of cereal with soymilk.

I have avoided eating out with friends as much as possible because of this scenario. My self-control to not eat off the plan is not strong enough yet. And, I don't want to talk about my diet plan with others. Too many of my friends have opinions about fats being good for the body, about high protein and low carbs is the way to lose weight. I don't want to defend my choice of diet. After I've lost more weight I may not mind discussing it because then the evidence will speak for itself.
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sat Nov 18, 2017 9:53 am

Saturday Day 6 of 21-day challenge

I have plans to go bowling with friends this afternoon. They want to go to a Mexican restaurant afterwards for dinner. I'm seriously thinking of not going to dinner. I think I can get enough visiting while bowling. I hate the thought of trying to stay on my diet and sit there being miserable and hungry while I eat salad, refrain from eating chips or whatever else may tempt me. I think my binge eating last night was related to being frustrated, thinking too much about food. When I stay on the MWL plan, I eat and forget about it because I'm satisfied.

B: Millet breakfast squares and peach butter (home-made with no oil and small amount of sugar)
L: Fast Minestrone - very good! I made enough to last 2-3 weeks!
Snack: Spaghetti Squash and Broccoli salad - very good. a combination of flavors I would never have put together. It's a keeper.
Snack: Eggplant Dip - very good. I doubled the amount of cilantro. I think the recipe would be too bland as written.
D: Modified Curry Stuffed Peppers made a couple of days ago. It was too bland. Peppers didn't seem cooked enough for me. I chopped the peppers, mixed with the potato mixture and put in a casserole dish. I added chili powder to the tomato sauce to make a thick chili sauce. I put chili sauce on casserole and baked for 45 minutes. Very good. A keeper.
Late night snacking: I did not eat enough today... tonight I ate 2 rice cakes, a few chips, grapes, banana and slice of WW bread
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sun Nov 19, 2017 1:22 pm

Sunday Day 7 of 21 day challenge on MWL cookbook menus

Today I plan to eat more throughout the day. I've been snacking at night the last few nights... I'd really like to stop eating after dinner. I run the risk of going off the diet plan with late night snacks.... I have discovered how much I like rice cakes. I like the eggplant dip on a rice cake for a nice snack from the MWL cookbook. Grit. Determination. Is there another choice? Not with the outcomes I'm hoping for! I plan to get a little exercise today. I stopped a couple of weeks ago when I had a cold. I think I'm finally over the cold. I need to add regular exercise to my daily regimen!

I feel like I have a pot of gold in my fridge! I have dinner already made - Spaghetti Squash and Broccoli salad and modified Curry Stuffed Peppers.

B:Breakfast Millet Squares with peach butter
Snack: Rice cake with eggplant dip
L: Fast Minestrone Soup and turnip greens
D: Spaghetti Squash and Broccoli salad and modified Curry Stuffed Peppers; baked FF
moonlight
 
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Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:23 pm

Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Mon Nov 20, 2017 7:27 am

Monday Day 8 of 21-day challenge

I love having food already prepared and waiting in the fridge! I didn't snack on chips last night. Yay! I stayed on the MWL all day. I'm down 1 lb. So, this morning I meditated (with getting healthy as one of my aspirations) and exercised 30 min on water-rower. Now, to accomplish my 3rd goal for the day, stay on the MWL plan all day and evening.

B: Millet breakfast squares with grape jelly
Snack: Spaghetti squash and broccoli salad and roasted zucchini
L: Fast Minestrone
snack: celery
D: Vegetable chili and brown rice - very good!

I've had thoughts of eating chips - they would have been good with the chili, a little crunch! But, I didn't! Stayed on MWL all day!!
I'm a little discouraged about following the 21 day menu... I haven't been totally excited about eating the spaghetti squash and broccoli salad, nor the curry stuffed peppers... I love the chili, though. Hopefully, I'll finish the salad. I'm longing for coleslaw!
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:04 pm

Tuesday Day 9 of 21-day challenge

Today was a success for staying on MWL plan. I'm still eating leftovers from previous days' menus. I'm eating more starch in the evening. Seems to relieve my desire to snack on food not on the plan.

B: Breakfast Millet Squares with unsweetened applesauce
L: Spaghetti squash and broccoli salad, fast minestrone soup
Snack: shredded potatoes, onion, and zucchini baked
Snack: rice rolls with veggies
D: baked purple sweet potato fries and ketchup
moonlight
 
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Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:23 pm

Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Thu Nov 23, 2017 2:57 pm

Wednesday Day 10 of 21-day MWL cookbook challenge

Challenges for today: food to taking hiking and food to have ready to eat after hike
I made a lovely potato salad with cilantro, Yukon gold steamed potatoes, and steamed carrots, peas, and corn. I mixed sweet and spicy mustard, rice vinegar, and soy sauce for the dressing. Excellent! And, easily packed for lunch on the mountain top. I also took carrots and celery, and two dates to munch on. For the ride home I ate the celery and carrots and drank plenty of water. It was a very successful menu for my hike. I only hiked 4 miles so not an all day kind of trip.

B: Breakfast millet squares with unsweetened applesauce
L: Potato salad
Dinner: Modified Curry Stuffed Peppers
Snack: rice cakes - 3
moonlight
 
Posts: 1525
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:23 pm

Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Thu Nov 23, 2017 3:17 pm

Thanksgiving Day - day 11 of 21-day challenge

Wow, what a difference a couple of successful weeks makes on this diet to get into the groove. I was not tempted in the least to eat traditional Thanksgiving food. Michael, my husband, is accustomed to me being a vegan. I ate this way for years before going back on the SAD diet about 10 years ago. Previously, I made vegan Thanksgiving dinners and had guests over who would participate and not be disappointed when no turkey showed up on the table. Back then, I made food with olive oil, tofu, sugar, nuts, flour products. It was fun and we always had a nice spread. So, Michael wasn't shocked to learn I wouldn't be eating turkey or pie ( he was a little shocked about the pie). He decided to cook so he cooked traditional Thanksgiving turkey, dressing, and pie. We baked acorn squash halves so we could each put our choice of seasonings. I roasted beets and rutabaga. I made a very tasty rice casserole with mushrooms, turnip greens, water chestnuts, and lots of traditional dressing spices, including my favorite - sage. We had cranberry relish. Michael made a pecan pie. I took a bite of pie, mainly to make him happy, secretly afraid I might want more. I didn't want more. I was completely happy with my meal. I had a small glass of red wine. No stress. Lovely meal. I was happy to be eating food I wanted to eat and it fit the MWL diet plan! Yay! This all might have been harder if we had invited others over or if we had gone to someone else's house. Also, I wasn't eating with my family, where all the traditional food would have been huge triggers. I'm thankful for my family and life.

B: Breakfast Millet squares - the last of the doubled recipe I made last week. I'm ready to try a new breakfast meal. I like how easy the breakfast squares are. Just pop them in the microwave.
L: Sage Rice casserole with cranberry sauce, beets and rutabagas, acorn squash, wine
D: Will be a repeat of lunch
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Fri Nov 24, 2017 6:53 pm

Friday Day 12 of the 21-day challenge

Today I went hiking again. 6 miles today. Gorgeous weather! I took potato salad for lunch. I ate carrots and celery, too. Tonight I ate leftover stuffed curry peppers, and the last of the fast minestrone soup (I have about a gallon more in the freezer!). I love having food prepared and ready to eat. For me, that's the hardest part of changing to the MWL diet - having enough food ready to eat. I have vegetable chili and potato salad in my fridge just waiting for me. I came home pretty hungry from my hike. Typically, I would stop and eat something on the way home. I knew I had plenty of hearty food ready to eat so it was not a problem. I finished off my potato salad and munched on more carrots and celery on the drive home. It took me about 1.5 hours to get home from the trailhead.

B: Brown and wild rice with nutritional yeast and garlic powder
L: Potato salad and raw veggies
D: stuffed curry peppers and minestrone soup
Snack: a few tortilla chips!!

I lost 1.2 lbs this week. I think I may be eating more starchy foods than greens and veggies. I may try to adjust that next week.
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sat Nov 25, 2017 5:52 pm

Saturday Day 13 of 21-day challenge

Today I planned next week's meals and made a grocery list. I dislike shopping so hopefully I'll find myself in a grocery store soon... From the MWL 21-day sample menus I have decided to make Vegetable Rice Casserole from Day 12, Breakfast Apple Rice , Sprouted Lentil Salad (if I can find sprouted lentils), Garlic Soup, Thai Vegetable Salad, Sweet pea Guacamole, and Mushroom Dip from Day 13. I still have plenty of Vegetable Chili from last week. These recipes make so much. I think these will do me for the week. I think it will take me 3 months to get through all 21-day sample menus from the MWL cookbook. I love it! I won't get burned out eating the same thing over and over. That idea to eat the same thing just does not work for me.

I've been thinking about rewards. It's important to recognize accomplishments. I'd like to reward myself for every 10 lbs. I lose. I already have 3 things in mind that will make cooking more fun. From Cathy Fisher's website from tools she likes, I'd like the Benriner Cook Helper Slicer and the Prepworks Jumbo Potato Cutter! I also want a 36 oz Yeti for packing hot soup for the day. That's the fun thing about rewards. They are splurging on things that would be nice, not a necessity - like a present.

Today I started re-reading the MWL book. I haven't read the chapters in a few years. I learned today that chewing my food 30-50 times would make it taste sweeter, and that the saliva and some chemical released when chewing would actually make me feel full faster. I tried it with my dinner. I noticed immediately the difference in taste. I am usually a very fast eater. Without thinking I just half chew and swallow my food. Often I'm finished eating before my husband has eaten even half of his food.

I picked fresh broccoli and collards from my garden today. Lovely. I'm thinking about lightly steaming the collard leaves whole then using some of the vegetable rice casserole as stuffing and make collard burritos. Collards are so sweet after they live through a frost. Yum!

B: Rice, nutritional yeast and garlic powder
L: Spaghetti Squash and Broccoli salad - the last of the salad I made last week. I liked it. It's not a favorite but I would make it again; Potato salad
D: Vegetable chili and rice YUM! , steamed broccoli, and boiled green beans with paprika and garlic YUM!
Snack: Rice cakes with the last of the eggplant dip (Yay, my snack was not tortilla chips!!!)
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sun Nov 26, 2017 10:55 pm

Sunday Day 14 of 21-day challenge

Today I ventured out to the grocery store with my list for making recipes from the MWL cookbook. I got some great food. After I left home I realized I didn't pack any food or drink... I had plans to pick up a friend, do a little shopping at REI before grocery shopping. I wasn't prepared. I ended up eating out. I had a taco salad with no cheese or sour cream. It had grilled fish, though. I had a few corn tortilla chips with it and a beer. Now, thinking about my choices, I wish I had left off the fish and beer... Maybe next time...

B: Oatmeal
L: Taco salad with grilled fish and a beer
D: small serving of vegetable chili and lots of water.
moonlight
 
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Mon Nov 27, 2017 9:23 am

Monday Day 15 of MWL cookbook cooking

I have just .4 lbs. to go to my first 10 lbs. reduction in forever! That will be my loss for the month of November. I think having a new scale that syncs with my phone and that is accurate has been very motivating. Sometimes in the evening I open the app just to admire the graph showing my weight loss.

I made the Creamy Garlic Soup this morning. Wow. So very good! A little time consuming with baking garlic for an hour, waiting for it to cool, then pealing off paper skins. When I have time this will be a repeat, for sure.

Yesterday I purchased my own personal salt shaker. My plan is to measure out 1/2 tsp. salt in the morning. That is my salt for the day. I've kept a little bowl with that amount of salt for a few days, then I stopped, thinking I knew the amount and I rarely used all of it. Without the measurement I'm not sure, so I start feeling guilty about using too much, etc. On the McD plan I don't measure my food, I measure my salt!

30 min. on the water rower!!

B: Oatmeal, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast
L: Potato Salad
D: Creamy Garlic Soup and Thai Vegetable Salad
Snack: Baked sweet potato fries, then later banana, cereal, and soymilk...

I loved the garlic soup and Thai salad but I did not feel like it was enough and I really didn't want to have second helpings of either one. They both seemed more like lunch recipes or snack recipes. The soup was pureed. Maybe since it was broken down more than eating a bowl of potatoes, made was less filling. Not sure.
moonlight
 
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