The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2022 Group

For those wanting to learn about and follow the McDougall Maximum Weight Loss Program. You can also join our monthly weigh-ins.

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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2022 Group

Postby carwex » Fri Apr 15, 2022 2:36 pm

Hello to Mark and Team Adherence,
Here I am reporting:
1. Start each meal with a soup or salad. Yes
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method, ½ starch and ½ vegetables. Yes
3. Reduce or eliminate added sugars and salts. Eliminate during cooking.Yes
4. Eliminate all animal foods. Yes
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods. Yeslittle almond milk in porridge and tea.
6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes
7. Eliminate all higher calorie dense foods. No. I had some bread this week and worse a piece of birthday cake
8. Don’t drink your calories. yes
9. Follow these principles whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Yes.
10. Avoid being sedentary. Yes. Either swimming and/or walking daily

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
I was a star McDougaller most of this week. The discussion of BYOB&B got me moving in a better direction. My main starch this week was sweet potato (I am assuming that is the same as yam?). In addition I tried to find unhulled barley in every store with no success. But this week I managed to drop 4 pounds! I’m wondering if it’s the scale. Probably not since there was a lot of “partying” for me around my birthday, which ended last weekend. Except for the slice of birthday cake I did rather well. It’s wonderful to feel so well at age 80. I have no medications and no underlying conditions. Thanks are due to Dr McDougall and the MWL forum for this achievement.
I have enjoyed the thought-provoking discussions about plant based eating within the greater context of our medical system and the extended exchange between Jim G and Jeff. N. about how optimistic we should be about our chances of changing the world.
I will share the little bit of change in the system which I have noticed: Recently I checked out the websites of the major illnesses (heart, arthritis, cancer, alzheimers, etc.) to see what they had to say to the public about the effect of diet on the respective disease. No matter from which country (I checked some in the UK, USA and Australia) they all suggest that to prevent or ameliorate the disease one should eat more fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. And get exercise. All of them say the same thing. My periodontist told me that the dental society also came out with a list of similar recommendations for the first time a few years ago. So the news is out. The problem is: who is listening?
Here in IsraeI, it is that time of year for the 3 great religions in the area: Ramadan, Passover and Easter and that means that the environment is awash in toxic foods. Wishing a happy holiday wherever you are and festive but compliant holiday meals.
Carol
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2022 Group

Postby josietheschnauzer » Sat Apr 16, 2022 5:08 am

Dear Mark and all, thank you for your encouragement. Not totally back but reporting in anyway and trying. Had a heart to heart talk with a cousin yesterday and I am encouraged that while my mouth has been detrimental to me (MWL), I have NOT been angry, rude, or detrimental (I hope) to others. This is a whole person process, and while my eating is detrimental to me, I recognize it, and for goodness sake, I am writing it down for you all to read. I hope next week is better, and I will keep trying. Thank you.
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit: Yes.
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals: Yes.
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. Yes.
4. Eliminate all animal foods: Yes.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods: Yes.
6. Eliminate any added oil: No,
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products, popcorn and dried fruit: No
8. Don't drink your calories: No, one green tea concoction given to me by owner of my favorite Chinese restaurant last week. I was uncomfortable in refusing it. So, I drank it and had a stomach ache. Brother!
9. Eat when hungry & until comfortably full. Don't starve and don't stuff: 50 per cent.
10. Include 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily: No, not this week.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2022 Group

Postby VegSeekingFit » Sat Apr 16, 2022 10:31 am

Hi to All!!! :)

Hope that everyone is enjoying the weekend! We have daffodils galore :cool: and 3 bunnies that are playing / hopping over each other in the backyard. Spring has sprung!!!!

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. :) Yes. Still consistent here. Making this a habit that is easy to continue with various easy to grab veggies and fruits that I love. Still mainly salad - a couple of times fruit. I preload B/L/D.

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.
I continue to make the same food / recipes and I am not bored of them.
I like to make "lazy girl lunch" with using items that I have batch cooked or prepped and just arranging them on a plate. I really like rice and roasted mushrooms 50/50!


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.
:D Yes. I haven't eliminated, but reduced.

4 Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
YES, of course. :D

5 Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
:| I had a slip here with my ex - peanuts. It does give me an opportunity to practice positive self-talk. Will not be letting this become a habit. Dusting off and continuing on....

6 Eliminate any added oil.
:D 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.
:D YES!!!!

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 didn't stuff or starve.


10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes. :)
* 6/7 days walked outside.
* Exceeded my steps goal by 1.3K steps / day.
* My knee is better. So relieved not to have to do alternative exercise.


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

I meet with my fellow November 2021 McD 12 Day Alumni each week (which is awesome). Have always shared that I participate here in this thread and that it is the best source of MWL information and support. Did a "walk-through" of Mark's opening post this week to show the resources shared and what the group is about. Also, showed how to navigate the forums (which can be confusing to folks - as it isn't like a "feed").

Thank you, Mark for your continued explanations of "assessment" vs. "judgment". Has helped me to refresh my mindset - especially as it relates to eating "off-plan" items and getting back on track / planning how to handle the next time. I had an "epiphany" that I DO have skills to build on to keep this journey more data-driven (and avoid self-recrimination). Felt like the girl who was looking for her glasses all afternoon when they were sitting on head the whole time... So, I have 30+ years experience being involved in projects of various size / timeline / complexity in many different roles. Often I am accountable to keep morale up / ensure teamwork and cooperation. Rules - breathe, check your emotions at the door, always assume good intent, etc.... :) Thinking to frame continued following of 10 Point Checklist as a project in hypercare mode.... :lol: This I can relate to and work to be successful in "keeping on"!!!

Hope that everyone has a marvelous week and successful practice in the MWL behaviors!!! Rock on!

Cheers,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2022 Group

Postby Noella » Sat Apr 16, 2022 12:59 pm

Hi Mark, Jeff, Wildgoose and All Behavioural Path to MWL Success Participants,

Since learning about the BYOBB last week, I have new excitement knowing I'm losing weight to help save my knees; plus, I now know I can eat MWL on-plan foods that are especially good for lowering my cholesterol! It makes me feel happy to be eating whole grains; I like the nutty texture of whole grains like oats, brown rice and farro and this week, I discovered the great taste of hulled barley and added it to my cooking repertoire. At first, I wasn't sure exactly what to do with the barley, then I decided to make a barley pilaf with a flavour base of finely diced and sauteed onions, celery and carrots. This French flavour base is called mirepoix, and it's 2 parts onion to 1 part celery and carrot. It's the start of many French dishes. It was delicious: real comfort food. I'm making a second hulled barley pilaf with an Italian flavour base. It's called a Soffritto, and it starts like a French mirepoix, except you add fennel, garlic, and parsley. Tomorrow I will make another hulled barley pilaf using the Cajun cooking flavour base called the 'Holy Trinity'. It's the combination of 3 parts onion, 2 parts celery and 1 part bell pepper, plus some paprika and a dash of cayenne. Next, I'm going to a Latin Cuisine Sofrito puree of onions, peppers, cilantro and garlic. I have GREAT success with making these flavour bases without using any butter or oil. I take my time to sauté over medium heat; sometimes, I use a bit of water or lid on for a moment, if necessary, to ensure some moisture in the pan. I use a big wooden spoon, and stirring frequently seems key to cooking a delicious flavour base. Learning to cook using better cooking techniques has helped me succeed with MWL. The food tastes great when you stir some love into it! :nod:

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and fruit. :-D I enjoy having salads, even before breakfast. I am successful with this because it has become a habit. My husband often offers to make a big tossed greens salad for dinner!
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. :-D I continue to use Jeff Novick's plate-test and placemat to ensure my meals are healthy and nutritious. I'm not sure what I would be cooking without these straightforward guidelines. Thank you, Jeff! :D
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 stop them. :-D I don't add sugar, but I use a tiny pinch of sea salt on bland foods. This week I craved salt. It makes me eat more, so I try to go easy on salt and condiments with sodium. Sometimes I take the salt off the table, but I usually need to get it! Haha!
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). :-D The more I think about where my food comes from, I don't want to eat these anymore. It seems I will be focusing my food on plants in the future!
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). :-D This is an easy guideline for me to follow because I don't actually like nuts that much. Simple! My husband can have bags of nuts and seeds on the counter and in the fridge, and it's not a problem for me.
6. Eliminate any added oil. :-D I like food better without added fat. I don't particularly appreciate how fat feels in my mouth anymore. I used to cook with olive oil, adding it to everything, including garnishing with specialty oils. It's a significant change in my sense of taste.
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, dried fruit.) :-D
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). :-D
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself, and don't stuff yourself. :roll: I sometimes overeat when I'm not hungry. (social situations and stress) I want to substitute something else to calm my anxiety...not food...working on it...
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). :duh: Not too much...

My focus is with MWL guidelines #2, #3, #9, #10:
More Veggies! MWL Guideline #2
More Herbs! MWL Guideline #3
More Movement! MWL Guideline #10
More Mindfulness! Guideline #9


Best regards,
Noella
Started McDougall Dec.29, 2019 - 240 lbs.
Started MWL April 1, 2020 - 200 lbs.
April 15, 2022 - 145 - While my main goal is not to carry excess weight that is damaging my knees and threatening my mobility, I am gradually becoming less focused on daily measuring my weight on the scale. I used to measure three times, sometimes more, every day. Now I count my weight just once or twice a week. I emphasize measuring and tracking other things related to the health of my knees, such as how my knees feel, my knees' overall strength, flexibility, and comfort during rest and during activity. I track how long I can walk before my knees complain, comparing this to the previous week. I also measure several other health and lifestyle goals and behaviours relevant to helping my knees heal, such as assessing and tracking the purposes of the MWL guidelines and my energy/strength for accomplishing the various daily tasks and activities that I enjoy. Tracking these tiny and marginal gains and successes each week significantly improves my self-efficacy by providing me with small and regular victories. Those little victories add up. I am happier, healthier and more robust than when I started MWL two years ago.


Image[/quote]
Last edited by Noella on Sun Apr 17, 2022 2:01 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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Reporting for April 15 Assessments is now CLOSED

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat Apr 16, 2022 1:08 pm

The window for reporting this week's behavioral results has officially closed.

The remainder of my replies and the weekly summary will follow.
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Mark's Replies for April 15 - Part 2

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat Apr 16, 2022 1:47 pm

carwex - Looks like progress to me, Carol! Spending most of the week as a "star McDougaller" makes it hard to get too far afield, no? If you are looking for barley that fits with the MWL recommendations, it will likely be sold as "hulled barley," which is suitable for MWL ("hull-less", which is a different variety of barley, could also work); just avoid "pearled" for our purposes. Feeling great at age 80 seems like a very wonderful result, indeed! "Festive, but compliant, holiday meals"; I couldn't have said that better myself! :D

josietheschnauzer - You've made progress from where things stood the previous week, Elsa; week over week improvement is how we get "totally back" over time, right? :) Continuing to try is the paramount requirement for eventual success. I agree that building a meaningful, healthful life is indeed a "whole person process," and being compassionate and beneficent in our relationships seems like an important component of the life we desire. On your path toward further progress, consider the context, situations, and environment where your adherence feels most challenged, and whether there are any actions, adjustments, or realignments that might better support your efforts. The patterns of past success can point us toward future achievements. :)

VegSeekingFit - Spring seems to have sprung here in Princeton, too, Stephanie! :nod: Hooray! That "lazy lunch" idea of assembling a meal from items that are prepped, cooked and ready to go seems like an exemplary, simple practice. :thumbsup:
VegSeekingFit wrote:Did a "walk-through" of Mark's opening post this week to show the resources shared and what the group is about. Also, showed how to navigate the forums (which can be confusing to folks - as it isn't like a "feed").
That seems like it would be really useful; I know the "learning curve" for effectively navigating and using the discussion board can be a steep one. Very kind of you! Isn't it fascinating how often skills we associate with our work or career would be quite applicable and useful to our efforts at "lifestyle development," but it doesn't occur to us to apply them? ;) I've noticed the same thing myself. Framing your efforts here in the context of project management or facilitation seems like it could be very practical, relatable and emotionally grounding. I'm glad you felt successful in avoiding self-recrimination this week. Another exercise worth applying to the "slip" with peanuts (or other similar challenging instances) - try an "after-action review;" look at what happened, why it happened, and how it might be avoided or made to happen more successfully in the future. I think deep learning can happen within the context of struggle; challenges present us with ways to strengthen and fortify our practice going forward, and that has value. Enjoy the spring weather and have a wonderful week!

Noella - My goodness, your barley pilaf sounds wonderful to me, in all the many varieties! YUM! Thank you SO much for sharing your practices for building those "flavour bases;" I really enjoyed reading it, and I'm sure that other participants will find it applicable to their own kitchens. Onward!
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Re: Summary for April 15 Reports

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat Apr 16, 2022 2:12 pm

Please note - I replied to reporting participants in the two posts linked below.

Mark's Replies for April 15 - Part 1
Mark's Replies for April 15 - Part 2

Just like that, we passed the midpoint for April! I hope all of you are on the receiving end of some lovely spring weather to go with the month's latter half.

In case you missed it, Jeff dropped a new article this week:
Foods with similar calorie density, but other qualitative differences, and the effect on overconsumption

I found his analysis of other factors, in addition to calorie density, that impact the likelihood of passive overconsumption to be quite enlightening. I think it is definitely worthy of your attention.

Among the articles on Jeff's website, I happened upon this review of a study regarding restaurant eating behaviors, and the restaurant environment as a trigger for overindulgence. Very interesting.

I really enjoyed Noella's discussion of creating different flavor profiles for her barley dishes this week; I'm highlighting it below, in case you missed it.
Noella wrote:At first, I wasn't sure exactly what to do with the barley, then I decided to make a barley pilaf with a flavour base of finely diced and sauteed onions, celery and carrots. This French flavour base is called mirepoix and it's 2 parts onion to 1 part celery and carrot. It's the start of many French dishes. It was delicious: real comfort food. Today I'm making a second hulled barley pilaf, this time with an Italian flavour base: Sofrito starts out like a French mirepoix, except you also add fennel, garlic and parsley. Tomorrow I'm going to make another barley pilaf using the Cajun cooking flavour base called the 'Holy Trinity'; it's the combination of 3 parts onion, 2 parts celery and 1 part bell pepper, paprika and cayenne. Next, I'm going to a Latin Cuisine Sofrito puree of onions, peppers, cilantro and garlic. I have GREAT success with making these flavour bases without using any butter or oil. I take my time to sauté over medium heat, sometimes I use a bit of water or lid on for a moment, if necessary, to ensure some moisture in the pan. I use a big wooden spoon. for stirring frequently; this seems key... Learning to cook using better cooking techniques has really helped me to succeed with MWL. The food tastes great when you stir some love into it!


For those of you who are celebrating this weekend, have a fun, happy time with the ones you love, and, to quote Carol, enjoy "festive but compliant holiday meals." Best wishes for care and wellness to each of you! :D
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2022 Group

Postby Gimmelean » Sun Apr 17, 2022 2:49 pm

Hello Everyone!
I spent so much time on my post and only today realized that I just previewed it rather than submitting it . But here goes…4/16/22 o:25 a.m. PT

McDougall Post for week ending 4/15/22.

Hello Everyone and Happy Passover, Easter, and Ramadan. ( even before I saw Carol’s post. This is the most beautiful time of year in Israel!)

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

Yes. I started every evening meal for everyone with a variety of raw vegetable dippers and homemade hummus. I shopped for fresh fruits and vegetables to fill up bowls on the counter and the entire fridge all week.

2). Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals.

Yes. Batch cooking starches around the rest of the meals for everyone made it easy for me too to stay more adherent and to have “my” food easily available. I prepared yams, baby potatoes, steel cut oats,barley, and homemade hummus.

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. Snacked on chips because they were here. Had some bread but not a lot. Wasn’t worth the heavy after-feeling since I’m not used to eating chips or bread or ice cream any more but did 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’m surprised at how much less of the right foods fill me up (and the wrong ones too!)

10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).

Yes. Have been enjoying walking, hiking, online yoga, and strength training while away using a resistance tube.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: I have been away from home visiting family and have made maintaining adhering to the MWL checklist a priority. At a birthday party I asked for 1/2 piece of cake, had one bite, and tossed the rest away. I had ice cream twice and shaved ice once this week and asked if my daughter could stop offering this stuff to me while I strengthen my resolve to just say no thank you when everyone else is having it. At times it was difficult for me to be nice when well-intentioned people did their best to throw me off track or made unwelcome comments about my food choices. That’s the real world.
On a positive note, I did buy and batch cook steel cut oats and pearled barley for the week using the InstantPot pot-in- pot method which is quick with very little clean up. I looked for hulled barley, but bought what was readily available. It’s placing a smaller pot inside of the larger insert on a trivet with water and grain in the right proportions. Then place water in the large pot and pressure cook as usual.(Thank you Jeff-I am keeping the term “intact grains” top of mind for my BBYOB’s.) I discovered Beauregard yams which I like even better than Murosaki or red yams. Wish I could find them when I go back home. They are a really delicious sweet potato and a real treat. If you can find them, steam them in the Instantpot. Headed back home this week- back to work and my regular routine. I’ll miss the chaos a lot. From a MWL point of view, it was a quite a learning experience.
Have a good week everyone.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2022 Group

Postby Mark Cooper » Wed Apr 20, 2022 4:56 pm

Gimmelean - It seems to me you did a pretty exemplary job of including adherence to the recommended pattern of behavior in your priorities and activities during your family visit; that often isn't very easy, so cheers for your efforts!
Gimmelean wrote:At times it was difficult for me to be nice when well-intentioned people did their best to throw me off track or made unwelcome comments about my food choices. That’s the real world.
That seems like and important observation, worth highlighting. Very true.
Gimmelean wrote:Headed back home this week- back to work and my regular routine. I’ll miss the chaos a lot. From a MWL point of view, it was a quite a learning experience.
Those learning experiences are invaluable. I hope your trip home is smooth, safe and easy. :)
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2022 Group

Postby BambiS » Fri Apr 22, 2022 5:15 am

4-22

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes, no issues here.

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, not an issue here

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Yes, no problems

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, I went to the farmers market and bought my mom a small fruitcake and I did try it. It wasn’t that great, lesson learned.

8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Yes, no problem

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 better this week


10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Most days

Victories, comments, concerns, questions
I was glad to get fresh produce at the farmers market. I was able to add arugula, fresh kale, and Russian kale to my salads.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2022 Group

Postby louie3084 » Fri Apr 22, 2022 6:40 am

Dear Mark and others. Sorry for not checking in last week. We were away for Easter.

Like others, I am not totally back but reporting in anyway and tried most of the week.
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit: no
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals: Yes.
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. 50/50 I had too much vegan chocolate and I've cream this week!!
4. Eliminate all animal foods: Yes.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods: most days, read above about the chocolate for Easter and ice cream.
6. Eliminate any added oil: No,
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products, popcorn and dried fruit: No
8. Don't drink your calories: yes
9. Eat when hungry & until comfortably full. Don't starve and don't stuff: 50 per cent.
10. Include 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily: yes

I am falling into bad habits of not eating enough during the day and then eating too much at night. I do feel like I stress eat when the kids are down... Worrying about money or house renovations. I know eating crap doesn't help but I do it some nights and need to kick this habit

The good news is the scale did not go up! But I would like to kick the ice cream habit.

Thanks Mark and team.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2022 Group

Postby Rebecka22 » Fri Apr 22, 2022 7:54 am

1.Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES This continued to be a habit.
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 I am committed to this one so it’s easier for me.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). NO
6. Eliminate any added oil. NO
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). NO
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 I am good here.

I would love to say as soon as I got back in town I got right back to the behaviors, but it is not true. The next day was Easter, then it was just harder to say no throughout the week. I only had two days of all yeses this week. I am traveling again tomorrow but for a shorter time and I think it will be easier because I will be at my sisters house with access to a kitchen. I also just felt my resolve go down this week, I was tired and sick and just wanted things to be easier. Yesterday was one of my two all yes days though so I’m going to take that as the start of a new streak and move forward with grace for myself.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2022 Group

Postby Gimmelean » Fri Apr 22, 2022 11:55 am

Mark- thank you for your reply despite my late posting last week. Very much appreciated.

Post for week ending 4/22/2033

Hello Everyone!

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

Yes. I now regularly keep a container of washed and cut raw vegetables ready to eat in the refrigerator with a homemade hummus or a low salt, oil free salsa to dip. Baby carrots, celery sticks, sugar snap peas, grape tomatoes, raw broccoli, cauliflower florets, mini peppers, and radishes are examples of what goes into that container. The fresher and more colorful, the better. Stephanie called this finger food salad.
II save the liquid from all cooked vegetables to use as broth based soup as Mark suggested. I heat the serving(s) I need in a saucepan and when it comes to a boil, I just pour it over a few of the raw veggies in each serving bowl. Makes the vegetables tender crisp and still colorful. Sometimes I have both the soup and the veggies with dip as “courses” before the main dish.

2). Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals.

Yes.
This week I went a bit overboard with batch prep. I made barley, steel cut oats, buckwheat groats, and yams in the InstantPot. I made Jeff’s Curried Sweet Potato burgers posted on the website under recipes. I substituted cooked barley for the rice, added a whole large sweet potato vs. half. The burgers were fast, easy, and delicious and convinced me to never buying a frozen veggie burger again.Served them with iceberg lettuce cups instead of bread and with burger fixings, they were a hit. I also whipped up a red lentil curry.

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. Snacked on chips and pretzels after dinner. I really have to work on eliminating this bad habit. If I am really hungry, I certainly have enough prepared and adherent foods ready.

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: I am back from my trip and actually lost 2 pounds. My husband has joined me on this journey and has been gradually willing to make healthier choices. I think I overcompensated and cooked so much this week because I know how important it is to have food ready before we get hungry and no longer make sound decisions or any decisions for that matter! To conclude, I try to follow the MWL checklist, Jeff’s plate test, & BBYOBS at every meal.
Have a good week everyone- one day at a time.
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Mark's Replies for April 22 - Part 1

Postby Mark Cooper » Fri Apr 22, 2022 1:37 pm

BambiS - Joy! The season for farmers markets is here! Your fresh produce selections sound delightful. :nod:
BambiS wrote:No, I went to the farmers market and bought my mom a small fruitcake and I did try it. It wasn’t that great, lesson learned.
Now that you've experienced the result of that small experiment, your future choices can be informed by the new information, right? A lesson learned on the first pass is worth a lot going forward into the future. :)

louie3084 - Kudos! Making a thoughtful accounting of one's current pattern of behavior is a useful preliminary to focus effort and attention where it is needed. A few things I would try, were I in similar circumstances:
  • Be mindful to include adequate, minimally processed starches in all of my meals.
  • Whenever eating, concentrate on eating of the recommended foods, especially during the evening episodes. Having appropriate, appetizing foods prepped and easy to access is essential for this.
  • Rather than framing it in terms of "kicking a habit," replace the ice cream with, e.g., frozen fruit, or any other adherent food you find enjoyable. Substitute a habit that serves your goals, in place of one that is incongruent.
Keep working at it; you will get there!

Rebecka22 - Wishing you the best with your ongoing travels! Full access to a functional kitchen is always an improvement over the alternatives, in my opinion. :nod: Cheers to you for looking at yesterday and today as the beginning of a new streak of adherence. What do you think was the most significant driver behind that feeling of wavering resolve? Fallout from the various travel- and holiday-related challenges? Some other situational or environmental changes? Just feeling exhausted? For me, the surest way to make things feel easier is to take a moment to assess the interaction between my efforts and my environment? Are the immediate surroundings arranged so as to serve my goals, or are they hindering what I'm trying to achieve? Can they be changed? How can I make this easy for myself? As you said, forward with grace. :)

Gimmelean - That is a nice, solid-looking week back home! That particular burger variation is my absolute favorite; they are SO good! In regard to the after dinner snacking on chips/pretzels, you might try choosing, in advance, a favorite adherent food to have for that evening snack. Make the decision ahead of time, so it isn't spur of the moment, and you could have it all prepped and ready to go, removing that "decision point" that directs toward the calorie dense items. How wonderful to have your husband joining you in adopting new behaviors. :)
Gimmelean wrote:I think I overcompensated and cooked so much this week because I know how important it is to have food ready before we get hungry and no longer make sound decisions or any decisions for that matter!
That is such an important point! Well done using prep as a tool to support your efforts. :thumbsup:
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2022 Group

Postby squealcat » Fri Apr 22, 2022 2:27 pm

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. :( I did this for all but 2 meals
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 for all but 3 meals
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. :-D
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). :-D
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). :( I didn't do this for 4 meals
6. Eliminate any added oil. :( I don't cook with oil or use it but had oily things on 3 days
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 see on my checklist that there were 6 meals that I had these foods. I recall using bread a couple of times but don't remember what else.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). :-D
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. :-D
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). :-D Walked my usual 5 out of 7 days this week.


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:I continue to use my MWL checklist and it really helps. I see where I went off course but also I see how many times I was doing well. It is not all negatives. This week I will work on flour products. I want to see also if there are certain days that are difficult for me. I am retired so weekends are not really much of a problem (I don't think) but maybe some other days are. I did not go crazy this week with eating. I worked at keeping it calm and contained. I weighed myself today and I am down in weight so that is good. I made cauliflower bisque from Chef AJ's recipe and also have a big pot of veg soup on the stove right now. These things along with having cooked potatoes always ready, are life savers for me ! Have a great week everyone !

-squealcat (Marilyn)
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