June 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Group

[Rufus_519]

Starting weight (4/4/20): 235.0
Goal weight: 195 (within the "normal" BMI range)
Weight last week: 221.0
Weight this week: 220.8
Loss/Gain this week: .2
Total loss/gain: -14.2

This was a rough week for me where I didn't pay a lot of attention to the MWL guidelines. I'm grateful that I at least didn't gain weight. I'll try to get back with the program this week.

[Zoey]

No change for me this week. Next time I start whining about being in the pound-a-week club, I'll remember this!

I did fine this week other than one extremely damaging afternoon/evening. We got Chinese take-out, and asked for steamed rice instead of fried rice, like we always do. Well, they forgot, and instead of swapping them out, they just gave us the steamed rice in addition. Which meant there was fried rice in the house, noooo! I only had a few bites, but still...

Then later I said, well, just one glass of wine won't hurt.
And it won't.
It's everything that comes after it, like the second glass, and the cashews and pistachios.
I was not happy with the bloating the next day, so I just took it as a good reminder as to why I need to abstain. I just wish I could get the lovely taste of wine without the loss of inhibitions. But I haven't found it yet, so oh well.

Enough about the one bad day. I'm happy that I seem to have my fruit intake under control, so yay! I'm not mindlessly eating it for thirst or boredom or whatever. I'm waiting until I'm truly hungry. I mean, there is no fruit that I couldn't devour right now, and I'm not the least bit hungry. So now I have a handle on it. It is not a 'free' food, it is actual food that counts, so I'm making it count for me instead of against me.

Thank you all so much for the tips and the inspiration!

[carwex]

Hi MWL friends,

This week I gained 1 pound=400 grams.
My daughter and granddaughter came to stay with me for a week. I love them dearly BUT I suffer from a “Lady Bountiful complex” which characterises many women (even some here who have mentioned the connection between people pleasing and food) This mindset puts me under pressure but also takes attention away from my own needs. Since my daughter is also on a WFPB regimen, I didn’t think I was eating badly (denial) even though I was eating standing up, taking seconds, and not limiting myself to MWL foods when hungry.

I realize now that my problem was that I was not paying attention to the MWL- AS IT IS WRITTEN. When I re-read the 10 principles I saw that except for #3 and #8 I really did not adhere to the rest of the principles.

This underlies what Mark is always harping on- Rather than worrying about the weight loss., we need to direct our attention to the appropriate food behaviours outlined in the 10 principles. Losing weight is the result of adhering to these principles.
This has been a learning experience. And I am lucky to have wonderful teachers in Mark, Goose and Jeff, and great resources. As well as fellow participants to learn from.

Here’s my gift of gratitude to the cause -a new easy potato recipe.
• Take 3 parts of white potato to 1 part sweet potato, cut them up and boil til soft (peeled or unpeeled).
• Mash with a clove or 2 of garlic and add black pepper.
• The potato water can be used to loosen the mixture. Save the remaining liquid for veggie stock.

[Lakegirl]

May 8: -1.5 lbs
May 15: -2.0 lbs
May 22: -2.3 lbs
June 6: -1.4 lbs
June 13: -1.5 lbs


Hello Mark and all,

I had a good week, and really enjoy reading all the posts. Your input, Mark, is just so helpful. And I tried adding cauliflower to potatoes before mashing. Delicious! You inspired me. Now I have some parsnips....and will add those too, next time. They are a nice bit of natural sweetness, so should be good. Learning to make time for meal prep and cooking, and tried some exercise dvds this week. When you are in the middle of house rehab (or any big project), the temptation is to just go and go, day after day. Whatever it is...we just have to stop and take a breath ad remember to follow our plan for our own health. I need to remind myself at least daily - often throughout the day. It’s not automatic yet, and still very much a conscious choice. Mark - I read a bit of your own journal...will read more this week, as it was so helpful. What a journey you have been on! Your continued commitment and follow-through is a real leading light.

Am going to put all non-McD food items away this week, and see how that goes. I had stocked up prior to doing this plan, and so have some items that are not part of it. Will see how it goes...if I can avoid them, or if I will need to just give away or toss. Any thoughts on this welcome.

1) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 3/7. Currently using a low sodium broth...just need to get more.
2) Follow the 50/50 plate method; choose fruit for desert. 5/7. Better, but needs to become a habit. Fruit for dessert is great, though.
3) Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. 7/7
4) Eliminate all animal foods. 7/7
5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 5/7. A few nuts from a supply I have from before starting this program.
6) Eliminate any added oil. 7/7
7) Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products, puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. 6/7 Still have some cereal to eat up...had it for one breakfast this week.
8 ) Don’t drink your calories. 7/7. Drinking a lot of water, my favorite.
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
10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily. Better. Move every day with moderate exercise with house projects, and tried out 3 ex dvds/online workouts.

Thanks so much for this group, and have a great week,

Lakegirl


Wild goose: Thanks so much for your input! I will try steaming Hannahs and JSPs this week before using them to make fries. Sounds so good.

Carwex: Your potato mash with garlic sounds good. And I have the ingredients, so will try. Thanks. There’s never too many potato ideas!

[AnnetteW]

No change for me this week. Next time I start whining about being in the pound-a-week club, I'll remember this!

I did fine this week other than one extremely damaging afternoon/evening. We got Chinese take-out, and asked for steamed rice instead of fried rice, like we always do. Well, they forgot, and instead of swapping them out, they just gave us the steamed rice in addition. Which meant there was fried rice in the house, noooo! I only had a few bites, but still...

Then later I said, well, just one glass of wine won't hurt.
And it won't.
It's everything that comes after it, like the second glass, and the cashews and pistachios.
I was not happy with the bloating the next day, so I just took it as a good reminder as to why I need to abstain. I just wish I could get the lovely taste of wine without the loss of inhibitions. But I haven't found it yet, so oh well.

Enough about the one bad day. I'm happy that I seem to have my fruit intake under control, so yay! I'm not mindlessly eating it for thirst or boredom or whatever. I'm waiting until I'm truly hungry. I mean, there is no fruit that I couldn't devour right now, and I'm not the least bit hungry. So now I have a handle on it. It is not a 'free' food, it is actual food that counts, so I'm making it count for me instead of against me.

Thank you all so much for the tips and the inspiration!

OMG, this is me to a T. Not having things in the house in the first place is most important. I absolutely can not have wine in the house. Nuts at minimum need to be frozen and hidden in the back. (Note to self, hide that full bag of walnuts, hide it well). And of course the Chinese food sodium content sticks around for days. And fruit, summer fruit is so divine, I too have had a little too much, but I'm not stressing over a little fruit.

Hang in there, get past those things, and move forward.

[courtneywagasky]

06/06: 123.2
06/13: 123.0

Change This Week: -0.2 lb

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 1/7
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, choose fruit for dessert. 7/7
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. 6/7
4. Eliminate all animal foods. 7/7
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 1/7 (Flax)
6. Eliminate any added oil. 6/7
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products, puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. 4/7
8. Don't drink your calories. 7/7
9. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 7/7
10. Aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily. 7/7

Reflections
My weight loss has slowed. I've become more lenient with things. I need to pull the reigns in and whip it in to shape because I'm so close to my goal weight! And at this rate I won't reach it by the end of the month. That's more of an internal conflict with myself. I'm trying to also tighten our budget with food. So that means most of this past week did not include a salad or soup because I was trying to use up all the veggies in the freezer before I go out to buy more today. Otherwise I feel very good and I'm looking forward to next week!

[Tian-De]

Highest Weight 2007: 226ish
MWL Starting Weight 03/2020: 170 lbs
First Week of June Weight: 161.3 lbs
Second Week of June: 158.1
Change: -3.2 lbs

Woo-Hoo! I thought I posted yesterday, but it didn't go through. I'm happy though, because when I checked this morning I was the lightest I've ever been (even after a big, water-depleting run). The biggest difference this week was a mentality shift.

When I had this notion that there was some sort of transition from MWL phase, I'd ofter go off the rails quite a bit - pounding down peanut butter sandwiches all day long. But reading a response WildGoose made to another uses was helpful. She said that her diet after trying to lose weight and before trying to lose weight were essentially the same. She also mentioned the volume of vegetation she consumed. Both of these nothing helped make a big shift in my thinking.

Before, I was over doing it on calorie dense foods because I was overdoing it on the running (spontaneous ten mile trail runs in the mountains) and had notions about needing more calories and protein. Instead of a lot of long fast runs, I'm doing more fast paced (5.5 mph) walks and a shorter runs. This is making the sense of lacking all restraint much weaker. Somehow, when I exercise a little bit less, I lose a lot more weight.

Though, I wasn't perfect on the ten points this week, I feel like just reading other people posts have made a big difference. The awareness is really helpful.

Goal for this week, eat a lot of veggies and don't overdo it on the exercise!

[JaBee]

Down 2.1# This week
Kept all points except #9, struggled between being too full, sometimes felt hungry
Will focus on more balanced menu this week

[wildgoose]

Wild goose: Thanks so much for your input! I will try steaming Hannahs and JSPs this week before using them to make fries. Sounds so good!

@Lakegirl Remember to chill those potatoes after steaming. I usually do a batch of potatoes, put them in the fridge overnight, and start using them for fries the next day. It doesn’t work nearly as well with freshly steamed potatoes. The chilling is the secret.

Goose

[Lucas]

4/27/20: 203.2
5/1/20: 201.8
5/8/20: 200.0
5/15/20: 198.6
5/22/20: 197.8
5/29/20: 196.0
6/5/20 : 193.8
6/12/20: 192.8
Change: -1.0

Hi everyone,

So this past week, the areas I know I could have done better were: 2, 9, 10.

2. On most days I didn't eat my 50/50 non starchy veggies. I think I need to prep my greens..wash my romaine and have my other non starchy veg cooked ahead of time so there is no excuse to throw them on the plate. Especially when time is an issue.

9. Seems lately I am eating because its time to eat but don't really feel hungry most meals. Maybe I need to eat less. Might be cause I haven't been walking outside of work like I was when I started. Going to really look at this one this coming week.

10. Not much outside of the walking I do at work this week. Did some light yard work. Going to start walking again in the evenings.

Other than these, I was good on all other points.

Have a great week.

[moonlight]

Weight change DOWN 1 lb
Points from the MWL Checklist where I succeeded this week
Comparing my compliance with the MWL guidelines from the last 6 days to 14 days in May (I didn't record consistently) the average number of guidelines I met rose from 5.2 to 8.8, so gradually better compliance. I've improved on consistency with starting my meals with soup or salad, using the 50/50 plate guideline, not stuffing myself, and increasing exercise days.
Points from the MWL Checklist that need greater attention
The guideline that is the most problem for me continues to be #7. I continue to struggle with eliminating flour products, mostly bread. I've reduced my consumption and even had 2 out of 6 days in which I abstained from bread entirely.
General impressions & observations / resources to share / sources of excitement / requests for input & support
I'm slowly improving on the guidelines. I'm getting better at having soup and salad already prepped or made. I wish I could prep more for veggies and starches. I enjoy cooking more in the winter months. My plan is to continue to stay focused. Whenever I finally lose the extra weight and just want to maintain my weight, I think I'll be good at doing that!

[Zoey]

OMG, this is me to a T. Not having things in the house in the first place is most important. I absolutely can not have wine in the house. Nuts at minimum need to be frozen and hidden in the back. (Note to self, hide that full bag of walnuts, hide it well). And of course the Chinese food sodium content sticks around for days. And fruit, summer fruit is so divine, I too have had a little too much, but I'm not stressing over a little fruit.

Hang in there, get past those things, and move forward.

Thanks, Annette! It's good to have a kindred spirit. Normally, I can resist the nuts in the house, and don't need to tell my husband to hide them. It's the pretzels and crackers that I can't be near. But that night I had the wine again, I may have been better off with pretzels! And I may have to move to no wine in the house, period, like you. How long have you adhered to this?

And yes, I think summer fruit is a gift from God, which is why I've decided to savor it with the attention it deserves.

[Mark Cooper]

Ren1999 - Welcome! How was your first day of "cold turkey" following the MWL 10-Point Checklist? MWL is designed for establishing a pattern of behavior and a way of living that produces steady, healthy, and lasting weight loss; it should serve you well irrespective of your past history with dieting. I'm glad your friend pointed you toward this group & pleased to have you "on board."

Miss Kim - I wish your son a full and easy recovery; enjoy the visit, it's great that you are able to help him recuperate. I'm sure your husband is pleased to be almost off crutches. Let me applaud your success in deciding not to indulge in those M&Ms that were tempting you. And it looks like you did a pretty great job adhering to the MWL 10-Point Checklist generally, even with the change in location. Have a great week, have fun, keep it up, and keep working at it!

squealcat - That sounds like a very challenging few days!!! What a bummer to have to pitch that prepped food.

Most of the MWL points were a problem for me the past 3 days. I realize that I must learn to not turn my back on those in the future. If this is my life now, I need to see this way of eating as an easy way to eat even when life changes very quickly around and I suddenly am in the dark with no power.

That feels significant and is a valuable insight to extract from this week's obstacles. I imagine you have seen these already, but here are Jeff's resources and basic principles for Dining Out, in case you're faced with a similar situation in the future.

jasonrhoads1 - Family bike rides and swimming!! That sounds like great fun! It is SO true - much easier to get the food (and associated behaviors) right, than trying to "out exercise" counterproductive choices. Sounds like that shopping trip has you well-positioned for a successful week to come.

Rufus_519 - Anything in particular contribute to making this week a rough one? As you observe, behaviors to which we aren't attending can get out of control pretty easily. Learn what you can from any recent challenges, then put them behind you and focus on making your very next choice congruent with your goals.

Zoey - Doing fine, apart from a single day's deviations is worth taking note. Those "good reminders" of reasons to abstain when recognized and remembered can be quite motivating, I think. It seems great that, in general, you are feeling more "under control," that is always a nice feeling.

carwex -

I realize now that my problem was that I was not paying attention to the MWL- AS IT IS WRITTEN. When I re-read the 10 principles I saw that except for #3 and #8 I really did not adhere to the rest of the principles.

This underlies what Mark is always harping on- Rather than worrying about the weight loss., we need to direct our attention to the appropriate food behaviours outlined in the 10 principles. Losing weight is the result of adhering to these principles.
This has been a learning experience.

That's exactly why I continue to harp on it! Seriously, good for you turning a challenging week into an important lesson - it seems to me those subjective learning experiences are absolutely part of the process. Thanks for the potato recipe - YUMMM!

Lakegirl - Another good week, another consistent loss! I'm glad you enjoyed the cauliflower mashed potatoes; parsnips sound lovely. Consciously continuing to make time for preparation, follow your plan, and remind yourself to enact the appropriate behaviors is exactly the path that leads to making those activities automatic habits. Well done! I realize that from the outside my lifestyle and adherence to MWL can appear to be easy; I sincerely hope participants don't feel as though I'm judging them, or that I think less of anyone for struggling. As you can see from my own journal, I battled against the same challenges and difficulties as many here, and it took a significant amount of time before the most important lessons really "sunk in;" I have nothing but empathy for how difficult it can feel to make these changes in behavior. In the end, the answer is the same - do the best you are able to put the behaviors outlined in the MWL 10-Point Checklist into practice. From my perspective, eliminating temptation (before behaviors are habituated) nearly always makes things easier; but, hiding troublesome foods away has been effective for some. One question to ask yourself with respect to keeping those foods, or giving them away - are you planning to eat them eventually? Whatever you decide, be sure to take note of the result, and what it tells you.

courtneywagasky - Feeling very good is pretty important and worth acknowledging! The last bit of weight is always the most difficult to lose, for all the reasons Jeff explains here. A given pattern of behavior produces an associated equilibrium; the way we change the level of that equilibrium is by changing the pattern of behavior.

Tian-De - Awesome! From my perspective, the shift in mentality you describe is crucial to long term, enduring success in practicing this WOE. This thread discussing the misunderstandings and misinterpretations around "set point" theory has a post that really made things click for me.

I would argue that the set point theory may exist but not as commonly believed. That our weight is not the result of a certain predetermined number that our body fights to maintain but that our weight is the result of our maintaining an environment and a certain set of behaviors (diet, activity, etc) in a "zone" that we are most comfortable with. If we change these behaviors (the difficult part), we change the resulting weight and/or set point. Granted, this is not easy, but can be done. So, the question is, are we returning to a certain number/weight, or are we returning to a certain set of behaviors that result in that weight?

Did everyone's set point rise dramatically in the last 25 years? Or is this the result of a change in the environment and the behaviors related to energy balance including an increase in the availability of inexpensive calorie dense food, and a environment that encourages a sedentary lifestyle?

JaBee - Way to go! 9/10 is great! Just keep working at it, keep paying attention and #9 may take care of itself.

Lucas - Kudos! It sounds like your week went pretty well! Putting in that time for food prep is a great idea and should be a real help - as you say, no excuses if the food is ready to go. An evening walk seems like it could be a wonderful addition to almost anyone's day. Enjoy!

Moonlight - I think that is fabulous! Consistent, steadily improving adherence yields steadily improving results. Keep on that path of steady improvement, doing the best you can. Is there anything you could change in your environment that might make reaching for that bread more difficult or effortful to do?

[Mark Cooper]

By my count, 33 participants reported for our second June 2020 MWL weigh-in! If I neglected to include anyone, or you notice an error in the tally, please let me know (via PM so we can keep the thread as tidy as possible, or in a post here if you cannot PM).

Here are the results for the second Friday in June:

Week ending 6/12/2020: 33 participants reported a total loss of -39.80 pounds
--------------------------------------------------
Squealcat +1.30
Carwex +1.00
Josietheschnauzer +0.20
Rufus_519 +0.20
--------------------------------------------------
Total gains: +2.70
--------------------------------------------------
NO CHANGE / MAINTAIN / STARTING OUT
Abe 0.00
Belana 0.00
Miss Kim 0.00
Ren1999 0.00
Sue Ancora-imparo 0.00
Zoey 0.00
--------------------------------------------------
Kirstykay -0.10
Courtneywagasky -0.20
Rlechols -0.50
Jasonrhoads1 -0.80
Jan_npr -1.00
Judy_Bell -1.00
Lucas -1.00
Moonlight -1.00
Pootsy -1.40
Ejg -1.50
Lakegirl -1.50
Gracezw -1.60
NateKruse -1.80
Taymariekay -1.80
Abible -1.90
AnnetteW -2.00
JaBee -2.10
Lmggallagher -2.60
Jnc -2.80
Chaz01 -3.20
Hope410 -3.20
Tian-De -3.20
Wstokes -6.30
--------------------------------------------------
Total losses: -42.50
--------------------------------------------------
Cumulative group loss for June 2020 to date: 77.93 pounds
Average loss for week ending June 12: 1.21 pounds
--------------------------------------------------
Cumulative group loss for January 2020: 384.15 pounds
Cumulative group loss for February 2020: 96.60 pounds
Cumulative group loss for March 2020: 60.10 pounds
Cumulative group loss for April 2020: 218.00 pounds
Cumulative group loss for May 2020: 191.50 pounds

Next Weigh-In is on Friday, June 19, 2020.

Another week down! My compliments to all participants for your continuing efforts to change your pattern of behavior!

This week's discussion of plateaus, equilibrium and metabolism sent me off on a "reading expedition!" For a deep dive into these concepts, the links below provide a very comprehensive analysis -

The Starvation Mode, Slowed Metabolism & The Set Point Theory
viewtopic.php?t=11464

viewtopic.php?t=8824

viewtopic.php?t=7419

viewtopic.php?t=17541

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=9808..


This is the newest and was a response to the fairly recent headlines from the Biggest Loser show.

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=51953

I found Jeff's response to the following question very instructive; I think it is quite applicable in considering the behavior change approach to weight loss vs. "dieting."

If it's really just all about the calories, why NOT try to eat as little as possible to lose weight faster?

Because only the "weight" is about energy balance/calories. There are still other concerns we need to deal with including hunger, satiety, nutrient intake, bone density, muscle tissue, etc.

So, yes, in regard to weight, it is just all about the calories. But health is not about just weight and that is why I would not recommend an approach such as just eat as little as possible, that just focuses on and tries to solve the weight issue ASAP.

And this post would seem to be apropos, given our recent discussions around snacking and fruit.

So ... if optimizing weight loss is my goal ... and I'm legitimately hungry, or really munchy and want a snack ... which would be better? Popcorn? Fruit?

IMH(P&P)O, and based on calorie density, of the two, I would say fruit. However, vegetables would be a better choice and/or a meal of 50% starch and 50% vegetables (and/or fruit) by volume. A meal of 50% starch and 50% vegetables by volume would have a very low calorie density. So, a bowl of 50% oatmeal and 50% berries by volume or a bowl of 50% rice and 50% veggies by volume may be the better choice. You get the starch to help satisfy you and the fruit and/or veggies to help lower the calorie density.

And why calorie counting is ineffective.

In the end, calories will always "count" but the problems is just "counting" calories is ineffective because 1) we have very poor tools that are highly inaccurate to count calories with, 2) it eventually and almost always leads to portion control, which leads to hunger, which leads to binging, 3) there are many other factors that may influence the daily fluctuations in weight that we have no way to control for (fluid balance, etc), Even fecal content of the bowels can cause a weight change of several pounds when eliminated if elimination is not regular.

There is just no way to micro manage all these details on a daily basis and that is why trying to micro-manage energy balance on a daily basis is virtually impossible. Some days it will not make any sense and some days it may make too much sense.

This is why calorie density is the much better approach. MWL is based on calorie density. However, the MWL does not recommend living on just starches and gives recommendations for those who are finding the basic recommendations not enough for them to lose weight. We are all individuals and may have different levels of activity, exercise, NEAT, etc. and have to make adjustments accordingly. I reviewed some of these in a recent thread. One of the main recommendations is to increase the volume of vegetables in all your starch based meals to 1/3 to 1/2 of the volume of the plate/bowl.

It seems clear to me that the answer to this type of question (and many others), is best presented by the MWL 10-Point Checklist. If you are adhering to the checklist and practicing the recommended behaviors, you are (I think quite literally) doing everything you can do to lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way. If it feels helpful to approach things from the opposite direction, one could also review these 9 reasons you may be struggling.

Iif you are looking to fine tune your program or wondering why you may be struggling or not seeing the results you would like to as quickly as you would like, you may want to review these points.

I have updated them and added in a few new ones.

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

2) Misdirection of focus/priorities. Focusing on matters that don't really effect your health while not focusing on the ones that do.

3) Minimizing/Rationalizing the effect of certain behaviors and/or personal preferences, **especially in regard to certain foods**.

4) Too many processed/refined and/or calorie dense foods, especially those that are marketing as being "healthy."

5) Not understanding the difference between something that is "allowed" on occasion in small quantities, and something that is "recommended."

6) Inadequate exercise/activity

7) Not planning ahead. If you do not plan ahead for success, you will most likely not find it.

8 ) Time. Healing and results take time and for some of us, it may take a little longer than we hope.

9) Mcdougall "Plus" - This is where you mix the principles taught here with other principles you have read or learned somewhere else that are in conflict with the principles recommended here. While there are some program that are very much inline with these principles (ie, Esselstyn, etc) most are not.

I wish you all a wonderful week to come! Do the best you can, be patient and allow adequate time to achieve your goals, and keep on striving to pass the "Plate Test!"

But what is more important and what I feel to be the most important test, is what I call the "plate test." Very few people know about it yet it is one of the most effective tests and simple and easy to do and very inexpensive. You can even do it at home.

Here is how you do it.

When you sit down to eat each meal, look at your "plate" and see if it passes this "test", the "Plate Test."

Are at least 95% of the calories on your plate coming from unrefined unprocessed fruits, vegetables, starchy vegetables, intact whole grains and/or legumes? Are there at least 12-15 grams of fiber coming from whole natural foods? Does it meet my guidelines for sodium? Are any "exceptions" being kept to less than 5% of calories?

If your meal passes this "Plate Test", then I think that is the most effective test you can ever have done and the best indicator of your future health and longevity.

[Lakegirl]

Wildgoose
@Lakegirl Remember to chill those potatoes after steaming. I usually do a batch of potatoes, put them in the fridge overnight, and start using them for fries the next day. It doesn’t work nearly as well with freshly steamed potatoes. The chilling is the secret.

Goose

Thanks for the tips Wildgoose...I’ll chill those potatoes. I’ve heard of this...something about the quality of the potato “resistant” starch that changes as it cools. Supposed to be helpful for starch-based diets, but not sure exactly how. Have a good week!