March 2021 McDougall MWL Weigh-In Group

[JeffN]

Question: Are legumes the best source of fibre or do you recommend lower calorie density vegetables? What are your thoughts about using psyllium husks to boost fibre intake?

Why do you think you are not getting in enough fiber? The typical MWL diet has about 2-3x the recommended amount.

In Health
Jeff

[Mark Cooper]

Rachael - Staying positive and taking it one meal at a time sounds like a solid strategy! Feeling guilty is never fun, but keep in mind that you did succeed at 9 of the 10 points. Had the Frosted Mini Wheats been "calling your name" all week, and you just finally succumbed last night, or were the cravings confined to that single day? Was anything different yesterday in regard to your situation, routine, preparation or environment as compared to the rest of the week? Clearly the recommendation for MWL would be to skip the birthday cake entirely. If you decide to eat some cake anyway, I would really encourage you to make some firm decisions, in advance of the party, about what the parameters are going to be: what does a small piece look like, what will be the cue to stop eating, &c. Make things as easy as possible by filling up on adherent foods before you get anywhere near the cake; better still avoid the cake entirely. Jeff's rundown of the recommendations for BMI below should help answer your question about healthy weight range.

QUESTION: I think Dr. Ling at the McDougall program said that 21 was an optimal BMI for health and longevity. What do our moderators think of that?

To clarify, there is no exact number. Dr Lim gives a range which he gets from this thread of mine, which is a review of the literature on BMI and health.

Optimum BMI
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=6916

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. I cover these issues in the following threads which I recommend you review.

Optimal BMI - Redux
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=52375

Difference in food choices and BMI
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=46837

Should we all try to get to 22 BMI?
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=30838

Should we all try to get to 22 BMI Pt 2
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=43218

anne57 - Off to a good start, indeed! Keep it up! Is there a particular type of exercise you've enjoyed in the past? Have you found yourself consistently eating to a point where you are uncomfortable, or just occasionally? Is it prone to happen at a particular meal or time of day? Keeping food simple and "plain" definitely suits some of us quite well.

cmcavazos - 2 pounds down! Awesome work maintaining your adherence during the family visit, Christine! Directing your efforts and focus on following the recommendations, rather than ruminating on other concerns seems like a wise approach to me.

PotatoHead1980 - It appears you had a pretty solid week, Chris! Well done not letting that single meal at the gala become the first in a series of deviations. Certainly, a dramatic change in salt consumption can affect fluid retention. Great idea to have SNAP meals ready for your vacation. Enjoy and have fun!

bunsofaluminum - Down a pound! So glad you are feeling energetic and enjoying those longer walks. You didn't let the St. Patrick's Day festivities take over the rest of your week, so well done you! It appears that "soup course" is really working for you.

HoustonJason - Nice loss! The 100s draw ever closer! Was there a particular situation that led you to have the smoothie, or just something you decided to have in the moment? Keep doing the work and you'll hit that next milestone by and by.

PonysPlants - I can imagine your friends diagnosis came as quite a blow, Naomi; I wish for the best possible outcome. Some of us, myself included, do have to follow the recommendations fairly strictly to produce and sustain weight loss (particularly when we're near, or at, a healthy weight range). Always fun to fit into some new clothes, and garner some unsolicited compliments. Getting in some food prep seems like an excellent practice; the surest solution to stay on plan when time, energy, and willpower are in short supply is having adherent food all ready to go with minimal work.

Principality - A pound gone! Having your home stocked with adherent foods is among the best ways to support your efforts; that should definitely help contribute to future success. The more you can maintain an environment that serves to support adhering to the recommended pattern of behavior, the more achievable adherence will feel. Do the best you can to avoid being sedentary in a fashion that feels manageable for you; getting the food right will make the biggest difference. Aim for ongoing improvement. It really IS all going to be just fine!

Rebecka22 - Ten big YESes and 0.8 pounds lost!

I was really hungry and really tempted on Sunday, but I just kept eating on plan food and doing something else to try and keep my momentum strong heading into vacation and in general.

Excellent! I think you handled that exactly in keeping with the recommendations. Well done putting in the preparation and work to support your adherence over your vacation! Doing the best you can, without putting undue stress on yourself sounds like a winner! Interesting observation about "testing" yourself with the cookie baking. Based on Dr. Lisle's presentation on willpower, a great way to "strengthen our willpower" is by eating adherent foods, whenever we feel hungry, which sounds like exactly what you did this week.

birdy birdy - Congratulations to your daughter on the upcoming nuptials! Best wishes to her and her husband-to-be! That is certainly a momentous occasion, and I can imagine learning the new couple will be moving soon after the wedding contributed to some powerful feelings. While stomach upset after rich food feels unpleasant, I always also think it seems like a valuable experience; our bodies are trying to tell us something, right? We learn as we go. Onward!

GreenFroG - Sounds like a solid week of thoughtful effort and learning! Dining out in a way that allows for adherence to the recommended pattern of behavior definitely takes practice, attention, and trial and error; learning to translate the recommendations into actions under a variety of different circumstances is what progress (and this group) is all about. I applaud you for adopting that frame, and for choosing to treat yourself with compassion.

squealcat - 1.2 pounds! You have been consistently reporting some great results this month, Marilyn! Figuring out the foods, routines and practices that really work under your individual circumstances seems like a very important piece of the puzzle. It always feels welcome when the pull of various temptations seems diminished, and eating adherent foods in the face of those temptations is exactly the right approach. Having reasonable expectations about the thought and preparation needed to address an upcoming social event, without getting "stressed out" sounds like a fruitful perspective to hold. Spring is in the air! Hooray!

Noella - Another consistent drop on the scale this week! Your gardening project definitely sounds like it gave you a nice workout. I echo Jeff in noting that adhering strictly to the MWL 10-Point Checklist virtually guarantees more than adequate fiber intake. Here is a great thread explaining this in detail.

[Noella]

Question: Are legumes the best source of fibre or do you recommend lower calorie density vegetables? What are your thoughts about using psyllium husks to boost fibre intake?

Why do you think you are not getting in enough fiber? The typical MWL diet has about 2-3x the recommended amount.

In Health
Jeff

Hi Jeff,
Thank you so much for responding to my question about the best sources for fibre. I added psyllium husk (1tbsp.) yesterday and it has helped. However, I’m not sure if it is recommended for daily use. I appreciate receiving your suggestions.
Best regards,
Noella

[Cliv]

Weight change +/- in lbs:  -10.8lbs from 157.6 (last weight-in in Feb).

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Half time
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, but NEED TO ADD FRUIT AT END
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). 5/7 day
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Yes, except for almond milk in coffee and oatmeal
6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes, 7/7
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. Yes, except eating some of kids leftovers 2/7
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). No, need to work on

Victories, comments, concerns, questions

[Gimmelean]

Weight change +/- in lbs: +.05
3/12/2021. 128
3/19/2021. 128.5



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). 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). Not as frequent this week. Doing better here.

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. Yes mostly.

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. Most days.

Victories, comments, concerns,questions.

Spring starts today!
My lowest weight on this program was 4 pounds less than what I weigh now and that was in July of 2020. I will get there again soon. Mark and Wildgoose, do you recommend switching to the SS or doing a 10 day mini to switch things up and get back to weight loss or would you suggest staying the course with MWL? I have learned that maintaining weight loss is the same continuous effort as losing weight. None easy but far more manageable with structure and your support.
Have a good week:-)

[texaslil]

+2.2
Current weight: 173.6

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, EXCEPT I HAD BLACK RICE PUDDING A FEW NIGHTS.
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. WENT OUT TO EAT ONE NIGHT AND IT HAD SOME 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. YES
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). HAD WINE TWO NIGHTS
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. 50/50 ON THIS ONE
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).5/7 I HAD THE WEEK OFF AND MANAGED TO GET SOME GOOD EXERCISE IN, ON THE DAYS I DIDN'T DO EXERCISE, I WORKED IN THE GARDEN AS WELL AS CLEANED THE HOUSE

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: WELL, TALK ABOUT ROLLER COASTERS... I WAS NOT EXPECTING SUCH A GAIN AS I AM STILL BEING DILIGINT ABOUT NO TOFU, NO AVOCADOS, NO SMOOTHIES. AS YOU SEE ABOVE, I DID IMBIBE IN SOME WINE AND A VEGAN MEAL OUT. THE GAIN MIGHT ALSO BE ATTRIBUTED TO MY CYCLE... BUT THIS SURE IS DEFLATING.. I WILL KEEP MOVING FORWARD AND HOPE FOR A BETTER WEEK NEXT WEEK.

THANKS FOR ALL THAT YOU GUYS DO TO SUPPORT ME AND THIS COMMUNITY.

[chef16]

03/13/2021 226#
03/20/2021 225#
lose of -1#

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.95%
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.95%
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).85%
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.85%
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).100%
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.100%
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).60%

Another pound gone! Yeah! The thing about this way of eating is even though I sort of wandered off the path I didn't gain all my weight back and I am having a easier time getting back on track. I have stayed with 4,6,8,and 9 not saying I haven't slipped up on them once or twice ( not so much now as in the beginning),but I don't miss animal products and oil. I also know if I had one glass of soda this would all be over ,so I just don't! I feel satisfied when I am eating properly so I don't feel the need to stuff myself. Now if I could get 5 and 7 down things would go a lot faster. I love bread!

[Growing a Pear]

Weight change +/- in lbs: -1.7#

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals. Choose fruit for dessert.
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.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
6. Eliminate any added oil.
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products. (6/7)
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). (6/7)
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). (4/7)

A week of mixed success in the 10-point scale but definite success WRT the scale.

In the needs-improvement category: One day I let myself run too hungry and reached for the dry cereal. Another I had an alcoholic beverage. Several nights of poor-quality sleep due to restless leg syndrome led to lethargy, and my overall activity was actually poorer this week.

That said, I slid into an overall dietary pattern that was closer to ideal, and that obviously works. I've taken to eating breakfast at ~1100, when I'm truly hungry, and that's become savory oatmeal with a larger amount of vegetables than I ate before, plus maybe a half cup of beans. I'm often then satisfied with fruit for a midafternoon snack. Dinner is generally a small salad plus the 50:50 plate. We've been eating lots of rice bowls this week and I don't know why, but they've felt satisfying to the point of decadence.

Fifteen years ago, when I last reached a BMI of 21-22 while McDougalling, I recall it being this simple and effortless. But while I'm grateful for the results of this week, obviously consistency is the long-term goal, so I'm not exactly tap-dancing. Also, I need to do what I can, lifestyle-wise, to combat the restless legs. Insomnia tends to derail me. Everything is easier with a night of good rest.

[CindyD]

March 12, 2021 143.5
March 20, 2021 144.3
Result +0.8

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. NO, didn't make soup
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your mealsYES
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. 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 No, pretzel thins. But they are finally gone now.
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. YES
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). YES

Minor gain this week may be the result of last night's late bowl of oat groats. Although, I was also a bit lax on guideline #1, and didn't always make time for soup (none made) or salad (not loving in winter) before my 50/50 plate this week. I think I might fall back on the easy simplicity of past months - lots of potatoes and broccoli for most meals, and maybe some lentil vegetable soup.

[JaBee]

Weight change +/- in lbs: -1.5; current wt 176.8#

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. 7/7
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.7/7
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.7/7
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).7/7
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).7/7
6. Eliminate any added oil.7/7
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).6/7
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 (i.e., brisk walking). 5/7

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: Beginning to feel like lifestyle— feeling great physically, mentally and emotionally!!

[Belana]

Hi Mark, Belana here.
I rejoined MWL Weigh-In Group last week.
I couldn't find your reply to my rejoining and first post of this month.
Will you please include the link to to your response last week in this week's response?
TIA
~b
Meh.
Weight: 1124.8
Loss of .8 lbs
Not a great beginning, but it's better than no weight loss at all!
I'm hoping my weight-loss gets to a full pound a week as the weather improves, as will my exercise and activity level.
Gotta say...
Getting back on this diet after eating whatever I wanted for months is TOUGH.
It's actually kind of exhausting eating this way, but I do feel a lot better eating like this, which keeps me going.
My boyfriend is skinny and can eat/drink whatever he wants, whenever he wants.
The toughest thing for me to give up is that evening beer/glass of wine or cocktail!
Although thin, my boyfriend is very health conscious and extremely supportive of me eating the MWL diet.
I do wish I could have a beer with him, but I can't lose weight drinking any alcohol at all!
Once I get this weight off me, I'll celebrate with an adult beverage!

[moonlight]

Weight Change: -2.2 lbs (179)

Points from the MWL Checklist where I succeeded this week
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert.
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. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
6. Eliminate any added oil.
8. Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don’t starve yourself and don’t stuff yourself.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).

Points from the MWL Checklist that need greater attention
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
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.

General impressions & observations / resources to share / sources of excitement / requests for input & support
I lost the pounds I gained the week before plus a little more. I'm taking that as a positive outcome. I'm still struggling. I realized this week that I need to work at having food ready to eat. Also, I need to work harder at having interesting food that is appealing to me. I can get burned out on the same food if I eat it too often. At one point this week potatoes, bulgur, rice, cooked frozen vegetables, and my soup was not something I could eat. I cooked some different vegetables and some short grain creamy rice and got over myself! It's all a work in progress. The key is not to give up.

Thank you Mark for taking such good care with your comments and words of encouragement. Thank everyone for showing up and discussing your journey. It is so helpful to have this group for accountability.





[/list]

[JeffN]

Thank you so much for responding to my question about the best sources for fibre. I want to alleviate mild diarrhea. I added psyllium husk (1tbsp.) yesterday and it has helped for today. However, I’m not sure if it is recommended for daily use. I appreciate receiving your suggestions.
Best regards,
Noella

While I can't give out individual personal health advice on these boards, I think it is important to note that psyllium is usually given for constipation and too much of it can result in diarrhea.

If you were my client, I would not worry so much about the fiber (which is usually not a problem) but the history of the situation, a detailed look at your lifestyle including your food and fluid intake over this time. You may be treating the symptom and not the problem.

In Health
Jeff

[Mark Cooper]

The window for reporting this week's weigh-in and behavioral results has officially closed.

The remainder of my replies and the weekly summary will follow.

[Mark Cooper]

Noella - Here is Dr. McDougall's Hot Topics page discussing Bowel Problems, which may offer some helpful information.

Cliv - Glad to see your post! Congratulations on loosing 10.8 lbs since your last report! I'll record today as a fresh start with no change, just so that we keep the tally and summary to a specific week. During your time away from the group, were you continuing to practice MWL, or was this week a change back to the recommended behaviors? What sort of exercise have you enjoyed in the past? Any ideas or plans to make it easier to pass up those non-adherent leftovers?

Gimmelean - Kudos! Give yourself due credit for making further progress practicing the recommended behaviors; incremental improvements can accumulate and contribute to significant change over time. To my mind, the best advice for overcoming a plateau is offered in Jeff's article Why We Hit Plateaus and What We Can Do About Them. So, if I were faced with a similar situation, I would try not to place undue focus on the number from the scale, but rather direct my efforts toward ongoing, excellent adherence to the MWL 10-Point Checklist. Something else I, personally, found to be extremely helpful was tracking my food choices and pattern of behavior with a daily journal; it was invaluable to me for highlighting patterns and bringing attention to habits that otherwise might have went unnoticed. I totally agree with you that for many of us, including me, "maintenance" looks very much the same from day to day as the "weight loss phase." Have a great week!

texaslil - It is natural to feel disappointed when the results we see conflict with the direction of our efforts, but try not to become deflated, Laila! You posted a big drop last week, and because restaurant meals tend to be quite high in added salt (and often oil and sugar, too), a single meal out can sometimes have an outsized effect on the scale. Those sorts of gains can typically be reversed with ease through the application of the recommended behaviors. As always, the best way to support renewed progress is to focus on adherence, and allow time to pass.

chef16 - So long to one more pound! Your observations and experience demonstrate that sticking with the program, doing the best you can, and working to keep improving and adhering more closely over time can have a substantial influence, both on the scale, and in regard to things getting easier as you go. You've successfully habituated 4 of the recommendations, keep practicing, learning, and adjusting, and you'll add to that list. One way to make it feel easy to avoid those higher fat and calorie dense foods is to organize your environment in support of that goal; i.e., make it difficult to stray and effortless to adhere.

Growing a Pear - WOW! A 1.7 pound drop in your rolling average! "An overall dietary pattern closer to ideal" certainly seems to be working out well for you! I can really sympathize with your recent struggles with insomnia and poor-quality sleep; that stinks, and I'm sorry you are having to deal with that. Apart from that, it sounds like you are in a good groove; when this way of eating feels simple and effortless, you know you're doing things right. Protect that feeling as best you can!

CindyD - Don't sweat this single weigh-in too much, you are successfully practicing nearly all the recommended behaviors! Having the pretzel thins gone can only help. Your attention to and adjustment toward points 1 & 7 is the perfect response. Easy simplicity is almost always a winning direction!

JaBee - Great progress, on both the scale and checklist!

Beginning to feel like lifestyle— feeling great physically, mentally and emotionally!!

Can't ask for much more than that! You're in the groove!

Belana - My response from last week is here.

Belana - Hello and welcome back! Be sure and check out the updated orientation information for the group, so you'll be all set for next week.

I sent you a PM, as well. Making a significant change in our pattern of behavior almost always feels TOUGH at first, right?

Moonlight - Certainly a positive outcome! While I'm sure it often feels like a mighty struggle, you are making headway; look at that list of points where you succeeded this week! Having delicious, appealing, adherent food ready to go and easy to access is among the most powerful things we can do to support ongoing success. We are all a "work in progress," and you are right that not giving up is key. Keep assessing, adjusting and improving as you go.