November 2020 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Group

[wstokes]

-.2 lbs

...Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Yes

...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.
Yes, mostly

...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.
Yes

...Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
Yes, mostly

...Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Yes

...Eliminate any added oil.
Yes, mostly

...Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e. bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit.
Too many of these snacks, “stress eating”

...Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
Yes

...Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don’t starve yourself and don’t stuff yourself.
Yes, mostly
...Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes

At least there was a little progress. This week was a little better exercise-wise. I may need to calibrate expectations for the last 10 pounds and maybe just hope for no gain through the Holidays.

[wildgoose]

Weight change +/- in lbs: 175-171.5!!

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Y
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.Y Choose fruit for dessert.Y
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.Y
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).Y
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).Y
6. Eliminate any added oil.Y
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit.Y
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).Y
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full.Y Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.Y
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 3xs (4)this week, doing yoga in 5 minutes!

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
So grateful for VeggieSue & Mark for your loving kindness & advice!!
It really helped me get on the right track!!

Please figure my wholly unnecessary baby whiner rant.
I thank you again!!

You know what, Rita<3, that rant of yours was actually helpful! A lot of people give up when they’re struggling and see everybody here making it look easy (it's not — and you know that). Posts like yours are 100% real, and they give people hope. Yeah, she was confused and upset and maybe a little angry, but she worked through that and tried ... and hey, she got results. That’s a powerful message.

Congratulations, and keep up the good work!

Goose

[moonspirit]

Weight change +/- in lbs: 2.2 lb loss

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. I did this once.
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. I did this at every compliant meal.
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. No added sugars
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). No animal products
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). I had a couple of times where I did takeout due to lack of preparation/energy. Home-prepared meals were compliant.
6. Eliminate any added oil. See 5
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. Done
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Had a couple of glasses of red wine on 2 days
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. I did not over-eat but might have under-eaten on a couple of days.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Needs improvement, perhaps a plan

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
I was doing well until Wednesday this week. I waited too late to eat breakfast and then had bananas in my oatmeal (along with frozen blueberries). My blood sugar crashed (I have situational hypoglycemia that is not normally triggered in this way). I ordered takeout because I was too out of it to cook. I also had a handful of nuts to try to ground myself. I think that I need to have lunch pre-prepared so that I don't have to take time to make it during the work day. I'm going to make a pot of beans this weekend and freeze. Thursday did not see a blood-sugar crash but I ordered takeout again due to work stress. Both were plant-based and whole food, but not compliant on fat. I am going to make a better exercise plan this weekend too. I did well on sleep, getting to bed before midnight every night. I plan to move my wine stash into the garage this weekend so that I won't be tempted by it.

Looking forward to starting fresh today. About to eat my oatmeal and apples.

[Marla]

@Goose I really appreciate your detailed reply. Your explanation of preloading and dilution makes a lot of sense. While searching for the answer before I posted my questions, I found an older post from Jeff, who also explained that there will be individual variances in how people may apply these guidelines:

https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=618986#p618986

Some will start with huge salads and/or soups, some will have small ones. Some have both, some have none. It is a guideline but all based on the science of pre-loading. Fruit is included because it works better for breakfast for many. However, many people like “savory” breakfast and have oatmeal with vegetables.

While using these as a pre-load work, they also work as part of the meal (50/50 plate) which is based on the science of dilution.Some may end up needing to do both to hit their goals, same may need to do one or the other.

From your answer and Jeff's, my takeaway is that what I am currently doing for preloading and calorie dilution is fine and is in harmony with the guidelines.

However, I still do not know whether to put "YES" or "NO" next to items #1 and #2 when completing the behavioral report. For example with my breakfast: if I start breakfast with kale, then eat oats and fruit together, do I put "NO" for #1? Jeff's comment quoted above seems to say that vegetables work as a preload, so maybe I would be able to say yes to #1, but then does the fruit work for the 50/50 in #2, or would I have to answer "NO" to #2?

If I eat a quart of non-starchy vegetable soup and a sweet potato, do I answer "NO" to #2 (because the soup counted as my preload and I can't count it again as my 50/50)? What if took half the soup and put it in a separate bowl and finished that, then ate the other half together with the sweet potato? Then I could say yes I preloaded with soup, and yes I ate 50/50 vegetables and starch. But that seems a little silly even to me

I'm only struggling with answering these questions, not struggling with how to eat. Thank you!

[Lachoffman]

Weighing in today at 172.6 for a loss this week of 3 lbs.

My overall loss is 43.4 lbs since 4/4/20 with start weight of 216 lbs.
I'm a female measuring 5'9".
My goal weight is 150 lbs.

Jeff, thank you for your encouragement last week! Needed that!

MWL 10-Point Checklist
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 100%
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals. Choose fruit for dessert. 100%
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. 98%
4. Eliminate all animal foods. 97%
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods. 98%
6. Eliminate any added oil. 96%
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products. 97%
8. Don't drink your calories. 95%
9. Eat whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. 100%
10. At least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily. 100%

If you've not tried the Three Sister's Stew, you're in for a treat. I also have been making my own Hummus from Chickpeas, Lemon Juice and Garlic - delicious. I also made a Black Bean Vegetable Soup this week that has been wonderful with McDougall Mashed Potatoes or Brown Rice. Happy Friday!

[Hope410]

Hello Everyone,

Weight Change: -1.0 LBS

MWL 10-Point Checklist
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 100%
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals. Choose fruit for dessert. 100%
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. 100%
4. Eliminate all animal foods. 100%
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods. 100%
6. Eliminate any added oil. 100%
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products. 95%
8. Don't drink your calories. 100%
9. Eat whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. 90%-95% ??
10. At least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily. 50%

Over all it was a pretty good week with just a few issues. Only had one slip-up of a snack junk food and then was able to leave it alone. I'm still working to do my exercise 100%; but did walk 3X for 30 minutes and 1X for 15. Will continue to on both these issues.

I will be paying closer attention to how much I am eating at meals and judging how full I feel. Sometimes it seems that I am eating too much.

Have great week.

[Mark Cooper]

Expat in NZ - Kudos for doing the best you could while travelling! Finding adherent meals on the road can certainly be a challenge. I'm envious of the awe-inspiring scenery you were enjoying; it sounds like a fabulous experience! Great work getting directly back on track now that you are home, Lindsey; your point about eating when hungry is well-observed, packing more adherent snacks and being mindful to set aside time to eat seem like excellent actions to address that.

alishana - I think it can be natural to feel a bit discouraged when some "objective" measure to which we attach significance is incongruent with our perception of the situation (e.g., the new scale registering higher than you were thinking). What helps me on those occasions is focusing on making progress with the behaviors that produce the results I'm seeking, rather than the specific outcome in the moment. Setbacks inevitably happen, learn what you can from them (your points about consistency and not acting on momentary impulses are great takeaways), treat yourself with compassion, and concentrate on getting right back on track. Well done keeping active this week! Keep at it.

Abe - Isn't it fascinating how our palates can adapt and adjust over time? I'm glad you found an enjoyable dressing! I believe I remember Dr. Lisle mentioning that he often hires a local student to do batch cooking and prep for him; do you think that might be an option in your case? Another idea might be to have a conversation with the manager of a local restaurant about whether they could possibly offer some adherent options; particularly if you thought you might frequent that restaurant on a regular basis.

josietheschnauzer - Nice progress getting back into the swing of things! I would imagine getting that sense of "control" will feel easier as you continue to make your way out of the Pleasure Trap; good thought to lean on preloads and the 50/50 guideline to weather this period of readjustment. I'm always so impressed with your daily activities; soon you'll have "virtually travelled" to all corners of the globe! Thanks to wildgoose for sharing her ketchup recipe.

Veganjo - Kudos! That seems like a fairly solid week. Was there a particular situation or chain of events that contributed to you having the brisket? Keep concentrating on the recommended behaviors.

jan_npr - Plateau broken and down 2 lbs! Congrats on achieving that cumulative loss of over 10 lbs; ADHERENCE + TIME = RESULTS. Cheers to you and your husband for creating a mutually supportive environment to make these changes. I think it is true that steady, consistent progress, implemented in a thoughtful and sustainable way (however long it takes) can lend itself to durable change. Carry on!

squealcat - Woo-hoo! A 2.4 lb loss and real progress with the recommended behaviors! I can see why you feel good about this week, Marilyn. I think the best way to support continuing progress is to keep your focus on eating the recommended foods in the recommended fashion. Aim for doing at least a little better each day and week, and if new obstacles arise, adjust your planning and preparation in response. Keep at it!

Rebecka22 - Congratulations for your progress! Cheers to you for deciding to take a pass on that almond milk mocha! You are so right to keep your focus on practicing the recommended behaviors; the scale isn't always cooperative, but the behaviors will deliver the results in the end. When you feel like you are eating "more than you need," what contributes to that impression? Do you notice that it correlates to any particular foods, or is it just a general sense? The MWL recommendations produce a diet that is relatively low in calorie density, which can often mean that a greater volume of adherent food delivers fewer calories than a lesser volume of more calorie rich food. Keep putting in the work!

PonysPlants - Down another pound! Kudos for achieving the body fat % goal you had set and being on the cusp of your "ideal" weight! I can imagine how the constraints of the lockdown could spur a desire for comfort, Naomi. Reaching for fruit (or other adherent foods) on those evenings when you're experiencing cravings is a sensible approach. Are there any other favorite activities you find comforting and enjoyable you could intentionally use as a "treat"? As you observe, cookies often don't actually deliver the solace we might be seeking.

CindyD - Cheers for sticking strictly to adherent foods, despite the stress you were experiencing! I think some "testing the edges" is a natural impulse; it seems to me that is one way we calibrate our expectations and find the contours of the prevailing pattern of behavior we need to sustain to achieve the specific results we're seeking. A big pot of vegetable soup in the fridge seems like an excellent way to support continuing progress. How nice to have that encouraging reaction from your doctor! Thank you so much for your well wishes.

GreenFroG - Goodbye to 2.2 more pounds!

You really do just have to trust the process and let the scale work itself out.

Absolutely! The links Jeff shared discussing BMI should offer some perspective on the factors to consider; I'd say you are doing great.

The range we recommend is 18.5 to about 22. However, realize this is a general range. Often, when people see the range, they assume 18.5 is the best, which is not true, and then go crazy trying to get there. Several studies have shown that 22/23 is best. We don't know for sure but it seems fairly clear that the bottom half of the healthy range (18.5 to 22) is probably best for most.

Marla - Congratulations on your diligent adherence! You clearly have an understanding of the fundamental principles underlying the specific recommendations, and I would agree that your current practices are congruent with the MWL guidelines. If I were eating the meals you describe, in the fashion you have explained, I would answer yes on both point 1 & 2; recognizing that if my progress stalled, I might want to reassess and adjust these ratios.

Rita<3 - That is a 3.5 pound loss, right? Congrats! The behaviors deliver the results, so focusing on consistently adhering to the recommendations is the path to success, the scale just helps "check our work." Now that you feel you are on the right track, just stay there!

wstokes - Progress in the right direction is always worth acknowledging! Focus on consistently maintaining the recommended pattern of behavior, and you'll achieve what you seek. You are right that the "final lap" can be slow-going; now is a great time to start planning for how you can celebrate the holidays in a fashion that supports your goals. Can you make adjustments in your environment so that the calorie dense "snacks" are more difficult to reach, and adherent options are closer to hand for those times you feel especially stressed?

moonspirit - Down 2.2 lbs! I think the solutions you've proposed to address this week's challenges are astute; some extra preparation will put you in a good position when unexpected obstacles or daily stresses make demands. Great idea getting the wine out of your immediate environment. Are there any particular forms of exercise you most enjoy? Sometimes just getting started, even if for a few minutes, can go a long way toward building this habit. Enjoy the oatmeal and apples!

Lachoffman - Woo-hoo! 3 lbs this week and 43.4 since April! I'm so glad you are feeling encouraged! Sounds like you have been enjoying some very delectable recipes; those all sound quite appealing to me! Stay on course and keep moving those percentages toward 100. Happy Friday!

Hope410 Down a pound and a lot of 100s on the checklist! Nice work limiting that "slip-up" to a single occasion; did any particular change in your situation, environment or routine correspond to that? Good progress with your exercise routine, keep building on that. When it seems like you are "eating too much," what foods are you eating? Are you stuffing yourself?

[jkcook]

-1 since last week

1) Start each meal with soup/salad/fruit—5 of 7 days
2) Follow the 50/50 plate— 6 of 7 days
3) Reduce or eliminate sugars/salts—yes
4) Eliminate animal foods—yes, bravely got a poke salad with tofu instead of sushi salmon
5) Eliminate higher fat plant foods—yes
6) Eliminate oil—never use it
7) Eliminate higher calorie-dense foods—yes
8 ) Don’t drink your calories—yes, only water or diet soda
9) Eating when hungry and stop when full—yes
10) 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily— especially lazy week for some reason Only walked two days. Sigh

[Kappagator_96]

Weight change +/- in lbs: +1.1

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. No
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. Yes
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. Yes
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). Yes
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Yes
6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. Yes
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). No, coffee creamer.
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Yes
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). No, still not feeling well.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Victories: Cleaned out closet this week, and discovered I fit in the smallest clothes I own!

Comments/Concerns: I feel like the scale trending upward this week is not a true reflection, or maybe last week’s big loss for me was a fluke? Hard to know what to think, but still continuing, and trying not to fixate on scale numbers as a complete picture. Will focus on the overall downward trend over time and less coffee creamer/more exercise next week.

[VivianS]

VivianS November 13, 2020 Friday weigh in
Weight change + 1.0 pound Today I weigh 148.2 pounds with 37" waistline.

Points on the MWL checklist where I succeeded :
1,2, 3,4,5,6, 8,9,10
Points that need greater attention :
7 Eliminate refined foods. I realized that oat bran + steel cut oats does not equal groats. I need the fiber of oat bran to ease the constipation pain caused by an internal hemorrhoid. I ate some oat bran this week for pain relief, gained a pound, and finally realized that a cup of shredded cabbage at 35 calories would give me the needed fiber and would save 200 calories by NOT eating the oat bran. The pound will soon be gone. Wise substitutions toward whole food make a big difference.

My blood test results from November 4, 2020: cholesterol 110, triglycerides 96! Those are both within the normal range. I have lost 16 pounds since my blood test on March 23, 2020. My cholesterol has dropped 57 points and triglycerides dropped 110 points. Whole food plant based diet is protecting my heart and brain!
Thank you to the team put together by Dr. John McDougall to make this knowledge, help and encouragement available to me free. I have been struggling with cholesterol and the other evils for 40+ years. You on the Maximum Weight Loss program have helped me find the fat in my diet and the other errors I was making. Thank you to Mark Cooper and members of the MWL board for your kind and wise encouragement. Wildgoose, Jeff Novick, you have been very successful in leading me in the right direction. Heather McDougall, f1jim, carolve, and all you others who read my journal have encouraged me to write and think about what I am doing.
Thank you to Buns of Aluminum, MandyBee, Marla and ejeff, a new kind friend who thanked me for telling my story. We are all trying to stay strong and healthy as we age. Erin has showed me by her weight loss ticker that I can get to the size of my sisters like she is. Maximum Weight Loss program is giving me a fighting chance to be able to take care of myself. Like my aunt who lived to 101, I want to be able to bathe myself every day, even the day I die. Note to self: She bathed herself the day she died. Baths must be dangerous. Ha! Ha! HA!

[cmcavazos]

Weight change +/- in lbs: +.2

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. - Yes
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. - Yes
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. - Yes
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). - Yes
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).- Yes
6. Eliminate any added oil. - Yes
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. - No.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). - Yes
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. - Yes
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). - Yes

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Could have been better -- I had several slips this week with sweets at work -- one sweet always turned into more during the work day. I need to avoid the breakroom this time of year with all of the treats that are been brought in to share with the staff.

Improvement - I did well with daily exercise this week. Walking daily and 2 Zumba sessions this week.

Concerns/Question --Because of my past history with dieting, I have a love-hate relationship with the scale. How do others handle the once-a-week weighing and resist the temptation to weigh-in daily?

Thank you and I'll be checking in again next Friday.

[Gimmelean]

Hello MWL team. Hope you’re all doing well this week.

Weight change +/- in lbs:  started 6/29/20. 139.3. Total -13.5

Last week 11/6/20 124.6
This week 11/13/20 125.8 +1.2 pounds

Here’s how I did this week. Same trouble spots come back to haunt me. Nuts and sweets. At least it’s no where near the quantity I used to eat, if I let go it will.

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.yes
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.yes
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.yes
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).yes
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).last week I eliminated nuts and seeds and the scale showed that. I did indulge with nuts this week and will just have to keep them out of the house. I’m 1.2 pounds up this week and most likely due to this. I didn’t eat a lot of them, but do notice as Dr. Lisle said, that eating hyper concentrated foods even in small amounts contribute to eating more of everything. He also included salt, sugar, along with high fat foods.
6. Eliminate any added oil.yes
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. Ate a small amount of homemade baked goods and some cookies my daughter brought over. It’s hard to resist 100% of the time. This too contributed to my gain this week
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).yes
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.yes. I love knowing which foods I can eat to satisfaction without measuring and weighing every gram.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).yes

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Victory- I did my first 5k (virtually) on Sunday. I never started running to race or compete. Never ran in my life or remotely liked it. Just to stay in shape during the pandemic. Started 7/29/20. I just wanted to be able to finish without anyone having to ask “Are you okay?” Haven’t really focused on time, just distance. I finished 3.11 miles in 33:37 min I learned that this time is in the 89.5 percentile and so happy to have discovered something new. I believe that my weight loss makes it much easier on joints and muscles and due to less to lug around, endurance.
Question: Is there a limit to participation here? Maintenance is more of the same. It’s hard! Is there anything I can do to help pay what you do forward? Any administration or board maintenance tasks?

Thank you!

[Rita<3]

Weight change +/- in lbs: 175-171.5!!

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Y
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.Y Choose fruit for dessert.Y
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.Y
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).Y
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).Y
6. Eliminate any added oil.Y
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit.Y
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).Y
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full.Y Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.Y
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 3xs (4)this week, doing yoga in 5 minutes!

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
So grateful for VeggieSue & Mark for your loving kindness & advice!!
It really helped me get on the right track!!

Please figure my wholly unnecessary baby whiner rant.
I thank you again!!

You know what, Rita<3, that rant of yours was actually helpful! A lot of people give up when they’re struggling and see everybody here making it look easy (it's not — and you know that). Posts like yours are 100% real, and they give people hope. Yeah, she was confused and upset and maybe a little angry, but she worked through that and tried ... and hey, she got results. That’s a powerful message.

Congratulations, and keep up the good work!

Goose

Thank you so very much for your loving kindness & encouragement Goose!!
It’s much appreciated ! I deleted the posts because I felt they were largely negative in nature & that is absolutely not what I am here to do!! I am SOOO excited!!

[Veganjo]

Veganjo - Kudos! That seems like a fairly solid week. Was there a particular situation or chain of events that contributed to you having the brisket? Keep concentrating on the recommended behaviors.


When my husband makes brisket, it smells so good, and hard to resist!

But, I know what to eat to get back in a healthy range.

Thanks!

[texaslil]

Weight change +/- in lbs:
I expected it (some sort of gain this week): +.2
171.4 LBS

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES
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. YES
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. I ONLY ADD SALT AT THE TABLE, SOME MAPLE SYRUP IN MY MORNING HERBAL TEA
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). ALWAYS
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). AVOCADO AND TOFU AT TWO MEALS, BUT IN SMALL AMOUNTS
6. Eliminate any added oil. YES
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. YES
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). ONE SMOOTHIE
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. OVERATE AT 3 MEALS
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 5/7 DAYS WALKING AND YOGA

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: I EXPECTED TO GAIN SOME WEIGHT THIS WEEK AS THIS IS PART OF MY NORMAL MONTHLY CYCLE. SO, I'M NOT SURPRISED BUT I AM RELIEVED THAT IT WAS MINIMAL .2 LBS. SO I WILL KEEP GOING AND HOPE FOR A BETTER WEEK NEXT WEEK, ALTHOUGH, LOOKING AT MY HISTORIC TRENDS, I COULD POSSIBLY GAIN NEXT WEEK AS WELL. IN OTHER NEWS, I HAVE BEEN ENJOYING MY INSTANT POT AND LEARNING HOW TO USE IT, IT'S SOOOO QUICK TO COOK THINGS AND EASY CLEANUP. I HAVE ALSO BEEN GATHERING THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY RECIPES, PREPARING MYSELF TO MAKE A COMPLETELY SEPARATE MEAL FROM MY FAMILY

WISH EVERYONE A RELAXING AND HEALTHY WEEKEND!