Creaky's Journal

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

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Creaky's Journal

Postby Creaky » Tue Aug 18, 2020 10:49 pm

Warning: Lots of text here. i wanted to get my thoughts down. :-D

I planned this weekend and started on Sunday. I reread Starch Solution and decided to see what it can do for me. I'm a 58 year old female with no major health issues other than medicine controlled high blood pressure and 100 pounds overweight - current weight 267. I'm looking for a hundred pound loss, but really need to get my eating to a consistent healthy eating, so that is my first focus. Weight loss will follow, I hope.

Details on me:
I do well on cooked foods and don't do well with raw food. I can tolerate a small amount of raw food in my meals - about a cup or so. Salads mess up my digestive process.

Favorite veggies are the starchy vegetables: frozen mixed vegetables (corn, lima beans, peas, carrots and green beans), peas and carrots mix and corn. I do like cabbage (red and purple), spinach, kale, frozen cut green beans, and zucchini. Spinach and kale have to be cooked.

I like old fashioned oats, brown rice, and converted rice. Also like potatoes - air fried (oil free) and pressure cooked.

My dog and I take a walk each evening when it's cool enough for the dog. (Having a heat wave, so haven't been able to walk to past few nights.)

I work full time at a job I enjoy and the money is good. It can be stressful, but I'm my own boss to some extent. I have a supervisor, but I can plan what I want to do and how I want to do it as long as I get things done.
Single with no kids.

I live with my 83 year old mom. She has health and money issues, so we decided it was easier to combine households. She can stress me out, but I can deal with her. It's her health issues that are the problem. She will not change how she eats (lots of meat protein, some fruit and vegetables) and doesn't do much exercise. She's under a doctor's care and all I can do it remind her to do her exercise and to eat well.

i don't drink coffee. My drinks are rooibos tea (decaf) with stevia and powdered creamer (1 tbsp), flavored sparkling water (no sugar, aspartame sweetened), and water (I do add a small amount of stevia to the water to make the water palatable for me. It doesn't seem to trigger any cravings for sweets).
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I read the checklist and here are my comments:
1) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Not sure if I can do this. it would be one more thing I have to buy, prep and take with me to work. I like having my fruit at the end of the meal.

2) Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches.
I plan to do a half of cup of brown/converted rice or 1 or 2 potatoes at lunch and dinner with 1-2 cups of a vegetable mix along with some shredded cabbage and zucchini.

The vegetable mix is 2 pounds of frozen mixed vegetables and 2 pounds of frozen green beans. I steam the two vegetables and mix them together, so this is both my starchy vegetable and my non-starchy vegetable.I could leave or reduce the rice/potato out of both or one of the meals as I go along.


2) Choose fruit for desert.
This I can do. I like apples, bananas and frozen mixed berries. I mix frozen blueberries, raspberries and blackberries together.

3) Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.
This I can do. Instead of salt on my meals, I make a gravy with 2 tbsp of potato starch in 1/2 cup cold water. This is mixed well and added to 1.5 cups of boiling water in which I put spices in it (1 tsp of better than bouillon (vegetable or garlic flavor) mix, minced garlic, minced onion, and then some spices). The gravy sets up very fast - within seconds and is tasty. I put this over all of my meals.

4) Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
I've been vegetarian, almost vegan for about 7 years, so eliminating the above is not a problem. My non-vegan downfall is cheese on pizza, but I think I can eliminate it from my eating. The other non-vegan downfall has been sweet items and chips.

5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
I eat tofu ~ 6 ounces a day. Not sure if I'm willing to give up that form of protein. The tofu I buy has 3.5 g fat/3 ounces, so it would add 7 g fat to my daily total. I could do beans instead of the tofu. I have a couple of packages of tofu in the fridge, so I need to eat through it.

6) Eliminate any added oil.
I can so that. I don't use oil in my cooking.

7) Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e. bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit.
I can do that. I'll miss my popcorn.

8 ) Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
I can do this.

9) Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
I will try. Finding that line between stuffed and comfortably full has been hard for me. I've been big eater all my life and had binge eating in the past, but I don't eat like I used to. My downfall is sweets and chips and that is where the weight has come from as well as the large servings.

When I pack my lunch and snacks for work, I fill the containers I use and that is all I take with me, so portion control is good at work. At home I have a certain bowl I eat out of so I fill it up and eat from it. What I plan to eat (see below) fills the container/bowl for lunch/dinner. I can vary the ratios of the starch to vegetables in the containers.


10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
My dog and I take a walk each evening, weather permitting - it's a 20 minute walk. I have a step app on my phone and when I'm at work I do about 3,000 steps. I bought a kickbike and once the bike shop gets it set up for me, I plan to use it. I have plantar fasciitis in my right foot, so brisk walking irritates it.
------------------
Here's my eating plan:
Br (6:45 am): Old fashioned oats, tofu (3 oz), and spinach (I know it sounds weird but I like savory oatmeal! Oatmeal and fruit makes me hungry.)
Sn: Vegetable mix as described above, zucchini, and cabbage
Lunch (12): 1/2 c brown rice, Vegetable mix as described above, zucchini, cabbage, tofu (3 oz), Apple or frozen berries
Sn: Vegetable mix as described above, zucchini, and cabbage
Dinner (5-7 pm): 1 or 2 potato, Vegetable mix as described above, zucchini, cabbage,
Sn: Apple or frozen berries.
(Snacks - I'll eat if hungry.)

I don't mind eating the same thing everyday. It makes it easier to shop and I don't have to think about what I'm going to eat. The gravy I make changes the flavor of the meals. I'd like my eating to be easy to deal with and not stressful.

I use my Instant pot for cooking my rice and potatoes. I have a three tiered steamer I steam my frozen vegetables.

I signed up for the MWL weigh in thread, so maybe the accountability of it will help me.

Thanks for reading this far. if you see I'm doing something that isn't part of MWL WOE, let me know. Or if you can suggest changes for me, let me know.
Creaky
 
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Re: Creaky's Journal

Postby Creaky » Tue Aug 18, 2020 10:52 pm

Monday and Tuesday went well for me. I ate according to plan. Didn't eat the morning or afternoon snacks on Monday and only had the morning snack today.
Creaky
 
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Re: Creaky's Journal

Postby CrazyVegLady » Wed Aug 19, 2020 5:51 pm

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Re: Creaky's Journal

Postby Creaky » Wed Aug 19, 2020 7:47 pm

Today went well. Food all good.

Took my dog to Petco so she could have a walk. She's over 7 years old but has the need to exercise in her. It's been so hot outside above 95F until 9 pm the past few days. I won't walk her in that heat - the sidewalk and road are too hot. We walked about 20 minutes around the store up and down aisles.
Creaky
 
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Re: Creaky's Journal

Postby ladevereaux » Wed Aug 19, 2020 7:53 pm

You can easily turn your vegetable mix into a soup by just adding water or vegetable broth. No extra prep necessary! And if you add the rice or potatoes, then the soup turns into a full meal. Just a thought. Good luck!
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Re: Creaky's Journal

Postby Creaky » Wed Aug 19, 2020 10:14 pm

Good idea.

I am adding water to the container so it can steam a bit in the microwave when I cook it. When I add the gravy, the bottom half of the meal a bit stewy/stew like. I'm not a soup person - too much liquid. So maybe that will work.
Creaky
 
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Re: Creaky's Journal

Postby bunsofaluminum » Thu Aug 20, 2020 9:36 am

Looking really good!

I'm excited for you, as you'll begin to feel clear headed, your aches and pains will cease, and you will have SO MUCH energy!

keep it up. You're doing good
JUST DON'T EAT IT

I heart my endothelial lining
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simple, humble food
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The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
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Re: Creaky's Journal

Postby Creaky » Sat Aug 22, 2020 10:38 am

From Friday for MWL weigh in:
Start: 267
July 21: 264.7
Change: -2.3
Google Sheet for Weight: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nLwAJPmV7adCPSlSFr5qHC36FEJUnYHfRLRXOlzG4gU/edit?usp=sharing

Good start for me. Staying to plan. Sad to find out that potato starch is a no-no for now, so I'll figure out another way to get the flavor into my food. I'm not a cooking person - I can cook but find it easier to mix my starch food, steamed veggie mix and vegetables together and eat it. It's easier that way.

I have three tiered steamer that is great to cook my vegetables. For me is much better than the microwave. I didn't know how much better frozen vegetables taste in the steamer. Also I like my veggies well cooked, not al dente, and the steamer does that for me. I can put the veggies in it, set the timer and walk away. When they are done, I remove the steamer containers from the unit and let the veggies cool, mix all together and put in plastic containers in the refrigerator.

I use my Instant Pot for cooking my rice and beans. I use the pot within a pot to cook my rice - water in the bottom of the inner container of the Instant Pot, then put a cup of rice and 3 cups of water in a metal pan w/ lid. The metal pan sits within a frame so I can put in in the Instant Pot. Set it for 20 minutes. I don't leave my Instant pot unattended until it come to pressure, then I can leave it alone for a while. I let it release pressure naturally Let the rice cook in the pan, then transfer to a plastic storage container for storage.

The Instant Pot is also great for cooking potatoes. It's much better than baking, boiling, microwaving, etc. I put the potatoes with a cup of so of water in the inner container, set it for 8 minutes and let it release pressure naturally. Cool and refrigerate.

Final kitchen gadget is an air fryer - makes great diced potatoes from raw potatoes. I don't use any oil and it still comes out fine.

So I have all the parts - now how to make it tasty even after sitting in refrigerator for the morning. I don't have a crockpot for making soups or stews. I'm not a soup/stew person. I'd rather put a sauce on the food for the taste. I'll take some time looking for sauces this weekend. Most of the time I'm okay with some lemon pepper on it, but it has salt in it.

On to the next week.

Good luck to everyone!
Creaky
 
Posts: 47
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Re: Creaky's Journal

Postby Creaky » Mon Aug 24, 2020 10:46 pm

Hurrah! The weekend was a success! Stayed eating to plan.
Creaky
 
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Re: Creaky's Journal

Postby Creaky » Wed Aug 26, 2020 10:07 pm

Another three good days. Very busy at work - feels like I never stop working. I take my breaks and lunch, but it work and more work. It's all computer work.

I am doing well following the 10 MWL steps and staying true to them. I'll see what the scale says on Friday!
Creaky
 
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Re: Creaky's Journal

Postby Creaky » Sun Aug 30, 2020 7:00 pm

Bad weekend. Not too bad, but off plan. Two deviations, but it was controlled and didn't spread to being the entire weekend. I'll see how it affects the weight this week.

I made Jeff's Longevity soup: https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... evity-Soup to try to have soup before my meals. It tasted good. Hopefully the tomatoes won't cause any heartburn for me.
Creaky
 
Posts: 47
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Re: Creaky's Journal

Postby Creaky » Fri Sep 04, 2020 8:20 am

From Friday for MWL weigh in:
0815/20 Start: 267
Last Week: 262
09/04/20: 265.4
Change: +3.4

1. Soup before meal: Only for two days. I'm going to try something this week and instead of steaming my veggies, I'll cook them in Jeff's Longevity Soup then add the rice and beans to a portion of the soup for my meals. I'm reading through the articles/abstracts here: https://www.drmcdougall.com/2018/10/11/ ... d-success/ to wrap my head around this requirement.
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals: :thumbsup:
3. Desert = Fruit: :thumbsup:
4. Little added sugars and added salts: :oops: Had an issue with sweets this week. Nothing horribly bad, but was off plan for one incident that only happened once and didn't send me off into the weeds for the day/week.
5. No Animal Products: :thumbsup:
6. No higher fat plant foods: :thumbsup:
7. No added oil: :thumbsup:
8. No Processed Food/Dried Fruit: :oops: Ate a couple of handfuls of peanut butter filled pretzels.
9. Don’t drink your calories: :thumbsup:
10. Eat when Hungry/Don't stuff myself: :thumbsup:
11. 30 minutes exercise/day: :thumbsup:

Even though I've been eating mainly vegan, boy is my digestive tract having issues this week - bloating, gas and all that stuff. Read the posts that talk about this issue and I'll see how it goes this week. I know not to eat raw foods - that makes it worse - so I eat well steamed vegetables. I was more consistent with adding beans instead of tofu to my meals so I think I just need to let my body adjust to it. I am drinking lots of water and such.

Overall - sort of blah this week. I have four day weekend, so I'm going to be a bit lazy and let my body recuperate at bit and relax - play some computer games, read, etc.
Creaky
 
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Re: Creaky's Journal

Postby Creaky » Fri Sep 11, 2020 5:26 pm

Friday's Weigh in:
Last Week: 265.4
09/11/20: 261.1
Change: -4.3 (loss)
Total Loss: -5.9

Hit all the points on the list.

I ate a lot of soupy meals this week to see how that works for me. It seems to be working well for me. No cravings and feeling full not stuffed after meals. Instead of having the soup before the meal plus a meal, I made Jeff's Longevity soup and added all my veggies to it and a 1/2 of raw rice and 1 cup of cooked beans, added spices, garlic and dried onion and cooked it for an hour. I need a bigger pan as my 6 quart pan is too easy to have a boil over, then I have a mess to clean up!

HIgh point of the week: No cravings!!
Creaky
 
Posts: 47
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Re: Creaky's Journal

Postby Creaky » Sun Sep 13, 2020 11:44 am

That Pleasure Trap is working on me this weekend. I'm able to resist its call so far, hopefully I can stay strong against it.

Yesterday I made a big bowl of air fried potatoes (no oil) and put a small amount of BBQ sauce over them. Tasty - might not be all the way on plan, but it helped. Then had some oats with berries and a banana for dinner. Having the starch helped.

Kept focused on my list while shopping, ignoring all the food I choose not to eat. It was hard as I've always 'rewarded' myself when shopping. But food can't be a reward - it's fuel.
Creaky
 
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Re: Creaky's Journal

Postby Creaky » Wed Sep 16, 2020 8:09 pm

The weekend finished out well for me. Nothing off plan, so that was good for me. I actually lost weight over the weekend!

The week has been well for me too. I'm not a hungry as I usually am. I noticed that my snack meals were filling me up too much. I was eating the same amount of food for my snacks sans fruit as in my meal. I ate my normal amount of Monday for my snack and I was stuffed. So I cut it in half. I do take a 'just in case' extra container if I get peckish at one of the meals and want a bit more. So far it's working for me.

It's been a stressful week at work. I'm working on a big project and have lots of oars in the water.

I'm staying strong and persevering.
Creaky
 
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