The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - January 2023 Group

[Mark Cooper]

JANUARY 2023 RESOURCES
This section will be updated throughout the month with links to useful resources, as they are added to the thread.

Orientation Information for Time & Adherence:
The Behavioral Path to MWL Success
MWL 10-Point Checklist
MWL Program Guidelines
Calorie Density: How To Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer
MWL Recipes
SNAP Meal Template

1- 28 oz Can No Salt Added Tomatoes (or broth for those who don't like tomatoes)
1- 14 oz Can No Salt Added Beans (which is about 1.5 - 2 cups)
1- 16 oz Bag Frozen Mixed Veggies (any type)
**optional - 1/2 cup Frozen Greens
1.5 to 2 cups of a *Cooked* Starch
~1 tbsp. Salt Free, Dried Seasoning/Spice

The Road to Success: Creating Healthy Habits
The Pleasure Trap: Dr. Doug Lisle at TedxFremont
How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind with Dr. Doug Lisle
Dr. Doug Lisle on The Ego Trap
Dr. Doug Lisle: The Story of Willpower – What it Is & How it Works
Dr. Lisle's Three Top Tips for Dietary Success
Jeff Novick, RD - Nutrition & Health FAQ: Answers To The Most Asked Questions
A Review of the Rules & Guidelines for Reading Labels
Passive Overconsumption: The Unintended Intake of Excess Calories
Can You Really Eat As Much As You Want?
Why We Hit Plateaus and What We Can Do About Them
Top 10 Reasons for Lack of Success
Dining Out and Travel Food
Exercise, Health & You: How Much Is Enough?
Optimum BMI? / Optimal BMI - redux
Building Self-Efficacy
You Are Not Broken
wildgoose - How I determined my "goal weight"
Finding The Sweet Spot: Balancing Calorie Density, Nutrient Density & Satiety
Amy's Giant List of Links to Dr. Lisle's Lectures

[Mark Cooper]

Happy New Year!

To get 2023 rolling, here's a very useful list from Dr. Lim that I came across recently:

10 common mistakes in (diet-related) behavior change (Dr. Anthony Lim)

1.Focus on outcome vs habit
2. Too vague a goal
3.Unrealistic Expectations
4.Underestimating Power of Environment
5.Lacking Support/Accountability
6.Not Tracking Progress
7.Thinking Just a Little Bit is “Okay”
8.Neglecting Other Core Areas of Life
9.Allowing Thoughts/Feelings to Guide Behavior
10.Giving Up

Any other typical mistakes that come to mind for you? Do those above ring true in your experience? How did you overcome them / what were your solutions?

[JoeFromMichigan]

Hello! My name is Joe Jacob and I live in Lapeer, MI USA. I've completed the orientation and would like to be added to this group. I attended the 12-Day McDougall Program last August, and of course, it was highly recommended to me to join. Thank you so much.

[Mark Cooper]

Hi, Joe! Welcome! I'm happy to have you onboard for the start of 2023.

[Hjklost55]

Welcome Joe. This is a GREAT group. Take advantage of the expertise and ALL the great information!

Mark: thank you for posting Dr Lims 10-common mistakes. I think I may have experienced 10/10 of those mistakes at one time or another!! Lol. It is a great reminder going into the New Year. I will continue to focus on a couple that stand out to me: focus on habit; (not the accountability; (why I’m here) keep my environment clean; DON’T take that FIRST BITE!!! AND continue to improve in other areas of my life. (Exercise, relationship and improved health)

Happy New Year
Holly

[JoeFromMichigan]

Thank you, Mark & Holly! I'll do my very best to learn the group dynamics, how we all do this together, etc. - the orientation is great, and I'll look at prior months' groups just to see how all this works. I'm looking forward to "hanging out" will all of you. I have a calendar reminder to check in daily, until this becomes a habit. Take care, and thanks again . . . Joe

[BambiS]

1-6



1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Some 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 desert
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.
Doing better

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).
Did have some nuts this week

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). Some days

Victories, comments, concerns, questions good week, nothing eventful.

I found fresh jackfruit and made it into a tikka masala, really good. I’ve been on vacation this week, getting some quite time to focus on my healthy journey.

[Hjklost55]

Jan 6, 2023

Hello MWL Group…. Hope everyone is well, and moving forward in the New Year with your plans and goals.

1) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
YES, all except one total screw up meal on New Years Eve. See #4 below.

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. Again, all except the one meal. See #4 below. Have been specifically making a 50/50 plate. Previously, I was just winging it. I believe it makes a HUGE difference when I am more “Present” with the 50/50 and pay attention.

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, there was a lot of salt in my New Years meal. See #4

4) Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
NO. We had some friends over for take out and dominions on New Years Eve. I gave the friend specific instructions on how to order my plate. I had been to this place before. But guess she decided “Oh a little bit isn’t going to kill her”. The friend didn’t order my plate correctly and I ended up with cheese on my dinner. And there was a LOT of melted cheese on it…. Plus tofu, dressing, and avocado….. UGH!!! Lesson learned, order your own food!! Don’t depend on anyone else!!! GRRRRR.

5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
NO. See #4 above. My dinner also had tofu and avocado and dressing on it.

6) Eliminate any added oil.
NO, see #4 above also. I’m sure there was added oil in the dressing.

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, See #4 above. My dinner was on an open face tortilla!!!

8 ) Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
YES!!!! Was able to do this one!!

9) Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
YES, working on this. Have been more aware of my volume eating. Still setting a 15 minute timer before I have seconds. Most meals, I don’t have anymore to eat. And feel better for it.

10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
YES, still playing pickleball. LOVE that game!!!


Victories, comments, concerns, questions: Feel like a broken record this week!!! Don’t let your destiny be in the hands of someone else!! Thanks to ONE MEAL….. I pretty well flunked 8 out of 10 this week. I didn’t sleep well after that meal, I was dying of thirst all night long, and I definitely felt the “Heavy” after dinner feeling you get when you eat CRAP!! HOWEVER….. I picked up and moved on without anymore hitches for the rest of the week! So, I guess that is a VICTORY in itself. At least it didn’t send me over the edge to a day/week/month long binge. (As has happened previously) This lifestyle really is about the habits!! AND NOT GIVING UP!!! (AND don’t let someone else order your food). Haha

Take Care, and have a GREAT week everyone!
Holly

[Rebecka22]

1.Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. YES
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them. YED
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. 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
Back on track this week. Feeling good right now although tired being back to everything. I made sure to plan for days I would be gone longer and that went well. I hope everyone has a great week!

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

Happy 2023! Hope everyone is enjoying getting back into their regular routine after the long holiday season.

Welcome, Joe!!!! As Holly mentioned, this is an awesome group! Glad to “meet” you!

Here is my week:

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
No; still maintaining.

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. Lots of potatoes and sweet potatoes! A huge pot of Mary McD Mexi soup (from this website) with brown jasmine rice added – delicious and easy! Oatmeal and fruit for breakfast. Split pea soup, sloppy lentils --- still up there in my favorites. Scored some Sumo oranges and Envy apples – love these. Lots of delicious salads and roasted vegetables with lunch and dinner.

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.

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).
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 –no starving or stuffing.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Not a full yes yet --- but PROGRESS!!! 5/7 outside brisk walks over 30 minutes is getting me back on-track here. [b]Gimmelean’s comment last week on the weather conditions she’d walk in motivated me out the door (and reminded me that I have earmuffs too!!). [/b]

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Comment #1 – Awesome, Rebecka for asking Mark the question last week on how he handles MWL now! I greatly appreciated and am encouraged by Mark’s answer and by WildGoose’s post as well. If anyone missed it, check out those posts and Mark’s links! EPIC! https://www.drmcdougallforums.com/viewt ... 75#p633376

Comment #2 (sorry, LONG) - Mark, thanks for sharing Dr. Lim’s list of “top mistakes in behavioral change”. Great way to get discussion rolling for 2023!!! In considering this, interesting to think that we are all different --- have various backgrounds, environments, taste preferences, challenges… So, I expect that Dr. Lim’s list would be holistic across a diverse group and some may or may not pertain to each of us. A few of them were n/a for me; others were YES!!!

I will say that I had “Unrealistic expectations” in that when I decided to just totally follow MWL for lifestyle / on-going (started May 2021), I was thinking that with my mind in the right place that it would be a “flip the switch” change and henceforth, compliance would come… Ha!! Did not work that way for me, but I do know that there are other folks on the forums that have had that experience (where they just change --- PERIOD --- and more power to them).

I struggled a lot with emotional hoops… (at times discouraging) --- with a couple of foods in my environment that I kept eating (for months) and was discouraged with removing myself from Pleasure Trap.

Once I got that under control, I also felt emotionally challenged with feedback from folks (like that I was “too thin”), when I was progressing to healthy weight, but not confident in how to maintain weight (as opposed to lose weight) on MWL foods. I will only add here that ONLY 1 person ever commented when I was GAINING weight… make of that what you will.

Currently working through feeling confident about embedding the behaviors. So, this is my “Missing Piece” that is in progress… but I feel pretty ok about it.

Solutions that have helped in my on-going quest to embed the MWL behaviors (obviously, my own experience, background, challenges --- Your mileage may vary):

1) Framing change as a learning experience. Learning how to remove self-judgment and focus on using mistakes to analyze approaches for improvement and try these (to then be evaluated and adjusted as needed – in sometimes a circular fashion). HA – patience is a virtue!!!

2) Keeping a (primarily) positive mindset. Loving what I am doing and why – enjoying the journey and the open highway of other possibilities that become unleashed by re-gaining health. Finding joy in eating real foods (colors, tastes, textures) and how eating the right foods makes me feel fantastic physically and mentally.

3) Seeking / engaging in opportunities for support / accountability. For me, this was something that I had not leveraged in the past. I am grateful beyond belief for all the support that I have “found” --- many people are amazing and I appreciate them beyond belief.
a. This group itself and the wonderful moderators and information / resources shared. Also, the focus on behaviors --- truly incredible!!! Mark, Jeff, WG have built a community here --- love the sharing and support. Also, appreciate everyone who participates here!!!
b. The McD 12 Day Program – the McD team is amazing and the support framework is incredible!! I engage in every opportunity that I can fit in schedule and it has been phenomenal. If I ever find anyone that is willing to do / interested in this program, I will do this again with them. Seriously. Also, if anyone is thinking of doing this --- I recommend 100% -- life-changing.
c. A few family members / friends who aren’t doing this (and who think I am crazy in that) will actively support me. This helps tremendously in certain situations to have an advocate to get others off my back. I do take the Doug Lisle / JeffN approach with folks, and mostly all is fine.

4) Firmly staying with MWL recommended foods in maintenance (maybe maintaining weight, but still optimizing health). Yes, “a little bit” is likely not ok for me. This also goes to “environment”. Have not actively “quit” before but have drifted in the past to “Veganland”. This one has been a bit touchy with a few folks telling me that I am “too restrictive” (like I have a problem). I have really “re-thought” this at least 2 times and come to the same conclusion!!! I do know myself!!! Also, I eat foods that I like and I do eat as much as I want of the recommended foods (which can be a ton) – I do eat when hungry, not starving or stuffing. Not feeling deprived.
a. I make easy recipes using recommended foods. These are quick for me!!! I make what I like!!! Mostly this is throwing ingredients I like on a plate.
b. I regularly make Jeff burgers – easy. No need for crap. These are pull out of freezer and heat / eat.
c. I batch cook all kinds of very simple things!!! Have tons of recommended foods to take out of refrigerator!
d. I do some label reading detective work. Just to see how far off the ranch some choices are. I use JeffN guidelines and evaluate products. For MWL, this is minimal / condiment for me, but I do like to understand the broader situation for saying NO NO NO, not good… For instance, I checked out Trader Joe’s site for “vegan” products (maybe “featured”). There were maybe 60 --- and of that ONE would comply fully – Jicama wraps (just jicama) and ONE would comply except for ridiculous sodium (but now I won’t accept that --- It was Organic Split Pea Soup). The remainder are hard fails - crazy.

5) Understanding how to handle some of the mental battles (Logical vs. emotional brain or Superego vs. Id, etc.). I realized that I didn’t understand individual change much and have sought further information to help. Read two books that were amazing to me --- each with one key concept (that I was seeking) that I keep in mind.
a. “Atomic Habits” by James Clear --- the idea that making your habits part of “identity” makes you fight to keep them.
b. “Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard” by Chip and Dan Heath – this is organizational change focused but can be applied to the individual. I was able to learn from / leverage concept of the Rider (logical) vs. Elephant (emotional) --- thoughts on how to get them to work together (and understand the dynamics).

I would fully go with that “flip the switch” change… just not how it is happening for me. So, I try to stay on the straight and narrow and just keep going!!!

Holly – Awesome how you handled just moving right on forward after that 1 meal. Thinking you should order sometime for your friend a totally MWL compliant meal… (or is that passive aggressive??)…

Wishing everyone an amazing week!!!

Best,
Stephanie
 

[Gimmelean]

Post for week ending 1/6/23.

Greetings MWL Time and Adherence community and welcome Joe!

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).
No, mixed nuts. Thinking a little bit is ok. Having them in my environment can be manageable. Neither was true.

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. Snack crackers. Impossible for me to eat a “serving” and very detrimental to eat right out of the box or bag.

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. Less than most weeks but at least 30 minutes of some exercise each day.


Victories,Comments,Questions,Challenges: not a great week but certainly not the worst. I’m trying to ditch the mindset of a new year /new slate by doing my best to practice the right choices ongoingly. Rather than encourage my latent perfectionist to be front and center and fail, this tends to work better from a MWL point of view.
This week I’m going to 1)focus on Dr. Lim’s list of mistakes and how I can apply them to maintaining adherence to the MWL checklist. Recognizing thoughts and feelings that tend to influence my behavior is where I will focus on the most 2)walk at least 20 -30 minutes daily outdoors to complement my exercise goal-along with the Merlin Bird app -a real mood uplifter-and 3) dust off my copy of Switch and read it from cover to cover. 4)continue to be inspired by your posts, challenges, suggestions, and this incredible group.

[Ejg]

Ahoy, looked up from stripping my hardwood floor and realized the Saturday deadline was fast approaching and I'd have to get this in quickly so here goes:

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes, I found myself having to keep going back to the store to buy kale for salad so think I did good 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. mostly yes for 50-50 but I have fallen into the fruit trap again - ate WAY more than 2 pieces of fruit a day, its gotten to the point of indulgence so something to be aware of for me
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 I don't think I added any salt or sugar (in the form of candy)
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. 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. No, found myself eating WAY beyond satiety and need to really be careful about fruit
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). mostly yes


no weight change to report for me this week, I've got a belt sander out on rental from home depot and need to return really soon or I get charged for another day! Honestly I got a little out of the groove over the holiday and room for improvement for me exists, mostly in not eating too much fruit and being more diligent about 50-50 starch/vegetables on the plate. I reckon that the important part here is to just try to recognize where this happens and every day try to get better. Honestly even when I'm not doing things perfectly, I think I eat FAR better than I used to and have noticed a dramatic improvement in my day to day health. back to my floor

[Greens]

Happy 2023 Time and Adherence team! Welcome Joe!

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

2) Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for desert. 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. With the exception of miso soup preload for one meal.

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). with the exception of sprinkle of sesame seeds

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. 7/7

I love Atomic Habits by James Clear too! Making little changes in our environment is such a powerful tool. I would love to get to the point where Mark is MWL“fully habituated for me.“ So today I will make another batch of soups for preload. Bring my thermos out of the trailer into the house so it’s ready to go for the days I spend long periods away from home. I really prefer warming foods on these colder days.

My lab work was was repeated from a year ago. Total cholesterol 246 last year, 164 now. Nice to have confirmation on implementing the right behaviors. Nice to have a number confirmation besides feeling more energetic. I think I struggle with # 7. Thinking Just a Little Bit is “Okay” of Dr. Lim’s list the most. If I don’t just have some “right stuff” with me it is too easy to have something “sorta close” but not adherent to behaviors that will get me to the goal of health I am seeking.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences here. So encouraging to read and mull over.

Marilyn

[Lizzy_F]

Hello fellow Time & Adherence travelers!!! Grab a potato if you plan to read this whole thing!

Dr. Lim's top 10 list is intriguing. Off the top of my head, I would say that working regularly with my support specialist + participating here + participating in the Starchivore group (the zoom group for 12-day program graduates) + a few other support related things have really helped me overcome most of the derailers on his list. I have definitely been derailed by ALL of those 10 things in the past! I want to end this year at the same weight range I came in. In order to accomplish that goal, Dr. Lim's list is a reminder to me that I cannot afford to become complacent. Been there done that.

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Meals yes, snacks no. (more on that below)

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. Meals yes, snacks no (more on that below)

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. Meals yes, snacks no (more o that below)


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. I experimented with some Starch Solution compliant (I think) foods that are higher in calorie density, and definitely not MWL compliant. Speciifically, rice cakes, dry oat cereal, and WASA crackers. These were not incorporated into meals but eaten as snacks. I did not like the results of this experiment at all. Not surprisingly given my history, I ended up eating way more than intended once I got started. I also ended up eating these as “snacks” with far greater frequency over the past week than envisioned. I am giving myself credit for not being mindless about this, and for OBSERVING what happened in an objective (I think, anyway!) way. These foods simply are not satisfying to me physically or mentally. Once I start, I instinctively seem to “chase” that feeling of satiety that just never comes with these foods. I don’t regret the experiments, but I have certainly proven to myself once again that the MWL guidelines are the best place for me to be the vast lion’s share of the time. Just because something might fit well into somebody’s else’s McDougalling life doesn’t mean it’s a good fit for me. I found myself in gratitude that I HAVE finally cracked the code to what DOES make me feel satiated (thank you Jeff for your calorie density and other lectures around these issues!!!!!!!!!), and awesome mentally and physically. I didn’t know that information before 2022, so what a blessing! To have this information confirmed through this experimentation is, I think, a positive thing. So I’m definitely not beating myself up over it! Back to MWL only eating! The End.


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. This is an interesting reflection. My normal MWL meals satisfied me in the normal way. The snack items referenced above were not satisfying, no matter how much I ate. I never felt stuffed – just felt like a bottomless pit that could NEVER be satisfied!


10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Vast improvement here!! (progress, not perfection of course!) The dot calendar is back for January! Green dot = at least 5 minutes of intentional exercise. Red dot = no intentional exercise. This works so well for me, because once I put my sneakers on, I almost always do WAY more than 5 minutes. 5 days this week I walked 2 miles+. 1 day I didn’t plan my day well and ended with a red dot. One other day I did less than 30 minutes but still got the green dot. So all in all, not a bad week. I have been well over 10,000 steps per day (even on the non intentional exercise day) each and every day. So I’m feeling really good about progress in this area!

Victories: Exercise! Also, I am once again within my goal weight range. My goal for 2023 is to end the year in this range just like I started the year in this range. The path to achieving this goal is to simply stay the course day in and day out, week in and week out.

Comments: I’m really grateful for the way my Support Specialist (Tiffany) worked with me on weight loss strategy going all the way back to our beginning during the 12-day program. There are, of course, different ways to attack the problem and I don’t believe there is One Right Way. As an example, one could start by eating in accordance with the Starch Solution guidelines. Then make adjustments based on results. The strategy I chose, and the one Tiffany has supported me on along with all of you here, was to follow the narrower MWL guidelines very strictly until we determined I was at a healthy goal weight. Then feel free to experiment (if I wanted to – not a mandatory thing!) with the broader Starch Solution guidelines. In hindsight, I am so glad I took this approach. I think this created a physical environment in my body that just supported consistent weight loss. I didn’t have a lot of ups and downs – just weight loss that was very steady overall. I think I only had one week (and this was when I was very close to my current weight) where I reported a weight gain. So I didn’t have to spend a lot of time trying to figure out what works, what doesn’t, etc. etc. while my body was also going through so many changes. I think this approach just kept it all really simple. Now I can look back and also appreciate what it is like to KNOW FOR SURE that my body loves the MWL way of eating! I don’t need all the higher calorie density items to make my meals interesting enough or satisfying enough. I’ve figured out how to do that with the healthiest lowest calorie density foods! What a blessing! So now I feel I CAN be objective with an experiment, because I have something really important to compare it too. I’m not just eating various foods and shooting around in the dark like I did for so many years. I am so grateful to you Mark and Jeff, and to everyone here for helping me develop this wonderful baseline. So far, I haven’t identified anything (whether that be Christmas C.R.A.P. that is way off the McDougall Highway, or whether that is higher calorie density stuff that is at the edge of the highway) that is worth deviating from my baseline for. Not worth sacrificing my mental health (feeling good about my choices) or my physical health including my weight loss.

On another note, I am so grateful for the 10 point MWL checklist! I was dreading creating this weeks report feeling like an abysmal failure over the non-MWL snack choices. Going through the checklist really helped me put things in perspective. The week was not a “failure.” There were things I will do differently going forward, and also victories. And also some firm ground on a number of points that have been really steady for me. So an excellent process to keep that committee in my head from going off in unhelpful and exaggerated directions!

Concerns: None today!


Questions: None today! Just lots of thanks and appreciation! Certainly let me know if you think my logic is off somewhere!

[Lizzy_F]

WELCOME JOE! I am a fellow Midwesterner (Illinois) and also a fellow graduate of the 12-day program (May 2022). Congratulations on the life-changing decision to attend the 12-day program, and the decision to get involved here for support! This is an awesome group! I look forward to sharing this journey. Are you able to attend the Wednesday Starchivore Zoom group? I also find that helpful, but the time of day makes it challenging or impossible for many.

Holly!!! We really do have so much in common! I too have experienced all of the things on Dr. Lim’s list to some degree or other at some time or other (or MANY times or others LOL!) I wing the 50/50 a lot. I’m paying attention to these great habits you are creating because I want to make sure I don’t head down the slippery slope. I am also thinking of your timer behavior here – I really want to start trying that to get a better handle on hunger/fullness. Also what an important lesson learned on NYE! I’m filing that one away too – I can see how that scenario can so easily happen. Other people just have no basis to grasp what we are doing, and how important our guidelines are to us. I could see that happening to me too relying on someone else to order my food! Congrats on not allowing this one meal to derail you for days/weeks/months – I’ve sure been there and done that one too, many times! Pickleball sounds like so much fun. I really want to find someplace to learn it – have not found it yet near me! Do you play at a health club? How did you go about finding it?
Bambi – it must feel really good to spend some time just re-grouping on your health goals! I bought some canned jackfruit a while back, and have yet to do anything with it. I printed out a recipe of Mary’s for crock pot barbeque jackfruit – I need to dig out that recipe and finally give it a try! Did you use a recipe you could link to for your tikka masala? I’ve never made that and am curious to try it.
Rebecka22 – congrats on getting back to it! I want my report next week to read like yours does this week!

Hi Stephanie! I love your positive energy! Your posts always bring a smile to my face and just make me feel so good about being on this path with you. As always, I love your description of your meals! YUM!!! I too fell off of exercise in December. I think for similar reasons – I love waking outdoors! I have access to indoor stuff, but …. But…. YUK!  This past week was so good – decent weather (for January!) to get outside and DO IT! I will be thinking of you on the days where I bundle up to go outside, and also on the days where I just need to suck it up buttercup and do it indoors! I LOVE LOVE LOVE what you shared about your MWL experience and weight loss journey. I am following in your footsteps and it is so beneficial to know that I am not alone, and to have your wisdom to help and guide me! EVERYTHING you wrote is valuable to me. Today, your comments about what other people have to say is really resonating. In the last couple of weeks, I have been told “you are too thin” and “you can have just one” and “everything in moderation” and all that stuff. And LOL – I too have had nobody tell me ever that I was getting too fat! I too feel like I am finally making an important mindshift to thinking factually about what I am doing (my experiments and whether the results tell me it’s something I could/should do or not) rather than emotionally about what I am doing (“I’m a failure..” etc.) Wow – your list is SO AWESOME. I’m going to save it for posterity – I hope you don’t mind!

Gimmelean – I can relate so much to what you said about your thinking and the nuts. I spent some time on that particular slippery slope this week too. It wasn’t nuts, but some other non-MWL food. Proving why it’s not MWL food I guess LOL! We live and we learn I guess! Merlin Bird app? I need to google that – sounds interesting just from the name! I too love walking outdoors – that is my very favorite form of exercise.

Ejg – OMG you have my absolutely admiration for stripping a hardwood floor, which is not for sissies IMO! Is the MWL guideline still 2 pieces of fruit? I thought that had been dropped, but I have proven time and again that my memory ain’t what it used to be! Of course I also respect personal guidelines for personal reasons – I’m just curious now about the official guidelines. I am totally with you on #9. I can eat until the end of time if I’m not paying attention!

Marilyn – congrats on your strong week!!! And congrats on your wonderful improvement in your labs! I will be going on Medicare + a supplement in March so I’m looking forward to the insurance transition (I am on a super high high high deductible policy right now) and getting some things updated. I am hopeful for good results like yours! I am also with you on the slippery slope that is our food world, and how easy it is to justify less than optimal choices. Great idea to carry a thermos of soup! I love my soup and should probably start taking some with me on certain types of long days!

Shout out if I missed anyone!

I love reading all of your posts. Too often I don’t make the time to comment. I’m hoping to be better about that this year! I’m sure I won’t be perfect, but “better” will be a huge improvement participating in our wonderful T&A community! Wishing everyone a fantastic week on this journey we share!

Onward!
Beth