Finding my Groove

[Marla]

Food for December 27:



1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Yes for breakfast and lunch, no for dinner.

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. Choose fruit for dessert.
Yes

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.
Yes

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
Yes

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Yes

6. Eliminate any added oil.
Yes

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.
Had 2 corn tortillas as part of dinner.

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Yes

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
Yes

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes, did 40 minutes on treadmill.

Thoughts:
I have been really busy and haven't been able to shop for groceries, so I was lucky to scrounge up some taco filling in the freezer and some corn tortillas in the fridge, and whatever vegetables I could find! The pineapple was a few days old and starting to get overripe, so it's a good thing we ate it when we did. Getting back on track after a couple days of richer foods didn't seem too hard. My bigger problem this week is going to be not having time to shop and cook. Protecting that time, and prioritizing meal preparation over other things that seem more important, can be a challenge. I'll do my best!

[Marla]

Food for December 28:



1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Yes for breakfast and lunch, no for dinner.

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. Choose fruit for dessert.
Yes at lunch and dinner, no at breakfast (I am out of kale which I usually have for breakfast).

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.
Yes

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
Yes

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Yes

6. Eliminate any added oil.
Yes

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.
Yes

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Yes

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
Yes

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes, did 30 minutes on treadmill.

[Marla]

Food for December 29:



1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Yes for breakfast and lunch, no for dinner.

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. Choose fruit for dessert.
Yes for lunch and dinner, no for breakfast (still out of kale and most other veggies).

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.
Yes

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
Yes

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Yes

6. Eliminate any added oil.
Yes

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.
Yes

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Yes

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
Yes

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Missed my morning exercise but did 30 minutes of stepping after dinner.

Thoughts:
This week continues to be busy and I still have not been grocery shopping, nor have I made up a menu plan for this week. My menu planning is usually pretty simple -- I just pick 3 or 4 things I want to make for dinner, and shop for the ingredients I need to make them, plus any staples we need. I'll have to do that tomorrow! We ate the last of the lentil taco filling tonight along with our very last potatoes. I've been out of kale and oat groats for days.

And, I have nearly come to the end of this journal project! When I began, I wanted to commit to a personal challenge of 63 days of compliance, basically from Halloween through New Year's (the first week or so was documented in another journal that I ended up deleting before I started this one). I can say without a doubt that it has been VERY helpful to me to keep this journal over the holiday period. I needed the extra accountability and focus during this crazy time. I think that in January I'll be able to build on the good habits I've been practicing, without the need to document everything I eat on a daily basis. So, just a couple of days left, and 2020 will be in the rear-view mirror. Whew!

[Daydream]

Marla, Congratulations! I've enjoyed seeing the pictures of your delicious food each day. I think you'll do great in 2021.

[Marla]

Daydream, thank you so much!

Today's food:



1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Lunch, yes. Dinner, no. Breakfast....not really. I had fruit in my oats, but I don't think it was enough to satisfy this checklist item. I was out of kale this morning (but I bought 4 bunches later in the day, so I will have it for breakfast tomorrow!).

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. Choose fruit for dessert.
Breakfast, no. Lunch and dinner, yes.

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.
Yes

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
Yes

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Yes

6. Eliminate any added oil.
Yes

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.
Yes

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Yes

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
Yes

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes, did 40 minute brisk walk on the treadmill.

Thoughts:
I finally got to the grocery store today, yay! I don't enjoy grocery shopping, but it is such a gratifying feeling to have my usual healthy food staples in the fridge and cupboards. I will be making a big pot of vegetable soup tomorrow that will see me through my next 5 or 6 lunches. I don't usually use many frozen veggies in my soup, because I prefer the taste and texture of fresh ones, but on a whim I bought some frozen green beans and frozen spinach specifically to add to my soup. I'll see how that goes and maybe use more frozen veggies in the future for convenience.

In the store, I briefly considered buying some "treats" for New Year's Eve, but I talked some sense into myself and didn't do it I once heard Dr. Lisle answer a question from someone who asked, if you have gotten yourself out of the pleasure trap, could one off-plan meal or treat reverse your neuro-adaptation and undo all your progress? His answer, as I recall, was that most people could handle one rich meal on occasion, and still remain neuro-adapted to a healthy diet, meaning that their normal food would give them a normal amount of pleasure. But if that one rich meal became a string of rich meals, over a period of a few days, or if was something that was repeated regularly, then the pleasure trap would more than likely be reactivated and you'd have to dig yourself out of it again (which is doable of course, but never fun). Personally, I don't want to risk it.

[deweyswakms]

Thoughts:
Gosh, this reminds me how much I love beets! I will get canned ones; too lazy to roast them plus the 'red' mess it makes.

Happy New Year

Marsha

[Marla]

Food for December 31:



1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Yes for breakfast and lunch, no for dinner.

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. Choose fruit for dessert.
Yes

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.
Yes

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
Yes

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Yes

6. Eliminate any added oil.
Yes

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.
Yes

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Yes

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
Yes

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes, did 30 minutes on the treadmill.

Thoughts:
On the plus side, I stayed on track New Year's Eve, yay! On the minus side, it didn't feel like New Year's Eve, boo! One of my traditions for over 10 years has been to watch the London New Year's fireworks with my friend who lives in London (this happens at midnight her time, 4pm my time, and we watch together on the BBC while chatting on Skype). But this year, of course, no fireworks. I stayed up until midnight, but it didn't feel very festive without alcohol or snacks. Oh well, no big deal, just an observation. I think next year I'll make some healthy (maybe regular-program compliant) nibbles, like kale chips or roasted garbanzos, and something a little special for dinner.

[Marla]

Today's Food (January 1, the end of my personal holiday compliance challenge):



1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Yes for breakfast and lunch, no for dinner.

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. Choose fruit for dessert.
Yes

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.
Yes

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
Yes

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Yes

6. Eliminate any added oil.
Yes

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.
Yes

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Yes

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
Yes

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes, did 30 minutes on treadmill.

Thoughts:
Well what do you know, I made it through the holidays! And managed to stay on program, apart from some non-compliant indulgences on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Now I can breathe a big sigh of relief, secure in the knowledge that I have no holidays and no family celebrations coming up for the next 6 months. Aside from holidays and celebrations, the other thing that I have to be careful about is vacations....I'm not sure when I'll next have to worry about that, though.

I'm going to take a break from logging my food here, because it's time-consuming, and I don't think I need that level of focus and accountability now that the dangerous season is over. My intention is to still post when I have something to say, and maybe share some food photos from time to time (probably of my more interesting dinners, not boring kale and oat groats and soup and sweet potatoes ). Happy New Year everyone!

[creativeone]

Good for you - so very happy to see someone else really working through, it is encouraging to see someone doing well.

[Marla]

Creativeone, thanks for the encouragement. I look forward to following your journal.

Copy/paste of my report from the Weekly Weigh-in group:

Weight change: +1.4

Starting weight: 230
Weight last week: 153.6
Weight this week: 155

Report for the week of Friday, December 25 - Thursday, December 31

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.Did this for 12 of 20 meals.
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. Choose fruit for dessert. Did this for 15 of 20 meals.
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. 5 of 7 days.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). 6 of 7 days (off-plan chocolate and cookies on Christmas had some dairy).
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 5 of 7 days (Christmas dinner and leftovers).
6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes.
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. 4 of 7 days.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). 6 of 7 days
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 7 of 7 days.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Yes, 6 of 7 days, but I really only did the minimum in both time and intensity. And although I exercised for half an hour most days, I was pretty sedentary the rest of the day.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
This was my first time recording a gain since I recommitted about 9 months ago! It was also my least compliant week so far, so I shouldn't be surprised. Although it feels like I was relatively "good" considering that it was Christmastime, I wasn't perfect and the scale showed it. My exercise was minimal as well, which didn't help matters. I see a big difference in results between diligently following the checklist and "mostly" following it. I plan to double down on diligence this month and make better progress.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year!

[Marla]

Well, as you can see from my last post, I've decided to opt in to the MWL weekly weigh-in group again for January However, I'm concerned that without keeping a daily food log, I won't be able to report accurately at the end of each week. There is NO WAY I can remember on Friday exactly what I did or didn't eat for every meal and snack of the last 7 days! Also, being human, I tend to minimize, rationalize, and conveniently forget about my poor choices if I don't track.

I thought about my options for tracking. I wanted something easy to maintain, and easy to see at a glance how I did each week, without having to comb through a bunch of daily food logs. Really, logging my food is not the point -- logging my compliant behavior is.

I made a note in my notes app (I use Evernote) that I can update at the end of each day, and refer to on Fridays when I post my weekly weigh-in and behavioral report. I thought about creating a fancy spreadsheet, but I really don't need that level of complexity. I also considered using a habit tracker, but I wanted a little more flexibility to add comments.

Here's what I came up with. I have the blank report saved as a template, so creating a new note each week will be easy.



I'll be curious to see how the new format works out for me!

[Daydream]

Marla, that's a nice template you created. I bet it will work well for you.

[squealcat]

Marla, I love that template ! It is almost identical to what I have written in my habit tracker. Some points I have a place to check off each meal and some ( like don't drink your calories ) are just one place to check off for the day as it is not much of a problem for me. This has worked well for me so far.

Glad you are continuing with us on MWL !

-squealcat

[Marla]

Hi Squealcat,

How cool that you use a similar format

Yeah I find that for checklist items 1 and 2, I prefer to track per meal. I can include as many checkboxes as I had meals on a particular day (usually 3, occasionally only 2).

For some of the items I almost never have any compliance issues, which is why I haven't pre-filled Fri-Sat-Sun-Mon-Tue-Wed-Thu in the Ëxceptions column -- I really don't expect to be recording any exceptions for those. Of course if I did have something to record there, I would just write it in as needed. You can tell which ones are my problem areas!