April 2019 McDougall Weigh In Thread

[sirdle]

Down 1.8 lbs for the week!

[alishana]

Thank you so much Amy for the link and the greeting !
I'm doing yoga with Adriene on Youtube (Yoga with Adriene's channel), she's so great do you like yoga as well ?

0.0 for me this week !

[Rosey]

290 lbs last week 286.7 lbs this week. at least that one is right direction. so 3.3 lbs loss

[OOnaOwl]

Oh my gargoyles!!!
I thought it was a mechanical fluke yesterday, but it appeared again today-I think I actually lost fat weight this past week.
Down about 2 pounds. My smart scale says it is fat loss, not water or muscle. Now I am at my former fat weight from last fall, haha! I want to lose at least 10 more pounds of fat, preferably 15 but that may be unrealistic at my age (51 and menopausal). Although the excess fat is somewhat evenly distributed, the last place I gained (ribcage & abdomen) appears to be the first place it is disappearing from. I also realize I was filling myself to the limits of satiety with rice this past week, just on the edge of uncomfortably full. I am now trying to eat just to satiety & stop, reminding myself I can eat whenever I am actually hungry. Also it seems maybe eating beans/legumes helped the loss somehow? When I added them in 2 days ago (I was mainly doing Mary's Mini but with mixed starches before, so no beans/legumes) that is when the scale dropped. Maybe a coincidence I don't know. At any rate, will be including beans/legumes more frequently in case that is helping me shrink down to my happy/healthy size! Wishing everyone here health & happiness!

[amandamechele]

Belana - Nice, sounds fun. Do you need a special kind of bike or gear for gravel riding? I think I would want to cover myself in bubble wrap before riding those trails...LOL.

Moonlight - XO. How has this week gone? Making minimal headway can be mentally exhausting, so getting back to the basics is a wonderful idea... and I remember how well those cue cards worked for you in the past. With regards to your proposed new journal title...I love it - and I realize you aren’t being serious. Every traveler gets weary sometimes, it’s the cost of getting where you are going. I am glad we get to share the road together - that way we can take turns propping each other up when tired.

Shelley - I’ll join you in that happy dance! I hope the work stress isn’t going to last for much longer. Your victories this week were both on and off the scale.


Dan - That’s amazing...see above...LOL. I hope you find it gratifying to have this kind of outcome. You’ve been consistent with your program, the weigh-ins and weight loss. Congratulations!

Angela - Every minute of prepping saves you 10 calories of off plan food....LOL. I’m only sort-of kidding here. It sounds like overall you have had a good week; a solid small loss, finding time to prep and recognizing some little things you can work on. Excellent! (What kind of lentil soup will you make? I’ve had a hankering for some ever since I saw a beautiful picture of some lentil soup earlier this week.


Sirdle - Nice loss! Best wishes for the coming week.

Alishana - Thanks for checking-in this week. I don’t do yoga yet, but my husband took it up a couple of months ago, also using YouTube. He is doing beginner stuff but doesn’t follow a particular instructor. I’ll pass your recommendation onto him. Thanks!

Connie - Happy Friday! I’m glad there is less swelling this week. XO. So many reasons to happy dance...LOL.

Oonaowl - Awesome! I am so happy to hear this. Add more beans, don’t add more beans; keep doing your MWL program well, like you have been, and you will get there. (I’m also doing a happy dance for you, but it is surprisingly difficult to find a fun picture of dancing gargoyles...LOL.

[Shelley Crockett]

Dpascar

Awesome BS results! Congrats!

[Belana]

Good morning MWL People,
There's nothing worse than a stagnant scale. Well, I take that back. It'd be worse to gain weight while eating this way!
All I did was not eat salad at night for a couple days, but that's all it took is my guess. Nevertheless, it's frustrating. It's difficult not to be impatient about wanting this weight off every week.
Weight: 110.9
Loss: 0

[moonlight]

Hi MWL comrades!
I'm reporting a big 0 lb loss. I'm viewing this as good. I feel like I've had a good week of getting back to the principles of the MWL plan. I feel a huge success this week has been adherence to the plan. I've had the willpower to say "NO" to the temptations that come up. The intense cravings, an unfortunate result of keeping my taste buds expecting more off plan food, has lessened.
I admire all of you who are consistently reporting your successes each week! I'm wishing everyone a great week!

[amandamechele]

Hi All,

Congratulations on another great week! I can happily say we left no man (or woman) behind; Great diligence by all.

Whether you’re looking to get back to basics, or for tweaks to your current McDougall program, one of the best places to get (re)started is with the many threads from Jeff (Novick). Here are a couple of the wonderful reiterations of the major program and MWL guidelines.

The Five Pillars of Healthy Eating
"A Common Sense Approach To Nutrition"

1) Plant-Centered - Center your plate and your diet predominately around plant foods (fruits, vegetables, starchy vegetables, roots/tubers, intact whole grains, and legumes (beans, peas & lentils).

2) Minimally Processed - Enjoy foods as close to "as grown in nature" with minimal processing that does not detract from the nutritional value &/or add in any harmful components.

3) Calorie Dilute - Follow the principles of calorie density choosing foods that are calorie adequate, satiating and nutrient sufficient.

4) Low S-O-S - Avoid/minimize the use of added Salts/sodium, Oils/Fats and Sugars/sweeteners

5) Variety - Consume a variety of foods in each of the recommended food groups.

The Principles of Calorie Density

1) Hunger & Satiety - Whenever hungry, eat until you are comfortably full. Don't starve and don't stuff yourself.

2) Sequence Your Meals - Start all meals with a salad, soup and/or fruit. By starting with the foods that are lowest in calorie density, you begin to fill up for fewer calories.

3) Don't Drink Your Calories - Avoid liquid calories. Eat/chew your calories, don't drink or liquefy them. Liquids have little if any satiety so they do not fill you up as much as solid foods of equal calories.

4) Dilution is the Solution (the 50/50 guideline) - Dilute Out High Calorie Dense Foods/Meals - Dilute the calorie density of your meals by filling 1/2 your plate (by visual volume) with intact whole grains, starchy vegetables and/or legumes and the other half with non-starchy vegetables and/or fruit.

5) Be Aware of the Impact of Vegetables vs Fat/Oil - Non-starchy vegetables are the lowest in calorie density while fat and oil are the highest. Therefore, adding non-starchy vegetables to any dish will always lower the overall calorie density of a meal while adding fat and oil will always raise the overall calorie density of a meal.

6) Limit High Calorie Dense Foods - Limit (or avoid) foods that are higher in calorie density. These include dried fruit, high fat plant foods (nuts, seeds, avocados), processed whole grains (breads, bagels, crackers, dry cereal, tortilla's, popcorn, etc). If you use them, incorporate them into meals that are made up of low calorie dense foods and think of them as a condiment to the meal. For example, add a few slices of avocado added to a large salad, or a few walnuts or raisins added in a bowl of oatmeal and fruit.

In addition, include about 30-60 minutes of activity a day (including some aerobic, resistance and flexibility exercise), aim for a BMI of around 18.5-22 and get enough sleep, rest, relaxation, recreation, fresh air, pure water, etc and enjoy life!

The Healthy Eating Placemat: A Visual Guide to Healthy Eating

Also in the same thread, and a valuable read, is Passive Overconsumption: The Unintended Intake of Excess Calories. If I included it, this post would have become unwieldy. Thankfully it’s just a click away...so come on, you know you want to...click away!

I was wondering, how much success are each of you having in applying these suggestions? Which ones do you find most difficult? Which ones do you have down pat and to what do you attribute that success?

Looking forward to hearing from you, and very best wishes this week.

Amy XO

PS. Have you seen this talk from the 2019 NHA Conference by Dr. Anthony Lim: Valuable Life Lessons?

PPS. Food Spam: Greek Lentil Potato Soup Fakes - (pronounced fah-kehs). I’ve been wanting lentil soup all week and finally had some time to make it. Yum-o. (Note to self - add brown rice to the grocery list)


Here are the results for the second week in April:

Next Weigh-In is on Friday, April 19th, 2019

Total group loss reported in 2019: 244.37 pounds

April 2019 Weight Loss Group :: Monthly Weigh-In Results
Total group loss in January 2019: 140.53 pounds
Total group loss in February 2019: 78.64 pounds
Total group loss in March 2019: 7.4 pounds
Total group loss in April 2019: 17.8 pounds

Week ending 04/12/2019: 10 participants reported a total loss of 13.1 pounds
---------------------------------------

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Total gains: 0.0
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Shelley Crockett - 3.6
Dpascar - 1.6
Anelson108 - 0.6
Sirdle - 1.8
Alishana - 0.0
Rosey - 3.3
OOnaOwl - 2.0
Belana - 0.0
Moonlight - 0.0
Amandamechele - 0.2
---------------------------------------------
Total losses: 13.1
---------------------------------------------

Total group loss in April 2019: 17.8 pounds
Week ending 04/12/2019: 10 participants reported a total loss of 13.1 pounds
Week ending 04/05/2019: 10 participants reported a total loss of 4.7 pounds

[alishana]

One of my favorite things with this program is that I feel so light ! With energy and good digestion I hope that all of you feel good too today. Have a good week !

[amandamechele]

Belana - XO. How has this week gone so far? You are doing darn good. Patience is a virtue...LOL... but whether you have any or not, if you keep doing what you’re doing you will reach your goal.

Moonlight - I admire your tenacity. XO.

Alishana - How wonderful. Thank you for responding to my questions. Even years into this lifestyle, it is still so amazing to me how powerful eating the proper foods is, not just our health and energy levels and figure but also, on our wellbeing. Life just feels good when you’re eating the right way. I hope your week went well too!



As an aside, I’ve been fighting with myself to stay out of the pleasure trap for awhile now - with periods of success followed by longer stretches of difficulty. While I enjoy having a chance to celebrate the successes and efforts of everyone here each week, I’m embarrassed at my own lack of progress. I try not to compare and I am genuinely happy for everyone, but I’m only human.... and this has me not checking in here with you all as often, and I apologize for that. In the long ago past, when I consistently struggled to stay on plan, I would just fade away. Stop posting, stop checking in, stop reading and stop lurking in the lounge enjoying all the banter. That’s actually how I dealt with a lot of problems...fade away. I’m trying not to do that anymore, but sometimes I slip back into old patterns when feeling particularly stressed. This is Dr. Lisle’s ego trap, and it sucks too. I’ll figure it out, but I wanted to share where I’m at right now. Feeling battle weary. This one’s for me:



See you all tomorrow at the weigh-in! Blech... I’m going to have to face the music.

[Shelley Crockett]

Good morning everyone,

It was a good week. Not amazing, just good, but I'll take it.

I'm down 1.4 lb this week. After a larger loss last week, I'm happy for any loss.

Amy, I'm sorry you're struggling. I was on that struggle bus for a very long time and I totally understand your frustration. This is hard, period. Hang in there my friend. One day or even one meal at a time and celebrate every good decision you make. I'm available to chat if you need me. Dr. Doug would be proud of you and I'm sure he would have wonderful pearls of wisdom to share.

The theme for this week: minute-by-minute, meal-by-meal or day-by-day, all good decisions count! (even if they are not reflected on the scale)

Big hugs,
Shell

[Dpascar]

Good morning, down 0.4 this week and off next week to catch up on my Vitamin D so I will not be weighing in next week. May be a good thing as I will be at an all inclusive so it should be interesting. Dan

[anelson108]

Weigh-in today: 191.6
Last week: 194
Results: 2.4 pound loss
Total loss (since joining MWL): 13
Goal weight: 150 pounds (5' 6" height)
NOTE: The batch-cooking (corn chowder, lentil vegetable soup and baked potatoes) helped me stay on track because I was prepared.

[sirdle]

A loss of 1.8 lbs this week.