New beginnings Journal

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

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New beginnings Journal

Postby Tobinterri » Thu Jul 02, 2020 8:34 am

Yesterday was July 1 and day one for a reset. I think I did well overall. A little hungry. Made Jeff Novick's quick and easy pot of veggies although I misread something and added too much grain mix. I really thought I'd not like it since it seemed to mish-mashy but it was good. I could not have eaten all of it despite the claim that it was a serving. I have enough for lunch today and my husband ate some at dinner as well. I added a very simple salad of greens and tomato and used balsamic for the dressing. Also ate an orange for dessert and had seltzer for a drink since I was missing my wine. I had been used to a green smoothie for breakfast or toast with avocado and tomato and onion. I kind of hated to add another grain to breakfast but used some bulgur with apple cooked in. Got my berries in at lunch with a salad, black beans and blueberries. I drank more water, but have to admit it kept me up with bathroom visits and I hate that. I don't fall back to sleep if I wake up like that. So, good to go for day 1! :-D Still don't know how to continue this journal. Do I just start a post from scratch or do I just add to it as a reply?
Tobinterri
 
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Re: New beginnings Journal

Postby Tobinterri » Fri Jul 03, 2020 8:13 am

I keep thinking I am on the wrong discussion board. How do list our weight loss and such. I thought I was joining a month long program but I can't even find my old posts. I think I am challenged technologically. :duh: Anyway, day 2 went well. Ate within limits set. I did not know that decaf coffee was off limits until I looked at some of the other lists. However, I am now coffee free today and most of yesterday since I only had been drinking one cup a day. Had quinoa with fruit for breakfast, a salad, beans and leftover mish mash for lunch, and cabbage, beans, and salad for dinner. It was a pathetic salad since I need to go to the grocery store, but I guess romaine and tomatoes and carrots count.
So today is the 3rd. I have been afraid to get on the scale since COVID started but I know I have a long way to go, so I shouldn't be worried.
Weight 0lb lost
I have succeeded in MLW checklist except as I mentioned with the decaf.
Need more attention to exercise because although I walk my dogs daily, I would not call it brisk. On the other hand, it has been in the high 80's and into the 90's and I find it really difficult to get out after 9 am. Evenings are just as bad, and I won't go to a gym right now. Don't even think ours is open yet. Will look into that.
I have had some hunger, especially in the evening before bed and when I wake up during the night. I think I should increase the veggies at dinner or maybe just have to let my toxicity wear down.
Tobinterri
 
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Re: New beginnings Journal

Postby vegyluvver » Fri Jul 03, 2020 1:29 pm

You want to go to viewtopic.php?f=11&t=61073 and click Reply to participate in the July challenge thread. We can do this together!
Val in SoCal
Focusing on the food, not the number on the scale.
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Re: New beginnings Journal

Postby Tobinterri » Sat Jul 04, 2020 12:03 pm

Today is July 4. Fortunately we have no plans. No temptations. I spent the morning prepping salads and some extras for a quick sauté for lunch. Yesterday's gazpacho helped, and I added a cup of grains from a 7 whole grain microwave packet. I am feeling a bit worn out from not sleeping well last night. Too many bathroom trips from trying to drink more water. All the chopping and laundry got me down as well. Got in an hour of walking this morning with friends and no dogs. I haven't decided what to eat for dinner-yes, I should be planning better, but all the chopped veggies and clean lettuces will give me a good meal when I add beans and maybe more grains. I'm still finding breakfast a challenge. I ate some leftover quinoa again and added fruit. I was pretty hungry by 11, but managed to put off lunch until 12. I still have to figure something else out for dinner for my husband. He is good with things I cook but always wants something that looks like a main dish-mostly eats a field roast or veggie burger with bun (he is thin :x ) Since it's a holiday, I guess he will get his wish. It would be nice to make a regular holiday meal- like potato salad and cole slaw but I don't know if I can make a compliant dish of either. Oh well. I can do this.
Tobinterri
 
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Re: New beginnings Journal

Postby Growing a Pear » Sat Jul 04, 2020 12:29 pm

Tobinterri wrote:He is good with things I cook but always wants something that looks like a main dish-mostly eats a field roast or veggie burger with bun (he is thin :x ) Since it's a holiday, I guess he will get his wish. It would be nice to make a regular holiday meal- like potato salad and cole slaw but I don't know if I can make a compliant dish of either. Oh well. I can do this.


Have you discovered this thread yet? viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10076

It's a list of MWL recipes from past newsletters. You absolutely should be able to make a potato salad and loaf/casserole type dish that would appeal to your husband. The latter can often be frozen, too, so you don't have to spend as much time in food prep.
I just want to emphasize: It is the QUALITY of the food, not the QUANTITY. You are guaranteed success when following a starch-based and a simple diet. Monotony can be a key helper. ~Dr. John McDougall
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Re: New beginnings Journal

Postby Ejeff » Sun Jul 05, 2020 7:50 am

I personally think adequate sleep is more important than drinking water. Remember that the food you are eating now has a lot of moisture in it (or cooked into it), so it’s likely you need to drink less than before. Just drink when thirsty and hopefully you will get a good nights sleep :-D

Erin
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
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Re: New beginnings Journal

Postby Tobinterri » Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:58 am

July 5 I have gained a pound since starting. I know that may be just today, and I don't weigh myself more than once a week but our weigh in was after only 2 days so I thought I'd get an idea of what was going on. Wrong direction but I will leave that alone until Friday. I am a little confused about where to catalog beans/lentils. I am assuming they are my protein source but do I eat them instead of the starchy veggies or grains or in addition to them? I've basically eaten a salad or soup, veggies in one form or another, a grain or sweet potato and about 1/2 cup of beans or lentils and fruits twice a day. Is this the right balance?
I'm also having trouble finding this "view topic". I don't see it anywhere on the site. I think the site is hard to maneuver through. Search doesn't seem to give me any info other than for a recipe (which I appreciate).
Tobinterri
 
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Re: New beginnings Journal

Postby Tobinterri » Wed Jul 08, 2020 8:50 am

Wow somehow I missed a few days. I have been compliant this week but Sunday I took a drink from my daughter while we were watching Hamilton. Just never gave it a thought. Otherwise, I have made stuffed zucchini with quinoa and mushrooms, large pot of black beans, and salad fixings for daily salads. I used the gazpacho before dinner until I ran out and need to make another batch because it is so darn hot and humid here. Today I will have salad with beans for lunch and finish the zucchini at dinner with salad. Still having breakfast problems but working through some ideas. Today I had black beans and cantaloupe.
Tobinterri
 
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Re: New beginnings Journal

Postby Tobinterri » Fri Jul 10, 2020 7:57 am

Here it is Friday already. I am happy that I have lost 2 lb. Hoping that it wasn't an anomaly. Still struggling with some hunger and or cravings. Mostly for bread and peanut butter. No idea why, since I was never a big peanut butter eater but I do like peanut sauce on stir fry. Maybe I will try the powdered in a sauce. I miss tofu too. I got used to it as one of my protein sources. Not sure if there is something else I can try besides beans. Kind of getting tired of salads with beans. I am going to make Jeff's snap stuff today because it is just me today and I know I can use it for a few days. Also need to make a soup but it is soooo hot. Maybe another gazpacho for the next few days. Honestly I don't think I could do this if I had to skip tomatoes. they flavor everything. Otherwise everything tastes the same. I also have lots of kale to use up. I loved it as a salad with avocado rubbed in as a dressing, but again, ney-ney for now. Not sure how to make it more interesting. That's it for today. I have enough to do for now.
Tobinterri
 
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2020 12:49 pm

Re: New beginnings Journal

Postby Tobinterri » Tue Jul 14, 2020 11:28 am

I have missed a few days again. I was probably embarrassed to write again because Sunday I let myself eat vegan pizza at my daughter's along with wine. She set it in front of me and I just picked it up and drank. I made a salad of veggies and grains which I mostly ate but I don't know why I couldn't refuse the pizza. Anyway, the good thing is that for the first time I didn't say to myself, "well you blew it so might just go on and junk out". I just went back to eating properly on Monday. I am also starting to think that the reason we lose weight on this is because it gets so boring. I almost didn't want to eat yesterday because it all looked unappealing. I had some of the SNAP meal left and couldn't make myself eat it. Salad...Nah. So I boiled some potatoes and made the fat free gravy from one of the posts and had cabbage with potatoes and gravy. Today I made a fat free cheez :P :P sauce from potatoes and carrots and seasoning and tried that with broccoli and brown rice. It was nice to have a sauce on the very dry rice and broccoli. Some flavor will carry me through.
Tobinterri
 
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Re: New beginnings Journal

Postby Tobinterri » Sat Jul 18, 2020 10:14 am

Feeling kind of blah today. Ate a good breakfast of potato, mushrooms, "cheez" sauce, and mixed Italian veggies. I've never done a breakfast like that until this week. Finished it off with a few blueberries so that I got in my mushrooms and berries. Still, I feel a little unmotivated to do anything. It is very hot out and I think it just wipes me out even with air conditioning. We took the dogs on a longer walk this morning while it was cool. I plan to make a large salad as part of our joint dinner tonight. Lunch will be the last of the quinoa stack with salsa and the veggies I didn't use from this morning. I don't know that I like those frozen things. They come out mushy at times even though I like them cooked well. Maybe I will stir "fry" some fresh stuff to go with them. I think it was barely a half cup. I can add some sugar snaps and spinach so I will get in my greens. I am fighting off the urge to eat toast and peanut butter. I know I am not hungry yet. Avoided pancakes that i made for Jim.
Tobinterri
 
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