Keeping it Simple

[creativeone]

Last week I decided to return to full McDougall after being off/on for 2 years. I relocated to another continent in a new relationship and the change has been rough. I also lost my closest companion dog of 13 years in the summer and that hit really hard. Slowly cheese got into my diet and then butter got back in, I started getting rashes and gained too much weight. I am so uncomfortable and I had it. I started buying more fruits and vegetables and spoke to my partner. He agreed to support me and wants to eat with me. He has said this in the past, but he loves to 'treat' with non-healthy foods. So I can buy all good ingredients and then he wants to order pizza or other fried foods. I end up throwing away the good food because it goes bad in the fridge. I am really hoping he means to be supportive and even if he isn't, I am going to eat my McDougall way as I have for 7 years.

I love fresh veg and fruits and starches. This morning for my breakfast I had a zucchini sliced, 2 apples and a sweet potato microwaved. IT was so so so good and I felt better all day. So the last of the unhealthy foods are gone out of the house--we are ready to get started. He would still like an occasional egg he said. I never could eat eggs as I am highly sensitive and they make me feel ill so I don't mind him having an egg cooked in our kitchen. He is also a chocolate hound--that is another thing I never cared for so it won't bother me to have it around. It is butter, bread and cheese that I would succumb to and happily they are all gone!

Glad to be here and using the board for keeping a journal, and I am really looking forward to getting my healthy lifestyle back!! Moral support is all I need to get started and keep going.

CreativeOne

[Daydream]

Welcome back! It's nice your partner is being supportive.

[creativeone]

Thank you Daydream--its nice to hear that!

[creativeone]

Simple so far:

Breakfast: half zucchini peeled/sliced, 1 apple, 1 orange pepper, and 1 smallish sweet potato steamed in the microwave. Right now, I am getting started by eating raw sliced veg that I love because its easy without a lot of cooking. The microwave does the sweet potato very well and as it cools I eat my crudités.

Lunch: taking some crudités with me to my studio as there is no healthy food nearby. so another apple and a small head of gem lettuce will suit because the lettuce is shaped like a cone and small enough to hold in hand and eat it.

I would take a pic and show it but I don't know how on this forum yet to do that. This is my first time using the forum/journal feature although I have been following Dr. M for some years and was a vegan for about 20 before finding his way of eating that is healthier.

Dinner: planning it to be a bowl of broth with spring greens, green onions, lemon juice, red onion, carrots, mushrooms and probably a sweet potato. For my partner, I will give him some japanese ramen noodles since he can or is willing to start the regular meal plan.

Now as for anxiety, I am concerned I will get hungry while out or feel like eating because that is better than painting and having it come out as a failure. I often stop painting to make a decision on how or which way to go and then eat some poor choice food to get me over the slump. To address the get hungry bit, that is ridiculous. there is grocer across the street and I can buy an apple or mango cut up and eat that although I don't want to rely to much on fruits. The salads are expensive and not the best choice but I could do that. So no excuse there. The anxiety over making art is something I am working on and getting less anxious over--but only time and diligence will help. It is because the work is very process oriented and in transition so no clear path has been created to make the same work over and over as many artists do. Learn to live with myself maybe is the answer here.

[creativeone]

My day was a success as far as eating goes - bit yay for me. Dinner was a bowl of veg soup with a sweet potato, no sugar or salt or fat! I feel so great about choosing the right foods for 1 whole day.

[creativeone]

Jan 03

Another MWL success of eating right foods.

Breakfast: wasn't hungry

Lunch: kiwi, small apple and sweet potato

Tea: whole grain ff crumpet, big green salad of baby gem lettuce and rocket, crudités and seltzer

Snack: 8 red grapes

Feeling better already, pain in feet subsiding, head feels more clear and mood brighter. Yay!

[creativeone]

Had a good day yesterday for eating, a pear, half a courgette or a zucchini and some porridge or oatmeal as its called in the states. Moved to the UK last year and now I am jumping back and forth with the words UK vs US. It was a wet rainy cloudy day and a chilly 1c and I saw the Shepherd's Pie recipe on the McDougall App. I made it and it was really good, but it was topped with sweet potatoes instead of white. It was too much for 2 people, so we have leftovers which my DP will eat tonight and I will have a big ginger salad.

Today so far, a half of a courgette, a banana, clementine, pear for my breakfast. For lunch I had 2 Tbsp rice in a salad of carrots, celery, cucumber, red peppers, baby gem lettuce and italian bitter lettuce mix with a dressing made of soy sauce, lemon juice, grated ginger and birds eye red pepper crushed.

Another big crispy salad awaits me later. Another good day McDougalling. So far my partner loves it and is so happy we are doing it and loves the food!!! I am happily surprised and glad he is loving it so much, he dropped a few pounds already and feels better too.

[JeffN]

Welcome back.

January is a time many try to get back on track. Hopefully, keeping a journal will be helpful.

However, I was looking at your posted intake and while its not very specific, my concern is that, as I am sure you know, the McDougall Program is a starch based program with 50-90% of your plate/intake (by visual volume) to be minimally processed starches. I just don't see that in your posts, let alone sufficient calories.

For example, you said,

For lunch I had 2 Tbsp rice in a salad of carrots, celery, cucumber, red peppers, baby gem lettuce and italian bitter lettuce mix with a dressing made of soy sauce, lemon juice, grated ginger and birds eye red pepper crushed.

Maybe I am wrong, or just missing the starch component, but 2 Tbsp of rice along with veggies is just not a starch based meal.

It might help if you were more specific in what you are consuming. Or, you can post a few days in the cronometer (chronometer.com) so we could see.

My concern is, if one is not consuming enough starch and focusing on non-starchy vegetables, it may work for a while, and maybe even faster at first, it never works longterm. It also sends the wrong message to newcomers here.

In Health
Jeff

[creativeone]

Thanks Jeff -for suggesting how to track what I am eating, trying to follow MWL. I just like to use leftover rice in my salads because it adds great texture. I forgot to add the sweet potato which is my most frequently eaten starch when I am on the go. One thing I remember Dr. M saying was not to measure, so these are guesses on amounts.

I will keep a better account and try the site you suggested, I would never want to give anyone wrong information.

Breakfast: celery/red peppers crudités about a cup, kiwis, a sweet potato

Lunch: carrot crudités about a cup and a sweet potato

Dinner: Shepherds Pie (Mcdougall recipe) with brown rice instead of the potato topping, the plate was 50/50 about 1.5 cups of each, plus one rice cake.

Dessert/Snack: 2 clementines

I've been a very tiny bit hungry in the evenings - maybe I need to add more food per meal.

[JeffN]

Thanks Jeff -for suggesting how to track what I am eating, trying to follow MWL.

You are welcome.

I just like to use leftover rice in my salads because it adds great texture. I forgot to add the sweet potato which is my most frequently eaten starch when I am on the go. One thing I remember Dr. M saying was not to measure, so these are guesses on amounts.

We are not measuring nor am I recommending it. We are just using visual estimates of the food by volume. Aim for 50% starch and up to 50% non starchy veggies for the MWL and up to 90% Starch for the regular program.

I will keep a better account and try the site you suggested, I would never want to give anyone wrong information.

Dinner: Shepherds Pie (Mcdougall recipe) with brown rice instead of the potato topping, the plate was 50/50 about 1.5 cups of each, plus one rice cake.

You can estimate it by visual volume. That is what we recommend.

PS Rice cakes are not MWL.

I would recommend joining the the weekly MWL weigh-in group and going through all the resources in the orientation thread.

I've been a very tiny bit hungry in the evenings - maybe I need to add more food per meal.

There you go.

You can't beat biology, it wins every time.

In Health
Jeff

[creativeone]

Well, I am trying to be accountable and not measure, lol - so lets see how this works out. I can hear my mother a lifelong yoyo dieter and eventually a type 2 diabetic, saying we have to measure our food. sigh.

Todays' meals:
Breakfast: Kiwi and porridge

Lunch: sweet potato and crudités

Dinner: WW pasta, tomatoes, red peppers, onion, mushrooms and a chopped salad on the side

Snack: Orange

Last night I made a bowl of porridge after dinner because I was still a bit peckish. That helped a lot. It's very hard to know how much food is the right amount and try not to overeat or stuff myself. Veg are ok here, fresh enough but there isn't a big variety as I had in the states, but there are some things that are really much tastier. One thing I miss is collards, but we have Spring Greens and they are similar enough. And the Savoy cabbage is wonderfully crinkly and mild in flavour and plentiful in every market. There are at least 5 different types of green beans and fresh peas, pea leaves, pea pods, sugar snaps are available which I happy about because those are the only legumes I can eat (a few in my family have the fatal peanut/legume allergy including me, so dried beans are out and sometimes even fresh beans and peas make my tongue swell). There are no steel cut oats (shocking I know) but loads of 'porridge oats' which is really rolled oats or oatmeal in the states. WW pasta is sold in at least a dozen shapes, brown rice is not plentiful and can be harder to find, because of the large asian population mostly white basmati rice is on the shelves. Thankfully there are lots of potatoes but the names and varieties are not recognisable but being potatoes they all taste very nice but are all waxy varieties. There is nothing like a good old fluffy starchy russet on the shelves. Also nice is the availability of sweet potatoes. Squashes are very limited, I only see butternut and all the others are missing. Although the other day in the Marks & Spencers food hall, I found a bag of large WW couscous and I am looking forward to trying that this month. M&S also has a very wonderful tray of plant based sushi that has no added fat, its crunchy and delicious, but I will save that for emergency trips or a special snack.

Today though is the first day in almost 1.5 years that I actually feel good. and hungry. its good to feel hunger, like I know I am alive and my body is feeling better in just a few days! And I love eating this way because I actually like veg and starch.

If anyone has any suggestions of other WW options for MWL that would be very helpful.

I am going to look at the MWL thread as Jeff suggested (thank you again Jeff, you are a knowledgable resource and much appreciated) Thank you for using my failure as an opportunity to learn more and to show others a better way to comply.

There you go.

You can't beat biology, it wins every time.

biology may win but this is a learning process and I can accept that I am trying to learn as I go along. If I knew what to do, I wouldn't be here. Instead, I am allowing myself to fail but without pressure. It is better to learn than quit out of fear or embarrassment for not complying. This journal is for me to stay positive, hold myself accountable and find support if possible. I am always happy to be supportive of others but other people have much more knowledge and experience than I do. If we were born knowing everything imagine how different the world would be.

[deweyswakms]

[quote="creativeone"][/quote]

Hi,
I was glad to see Jeff pop in because I too thought you weren't eating enough starch. If you go under the Education tab at top of the page, you will find many great recipes. And perhaps go over to the Maximum Weight Loss page and check out the 20 guidelines (think it is 20).

I eat till I feel comfortably full, not stuffed. If later I feel hungry again, I just eat more veggies or a cup of soup. One of my favorite and easy meals is to cook 2 potatoes (red or Yukon gold) with a carrot, some frozen corn, frozen peas and frozen edamame. I just rough mash it all together, and eat!

I need to eat more dark leafy greens (too lazy to cook them), so I just add them to my veggie chili or soups.

Good luck! you are going to succeed.

Marsha

[JeffN]

saying we have to measure our food. sigh..

To be clear, our recommendation is to not weigh and measure your food. No one here is recommending you weigh and measure your food. We are just talking about a ball-park estimate based on visual volume. No different then you are doing right now, when you put food in a pot or on your plate.

It's very hard to know how much food is the right amount and try not to overeat or stuff myself. .

We only have two main recommendations...

1) whenever you are hungry eat of the recommended foods.

2) When you eat, eat until you are comfortably full. Don't starve and don't stuff.

If you are not sure if you are really hungry or not or what is comfortably full, don't worry. Just keep practicing the principles and you will come to understand it as long as you are choosing the right foods. It is a process we all go through.

I am going to look at the MWL thread as Jeff suggested (thank you again Jeff, you are a knowledgable resource and much appreciated) Thank you for using my failure as an opportunity to learn more and to show others a better way to comply..

I don't see you as a failure or failing. I see you going through the process of learning, which we all do. there is no judgement here and you can check out the MWL thread to see how supportive the thread (and the moderators) is. Try and be kind and gentle with yourself.

biology may win but this is a learning process and I can accept that I am trying to learn as I go along. .

Great.


Jeff

[creativeone]

Thank you Marsha for the tips and ideas about recipes. I have a hint for the dark leafies, I use large leaves such as collards, uncooked, and put the 'mash' in and roll them up like wraps--easy way to get them in to meals and they don't need to be cooked. You might want to trim out the large rib. We don't have collards here so I am using what the British call Spring Greens--large elongated leaves that are something like cabbage/collard cross.

It is so nice to meet others who eat this way!

Jeff, as always words of wisdom, many thanks.

breakfast: Porridge and kiwi. (yesterday I couldn't eat all the porridge and this morning I was hungry for it, but ate slowly and then when I was done it felt like it may have been just a bit too much, full but not stuffed nor into the pain as Dr. Lisle describes it.

lunch: fingerling potatoes, chopped salad of radish, carrot, cucumber, pepper, celery tossed with lemon and ginger and served over lettuce

snack: brown rice and clementine

Dinner: WW pasta with a 'not-stir-fried' veg with soy sauce and hot peppers

I was really worried that I ate too much pasta, the plate was def 50/50 but maybe I just felt too full but it was very slightly so if it was too much. Still trying to judge that feeling. I am not used to eating large portions so its not a habit. By bedtime I almost felt hungry again, but I'd rather sleep than eat because I have an early alarm every day and eating at 10pm sounds like a bad idea to lay down with even a small amount of food in my stomach.

Today I spent some time on the discussion board looking through a number of posts about MWL and how to get started and other information. There are a few things I'd like to understand better and will keep looking, mostly about allowable foods. Wish there was a list of acceptable starches.

[creativeone]

Ugh - lost one pound this week and then went up a pound. Is it a coincidence or have I added too many starches? I have had zero oil...we have none in our home, we are on lockdown and can only go out for food and groceries, so no eating out or junk foods in home My partner lost 6 lbs this week--and we eat the same foods but not the same amounts. I also am waking up hungry for the first time in a long time and am feeling hunger which is great instead of craving sweets.

every day I have 1-2 fruits, a starch at every meal with about 50% vegetables on the dish, except breakfast I switched from fruit/vegetables for breakfast to porridge with a fruit as I was advised it wasn't enough starch.

I am not discouraged yet and know that having multiple autoimmune syndrome and health issues makes losing much more difficult. Had blood taken yesterday, have Hashimoto's and can feel my meds are too low. Maybe that will turn out to be a culprit as there are symptoms as though it is slower than usual, fatigue, constipation, aches/pains, dry skin.

I am walking daily for about an hour, not speed walking, just gently walking up on the North Downs across the country lane.

Today I had my porridge and fruit. and am off to the studio for a days work, which is standing almost all day BTW. will catch this up later with the rest of my foods.