The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2022 Group

For those wanting to learn about and follow the McDougall Maximum Weight Loss Program. You can also join our monthly weigh-ins.

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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2022 Group

Postby Mark Cooper » Mon Jan 24, 2022 5:20 pm

Aspen8
Aspen8 wrote:I love to mix whole grain pasta with an equal amount of green beans or asparagus or zucchini "noodles". Putting that option back on the table helps a lot.
Great! Enjoy. :)

VegSeekingFit - My weekend was great, thank you! Wishing you the best!
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2022 Group

Postby BambiS » Fri Jan 28, 2022 5:56 am

1/28

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes
I’m still eating those wonderful Florida oranges!


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. But with the added stress of my mom being here and her move, I’ve had cravings for sweets. I focus on how well I’ve done and don’t want to backslide.

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, I had mom move her snacks to her room out of site.

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Yes
I drink water daily, herbal teas, or Teeccino

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Yes, but wouldn’t hurt to slow down eating with the added stress now.


10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Yes
I met my daily steps goal


Victories, comments, concerns, questions

-2 -23 total since 11-7
I managed to stay on task with the added stress. I realize how easy it is to stress eat.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2022 Group

Postby Rebecka22 » Fri Jan 28, 2022 8:43 am

1.Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES This continued to be a habit.
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 I tried to incorporate more veggies some nights as it feels like I go through so many bags of frozen veggies, but I do prefer the convenience.
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 I did better this week with sugar cravings.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). YES I am committed to this one so it’s easier for me.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). YES I do okay on this with cooking at home, which I did all week.
6. Eliminate any added oil. YES Same as five, I don’t cook with any oil so as long as I stay away from the sweets and restaurants I do okay.
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 This was easier this week.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). YES I avoided this again but not without challenge.
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. YES I do sometimes think I eat more than I need to at dinner, but I wouldn’t say I’m stuffed.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). YES I do well with this one.

Overall I feel like it was another good week. I don’t seem to be losing weight…since I gained that 5 pounds at Christmas I have just stayed. Not sure if I’m doing something wrong or if the increase in weight lifting is impacting that or what. I feel good about the behaviors and everything else is good, but the weekly weigh in has been a little frustrating.
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Mark's Replies for January 28 - Part 1

Postby Mark Cooper » Fri Jan 28, 2022 2:12 pm

BambiS - Woot! 10/10 - nice work! I think taking time to focus on how well you are doing, the successes you have achieved, and really appreciating your results is a great way to fortify your resolve. :nod: What other tools did you find helpful this week for staying on task and managing that additional stress? Carry what is working well for you forward into the future!

Rebecka22 - Alright! That is a 10/10 for you, too! :D Just as you mention, the quantity of frozen vegetables my household goes through in a week would seem outrageous to folks who "aren't in the know" about this way of eating. :lol: I think it is natural to feel some frustration when the measure from the scale isn't seeming to reinforce our efforts, particularly when we feel ourselves to be adhering strictly to the guidelines. The thing to keep in mind is that many different factors, some of which our outside our control, can influence a given scale reading, and often the scale is somewhat of a lagging indicator of progress. Stick to the recommended pattern of behavior consistently, allow more time to pass, and the results will follow the pattern we set over that duration of time. Onward!
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2022 Group

Postby frowsyowl » Fri Jan 28, 2022 4:31 pm

1/28

1.Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 6/7 This is a steady habit now, was running late one morning and brought my breakfast with me, but not anything to pre-load. My husband has picked up on this terminology and likes that it sounds like I'm training for something...pre-load/carb-load?

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. 7/7 Have had plenty of frozen vegetables and made a different cooked cabbage this week to fill in for variety. The SNAP lunch was also already 50/50 and I think I will continue with SNAPS at lunch for that reason.

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. 6/7 My habit tracker says that I didn't do this completely on Saturday...I think that I was unconsciously salting things at the table that were already salted and woke Sunday morning with 'sausage fingers'. Almost slipped today. Was off work and did my shopping this morning. I didn't feel hungry, but must have been because everything was calling to me. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and almost bought a McDougall soup cup. I put it back.

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). 7/7 Again, no eating out, didn't visit anyone, and didn't make any exceptional recipes at home. Didn't really have to try.

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 7/7 No transgressions here...still didn't buy any soy milk and have gotten used to my oatmeal with just fruit. I baked something for my husband with nuts, but didn't have any. I've had enough pre-made food around that I was satisfied with.

6. Eliminate any added oil. 7/7 The only time this is a problem is if I'm getting into husbands things or with purchased snack foods....holding strong. No particular strategies, more of a synergy with having everything prepared and getting used to the new pattern.

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. 7/7 Same as above. Getting into a groove.

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). 7/7 Have been drinking tea. Also had flavored water for variety this week.

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 7/7 ? I've noticed less appetite this week, especially compared to the first week. I am still making big portions, because it feels better to have 'enough' around, but I could probably cut back a bit. Last two days especially, I have served myself a little less, with the idea that I could go back for more. I did have more at breakfast though--I guess just interesting to watch how this changes.

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 2/7 Didn't live up to my intention this week. I started out well on Sunday, had a short walk Monday--windchill was worse than I prepared for, and the rest of this week have been feeling kind of run down. Will adjust and try again.

Things are going well. It helps that we don't have a minefield of holidays and haven't been doing anything on the weekends lately. Although, I can also do a lot of damage on my own by not being prepared, but at least for now, those habits aren't cropping up. I was able to go to Walgreens this week to pick something up without also leaving with at least one thing to cram on the way home. :nod:

edit: Had a 2nd prep-day on Wednesday to fill some gaps. I was feeling like I wanted to eat something after dinner, made some potatoes and then a couple other things that I noticed we were low on. I've scheduled this on my meal plan for this week.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2022 Group

Postby GreenFroG » Fri Jan 28, 2022 5:00 pm

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes. I have fruit for breakfast and a salad or soup for lunch. This week it was mostly salads as my preload. The boxes of salad blends from the store are helpful, along with the bags of broccoli slaw already chopped up. On busy weeks these make salads easier to fix. Throw in some cherry tomatoes and you are good to go.
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. I am trying to have a little more on my plate at each meal to keep me from snacking at night. (see comments below)
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! (see comments below)
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. I did not eat out this week, and this really helped me stay on track.
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. I ate a lot of baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other starches so I was not hungry for the higher calorie-dense foods.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Yes. At night I would have a cup of hot water with lemon juice after dinner. This helped me to keep warm and treat myself at the same time. It also signaled my brain I was done with the kitchen for the evening.
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.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Mark, last week you wrote:

GreenFroG - Nice job making exercise a part of your daily routine! Was using that added salt a new behavior added this week, or something you had been doing previously? If you find added salt contributes to troublesome cravings, it is perfectly acceptable to eliminate it. Fruit is always the right choice for dessert, but if you find yourself at the end of a meal wanting beans or a potato, it might be worth experimenting with a slightly larger volume of food for your 50/50 "meal". If that extra helping of starch was just being driven by a craving for salt, then addressing the salt should be a solution, yes? Have a great week!

Thank you Mark, for your comments. They were very helpful by directing me to reflect on my previous weeks. Salt was something I started to use over Christmas, as a sprinkle here and there on my potatoes...kind of like a treat. Then I just seemed to use a little more and a little more. So this week, I went without. I read all the posts from the previous week, and liked your suggestion about putting a little salt in a dish as the allotment for the day. But, I also liked the comments Wildgoose had about trying no salt for a month if you think you have a problem with it. I decided I will try the no salt approach for a month. As I look back over my past slip-ups, I often go for the chips and salsa or salty things. If, after a month, I seem to be able to handle salt, I will implement the allotment for the day method. I will keep you posted. Can people change their triggers by abstaining for a month?

I also implemented your suggestion to experiment with a slightly larger volume of food for my 50/50 meal. I did that this week, and it is working! I am not having the after dinner cravings like I was. So between the two, I had a much better week. Hoping I can keep up this next week as well.

I was behind in reading all the posts, and was able to read a lot of them this past week. Thank you all for sharing your tips and tricks! Wishing everyone a successful week ahead.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2022 Group

Postby GreenFroG » Fri Jan 28, 2022 5:12 pm

Hi Mark, I just posted my comments and realized that the lemon juice I have been adding to my hot water at night as a treat may be considered liquid calories. It is only about a teaspoon, but would I be better off with herbal tea? When I drink herbal tea, I seem to want caffeine. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2022 Group

Postby moonlight » Fri Jan 28, 2022 6:07 pm

    1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 80%
    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. 80%
    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. 93%
    4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). 93%
    5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 100%
    6. Eliminate any added oil. 100%
    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. 96%
    8. Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). 96%
    9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don’t starve yourself and don’t stuff yourself. 96%
    10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 5/7

Again, I want to celebrate recording my food each day. This habit is key to my success. I slip up on one or two behaviors and think I've really failed for the week but when I look at the week as a whole, I am pleased with how often I follow the plan. Keeping enough food cooked or prepped for salads helps me stay on track. I am enjoying having one or two homemade soups always ready to heat up. Another thing I have had good results with is making several sauces to keep in jars in the refrigerator. I have had success with pureed lima beans as the base for most of the sauces.
I will keep striving for a 100% week!! I will be shocked when it happens. Seems like there's something every day that keeps me from making it a 100%. I've solved one problem with being compliant on the preload. When I hike, I generally want to have a one pot meal. If I take some raw veggies, I can count that as a preload. My score may go up next week!

Thank you, Mark, for your comments, thought provoking questions, and suggestions. I want to thank everyone who is participating. All the Yes's are so inspiring! I like to hear how others are solving their issues.

Good luck to everyone this next week. :)
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2022 Group

Postby VegSeekingFit » Fri Jan 28, 2022 6:56 pm

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

It is almost Groundhog Day!!! Who is hoping that an early spring is predicted?? Personally, so looking for a respite from the cold !!!

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
:) I did preload 20/21 meals.
* I pre-load with finger food salad for B and D. I pre-load with Jeff Longevity soup for L. (Yes, all week!!!)
* My miss here is going to be a theme with each of my misses for this week's report.
* Reason for Non-compliance - Emotional - angry (which is quite rare for me)
* I generally have preloads available to grab. I got distracted for Tuesday dinner - on phone with friend who was also angry (work situation).
* This was a rare situation that I don't expect to recur with any frequency - so moving on with target of 100%.


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.
:) 20/21 were 50/50.
* Key for me is planning, shopping, preparation to make starch, veggies, fruit easy to grab and incorporate into any meal.
* Have roasted and zapped many potatoes, made oven fries, made a few pots of brown rice.
* I made a few pots of soup / chili / beans this week - Split Pea Soup (a couple of times - is my favorite!), Mexi Soup (from this website)
* See #1 for reason for non-compliance, etc.


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.
:D Yes.

4 Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
YES, of course. :D

5 Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
:twisted: 6/7 Days Compliant....
* If I am tempted by these food items, I will eat: finger food salad, frozen fruit, and either soup or rice or potatoes from refrigerator. These are all ready to grab and I usually pre-plate dinner.
* On two nights, I used part of my starch as "snacky" food. For one night, I had a small bowl of rice with a quick spray of Bragg's (which I bought several months ago but never opened) and the other I had oven fries with a bit of garlic salt.
* See #1 for non-compliance reason.
* I am feeling pretty good about this one (FINALLY) - as it no longer is a habit and I am not feeling cravings.


6 Eliminate any added oil.
:D 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.
:twisted: Compliant 6/7 days
See #5 above. Comments are same.


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.
:) I think I am ok here - yes.


10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes, 7/7 days. :D
* Walked outside 5 days !!! I am amazed that I have acclimated to some chilly temps...
* Met goal of averaging 8K steps / week (still Pacing with a Purpose...)
* Have continued focusing on indoor exercise (when outside is infeasible), stepping at least 8K average / day, making friends with stationary bike. Joined Wednesday's remote Zumba class.


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Comments:

This has been a better week for me where I seem to have found my "adherence muscle" -- perhaps I just need to try to flex it a bit harder... :lol:

I am happy to say that so many of the 10 points in MWL have become habits for me. These don't require much psychological stamina to continue on with the habit and they have helped me to both lose a clip of weight and also to keep that "lost weight" off. This informs my future self .... that I continue to follow this to manage my weight.... not to color outside lines... or other habits will be built (and I know where that ends up)!!! :shock:

On the other hand, I have been fighting the dry, salty, calorie dense (#5 / #7) that resides in my house. I think that I have flipped a mental switch and STOPPED the habit that I started of post-dinner or instead of dinner non-compliant snacking. I was not perfect this week... but progress and I don't really have specific food cravings that makes me think that a corner has been turned in this back-sliding.

I struggle with feeling disappointed in myself when I don't achieve 100% adherence --- and that is not helpful for me to actually achieve 100% adherence. So, I am glad to be practicing imperfectly .... because I do intend to continue to follow MWL 10 Pt. checklist going forward and if mistakes happen --- just dust off and keep going.

"If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one." -- Dolly Parton

Hope that everyone enjoys the weekend and a great week ahead!!! Thank you so much to Mark, Jeff, Wildgoose, and each and every participant for making this a community!!!

Best,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2022 Group

Postby CUgorji22 » Sat Jan 29, 2022 6:54 am

Hope everyone's having a great weekend so far!

*Guidelines:
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Compliant 7/7 days
- Victory: This week I tried a mix of starters for different days: soup, salad, fruit. Worked well! I think I'm getting the hang of it.

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. Compliant 7/7 days
- Victory: Building has never been easier. Fresh berries a few nights this week was refreshing.

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. Compliant 7/7 days
- Victory: I do not buy/eat packaged foods for myself, which helps me adhere to this guideline.

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). Compliant 7/7 days
- Victory: Even though my family eats animal products, I do not buy a lot of dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood which reduces the temptation factor. 

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Compliant 6/7 days
- Non-compliance/reason: I was served a dish with coconut milk.
- Decision to Adhere: Stick to making my own food...at home! 

6. Eliminate any added oil. Compliant 7/7 days 
- Victory: I use my air fryer more and more. I now enjoy discovering herbs & seasonings I like.

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. Compliant 7/7 days
- Victory: We went to Panera Bread on Thursday for a group meeting. I did not order/buy any food. 

8. Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Compliant 7/7 days
- Victory: I did not buy my favorite (sugary) drink at Panera Bread when we were there. 

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don’t starve yourself and don’t stuff yourself. Compliant 7/7 days
- Victory: I feel great about my portion sizes and can now predict how much I need to be satisfied, which blows my mind (in a good way-lol!).

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Compliant 5/7 days 
- Non-compliance/reason: (1) Wednesday was the 6 month anniversary of my Dad's passing. It was a tough day for me. I did not have the capacity to workout. I (literally) put all my energy into adhering to the other guidelines, specific to food/meals...which I did! That was huge for me! I chose not to eat my way through sadness. (2) Yesterday, I went for a 15min walk early in the morning, with the intention to use my favorite VR Fitness app for the remaining 15mins. I crammed in a ton throughout the day (I'm hosting a birthday brunch today) but didn't finish my exercise...I didn't make the time. 
- Decision to Adhere: (1) Looking back, I could have asked my family to walk with me to get me started, then keep going for 30mins by myself. (2) I like breaking up my exercise; here's what I'm considering: setting up times on my phone calendar for blocks of time to exercise, treating those times like I would a meeting/appointment.

*Weight Change: -2.8lbs *loss*

Starting weight, Nov 1st: 145.6lbs
This week's weight, Jan 28th: 132.6lbs


*SUMMARY/THOUGHTS*
- I'm excited to continue my good, healthy habits as maintenance! Last week, I started reading Dr. McDougall's book The Starch Solution. The chapter on vegan foods deepened my resolve to stay focused!
- I'm leaving the Group for now and will not return to the Feb 2022 Group...but don't be surprised if I pop up again. The weekly accountability and constructive feedback found in this Group is invaluable to me.
- I keep a log on my phone of my victories & non-compliance. I plan to continue doing so. It really helps me at the end of the week have a sober (personal) assessment of my daily choices.
- Pretty surprised by my loss this week; I don't think I've been this weight (number) as an adult. I feel great about my total loss since jumping back into the Group, Nov 2021. My weight loss was slow and steady...a trend I am very pleased with! 
- My Personal Trainer was shocked that I've been working out/exercising outside of my 2 training sessions each week. My goal will still be 30mins daily. I am now at a good pace of 5-6Xs/week so I'll keep pushing myself!
- The word "starter" has become a buzzword in my home. My husband, son & youngest daughter have started requesting a "starter" with their meals. Hahaha! My youngest daughter (4 yrs old) said to me this week, "Mom, where's my starter?" Too funny! 

At 45 years-old, I am pretty set in my ways on some things. This stage in life can be tricky. As I chat with my peers, it seems like having a laid back approach to life is favored, with hopes to not take things too seriously...including health! I deeply appreciate being pushed far beyond the goal I had in mind when I re-joined this Group last year. My body has changed but so has my mind AND my character...which is truly priceless! Thank you, Mark, for the perfect balance of encouragement and direction each week. Grateful you and this Group are a part of my health journey! 

-Chesca
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2022 Group

Postby josietheschnauzer » Sat Jan 29, 2022 9:34 am

[size=150][size=150]MWL Check List 1/28/22
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit: Yes, as I wrote before, I am a huge fan of baby spinach for the salad—it has filling magic for me! I am also using broth because I haven’t “made” the time to make it from scratch. It is so easy to make so my goal is home made broth for the next week. I can be sure of the amount of sodium I am consuming also.
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals: Yes, thank you for the information about my soup from last week. I now serve the pumpkin lentil soup or split pea soup over potato or rice. I still have broccoli or another vegetable too!
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts: Yes.
4. Eliminate all animal foods: Yes.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods: No vegetable sushi with avocado this week. No temptation at the store to dream about nuts! Success!
6. Eliminate any added oil: Yes
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products, popcorn and dried fruit: NOT MY FAULT (HA!). For some reason, I thought that roasted chestnuts were ok? Are they? After I bought an expensive little bag and ate them, I searched on Jeff’s forum and discovered that yes, while they are a starch, they are much denser that potatoes. I figured out that they were twice as dense as corn. Anyway, are they on the verboten list?
8. Don't drink your calories: Yes
9. Eat when hungry & until comfortably full. Don't starve and don't stuff: Yes, as I reported last week, I am drinking more water and herbal tea. I do drink too much coffee, but one bridge at a time.
10. Include 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily: Yes—early in the morning, then it is DONE!
I have completed four weeks. I have lost 6 of pounds in that time frame. Thank you for supporting us with this forum. I appreciate your comments on maintenance. At this stage in my life, I don’t think I am the type of person who can “go on maintenance”. I think I must stick to MWL, period. Will that be my maintenance? I have found out over and over again, that once I start deviating, it is too easy to deviate even more.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2022 Group

Postby thatsright75 » Sat Jan 29, 2022 10:35 am

It's been another great week for me. Feeling happy, successful, and in control of my behaviors.
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. I've been very successful at this, keeping soups and salads prepped in the fridge is especially helpful.
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. I am doing this very well also. It keeps me full and satisfied.
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. Still doing great at the sugars and improving each week on the salts.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). These are no temptation to me at all.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). I'm amazed at how these don't appeal at all to me anymore, because a month ago these were my go-to comfort foods to really enjoy plant based eating.
6. Eliminate any added oil. Also no problems here.
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. Like guideline #5, these were my Achilles heel while eating plant based for the last six years, so it's awesome to easily eliminate them and feel so good about it.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). I've always been a water person. Doing fine here.
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Sometimes I do get lazy and not want to make myself a meal, so I get quite hungry. I will sometimes grab a piece of fruit to eat until I have time or energy to make a real meal, but I know I need to be more consistent at eating a full meal.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). I did five days of exercise this week, which is the max for me, so I'm happy with that.

I didn't have any major mistake this week. I know I need to do better at eating a real (compliant) meal when I get hungry instead of getting by on fruit or soup. But I still feel like I'm doing great at establishing habits of eating the right types of foods instead of resorting to the ones that derail me. I'm down two more pounds this week, so -12 since I started on Jan. 1. Can't complain about that! Have another fabulous week, everyone!
-Kali
thatsright75
 
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2022 Group

Postby Diane 17 » Sat Jan 29, 2022 11:27 am

Mcdougall weight loss Diane, Jan. 29

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.

- mostly but not as good on the weekends.

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 except when invited to a friends birthday party. I ate the cake and some pizza. Any tips for next time?

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.

Maybe a 5/10 . I still add salt to things for fear I won’t like it.

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

8/10 cheese on pizza! I have a few recipes to try. But worry I won’t like it without cheese!

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

Added walnuts in oatmeal in the morning

6. Eliminate any added oil.

Mostly, I am cooking without oil, I love potatoes even without oil, but usually still want salt of some kind, and spices.

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 I did well on this one

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

I drink homemade kombucha which I read is healthy but I know it has sugar so I assume it’s not as good as I want it to be!

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

I did well at first. I find it hard to constantly snack on vegetables and worry I eat too much fruit. I made a potato and carrot cheeze dip which helps. And a ranch dip but it used cashews so not really allowed.

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

I walk for an hour each morning but can be pretty lazy in the evening. I usually get 10,000 steps a day.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
- [ ] Eating soup or salad before a meal most of the time. Any suggestions on easy and yummy salads? I find I get bored of my go to green salad but it’s the easiest to make.
- [ ] Walnuts with oatmeal and bananas every morning. I will try to cut out the walnuts!
- [ ] Kombucha , is this off the diet?
- [ ] Dinner at friends house: my goal was to eat a salad first And eat two pieces of pizza?!! And eat veggies with dip. Bring sparkling water and fruit. I ate more pizza and had a gin and tonic but did okay. Any tips for eating at a friends house?
- [ ] Morning walks trying to add in an evening walk or activity. Added in one evening walk and cross country skiing.
- [ ] Eating plain raw almonds and walnuts when craving chocolate, sweet treat or salty snack
- [ ] Cashew cream for ranch dressing. But it was very good. Working to find other recipes that I enjoy too and not use cashews.
- [ ] Skied three Times this week as the weather warmed up a bit! It’s been very cold in northern Canada!
- [ ] Wanting to stress eat with chocolate !!! So I caved and ate salted peanuts and some York mints. I need a strategy for stress
Diane 17
 
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2022 Group

Postby Noella » Sat Jan 29, 2022 12:27 pm

Hi Mark, Wildgoose, Jeff and All,
:) 1. Soup and or salad, and or fruit as an appetizer at6 each meal. Travelling this week; at my daughter's house, but still trying to keep this behaviour and have veggies or a piece of fruit.
:) 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.
:eek: SALT!! 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. I think I am quite sensitive to salt and while at my daughter's the food has more salt. I was SO thirsty, parched, last night after having a regular brand of salsa with salt. On the days ahead I will be extra careful with salt.
:) 4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
:) 5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
:) 6. Eliminate any added oil.
:) 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.
:) 8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
:) 9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
:| 10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). I need to set my goals to exercise and give myself more care and attention.

I still get tempted to taste some of the non-MWL foods that are when I'm at my daughter's house. Yesterday I made burritos for dinner and I roasted potatoes in addition to heating tortillas. I stayed away from the tortillas easily and really enjoyed the roasted potatoes with all the delicious MWL approved toppings: homemade no oil refried bean with onion and apple cooked for several hours, tomatoes, lettuce, green onion, and salsa. It was SO delicious. having some potatoes for me meant I didn't have any problem not having the non MWL burrito fillings such as grated cheese, olives, guacamole and sour cream.

Best regards to everyone for an awesome February,

Noella
[color=#BF80FF]
146 lbs. /color]
Last edited by Noella on Mon Jan 31, 2022 9:51 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Noella
 
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Reporting for January 28 Assessments is now CLOSED

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat Jan 29, 2022 2:00 pm

The window for reporting this week's behavioral results has officially closed.

The remainder of my replies and the weekly summary will follow.
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