Jeremiah's Captain's Log

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

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Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby BullFrog » Thu May 02, 2019 10:43 am

Stardate 0502.001

Weighing in at 231.4 lbs at 6 foot tall. Decided to go all in with Maximum weight loss. My goal is to be 190lbs. My immediate goal is to try and lose 12 pounds in the next 30 days. I will do my calisthenics 4 times a week and 20-30 minutes of intense cardio on the other 3 days. My treats are that I allow myself 3 oz of my favorite spirits on Sunday Nights and I will have a Beyond Meat Burger (only 1) at my daughter's birthday party later this month.

I have taken side and front photos of myself and logged them into a new album on my phone. I will take the same shots every Thursday morning alongside my new weigh-in weight at that time.

I have prepped two different sauces for veggie snacks for the whole week. I have peeled and cut up carrots, I have my rice cakes, currently have a garbanzo stew cooking for lunch and a massive amount of determination to finally be shed these 40 pounds!

I am willing to pay the price to not only do what I must to lose this weight, but put in the added effort to make it MAXIMUM.

Some personal goals I am going to set for myself is to not watch TV while I eat. Being a stay at home dad, I can watch TV while eating my lunch as the kiddos sleep. Can't do that now. And when I have my evening snack, no TV either. I'm fine listening to an audio book but no TV. It ALWAYS causes me to eat more. Speaking of which, I am following McDougall's recommendation to wait 20 minutes after I finish my first portion to see if I need more food. I have a timer that I will set up with all my meals so I can follow that process. I eat WAY too fast so I know I need to have that accountability.

Okay, back to work. For the sake of further accountability and daily reminders, I will log my previous' days progress every morning for this month of May. When June 1st approaches, I will reassess.
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Re: Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby BullFrog » Fri May 03, 2019 8:27 am

Stardate 0503.002

Yesterday went well. I kept my snacks and meals per the guidelines. After dinner I was really hungry about 90 minutes later, so I made myself a 1/3 cup of dried popcorn kernels and spritzed some nutritional yeast on top with a couple dashes of low sodium soy sauce (to help the yeast stick). After that I was satiated. Got hungry right before bed (10pm) but didn't eat as it was almost bedtime.

I also avoided the "little thief" eating I would often do such as licking the spoon that I used to make my kids peanut butter sandwiches. I am doing away with mindless "pecking" throughout the day.

I also did not watch TV while eating lunch and dinner. Not only does it slow me down when I eat, but it revealed how much of an emotional attachment I have with food and TV. It was somewhat..."sad" that I couldn't do it. But, in due time, I know that feeling will go away as I learn to not feel the need to be entertained while consuming food.
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Re: Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby BullFrog » Sat May 04, 2019 8:49 am

Stardate 0504.003

Another good day yesterday. I actually worked out twice. Did my 30 minutes of farmer walks in the morning and then around 9pm I had a boost of energy so I decided to do my pull up calisthenic routine. Felt good. After dinner, when getting hungry I had my usual popcorn with nutritional yeast seasoning. Then 30 minutes later I had 1 sliced apple with chili powder, lime juice, and a small pinch of salt.

When I finally went to bed I was getting hungry again, but it was time for bed so I just ignored the hunger. I remember in times past I would get up, down a quick bowl of cheerios and then back to bed. Well those days are done!
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Re: Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby BullFrog » Sun May 05, 2019 10:19 am

Stardate 0505.004

Another good day yesterday. I took my 35 kettlebell and did my farmer's walk for 50 minutes this time. I usually do it for 30-35 minutes, but I took a wrong turn in my route and it took much longer to get back home. But MAN was I exhausted. I was burning up and had to take a cold shower to cool off. As such, I was a bit hungrier later in the day. Instead of my usual bowl of dry popcorn with seasoning and an apple for an evening snack, I had TWO bowls of popcorn. Despite this, around 10pm when I was getting ready for bed I got hungry again. As usual, I ignored my hunger and went to bed. I honestly want to make a lifestyle habit of 8pm being a cut off for food consumption. If I absolutely MUST eat, then pure vegetables only (carrots, celery, etc).

Now time to get my kids ready and head off to church!

Oh, and I ordered Jeff Novick's Back to Basics Fast Food DVD. I'm really excited about seeing his tips and strategies for eating healthy and quick meal prep.
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Re: Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby BullFrog » Mon May 06, 2019 12:30 pm

Stardate 0506.005

Another good day yesterday. I didn't have breakfast since it is Sunday and I have to fast before I take communion. After Church when we have "coffee hour", I avoided breaking my fast since there was no food that qualified under the MWLP guidelines. I waited till I came home with my family and cooked up some potatoes and a big serving size of sauteed broccoli and cauliflower. I then had an apple for desert.

I proceeded to have a light dinner at 4:45pm because I was going to a housewarming party with a friend and didn't want to be tempted to eat anything. After an hour there (and I ate nothing!), we came back home. Since this was sunday and I allow myself a drink on Sundays, I poured myself 4.5oz of vodka, spritzed it with lemon and lime and drank it slowly while visiting with friends and family. Granted, that was on an empty stomach so I had a pretty strong buzz, but I didn't want to eat anything as I know alcohol interferes with your body's ability to burn fat. So I figured I would just drink lots of water and go to bed. I was definitely hungry but I didn't care. I'm too determined to lose weight! I went to bed, woke up and had a nice large breakfast of fresh hashbrowns.

Now back to work!
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Re: Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby BullFrog » Tue May 07, 2019 9:44 am

Stardate 0507.006

Yesterday I didn't feel very well. I had a bit of a headache and had some nausea (perhaps my drink last night on an empty stomach was no bueno!). Whatever the case, I didn't end up exercising yesterday. However, I did eat very well. Only one deviation was, for lunch, I actually had Barbara's 100% shredded wheat with 1 cup of original almond milk. So the deviation was mainly the milk (liquid calories) which is not allowed on the MWLP. But the total calories for that meal was 350 so at least it was low calorie AND I was quite satiated.

Today I feel much better. I am skipping the coffee and going for a cup of green tea instead. Time to begin my homeschooling for my 3 kids and get the day rolling!
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Re: Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby BullFrog » Wed May 08, 2019 1:22 pm

Stardate 0508.007

Yesterday went well. I exercised and actually avoided my typical after dinner snack by going to bed early. I still had the Barbara 100% shredded wheat cereal with one cup of plain almond milk. I am okay with this breakfast since it is SO fast to prep and is only 350 calories (and I stay satiated for 3+ hours!)

Now trying the Mexican Bean & Rice meal by Jeff Novick. I got his Back to Basics DVD yesterday and REALLY excited to try these 10 minute meals. I went grocery shopping and have 5 of his meals lined up. Figured I would try this for lunch and if it is a success, will serve it up for dinner tonight.
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Re: Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby bunsofaluminum » Wed May 08, 2019 3:23 pm

Hi Bullfrog!

Your determination is inspiring. Love the homeschooling, and the fasting pre-communion (I have been there, both places :nod: homeschooling was THE BEST THING I've ever done in my life) And good plan, to leave off eating in front of the TV. Especially if you eat fast...it's so easy to cram more in when you eat distracted.

Keep us posted! I'll be tuning in :)
JUST DON'T EAT IT

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Re: Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby BullFrog » Thu May 09, 2019 8:27 am

Stardate 0509.008

First off, thanks @bunsofaluminum for hopping on my journal and sharing your nice comments. MUCH appreciated! And actually a reminder about not eating in front the TV. I started doing it again these last two days! YIKES! Since I have the 20 minute wait time after eating my first plate, it hasn't been a problem. But I still want to break the habit anyway and just be able to focus on my food!

Yesterday went well again. My only regret was I didn't exercise. I actually went to bed earlier last night. I had a large serving of dinner, and still felt hungry after 30 minutes so had another plate (about 50% of the original plates worth) and felt much better. I skipped my late night approved snack and went to bed.

Oh...and I weighed in this morning (since I do my weigh-ins on Thursday mornings) and I lost 5 pounds! BOOM! My hope is to try for 2.5 to 3 pounds for next week.

Fight on!
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Re: Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby BullFrog » Mon May 13, 2019 6:07 pm

Stardate 0513.009

Well been absent this past weekend. I volunteered for an annual golf course event here in Pasadena and I actually did pretty good. I avoided alcohol, although I did have a handful of corn chips someone gave me to try out their salsa and I had a few dolmadas (a greek dish with rice and dill wrapped in grape leaves with olive oil). The next day my family and I went over to a friends house for dinner and they served us pasta (thus a flour product). They served me wine but I had one small glass and declined a second. While I was not perfect on my MWLP these past three days, I am actually proud of myself for not gorging and binging "since I already messed up anyway". There were times were I really wanted to gorge on a bunch of nuts and rationalize with "well since I already busted the guidelines, go all out!" Thankfully I did no such thing and likely spared myself an easy 1500-2000 calories as a result (and several hundred more for declining to drink during the golf course). Having said that, I have been doing pretty solid today and even got my exercises in.

I look forward to my weigh in on Thursday. Again, I am hoping for 2-3 pounds. In either case, I am adopting new lifestyle habits during this whole process. I know I will bring flour products back into my diet and will introduce nut butters as "condiments" as Jeff Novick says, but I will forever keep these rules: 1) after one serving of food, wait 20 minutes before eating seconds, 2) eat SNACKS between meals and not an actual meal between meals, 3) from lunch onward, my meals must have at least 25%-50% veggies and 4) a light snack between dinner and bed NOT another meal.

I imagine with those principles in check I will be well on my way to a lifetime of being thin. Anyways, back to work!
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Re: Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby BullFrog » Thu May 30, 2019 11:09 am

Stardate 0530.010

Well I didn't post every day like I said I would. But hey, I'm fine with that! I weighed myself today and lost 1.5 pounds last week. This is rather good since I "binged" twice last week. I am reading a book right now on binge eating disorder as I know I struggle with a degree of binge eating (and have for 15 years). It's something I have to immediately address as it often compromises my hard work.

All to say that I have last 6.5 pounds in 4 weeks. I can berate myself for not hitting 10 like I would have wanted (and which was reasonably possible), but I learned a lot during these 4 weeks. For one, I got really good at setting up new lifestyle parameters such as 25-50% of my plate being veggies, waiting 20 minutes after my first serving in a meal (which was huge for me!), eating a snack after dinner (and not another meal) and using nuts and nut butters as condiments only. I found I am perfectly capable of eating white rice (I like it so much better and with all the veggies I now add in my dish, the added fiber helps with any high glycemic spike from the low fiber white rice) and some flour products as long as I don't go to heavy on said dishes.

I will continue along this path and work hard on my binge/emotional eating issues. I have gone down one notch in my belt, which is exciting! Dr. Novick's principles are great and I really got a lot out of his encouraging buying frozen veggies (and even canned veggies), and his quick cooking methods - brilliant really! Granted, I simply CANNOT handle his no salt added recipes. No offense, but they are not tasty in the slightest without salt. So I add my salt at the end of cooking for his recipes and found them to be much tastier. I also do not care to do a no salt diet. If having added salt means I shave a few years off of my life, then I am at peace with that (much like I am at peace with having scotch once or twice a week).

Anyway, off to teach the kids!
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Re: Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby sirdle » Thu May 30, 2019 1:16 pm

BullFrog wrote:Dr. Novick's principles are great and I really got a lot out of his encouraging buying frozen veggies (and even canned veggies), and his quick cooking methods - brilliant really! Granted, I simply CANNOT handle his no salt added recipes. No offense, but they are not tasty in the slightest without salt. So I add my salt at the end of cooking for his recipes and found them to be much tastier. I also do not care to do a no salt diet. If having added salt means I shave a few years off of my life, then I am at peace with that...

This is not a No-Salt way of eating, and Dr McDougall and Jeff Novick will be the first to tell you so.

They urge us to limit processed foods high in salt (because you can't control how much has been added) and, if you personally add salt, to add it to the surface of the foods you eat, rather than during the cooking stage, because if you add the salt to the surface of the food, you will use much less of it.

Salt -- Low-S-S vs No-S-S

Jeff Novick wrote:The reason my cooking DVD doesn’t use sugar or salt is for the same reason we try to make many of the dishes at the program without adding salt and/or sugar to the recipe. This is because the majority of the added salt & sugar in the typical diet is added by the manufacturer in packaged and prepared products and the best way to keep intake of both to a reasonable & safe level is to avoid it as much as possible in packaged products and in prepared foods. Then, one can safely add it at the table without overdoing it.

You may also want to check out my label reading guidelines and my thread on salt where all of these points (and more) are explained in detail.


Cheers, :-P
"Before Enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After Enlightenment chop wood, carry water." -- Zen proverb
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Re: Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby BullFrog » Sat Jun 29, 2019 12:23 pm

Went to Ireland and Scotland for 11 days. With the exception of one soup I ate, I was able to eat my vegan diet with great ease the entire times. Most pubs now (even as far North as the Isle of Skye) have vegetarian AND vegan options. Most of the time when they allowed me to choose "jacket potatoes" instead of fries, I would do that. I rarely ate when I wasn't hungry. I also got to do 3 of my calisthenics workouts while at the various BnB's I went to. I would have liked to have done 5, but hey, still good!

The result? I weighed 225 before I left and now I weight 218.5. BOOM!

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Re: Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby bunsofaluminum » Tue Jul 02, 2019 10:38 am

Ireland and Scotland! I'm jellin.

Way to go, on the lbs falling off, and I'm really proud of you for sticking to it while vacationing. That's got to be the toughest thing for us Starchivores. Keep on going, you're doing great!
JUST DON'T EAT IT

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Re: Jeremiah's Captain's Log

Postby BullFrog » Fri Aug 09, 2019 12:30 pm

Last Log,

Okay so....a lot has happened since my last post. After getting home and having lost that weight on vacation, I gained about 2lb back after 10 days of just careless eating. But then it was time to focus again. However...for some reason...I just really wanted to try what I kept hearing about everywhere: namely, intermittent fasting. So from July 10th to August 9th I went from 221 lbs down to 213.6 lbs. And the thing was, it was almost effortless. And due to the nature of a restricted window, I had less time overall to cram in lots of calories. Thus I was able to eat more of what I wanted during that time and not deny myself. Not saying that I ate poorly. By no means! It just meant I no longer had to treat nuts and nut butters as condiments. I didn't have to deny myself an avocado...or two! If I wanted a beer, then I had a beer with my meal. When I want to put a HEAVY dosage of my favorite homemade tahini sauce on my veggies, I can! This has also curbed my binge eating at night. Instead of thinking, "oh just wait 5 more days to have that special meal with added fat that I want" and ultimately binging because I couldn't wait, I now just have to wait until the next day. So it isn't so much denying anymore as it is a short delaying. This has made it easier for me to say no to food late at night (a problem I have had for 15 years) and instead wait for the next day. I can have it then. I want handfuls of peanuts in the shell, I can! And guess what? I kept losing weight.

Now obviously this goes against the principles here in this forum of not allowing oneself to go hungry. As such, I will make this my last post here as I no longer abide by that principle. I do eat a starch based diet and eat lots of veggies. I just now have two new principles: 1) Eat within a tailored eating window and 2) no need to restrict whole fats (avocados, nuts, tofu, nut butters, etc). I can honestly see this as a lifestyle. I easily incorporate it into my family life and travel. It's simple. It's convenient. It doesn't interfere with starch based eating. I'm happier. I'm thinner. It takes far less effort and focus. And I enjoy it. I must, therefore, conclude that it is sustainable in the long run.

:-D
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