The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - June 2022 Group

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Re: Hennie's MWL Journal

Postby wildgoose » Mon Jun 13, 2022 6:22 pm

kirstykay Of course we'll have you! Welcome back! I know you familiarized yourself with the orientation materials back in January, but it might not hurt to have another read-through.

Lots of us go looking for a faster, easier, tastier....whatever....way to do this, and we generally come back to what works. It may not be flashy, but it's a steady path to the results we want. How great that your doctor is supportive of this way of eating!

My best advice is to keep things really simple at the beginning. Having a few "go-to" meals is a good strategy. Also, keep your environment as clean as you can. Get the most tempting junk as far away as possible from you. Make compliant eating easy and non-compliant eating hard. Put as many roadblocks between yourself and temptation as you can.

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Re: Hennie's MWL Journal

Postby wildgoose » Mon Jun 13, 2022 6:29 pm

Chumly wrote:I did a lot of traveling with my car this weekend. I'm sorry to say a slipped up a fair amount and ate off plan several times. It's definitely more difficult to stick to the plan when I'm tired, fatigued and hungry. I am back on plan now but I will be flying up to Syracuse, NY to visit family Thursday-Tuesday. It will be stressful and I will have to navigate a toxic food environment. I'm planning to purchase some food when I get off the plane and be prepared to cook my own food and stay on plan.

Traveling is always a challenge, Michael, and fatigue is often a big part of that. You struggle with cravings as it is, and being hungry doesn't help. So if I had any advice for you, it would be to make sure you have plenty of satisfying starches available to keep the hunger (and the toxic food) at bay. My favorite is cold sweet potato, which travels well. Supplement your starch with fruits and veggies, and you'll be on your way to a successful long weekend. Good luck to you, and let us know how you do.

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Re: Hennie's MWL Journal

Postby VegSeekingFit » Mon Jun 13, 2022 7:45 pm

Hi Kirstykay!!! :)

kirstykay wrote:Hi Everyone!
I'm open to any suggestions for what has worked for you all to keep you on track, satisfied, and motivated on this journey.


Yay!! You joined the best thread on the internet!!!

Glad to see you!!! :D

I am sure others will weigh in (and Wildgoose has!!) , but will share what has helped me here in case it may help you...

I am on my 3rd try on the following of the 10 Point MWL checklist. So, not looking to strike out!! :mrgreen: (So I totally get when life gets in the way of our best intent... )

I will say that changing my mindset has been a key part of what has helped me to remain committed and enthusiastic about this!!! And, I am super motivated to continue... (because I feel TERRIFIC!!!)

1) Decided that I would just follow the MWL checklist exactly as written and that this is how I will go forward (forever - this is not a diet and I am not in a race). I am not infallible (or perfect!!) and have some hiccups (non-compliant enticing food in my environment) that I continue to address. Sometimes I slip, but I don't slide....
2) Figured out positive self-talk (still working on perfecting this!!)... Mark Cooper says this consistently when he answers people in this thread --- treat yourself kindly, with compassion, etc. This has really helped me a TON!!! Don't beat yourself up! We are all swimming upstream. Think about a "non-compliant" episode as a learning experience and talk to yourself like you would a friend. Learn what you can and try to devise a plan to avoid future episodes... :-D
3) I count my days (imperfectly) following the checklist. I am materially where I should be from a weight perspective (and I don't really care much about losing a few more pounds, although I still have a bit of excess fat... ). This counting helps to keep the meter running / time... (if that is motivating...)
4) Prioritize self-care above all else. Life does get in the way, but put on your oxygen mask first... It can be really simple (and not time-consuming) to do the Checklist --- we can all make it more complicated in our heads.

For satisfied:
1) Do the eat of the "recommended foods in the recommended fashion" - thank you, Mark Cooper... :) When hungry, EAT!!! You may eat a big volume... I am mind-boggled on the volume that I eat sometimes --- perhaps twice as much as my hubby does (who is roughly 2X my size)... Don't worry... check out (maybe again) Jeff Novick's Calorie Density lecture. I cannot even emphasize this enough....
2) Find your favorite foods that are recommended. Repeat... EAT them!!! Don't feel like this is a punitive exercise... For instance, I do love going to the Farmers Market and getting certain fresh fruits / veggies... I am crazy loving a Split Pea Soup that I cannot get sick of... Eat what you like!!!

Practical:
1) Keep stocked recommended foods!!
2) I like to batch cook a couple of soups / chilis. Also, rice and potatoes... I keep freezer stocked with Jeff Burgers, frozen fruit, frozen veggies... Also keep fridge stocked with fresh produce. I usually cut / prepare it right after I buy it.

You can do this!!!!

Best to you!!!
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: Hennie's MWL Journal

Postby kirstykay » Mon Jun 13, 2022 8:49 pm

Wow! Thank you, Wildgoose and Stephanie!! What great advice/suggestions! I'm so thrilled to be back here and ready to do this thing! I have definitely over-complicated it. I want this time to be simple and sustainable. Thanks again for your excellent support and warm welcome!
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

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Re: Hennie's MWL Journal

Postby Chumly » Tue Jun 14, 2022 8:23 am

"Figured out positive self-talk (still working on perfecting this!!)... Mark Cooper says this consistently when he answers people in this thread --- treat yourself kindly, with compassion, etc. This has really helped me a TON!!! Don't beat yourself up! "

I once heard a motivational speaker say "you can't make yourself feel bad enough to do any good". This has helped me tremendously! Eating and living healthfully is loving and caring for yourself. Your thoughts, words, and actions should be directed towards this.

Michael
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Re: Hennie's MWL Journal

Postby Artista » Tue Jun 14, 2022 8:25 pm

Wildgoose, thank you so much for your encouraging comments on my MWL assessment for last week and the link to the article on the Exercise Paradox. Reading that really helped me to get a more balanced perspective.

Hi Sherren, welcome to the MWL group, you're in the right place!

Kristykay, Welcome back! I did the same thing, I went looking for the greener grass but only ended up adding a few pounds and feeling more helpless than ever. Coming back was the best thing I could've done. I love eating this way!
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The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - June 2022 Group

Postby Mark Cooper » Thu Jun 16, 2022 12:43 pm

Hi, everyone! I just wanted to pop into the thread to say that I am back at home and all set for this week's check-in. My most sincere thanks to wildgoose for her fantastic managing of the group! Looking forward to reading about how everyone is doing and continuing the lively discussion. See you tomorrow & on Saturday! :D
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - June 2022 Group

Postby Rebecka22 » Fri Jun 17, 2022 8:01 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. 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.

My biggest success this week was eating out, but actually bringing my own food. I had looked at the menu in advance for my niece’s graduation dinner and there was nothing that wasn’t fried, so I packed my food. I had planned to eat in the car after the ceremony on the way to the restaurant, but I forgot. So I went in and waited until everyone ordered then asked the waiter if he’d mind if I brought my own food in. He didn’t and no one else did either, so that was a nice success for me this week. Wishing you all success this week.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - June 2022 Group

Postby BambiS » Fri Jun 17, 2022 8:06 am

6-17

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

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).most days, got a few walks in before the humidity and heat arrived.


Victories, comments, concerns, questions: I had a good week with a small loss.
I will be trekking around at a Celtic Festival tomorrow, looking forward to doing something fun.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - June 2022 Group

Postby kirstykay » Fri Jun 17, 2022 12:25 pm

I will preface this by saying that I am just getting started, and I haven't been doing this for a whole week yet, and what I have done, has not been perfect. I guess I'm sort of easing into things. I don't really know how to answer most of the questions. I'm making a shift today to focus on moving away from the transition and into 100% compliance. I spent some time yesterday making two kinds of good soups as well as potatoes and rice, so I feel like I have what I need to be jump right in now. So, I'm checking in, but I will actually do the checklist next time. Thanks for the warm welcome back to this forum and into the MWL lifestyle.
"Remember, It's the food." ~Dr. McDougall

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Re: Hennie's MWL Journal

Postby Noella » Fri Jun 17, 2022 12:56 pm

Hello Everyone!

1) Start each meal with a soup and salad, and fruit. Yes. :-D
2). Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals. Yes. :-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. Yes: :-D
4) Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). Yes: :-D
5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Yes: :-D
6) Eliminate any added oil. Yes: :-D
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: :-D
8) Don’t drink calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Yes :-D
9) Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself, and don't stuff yourself. Yes. :-D
10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). No :-( Unfortunately, I have COVID-19 and spending almost all my time resting.

Special thank you to Mark, Wildgoose, Jeff and ALL participants!
Noella

“What I am about to tell you is so utterly simple and true that it may deceive you: Health feels better than sickness. You will be happier at your ideal weight than you are overweight. You will be proud of yourself. You’ll have confidence. You’ll feel so many good things that right now you cannot imagine and I cannot describe. But the net effect is that you’ll like yourself a lot more. You’ll look in the mirror and actually like what you see; you may even love what you see. You will have honored the person within yourself who longs to be healthy, beautiful, and free of all those burdens that overweight brings. Life will not be perfect, but it will be better.”
― excerpt from The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss


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Last edited by Noella on Sat Jun 18, 2022 4:00 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Mark's Replies for June 17 - Part 1

Postby Mark Cooper » Fri Jun 17, 2022 1:20 pm

Rebecka22 - Congratulations on your big success with your niece's graduation dinner, and on a really successful week, overall! Planning, preparation, and being brave enough to ask questions and attempt things that, at first, feel unfamiliar can pay off in a big way. :thumbsup:

BambiS - Another good week and continuing progress! Nice! I hope you have a fabulous time at the Celtic Festival. :D

kirstykay - Hi, Kirsty! Making the transition back to this pattern of behavior can be a significant adjustment, particularly depending on how much of a change in behavior that shift represents. Having the recommended foods on hand, ready to go, and easy to access is of key importance, so it's great that your time yesterday helped to get that squared away. I would encourage you to engage with the checklist as soon as you are able, without worrying about being perfect - assessing one's behavior can give a valuable picture about where things stand and what further actions are needed for improving adherence to the recommendations. Knowing where we are helps us to orient ourselves toward where we wish to be. Just do your best, treat yourself with kindness, and try to improve and adjust as you go. You'll get there. :)

Noella - I'm sorry you are dealing with COVID-19 symptoms; I imagine that can feel pretty debilitating at times. I'm happy to hear your are managing, and clearly you've made great progress with the recommended behaviors this week, too. Wishing you an easy, brief and full recovery to health. :)
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - June 2022 Group

Postby carwex » Fri Jun 17, 2022 1:53 pm

Hello Mark, Wildgoose and all present and potential star McDougallers,
Here's my weekely report:
1. Start each meal with a soup or salad. Yes sometimes both
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method, ½ starch and ½ vegetables. Yes
3. Reduce or eliminate added sugars and salts. Yes, eliminated from cooking.
4. Eliminate all animal foods. YES
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods. NO, there was a lot of the stuff floating around the house this week and I succumbed
6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes, mostly
7. Eliminate all higher calorie dense foods. NO bread continues to plague me
8. Don’t drink your calories. yes
9. Follow these principles whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Yes. I have to be sure to fill up in order not to lose more weight.
10. Avoid being sedentary. NO this week healing from cataract operation but did some walking

I did not report last week because I was ailing after a cataract operation. In addition, the week was full of factors that tripped me up. My daughter is visiting in order to help us with the move and while I am grateful, there is more food and different foods in the kitchen and lots more meals to cook. The stress of moving is becoming more acute as the date draws near..

I learned once again that when there’s company I tend to put myself and my needs last. The upside is that I haven’t gained any weight BUT I am again finding that if I don’t get a lot of food on the plate I tend to lose weight. So the cycle begins of dipping into non-compliant items like bread, some fats, like nuts. As I write I realize that the answers are found in the tips that make my eating successful:
I need meals that are
• Accessible- lots of compliant foods in the house and the fridge for use at all times -which in turn depends on shopping and preparation
• Plentiful: this is counter-intutive I know but I need to eat a lot in order to stay at this weight.
• Satiety: I need to feel satisfied after my plate is finished. not being satiated at meals leads to noncompliant eating between meals.
• Varied and tasty. Some MWLers are happy with the same boring food. Not me. I need to change it up and have a variety of tasty dishes.
• Consistent: The overriding factor in my success here is to keep coming back to this forum. Even if I’ve had a bad week, I need to fess up, and keep on showing up. If you don’t see me here with you all, I’m probably alone in my kitchen on my way down the slippery slope to the Pleasure Trap. Not a great place to be.

Wishing a successful week to all.

Carol
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Re: Hennie's MWL Journal

Postby Noella » Fri Jun 17, 2022 1:57 pm

VegSeekingFit wrote:Hi Kirstykay!!! :)

kirstykay wrote:Hi Everyone!
I'm open to any suggestions for what has worked for you all to keep you on track, satisfied, and motivated on this journey.


Yay!! You joined the best thread on the internet!!!

Glad to see you!!! :D

I am sure others will weigh in (and Wildgoose has!!), but I will share what has helped me here in case it may help you...

I am on my 3rd try following the 10 Point MWL checklist. So, not looking to strike out!! :mrgreen: (So I get when life gets in the way of our best intent... )

I will say that changing my mindset has been a critical part of what has helped me to remain committed and enthusiastic about this!!! And, I am super motivated to continue... (because I feel TERRIFIC!!!)

1) Decided that I would follow the MWL checklist exactly as written and that this is how I will go forward (forever - this is not a diet and I am not in a race). I am not infallible (or perfect!!) and have some hiccups (non-compliant enticing food in my environment) that I continue to address. Sometimes I slip, but I don't slide....
2) Figured out positive self-talk (still working on perfecting this!!)... Mark Cooper says this consistently when he answers people in this thread --- treat yourself kindly, with compassion, etc. This has really helped me a TON!!! Don't beat yourself up! We are all swimming upstream. Think about a "non-compliant" episode as a learning experience and talk to yourself like you would a friend. Learn what you can and try to devise a plan to avoid future episodes... :-D
3) I count my days (imperfectly) following the checklist. I am materially where I should be from a weight perspective (and I don't really care much about losing a few more pounds, although I still have a bit of excess fat... ). This counting helps to keep the meter running / time... (if that is motivating...)
4) Prioritize self-care above all else. Life does get in the way, but put on your oxygen mask first... It can be really simple (and not time-consuming) to do the Checklist --- we can all make it more complicated in our heads.

For satisfied:
1) Do the "eat the recommended foods in the recommended fashion" - thank you, Mark Cooper... :) When hungry, EAT!!! You may eat a big volume... I am mind-boggled on the volume that I eat sometimes --- perhaps twice as much as my hubby does (who is roughly 2X my size)... Don't worry... check out (maybe again) Jeff Novick's Calorie Density lecture. I cannot even emphasize this enough....
2) Find your favorite foods that are recommended. Repeat... EAT them!!! Don't feel like this is a punitive exercise... For instance, I do love going to the Farmers Market and getting certain fresh fruits / veggies... I am crazy loving a Split Pea Soup that I cannot get sick of... Eat what you like!!!

Practical:
1) Keep stocked with recommended foods!!
2) I like to batch cook a couple of soups/chilis. Also, rice and potatoes... I keep freezer stocked with Jeff Burgers, frozen fruit, frozen veggies... Also, keep the fridge stocked with fresh produce. I usually cut / prepare it right after I buy it.

You can do this!!!!

Best to you!!!
Stephanie

Thank you, Stephanie, for taking the time to write this wonderful MWL summary! This is very helpful for all of us.
KirstyKay: You can do this! And feel wonderful!
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - June 2022 Group

Postby squealcat » Fri Jun 17, 2022 2:19 pm

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. :-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. :-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 eliminate them. :-D sugar has been a big problem for me
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). :( cheese a couple of times
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). :( all of this is packed away in the freezer right now
6. Eliminate any added oil. :-D
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. :( another problem area
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). :( blended up some things a couple of times
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. :( ate more than I needed to a couple of times
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). :-D

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:I am back after last month's wedding. I did well before the wedding and then after that I had a lot of trouble. I looked around (again) at other plant-based sites but came back to this a week ago because it is just so do-able for me and a healthy way to eat. Not too many smiles this week on the above 10 point list . It has taken me a bit to get back into it all. Even today, I looked in the fridge and discovered that I had eaten all the pre-cooked food I had made and there was not much there to eat except salad. Right now the potatoes are cooking !!

Of course, exercise has been the stabilizer this week and I walked every day with a couple extra walks added. Salads every day but one for lunch. Those two things are givens along with my love for oatmeal at breakfast time. I DO have some good habits and I am happy that my blood pressure continues to be good since my doctor took me off my blood pressure med (was 109/73 this morning.) So this week I will work on stopping the binge-eating that has plagued me this past month so #3 and #7 will be my concerns this week .

I may not be able to be on this board next week as I will be out of town. I may, instead just check in at another time.

-squealcat (Marilyn)
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