Moderators: JeffN, f1jim, carolve, Heather McDougall
Strawberry60 wrote:Hi all
I am 59, female and live in the uk.
I have been dabbling on and off with McDougall eating for a couple of years and have pretty much always stuck with the basic premise.
However recently I wanted to implement it more thoroughly into my life. Which for me meant ditching fats. Particularly for MWL.
So I've ditched the fats.
My first week has seen a 5lb weight loss.
Let me explain that I am not hugely overweight either. At 5ft nothing and weighing 115lb (now 110) I am considered normal weight.
However I realised that Dr McD recommends aiming for the Kempner weight goals.
I now see that what we consider to be normal weight is actually quite well padded weight.
In my case people see me as small and slim. In reality under the clothing I have a pudgy belly and fat thighs. No not me being negative but actual fact. Now I know that in terms of who I am this doesn't make a difference. But I want to be a more attractive who I am. And to me that means smooth thighs which are not riddled with cellulite and no muffin tops.
I have not done a ton of exercise this week. I don't do a lot as am currently suffering chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia. However I have just tried to make more reasons to go out for a walk, even if just down to the shops for a bag of onions. I have tried to be active in other areas too like walking around while I am having a conversation on the phone, or dancing around the kitchen while I wait for the kettle to boil.
My diet has been fairly simple. My starch choices have been quinoa, brown rice, sweet potato, peas. Mainly my veg has been carrots, onions and brocolli. I have a very low budget so I buy the moderately priced veg. I have had the occasional courgette/zucchini. At the moment in the shop I can get a lovely marrow for 99p so I am enjoying that. I sprinkle a few spices on my veg before I cook them, Ajwain and cumin are my favourites. Or I add finely chopped ginger or ginger and garlic combo.
Fruit is an ocassion all treat. 1 is a price factor and 2 is I don't do well with fruit. However I did buy a bag of frozen mixed berries which I will be using with rice as a breakfast for weekends.
So that's it so far.
Glad to be part of the community.
I will continue to post and hope that I will inspire and help someone else on their weight loss journey.
Weight on 16th July.....115lbs
Weight on 23rd July.....110lbs
OOnaOwl wrote:Strawberry60 wrote:Hi all
I am 59, female and live in the uk.
I have been dabbling on and off with McDougall eating for a couple of years and have pretty much always stuck with the basic premise.
However recently I wanted to implement it more thoroughly into my life. Which for me meant ditching fats. Particularly for MWL.
So I've ditched the fats.
My first week has seen a 5lb weight loss.
Let me explain that I am not hugely overweight either. At 5ft nothing and weighing 115lb (now 110) I am considered normal weight.
However I realised that Dr McD recommends aiming for the Kempner weight goals.
I now see that what we consider to be normal weight is actually quite well padded weight.
In my case people see me as small and slim. In reality under the clothing I have a pudgy belly and fat thighs. No not me being negative but actual fact. Now I know that in terms of who I am this doesn't make a difference. But I want to be a more attractive who I am. And to me that means smooth thighs which are not riddled with cellulite and no muffin tops.
I have not done a ton of exercise this week. I don't do a lot as am currently suffering chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia. However I have just tried to make more reasons to go out for a walk, even if just down to the shops for a bag of onions. I have tried to be active in other areas too like walking around while I am having a conversation on the phone, or dancing around the kitchen while I wait for the kettle to boil.
My diet has been fairly simple. My starch choices have been quinoa, brown rice, sweet potato, peas. Mainly my veg has been carrots, onions and brocolli. I have a very low budget so I buy the moderately priced veg. I have had the occasional courgette/zucchini. At the moment in the shop I can get a lovely marrow for 99p so I am enjoying that. I sprinkle a few spices on my veg before I cook them, Ajwain and cumin are my favourites. Or I add finely chopped ginger or ginger and garlic combo.
Fruit is an ocassion all treat. 1 is a price factor and 2 is I don't do well with fruit. However I did buy a bag of frozen mixed berries which I will be using with rice as a breakfast for weekends.
So that's it so far.
Glad to be part of the community.
I will continue to post and hope that I will inspire and help someone else on their weight loss journey.
Weight on 16th July.....115lbs
Weight on 23rd July.....110lbs
Wow! Thank you for posting. I am same height as you with same weight issues & goals, uncanny. This is very helpful to me. I just finally took out all the fats to get to the size desired a few days ago, hopefully will start losing soon! I will be following your journey, thanks again
I am not using free form dieting I am actually weighing and measuring. I have followed Jeff Novicks formula for working out how many calories you need and am probably eating under that amount.
JeffN wrote:I am not using free form dieting I am actually weighing and measuring. I have followed Jeff Novicks formula for working out how many calories you need and am probably eating under that amount.
What formula is that?
As an FYI, any such formula has an error rate of at least 20% and I don't recommend using these formula's. My recommendation is not to count calories (in or out) but to follow the principles of calorie density.
The last 5-10 lbs in general is the hardest to lose and maintain as there is not much wiggle room left. I explain why in this post...
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=27333&p=272969#p272671
And, it is even harder with less wiggle room for those who are female, especially those who are female and shorter, and especially those who are female, shorter and over 50.
Body weight can easily fluctuate at least 1-2 lbs each day because of fluid changes, bowel changes, hormones, salt, etc
The Kempner weight charts don’t apply to everyone. As Dr McDougall said, the main reason he posted them is not as goal weights but too offer some reassurance to those who think they are too thin.
“Again, the purpose of showing these figures is to help reassure you that you are not becoming too thin on the McDougall Diet – you should not look at these as goal weights.”
Your BMI is 21.5, which is within my recommended range of 18.5-22, where lower is not always better.
I would recommend you read through these threads
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=58007
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=6916
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=52375
In Health
Jeff
(I will be using certain averages and rules of thumb here to make a point. They are not perfect but they will highlight the issue)
JeffN wrote:It is a very generic rule of thumb estimate that can be at least 20% in estimating BMR, which doesn’t count in any activity/exercise, or a few other factors that matter.
I used it to help understand a point, for which it can be helpful, but it works poorly to apply it to an individual to base their calorie consumption on.
In that post, I even said...(I will be using certain averages and rules of thumb here to make a point. They are not perfect but they will highlight the issue)
In Health
Jeff
Strawberry60 wrote:Hi OOnaOwl
Nice to hear back from you.
Thank you for your thoughts and encouraging comments.
Did have a look back at my weighing and measuring strategies, as despite the suggestions that you shouldn't have to do that, I think for me to lose weight then weighing my food to make sure of my calorie consumption is what I need to do.
Anyway I did realise that I had been not very accurate with my calorie counts. So hopeing that having figured that out and now being a bit more accurate things may get back on track.
Also I have a bit of time coming up when I might not be able to be fully in control of my own food, so I have decided to do a few intermittent fasting days in the lead up. Have done this before and although the daily calorie allowance is quite restricted I feel that I have had enough. Anyway I am not going to worry too much about it. I shall eat sensible portions and try and keep to my guidelines as best I can.
It can be a struggle to give up certain foods, particularly if we deem them to be healthy. I will certainly be glad when I can move on from MWL to every day starchivore way of eating. I do miss the crunch of a few pumpkin seeds or walnuts. I know of course that you can only have these things in small amounts but just 10 grams in a salad or over a bowl of hot cereal makes a huge difference to me. Even then I don't think they will ever be a daily food for me again though as they have been in the past.I have seen a very noticeable change in my hair and skin since going fat/oil free. Hair goes much longer between washes and skin seems smoother.
I have gone milk free in all my drinks now. Haven't had dairy milk for years, and even more determined not to touch dairy since watching the video Dairy Is Scary. I think it is quite possibly the most cruel of all the animal food products on the market. Plus it does us no earthly good whatsoever. I used to have soy milk in drinks but discovered quite by accident that it was a major contributor to my migraines so stopped that. Persevered with almond milk but really didn't like it in tea. So I thought lets go black. After all many years ago I used to drink strong, milky tea with 3 sugars. If I can train my taste buds off that I can get used to black tea. It took a few weeks but I can now honestly say I enjoy my tea black. I wouldn't consider having milk in it any more.
I am glad that you had the 1lb weight loss, that's very good news. As you said the small person tends to have more battles. It is surprising where the hidden fats lurk. I don't buy anything with ingredients in any more, but then I do eat very simply which is not to everyone's taste. I want to get together a few dishes that I can give to other people which they will find tasty and enjoyable. I don't suppose there are too many who would want just a plain jacket potato with steamed broccoli and carrots. So one or two entertaining dishes so I don't revert back to old faithfuls have to be learnt.
I honestly don't think that your flax meal is going to do any damage in the long run. Menopause can be a real strain for some I know. I don't think I had too many problems with it per say although pre menopause I did suffer badly from mennhoragia. Looking back that was probably linked to a high red meat consumption and a fairly frequent consumption of alcohol.
If you find the flax is helpful for you and it helps you to feel better during this difficult time then it is probably best to stick with it. I am sure that you have probably done a lot already towards making your menopause easier by eating this way. Think how much worse it may be if you weren't.
I shall stop rambling now.....oh yes you're right, it has been hot here!!
Best wishes to you in your continuing endeavours with your weight loss. I will be interested to hear either way what's going on. Wishing you success xx
OOnaOwl wrote:Hi again!
How is it going for you?
I'm having trouble giving up all the fats, still having a bit each day but less than I did before. I think this lower-but not complete removal-is more doable for me. I am still down a pound or so, perhaps I will lose more this week or next, time will tell. It is hot here now too, and that is also influencing my dietary choices. I want to make some sushi rolls this week, always enjoy those in the heat. I am not counting calories at all, but I stay well under 2000 each day by my rough estimate. This week I am finding it slightly irksome that no one I know eats this way or is even remotely interested in it. It never used to bother me but perhaps it is now because out of town family is here & they are all sick and fat meanwhile I am going running, doing yoga & eating handfuls of greens. It would be nice to share exercise at least, but alas for them that is a table puzzle or at most a leisurely stroll. Cheers!Strawberry60 wrote:Hi OOnaOwl
Nice to hear back from you.
Thank you for your thoughts and encouraging comments.
Did have a look back at my weighing and measuring strategies, as despite the suggestions that you shouldn't have to do that, I think for me to lose weight then weighing my food to make sure of my calorie consumption is what I need to do.
Anyway I did realise that I had been not very accurate with my calorie counts. So hopeing that having figured that out and now being a bit more accurate things may get back on track.
Also I have a bit of time coming up when I might not be able to be fully in control of my own food, so I have decided to do a few intermittent fasting days in the lead up. Have done this before and although the daily calorie allowance is quite restricted I feel that I have had enough. Anyway I am not going to worry too much about it. I shall eat sensible portions and try and keep to my guidelines as best I can.
It can be a struggle to give up certain foods, particularly if we deem them to be healthy. I will certainly be glad when I can move on from MWL to every day starchivore way of eating. I do miss the crunch of a few pumpkin seeds or walnuts. I know of course that you can only have these things in small amounts but just 10 grams in a salad or over a bowl of hot cereal makes a huge difference to me. Even then I don't think they will ever be a daily food for me again though as they have been in the past.I have seen a very noticeable change in my hair and skin since going fat/oil free. Hair goes much longer between washes and skin seems smoother.
I have gone milk free in all my drinks now. Haven't had dairy milk for years, and even more determined not to touch dairy since watching the video Dairy Is Scary. I think it is quite possibly the most cruel of all the animal food products on the market. Plus it does us no earthly good whatsoever. I used to have soy milk in drinks but discovered quite by accident that it was a major contributor to my migraines so stopped that. Persevered with almond milk but really didn't like it in tea. So I thought lets go black. After all many years ago I used to drink strong, milky tea with 3 sugars. If I can train my taste buds off that I can get used to black tea. It took a few weeks but I can now honestly say I enjoy my tea black. I wouldn't consider having milk in it any more.
I am glad that you had the 1lb weight loss, that's very good news. As you said the small person tends to have more battles. It is surprising where the hidden fats lurk. I don't buy anything with ingredients in any more, but then I do eat very simply which is not to everyone's taste. I want to get together a few dishes that I can give to other people which they will find tasty and enjoyable. I don't suppose there are too many who would want just a plain jacket potato with steamed broccoli and carrots. So one or two entertaining dishes so I don't revert back to old faithfuls have to be learnt.
I honestly don't think that your flax meal is going to do any damage in the long run. Menopause can be a real strain for some I know. I don't think I had too many problems with it per say although pre menopause I did suffer badly from mennhoragia. Looking back that was probably linked to a high red meat consumption and a fairly frequent consumption of alcohol.
If you find the flax is helpful for you and it helps you to feel better during this difficult time then it is probably best to stick with it. I am sure that you have probably done a lot already towards making your menopause easier by eating this way. Think how much worse it may be if you weren't.
I shall stop rambling now.....oh yes you're right, it has been hot here!!
Best wishes to you in your continuing endeavours with your weight loss. I will be interested to hear either way what's going on. Wishing you success xx
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