Expat in NZ - Cheers for the scale hitting a smaller number, (nearly) 100% adherence, and 4 lbs lost this month!
October awaits!
josietheschnauzer - Excellent work sticking to the MWL 10-Point Checklist on the road!
All your planning, thought and preparation seems to really be paying off. May your travels be safe and enjoyable!
whereamac - Down 1.8 lbs! Doing our very best within the context of a given situation seems like all we can expect of ourselves, right? If you haven't already seen Jeff's thread on strategies for
Dining Out, it may offer some applicable strategies. How wonderful that you are already noticing some pleasant changes and "non-scale victories." I applaud you for making those adjustments to your goals and daily regimen as a result of reviewing the evidence and information presented in Jeff's subforum. Whatever one's individual short and long-term goals may be, perhaps the most important is doing what we can to pass the "
Plate Test."
Cathy Ann - Making the current week better than the last is what it is all about! I think sometimes weeks (or months) when we are really struggling can offer some of the most valuable opportunities for learning and growth. Facing challenges and setbacks, persevering in the face of those obstacles, and strengthening our plans, routines and resolve for the future is a path that can ultimately lead to success. I'm delighted that you're feeling excited, strong and ready to make the best of the days ahead!
PonysPlants - Back on track, Naomi! Keep attending to the recommended behaviors, and I'm sure you'll see that BMI milestone before long. Jeff has some excellent threads discussing BMI -
Optimum BMI? and
Optimal BMI - redux, which address your question.
Abe - Nice work! Those intrusions of sudden stressors and calamities try to knock us out of the groove, but they also provide the opportunity to learn where our plans, practice and routine may have some "holes." Finding and adopting strategies for maintaining adherence when things feel the worst can be an enormous win. Perhaps you could try
Jeff's short, simple meditation; just be sure to use Jeff's method, and not Sheila's!
squealcat - Kudos! I think the consideration and effort you put toward implementing the recommended behaviors played a big part in how the week went, Marilyn! Feeling a renewed sense of hope that you can continue to make changes in your behavior to support your goals seems to indicate that you can see the path to follow. Making these changes is so hard, and there are so many countervailing forces, that nearly everyone struggles and stumbles - picking yourself up, focusing on the recommended pattern of behavior, and making today better than yesterday is a way to "get there" in the end.
CindyD - WOO! You are down 8 pounds this month, if I'm not mistaken! Good for you not letting distressing news send you off track; I totally agree that it feels valuable to focus on something over which we have influence or control, and what we put in our bodies is definitely a "big something!" It sounds like you are doing great. I think your reasoning in using a portion of the veggies in those lunch bowls as your preload makes sense; just be mindful not to "short" yourself on starches, as that can result in inadequate satiety and bingeing. Have a lovely weekend!
Wfpb2020 - Nice loss! Depending on our perspective, nearly all of us have "a lot more work to do" in one arena or another; just keep taking steps that bring you closer to where you want to be, as you see them in front of you. On the days you ate the potato chips, was anything different in your routine or environment? Was there a particular chain of events or situation that precipitated making that choice? Keep doing the work!
NateKruse - Another week of solid adherence and a big result! Big congratulations on losing 66 pounds since the start of the year! Feeling great is always the very best reward, right? Clearly, we all have to make our own individual choices, within our specific context; I would very much encourage you to take some time to review Jeff's discussions regarding
BMI,
Muscle growth, and
Exercise, as they may help inform your decision-making process.
I wish you the very best outcomes as you move forward.
Amberlina - That appears to be a really good week, indeed! Kudos for making progress on your daily exercise goal! Finding an exercise routine that you enjoy and feel great about seems like an important achievement. How gratifying that some of the "seeds" you are planting are beginning to "sprout" on your husband's plate.
jkcook -
jkcook wrote:Back to more green salads and potatoes and weight loss. Happiness!
I love that! The pattern of behavior yields the results.
Noella - YAY! 9/10 and down 2 lbs! What a delightful list of successes, on the scale and off! I very much feel for you being faced with increased inflammation and knee pain, ongoing issues with pain seem like one of the more challenging hurdles we're facing. Do any changes in your habits correspond with this flare up? Jeff's
discussion of his approach to the elimination diet is quite clear and thorough, if you feel like a review would be advantageous.
Moonlight -
Welcome back! I'm always so happy to see an old friend and comrade make their return! October awaits!
wstokes - Nice loss! Traveling inevitably presents problems to be solved; I think making progress on goals that we value, like exercise, definitely feels encouraging.
wstokes wrote:I have not reported via the 10 Point Checklist as much as I should...come October, I will make that my focus.
Sounds like a great plan! Since the behaviors deliver the results, that is where our power resides; it can be tough to gauge whether we are making progress in our pattern of behavior, if we aren't tracking that progress.
Dot - Fantastic efforts maintaining your diligent adherence! Carrying that forward will bring you ever closer to your goals. That transition where this starts to feel like a lifestyle can be an interesting and rewarding (as well as challenging) time. It really is a matter of continuing to practice the concepts, in a variety of different situations and environments, and fortifying and adjusting our plans and routines as needed; confidence will develop naturally over time. Concentrating on simplicity and physical activity seems like a great "game plan" for the week ahead.
Kathie - Down 4.4 lbs! Although this felt like a rough week, it would appear you made some important progress, adjusting your environment to better support adherence, and concentrating on the recommended behaviors.
You have it right with
water in response to thirst.
JeffN wrote:Drink when you're thirsty. Stop drinking when your thirst is quenched. Obey that one rule and there is no risk of dehydration.
VivianS - Hang in there, Vivian! These setbacks happen, so try to "harvest" the lessons they offer, treat yourself with compassion, and get right back to concentrating on the pattern of behavior described in the MWL 10-Point Checklist. Being prepared and having our environment prepared to support success is a big part of the battle. Try to keep in mind, too, that when we are eating the recommended foods, in the recommended fashion, the only question we need to answer is "Am I hungry?" The MWL guidelines tell us WHAT to eat, the questions of WHEN and HOW MUCH both have the same answer - in response to hunger, until comfortably full.
JeffN wrote:You don’t have to figure it out or work out it. Only follow the guidelines. When hungry (regardless of whether you may think it is true hunger, appetite, or something else) just eat. Eat of the recommended foods as outlined in the 10 point checklist.
Over time, it will work itself out.
This path often isn't easy, but as long as we keep learning, growing and doing our best, we are heading in the right direction.