My Daily "Weighing in"

[squealcat]

Exercise today:
Walked 3 miles at the gym then walked around the grocery store doing shopping

Breakfast:
steel cut oats
banana
blueberries
flax seek (1 Tbl)

Lunch:
Large salad with mixed greens, broccoli, sprouts, tomato, cucumber, peppers
dressing made with balsamic vinegar and my hummus
also cut up an orange to mix in my salad

Dinner:
veggie soup
my cole slaw
a mix of pasta, black beans, corn, salsa, mushrooms, onion.....that's all I think
apple

I feel pretty good today. Tomorrow it will be snowy and slippery (so they say) as a storm is supposed to fly in before midnight. I am hoping it will not keep me from going to the gym. If it does I will probably follow a YouTube video. I am trying to get myself in the mood to lift weights again. I was doing it but it kinda went out the window around Christmas time. I will start again, no worries (I say to myself).

Tomorrow I need to clean and cut up the broccoli, cauliflower and kale that I bought today. It is so nice to have it all ready to eat ! I will also thaw out some bean or lentil soup. That's it for now.

-squealcat

[squealcat]

Exercise:
I walked 3 miles at the gym today.

Breakfast:
greens
blueberries
banana
flax seed

Lunch:
large salad
balsamic vinegar and my hummus for dressing
black beans on the salad

Dinner:
veggie soup
steamed broccoli
Large sweet potato (couldn't finish it )
orange

I am trying to avoid salt and tested it out today. No salt on my soup or broccoli for dinner. I have some "table tasty" seasoning and used that. It worked pretty well. I didn't use salt for the other meals either. Will see how this goes.

I have been listening to a book using my phone and a library app. I highly recommend "The Dutch House" ! ( I think I have said this before....sorry. It is so helpful to have something really good to listen to while walking (esp at the gym). Avoiding boredom is important if you want to keep an activity going.

That's it for today ! We got at least 4 inches of snow today. Not as bad as other parts of the country and the roads are already cleared pretty well. I have a dermatology appointment tomorrow. Nothing special, just a yearly skin check and getting questions answered. My scalp condition is not 100% all cleared but SO much better than last year. Also my eczema is almost gone too....just on the palm of one hand and that isn't too bad if I keep putting lotion on my hands. I have rosacea as well and no flare ups this year. Could it be the food???

-squealcat

[squealcat]

Yesterday's post disappeared. I know I entered it right ! That is the second time this has happened. Oh well ! Let's go on.

Exercise: none
I was taking care of my little grandson today

Breakfast:
steel cut oats
blueberries

hungry later: had a banana

Lunch:
large salad
balsamic vinegar and my hummus for dressing
large sweet potato

Dinner:
veggie soup
bean soup
apple
slice of my husband's fresh baked whole wheat bread (just dry. no butter or anything else )

Tomorrow is weigh-in day so we will see how that goes. My week went really well except for one afternoon when I slipped. All in all I am satisfied with the food I ate and I didn't starve or need anything more.

-squealcat

[squealcat]

exercise:
walked 3 miles at the gym

Breakfast:
steel cut oats
pear
banana
1/2 oz walnuts

Lunch:
very large salad with a lot of different veggies in it
lite dressing
a few small yellow potatoes

Dinner:
veggie soup
steamed broccoli
brown rice
mixed beans with some peppers added
pear

I was pretty happy today to weigh myself and see that I had lost 1.9 pounds. YAY! I am slowly getting healthier and losing some weight along the way. I did experiment a bit with adding some walnuts to my day but when I weighed out 1 oz, I thought "this is too much!" so I put half back. Later I discovered that I had forgotten to thaw out my hummus. I have had this lite poppy seed dressing in the cupboard for quite a while so I thought I would just start using it. I am happy to admit that I have been McDougalling for so long that I just cannot do this. I just cannot eat nuts right now (and maybe not ever) and that lite dressing? It didn't taste THAT great anymore. I have grown to love balsamic vinegar and hummus combination. That balsamic is pricey but it is worth it to me.

So back I go ! I listened to an old Dr McDougall talk about set point and really liked it. Not sure I have ever listened to it before. Most of it I knew but I needed to hear it again. I didn't stray very much but this was a good test for me to see where my heart and mind are really at.

That dressing will probably end up in the trash and the walnuts will be stuffed in a corner of the freezer for my husband to use. That's my plan.

Tomorrow I go to the gym again and eat my usual foods. I think I am going to make a Jeff Novick Snap meal. If any of you have a favorite combination, please let me know. Thank you !

-squealcat

[deweyswakms]

exercise:
walked 3 miles at the gym

I listened to an old Dr McDougall talk about set point and really liked it. I think I am going to make a Jeff Novick Snap meal.

-squealcat

Gosh I miss the gym, the swimming pool; gyms all still closed here in Oregon. I LOVE JN's fast food meals; make them all the time, fast and easy works for me. In a skillet, I add a drained and rinsed can of black beans, half a can of spicy tomatoes (I like spicy SW flavors), 1 pkg of frozen veggies of some kind (I like a SW mix of beans, corn, red peppers); I add some diced greens, sometimes diced bok choy or celery for crunch. Season to taste; simmer; serve over rice or potatoes.

What do you make?

Marsha

[squealcat]

Marsha, our gyms have been open only two months. I was hesitant to go back but when I did, I discovered that everyone was (mostly) compliant wearing their masks (mostly) properly. We have self check-in now and doors are propped open so we don't have to touch them. The staff are cleaning all the time and are good examples. I just go, walk, and go home. Nothing fancy. I am thinking about starting some weight work-outs soon. Will see.

I go shopping on Tuesday and need a couple of things in order to make a SNAP meal. I haven't decided what to make yet. Thank you for your input ! I love black beans !

[squealcat]

Exercise: 3 mile walk at the gym this morning

Breakfast:
steel cut oats
blueberries

Lunch:
very large salad
balsamic vinegar and my hummus as dressing
large sweet potato

Dinner:
veggie soup
brown rice, beans, and corn mix
broccoli
pear

I got my first Covid vaccine today. I was a little nervous as I didn't know just how it would go. I had an appointment at the hospital I worked at for 40 years so at least I was comfortable with the place and parking is easy there too. Well, I think I was in and out of there in just 25 minutes and that included the 15 minute wait afterward to make sure there were no side effects. Very easy ! In three weeks I get the next one. I hope that eating well, exercise, and vaccine will keep me healthy. I have never been one to "catch" colds and flu easily and since I have retired I cannot say I have been sick .

I had a tough time yesterday once more eating things I really didn't want to eat. I am starting to think this pattern is really a habit I have established. I also noticed that I get really uncomfortable after having bread, crackers and peanut butter. Maybe no coincidence! I am fine now and back to where I want to be. I am my true self.

-squealcat

[squealcat]

I am having a tough time this week. I am not posting what I am eating because I don't want to make anyone confused or fall off track. I have had some strong urges to eat rich food. Sometimes I am successful at staying away from it and sometimes not. One thing that helped was to look at the clock and delay eating the wrong things for 10 minutes, then 10 minutes more. The other thing I did was just look at how I was feeling at the moment, what I was thinking, how the parts of my body felt....things like that. I realize that these thoughts are not really my true thoughts. They belong to my false self.

I may be a little bored with my foods lately and need to make some new things that I haven't had for a while. I am thinking about split pea soup, pasta, lentils.....I have all the ingredients so that is my plan for Friday and the weekend. Right now I have to clean and chop some kale. I will be gone watching my grandson tomorrow so have to get this done today. I already made some hummus. Almost put some tahini in it but talked myself out of it.

This is a lot of work !! Dr Lisle always says it is hard and I am so glad he acknowledges that as it makes me realize I am probably not alone. If anyone has any tips or tricks please let me know. I have made my 10 point checklist for this coming week on my habit tracker pad of paper and that will probably help. I will let you know how it goes.

-squealcat

[moonlight]

Hi Marilyn,

I feel your pain! I've been off track and just got back on a couple of days now. Keep working at getting back on track with every meal. I watched several of Dr. Lisle's lectures. A few takeaways:

1) Focus on getting enough starch. Don't go hungry because you are trying to make up for something you ate that you didn't want to eat.

2) You may have to white knuckle it for a few nights. Like you said, know that it's going to be hard for a couple of nights.

3) Have ready-to-eat compliant food on hand. Yesterday I made 3 spaghetti meals using JeffN's SNAP template. Super easy. They are sitting in my fridge. I also steamed a whole big bag of frozen mixed veggies, cooked a pot of rice, made a pot of simple soup, and made a big salad that will last a few days. Now, you may not be able to devote that much time to cook ahead but at least try to get some good food ready to pop into your mouth as needed. (I also baked a few potatoes!) Yesterday I decided that spending the day focused on my diet was okay because I really wanted to get back on track.

Good luck!! You can do it even though it can be hard. Think of all the things you've tackled before. Don't let your "false self" try and tell you otherwise!!

One more thing, when the cravings hit, brushing my teeth helps me reset. If I am really determined to stay on plan, this will redirect those pesky cravings.

[squealcat]

Thank you Moonlight ! I was remembering last night that someone ( Doug Lisle?) said that by the third day of white knuckling it ....that it would get easier. Well, I had stuck it out for a day and a half and it was SO HARD ! I was thinking about rich food all the time and anything healthy just didn't sound good. Now that I remember that it sometimes takes over 3 days, I will stick it out much better. I just had never had such strong urges for so long before.

Today I had oatmeal with cauliflower and just a sprinkle of blueberries. Lunch is a large salad with my hummus and balsamic vinegar over the top. Bean soup with brown rice too ! Dinner is broccoli and mashed potatoes. All planned.

A lot of very cold weather coming up and a good amount of snow (not as bad as out East though). I may have to exercise at home tomorrow. Maybe a walking video is in order.

Well, have to leave for my daughter's in a minute. Babysitting day !

-squealcat

[squealcat]

I was listening to the Rich Roll podcast and the Minimalists were on. This made me think that the way we eat on the MWL program is minimalist-like. I like thinking about this as I believe that living a more simple life is the way to go. Less stressful, more ease and less to cloud the brain. I will think about this more.

-squealcat

[deweyswakms]

I was listening to the Rich Roll podcast and the Minimalists were on. This made me think that the way we eat on the MWL program is minimalist-like.
-squealcat

I do sometimes still have an indulgence but have to say, it is rare now. Because I crave the taste of the great food I now eat. I realize that I do like eating like a Minimalist. I call it eating peasant food. You will get there. It's a process; set your plans for today and live to that.

Marsha

[Londyn74]

I am new this this discussion and journey. I weighted in yesterday with (-) which makes me 5 pounds down since I started 2 weeks ago.

[squealcat]

How wonderful Londyn ! You are on a very exciting journey ! I was thinking today about all the ways my life and thinking are so different from months ago and even years ago. I have been on a diet since I was probably 9 years old and it is hard to get away from that dieting way of thinking. I finally most days think about this healthy way of life and make choices accordingly. I used to mark on a calendar or notebook how many points, how many calories I burned, what I will weigh in a year if I follow a certain plan of eating. Now I just make up some soup, cook some potatoes and rice, steam some veggies and walk and move . My plan is only to live well while loving others and myself until I am done living. I hope to live a long life !

Today I did some reading and scrapbooking, watered my plants.....watched a little TV with my husband. No exercise today but walking tomorrow is the plan for tomorrow morning. I need to cook up some chick peas (maybe today yet) but I have everything else prepared. Oatmeal was for breakfast, salad and sweet potatoes for lunch and potatoes and pea soup for dinner with salad first. No measuring or weighing. I have some little yellow potatoes all cooked in case I am still hungry.

[squealcat]

Weight change +/- in lbs: + 0.9

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.no
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert.no
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.yes
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).no. a couple of slices of cheese
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).no
6. Eliminate any added oil.no
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit.no
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).no. Made and drank one smoothie
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.no
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).yes

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:Even when I went astray with my eating, my walking stayed consistent. I walked 15 miles this week. Mark, last week you called attention to the fact that I don't have a problem with my exercise routine but I have struggled with what I eat. I am thinking about it right now and feel that my walking is a routine that I have had since I retired almost 4 years ago. I don't want to give it up for anything. I guess it is part of my identity. It is what I do almost every morning. It takes up space in my day and I don't feel that I have lost anything by spending that time walking. Now for the food and eating, I guess I don't yet have the MWL way of eating as part of my identity. I have to work on that as it doesn't take much to get me off track. I can go a few weeks following it just fine and then the rich food calls to me. Right now I must "white knuckle it" to get back on track. I have to realize that , like my walking, I won't lose anything by spending my time eating the MWL way. I won't lose, I will gain.

On to the next week !
-squealcat (Marilyn)