Annette's Journal

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

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Annette's Journal

Postby AnnetteW » Sat Jul 06, 2019 7:03 pm

I'm new to this site, but I've been reading for awhile now.

The quick run down is that I'm a 56 year old female, 5'4" (doctor said I've lost an inch :crybaby: ). Weight tends to be an issue for me, and I've tried so many diets.

Back in February I was feeling so fat (yup, I was back up at my high weight of 183) and I felt a bit lost. I always know I need to start with small changes, and vegetables popped into my head. I knew I wasn't eating enough greens veggies. So for some reason I started watching YouTube videos about making green smoothies, and started the morning green smoothie routine.

And my body loved it.

Then one video led to another and I was reading all the big name veggie doctors. I sort of started my WFPB diet and dropped some weight. I then had to leave for 3 weeks to care for family members, and did my best while gone, and actually lost 7 more pounds.

I sort of settled in on the Nutritarian diet at that time, and the veggies did wonderful things for me.

As of now I'm already down 26 lbs, which totally blows my mind.

But I continued to explore and I like the idea of eating more starches. I've been afraid to drop the nuts and seeds, but I can have them later when I'm slim and trim.

So for the past few days I've been adding in the starches, reading the Starch Solution and Maximum Weight Loss. I don't expect to be perfect from the start, just work towards it.

My current goal is always 5 lbs at a time, and I've really settled these past few weeks with no change. Right now I want to get under 155. My primary goal is to get under 130, and then continue the diet to see where my weight chooses to settle.

Well, enough for now.
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Re: Annette's Journal

Postby moonlight » Sat Jul 06, 2019 7:32 pm

Hi Annette,

Welcome! I saw your post in the MWL group. We have about the same amount of weight to lose. :)
I've found this website to be so helpful in encouraging me to stick to my goals. I started seriously working at losing weight in October 2017. I do really well for a few days, then I will overeat. I'm a work in progress! I think the major key is to not give up. Just keep working at it. There are so many resources on this website.
All the best to you!
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Re: Annette's Journal

Postby sirdle » Sat Jul 06, 2019 9:47 pm

Welcome Annette,

Your plan sounds like a good one to me. For some people an abrupt 'cold-turkey' change works well, but for me it has taken a lot of baby steps to make the changes stick.

Best of luck with your plan.

Cheers, :-P
"Before Enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After Enlightenment chop wood, carry water." -- Zen proverb
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Re: Annette's Journal

Postby AnnetteW » Sun Jul 07, 2019 7:54 am

Thanks moonlight and sirdle for popping in to say hi. I definitely appreciate not feeling alone as I start this new journey here.

It's funny, I've had journals on so many different message boards over the years, and occasionally I've reread them. And my goodness, I can be a rambler. What's so sad though, is though I've lost weight so many times, even down to my ideal, I've never stayed there. And my complaints would always be the same.

So it's really time to change things up.

The whole NO ANIMAL PRODUCTS thing is a diet I have never actually tried. I do think once, back in my 20's, I went sort of vegan for a month while my husband was gone on a trip, but that sure didn't last, and I only weighed 130 lbs back then, up a bit after having a baby. Geez, to think I was fat at that time.

Basically when the idea of WFPB got put into my head, I thought why not? As something I had never done, perhaps that was exactly what I should try.

Without a doubt my body is totally thriving without animal products. I wish I had discovered this earlier, but like so many others, I thought we needed that animal protein. And now I'm at that point where, "do I really need the added fats from nuts and seeds?" Wow, that's a hard one. Right now I'm just telling myself I will avoid them as I work on the weight loss. Perhaps at some point if I feel I need a break, I'll add them in for a short while to see how I feel, but right now, I'll do my best to avoid them, minus the ground flax seeds.

My current plan is to eat oats for breakfast daily (until I'm sick of them) with 1-2T added ground flax seed. That's my own personal choice based on things I've read whether or not it's MWL compliant or not. Plus I will take some fishoil/algal oil. My father has alzheimers and I'm in freak out mode about that. No discussion there, I'm taking it.

I gave up coffee as of yesterday (unless I change my mind). Actually, over the 4th of July party festivities I ate and felt sick, and come morning, the cup of coffee just wasn't tasting good to me. So I drank tea, then I drank tea yesterday, and tea today. We'll see how that goes.

Yesterday I had the following:
Breakfast - steel cut oats, ground flax, 1/2 banana, homemade rice milk, dash of stevia powder and cinnamon

Lunch - air fried potato pieces tossed with a large salad and veggies, black beans, vinegar

Snack - lots of watermelon (my vice, something I'll have to work on)

Dinner - stir fried veggies, starches were cooked mung beans, some leftover brown rice, and a very small amount of soba noodles.

I think this is the first day I had no added fats (in the form of nuts/avocado/olives/seeds) of any sort, minus the ground flax.
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Re: Annette's Journal

Postby sirdle » Sun Jul 07, 2019 8:39 am

AnnetteW wrote:And now I'm at that point where, "do I really need the added fats from nuts and seeds?" Wow, that's a hard one. Right now I'm just telling myself I will avoid them as I work on the weight loss. Perhaps at some point if I feel I need a break, I'll add them in for a short while to see how I feel, but right now, I'll do my best to avoid them, minus the ground flax seeds.

I know that I don't need the added fats from nuts and seeds, but boy-o-boy do I like them! For me, that's the problem. I can't eat them in moderation. :oops: So the only time I have them in the house is when I'm planning to use them as a condiment in a recipe. Then I buy only as much as the recipe calls for. ;-)

AnnetteW wrote:My current plan is to eat oats for breakfast daily (until I'm sick of them) with 1-2T added ground flax seed. That's my own personal choice based on things I've read whether or not it's MWL compliant or not. Plus I will take some fishoil/algal oil. My father has alzheimers and I'm in freak out mode about that. No discussion there, I'm taking it.

I've been eating oatmeal for about 2 years. Still loving it! Usually I add frozen berries... but sometimes I add a banana. And sometimes I try other grains and seeds: buckwheat, bulgur, amaranth, millet, sorghum... but I always come back to oats. They are cheap and easy to cook.

AnnetteW wrote:Yesterday I had the following:
Snack - lots of watermelon (my vice, something I'll have to work on)

Frozen blueberries are my weakness. :oops:

Cheers, :-P
"Before Enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After Enlightenment chop wood, carry water." -- Zen proverb
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Re: Annette's Journal

Postby Lyndzie » Sun Jul 07, 2019 12:23 pm

Welcome, Annette! You seem well-read and have a good understanding of the recommendations. Fruit this time of year is so abundant and delicious. Luckily, watermelon is mostly water, and has a calorie density of 136 cal/lb, which is similar to many vegetables (for comparison, I can easily eat a whole pound of sugar snap peas, which is 187 cal/lb). In other words, enjoy without guilt!
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Re: Annette's Journal

Postby AnnetteW » Mon Jul 08, 2019 8:50 am

Thanks for popping in, Lyndzie, I truly appreciate the supportive comments. My oh my, how I love watermelon. Last summer I got addicted to frozen watermelon. I would buy a bag at the Walmart grocer (only place I ever found it) for $3.97, and ate at least one a day. One day they didn't have it, so I bought a watermelon and froze my own in 1 qt. bags. Talk about cheap. If I only ate 1 of the 1 qt bags that would be great, but I can easily eat two, and the pieces are frozen. I plop in front of my computer in the heat of the afternoon and enjoy the icey cold watermelon. Eventually I'd be putting on a light sweater and wrapping up in a blanket, and just shivering. My husband thinks I'm a goof.

Weight back down to my recent low of 156, which I think I'll consider my starting weight on MWL. I did finally finish the book and am back to reading the Starch Solution, and continuing to watch lots of videos while I sew.

I will probably have a big cheat this week, but not like you might think. I have a colonoscopy this Thursday, and along with my "waterfast/prep" day, I have 2 low fiber days. So I figured I'd attempt it as a form of weight loss. I also have decided if I feel like crap that I can give it up and eat a bit more normally.

My plan for today is based on 4 meals, all white rice based (the low fiber part). So breakfast and afternoon snack (since I'm sure I'll be hungry) are both 1 cup of white rice and 1 mashed banana, cooked with a bit of rice milk (homemade) to wet it enough.

Lunch and dinner will be rice with extra well cooked broccoli. I am thinking of cooking one with a bit of miso water and blending to a soup, and the other just as rice and broccoli with coconut aminos.

If I make it through today, I'll try again tomorrow though I might change things up a bit.

Then Wednesday I will just water fast but be prepared with veggie broth if necessary, then the afternoon/evening prep.

Then totally back on plan for Thursday afternoon.

Saturday has two eating out opportunities for me, but both appear to have lovely vegan options, I'll ask for them to be cooked with no fat (something I've not asked for before) and light on any sauces.

I expect to have a bit of a weight drop come Friday morning, and I'm curious beyond belief to know how flat my stomach might get. I hold weight in my belly and it disturbs me so much. In the past few years I had also started gaining lots of weight up under my arms, right in my armpits and around that whole upperback/underarm area. I have only just recently noticed the flapping arm syndrome, and I know a lot of that is due to age and collagen and all that. I hyperfocus on that a bit too much, and realize at my thinnest weights, that will be gone too.

When I lost weight in the past, at my lowest, I had no cellulite. I had loose skin though, and that's a bit weird too, but it's what it is, and I have to learn to accept certain things due to age too, but not being fat...that's due to my own laziness.

I recently gave up alcohol, except for allowing myself to have it outside of the house. It works for me, but I also plan on dropping that back a bit more all the time. I was easily drinking 1 bottle of wine a night, up till about February this year. I've stopped drinking in the past, once went 1.5 years, but the moment I'm told I can't have something I want it even more. I don't think about it now, but still enjoy it out with my girlfriends. But like I said, I'll start dropping that back too. I know it's not healthy.

Yesterday was my first morning without coffee. I've been a 3 cups each morning person for years. I don't drink caffeine anytime after lunch or I don't sleep. I felt so sick over the July 4th that I only drank 1 cup two mornings in a row. So I decided why not just finally try to stop. Yesterday I had green tea, so a bit of caffeine. This morning was jasmine, a very small amount in a full teapot. I was a bit headachey yesterday. When the headaches go away, I'll possibly drop the caffeine back a bit more, but it's such a small amount I might not. But continue with no caffeine after lunches.

Yesterday I ate the following:

Breakfast - oatbran (out of oatmeal), 1 banana, rice milk, 2T ground flax, cinnamon

Lunch - air fried sweet potato fries, air fried broccoli/onions/mushrooms/balsamic, and mustard, apple

Snack - grapes

Dinner - large salad with air fried potato chunks and fresh homemade salsa.

I was a tad bit hungryish when I went to bed, and this morning had a nice low blood sugar of 76.
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Re: Annette's Journal

Postby Ejeff » Mon Jul 08, 2019 9:39 am

Hi Annette,

Just wanted to let you know that about 4.5 years ago, I happened to hear Dr. McDougall on the radio and I had never considered giving up animals nor paid any attention to what vegan meant. So I was the same as you, I figured why not give it a try. I was at my highest ever weight and tried the usual things, cutting back on calories, adding exercise etc, I would lose weight, but it always came back. Not this time. I lost just over 30 pounds and it stays off. It really does seem like a miracle some days, especially when most of my friends and family continue to eat SAD and struggle with the scale going up.

You seem like you are off to a great start! Looking forward to hearing about your progress. :-D
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Re: Annette's Journal

Postby AnnetteW » Tue Jul 09, 2019 10:32 am

Ejeff wrote:Hi Annette,

Just wanted to let you know that about 4.5 years ago, I happened to hear Dr. McDougall on the radio and I had never considered giving up animals nor paid any attention to what vegan meant. So I was the same as you, I figured why not give it a try. I was at my highest ever weight and tried the usual things, cutting back on calories, adding exercise etc, I would lose weight, but it always came back. Not this time. I lost just over 30 pounds and it stays off. It really does seem like a miracle some days, especially when most of my friends and family continue to eat SAD and struggle with the scale going up.

You seem like you are off to a great start! Looking forward to hearing about your progress. :-D


Thanks for your comments. I've actually lost pretty easily since I started (WFPB, not McDougall up till now) and I don't see going back. I currently have no doubt knowing I'll easily lose another 20+ lbs. That's a good feeling, my problem has been maintaining. I've always gone "off" the diet when done.

So I know this has be a lifestyle. I can accept not eating animal products, that hasn't been a problem at all. I think the hardest part will be accepting the no oil at all part of this eating lifestyle. So that will have to come with practice, and time.

I just keep reading and listening to YouTubes.
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Re: Annette's Journal

Postby AnnetteW » Tue Jul 09, 2019 10:43 am

My first day of my colonoscopy prep went okay, but I can't do the same thing again.

I had bought broccoli thinking I'd cook it up extra well, but my instructions specifically said no broccoli. I bought 2 bags of frozen asparagus.

Basically had the following: (Please note this is for a colonoscopy prep, not my normal diet

Breakfast - white rice, banana, rice milk

Lunch - white rice, asparagus, miso

Snack - banana

Dinner - white rice, asparagus, miso

For exercise I went to my yoga class and later walked in the 90 degree heat (egads)

My Aria Scale (wifi scale from Fitbit) was confused this morning, didn't know who I was. That's so silly, as it only showed a 1.2lb loss. But it did make me chuckle.

Today I can't face rice again (maybe for dinner) and just had a banana and pineapple for breakfast, and having spaghetti now (with well cooked mushroom and onions and tomato paste). I might just do the same tonight.
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Re: Annette's Journal

Postby AnnetteW » Wed Jul 10, 2019 7:04 am

The amount of information on this site is a bit overwhelming. I want to know it all, right now, but obviously that isn't possible. I finally found the link to the past newsletters...so much to peruse there too now. I've gone back and browsed through so many forum topics, at least ones I think might interest me. My mind is becoming numb.

Yesterday I ate quite a bit of pasta and tomato sauce (with mushrooms and onions)...remember this was for a colonoscopy prep. But I honestly can't wait to raise the fiber back to whole grains and have my veggies and fruits. My blood sugar ran so high, I felt myself sweating to burn it off. It made me queasy by evening. Yuck.

And today no food. And my tummy is already growling. What a miserable procedure.

Plans for today are to go to my yoga class and get some exercise, nothing strenuous, the heat is extremely humid and oppressive here in Kansas right now.

I ordered the cookbook, the fast and easy, whatever the title, McDougall specific. I love cookbooks.

I might clean out my fridge today. I can't just toss it all, I have tons of nuts and seeds, the plan it to baggie them up nicely and stick in the freezer. If in the future I haven't eaten them, or passed them on to someone else, I'll toss them, but not yet. The idea of a few pumpkin seeds on a salad, never again, kind of makes me sad.

Now I laugh at myself for desiring pumpkin seeds...that is so funny. To hell with cookies, just a few pumpkin seeds please.

Mild headaches still yesterday, but no coffee in a few days now. I'll try not to concern myself with it, and see how I feel next week, then it will have been a full week without coffee, and only a bit of caffeine through some green tea.

Looking forward to sharing some yummy foods and meals with you all as I drop my weight.

Oh yea, and I'm in the fantasizing stage of a new "diet." The one where you wonder how much weight you will lose, how slim you will get. Then you start thinking of the loose skin (that's already showing after 25+ pounds and my age.)

More than anything I'm afraid of being an old frail woman. I have to get motivated to exercise harder. I exercise fairly regularly, but I don't tend to push myself.

Will deal with that later.
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Re: Annette's Journal

Postby AnnetteW » Thu Jul 11, 2019 7:15 am

Leave in 20 min for my colonoscopy. I feel horrible. I was fine with the prep until about 3 this morning, then I started getting really sick. Very hot and sweaty, like with the flu, about to faint on the toilet. Earlier this morning I checked my blood sugar which was high at 135. No clue how high it might have been when I was going through that horrible spell.

Doing better after a shower and my gut has finally calmed down. Blood sugar was 114, so dropping. Now I just feel drained and wiped out, blood sugar was at 80.

Looking forward to this all being over and back to my MWL plan. I have a giant sweet potato to cook when I'm home, and also some cooked mung beans which I plan on making into a mild dal. I might wait on veggies till I feel more settled.
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Re: Annette's Journal

Postby AnnetteW » Thu Jul 11, 2019 6:21 pm

That was a miserable experience, though the procedure itself was fine. I'm finally starting to feel human again with food in me. Totally clean bill of health and don't need to think about it for another 10 years.

Plan for tomorrow is to wake up feeling refreshed. I want to go to the gym, and making homemade pizza for dinner.
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Re: Annette's Journal

Postby AnnetteW » Fri Jul 12, 2019 6:53 am

Yea, life can be back to normal, I'm so pleased. My weight is so incredibly low right now, I was 151 this morning, and yesterday morning after the prep was at 150. It would be nice to keep it off this coming week, but I know it's not realistic, it's the weight of food and water I'm missing. And my stomach did not get flat, is what I was wondering about. So that tells me there is an awful lot of fat on my belly. I can't help but wonder how much of it is subcutaneous vs. visceral, but in the long run it doesn't matter until I've lost it I guess.

I was lying in bed this morning thinking about all the yummy foods there are to eat. I hate when I become hyper-focused on food, but I'm amazed that I'm just thinking of good and healthy REAL foods. So I'm not going to worry about thinking of it all the time. I guess eventually when this becomes my new norm, it will fade away a bit.

I thought a bit about what I like and don't like. There's no need to eat things I don't like. I made rice milk last week, and will still use a bit of it in my oatmeal this morning, as that's what I have, but I like soymilk. I know it's discouraged on the MWL diet, but I can see my diet will be a blend of that and SS. I'm not going to fret about perfection. The EdenSoy Milk is 100% soybeans and water, not added anything else, no sugars, stabilizers, salt, vitamins. In my opinion it's still the better choice. And a 1/4 cup on my oats won't lead to binging or overeating.

Problem solved regarding the soymilk. And I'll continue to eat tofu as a condiment. Heck, the only time we eat it is in a stirfry maybe once every two weeks. I don't think I need to be concerned with that either.

I make my hummus, which is delicious btw, with tahini. I've made it without tahini, and I've made it with sesame seeds. I really don't eat much hummus either. We make a batch now and then, maybe once every 10 days. My thought is that I can make it and add only 1T of tahini and see what I think. Maybe make some without here and there. But my husband also eats it, and I want him to eat it.

All the nuts have been tightly packaged and put into my freezer. They are there if I choose to use them in a recipe, but not easy to just grab. Honestly, nuts also aren't a problem, not as long as they are raw and unsalted. My husband has his jars of roasted/salted nuts. My hand hasn't gone into them, they are off limits to me. I will continue to eat ground flaxseeds on the days I eat hot cereal for breakfast. But the hemp seeds and sunflower seeds will not be gracing my salads until I'm slim and trim, and weight isn't an issue. Yet if they are truly needed for a recipe, they are there to use and enjoy.

I'm not sure yet what might be other foods I need to pay attention to. Ah yes, pasta could be one of them. I will make sure I have whole wheat pasta around so I don't succumb to the white. When I was doing the prep I ate white, and lots of it and it was so enjoyable and easy to eat. It's also a food, I will admit, that I should weigh out and keep to a reasonable quantity. I'll pay attention to that as I lose weight.

Today's food/exercise plan:

Breakfast - oatmeal, ground flaxseeds, blueberries, rice milk (blah), dash of stevia (not ready to give that up)

Lunch - potatoes, salad, cooked mung beans, other veggies in salad and vinegar

Snack - frozen fruit (either mangoes or cherries, I have to buy a bag first)

Dinner - homemade pizza on my own sourdough crust, veggies, veggie salad of some sort

Exercise - fitness class at gym, and contemplating attempting "Couch to 5K" on the gym treadmill

I definitely need to figure out the weight bearing exercise thing. I actually like weights, but currently have a messed up neck (starting with the physical therapist again next week.) I had a neck injury once and have to be kind of careful. I also have had foot surgery and running is a bit difficult, but I was wondering if I could do it on the treadmill using a C25K app. So I'll look for one and download it and see what might happen. Worse case scenario, I can't do it and have to stick to walking. But I really need to start pushing myself.
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Re: Annette's Journal

Postby AnnetteW » Mon Jul 15, 2019 11:58 am

Like usual, I have a bunch of things swirling around in my head to talk about. But I get tired thinking about food all the time. I'm so incredibly happy with my food plan, but all I see are people so fat and foods that are so horrible. And no one cares. I'm feeling frustration with my husband right now, as the healthier I eat, the worse he seems to be eating. And I keep telling myself to let it be.

We were out for dinner with a friend the other night at a Filipino restaurant. My dish was Vegan but not low in fat, it had coconut milk in it. My husband ordered Pork Belly. The pieces were pure fat, I didn't say a thing. I don't even know why he ordered it.

At one time in our conversation with our friend I mentioned I was eating vegetarian (just keep things simple right) and that I was enjoying it so much and didn't see myself going back to "regular" meals. And my husband said "never?" I guess he's been thinking these past few months that this is just a phase and I'll go back to a regular diet. Ha! Little does he know.

He's not getting the point that I'm not putting oil on things, or eating cheese, etc. It's like "what's life about if not for those foods" with him these days.

So I just need to focus on me.

Oh...I remember now why I feel a bit pissed, well, on the fridge is a menu for the week that he wrote out. In the past he's done most of the cooking, one of the reason I've gained, because he cooks real dinners, and I could skip dinner any day. I'm much more of a breakfast, lunch, snack eater. I'm also home during the day, he's at work and doesn't eat much during the day so eats dinner and into the evening.

This grocery list was a meat item each day. So I guess that means he's finished with the dinners I've been cooking. Ok, fine. I don't need to plan dinners anymore. Now I can make them for myself at lunch time and eat just a salad/beans/potato for dinner. I'm curious to see how this works out, because I'm not even going to talk about it. I had already planned on making a pasta dish for dinner, so I'll make enough for me for tonight and tomorrow. He can eat the sloppy joes on his list.

This is stupid, isn't it? But I am not caving in. This is my diet and I only eat healthy now.

Today's plan

Breakfast - oatmeal, ground flax, banana, soy milk, dash of stevia

Lunch - salad with romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, broccoli, garbanzo beans, potato, vinegar

Snack - watermelon

Dinner - pasta, tomato sauce with veggies.

Exercise - yoga class
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