McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

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

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McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby Salo » Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:25 am

Hi there,

maybe you've read my first questions already here or maybe you just want to follow me for the next 4 weeks.

My mission: It seems I have vitamin deficiency and my blood is too thick. The maybe-cancer-diagnosis hangs above me like the sword of Damocles. I have 3-4 weeks to first not go crazy because of the diagnosis and second to improve my blood levels. This journal shall help me to at least reach the second part. ;-)

About me: I'm turning 34 this year but actually I stopped counting at 25, lol.
I am a mother, a wife, and I work 4 days a week. I'm not quite an active person, but I am no couch potato either. Maybe I can improve this as well during the next weeks. With a ketogenic diet I was able to lose some weight (275 :arrow: 196 lbs) but I suffered from the side effects and wanted to try out The Starch Solution. Although I already followed the plan for one week, I would be grateful when you drop by and commet if I did something wrong - I'm still learning and always thankful for some guidance. :nod:

From week to week I'll try to write down all my meals. Once a week I will weigh myself.
Let's hope this next 3-4 weeks will help me or at least entertain somebody who is reading this. :)
In the end of the journal I will compare yesterday's blood levels to those I am getting in 4 weeks.
Salo
 
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Re: McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby moonlight » Wed Apr 10, 2019 7:24 am

Hi Salo,
Congratulations on giving McDougalling a try. My guess is that you will feel better very quickly. Your doctor is right - eat your vegetables, especially the green leafy ones! If you have time, you might try writing out everything you eat. Others on the forums, who are experienced and successful, can evaluate what you're eating if you seem to be struggling and give advice. This forum is amazing in the amount of information and experienced people willing to help. I wish you the best in regaining your health! :)
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Re: McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby bunsofaluminum » Wed Apr 10, 2019 10:34 am

Hi Salo,

I read your post at the Lounge and wanted to pipe up about my own experience with Keto into Mcdougalling.

How fast I lost weight on a high protein diet! I went from 275 to about 200 so fast...five lbs a week for many many weeks in a row. And the whole time, zero energy. And before I was done, constant bloating, gas, and diarrhea for an official diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I finally quit that diet and gained 35 lbs really fast. Thank you, Keto style diet.

Thankfully I rediscovered McDougalling and my IBS symptoms went away (after a long period of being super gassy) and also my depression is cured. I no longer suffer with that malady at all, thanks to so much energy and stamina. I also lost that 35 lbs and then WENT BELOW 200 for the first time in my adult life! So, hopefully that helps with your question about gaining weight eating this way.

I'm excited to see how you do with four weeks on plan. I predict you will love it, and want to remind you that the pounds aren't the only thing. Feeling better, and general health improvement is such a wonderful bonus, regardless of pounds lost.

Keep posting! I'm excited for you!
JUST DON'T EAT IT

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Re: McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby Salo » Wed Apr 10, 2019 8:58 pm

Thanks, mooonlight. I will try to write down in detail for the days. :nod:

Thanks for sharing your experience on a ketogenic diet, bunsofaluminum. First I was shocked you gained 35 lbs after you quit, but then you lost it again and even cured other problems. That's very encouraging! I hope I can achieve similar results.


Let the magic happen!

I started day one after 6 hours and 34 mins of sleep.
For the start I needed to weigh myself and the scale says 87kg (191,8 lbs) , which means I already lost some weight when I tried out Mary McDougall's recipes.

For breakfast I had 35g of oats with 100ml cashew milk and 67g of apple.

For lunch I prepared a bean salad with a vinaigrette. I devided it into 4 servings, so I just write down the actual ingredients for on serving, okay?
Lunch was 60g black beans, 60g chickpeas, 55g green beans, 5g red onion, 1g of garlic, 25g tomato, 2,5g Dijon mustard, 12,5ml apple cider vinegar with 70g of whole grain pasta.

As a snack I had 110g of apple.

Dinner was one salad serving and 340g of cooked potatoes.

I drank 2,3 liter of water and two mugs (each 200ml) of coffee.

Results of day 1
Total calories -1044
Calories consist of - 182g carbs, 10g fat, 40g protein which is ratio of 74/10/16


Bottom line: I forced myself not to check the calories before the evening. After I read moonlight's comment I started to write down all on a piece of paper. In the evening I transferred it into my mobile app or scanned the packagings. From my own feeling I expected that I ate much more calories than I actually did. Especially the lunch and dinner serving seemed huge to me - but well, I come from months of eating literally nothing. Who was complaining about protein in a plantbased diet? My salad is a protein bomb. Since I prepared 4 servings I will have the rest on day 2. So maybe the protein will be still somehow high. I know you will grumble about the coffee. But let me tell you in my defence I drank up to 16 mugs daily, sometimes more if I had to work during the night. Two mugs for a coffee addict like me is something I am proud of, lol.

I won't write down the exact amounts everyday. Just thought this could help in the beginning, like moonlight said.

What's your opinion on day 1 ? :)
Salo
 
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Re: McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby Lyndzie » Thu Apr 11, 2019 5:32 am

Great start, Salo! One of the best parts of this is how much you get to eat. Here is an article I find really interesting that I think you might like: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=22432&p=217427#p216121

Keep it up!
Lindsey
My food journal: Adventures in Eating
My pregnancy journal: Maybe a Baby 2017
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Re: McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby bunsofaluminum » Thu Apr 11, 2019 8:34 am

Heh, no one should ever be surprised when I gain weight! :lol: :\ I didn't gain it because of going on a plant based diet, btw. When I quit the high protein, I went straight into SAD with all its sweets and treats and overeating and high fat, etc. After regaining the weight, and about a year of trying everything I knew in the way of exercise (but not really changing my eating behavior), AND a drug study for the treatment of IBS, I decided to go with the McDougall program. THEN 55 lbs came off quite nicely. :nod:

I like what I see with your food choices! If you find that the weight isn't coming off, check the cashew milk. Nut milks tend to be high in fat.

It's funny how large the volume of food is to start with. Don't fret. It seems like a lot, and I think it is a lot at first, but things level out over time. My portions are pretty normal these days, but MAN OH did I ever feel like I was putting a lot of food in my face when I started! If you feel hungry, eat a potato, and relax. I predict lots of good things for you. A return of your health! And a loss of your body fat!
JUST DON'T EAT IT

I heart my endothelial lining
by red squirrel

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The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
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Re: McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby Salo » Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:19 pm

Thanks, Lyndzie! I think this could really help me for planning the next days.

Then I got you wrong, bunsofaluminum, I'm sorry. But 55 lbs down with this WOE sounds even more amazing. And yes, currently I'm feeling I eat so much food. But it's not only the the portion sizing. Over years I was told carbs make fat and in all diets I tried so far carbs were the enemy. Keto was then a maximum result of this carb-confusion.


Day 2

I started day two after 5 hours and 5 mins of sleep.

For breakfast I had 45g of oats, mixed with 50 ml fresh squeezed orange juice and 50 ml of water.
I know I shouldn't "drink fruits" but was it okay to have oats with orange juice? Actually it was quite tasty. :)

Lunch was 60g black beans, 60g chickpeas, 55g green beans, 5g red onion, 1g of garlic, 25g tomato, 2,5g Dijon mustard, 12,5ml apple cider vinegar with 70g of whole grain pasta . Like I told before I had leftovers from the day one.

Dinner was 125g cooked rice with sauce. The sauce I made from 200g steamed broccoli, 137g cooked potato and spices (chili, garlic, black pepper). Hell, this was good. But I also noted it was way too much. If I cook this again, I will divide it into two or even three servings.

I drank 2,5 liter of water and three mugs (each 200 ml) of coffee.

Results of day 2
Total calories: 1161
Calories consist of: 212g carbs, 10g fat, 43g protein which is a ratio of 76/8/16

Bottom line: I was quite surprised how long the oats kept me satisfied. I had them at 5 am and only piccked up my lunch at 2 pm because my colleague was asking if I am going to eat with her in our office-kitchen. I was also surprised how relaxed I felt. Usually my work days are busy and stressful - and with my ketogenic diet I always felt somehow restless, which was a bad combo then. But yesterday I was calm and all smiles and graces, lol.

It was quite difficult for me not to drink more coffee in the office in the morning. I had one mug at home, one at the office and then a second one after lunch. I didn't crave for more coffee - it's just my routine to always get a new coffee when I come to my room again, lol. So I switched on my coffee machine on and off several times yesterday.

On my way home I had to do some groceries.
Back home I noticed I was hungry - somehow a strange experience when you don't really know the feeling of hunger. I thought I am prepared, but my husband was hungry as well and took my last serving of the bean salad. So I had to think of something new and then I noticed this evil voice in my head, which wanted me to just eat something - just one chocolate bar...or some candies...
Of course I didn't eat these things, but I am sure if I had not done my groceries on my way home this would be the moment I would completely fail. So I want to be prepared for the next days. Can you suggest any other things next to cooked potatoes? Something which can easily be prepared in the fridge and is ready to eat or easily to use for a meal?

Day 3 will be a mess, since I overslept.
I will try to make the best of it. :D
Salo
 
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Re: McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby Ejeff » Fri Apr 12, 2019 9:27 am

You could make oat and banana cookies and have them in the freezer. Just those 2 ingredients that way if you really need something quick at least it’s healthy. And an apple goes nice with that also :-D
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
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Re: McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby moonlight » Fri Apr 12, 2019 10:54 am

Hi Salo!
You appear to be doing well getting your eating plan together! Yay, you! I just tried the cookies EJeff suggested. They are really good. A great snack for the road.
Thanks, EJeff!
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Re: McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby Salo » Fri Apr 12, 2019 11:53 pm

Thank you Ejeff. Can I store them in an airtight box as well? How long can they stay there? :)


Oh day 3... :roll:

I started day three after 7 hours and 40 mins of sleep. And so I overslept. :roll:

For breakfast I had nothing.

For lunch I had 160g of cooked potatos, 20g of lollo rosso salad, 146g of cucumber, 60g of tomatos and 25g of a store bought hummus. I mixed everything together in a canning jar.

For dinner, and I bring out the red carpet because it was the most delicious combo I ate so far, I had 185g of cooked potatos, 83g red bell pepper, 390g chunky tomatos, 50g of baby spinach and 6g of garlic. I prepared all in one pot, throwing in the ingredients one by one. I used some oregano to spice and the whole meal was so tasty.

Later in the evening I had 2 slices of dinkel sandwich with 25g of store bought hummus and 20g of lollo rosso.

I drank 2 liter of water and 4 mugs of coffee. :(

Results of day 3
Total calories: 744
Calories consist of: 110g carbs, 17g fat, 27g protein which is a ratio of 63/21/16

Bottom line: Well...it seems the less I eat the more coffee I drink, lol. Although my day was far away from being perfect, it was the first day I tried to create something on my own. The last week I followed Mary McDougall's recipes right down to the last detail. Today I mixed things together from which I though they could actually taste good together.

Lunch was quite tasty but dinner was so great.
Nevertheless, I still have the feeling I eat too less. In the evenings I have headaches and I do believe there is a connection to my low calorie intake. I had these headaches as well when I was too low in calories on keto. But I feel like I eat quite much for a meal. My dinner was a huge bowl, lol. For day 4 I plan to have 5 meals - let's see if this works better for me.
Salo
 
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Re: McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby Ejeff » Sat Apr 13, 2019 8:43 am

Yes store the cookies in an airtight container. Not sure how long they will last in the fridge at least 5 days, but if I make a large batch I just freeze them and then grab anytime I want them. Good idea to add a 5th meal as 740 calories is quite low. And way to go with just throwing things together. That seems to be the norm for me. As long as I have brown rice ready in the fridge, I toss that in a bowl with some frozen corn and heat that up. Then I put all kinds of veggies in, peppers, red cabbage and onion, lettuce, kale, really anything you like. That is my usual lunch and I make a very big bowl, but it has so many veggies it is very filling.
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
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Re: McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby Salo » Sat Apr 13, 2019 1:07 pm

Okay, I will try this! Great idea to have starches prepared and just combine them with anything you like. That creates very unique meals. :D


Usually I post my day the other morning, but this evening I have the time to already make my notes for day 4.
This time I'll leave the calories and quantities out... I prepared a big bowl of food today. If I do so, the calorie tracking is simply pesky. First you have to note all, then you have calculate what you actually eat or already prepare servings. If I don't have to do this (anymore), I won't. For myself I still tracked it today so I could see if the 5 meals thing worrked better. But I'm already sure this was the last day of calorie tracking for me, lol.

Day 4

Breakfast Part One
Although we have already spring it's very cold outside and then it also started to snow, lol. So I was in the mood for something warm and cooked an oatmeal.

Breakfast Part Two
I liked the dinkel sandwich with hummus and lollo rosso salad yesterday. So I had it again for my second breakfast.

Lunch Part One
For lunch I prepared a big bowl of Turkish bulgur salad. I took a great serving for my first lunch.

Lunch Part Two
Second lunch was a serving of bulgur salad again - but a smaller size than my first one.

Snack
My son was in the mood for a banana and so we both enjoyed one.

Dinner
First I thought of having bulgur salad again, but then I decided to just do the dinkel sandwich again. This time without hummus, but with tomatos, cucumber and scallions on it.

Bottom line
I think more meals during the day are an better option for me. Today's calorie intake was much better and no headache in the evening. Also I think preparing one meal which is ready-to-eat for days is something I will maintain in the next weeks.
Salo
 
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Re: McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby Salo » Sun Apr 14, 2019 10:19 pm

Day 5

Breakfast Part One and Two
Woke up with terrible toothaches. Fortunately, we have a medical office which is opened from 8 am to 12 am in the week and 9 am to 10 pm at the weekends. So I went there and they could help me really quickly.

Lunch Part One
Potatoes with peas and carrots.

Lunch Part Two
Bulgur salad.

Dinner
4 slices dinkel sandwich with hummus, tomatos and scallions.

Bottom line
Although I don't wanted to I still tracked my food, lol.

I somehow notice a change in my mindset. I am more positive in general and I feel calm. For me, who was often told I had some kind of eerie appearance and usually made everybody cringe when I just entered a room lol, this is mindblowing. In fact of this people react more positive towards me as well. :D

I wish all of you a nice day.
Salo
 
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Re: McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby Salo » Mon Apr 15, 2019 9:58 pm

Day 6

Breakfast
Nothing

Lunch Part One
Bulgur sald.

Lunch Part Two
Bulgur salad.

Snack
Apple.

Dinner
Red lentil stew.

Bottom line
I don't want to say I'll skip the breakfast from now on, but I am not hungry at all in the mornings. So it's okay for me to leave this out.

In my opinion I gradually get used to the food and eating again in general. So for week two I will consider this. Maybe I should try the SNAP Meals from Jeff? :) Or at least follow the rule to have a soup or salad before my meals.

Don't know if I lost any more weight so far, but actually I feel like I did. My face gets thinner and I already had to tighten my belt. Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with one of my colleagues at work. She saw me walking back to my office with my bulgur salad and asked if I would not follow Keto anymore. Then she asked me if I am not afraid to gain all my weight back. And actually I had to think about it. When I started this WOE I was so afraid of the weight gain and, well at least for the moment, now I don't even care about it. In the end she said eating like this would be so extreme - I just responded "Extreme was how I didn't care about my health, starved myself and wanted to be liked for my appearance so much that I got sick from it. If you find eating fruits and vegetables extreme, well then, I seem to be an extremist by choice. :wink: " We both had to laugh but for me it was the first time I spoke out what actually was going on. As long as I just thought about it, it somehow wasn't true. But actually this was exactly what brought me there....
Salo
 
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Re: McDougalling for the next 4 weeks

Postby Salo » Wed Apr 17, 2019 12:05 am

Day 6...or the hell on earth

My day didn't start so well. I had terrible toothache again and had to visit my dentist. Got a new inlay there and the care was done with a lot of anesthesia. I was there at 8:15 am, left the doctor's office at 9:20 am. She told me I could drink water after an hour but should wait with any eating until the anesthesia has completely worn off. The 5 injections took until 4:30 pm :-(

So no breakfast and no lunch. For dinner I had potatoes with purple haze carrots. But terrible pain in the evening again.

Today (day 7) the pain is still there but bearable at the moment. Hope I don't need painkillers today...
Salo
 
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