December 2017 McDougall Weigh In Thread

[wildgoose]

Hi everybody,

2 pounds down this week! Can't believe it, but there it is. Only 3.2 more pounds to get to my "outrageous, I'll never make it" Christmas goal.

Congratulations to all for any loss, or even staying the same, in this season of never-ending temptation. We can laugh all the way to January, when every other commercial on TV is for weight loss programs or products.

Onward and downward.

Goose

[moonlight]

I'm down 1 lb. this week. I was down 3 lbs but made poor choices the last couple of days....whimper whimper

Amy, how did you do with the late night cram circuit breaker? I made it 4 nights with no snacking. I found that I would start craving something to eat about 1-2 hours after dinner. The cravings would come and go every hour or so until I went to bed. My mind was very tricky. I thought I was hungry but then realized it was just a craving. On the 5th night I caved but only had rice cakes - not too bad. Then the last couple of days I've eaten out, been off the plan. I love having the awareness that often I'm not hungry, it's just a craving sensation.

Good luck to everyone! Stay strong! Just say NO to all those cravings!

[BeHealthy]

I gained a two pounds this week. Ugh!

I'm not feeling to good about myself because of my inability to meet my goal to be more healthy. I do a lot of things well, but this is not one of them. Sadly, it's one of the most important things in my life. I'm not giving it the attention that I need to. Things need to change.

Sigh, I've got all the information I need to do this right and all of you by my side, and yet... I fail time and time again. It's not rocket science. Sheesh.

Fortunately, I don't give up easily. I'm consistent with my stubbornness to not quit on myself. That's something I guess. I hope to -- scratch that -- I WILL(!!) have a better report next Friday.

[amandamechele]

Vee - You're welcome Vee! It is kinda neat.

Sue - How lovely to find local people to share a meal with. The meal sounds decadently delicious. Can you describe the celeriac dish, I'm unfamiliar with the term velouté? (My computer has added that accent Facebook is a great way to interact with people, I hope the group turns out to be helpful and fun. Even here on this website you could do a word search using your home town or area as a keyword and see if anyone registered to the boards is from your area. Then reach out to them and see if they want to share a meal one evening. That's how I met a few ladies in Toronto and we started a potluck...they reached out to me from these boards.

Susan - Great loss and great thought! Have a wonderful week.

Anne - I wish you a great week too. Those are lovely words on courage, because it truly is courageous to continue to take action even in the face of fear and disappointment. Thank you for sharing them.

Katie - I have found days 5-7 of my cycle are my lowest weight of the month. So, maybe, that's something to look forward to (even if it really isn't indicative of fat loss...lol).

Werner - Every little bit counts! See you next week.

CamiJb - Awesome! It took me a couple of years to trust that I would lose weight eating so much when I followed the plan. It really does work...lol...our bodies do recognize when to stop when we are eating the correct foods. I'm so happy for you. How do you make ginger water? Sounds interesting.

petmomful - Good plan! What kind of sports do your grandkids play?

Goose - Woo hoo! Congratulations on a great week.

Moonlight - I'm happy to hear you have learned so much about yourself this week. It's a pretty interesting experience, once all of that blame and negative emotion has been removed. Each observation will lead to you a more accurate understanding of how you react to individual situations and then enable you to consider strategies for how to mitigate poor choices. With regards to how my week is going trying to turn off that cram circuit...it's 9 o'clock at night and I'm eating raw carrots. So not perfectly, yet. I also had a few good days and then I gave into eating as a way to relax in front of the TV, so now I'm a little bit back up the extinction curve, but not all the way. The strategies that I use for my first few days of avoiding nighttime eating are to 1) try using my willpower...if that begins to fail...2) I allow myself to sip tea throughout the evening or if that isn't enough I 3) eat raw veggies. I know those strategies sound like I'm doing the opposite of avoiding nighttime eating, but I find I'm usually battling a bit of the pleasure trap at the same time as the cram circuit, so it takes a number of 100% on-plan days to be able to more easily completely avoid nighttime eating. Tonight the temptation around me was too great for willpower and tea. My family wanted to make popcorn while we watch a Christmas movie, but I requested we not because I would find that too difficult. They ended up eating my homemade pita chips and hummus, which while McDougall friendly, is not MWL. I found watching them eat it difficult after I had run out of tea (and didn't want to make more or I'd be up all night), so I've moved onto raw veggies. So, like you, its a work in progress. But we will prevail!

BeHealthy - Sorry to hear about your struggle this week. But I'm [b]thrilled[b] with how you're taking it. You have the exact right attitude to be successful in the long-run. This is doable, you've learned what you need to about what to eat and you keep showing up here for support. Excellent work! Now just keep trying. It took me years to get this right. I always hate saying that because I worry it will scare people away. We are all different and will have different challenges to applying this information. But diligent effort in figuring out what works for you will get you there...eventually! Some weeks are going to feel demoralizing. Try not to let that get the best of you, it will pass. We are all here with you, rooting for you during the good weeks and bad weeks. Keep at it! XO

[Svenja]

Heya!

I have gained 2 pounds.
But for some reason I am not so concerned.
I ate really well.
I've been having emotionally a really tough time since passing my exam. Seams like it's been even more stressful than I thought and I am having trouble to adjust. Not turning to food during this challenging time is a major success for me.
Been skipping some evening meals too.

Been to an all day team building training event with my colleagues yesterday ... through out the day there was not one single thing I could eat, for lunch I had some oily cabbage and plain rice. ... good that I brought some food with me.

Have a great 2. advent weekend everyone!
Svenja.

[Suey51]

Seasonal greetings groupmates!

I’m up 0.8 pounds this week Not a good start to my goal of staying the same weight this month. I think I know why I gained, so that’s good news!

Feeling very grateful today after a lovely few days at the coast with Mum and my husband. We stayed in a town that's a family favourite and its also where we got married - at the end of the pier!

We drove there, so I took ingredients with me and prepared my favourite McDougall Program breakfast and supper dishes. We ate out at lunchtimes and I was able to find compliant options. In two places, I ordered sides of baby potatoes and seasonal vegetables. In the first place the waitress brought them in small side dish style bowls and I had to ask for a big plate and them empty the dishes on to it. In the second place, the chef had arranged them tastefully on a large plate, complete with seasoning and garnish. In both places the food was tasty but, in the second place the food was much more visually appealing and I felt more like a ‘normal’ diner.

(As you can see we had the usual mix of English seaside weather )

So far, so good. However, the owners of the rental cottage where we stayed had generously provided a welcome pack. They had even chosen three of my old favourite snack items! In the evenings my cram circuit went into overdrive so I’m going to re-watch Doug Lisle’s video today to help me get back on track. And I’m going to prepare some raw veggies in case the other techniques don't work....

This morning I am humming Meatloaf’s “Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad”

I've started reading "The End of Overeating" by David Kessler which Amy mentioned recently. It’s started well and looks like it will explain exactly why the salted caramel Florentines in the welcome pack tasted so irresistibly good!

Amy - the veloute (can't easily get an accent on this UK keyboard!) was a light creamy soup. It had a couple of smoked celeriac cubes at the bottom and was very good. Thanks for the suggestion on searching for local people on here, I'll give that a go.

Best wishes to everyone and hope you all have a good weekend, Sue xx

[stillcrazy]

I am down .6 this week to put me at 215.8. So the good and the not so good. I had a meal that was completely off the rails. I went to Subway with a friend for a sandwich -- knowing that I could get a fairly good low fat whole foods meal there if I chose their best bread and no oil or dressings, of course no meat or cheese. But in an impulsive moment, I ordered a Reuben, and not even a half, a whole. And they threw in a bag of chips as well. After I started to eat it, I was determined to not get swept away in an ocean of guilt about it, since it was clearly my choice. So I didn't. I will say that I ate it and really enjoyed it and know that it is absolutely not what I want to be including, even once in a while, in my food.

And I did't wait until the next day to get focused again, I got focused the very next meal. I ate extra greens in a huge salad and had some delicious veggie soup and apologized to my arteries.

I had a modest loss this week anyway. I definitely want to lose weight but I mostly want to be in really good health, which I now realize will not happen unless I lose weight as well as eat properly. So that's the good and bad.

I hope everyone else had a week that was excellent in some way! Vee

[Sundog]

Down 1.6 lbs this week! Very happy for this drop! Sundog aka Linda
Start 250.8
Today 242.7 total loss 8.1 lbs
Still working on becoming 100% compliant. Eating compliant McDougall foods just not MWL. It’s not everyday but an occasional nut butters or nuts. I am making progress so for this I am thankful. Haven’t gotten back to the gym yet but it’s on the horizon. My old dieting ways say “that’s not much of a weight loss” in the past I could have dropped 20 lbs in a month. What I am telling myself is that I am not dieting anymore! I am living a new lifestyle and yet not 100% compliant I am still losing weight! The other bonus is I am getting healthier eating this way and it’s not a plan or diet that I will go off of when I get to my healthy weight! I’m wishing each of you a healthy week making great food choices to nourish your body and mind!
Sundog.

[Purposive]

2 pound loss 209 started October 4 @ 238

Well, it was a less than a perfect week, as far as sticking to my eating plan. Realize now a great big trigger for me is family stress. I can handle the holidays with all the happiness, but seeing one of my children having rough moments was enough to send me back to my previous comfort foods for two days. Thank goodness it is Saturday and I can reset my resolve. I thought that vegetable tempura would wipe my worries away (just being facetious )! Yuck, hadn't had any oil for two months and it didn't even leave me feeling good mentally or physically. Good lesson learned. I appreciate having the accountability on this forum, it helps me stop and self reflect. Cheers to all my sojourners !

[amandamechele]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for checking-in this week. It's great to hear from so many of you...give yourselves a big cheer for all of your planning, chopping, preparing and following through this week: Hip hip hooray!! We WILL have a happy and healthy holiday and even lose a bit of weight!

Sue mentioned that she was reading The End of Overeating and that got me thinking about all of the books that I will be receiving for Christmas. My husband and I go out of our way to find books that we think each other will like, and most years we discover that we have both purchased at least 1 book that is the same.
I was wondering which books each of you would recommend to someone trying to learn more about healthy eating and weight loss? This is the maximum weight loss thread, so I imagine we all have at least a little interest in this topic...hehe.
The top books that I would recommend for someone interested in learning more about this particular lifestyle are The Starch Solution by Dr. McDougall - this is the program , The Pleasure Trap by Dr. Lisle - this will help with understanding why knowing what to do isn't always enough, and The China Study and Whole by Dr. Campbell - this will provide deeper background . That's my short list. There are so many others...like Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, reviewed by Dr. McDougall below:

Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us
by Michael Moss
Salt Sugar Fat
Michael Moss, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter at the New York Times, has written a #1 bestselling book that I recommend you buy and read.

This is not a diet book or cookbook. No practical solutions for the current obesity and health catastrophes facing our nation and the developed world are offered.

Rather, this book explains how normal unregulated business practices underlie the current epidemics of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes in the US and those parts of the world with increasing prosperity (China, India, Mexico, etc.). No one is purposefully trying to hurt you or your family—this is just raw commerce, where profits rule.

Salt Sugar Fat is an expose of how food companies use and manipulate science to sell the maximum amount of food to consumers. The book makes many important analogies with the selling practices of the tobacco industry. The food industry knows their products are fattening and sickening hundreds of millions of people, and like tobacco, they justify their behavior by claiming, “It’s not our fault, that's what the consumer wants—we're not making them buy our products.”

However, the truth is that by spending billions of dollars on developing and marketing highly irresistible and convenient foods, the food industry has forced consumers, against their will, into unhealthy eating habits. (Without the truth and a choice of alternatives, there is no free will.)

Food scientists use cutting-edge technology to calculate just the right amount of sugar to add to a food or beverage in order to make it most appealing. A “U” shaped pleasure curve exists, where more sugar adds to the appeal of a product, to a point. This amount is referred to as the “bliss point.” Beyond that amount, excess sweetness is a taste turn-off.

Salt’s powerful flavor turns even the poorest quality foods into pleasurable experiences. Fortunately, excess saltiness is distasteful, and the amount of salt needed for enjoyment is reduced after a short period of adaptation.

The third pillar used by the food giants to hook us is fat, which can be added in almost limitless quantities—making it the most toxic of the three ingredients, especially when it comes to obesity and diabetes. Remember what I say: “The fat you eat is the fat you wear.”

When health concerns about salt, sugar, or fat in their products arise, food marketers respond by dialing back on one ingredient and then pumping up the other two. They advertise the new food line as “no sugar added,” “fat-free,” or “low-sodium.” These taglines attract new customers and lower “the guilt factor,” which helps keep the most loyal patrons, called “heavy users,” buying their products.

The food industries’ win-at-all-costs strategy has led the average American to eat 33 pounds of cheese (triple of the amount eaten in 1970) and 70 pounds of sugar annually. Nondiscretionary salt (the salt hidden in foods, like cheese and lunchmeat) obligates consumers to eat twice the sodium that is recommended. After reading this book you will be left asking yourself how human beings can possibly survive on the chemical concoctions created by food companies.

Unfortunately, Salt Sugar Fat simply ends with no way out. After providing a detailed and very readable historical account of how we became a nation of fat, sick people, Mr. Moss offers no practical solutions. Apparently, his years of exhaustive research failed to uncover for him the basic problem: Over the past century the human diet has been transformed from primary starches (rice, corn, potatoes, and beans) into meals based on meat and cheeses followed by desserts fit for a king (all effortlessly served to the consumer as if prepared especially for them by a full court of servants).

The Starch Solution Answers the Problems Identified by Mr. Moss

The basic problem is that our primary sources of calories are now coming from fats found in meat, dairy, and vegetable oils, and refined sugars, with an overpowering load of salty flavor added. More manipulation of these unhealthy ingredients (Salt Sugar Fat) can never result in good health. Rather, the simple solution is to exchange them for rice, corn, potatoes, and beans with whole fruits and vegetables.

People naturally love salt and sugar. We crave sugar because this is our primary source of energy, and our love for salt insures adequate minerals for our body. Nothing is going to change our basic human physiology. Meat and cheese contain almost no sugar or salt. To entice people to eat these bland-tasting foundations they must be infused and coated with large amounts of salt and/or sugar. Breaded with a batter made of flour, salt, and sugar, unappealing chicken becomes a national bestseller (KFC). Starches have a big head start in appealing to consumers’ tastes because rice, corn, potatoes, and beans are naturally about 80% sugar (the healthy, unrefined kind). People like these foods so much that they call them “comfort foods.” Starches are also naturally low in sodium, refined sugar, fats, and cholesterol and are jam-packed with essential nutrients.

In order to make these basic starches competitive with the creations engineered by the processed food industry, the McDougall Diet adds sensible amounts of salt, sugar, and spice (primarily to the surface of the foods at the dinner table). Dr. McDougall wants people to eat and enjoy their meals and will compromise a little to reach this necessary goal. The title of the song from Walt Disney’s 1964 movie Mary Poppins, “A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down,” encapsulates his philosophy. A half-teaspoon of sugar sprinkled over a bowl of oatmeal reaches the “bliss point” for sweetness. A little salt added to the rice and beans hooks people into a program that allows them to regain their lost health and appearance. (Rarely, people cannot tolerate small amounts of salt and sugar and these few must avoid them.)

Along with taste, convenience and low cost are the other two reasons for the dominance of processed foods in our diets. With both heads of the household employed, families struggle to get food of any quality into their mouths. Focusing on starches makes meals convenient and inexpensive. Beans and rice with a few greens, sweet potatoes and broccoli, or a vegetable soup and bread are easy to make and cost less than $3 a day for an adult. (The same amount from fast food restaurants costs about $14 a day.)

More than honest information, like that provided by Michael Moss in Salt Sugar Fat, will be required in order to solve the massive epidemic of food poisoning created by a half-century of unregulated food industry practices. We need change on the scale of a revolution. The most available and tested vehicle for change has been government intervention to regulate unrestrained markets. By nature “free-enterprise” can be counterproductive to people’s health. Guided by their own profit-motives, Anheuser Bush would never have reduced drunk driving and R.J Reynolds would not have caused almost two-thirds of US smokers to quit over the past half-century. The food giants need help to change their customers’ buying and eating habits in order to resolve this massive epidemic of malnutrition.

July 2013 Newsletter: Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us.

Some of you may be more motivated by health movies/documentaries...if you have a favourite, I'd love to hear about it too...mine is still Forks Over Knives. If you weren't aware you can actually purchase DVDs and books by some of the experts we love to follow right here on this website. A couple of years ago I bought the ASW DVD for my parents because Mom had said she really didn't want to read more about this now that she understood the basics, so I thought maybe she wanted to listen to more. I was wrong about that...lol...but it worked out well for me because I got to keep the DVD!! For some there is no need for more books, videos or information. Once they understand, they can just go with it. If only...


Have a wonderful week and I look forward to hearing from you!

Amy XO

Here are the results for the second week in December:

Next Weigh-In is on Friday, December 15th, 2017

Total group loss reported in 2017: 767.36 pounds

December 2017 Weight Loss Group :: Monthly Weigh-In Results
Total group loss in January 2017: 137.25 pounds
Total group loss in February 2017: 102.91 pounds
Total group loss in March 2017: 111.3 pounds
Total group loss in April 2017: 56.1 pounds
Total group loss in May 2017: 41.8 pounds
Total group loss in June 2017: 44.4 pounds
Total group loss in July 2017: 34.9 pounds
Total group loss in August 2017: 59.6 pounds
Total group loss in September 2017: 41.9 pounds
Total group loss in October 2017: 41.7 pounds
Total group loss in November 2017: 70.4 pounds
Total group loss in December 2017: 25.1 pounds

Week ending 12/08/2017: 16 participants reported a total loss of 9.7 pounds
---------------------------------------
BeHealthy - 2.0
Svenja - 2.0
Suey51 - 0.8
---------------------------------------
Total gains: 4.8
--------------------------------------
Zsilent1 - 2.0
Anne57 - 1.2
Katie3 - 0.2
Werner1950 - 0.2
CamiJb - 2.2
Petmomful - 0.0
Wild goose - 2.0
Moonlight - 1.0
Stillcrazy - 0.6
Sundog - 1.6
Purposive - 2.0
amandamechele - 0.0
TrimFitMe - 1.5
---------------------------------------------
Total losses: 14.5
---------------------------------------------

Total group loss in December 2017: 25.1 pounds
Week ending 12/08/2017: 16 participants reported a total loss of 9.7 pounds
Week ending 12/01/2017: 21 participants reported a total loss of 15.4 pounds

[TrimFitMe]

Hi. This is my second time logging into this discussion board. I feel quite lost. I missed checking in this week. It's now Sunday night and I finally made time to sit down to log on, but I see I have missed the deadline for this second week in December.

My husband and I went on a short get-away trip to Pismo Beach, two and a half hours from home, for two days and two nights, and got out of town during the horrific fire that still continues to burn in the northern part of Ventura County. We live in the southern part of Ventura county and were never in any danger.

We went to Pismo Beach, courtesy of two of my sisters who gifted us with our hotel accomodations. We paid for all the rest, and eating out was as usual, a big challenge. The first night we ate at an Italian Pizza Deli. We thought that would be safe because they offered a vegetarian pizza. We asked they hold the cheese and add extra marinara sauce. But the pizza was brushed with oil and I got cramps from it after dinner.

Our favorite find for food was Coco's Bakery. They serve baked potatoes, steamed and or grilled vegetables, and an arugula salad that when you leave off the chicken, the creamy balsamic dressing, and the cheese, and leave in the balsamic glaze over a wonderful salad, it was so delicious. They serve pico de gallo, and a tomato salsa, and their rice is not oiled. We ate well and loved our meal so much we went their for lunch again the second day.

Our second night out to dinner, we picked a Thai Restaurant and followed Mary McDougall's advice to order the green papaya salad, steamed rice and vegetables. We survived.

Last week on Fri, Dec 1st when I weighed in, I weighed 147. I was in a panic about how much I had gained in one month. Today I weighed 145.5 this morning, and I am very pleased. I am down 1.5 pounds.

I cut out the copious amounts of fruit I had been eating, and I cut out the bread I had been eating (vegan gluten free, and loaded with oil). And I have cut out eating processed food, and sorbet. I have had to read from Dr. McDougall's book, The Starch Solution and also from Dr. Esselstyn's book, How to Reverse and Prevent Heart Disease, to understand how sugar promotes weight gain. It took me some study, but I understand it now, and that helps me to follow the guidelines better.

[amandamechele]

Svenja - Sorry to hear how stressful things are right now. Sometimes life is like that. I'm glad you're taking the time to check in here because it means you've still got this on your mind. Each day is another chance to give this way of eating and healthy choices another chance. It sounds like you are making some good choices by bringing your own food. Those good choices will become habits and then you'l add more good choices and eventually you'll begin to see progress without even realizing it. Keep at it and best wishes with all of your new and exciting challenges.

Sue - Your pictures are as beautiful as your prose, I truly love your aesthetic. I also love that picture of you and your hubby. Adorable! How nice of the cottage owners to be thinking of you...darn it all, with tempting foods you shouldn't eat. Oh Meatloaf had it right alright. I'm personally getting better at just throwing that stuff out right away. I still sometimes think I can get away with having those kinds of snacks in the cupboards for others...but it never does turn out well for me in the end. Dr. Lisle videos to the rescue!!! LOL. Enjoy the rest of your vacation, what a gorgeous spot to be married. XO

Vee - I'm glad you were able to nip it in the bud. That takes practice and determination. I find each slip-up is a great chance to reflect on what happened and develop a strategy to make it less probable the next time you are in that situation. You did great by getting right back on course. Congratulations!

Linda - These are really good thoughts! It is so correct that this is a lifestyle change and for that to take hold you have to make it comfortable and sustainable. Long term success does sacrifice a bit of quick short term satisfaction, but it's about winning the war and not just the battle. I don't know about you but in the past I have been on more than 1 plan that had given weight loss of 15 pounds in a month. But I always put it back on...always. This is the only plan I've had longer-term success with, even when I'm jut farting around not really paying attention to it, and maybe getting a little too dense in the calories, but staying true to the general guidelines, my weight doesn't snap back up as quickly as it used to. I think this is because of the"stickiness" of the patterns. When you get to eat until satisfied it makes staying on track ever so slightly easier. It's that sliver of an edge that will build into a large loss over time. I'm now doing it just well enough to maintain where I'm at, comfortably. Iwill have to adjust to lose more, but that's why we're all here in the MWL section of the forum. Let's learn to make these guidelines our new "sticky" patterns and be the healthiest people that we can possibly be!

Purposive - Sweet potato tempura sometimes tries to trick me too! I agree it doesn't taste good anymore like it used to. I'm sorry to hear about your child having a hard time. That is so stressful because we always want to swoop in and fix it, and sometimes that's just not possible. May I suggest finding something to distract your self with when the worry sets in (when nothing can be constructively done to change the situation). Call someone, walk the dog, chop firewood...lol...something to interrupt the pattern/habit of reaching to food for comfort. Or, my old standby, eating chopped raw veggies as a stand in for the food you would have reached for. That will weaken the Pleasure trap feelings caused by more more stimulating foods and then give you a chance at breaking the food-as-support habit (aka Cram Circuit) once you are not fighting the stress and the pleasure trap. Great lesson learned! Best wishes this week.

Trimfitme - No worries about missing the deadline. You made it here and that's what counts! I will eventually update last week's tally to include you - you've worked hard at doing things right during a very tough time, it needs to be recognized! (I'm just travelling this week with spotty internet access so I may wait until I get home to add you in, I hope that's alright). I hope you are able to be home soon and happy to hear that you are safe.

[Suey51]

Hey all
I'm back
First step is logging in !!
Going to look over the suggested reads some of you gave me and thank you ) ready not feeling the binge at Xmas. Going to use my happy herbivore holidays and gatherings cookbook for the holidays.
Anyone else decided on what they are making with family and healthy eating in mind??
Xxx

Hey ANNAUK,

We are at the planning stage with Christmas food, having decide to go for alternative approaches this year. We are getting together at my Mum’s with my brother’s family on 23rd and are all taking food. I thought this would be easier that having people to our house, but it's actually more complicated, and for the control freak in me, way more challenging ! One family member has recently discovered she is allergic to dairy and intolerant of coconut and avocado and another has become vegetarian. I’m finding it tough to come up with options for me that will appeal to others in a buffet style of meal. So, I’ve accepted that it won’t be a MWL compliant day, I will stick to wholefoods plant-based items and focus on us all having an enjoyable day.

I’m going to make ‘normal’ (Mum’s word!) and oil-free versions of hummus with raw veggies and pitta bread plus a cannellini bean casserole which is almost McDougall compliant with brown rice. Mum is making ‘normal’ and dairy/oil-free versions of garlic roast potatoes and coleslaw. (There will be various meats and cheeses plus piles of salty and sweet snacks which I will try to ignore). For dessert, I’m going to make some vegan raw brownies and vegan mince pies (neither are MWL compliant) and Mum’s organising some fruit salad. (I may sneak in some kale as I don't like to go without it for too long and take some rice crackers for emergencies!) Last Christmas I made an avocado chocolate mousse which created some entertainment for other members of the family. I was a little more naïve then and hadn’t anticipated the reaction. Safe to say I won’t be repeating it this year

For Xmas Day my husband has decided to do Spanish tapas style food. He’s going to do a vegan veggie paella, but I suspect it will have a little oil, and some oil free salads. I’m going to try out a new recipe of chickpeas and spinach. And I’m going to try to avoid all the processed meat and oil cooked prawns and fish dishes!

How are your plans going? Have you decided on any dishes yet?

Sue xx

[Suey51]

Hello everyone,

A 0.4 pound gain for me this week Definitely a case of 2 steps forward and 2 (and a bit!) steps back. On Wednesday morning the scales showed a 1.6 pound loss, but then it all came back by this morning after a meal out on Wednesday evening and some high fat/salt/sugar post-dinner snacking last night. Over the past fortnight I haven't exercised as much as usual, so that might also be a factor.

Hey ho, I've had periods like this before, so I know what I need to do to get back on track

OK, rant over. Onwards and upwards! Or should I say onwards and downwards?

Best wishes to you all and thanks Amy for your kind words and all your work on this thread.

Sue xx

[zsilent1]

Greetings Group Mates!

Happily reporting a 3lb loss this week.

I’ve been enjoying myself eating lots of potatoes and brown rice. Made a big pot of potato soup that we had for a couple days. Yesterday I made a big pot of kitchari. It was so good and comforting on a terribly cold snowy day. Plus having the leftovers means less cooking. I’m keeping it simple with starches and veggies, can’t go wrong!

Hang in people, stay in the groove and tighten up!

In the Spirit of Love!
Susan