February 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Thread

[Aprincess]

How smart, Amy, to nip a slip at the start. We have all been there. With me, I would let months go by without starting back on program and of course I would have gained a lot of weight back. You have recognized your need to be on program right away. You can be proud of yourself!

Thanks so much, Mary! I had a really good day yesterday with both my eating and exercise. So, one day in a row so far..

~ Amy

[Mark Cooper]

It's Wednesday inspiration time with a Success Story - Jessica Parsons: Sheds 90 Pounds, Cures Obesity.

Jessica's narrative provides a clear demonstration of the application of calorie density to overcoming plateaus -

And as I moved from being obese to simply overweight, I really had to avoid processed foods. If not, then any weight loss was so minimal that I couldn’t see it quickly enough to motivate me to continue. Remember, if you are dealing with a lifelong weight and eating problem as I am, it won’t disappear immediately!

Her weight loss did not happen all at once, in a direct downward progression; she went through periods of learning and adjustment, both in her dietary pattern and her goals and mindset. Nevertheless, six years later she had lost very nearly 90 lbs! She concludes her narrative with a valuable observation -

This diet, although not easy, is simple, healthy and cheap. Most importantly, it works!

If you feel in the mood to watch a video, instead of (or in addition to) reading, check out this webinar with Dr. Lim - "The Secret" to Weight Loss, although I suspect you can already guess what the "secret" is.

[MaryP]

Thanks, Mark, for the inspirational story. It's a good reminder to focus on getting healthy, not on the time it takes to get there. The part about processed food resonated with me.

Doing all this reading is helping me make better choices. When tempted by some of the food my husband eats, I think about what it will do to sabotage my progress and I opt to not eat "just a little." In the past, those little slips could lead to much bigger slips and even binging.

Thanks for your encouragement.

[Aprincess]

Mark, Great success story and very inspirational to me. It so resonated with me. Although i am older, the lifelong battle and self esteem issues are the same, as with most overweight people. Processed food is a problem for me and I have noticed I have more success sticking to the MWL way of eating.

~ Amy Princess

[Mark Cooper]

For our second February weigh-in tomorrow, please post your report in the following format -

Weight change +/- in lbs
Points from the MWL Checklist where I succeeded this week
Points from the MWL Checklist that need greater attention
General impressions & observations / resources to share / sources of excitement / requests for input & support

I think it is important and beneficial to evaluate our behaviors and decisions within the context of the MWL 10-Point Checklist on a weekly (or ideally daily) basis because weight loss is an outcome contingent on behaviors, to change that outcome, it is necessary to change those behaviors. The most effective behaviors for achieving healthy, sustainable weight loss are outlined in the MWL 10-Point Checklist. Establishing a pattern of following the guidelines for a significant time in a variety of different circumstances builds confidence in our ability to succeed. One of the primary reasons for failure is -

1) Poor Adherence/compliance. Sometimes from lack of application and sometimes from lack of understanding of the principles.

By "checking-in" with the checklist in these weekly reports, you are recognizing and quantifying adherence and you have an opportunity to clarify, confirm, or build your understanding of the principles and have misunderstandings corrected. As with weighing-in, reporting publicly provides accountability and allows group participants to learn from one another's experiences and build a supportive environment.

I'll post the summary for the week on Saturday evening. As usual, I'll refrain from responding to posts individually during the weigh-in, other than to address specific time-sensitive issues / questions. I'll respond to everyone individually in a cumulative post on Friday & Saturday. I'm excited to see everyone's posts tomorrow!

[Abe]

Weight Change: -1.8 lbs.

With my parents visiting I have been eating a lot of preventative potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, and oat groats to avoid cravings and temptation. So far, so good. Keeping on track.

My sister lives less than 10 minutes away, and I asked my father to keep the more tempting items at their house. The worst I have had to deal with at my place is the smell of toast.

[BlackBeanSoup]

Weight change -2.0 lbs

My appetite continues to be low, so low that following some points on the checklist are difficult. For example, yesterday morning I ate veggie soup and was stuffed so that was all I had. But I did stick 100% to WFPB, no oil, no sugar.

[NomeOslo]

2/7 - 142.0
2/14 - 141.6
Goal weight: 110 lbs

Weight Change - down 0.4 lbs

Another off week for me. Just can't seem get the motivation back. Lots of trips, a few healthy days, and times of movement. I'm thankful for a little loss, and will just keep working at it. Thank you all for sharing.

[Stormy]

I'm at +1.5 for the week.

For this coming week:
I'll make a point of eating more slowly since it takes a little while to get a satiated feeling.
I'll also remember to avoid any sauces or dressings at restaurants. Even if oil-free, which is unlikely, they'll be a sugar and salt fest.

[lbell]

Weight this week +1 lb—115.5 lbs.

Not feeling very motivated this week. I ate on plan pretty well, but not enough exercise. I did eat a lot of fruit.

Facing a weekend of being with family, which means cooking for them and eating out. Probably will have lots of temptation. I have told them that I will not be making any desserts this time. They will have to make them themselves or buy them. This will be a big test for me.

Leah
Age 63; 5’3”
Weight 1-3-2020 —118 lbs.
2-7-2020 —114.5
2-14-2020 —115.5

[Butterfly043]

Good Morning. This has been the best week ever. I got connected with the Better Life Summit program this week, and I have been listening to their daily series of "The Truth About Weight Loss", and learning so much about myself that I never recognized before. They have provided so much valuable information by having so many different speakers and touching on so many different topics, that they touched on a lot of my problem areas that I can now better understand. It was like most of it was all directed directly at me, and it was almost like having my own counselors knowing my questions before I could even ask. Most of all, it was so nice seeing those numbers on the scale finally going the right way for a change. Hopefully I can finally get over some of hurdles by working on those problem areas head on instead of just trying to figure things out on my own. I know I will still have some rough times along the way, as that's only natural, but I'm so excited to be able to go forth with some knowledge I didn't have before. It's also great to finally find out what my major issue of being hungry all the time actually turned out to be, which is stress eating or emotional eating. I never realized that I was stressed, and when I'd been asked if I was stressed or under stress, I just always answered no. I guess that I probably just didn't know the actual definition of what stress was, as I never felt like I was stressed, but now that I see it, I think I can handle myself better and get closer to my goals. It's easier to fight a battle knowing what you are battling against, in that I can now have the right weapons and right tactics, instead of just fighting something I had no idea what was. Have a blessed week.

Down 2 lbs.

[Aprincess]

Jan. 1 - 210
Jan. 3 - 209
Jan. 10 - 204.7
Jan. 17 - 204.1
Jan. 24 - 204.4
(Skipped a few)
Feb. 14 - 205.8

Up 1.4

This was a “back to reality” week for me. It’s amazing how fast I can sabotage myself. But, it’s also getting easier to see where I’m going wrong and WHY. Hopefully, this will be good information going forward.

I know I need to be careful with Points 5, 6, & 7. I’m pretty good at avoiding oil at home, but socially, I’ve never met a potato chip I didn’t like. I need to work on that!

I’ve recently gotten pretty particular about the 50/50 plate and I’m also drinking 2 cups of water before meals. That seems to really be helping right now. In addition, given my problems with my left hip and knee, we purchased a Spirit recumbent bike. I love it! And, it’s so convenient, especially now that winter has finally arrived to the Northeast.

I hope everyone has a very healthful and blessed week!

~ Amy

[Carrieann]

199.9 -- February 14, 2020
Weight change = 1.3

Points from MWL Checklist that need greater attention:

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. – Managed 2 days this week starting with 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. – Did this (50/50) for 3 meals, plus fruit for dessert 4 days.

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). – Didn’t get 20-30 minutes of exercise this week. – Continuing working toward the 5k steps/day. For 4 days was at 4,500+ steps. One thing I did was sign up for a 5k walk at the end of March, so I will feel more motivation to prepare for the walk.

Points from the MWL Checklist where I succeeded this week:

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. – Was able to stop adding Himalayan salt, but have started adding Dulse flakes once a day as directed by doctor instead because I need the extra iodine.

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). I was able to cut out the nuts after first two days this week! This has been difficult for me. Definitely keeping the environment clean has helped a lot. Doctor recommended brazil nuts (yesterday), so will be able to eat only 3/day going forward because I don’t care for them *laugh*

[Michele613]

- 3,8 @ 159.8 rushing to post....good week....hope everyone had one too. All the best.

[deweyswakms]

Friday, 2/14/2020

01/24/20 weight is 184.0
01/31/20 weight is 182.4
02/07/20 weight is 183.4
02/14/20 weight is 183.4 -0 loss

Discouraging; I know my weight loss is slow (age plus body can't take heavy exercise as it used to). This past week I did drop to 182.2, but bounced right back. And I haven't really cheated on the guidelines. I am preparing healthy foods too; in fact, the constant prep and cooking is getting tiresome. I will hang in through February but then am going to switch over to maintenance.

Looked at the guidelines again; I comply 97% with all of them but these (the other 3%? some fat occasionally because I am hungry all the time, even if I eat a lot, and cannot feel 'full' without some fat).
1. start every meal with soup, salad or fruit. This past week I have enjoyed a cucumber/tomato/lettuce salad but not with every meal; carrots or celery for snacks. Sometimes I put 1 tbsp of peanut butter on the celery.
2. 50/50 plate; I could improve here and this past week made an effort to have more veggies prepped.
10. Exercise every day; or close to it. I do try to walk 1-2 miles almost every day (dodging NW soggy rains). I did enjoy time in the pool this past week.

thanks, Marsha