Buns Again

[Ruff]

morning Buns....just trying to catch up. You are doing the Walter Kempner Rice diet? Is that correct?

[bunsofaluminum]

morning Buns....just trying to catch up. You are doing the Walter Kempner Rice diet? Is that correct?

Hi Kate

Yeah, it's basically that, but following the suggestions in Rice Diet Solution for phase 1. Basically, for one day per week you do rice and fruit. The Solution says "starch and fruit" ... 2/3c rice or 1 c other starch and 1 c fruit. Then the other days of the week you add one part starch and 1.5 c veggies, and still have your fruit for meals.

The main difference in my book is the portion control. By measuring my foods instead of eyeballing them, I'm automatically taking less in. It's all MWL allowed foods, but they also recommend way low sodium. I'm not sprinkling salt or using in meal prep, but I'm also not being super diligent about low sodium ingredients. That is, canned beans...if I happen to find low or no-sodium at a good price, I'll get them. If not, I rinse before using. *shrug* Maybe some day I'll do a week or so of WAY low sodium.

Meanwhile, I put a tsp of Thai sweet chili sauce on last night's dinner rice and did find it salty. Isn't that something? Previously, it had only sweet and hot flavors. My tastebuds are adjusting!

[bunsofaluminum]

keep up the good work Buns!

yesterday I felt a pang for something more flavorful than my extended version of phase 1 grains and fruit. So I made some quinoa, had a cup of that with half a cup of store made kimchi. I tell ya it was like a treat. The kimchi of course has salt in it, so it was easy to see how my taste buds said oh more please more. But I stuck with my portion. so that was my detour. I am grateful that I slipped back under 200 as of this morning. The reframe of this as a pilgrimage has been helping.

Yay you! Keep the faith!
t

Hi Tina,

thanks. Oooh quinoa sounds yummy. And I hear you on that kimchi...it's so flavorful, but who would ever think that you'd find salty in that mix? I bet your tastebuds leapt for joy! I think mine would love the heat and savory just as much... good on ya, sticking to portion size though.

[bunsofaluminum]

Weight maintaining at 232...back down from the three lb gain on Sunday, thank goodness.

I was thinking about doing a second rice and fruit day, then forgot about it, then thought about it again after having my grape nuts and raisins this morning. Maybe I can do rice and fruit for the remaining meals. I REALLY want to see the scale move again. However, I must say 232 is as low as I've been since coming back to these forums and trying to get my head in the game. Wouldn't it be cool to get under 230!

[earthmonkey]

Buns,

yes a second grain and fruit day probably is helpful! Also, any additional exercise can help budge the scale too. Although I do think the lower sodium element does help, so being mindful of that. It is amazing how much a walk (if possible due to weather) can help. I notice that on days I don't do a walk, the scale stays still it seems.

so glad to hear about 232, and I know you will get under 230!

keep going!!

T

[VivianS]

VivianS November 4, 2020
Exercise really helps everything. You will get stronger. You will feel better ( if you don't overdo it or injure yourself). You will have a better attitude. Take your blanket with you if you need it to keep your upper hack and shoulders warm. Walk 30 minutes a day six days a week to raise your HDL level 10 points in 2 months. I have familial high cholesterol, too. You can make a big improvement with exercise. Walk in the house if you must. Get some walking poles to work your upper body. You can cut off old broomsticks and put rubber tips on them to get the same effect as cross country skiing or hiking. There are all kinds of ways to make exercise better for you.
I track my cholesterol and my exercise. Watch out for statins. Some make your muscles hurt. Tell your doctor if you experience muscle pain. My doctor took me off one that was making my arms so sore that I couldn't pull my drawers open.
Invest some time in reading library books about exercise. I like books written by women for women (Strong Women Stay Young).. Every old lady thing you learn will help you get there more easily. I'm glad for every young friend who encourages me, especially when they show me books they have read that helped them. . You can get books through interlibrary loan if your library doesn't have many books on exercise for women. You must have stretching for flexibility, heart pumping exercises to keep your cardiovascular system strong, and weight lifting to keep your muscle mass as you age. When you lift weights 3 days a week, your muscles are burning calories even when you sleep. You must know how to lift weights and when to lift to get the desired results. Knowledge is power.
Exercise is important, but as Dr. JOHN McDougall says,"It's the food!" I thought I was active enough that I could eat nuts, but I wasn't. Eating nuts and other fats were keeping me fat.
The Maximum Weight Loss program has helped me find the fat I didn't need to eat and start losing weight. Every healthy food you eat helps you avoid the things you shouldn't eat. Crowd the junk out! Pushing back from the junk food market is probably the most important exercise you can do. Loading up on whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruits then chewing them is the best possible exercise! You.can do it!

[bunsofaluminum]

Buns,

yes a second grain and fruit day probably is helpful! Also, any additional exercise can help budge the scale too. Although I do think the lower sodium element does help, so being mindful of that. It is amazing how much a walk (if possible due to weather) can help. I notice that on days I don't do a walk, the scale stays still it seems.

so glad to hear about 232, and I know you will get under 230!

keep going!!

T

VivianS November 4, 2020
Exercise really helps everything. You will get stronger. You will feel better ( if you don't overdo it or injure yourself). You will have a better attitude. Take your blanket with you if you need it to keep your upper hack and shoulders warm. Walk 30 minutes a day six days a week to raise your HDL level 10 points in 2 months. I have familial high cholesterol, too. You can make a big improvement with exercise. Walk in the house if you must. Get some walking poles to work your upper body. You can cut off old broomsticks and put rubber tips on them to get the same effect as cross country skiing or hiking. There are all kinds of ways to make exercise better for you.
I track my cholesterol and my exercise. Watch out for statins. Some make your muscles hurt. Tell your doctor if you experience muscle pain. My doctor took me off one that was making my arms so sore that I couldn't pull my drawers open.
Invest some time in reading library books about exercise. I like books written by women for women (Strong Women Stay Young).. Every old lady thing you learn will help you get there more easily. I'm glad for every young friend who encourages me, especially when they show me books they have read that helped them. . You can get books through interlibrary loan if your library doesn't have many books on exercise for women. You must have stretching for flexibility, heart pumping exercises to keep your cardiovascular system strong, and weight lifting to keep your muscle mass as you age. When you lift weights 3 days a week, your muscles are burning calories even when you sleep. You must know how to lift weights and when to lift to get the desired results. Knowledge is power.
Exercise is important, but as Dr. JOHN McDougall says,"It's the food!" I thought I was active enough that I could eat nuts, but I wasn't. Eating nuts and other fats were keeping me fat.
The Maximum Weight Loss program has helped me find the fat I didn't need to eat and start losing weight. Every healthy food you eat helps you avoid the things you shouldn't eat. Crowd the junk out! Pushing back from the junk food market is probably the most important exercise you can do. Loading up on whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruits then chewing them is the best possible exercise! You.can do it!

I absolutely need to follow a daily exercise routine. Walking is my very favorite, but with my feet being what they are, even around the block I end up in big pain. However, I am making it down to the long end of the street and back without hurting, and will increase the length as I feel better. Seriously, ditching the added oils has done wonders for that. More than any other thing. I know as I lose weight, this will be easier and easier. My daughter, and actually some reading in the Rice Diet Solution, talks about consistency. If you can only stand and sit five times, three times a day, then do that EVERY DAY. Like the 600+ lb man who came to the Rice House and his initial exercise regimen was lying on the floor and lifting his feet up. You start where you can DO IT EVERY DAY. That's the secret. Daily discipline. Period.

So today for lunch I ended up having noodle soup, using miso in the broth, so...sodium. But man I wanted noodles. I kept to my portions, and ate fruit for dessert. As for the day of rice and fruit, that won't be today but I'm gearing up for a three day episode starting next Monday. Until then, sticking to the plan.

[VivianS]

VivianS November 4, 2020
Walk your dog twice a day whether you have one or not!

[bunsofaluminum]

Holy cow I got SO HUNGRY last night! Since starting this "measure your portions" thing, I've had the pre-meal appetite bumps, but last night maybe 3 hours after dinner, I was just empty. So I had a portion of rice with some capers in it at about 8:00. And I must say, I do not want to feel hungry every day BUT a thought I had was that in the history of humanity, people haven't always had food at their fingertips to put in their face at every nudge of their appetite. Sometimes there was even famine, where they might not get enough to eat for an entire season. In fact our physiology evolved in an environment where famine/dearth could come at any time, and our bodies store fat for the day when there isn't enough to eat. That's where our bodies evolved, but now the famine never does come. As Dr M says, it's an Easter feast every breakfast, a Christmas feast for lunch every day, and a Thanksgiving feast for every dinner. No wonder we're obese in the West.

We're not hunter/gatherers anymore, but we do NOT have to eat straight off the fat/sweet/salt trifecta all day long.

The first week doing this Rice Diet/portion control thing, I was surprised that the smaller portions filled me up, and then not feeling hungry until close to the next meal. But this is my third week, and the lower calories are starting to tell. I think that's why I felt so empty last night. Like, uncomfortable. And I waited on it. Will the grumbles die down? But after a couple of hours, seriously, it stayed the same and so I had a snack. 2/3 c rice and capers.

However, I also took a walk, probably about 25 minutes, which is more than I've been able to do in absolute ages. This walk included a brief uphill, even! AND when I got back my feet were not in agony. This is an amazing gift. This pain-free more than any other thing is keeping me on plan. If I went back in this journal one year, guaranteed there would be something about the Sock Of Pain. And that just doesn't exist anymore. I am positive to my core that this comes from eliminating fats.

But this is sort of how I thought/wanted it to be. I kind of knew, that as I adjusted the food, the energy would go up and the weight would drop, and I'd be able to do more...and that is what's happening. Even before losing any pounds, ditching the fats brought about the pain relief that allows me to get out and take a stroll. I'm still not pushing myself to the 90 minute walks, but I am doing about one city block per day. And yesterday in the dog park at the foot of my street, where there was some up and down in the terrain...that did feel good.

and maybe that 25 minute walk burned dinner calories, and therefore I felt hungry, and therefore I ate more. Which also points to the fact that IT'S THE FOOD. Exercise is super important, but when you burn calories, your body asks for more calories in, right? Food is the foundation. Eat right, and exercise. Don't eat stupid and expect to exercise your way out of it.

Started the day with rice and fruit. Not sure if I'll do that for all my meals today, but it feels like a good start to my day.

[VivianS]

VivianS November 5, 20200 pound
Yea! Pain free feet! I think you are right about eating fat causing pain ...inflammation. The extra pounds we carry causes pressure on joints, too.
When I pick up a small child (40 pounds), my back starts screaming, "Hey! She has feet. Let her walk." Then my feet say, "If you don't carry her in the house she will run and you will have to chase her. Don't do it! " Brain comments, "Give her a big kiss.Give her a good reason to walk in the house and she will. Back and feet don't need to carry extra weight. Put her down. You can let her sit in your lap to read books. You can tickle and kiss and snuggle after bath when you dress her. Listen to your body."
I am listening to Jeff Novick: Eat when you are hungry. Eat in the low calorie end of the food spectrum with lots of veggies and fruits and an equal amount of starch. That's the sweet spot for weight loss, enough energy and being satisfied. Eat when you are hungry. Eat food that you have prepared.
I cooked a pound of brown rice and put it in little plastic containers of 3/4 cup servings. I have veggies cooked and in jars. Fruit is in sight. Steel cut oats can be cooked in 3 minutes. If I'm hungry, I eat. Jeff Novick's plan has been working for me. That check list has helped me find the fat I was eating that I didn't realize was there...keeping me fat.
Last night I spent an hour mopping and cleaning at my niece's house. The kids and their mom were asleep. The work needed to be done. I felt like doing it. I knew that mom and grandmother work and need to rest. I needed the exercise so I joyfully mopped in peace and quiet. When I went home, I ate because I was hungry.
I am using portion control because it makes my cooking and meal planning easier. I have my soups in little cup sized jars or 12 oz. jars all lined up beside my containers of rice. I need lots of fiber to keep from being constipated, lots of water and lots of walking or working like mopping to keep my bowels moving. Fiber, water, motion- that's the cure for constipation. Medication from a gastroenterologist is available if needed. Yes, I need it.
I wear lace up shoes with steel orthotics which are padded to comfort my arthritis. Visiting the foot doctor recently confirmed that my toe nails don't have fungus but do have damage from psoriasis I buy shoes with a big toe box to keep pressure off my toe nails and bunions. It is much easier to walk when your shoes don't hurt your feet. I even have special shoes to wear in the shower. Spending money on good shoes is a necessity. A foot specialist can help you resolve your foot pain.
You have one body. It is the temple of God. He expects you to take care of it. He loves you and wants you to love yourself and care for yourself so you can continue to love others.
(X hands linked) Friend, read that Maximum Weight Loss check list everyday. It is offered to you in friendship and love. It will help you. Ask questions when you post on Friday. You will get the help you need and you will have success. I am sure of it. You are, too. You had success before. You can do it again!
VivianS

[bunsofaluminum]

So I'm on day 21 of this rice diet inspired MWL eating and on DAY NINE (9) of being stuck at one weight. I'm sick of it. Thank goodness I figured out what the processed foods/oils were doing to my joints because I'd be sorely tempted to say screw it and just be fat the rest of my dang life.

[earthmonkey]

you can do it Buns!

[VivianS]

VivianS November 9, 2020
Joint pain definately gets your attention and motivate you to STOP anything causing the pain. I'm glad you know the oils are not your food. Any time I am passing fast food places ( weapons of mass destruction), I say to myself, "That's not your food."
I misread your signature box the first time I responded to you. It actually read, "Just don't eat it." I thought it said, "Just eat it!" For me that is the side of the street I want to be on. I want to forget about the stuff that hurts me and look at what I do need to eat for my health. I don't like white potatoes, but my husband buys big ones and leaves about a cup for me to eat. The starch and potassium are good reasons for me to eat the potato...so I just eat it.
Keep eating the foods that are going to heal you and make you feel better. Never say fat again. That's not the issue. You want to live in less pain and to improve your health. It's the food. You know what real food is. Choose life! You will see the changes in your health and your figure.
I agree with Earth Monkey, "You can do it, Buns!"
VivianS

[bunsofaluminum]

SW: 240
GW: 135
CW: 232 10th day in a row.

Weight loss or not, the bottom line is, I'm not going to change the way I eat. This is how I eat. Period.

Vivian, the motto "Just Don't Eat It" comes from my husband. When we first moved in together, he started stocking our pantry with his snacky, junky, tempting, alluring non-foods. It was a little tempting, though I didn't cave very often but still, that Pleasure Trap bait was always there. So I asked him not to bring the stuff into the house. And he said "what you eat is not my responsibility. If you want to avoid that stuff Just Don't Eat It" which was/is actually profound.

Every day in this society I am going to be confronted with SAD non-foods. Even if I don't step outside my doors, the ads on TV will promote 2 for $4.00 egg McMuffins, or Arby's gyros or name a fast food joint. And going to the grocery store, before I even get there I pass a KFC/A&W, a Baskin-Robbins, a Dunkin Donuts, Chick-fil-A, Cafe Rio, McDonald's, Starbucks. Inside the store are literal aisles of JUST JUNK FOOD. Not to mention the processed "ingredients" like canned soups, baking mixes, boxed dinners, boxed side dishes and then there's the bakery section, you know?

Everywhere I look, and in every place that I go, it's there. And it is not the responsibility of the food manufacturers to keep those things away from my awareness. It is my responsibility to Just Don't Eat It. I ignore it, and I also ignore the garbage in my hubby's side of the cupboard. Just Don't Eat It.

About three or four years ago, we lived in a high rise apartment, and I remember having to hold his arm when we walked from our front door to the elevator, to the parking garage, to our car because of the pains in my lower extremities. I limped on my right because of a bum knee. Limped on my left because there was what I call a "sock of pain" on my left foot. From my toes to my ankle: Pain. And sometimes both feet had this pain. It was miserable. And this ache went on for a long time. In fact, before I regained 60 lbs, sometimes my left ankle would give me grief even eating properly and being 60 lbs lighter, right? So I have a bum foot, no use denying that. But it never hurt constantly. I mean, I walked a LOT. Walked a lot when I was over 300 lbs; walked a lot as I lost weight in various fad diets or methods of eating; walked a lot as I was at my most fit and at my lightest weight between '09 and 2014. Hiked, jogged, walked to the grocery store two miles away. Walked to work and back, which was also two miles each way. But with my feet hurting as they did in about 2015-July 2020 I stopped walking.

Meanwhile, I had this attitude about butter. And also not being careful with the processed stuff. And then I ditched all added fats in the last week of July...and woke up one morning saying "Wait a minute, did I take ibuprofen this morning?" because I didn't ache when I got out of bed. I don't ache when I have been sitting at my desk and get up to stretch my back. And I am back to walking again. I don't go for 90 minutes like I used to, but it's wonderful to walk to the end of the street and stroll around in the river walkway, and back home again and my feet be not killing me.

It will be amazing when the poundage does start dropping, but I'll be damned if I'm ever going to start putting processed fats in my body EVER again.

I mean it. I'm not really gonna say screw it and throw in the towel and go back to my SAD ways but it sure WOULD be nice if my body would just let it go. FFS. It's old already.

[earthmonkey]

Hi Buns...

I do think it is difficult if there is non-compliant food in the home. It makes it a world easier for "bad for us food" isn't in arm's reach. I am sorry that your husband chooses not to support you in this way. I admit, a relationship like that wouldn't work for me, however I do see a lot of McDougaller success stories, especially women telling that same tale, and they do eventually win out over the non-compliant foods.

I don't know what to say about 10 days at the same weight except that maybe even the minor coloring outside of the lines foodwise makes a big impact.

This weekend our temperatures dropped and I found that I was craving warm foods. More than warm rice. So I've decided to shift to the Solution and incorporate legumes. I made dal from Mary McDougall recipe last night, and it was very fulfilling. I have a feeling that the cold weather isn't compatible with my mind-body effort towards the Rice Diet Report. I will still be sticking to 1 cup of grain and/or grain and legume at every meal, and 1-2 cups veggie (except breakfast).

I believe that you can find the right balance for you, and well, while weight loss is our goal, at least not gaining is a win too.

keep the faith Buns!!