The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - February 2023 Group

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

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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - February 2023 Group

Postby Noella » Sun Feb 05, 2023 12:16 am

Thank you, Stephanie :nod:
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - February 2023 Group

Postby Ejeff » Sun Feb 05, 2023 2:26 am

Noella, I love that story about your grandson!! It’s amazing how quickly children learn and so cute he shared it with you. I broke my wrist a few years ago falling while playing hockey. I was fortunate that it was a clean break no surgery required. I do recall when I came out of the cast and began Physiotherapy the therapist commented how he had never seen a patient that stiff. I literally had zero movement. Seemed scary to hear that and at first I thought gosh I am never going to feel normal again, but with the consistent therapy I was able to gain full mobility in my wrist. At first it seemed like it would be impossible, but the sessions and exercises worked like a miracle. The body can heal, but I know it takes a great deal of patience while getting there. Not sure what advice I can give other than stay positive and just go one day at a time. Visualize your hand and wrist strong as they once were. You will feel better before you know it, I’m sure of that! And great work on using food to aid in the healing. I will be thinking about you.

Erin
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - February 2023 Group

Postby Noella » Sun Feb 05, 2023 12:30 pm

Thanks so much, Erin! I will follow your advice: "stay positive and just go one day at a time."
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - February 2023 Group

Postby VegSeekingFit » Thu Feb 09, 2023 9:32 pm

Hi Team Time & Adherence, :D

Hope everyone is enjoying the week! All great here, just a bit busy (but pretty calm and focused --- thanks to following this checklist) … Looking forward to a fun and relaxing weekend!! Planning to watch Rihanna in the Half-time show on Sunday. Hoping she performs “Lift Me Up” --- song gives me the chills.

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Yes for breakfast and dinner. No for lunch.

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. Loving oatmeal (sometimes buckwheat) with frozen fruit and banana for breakfast. Also, I am really happy to eat “a plate” usually with potato, sweet potato, beans, corn --- combined with lettuce, tomato, onion --- sometimes cucumber or pepper or roasted veggies --- sometimes with some salsa. Again, had split pea soup at least once a day (yes, every day). Still keeping refrigerator stocked with starches and fruit / veggies – very easy to grab a snack or a meal.

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 - eating recommended foods when hungry. 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).
YES. 7/7 days. Have re-discovered my exercise mojo. :cool:

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Thanks, Mark for your awesome feedback and support!

Waving a big “HI” to everyone --- appreciate all of you.

Some food for thought :

'"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard but must be felt with the heart.” --- Helen Keller

Hope everyone has a fabulous Valentine’s Day!!! (Still searching for that LOVE emoji!!!)

Best,
Stephanie
"Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path.
Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back." - Martina Navratilova
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - February 2023 Group

Postby Rebecka22 » Fri Feb 10, 2023 8:53 am

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. 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. 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

Relatively uneventful week, but good. Some things have been harder since the microwave is broken so have to use the air fryer for my frozen veggies and can’t just quickly make a potato, but I’m planning ahead and making do. Thankful that things that aren’t vegan like pizza and cookies at staff meetings aren’t even tempting to me anymore. I hope everyone has a great week.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - February 2023 Group

Postby BambiS » Fri Feb 10, 2023 9:40 am

2-10


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 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.
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

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

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

It’s still going well. Stocked up on lots of vegetables and fruit. I even tried something different, pineberries. They are very good, tasted like a cross of pineapple and strawberries.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - February 2023 Group

Postby Ejg » Fri Feb 10, 2023 2:25 pm

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. mostly yes, not 100% but high consistency
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 have recognized that fruit can be problematic for me and have made adjustments. overall happy with the effort there. high consistency on 50-50 starch/green veg as well
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. 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 posted last week (at least, I typed something up that I thought got posted) but somehow, what I wrote must've disappeared into the ether. I felt that last week was very good and this week was even better. I think what I wrote last week was that for me, even though fruit is a whole natural food, if I'm consuming it because I like the blasts of dopamine I get (rather than actually being hungry) then my weight loss will either slow significantly, or stop altogether. I didn't gain anything, but the week over week weight loss kind of came to a halt. This week I really made an effort to get back to the basics and for me, that meant making food boring. The way I did that was to cut WAY back on consumption of fruit. I had lots of potatoes, salad, and plain beans prepared but not much else. I reckoned that if I was actually hungry (truly hungry), then those things would really hit the spot. I found that when the entertainment value was taken out of the equation, I wasn't nearly as hungry as I thought I was. I also realized that I tend to eat very late at night, not because I'm hungry, but bored. Anyway I felt that I reclaimed some degree of discipline that I lost over the last month or so (again, not talking about Snickers and ice cream, just lots of fruit, but that turned out to be enough to make the weight loss stop). I'm sure I will be around lots of non-compliant food during the Super Bowl, so that's something to watch out for on the horizon. Congrats to everyone who keeps pushing the rock up the hill. Onward.
Though it feels malevolent, resistance operates with the indifference of rain and transits the heavens by the same laws as the stars. When we marshal our forces to combat resistance, we must remember this.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - February 2023 Group

Postby Lizzy_F » Sat Feb 11, 2023 9:03 am

Hello fellow Time & Adherence travelers! Hope everyone is having an awesome week. It's been a really solid week here! It's so rewarding to complete the weekly behavioral evaluation when it's almost all positive! (and when there is more improvement needed, it is also rewarding because I am able to focus in on exactly what I need to work on rather than just feeling overwhelmed and like a failure!)

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES – within the parameters and explanations previously provided.

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


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). 4/7 I finally got a good groove going, and then I hurt my knee again. So I’m back to resting it, heating pad, etc. Frustrating, but my reality so just need to accept it, and make the most of it when it feels good and I can walk like I enjoy.


Victories: With the exception of the knee issue, it’s been a really good and stable week. I’ve been sticking to my familiar tried and true starches and meals. Holly and I have been supporting each other with daily texts and accountability and that is really helping me stay on track! I am back in my goal weight range this week.

Comments: Thank you again to Jeff and Mark and Goose and everyone who contributes to this group! Mark I so appreciate all the feedback and links you provide to me and others. I want to start commenting more as I go, but I read a lot here, and just want to say how much I appreciate everyone’s contributions. I have learned so much, and the journey continues! I could so easily fall back into my old ways, and I just don’t want to do that. So constant motivations and reminders and new information are vital to me on this journey.

I was approved for Medicare this week effective 3/1 and filled out supplement applications, etc. etc. A part of me wants to cry about that! Where have the years gone? On the other hand, I am so thrilled that when staring down my 65th birthday, I am slender and in good health (except for this knee, which I plan to have evaluated again once all the insurance stuff is in place and no longer a $7,500 deductible) and on NO MEDICATIONS! That aspect feels like a victory for sure and I am so grateful to Dr. McDougall and the whole McDougall team and teh 12-day program!
Beth

"Long-term sustainable change is what we are really after." ~Jeff Novick
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - February 2023 Group

Postby Gimmelean » Sat Feb 11, 2023 9:21 am

Post for week ending 2/10/23

Greetings 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).
No. Nuts

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- cookies, bread, candy

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-I ate beyond satisfaction. Started with the “right” foods and continued beyond with the “wrong” non-adherent foods. I call this recreational eating and it’s gotten me into trouble in the past.

10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes. Still holding strong with my exercise routine.


Victories,Comments,Questions,Challenges:
Mark, last week you asked, “Do the challenges you describe experiencing during this time of year primarily relate to the weather and other seasonal changes, or is it something else? “I thought about it all week but couldn’t exactly pinpoint why. Only guess. However, just before posting today I found an old article published in Forbes on the topic of why some of us eat more in the winter. Each of the five points summarized ring true for me. Plus, the solutions were for the most part MWL friendly and if anyone else can relate, here goes:
1-We are cold. Drink hot spicy tea, black coffee, broth based soups with beans and vegetables.
2-We are less active. Build an exercise routine. Eat sensible complex carbs.
3-We are dehydrated from drying heat and overdressing. Drink water, warm teas, and soups.
4-Winter blues. Track food, stay active.
5- We believe that we gain weight. Prepare a more positive mindset, seek out hobbies, and like minded support.
Makes good sense and all very doable. Support is right here too.
I WILL have a better week to account for next week.
I hope everyone and your families have a good week ahead. I love the revelations, support and kindnesses posted this week (especially Stephanie’s flowers for Noella.) ❤️Happy heart healthy Valentines Day!
Last edited by Gimmelean on Sat Feb 18, 2023 7:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - February 2023 Group

Postby Greens » Sat Feb 11, 2023 1:05 pm

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. 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. Once a month I have a horse riding lesson. Sometimes a friend goes with me. She kindly brought a peanut butter and homemade cranberry pepper jam sandwich for me. Hard for me to turn down and I didn’t. She knows I don’t eat animal products and coconut. I had made oat clusters (made with oats, bananas, craisins) to go with the thermos of coffee I brought to share. We both grow cranberries so frequently there are some of those in what we share. The rest of the week was compliant but at the end of a lesson I find it hard to say no so I just tried to enjoy each bite and then go back to MWL eating.

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 bread and dried oats.

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. My Husband being laid up with knee replacement (healing nicely) gives me the opportunity for twice daily dog walks on beach. The weather has cooperated nicely.

Team time and adherence as always you give me so much to think about through the week.
Stephanie, I love that you are getting back your exercise mojo!
Rebecca, hope you get new microwave soon. It is hard when the groove gets disrupted and the alternative is more of a time investment.
BambiS, the Pineberries sound really interesting! Love new finds in the produce section.
Eric, eating as entertainment with fruit. You must really have your MWL down pat! Impressive.
Beth, I feel for you with your knee. I have a replaced one and need my walks for sanity. Congratulations on your excellent slim maintenance, so great for the knee.
Noella, sounds like you are doing all the right things to getting your wrist back in working order. Good nutrition and movement are an excellent plan.
Mark, thank you for all you do for this group. I so appreciate your thoughts and links. Always insightful and timely

Marilyn
Eric "stay positive and just go one day at a time." Great advise at any time or challenge
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - February 2023 Group

Postby Noella » Sat Feb 11, 2023 2:00 pm

Hello Mark! Hello TEAM!

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Yes, sometimes a fresh red pepper does the trick before my oats and blueberries at breakfast. I eat it like an apple as I assemble my breakfast bowl. Nibbling on sliced veggies of any kind works easily. We almost always have a gigantic starter salad at lunch and dinner. I'm trying to downplay the fruit, as I can easily binge on it if I'm not vigilant. Better for me to stick with veggies as much as possible.


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, easy, peasy... I like that it's a visual of the plate without measuring, weighing, or counting calories. It's so straightforward. I love it!

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, greatly reduced salt, absolutely no added sugar.

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
Yes, no interest in animal foods anymore. Decision made!

5. Eliminate all higher-fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
Yes...sometimes I'm tempted by nuts, but not this week.

6. Eliminate any added oil.
Yes zero 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.
Yes, none this week ... sometimes tempted by raisins and dried plums...

8. Don't drink calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Yes, no interest in these anymore.

9. Follow these principles, eat 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'm getting back to moving this week! Yay!

Comment: One thing I love about MWL is that everybody gets to decide on their own menus. Each one of us is individual and unique in this. I also love the notion that we should heartily enjoy our food. Food is a delicious, life-giving part of the human experience. We get to construct meals that we look forward to every day. Lately, I've been enjoying a burrito bowl every day: lots of lettuce topped with brown rice, sliced roasted sweet potatoes a, pinto beans and tomatoes garnished with a wedge of lime and salsa. Its so delicious I could eat it every day for the rest of my life. Another meal I have a couple of times every week is whole wheat pasta with homemade marinara sauce that my husband has perfected by simmering POMI tomatoes with a stalk of fennel, basil and a medley of chopped vegetables such as spinach, mushrooms, and carrots. Developing favourite menus gives me the confidence and the ability to be guiltlessly present as I eat, knowing it has reduced added salt/.sugar and no added oil, and I know that I will really enjoy the experience in the future. I know I can eat this way for the rest of my life I enjoy it so much!
Last edited by Noella on Sat Feb 11, 2023 2:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Reporting for February 10 Assessments is now CLOSED

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat Feb 11, 2023 2:02 pm

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

My replies and the weekly summary will follow.
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Mark's Replies for February 10

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat Feb 11, 2023 2:19 pm

VegSeekingFit - You seem to be in a great groove, Stephanie! I wanted to let you know that we tried out the "Smells Like Stuffing" Rice & Lentil recipe this week, and it was a HIT with my family. Everybody enjoyed it, and it definitely does evoke the aroma and flavor of stuffing. Thanks again for sharing!

Rebecka22 - Really excellent adherence again this week! I can imagine how lack of access to a working microwave has presented challenges; when a tool that we've integrated into our regular routine is suddenly unavailable or unreliable it can feel really disruptive, right? Cheers to you for your admirable efforts to plan and work around that inconvenience. :thumbsup: I'm sure your experience of no longer even feeling tempted by the staff meeting fare must be very gratifying. Have a great week!

BambiS - Stocked up and doing well! Awesome work! I've never had pineberries, but they sound fantastic to me. Enjoy!

Ejg - Your efforts seem really solid to me, Eric! Sorry you lost a post to gremlins, but I'm glad to know your progress has resumed and you feel like you are on a positive trajectory. :D Getting back to basics is nearly always a sound approach. Considering and preparing for the potential challenges around the Super Bowl should put you in a good position to navigate that event. Onward, indeed!

Lizzy_F - Really outstanding adherence! I'm sorry you are facing that knee injury, getting hurt is never fun and I know how frustrating it can feel in that position. I hope your recovery is as smooth and comfortable as possible. Congratulations on your status as a (soon-to-be) Medicare recipient who is in good health, on no medications, and in such an all-around positive state, Beth; I think that is fantastic! :nod:

Gimmelean - Even though that challenge around "recreational eating" felt particularly present for you this week, when looking at your self-assessment it seems clear that you didn't just let that obstacle knock you completely out of your attention to your broader pattern of behavior. I think that is something worthy of note, and worth comparing to how things might have progressed in years past. Adjusting your environment and routine so as to disallow that "recreational eating" should help reset for the week to come, right? Those five points around winter consumption feel pretty cogent to me - thank you for sharing them. Have a happy, healthy Valentine's Day! :D

Greens - Nice work, Marilyn! I'm happy to know your husband is recovering well, and that you were able to enjoy your riding lesson, appreciate a meal shared and time spent with a friend, and then get right back on track with the recommended pattern of behavior. :thumbsup: Enjoy those dog walks on the beach and keep doing your best!

Noella - Outstanding efforts! I'm sure being able to get back to moving feels really good, as evidenced by your "Yay!" :D I love the sentiments you shared about finding our favorites among the recommended foods and designing a menu based around the adherent recipes that best appeal to our individual tastes. I think the space for adaptability and variety of foods within the context of the recommendations is definitely a strength of the program. :nod: I totally identify with the sentiment that we can and should "heartily enjoy our food" and be "guiltlessly present" at a meal. Really beautifully put.
Noella wrote:I know I can eat this way for the rest of my life I enjoy it so!
That is the secret, right? I feel the same way! :D
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Summary for February 10 Reports

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat Feb 11, 2023 2:32 pm

Wow! Just fantastic efforts all-around this week! I doff my hat to all of you! Keep up that good work. :nod:

This seems like an appropriate week to share an article from Jeff that has always felt to me like a sort of "valedictory address" for the program:

Get A Life! :)

I also happened across this quote from James Clear this week, which seems suited to our conversation above.
It doesn't make sense to continue wanting something if you're not willing to do what it takes to get it.

If you don't want to live the lifestyle, then release yourself from the desire. To crave the result but not the process, is to guarantee disappointment.


For those of you who mark the occasion, have a lovely Valentine's Day and a happy, healthy, wholesome week!

Take care and be well. :)
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - February 2023 Group

Postby Hjklost55 » Sun Feb 12, 2023 10:58 am

Good Morning All…. So sorry I forgot to post yesterday. I even reminded someone else, “don’t forget to post on the forums” then got busy and missed the cut off…. UGH Oh well, here we go…..

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
YES, I have been eating my fresh cut veggies before ever 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, however not eating any fruit at this time, so no dessert.

3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.
YES, I went ALL week without adding any salt to any of my meals. And don’t use sugar either, but that wasn’t a problem .

4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
YES, No problem in this area.

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, still working on this, however feel like I am more aware. I did push away from the plate a few times when I was really present and paying attention to my fullness. I need to remember to be “in the present” while eating my meals. No cell phone, no computer, no TV….. Just pay attention to my food!

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
YES, Still play indoor pickleball 5 days a week, and converted a bedroom to an exercise room. I put up a TV and have enjoyed doing some strength training stuff. YouTube has a TON of exercises to follow along to. I also have been doing 30 minutes of stretch every morning before pickleball. Can’t believe the difference putting a TV up in that room made. WOW!!

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
I am still following the basic principles of Mary’s Mini as well as the 10 pt checklist of MWL. I am keeping it so simple and monotonous. But it is working. AND I AM THRILLED BEYOND!!!! I feel so good. Both physically and mentally. I can’t believe the overall difference in mood. Beth and Stephanie have been FABULOUS accountability partners in this journey.

I also noticed several people posted that have mentioned that fruit has been a bit of a problem. I have also found that. I have not been eating any fruit right now. I can over consume fruit like no other. It triggers me. So for now, my only solution is avoidance.

I have had some great NSV also. I was able to fit into a smaller pair of jeans that were accumulating dust in the back of the closet, and got a GREAT compliment from my boyfriend who has noticed a difference in me. (Physically and Mentally) so WIN WIN!!! Going to ride this wave as long as I can…….

No Super Bowl plans so happy to stay home and eat compliant food, and not be tempted by the CRAP….

Hope everyone has a great week and THANK YOU for your continued support. I always enjoy reading all of the links that Mark puts in here. One of the best quotes he posted that resonated with me: “The simpler the diet, the greater the compliance, the greater the results.” SO TRUE for me right now.

Take care,
Holly :-D
Hjklost55
 
Posts: 57
Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2021 12:14 pm

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