February 2021 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Group

[moonlight]

Moonlight - Down a pound! Big congratulations on your 100% day! Having adherent food prepared is a great way to support your efforts; well done! That evening / night interval can definitely be very fraught. Would it help to set your intention on always (at minimum) eating adherent foods BEFORE you indulge in anything non adherent? Something else that I've found useful: after dinner, I brush my teeth. I never eat anything after that, because I don't want to brush my teeth again. (Of course, if one is actually hungry, eating adherent food is always the wise choice.) Thanks for sharing the poem, it seems very relevant to our efforts here.

Hi Mark,
Thank you for your comments for my upcoming week. When I wrote that I would focus on NO DAIRY this week, it just didn't feel quite right... I've said many times that my main problem time is evenings. I am going to set my focus on a goal similar to what you recommended. I will try to stop eating 3 hours before bedtime. Of course, the eating plan will be a top priority as well. It helps me to put that in writing! Thanks!

[Rita<3]

Warm greetings everyone & Hey Mark!
I’ve been rather busy these last couple of weeks & I’ve missed check in. I’m grateful that I’m doing well & hanging right on in there with the program. I’m wondering if we eat whole wheat pasta; is Barilla an acceptable brand? I opted not to eat it after discovering the only ingredient was wheat FLOUR. I’m staying away from things with flour in them, because I’ve seen less weight loss using/taking them. Also, what can be used for pain? I’ve read that (I believe) that Dr. McDougall said Glucosamine also received is alright, but not with anything else. Please do share your thoughts please. Much obliged . Happy new week to you all! I wish all of you much success & I wish you well. Thank you.

[Mark Cooper]

josietheschnauzer - You are very welcome!

birdy birdy - Thank you for offering that contextual information. I can certainly understand how sometimes it feels like there are insufficient hours in the day to address everything important. The frozen meals you are making seem like a great way to address that concern. Would it help to have a gentle conversation with your husband, sharing the obstacles you are trying to overcome, how you are feeling a bit overwhelmed, and request his help in mutually meeting challenges as they arise? Are there any basic tasks where he might be most willing to pitch in? Jeff's Fast Food recipes are great for assembling an adherent meal in a flash.

Moonlight - You bet! I think there is merit in setting down our intentions in clear, concrete terms; for me, it helps to clarify exactly what I'm trying to accomplish, and establish what success might look like

Rita<3 - I'm glad you are doing well! The brand of pasta doesn't really matter, provided it is a whole grain pasta.

There are several qualifying words established by the FDA to indicate a product is a whole grain, or whole grain flour. These are whole, rolled, cracked, stone ground and sprouted. The grain or the flour must have one of these words describing the flour in the ingredient list, otherwise, it is not a whole grain. For example, Durum Wheat flour is refined, Stone Ground Durum Wheat Flour is whole grain.

- In addition, brown rice and brown rice flour were given a pass by the FDA, so just seeing brown rice or brown rice flour indicated a whole grain.

as you may know, for most people, I highly recommend the MWL program for many reasons. One is that it excludes all these processed products.

The only exception that I allow is whole grain pasta. The reason is two fold

1) while it is processed, the calorie density of the final product is the same as intact whole grains because the pasta absorbs so much water during the cooking process.

2) Part of the concern with all the other ground whole grain products is their calorie density and their absorption rate. The disruption of the fiber can also make these foods less satiating which can pose a problem for those trying to manage their weight. However, the lower calorie density of pasta (and the calorie density recommendation to always consume it with a 50% ratio of non-starchy veggies), slows down the absorption rates and helps to increase the bulk, fiber and satiety. However, there still may be occasions while someone is recovering their health or trying to manage their weight where they may need to also cut out the whole grain pasta.

Regarding pain relief, in his September 2004 newsletter, Dr. McDougall writes

Unless there is some reason to act otherwise, I suggest my patients use simple, time-tested medications to relieve pain, such as aspirin and Tylenol (acetaminophen). Aspirin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and it has added benefits over other NSAIDs, like protection from heart disease. If you prefer a next generation NSAID, then choose something over-the-counter and inexpensive, like ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil). Remember all drugs have potentially serious side effects and you should become familiar with these before you use any medication. Better yet, you should relieve the cause of your suffering through a better diet.

In the newsletter from September 2010, in an articles titled Glucosamine and Chondroitin Do Not Help Arthritis, Dr. McDougall states

In my April 2004 newsletter I recommended glucosamine for arthritis based on the research I had available then. However, in the past six years I can recall no patients telling me of pain relief or improved mobility that they have achieved from taking this cartilage supplement. Therefore, I am changing my recommendation. Because of the low cost and few side effects, you may still wish to do your own personal trial with glucosamine, but I can no longer tell you that I believe it is beneficial. (I reserve the right to change my opinions on all medications and supplements because the research is always changing and most of it cannot be trusted as reliable in the first place. In case you are wondering, I will not be changing my opinion on the best diet for you.) I have never recommended chondroitin because it is derived from cow cartilage. This cow matter may contain infectious microbes, such as those that have been found to cause mad cow disease.

[Gimmelean]

Thank you Mark and Wildgoose for your inspiration, motivation, and education through Dr. McDougall. Your support along with the support of the group has been invaluable to me. After all these years, I feel like I’m finally getting exactly what I need to successfully manage my weight and eating habits in a sustainable and healthy way.

[Mark Cooper]

After all these years, I feel like I’m finally getting exactly what I need to successfully manage my weight and eating habits in a sustainable and healthy way.

[PonysPlants]

Down 0.8 lbs week, which is fine with me this week. Only 9lbs to go until I reach my goal, though I may end up adding an extra couple of pounds to that.

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. YES
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. YES
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). YES Easy. Vegan for life
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados,) 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. Had a couple of cups of tea with a splash of oat milk.
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. YES. I don’t get much opportunity during the day but now it’s a habit that when 8pm rolls around I go an work out.

Nothing much to report, I’ll just keep plodding away. Glad that I avoided bread this week. There’s a part of my brain that always suggests having bread when I’m feeling hungry and I’ve been challenging that this week and feel good about it. Quick question: when people have lost weight on MWL do they tend to stick to it to keep the weight off? I was wondering if I’d be able to go to regular McDougall and have a bit of bread/flour back in my diet. Although maybe with the way my brain craves it it might be best avoided anyway.

Thanks so much to Mark and the other moderators. Honestly couldn’t have done this without the support of this place. It can feel so daunting having a big chunk of weight to lose but this reporting really helps break it down week by week whilst you build the habits.

Naomi

[josietheschnauzer]

Friday, February 19
Weight change in lbs: -3.6
1. Start each meal with soup/salad/fruit: Yes
2. Follow 50/50 plate method for meals: Yes
3. Reduce or eliminate added sugars and salts: No. Condiment
4. No animal foods: Yes
5. No higher fat plant foods (nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy): Yes
6. No added oil: Yes
7. No higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit: No. Chinese Vegetable Dumplings on Fat Tuesday.
8. Don't drink calories: Yes
9. Follow principles, eat when hungry & until comfortably full. Don't starve and don't stuff: Yes? Kind of....I thought I was stuffing but maybe I was hungry....
10. Avoid being sedentary. Exercise at least 30 minutes daily: Yes
Victories, comments, concerns, questions: I lost the 3 pounds I gained last week plus I lost another .6 of a pound. I am amazed at many things, but this week I am amazed that last week, two days of pleasure trapping caused so much havoc. I am amazed that my body is so sensitive to items like oil in french fries. And to think, "heart healthy olive oil" used to be a regular part of my eating. Poison, that is what it is . Once more I thank everyone. Truly as others have said, this mutual support and reporting in once a week (in addition to the healthy MWL eating of course) has made all the difference. See you next week!

[belcimo]

Weight change +/- in lbs:  +1.8

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. nope
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. not really
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. probably not
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). mostly
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). no
6. Eliminate any added oil.
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). fail
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. I really needed to feel stuffed. Can't explain.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). halfway there

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: This week = hot mess. Ran out of good food because I didn't buy enough groceries. Craved takeout all week which made me snack off plan a lot. Cried. So dumb. I hated my food this week. Proof that I still look to food for pleasure. I did sit around a lot watching TikTok, embarrassing to say. Came close to quitting. Not quitting.
My food journal: https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=61616&p=624747#p624747

[birdy birdy]

Weight change +/- in lbs: -0.6

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 50%
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. 50%
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. 100%
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). 100%
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). 100%
6. Eliminate any added oil. 100%
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. 50%
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). 80%
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 90%
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 100%

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: I was hungry this week and ate a higher percentage of starches and therefore didn't stick to the 50/50 plate method. Once the soup I made last week was finished, I didn't get around to making more for the remainder of this week. My husband has revolted about having oatmeal every morning, so being nice, I made several batches of Fruity Oatmeal Bars for him . . . which I couldn't stay out of because they were handy and yummy. Also, over the course of the week I consumed a total of 5 corn tortillas. While I am grateful that I don't have to struggle with eating outside the home during the pandemic, I am amazed at just how difficult it is to be compliant when there is another person in the household who doesn't eat this way. I cannot imagine how hard it would be if you had children to feed also. Onward!

[squealcat]

Weight change +/- in lbs: -2.6 pounds

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.5/7
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.5/7
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.5/7
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).5/7
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).5/7
6. Eliminate any added oil.5/7
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.5/7
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).5/7
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.5/7
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).I walked 5 days for 1 hour each time and that is fine with me !

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:It took me a couple of days to get "with it" this week after my (not so good) last week but I was able to do it and I feel so much better ! Key for me is to have things that I love all ready to heat up for a meal. If I don't like it and there is nothing else to eat then it is not a good thing. That is why simple food works well for me and I occasionally try a new recipe but only make half and then have a stand-by in case of failure. Oh, and I have to give myself permission to throw away what I don't want to eat. Just having something sitting in the fridge that I won't eat....well, it wears on me and soon I am headed for the cupboard looking for something to make me feel better!.....lesson learned !!

I DID have to tough it out a few times and may still have to this week. Giving myself permission to feel cranky about wanting richer foods and not eating it......that also works for me (at least last week it did).

No questions or concerns. Looking forward to the week ahead !
-squealcat (Marilyn)

[HoustonJason]

From Houston Jason
Original Weight = 252 on January 1, 2021 Jan. 8 = 244 Jan. 15 = 237 Jan. 22 = 234 Jan. 29 = 231 February 5 = 226 Feb. 12 = 225
Feb. 19 = 221

Total = -31 pounds

Weight change +/- in lbs: -4 pounds

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit No, I can only say most of the time. Sometimes the meal IS the soup or salad though. A medium bowl of fruit in the morning is going to be a focus for me this week. It seems to help my body get rid of fat.
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, and I’m pretty much avoiding dessert and post 8pm temptations.
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.
I survived all week without baked Tostitos. But I did have a bagel one day and a half of one another day due to our power being out for half the week.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
I cut down on the unsweetened almond milk but still have a little in my coffee and oatmeal.
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). I jumped on the rebounder (mini trampoline) a lot this week and credit that activity with my “big number” of 4 pounds. If you’re reading this – I love the rebounder and highly recommend it for toning up.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: Well, as many of you know, it was an insane week down here in Houston. I was off of work all week until today (just did one giant music class on Zoom today). It was tough figuring out what to eat without power for a couple of days. I cracked open a couple of cans of black beans and corn and ate all the salad in our refrigerator. I recommend Skinny Girl dressing for anyone who’s not sure about a good one. On Wednesday, there were lines around the corner to try to get into the grocery store (I hate lines and mostly refuse to stand in them!) so I stopped in at a bagel shop and bought some “survival bagels”. I can get grocery pick up today so things are starting to get back to normal. I was pleasantly surprised at the weigh in this morning. With so much craziness this week I didn’t know what the number was going to be, but I was hopeful to have a bigger number after last week, and the exercise paid off. I am seeing progress in my body and face and very excited to continue on the journey. I know it gets a little tougher to lose the weight as I get nearer my goals, but I’m “in it to win it”. My birthday is April 28 and my lofty goal starting out was to get to 199 pounds by then. At 6’3” I could get down even lower than that, but I won’t let myself think too far ahead. I haven’t been in the 175-200 range since the 1990s. I have tried to lose weight now and then in the past 20 years but have started slacking when I get in the 215 range. So I know I will need to really focus and keep doing what I’m doing in the next month to get through the 210s. I have a dr’s appointment Tuesday and he’s going to be impressed at what I’ve
done since I last saw him. Thanks again for the chance to put it out there on this forum. Checking in here is one of the things that has pushed me to dig deep and keep going.

[Hope410]

Hello MWL Group,

Weight Loss: -1.8 Yay! Lost last weeks gain.

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. 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. No. Bread again but no popcorn.
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. 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). NO, only one day for 30 minutes and one for 10 minutes.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: Working on simplifying meals so they are fast and easy, but also tasty and satisfying. Paying close attention to the preload and 50/50 plate points helped to get past the fear of overeating and gaining instead of losing. I took to heart the advice to follow the guidelines, to eat when hungry and let my body sort out my weight. So helpful, thanks.

My problem with the bread comes from running out of prepared food when a stressful emotional eating temptation strikes. This happens less and less often so I will continue to work to never eat all the leftovers, but rather always have compliant food ready when temptation strikes.

As always, I need to work on making exercise a daily habit. Mark, I like your advice to make it one of the first things to do in the morning. Hopefully I can take that first step each day! No good excuse that this can't be accomplished other than laziness because I bought an old rattletrap of a crosswalk treadmill and have it at home. I wonder why this point is such a problem for me when I always feel so good after I walk, both physically and mentally. Maybe the ego trap?

Anyway on to next week. I know the points I need to work on.
Have GREAT week everyone! Always enjoy reading your posts.

[Rebecka22]

170.4 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. NO
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). NO
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. NO
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: This week all my no’s except 9 were from Valentines Day where I got myself. I had vegan brownies and ice cream plus curry that had peanut butter and coconut milk. Of note, eating that dessert messed up my stomach for a couple days. Worth remembering! Even vegan ingredients (nothing processed) gave me a stomachache. Number 9 was a no because I felt I stuffed myself at lunch last Friday, not sure why, but did better the rest of the week. I had my yearly checkup this week and my blood work shows my good cholesterol is low. The doctor said more exercise, but I already exercise 30-60 minutes a day seven days a week, so wondering if there’s something else you suggest or just don’t worry about it? Thanks for all your support and expertise!

[wildgoose]

Quick question: when people have lost weight on MWL do they tend to stick to it to keep the weight off? I was wondering if I’d be able to go to regular McDougall and have a bit of bread/flour back in my diet. Although maybe with the way my brain craves it it might be best avoided anyway.

@PonysPlants I think you’ve answered your own question, Naomi, but you get to do the experiment anyway.

Many people go to the regular McDougall program once they achieve their goal weight and do very well. Others do a combination of MWL and the regular plan. Still others find that they feel best and maintain their weight more easily by sticking to MWL pretty closely.

I’m one of that last group. Bread and flour products are a landmine for me. If I start eating them, I don’t stop. Even the smell of bread sets off a craving in me (the Gander loves toast and has it often — some days I’ll even leave the house if the smell is too much for me). So I had my answer about bread pretty fast.

I did an experiment with rice cakes. Same result. I went from eating one or two to mindlessly munching on the whole sleeve of them. Needless to say, they’re off the menu too. Corn tortillas are borderline for me, but I don’t have them very often.

I’ve found that I’m OK with some low-sodium, no-sugar condiments. I’m OK with more fruit than the MWL checklist allows. I don’t pre-load as much. But as far as what I eat, it’s pretty much MWL. And I’m fine with that.

Your mileage may vary. You get to try whatever food from the regular program appeals to you. If you get cravings, find yourself eating more and more of that food, or find yourself eating more in general, that’s telling you something. I agree with something that Chef AJ has said: you should do the least restrictive program (within the McDougall framework, of course) that gets you the results you want. That varies for each person. Also, your goals might change. You might decide that a few more foods from the regular program mean that you settle at a weight that’s a couple of pounds higher, or you may decide that you want to be leaner and that eliminating those richer foods is worth it.

Remember, MWL is always there as a baseline. What you add after that is something you get to play with. If a certain food doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. You move on.

Goose

[wildgoose]

I had my yearly checkup this week and my blood work shows my good cholesterol is low. The doctor said more exercise, but I already exercise 30-60 minutes a day seven days a week, so wondering if there’s something else you suggest or just don’t worry about it?

@Rebecka22 I have the same issue, very low HDL (good) cholesterol. This article by Dr. McDougall might help reassure you. My doctor never has stopped fussing at me about it, but I’m not concerned.

Goose