The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2022 Group

[carwex]

Dear Time plus Adherence Team:
It’s been a good week food-wise
1.Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES especially soup
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals. YES
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. YES, reduced
4. Eliminate all animal foods. YES
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). YES
6. Eliminate any added oil. YES , except the occasional vegan meal eaten out.
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products. YES- but I will admit to a piece of bread taken in a moment of utter weakness
8. Don't drink your calories. YES
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full.YES
10. Avoid being sedentary. YES this week finally made it to my goal of 1 kilometer swimming-all 4 strokes.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
First barley, the only kind i can find here is pearled barley. No whole barley.
Noella: Thanks for the mixtures to add to the barley. Even though I have none I can try it with brown rice.
Did you know we came into the MWL about the same time? Your achievement is amazing. .

The challenge of moving house to another continent is ever with me. Trying to lower the stress level especially since it always expresses itself in overeating. I’m working at simplifying and being less perfectionistic in my demands of myself --for example not every item I am leaving has to find a home or at least I don’t have to find a home for it.
An interesting phenomenon is how emotional going over your life can be. This week I turned 80 years old, so there’s a lot of life to look back on and some of it is accompanied by regrets. For example I have kept a record of school report cards (all of them through high school include weight!.) I also kept some records of years on diet clubs. The very lowest I ever got in my adult life was 140 pounds and that was not for very long. Most of my early life I have been around 180 pounds. The last 2 plus years on MWL I have managed to get to 123 although loss of height needs to be factored in. I can’t help but feel regret about the years when I felt fat, unattractive and had low self-esteem.
So I just allow myself a good cry,, accept the feelings and get on with the task at hand.
I’m grateful to have a plan of eating now that allows me to be both satisfied and healthy . That’s what the MWL has done for me. Thanks to our leaders, Mark, Jeff and Wildgoose for guiding me and to the whole group for accompanying me on this journey.
Carol

[Noella]

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

I hope everyone felt well and motivated to do their best with the week's MWL guidelines. I have had a fantastic week and feel healthier than ever. It might be the hulled barley. Haha! I made hulled barley pilaf three with three different flavour bases, and each pot of just 2 cups of dried hulled barley produced six servings and lasted for two dinners and a lunch for my husband and me. It's very filling. It might be the first time I experienced feeling truly full and completely satisfied after eating a meal. I was so satisfied I didn't even think about eating food for hours if it was lunch. If it was our evening meal, I felt satisfied until the next day. No snacks are needed after eating hulled barley! Of the three flavour bases I experimented with this week for ways to cook hulled barley, I liked the Italian soffritto flavour base the best. It was so delicious; the hulled barley pilaf cooked this way tasted something like a traditional Italian lasagne.

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and fruit. I am successful with this by ensuring we have lots of veggies on hand and keeping it simple. Sometimes I make chopped salads; others slice tomatoes with a few fresh basil leaves. However, it's almost always a salad because I'm trying to go easy on the fruit, and our soups seem so hearty they work better for the main meal. Sometimes I eat a whole carrot or bell pepper out of my hand like an apple and call it my salad.
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 am successful with this because I use Jeff Novick's plate-test and placemat to plan my meals and my husband uses this method now too. Every plate has to have minimally processed starch and veggies: healthy and nutritious. It gives us the confidence to look at our plates! Knowledge is empowering. :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. I'm not entirely sure why I'm successful with eliminating sugar. Indeed, sugar contributed to my former obesity and ill-health. I could have lived on decadent desserts in the past, and my hobby was gourmet cooking and baking cakes and pastries. Still, somehow deep in my soul, I know that I consumed enough sugar for a lifetime, maybe two or three lifetimes, and on December 29, 2019, I pledged myself to make some profound lifestyle changes. I haven't wanted sugar since that day. My vow to myself has worked. But sweet treats were a massive problem for me in the past. I could relate to Wild goose's recent hilarious story about being sedated at the dentist and repeatedly asking for DQ. That could happen to me if I were under anesthesia, I'm pretty sure! I know that the addiction to those junk food treats is still deep in my psyche, and I need to beware. So, I don't ever add any sugar to anything; I use fruit as a sweetener and add fruit to my oatmeal salads, salad dressings, and coleslaws. I continue to use a tiny pinch of herbed sea salt on bland foods. I am trying to go easy on salt and condiments with added sodium. I sometimes start the day thinking I will go salt-free, but I've never had a whole day without any salt. I know I would eat less if I eliminated salt, but I also want to enjoy eating more vegetables. /color]
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). [color=#0000FF]My success here is close to 100%; I have decided not to eat these, and somehow I have stuck with this. The more I think about where food comes from, the more mindful I am, and therefore I don't want to eat meat or eggs from any animal, fish or seafood. Both my parents died young, so clearly, eating rich animal foods didn't work well for them. I believe a change is needed in my diet, and the clear choice for me is minimally processed plant sources. Unlike my parents, I would like to experience good health during my retirement years. That's my hope. As Dr. Lisle says: I want to square the curve and live productively without illness for my entire life. Pre- Dr. McDougall, I thought I could eat these treats in moderation, but I know myself, and I know I would be tempted, so knowing that ice cream and whip cream will probably always draw me, I don't keep dairy-based desserts in our house at all. I'm not tempted by milk, cream or cheese, but sweetened dairy products still draw me if they are in my immediate environment. Ultimately, it's the knowledge I have gained; learning about the relationship between eating dairy products and illness helps me succeed in avoiding eating dairy. I want to eat healing foods, not foods that harm.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). I attribute my success to delayed gratification self-talk, "Yes, these are very healthy foods for underweight people, people with highly physically demanding jobs, children, and athletes. I can eat limited servings of these on special occasions once I reach my goal weight and maintain my ideal weight for a few months -- I'm not there yet."
6. Eliminate any added oil. I am successful with this because I have put in the effort to learn how to cook without oil. At first, I didn't even believe it could be possible. Now I prefer cooking without oil, and I also like the flavour of the food better without it.
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 I am thriving on this point because I don't consider these items as food for me. All of these foods are in our pantry and cupboards. It's okay for me to have these foods in my environment, and it's not tempting for me because I consider these too calorie-dense for me and in the cupboard only for my husband, kids, grandkids and guests to eat. Food for others, not for me. I have drawn a line, and I rarely cross it.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). I am successful with this mainly because I have decided to avoid the excess calories and the lack of fibre.
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until comfortably complete. Don't starve yourself, and don't stuff yourself. Much better this week. I'm trying to be mindful as I eat. The hulled barley is very filling, and it's working for me!!! I love the thought that my cholesterol might be going down.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). This is my failure zone. It makes me miserable to think of all of my excuses. It's too windy; it feels chilly; later... on and on until its bedtime, and I have avoided adding much, if any, movement into my day. I know it's unhealthy for me, and I know I will do better with extra movement. I know, but I still don't do it. Sadly the cross country ski season is over; the snow has melted, and it's time for me to transition into having some fun movement activities; I need to find an exercise that I want to do. I'm feeling hopeless about this. I am left wondering what is wrong with me; why can't I decide to do it?.[/colour]

[color=#0000FF]My April focus is with these MWL guidelines:
More Veggies! MWL Guideline #2
More Herbs! MWL Guideline #3
More Movement! MWL Guideline #10
More Mindfulness! Guideline #9


Best regards,
Noella
My weight-on-the-scale plateau continues at 145 pounds, but my clothes are visibly a teeny bit looser, so I know the scale will eventually catch up and reflect the positive changes I'm noticing in my figure. I decided to go back to weighing myself once per day (rather than once per week). It helps me to stay on track.

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Team Time & Adherence!!!

Happy Friday and hope everyone is having a great week!! Love reading everyone's journeys --- so, THANK YOU for sharing!!! Keep going!!!

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. And yes, I still love the finger food salad concept --- and mostly just pile the veggies on a plate and eat without dressing.

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. This week I did make a 50/50 pasta that was delicious!!!
I like to make "lazy girl lunch" with using items that I have batch cooked or prepped and just arranging them on a plate. This week I did Jeff Burgers and roasted potato slices (with salad pre-load and 50/50 with fruit and roasted veggies).


3 Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.
I will ding myself this week for a restaurant outing where I did have a compliant garden salad, but then used A1 sauce for a dressing (no balsamic vinegar and I didn't tote a dressing).... The A1 is a super-fail of Jeff's label reading guidelines with heinous amounts of sodium that is like almost 20X sodium (or 5X if used as a condiment). Don't check my math - it is rough... Not going to be a problem next week and I can bring my own dressing for future. Complete anomaly. Not an on-going issue.

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

5 Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Again, I had a slip here with my ex - peanuts. So, in the spirit of review / options for better future outcome.... I am trying to understand what my issue is here. Obviously, I could be more successful if these were not in my house (but I don't live alone -- and not planning to as a solution!! ). I have been even more unsuccessful in trying to modify behavior of my spouse than self (meaning for him to hide these, not change his eating).... (I give up there...) We have all kinds of non-MWL food in the house --- and only 3 items have ever been an issue for me. 1 of the 3, I have successfully been able to put in category of "not my food". I aspire to put the peanuts into this category as well (TRYING!) I think that there is some bratty part of my brain that fights with the other part of my brain that intends to eat on plan. Most times the logical (non-bratty) side wins. This is always at night and when my husband is eating them.... Envy??? I don't really know... I am trying to frame it like WildGoose said in some post like "MWL is a choice".... So I am choosing (brat) to be off plan. Any ideas????

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).
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.
I did go back to maybe 3 times non-meal snack of roasted potato that I didn't 50/50.


10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes.
* 7/7 days walked outside.
* Exceeded my steps goal by .6K steps / day.
* Found a local PickleBall club that I am thinking to join. They mentor newbies.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Thank you, Mark for this comment last week. I am glad to hear that you have noticed this skill transferability thing too!! Very helpful!!! I am totally moving forward with what you suggest here --- but calling it Hypercare Observation Log!!! I think that this will be invaluable. Am tracking all exceptions including the why and the how (to avoid). Love this thought, Mark - THANK you!!!

VegSeekingFit - 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!

On Friday, met up with extended family at a pub for dinner (Calamity Jane's). I haven't gone out to eat much since COVID... In order to avoid a "calamity", I had looked at the menu and found that there was really only 1 potential choice that was MWL adherent - the garden salad (nix the cheese and the croutons). Most options were fried bar food, cheese, meat. Most of these would not tempt me ever... but things like tater tots or fries.... hmmm.... So, I made a pot of Sloppier Red Lentils and ate a good clip of that with rice before going. I also packed a banana, carrots & baby cukes, roasted potato slices, a container of smashed beans -- to stash in the car just in case. I ended up getting the garden salad (which was really just lettuce + 2 baby carrots + 2 strips of green pepper + 1 grape tomato) and I put A1 sauce on it (see #3). Had a great time socializing.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!!! Eat your starches (and veggies and fruits)... Hopefully, we all get some sunshine.

Cheers,
Stephanie

[Golightly]

I was just getting re-started with this support group and it seems like everything went topsy-turvy in the last couple of weeks. My dear uncle passed away and I have been making an effort to support my aunt. Then last Thursday my sweet pet cat of 14 years died unexpectedly. Although I find the support of this group tremendously helpful in my goals of weight loss, at this time I am going to suspend my activity to focus on the emotional aspects of my life. Given that I will be out of the country for several weeks I think it’s best that I plan on re-joining this group, once again, upon my return later in the summer. Thanks everyone for all that you do, this is a terrific program that works and I look forward to being a part of it again in the future.

[Mark Cooper]

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

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

[Mark Cooper]

squealcat - You've made substantial progress from last week, in terms of adherence to the recommended behaviors, Marilyn! Keep that progress rolling in the days ahead. You are making good use of the checklist as a tool for making prevailing patterns visible, and as a stimulus for improvement.

I want to see also if there are certain days that are difficult for me.

I think this makes sense, as it could help narrow in on particular days/times/occasions where you might need some extra support. The other question I would ask myself is "What is the context around those difficult moments?" Are they precipitated by environmental triggers, situational changes, lingering old habits, or some combination of these things? Can that context be changed, and thereby, change the result? Information and understanding provide a foundation for applying our effort in an effective way to deliver more successes. Have a great week!

carwex - Wow! Swimming all four strokes for a kilometer is an awesome achievement, Carol! Hats off to you! I'm happy that you are treating yourself kindly in relation to the big move, and not demanding perfection from yourself.

An interesting phenomenon is how emotional going over your life can be. This week I turned 80 years old, so there’s a lot of life to look back on and some of it is accompanied by regrets.
. . .
So I just allow myself a good cry, accept the feelings and get on with the task at hand.

I think that is a very poignant and beautiful statement; thank you for sharing it. And Happy Birthday! Onward!

Noella - Kudos! You seem to be doing great! Thank you for sharing the observations, analyses, thought processes, and reasoning as it relates to your adoption of the recommended behaviors; I feel like that gives a very clear sense of how you approach each behavior, potential challenges, and the varied frameworks you are employing to support your adherence. Much like you describe, I used a very similar approach toward the elimination of higher fat plant foods, and other calorie rich foods like dried fruit, popcorn, and baked goods. I think the way we voice, visualize and internalize our stance in regard to these sorts of challenges can definitely influence our success. Another benefit I've noticed for cooking without oil: clean up and dish washing is MUCH easier! On the rare occasion when I'm washing someone else's dishes, I really notice how much more involved it can be. I've become really sensitive to the smell of oil; I find it quite unappetizing now. I know exercise has been an ongoing challenge, partly due to discomfort and some present physical limitations. ( I can really relate to that, and I'm definitely very sympathetic. ) Try to view yourself through a compassionate lens, and treat yourself with kindness, if you feel able; there is nothing wrong with you, this stuff is just hard sometimes. Have you tried any low/no impact workouts, like chair cardio or indoor walking? In the past, I have used routines like that to stay active on the days when my condition makes more strenuous exercise feel out of reach. I really enjoy Caroline Jordan's videos on YouTube. If you can find an exercise that feels like something you want to do, something manageable and enjoyable, then it is just a matter of arranging your environment to provide cues and support for engaging with that activity. Choosing a specific time often helps, too. Start small, and focus on rebuilding the habit; even two minutes a day, done consistently, can serve to lay a foundation for the behavior you want to habituate. Congratulations on your lovely non-scale victories with the many positive changes you have noticed. Carry on!

VegSeekingFit - Looks like a pretty great week, and very thoughtful efforts, Stephanie! I think eating in advance or bringing along adherent food to a social engagement, particularly one that happens to be in a restaurant , is a very useful practice. On those occasions when I'm fraternizing at a restaurant, the choice of establishment is typically driven by others, so a garden salad is often the only adherent thing on the menu. Sometimes, after asking the server, I've gotten lucky and found that a plain baked potato or sweet potato could be served, despite being absent from the bill of fare. As you observe, the A1 sauce shouldn't be a problem in future; you can always bring some dressing, or just treat the salad on offer like your "finger foods." In relation to the inclusion or elimination of peanuts, I have a few more questions. Looking at those 3 non adherent foods that are continuously present in your environment, and are proving to be a challenge now, or have in the past, how are those foods different from the rest of the "all kinds of non-MWL food in the house"? What did the process of successfully putting one of those foods in the "not my food" category look like? Is that food different in some way from the other two that still prove tempting? Are there any situational or environmental differences in the relation between those foods and you vs. all the other non adherent "noise" in the background of your environment? Watching your spouse eat them, I imagine right next to you, is something contextually important, I would expect. Would it help to plan, in advance, an especially appetizing adherent dish or snack that you can have ready, and enjoy at the same time your husband has his peanuts? If you can, try, in every way feasible, to minimize your reliance on willpower. Wishing you the best; your Hypercare Observation Log (Love it! ) will help you get this figured out in time.

Golightly - I feel so sorry about the loss of your dear uncle, and your pet cat. The loss of those we love, whether people or animals, is profound. You have my sincerest sympathies. May you find comfort in happy memories of those you have lost, and may equanimity emerge from your focus on life's emotional aspects. I wish you the best, and look forward to seeing you here again in the future. Take care and be well.

[Mark Cooper]

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

Mark's Replies for April 22 - Part 1
Mark's Replies for April 22 - Part 2

Salutations, everyone! We have one more check-in this month, and then it will be time for May and, I hope, more great spring weather, too!

There were so many really lovely, thoughtful and insightful observations, practices and experiences shared this week; I thank you all for your reflections, and your commitment to the behavioral change process.

In particular, I thought I would highlight Gimmelean's review of food prep this week:

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.

I 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.

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.

Awesome practice, and the "WHY" for this effort is worth noting, too.

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!

I happened to be spurred to reexamine a couple of threads from successful, long-term adherents to the McDougall program this week. Both practice a pattern of behavior very similar (if not identical) to the recommendations for this group, and both discussions delve into the practice and philosophy of successfully adhering to this way of living, within the context of our common environment. I think you will enjoy reading them!

From Drew_ab: Reflections on 10 years of plant-based eating

From geo: Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling . . .
(You may find this post and this post, from the above thread, of particular interest.)

ENJOY!

Best wishes! Take care & be well!

[squealcat]

I read both discussions Mark listed by Drew and then Geo. Very enlightening ! I will read again ! Thanks Mark !

I cooked up some barley yesterday and had some for breakfast. One cup of barley (dry) makes a lot of cooked barley ! WOW ! Anyway, it was delicious with cut up mango, a little cinnamon and pinch of cardamom. I also re-read Noella's mini cooking class describing how she made pilaf with the barley. I may try that today ! I am interested in finding out how soon I will feel hungry after having the barley. Sometimes I am hungry just and hour or so after oats. Having a little more oats does help but curious how the barley does in my system.

Now that it is a little warmer here in Michigan, I am interested in adding more walking to my day. I will start by walking just to the turn-around at one end of the street (maybe a quarter-mile total) to add and then go from there. Yesterday I got in over 11,000 steps and that made me feel pretty good ! I walked 3 miles in the morning and then added that little bit later in the day.

I had a near perfect MWL day yesterday according to my 10 point checklist ! Some days are easier than others. The veg soup I made was delicious ! I have been using wide-mouth canning jars to store my soup in the fridge and it seems to save a lot of space. I got myself a copy of "Fridge Love" ....a book I got on Amazon by Kristen Hong. I love reading about storing all those different kinds of veggies and fruits. My fridge will NEVER look like hers but (like I said) it seems to have more room in it now. I have done what she suggested by having a salad bar in my fridge, for a long time now and it saves me a lot of time AND my husband uses those veggies now too (once in a while).

Have a great week everyone !
-Marilyn

[BambiS]

4-28

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. Yes

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, yes


10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Yes, got out for a couple walks and rode my cubii

Victories, comments, concerns, questions
I had a good week, I finally got into the 170’s. I remember waiting to get out of the 200’s! It does happen in time.
Getting in the 170’s was a goal before my physical in May. My doctor is going to be pleased, he won’t recognize me!

[Rebecka22]

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. YES
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). 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). 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 I am good here.

A much better week of getting and staying back on track. I found I was really hungry certain days, but I survived the travel and the very strong very appealing smell of chocolate at the birthday party. Having a shorter travel with good planning helped. Hope everyone has a great week!

[Mark Cooper]

BambiS - Awesome! 170s! Congratulations on attaining that significant milestone! Time and adherence deliver results, right? I'm excited to hear about your doctor's reaction. Keep it up!

Rebecka22 - Woo-hoo! Back on track! I'm happy to see that this instance of travel felt more successful for you; take the tools that worked this time and carry them forward and each time you'll learn more and accrue new skills. Have an amazing week!

[squealcat]

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. All but one meal.
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, for all but 2 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. I reduce
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Did not follow this for 3 meals
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. Still a problem for me. Six times I had a problem with this.
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. I rarely feel too full or stuffed .
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Walked 6 out of 7 days this week.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:This week went very well until the middle of the week. I am looking at my MWL 10 point checklist and see that there are 5 perfect or near perfect days and Tuesday/Wednesday were my tough days. My weight is stable right now and my clothes fit better than they have or are a little loose. Some days I feel very comfortable and I actually think I would be good with eating just two meals. Other days I cannot get filled up and keep looking for more food (that was probably Tuesday and Wednesday ). I don't know what the answer is but I will persist.

One thing I have been doing the last couple of weeks is having a starch-cooking day. I roast sweet potatoes, cook yellow potatoes the the instant pot followed by brown rice and then steel cut oats. Making my starches for the week has helped me a lot. I also have a veg soup day where I make some type of veg soup for the week.

I really want to be comfortable with all of this and want it to get easier. Some days it is but other days I feel like I have to sit on my hands after taping my mouth shut ! My weight is going down slowly so this is a plus. I keep reminding myself that this is a journey others have been on and been successful. I can be successful too !

My youngest son is getting married in two weeks. A little tension is there about that day but (thankfully) I have not gained a bunch of weight over that like in the past with the other children's weddings . I am actually doing a lot better !

I close now before I get sounding too gloomy. I am continueing with my checklist (I will have to order another "weekly tracker" list from Amazon soon ) as it is a good helper for me. Thinking about journaling a little to see where my bumps are in that weekly road. Not sure about that. Have a great week everyone ! Spring is coming (for some of us ) !

-squealcat (Marilyn)

[Gimmelean]

McDougall Post for week ending 4/29/22

Hello Everyone!

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.  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.

Not entirely but much less. Getting better on eliminating flour products.

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. Back to the gym for the first time in 2 1/2 years! I swam 3 times this week and it was wonderful. Of course I can feel every muscle from head to toe but it’s worth it.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: Taking inventory and using up the good things in my pantry, and taking a few minutes to jot down some meal ideas at the beginning of the week kept me on track for success. It doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. I love the ideas I get here for creating variety by adding flavors and spice profiles.
Have a good week everyone. Will see you in May.

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Team Time & Adherence

Happy weekend!!! Tomorrow is May Day!!!! Seems like April flew by.

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes. Still consistent here - mainly salad. 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 keep the recommended foods readily available for quick and easy incorporating into meals.
I did snack a few times on potatoes and did not 50/50 them.


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, reduced not eliminated. Used a little seasoned salt on potatoes at times. That was really it for the week.

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

5 Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Yes, Mr. Peanut didn't get the better of me this week. As this is a high risk checkpoint for me, I am greatly appreciative of Mark's thoughtful feedback last week and have given this a lot of consideration. Including responses below.

In relation to the inclusion or elimination of peanuts, I have a few more questions. Looking at those 3 non adherent foods that are continuously present in your environment, and are proving to be a challenge now, or have in the past, how are those foods different from the rest of the "all kinds of non-MWL food in the house"? What did the process of successfully putting one of those foods in the "not my food" category look like? Is that food different in some way from the other two that still prove tempting? Are there any situational or environmental differences in the relation between those foods and you vs. all the other non adherent "noise" in the background of your environment? Watching your spouse eat them, I imagine right next to you, is something contextually important, I would expect. Would it help to plan, in advance, an especially appetizing adherent dish or snack that you can have ready, and enjoy at the same time your husband has his peanuts? If you can, try, in every way feasible, to minimize your reliance on willpower. Wishing you the best; your Hypercare Observation Log (Love it! ) will help you get this figured out in time.

Mark THANK you for this extremely thoughtful (and thought provoking) insight. Really helps to have this "food for thought". Have been reflecting here and this angle of dissecting the problem has allowed me to brainstorm some potential risk mitigation strategies that I will log...

First, had a couple of "A-HA" moments.
* For purposes of me cleaning this up, I am extremely lucky that my husband isn't a junk food vegan (or even following the regular McD plan) --- or there could be a lot more items to dodge!!!
* You have already given me ideas in past several times--- like clean up your environment, if you can't remove from the environment - insert obstacles to make difficult to access, eat recommended food in recommended fashion when hungry, etc.

All of the "other" non-MWL items in the house don't bother me at all (and I don't bother them). They are either:
1) Items that repulse me (primarily dairy products, including even junk food or some random canned goods like Spaghetti-O's) OR
2) Items that I have no interest in (primarily enriched flour products or juice or dry cereal).

I was able to put peanut butter into "not my food" category by having a cooling off period and removing it from the house. My son eats this and he doesn't live with us - so I was purchasing it for him when he came home and then sending back leftovers with him when he went back to school. After Thanksgiving holiday, I realized that I forgot to send it back and it sat in the refrigerator. Have kept a jar stocked in back of refrigerator ever since - for convenience since he sometimes doesn't give notice before coming home (and he eats this every day).... Has not bothered me one bit --- but, nobody is eating it right next to me either.... (SO! this is the one important contextual difference between this food and the other foods....)

I think that you have imagined the slip up / environmental scenario of the other 2 foods quite accurately...

I like your suggestion of having a "special" adherent snack prepared in these cases and will use this. I always have roasted potato slices and rarely use condiments -- so for special, will add 1T of BBQ sauce for dipping and 50/50 with a frozen fruit that I love.

I also have thought of better framing a request /discussion to please not consume these right next to me --- (It is like poking the bear...)

A few months ago, was on a call when a fellow McD'er was discussing a very similar scenario that she was facing with her spouse and non-adherent foods. So, she threw his junk food away!!! She said that she had bought him a lock-box and if he couldn't use it then that was his problem, not hers. He was quite surprised when this happened, but sounds like he didn't make that mistake again. Unfortunately, this isn't quite my style --- but I keep thinking it sounds pretty effective...

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).
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.
I am still periodically (a few times a week) snacking when hungry on roasted potato that I didn't 50/50. This is kind of my crutch to avoid issues with 5.


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. (Severe rainstorms one day kept me to pacing inside the house and also went to a couple of stores.)
* Exceeded my steps goal by 1.9K steps / day.


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

I am so excited to be celebrating on Monday my 1 year anniversary of following the 10 Pt. Checklist. Over this year, my health has significantly improved and I have gone from feeling "down and out" to calm and hopeful. It has been a definite learning process to both understand and effectively incorporate the 10 Pt. Checklist into daily life -- and I am sure much more to learn and experience. To commemorate this milestone, I will be having soup, salad, fruit, and potato (not necessarily in that order).

This group has been such an integral part in my journey and I want to thank especially the moderators - Mark, Jeff, WildGoose - for all of their support, time, kindness, patience, sharing. Much gratitude ---- THANK YOU!!!!

Also, thank you to every participant walking the path. I learn so much from each of you and am happy to not feel lonely in learning and practicing these habits. I think that we can all succeed - keep going!!!

Looking forward to moving onward to another year of reclaiming my health --- Time & Adherence...

Cheers to all of you and hope you have a wonderful week!!!

Best,
Stephanie

[Noella]

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

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and fruit. -Following this guideline ensures I eat various vegetables. I get great nutrition and SATIATION at the same time. I always buy more fresh and frozen vegetables to have lots on hand.
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. -Following this guideline means that meal preparation is effortless. It's the simplicity that helps me to succeed.
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. - I need the daily reminder to go easy on sodium. This week I craved salty foods; reviewing this guideline daily helped me succeed in controlling my urge to overeat sodium. I'm grateful for this guideline to keep low sodium forefront of my mind at every meal..
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). -Following this guideline helps me have compassion for animals. I feel so grateful for this reminder to eat non-animal source foods. The more I adhere to this MWL principle, the more I am committed to it.
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Following this guideline is a daily encouragement to me to not indulge in these temporarily while I am trying to lose weight.
6. Eliminate any added oil. -following this guideline has introduced me to new recipes, cooking methods and improved label reading
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 I think eating more whole grains helps me succeed in eating fewer highly processed grains. Whole grains are more satisfying
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). following this guideline means I rarely make or purchase sweet beverages anymore - I mainly drink water, water with fresh lemon. [color]
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until comfortably full. Don't starve yourself, and don't stuff yourself. [color=#0000FF] Reading this guideline is a good reminder to eat enough and not overstuff. This week I had trouble and found myself stuffing anxiety related. I still need to find other ways (non-food) to soothe my concerns.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Much better this week. I decided to focus on what I could do. I like doing valuable things. I can walk to do housework, such as vacuuming for two to three hours; I can walk at a large grocery store or warehouse. I can do the exercise routine for arthritic knees that Mark recommended to me last week while listening to a podcast on a topic I am interested in. Each day, I tried to find some form of exercise and activity that I could sustain for a long time while low intensity. [/colour]

[color=#0000FF]My April focus has been to focus on these MWL guidelines:
More Veggies! MWL Guideline #1 and #2
More Herbs! MWL Guideline #3
More Movement! MWL Guideline #10
More Mindfulness! Guideline #9



Best regards,
Noella
No weight change this week. 145 lbs.