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Compliance Project

PostPosted: Fri Oct 19, 2018 1:58 pm
by Idgie
I promise future posts in this thread won't be quite so long!

I've been waffling about compliance for a while now. I feel like I have the knowledge I need, and the resources, and most of the will, yet somehow, I'm only stringing together 2 compliant days at a time most of the time, with one or two or four days in between. (To give myself credit, the non-MWL days have almost always been McD compliant.)

Werner just posted a "fresh start" journal, and that was the push I needed to commit to 100% MWL EVERY day, not just once in a while. This is Day One, and I feel like I have it in me to do this every day, at least until I meet my health and fitness goals, and then my plan is to go to regular McD.

For me, compliance looks like this:
What's in: Veggies, low-fat fruits, whole grains, and beans, along with water/salt/spices
No animal products
No nuts, olives, avocados, soybeans, or coconut
No added fats/oils
No juice or caloric drinks or artificial sweeteners
Fruit up to twice a day (I don't measure food servings; if it starts to feel like I'm consuming too much fruit or my triglycerides go up, I'll make this more strict)
No flour, bread, white pasta, baked goods
No dried fruit or sugar unless it's a minor part of a recipe, or an ingredient in a condiment (but I will seek out and buy condiments without sugar/salt)
These things are okay occasionally (no more than about 2 times total per week -- if they become a problem, cut them out): whole-grain pasta, corn tortillas, polenta, processed grain (white rice, hominy, etc.)
For now, salt is fine, but start cooking with less salt and buying lower-salt products
Caffeine is only allowed as part of my migraine medication if needed

I probably don't want 3 journals on here, so I may fold my food log and daily journal into this one; haven't decided yet. Will probably just keep it all here because it will be a good reference back for me.

Numbers/stats:

Weight:
June 10 (when I started tracking and heading toward McD compliance): 330 lbs.
July 8 (when I started trying to do MWL, with some success, but almost 100% McD): 316.8 lbs., down 13.2
October 19 (today): 285, down 45 from start, down 31.8 since start of trying to be 100% MWL (and managing probably 95% compliance)

A1C:
April 21: 5.6
October 13: 5.5

Cholesterol:
April 21: 161
October 13: 143

Triglycerides:
April 21: 184
October 13: 150

Today's food plan:
B: Tomato soup and okra
L: beans and veggies
D: Veggie soup with potatoes in it
S: Baked potato with some kind of fat-free sauce on it (lots of choices right now), and some veggies

Actual:
B: :thumbsup:
S: grapes :thumbsup:
L: :thumbsup: (cooked a pound of baby spinach with a can of kidney beans and a bag of frozen corn; served with a chopped tomato. Actually only ate about half of it at lunch, and the other half a couple hours later.)
S: rambutan :thumbsup:
S: (blood sugar was low) Engine 2 burger with ketchup :thumbsup:

Challenges today: Home all day, so I ate all day, but that's okay. Also, we have some good pears going ripe, but I already ate my 2 fruits, so I'm skipping them.

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Re: Compliance Project

PostPosted: Fri Oct 19, 2018 6:01 pm
by VegSeekingFit
Hi Idgie! :D

Great goal for compliance (and great post)!!

Awesome results to date!!!

Beautiful food pic... :cool:

You rock! Wishing you the best as you switch it up a bit.

Cheers,
Stephanie

Day 1 wrap-up

PostPosted: Fri Oct 19, 2018 9:13 pm
by Idgie
Thanks so much, Stephanie!

Day 1 wrapup:

[Update: my blood sugar was way too low at bedtime, so I added a late snack -- Engine 2 burger with a little ketchup.]

It went really well. Compliance was pretty easy. Bought a fair bit of easy on-plan food today while shopping. This should work, especially since I live with someone who doesn't eat the way I do, but does 100% support my plan.

Added $1 to reward fund; total is now $21

Meds: reduced thyroid pill (now taking 225mcg 6 times a week, instead of 250); reduced beta-blocker (down from 100 mg a day to 50 a day); antibiotics and motrin for infection and pain; vegan probiotic drink while I'm on antibiotics)

Things I did to support myself today:
* bought compliant food (and only compliant food)
* read a Chef AJ book and looked up some MWL recipes that are not too fancy
* went to the gym
* tried an herbal tea. In general, I hate herbal tea, and this one is no exception, but I am seeking out something to use as an evening comfort drink. Will try hot water with lemon next.

Exercise: 38 minutes on stationary cycle

Day 2

PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 7:12 am
by Idgie
Plan for today:
Potatoes and veggies all day. I bought lots of potatoes this week (and some sweet potatoes) and I bought some pre-diced onions. I'm going to caramelize the onions and just eat potatoes, onions, and veggies in any form -- soup, salad, steamed, whatever.

We're going to the farmer's market after our dentist appointment, so maybe I'll find something interesting there.

Weight: 285 (no change from yesterday, but with the antibiotics, the probiotics, and the necessary bedtime eating (hypoglycemia), that's not surprising. I had something like 6 grams of fat yesterday. Nothing to worry about.

Actual food:
B: tomato soup and potatoes with ketchup (eating the soup first means I only got a couple bites into the potatoes, and then I put them away) :thumbsup:
S: had a blood sugar crash, so I had a couple glucose tabs, and then some tomato soup :thumbsup:
L: partner took me to lunch after we both went to the dentist. I ordered rice and veggies, and ate about 1/3 of my meal. It will be 1 or 2 more meals later.
S: the rest of my breakfast potatoes.
D: Hash brown waffles w/ketchup and a pear

Re: Compliance Project

PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 7:46 am
by Suey51
Hi Idgie,

Great idea and great posts!

Re: herbal tea. Have you tried liquorice tea in the evenings? Liquorice is naturally sweet which sometimes helps calm a mid-evening sweet craving for me. Today I discovered green Rooibos tea which has a similar taste to green tea but it's naturally caffeine free.

Wishing you all the best with your compliance project and looking forward to hearing about your continued success :)

Cheers, Sue

Re: Compliance Project

PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 8:13 am
by Idgie
Hi, Suey (is it Sue or Suey?),

I haven't tried licorice tea, but thanks for the recommendation!

I didn't want to say this next part, for fear it would sound like I don't appreciate the suggestion, because I do. I'm just thinking aloud here, as it were.

I don't have a sweet tooth, and I dislike the taste of licorice/fennel, so I'm unlikely to try it, but I'm planning to try lots of others, so I'm really up for any suggestions folks have. My problem is I have weird food hates -- I hate chai. HATE it, or anything with cinnamon in it. Hate tea with fruit flavors in it. Etc. I really love black tea and think green tea is all right. Problem is I really shouldn't have caffeine with my heart condition. Oh, well. Tried vanilla sleepytime yesterday -- it was FOUL to my taste, although it smelled good to me.

Funny thing is, I never felt the need to replace milk in my diet -- I don't use plant milk; I just don't eat cold cereal any more, or drink tea (which to me has always needed milk). So maybe I don't need to replace hot tea. Maybe I can just heat water when I want something hot to drink. Or maybe my tastes will change, as they do when you eat differently for long enough.

Anyway, thank you!

Re: Compliance Project

PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 9:20 am
by Yomom
Idgie
My favorite herbal tea is ginger-lemon. I, too, do not care for cinnamon-based teas. For reference, I am a former coffee/“special” coffee/diet coke drinker.

Re: Compliance Project

PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 1:11 pm
by AlwaysAgnes
Potatoes and onions. You're speaking my language. :nod:

I've never much liked herbal teas or green tea. I like black tea okay, but generally prefer it cold. Really, I've always been more about coffee than tea. If hot or warm water doesn't do it for ya, you could try one of the grain-based drinks. There are several out there. I recently tried Inka from Poland (Lee Lee's added a big Polish section. I also bought some more kraut. :nod: ) You can find Inka in different sizes, canisters and boxes. You can see it here https://www.enjoybettercoffee.com/INKA- ... /in004.htm I've also bought Pero before. That's okay. I tried Teecino way back, but couldn't get into it.
You could also try some kind of mild veg broth. With onions in it, of course. :wink: How about a homemade onion soup mix? https://www.honeyandbirch.com/homemade-onion-soup-mix/ Maybe grind it up more?
There are recipes for veg stock powders on the internet. There are also veg stock powder products available. I even saw Vegan Broth K-Cups. :shock: https://store.veganessentials.com/be-le ... p5298.aspx Salt/sodium may or may not be an issue with some broth powders for some people. If you like mushrooms, you could grind up some favorite dry mushroom/s and use that powder in hot water. Or start there and add your favorite herbs and spices to make up your own mushroom tea powder concoction. There are also various mushroom tea products out there. I think mushroom tea is trendy now. That and black lemonade made with activated charcoal. :\ Ew.

Okay. I'm done now. Sorry for rambling.

Re: Compliance Project

PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 2:54 pm
by Idgie
Agnes and yomom, great suggestions; thanks! I can't believe I never thought about veggie broth! I would much rather have savory than sweet foods, and for tea, I used to drink it with sugar and milk, so I think it's an excellent idea to make a broth mix instead of tea! Oh, and you also reminded me I have Korean barley tea around here somewhere, and I really like that.

I have a jar of dried mushrooms that I didn't like using in cooking because they were too rubbery, so I've been waiting for an opportunity to drop them in a spice blender and make powder out of them. I also have tomato powder, other herbs/spices, and an order of Benson's Table Tasty on its way (Chef AJ sold me on it). This will be fun! I'll post about anything that turns out yummy.

Day 2 wrap-up

PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 7:09 pm
by Idgie
Pretty good day. Dentist in the morning, but the rest of the day was just shopping and hanging out with my partner. Fun thing: fed my partner a waffle-iron hash brown and the response was "Hey, that was pretty tasty!" Yay!

Added $2 to reward fund; total is now $23

Meds: reduced thyroid pill (now taking 225mcg 6 times a week, instead of 250); reduced beta-blocker (down from 100 mg a day to 50 a day); antibiotics and aspirin for infection and pain, respectively; vegan probiotic drink while I'm on antibiotics; glucose tabs for low blood sugar)

Things I did to support myself today:
* ordered veggies and rice in the restaurant
* instead of eating that for my next meal, stuck with my planned food

Exercise: 31 minutes of slow walking

Food prepped for the future: big batch of caramelized onions (just onions and veggie stock)

Plan for tomorrow:

B: leftover veggies and rice from the restaurant
L: potatoes and veggies
D: potatoes and veggies
S: potatoes and veggies, soup

Day 3

PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 1:41 pm
by Idgie
Plan for today:
B: leftover veggies and rice from the restaurant
L: potatoes and veggies
D: potatoes and veggies
S: potatoes and veggies, soup

Actual:
B: :thumbsup:
L: skipped (an exercise from the Beck book)
S: blackberries :thumbsup:
D: :thumbsup: (hash brown waffle, caramelized onions, ketchup)
S: :thumbsup: (three-bean salad)
S2: plain corn tortilla (just 1) :thumbsup:
S3: apple :thumbsup:

Costco didn't have my fave four-bean salad today, and I've been craving it, so I made some. I know some people don't do any sugar or salt on MWL, but I don't drink the dressing, so it works for me.

Three-bean salad

For the salad, combine green beans (I used fresh, blanched, then rinsed in cold water whole/trimmed beans, but canned are fine if you do canned), drained garbanzos (for this batch, I used organic no-salt), and drained kidney beans (I used regular canned).

For the dressing, heat 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup white vinegar, and a couple tablespoons of salt to just boiling. Toss in a chopped onion and then pour that whole thing over the green beans.

The plated pic is blurry, but it shows the salad better.

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Day 3 wrap-up

PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 8:14 pm
by Idgie
Good day. Didn't go to the gym, but I'm still trying to recover from my jaw infection, so I'm taking it easy. May or may not go to my training session tomorrow; we'll see how I feel.

Added $3 to reward fund; total is now $26

Meds: reduced thyroid pill (now taking 225mcg 6 times a week, instead of 250); reduced beta-blocker (down from 100 mg a day to 50 a day); antibiotics and ibuprofen for infection and pain, respectively; vegan probiotic drink while I'm on antibiotics; no glucose, caffeine, or aspirin

Things I did to support myself today:
* visited with mom in the morning to start off the day right -- we crack each other up and really enjoy each other's company
* made three-bean salad
* tossed old food from the fridge and did a bunch of dishes
* bought bottled water for us and mom for Tuesday (we're having plumbers here and will be without water for a while)
* rested and took my meds

Exercise: 20 minutes of slow walking, 15 minutes of lackadaisical upper-body ST

Food prepped for the future: big batch of three-bean salad

Plan for tomorrow:

B: Potatoes and fruit (I have a pear that needs to be eaten)
L: three-bean salad and potatoes
D: three-bean salad and potatoes
S: soup, three-bean salad, fruit

Day 4

PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 9:22 am
by Idgie
Today's plan:
B: Potatoes and fruit (I have a pear that needs to be eaten)
L: three-bean salad and potatoes
D: three-bean salad and potatoes
S: soup, three-bean salad, fruit

Actual:
B: Veggie soup and a pear (halved the pear with my partner) :thumbsup:
S: McD soup :thumbsup:
L: Engine 2 burger, three-bean salad, ketchup, salsa, lettuce :thumbsup:
S2: McD soup :thumbsup:
D: apple, three-bean salad :thumbsup:

Day 4 wrap-up

PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 9:55 pm
by Idgie
I had a really irritating day today, with lots of stress I could have done without, but I stayed compliant -- it's amazing to me how powerful it is to make a strong commitment to just not let anything sway me. I stress-ate a little, but I stress-ate compliant foods, and didn't eat to fullness, just to satisfaction. Also, we may be losing water for 3 days, so I went to the store with my partner and was SO TEMPTED to just buy a bunch of easy junk food to eat while we're not able to use the kitchen, but I didn't -- I did get easy stuff like pre-cooked brown rice, but I didn't get the total junk I felt tempted by, and I'm proud of that.

Added $4 to reward fund; total is now $30

Meds: reduced thyroid pill (now taking 225mcg 6 times a week, instead of 250); reduced beta-blocker (down from 100 mg a day to 50 a day); antibiotics for infection; vegan probiotic drink while I'm on antibiotics; no glucose, caffeine, ibuprofen, or aspirin

Things I did to support myself today:
* bought good groceries
* drank lots of water
* ranted to my partner so I could blow off some steam

Exercise: 14-minute mail run (fast walk with hills and stairs)

Food prepped for the future: I'm about to cut up some veggies and make some fat-free hummus for my lunches

Plan for tomorrow:

B: waffle-iron hash browns; veggie soup
L: rice and beans; veggies and fat-free hummus
D: rice and beans; veggies and fat-free hummus
S: soup, three-bean salad, fruit

Day 5

PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2018 8:21 am
by Idgie
Today's plan:
B: waffle-iron hash browns; veggie soup
L: rice and beans; veggies and fat-free hummus
D: rice and beans; veggies and fat-free hummus
S: soup, three-bean salad, fruit

Actual:
B: waffle-iron hash browns with caramelized onions :thumbsup:
S: veggies and fat-free hummus :thumbsup:
L: chili beans, brown rice, okra :thumbsup:
D: curry and rice, veggies and hummus :thumbsup:

I made a big batch of caramelized onions (well, 3 pounds, which ended up being about a cup and a half of them once cooked down) and they're delicious on waffle-iron hash browns.