The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - April 2023 Group

[Mark Cooper]

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

My replies and the weekly summary will follow.

[Mark Cooper]

BambiS - Despite the challenges you describe facing this week, when I review your behavioral self-assessment it doesn't appear that you went completely off the rails; you were still able to answer yes to half of the recommendations, and most days to two others! Try not to beat yourself up; social situations can be among the most difficult to navigate, and the restaurant environment certainly adds its own obstacles on top of that. Stating a plan for how you would like to handle a similar situation in the future seems like a really useful practice, and signals learning. It isn't reasonable to expect ourselves to smoothly circumvent every obstacle on the first try, without practice, right? Best wishes for your husband (and yourself ), enjoy your company, do the best you can within the context of the current moment, and focus on getting right back on track.

Rebecka22 - Awesome! Feeling better equipped to self-regulate in ways that are congruent with and supportive of your personal goals is an excellent result; that must feel like a significant success. Carry on!

Gimmelean - 9/10! Definitely seems like progress to me! Anything you can do to make it more difficult to reach for those non adherent foods, and easier to turn toward adherent ones could potentially be useful. I know you will get there, too!

Hjklost55 - Great progress and wonderful non-scale victories, too! Your observation about your home workout room is great support for the principle of removing friction from a desired action: making something easier and less involved to do seems to make us more likely to do it. That butterfly kit sounds like such an exciting and fun activity, Holly. I expect you will continue to hone in toward "comfortably full" as you remain observant and mindful about your physical sensations and experiences. One framework that could be useful is to make things more granular and less binary; e.g., "I still want an apple for dessert, but I can cut it into slices." Keep living the life!

VegSeekingFit - Another solid week, Stephanie! I'm excited that you are feeling more able to reintegrate exercise into your days; that must feel great. Cheers for a great April, and waving "HI" right back!

Greens - Great efforts, Marilyn! That thermos seems like a really useful tool. It can be pretty tough to avoid looking at "other people's plates", right? The variety of "options" in our immediate proximity can influence our behavior in ways that might feel surprisingly powerful. Your point about a prepared "safety net" making things easier is well-observed. Onward!

Lizzy_F - I applaud your courage and accountability in reporting your self-assessment even though the week felt so challenging! To learn from setbacks we have to observe, analyze, and process them so we can formulate our future response, right?

I think I am building more confidence as time goes on that a huge bump in the road does NOT have to spell disaster and the next ______________ (2 weeks, months, years, whatever) back in the Pleasure Trap.

This is an important point. Lapses don't have to become relapses. We always have the option to return to our desired behavioral routine (although it doesn't always feel easy to do so).

What would you do if your periodontist told you “no veg or fruit unless its blended” and handed you a list of recommended foods with ice cream at #1?

I think the answer Jeff offered is probably the best one. Speaking for myself, and assuming the listed constraints are to be taken as given, I would probably ask myself which variations of the recommended foods could be made to fit those constraints. Pureed soups with a mixture of starches and vegetables seem like a viable option, as do mashed potatoes with mashed vegetables (I usually mash steamed cauliflower into my mashed potatoes, anyway). Well-cooked oatmeal also seems like something that could be made to work. It is reframing the situation as "how can adherent foods and behaviors adjust to or meet this challenge?" vs. "this situation means I HAVE TO do THIS." Time, experience, and practice are the best teachers. ASSESSMENT is valuable, JUDGEMENT is not. It is important to have clarity about the status of our efforts, but that doesn't need to tell us anything about our VALUE as living beings, right? Keep learning and keep trying!

Ejg - Glad you are feeling better, Eric!

I find that as long as I make up my mind that I'm not going to touch it, I'm usually ok. If I have one slip up in a moment of weakness, then it becomes significantly harder

That was very much my experience, as well. There were certain troublesome items that I, ultimately, categorized as "not food for me," which seemed very helpful. As my periods of abstention from temptations grew longer, it became ever easier not to "reignite" those cravings. Nowadays, on the other side of years of adherence, I don't really feel fazed by non adherent foods in my environment, but it was definitely a lengthy journey. Keep travelling that path, as best you can!

[Mark Cooper]

Woo-hoo! A big thank you to everyone who participated this week; I celebrate your dedicated efforts!

Since it is April, and spring is (hopefully) on the horizon, I thought this might be a nice time to connect or reconnect with the core principles of this group. I think Jeff's article on Three Essential Keys To A Healthy Diet does a great job outlining those principles.

This thread is also an amazing and concise resource laying out all the concepts underpinning our recommendations.

Finally, I've always found this post quite inspiring and encouraging.

Health = CR-ON + appropriate exercise/fitness + adequate rest, relaxation & sleep + adequate sunshine + emotional poise + pure air + pure water

Have a great week, enjoy any celebrations in which you participate, aim for success AND self-compassion, take care, and be well!

[wildgoose]

What would you do if your periodontist told you “no veg or fruit unless its blended” and handed you a list of recommended foods with ice cream at #1? I know I could have and should have handled this better – my inner rebel did me no favors here. But with my perio issues, this is definitely going to come up again (hopefully later rather than sooner..) so I definitely want to do better next time.

Ahhh, Beth, I can relate. I've done periodontics, will have to do more perio, and I’m still doing orthodontics (which means very sore teeth every time I change Invisalign trays). I also remember the weeks of feeding the Gander when he had his jaw wired shut after breaking it. So while I may not be able to give you the expert advice that Jeff or Dr. Lim can (and I recommend contacting them, as this is one of the great benefits you enjoy as an alumna of the 12-day program), I do have some ideas gained from experience.

First, recognize that you’re very vulnerable to what my Granny Goose used to call poor-little-old-me syndrome. You’re hurting, you’re tired and cranky, you want "comfort" food, and you think you "deserve" soothing treats to make you feel better. All understandable. But it’s a wide-open invitation to the Pleasure Trap, and do you really want to do all the work that you’ll have to do to get back on track after 2 weeks of wallowing in CRAP food? Been there, done that, not worth it.

Now, smile and thank your periodontist for the helpful post-procedure instructions. The instructions themselves are very helpful. Separate them from the food list. Your job is to McDougall-ize those instructions, using the wealth of knowledge you’ve gained over these last months. It's no different than if you were lactose intolerant — you wouldn’t eat ice cream then, and you’d find something else to eat that met the requirements of your periodontist.

One thing I learned from the Gander's broken jaw is that almost anything can be blended. The resulting colors will generally not be pretty. The texture will definitely not be the same and will probably get boring. But the taste will be there. And, more importantly, the nutrition will be there. You need all those nutrients to heal after any procedure.

So grab that blender and get to work. Soups are fabulous candidates. I love making "cream" soups with blended cauliflower and a couple of well-cooked Yukon Gold potatoes as a base (I add in onions and garlic — feel free to spice yours as you like). My favorite flavor is cream of broccoli, where I cook broccoli very well and blend it in with the base. Add well-cooked brown rice or more potatoes to the mix for extra starch, any other well-cooked veggies to vary the flavors and up the vegetable percentage.

Beans blend beautifully. Think Mexican or Italian flavors. You can blend salsa or vegetable soup to go with them.

Pasta and marinara sauce can be blended (or just blend the sauce, if your pasta is cooked beyond al dente). So can most food that is cooked soft enough. Polenta is great with a thick blended veggie "gravy." Oatmeal can be made savory.

Whip sweet potatoes with an electric mixer. Add cinnamon. Save some of the cooking water from boiled Yukon Golds and whip them up too. I do a mix of cauliflower (cooked very soft) and potato. Add other blended vegetables in addition to or in place of water. It’s not hard to get to 50/50 or close. Use your imagination. Forget texture — this is going to be a smooth consistency out of necessity. Just think taste!

Smoothies might be one place where I’d bend the MWL rules a bit. You can get a lot of greens into a smoothie. Don’t load up on plant milk. Use banana (frozen) for sweetness. If Jeff or Dr. Lim advise differently, ignore what I say here.

Blended fruit can make a nice dessert. Applesauce can be your friend!

And remember, this is TEMPORARY. It may be repeated at intervals, as you have more procedures, but you’ll also get better at the perio food routine the more times you do it. The good thing is, you'll come out of it well nourished, not craving CRAP, and proud of yourself for being able to adapt the SAD food list from your periodontist into something positive and health-promoting.

Goose

[Lizzy_F]

Hello again everyone!

Jeff - thank you for your suggestion - I took you up on that! (be careful what you wish for LOL! )

Mark - your feedback is so valuable and well presented. I learn so much from you not only in your feedback to me, but also in your feedback to others, which has or does or will someday apply to me also! I also appreciate your weekly suggested reading. Your suggestions this week are perfect - back to the basics is welcome right now!

Goose - thank you so much for sharing your first hand experience and practical tips for dealing with the food side of this equation, but also with the mental side!!! You are RIGHT ON THE MONEY about "poor me" syndrome that hit hard and fast and had me in the wrong grocery ailes before I could think straight. Even though the worst of my "baby food diet" is behind me now (I'm eating cooked veg again, and soft unblended fruits, thank goodness!) I can see that I need to have better weapons already in my arsenal going forward. I have never made soup like you described (potato/cauli base + other veg + seasonings blended) and I have never mashed cauliflower into my mashed potatoes, etc. I am going to try some of these things over the next few weeks and also keep a good list of ideas on hand so that next time I am prepared, and also know what to expect from some "go to" recipes from a taste and texture standpoint. I never even thought of polenta! That is a great idea. You are SO RIGHT that nothing is worth heading into the Pleasure Trap for. I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and wisdom. I also wish you well in your own perio / ortho journey. It's not for sissies that's for sure!

Much love and appreciation to all of you - this support is invaluable!

[BambiS]

4-13


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). Most days

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

I had a better week, company has left. It felt good to get back on track. Looking forward to getting healthy groceries this week!

How do reply to the messages, click the quote button? Thanks

[Ejg]

was a pretty good week, I had two things worth noting but overall pretty pleased with the effort:

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. yes, I ate salad before every meal with the exception of breakfast, but I either 1) included fruit WITH the breakfast or 2) ate cut up peppers/potatoes FOR breakfast
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. since I am a black-or-white kinda guy I'll give this one a "no" but wish to add the following qualifier: for about half of my breakfasts this week I ate oatmeal with mangos or apples cut up in them, and I don't think those count as nonstarchy vegetables. But for lunches and dinners (and the other half of my breakfasts) I did follow this. So for the majority of my meals this week, #2 gets a "yes," but like I said, I'm a black or white kinda guy. So, no (but pretty dern close)
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, at my Tuesday night running group somebody was grilling vegan hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage, etc. I had a vegan hamburger. Probably had something to do with the fact that 1) I just stopped running and was hungry and 2) the weather was beautiful but this one is a no due to that fake hamburger
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 had two handfuls of goldfish crackers last night
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

no commentary from me this week, just continuing to push the rock up the hill. great job to all, have a nice weekend

[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. NO
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
6. Eliminate any added oil. NO
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. NO
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). NO
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. YES
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). YES

Easter and my anniversary paired with being on spring break led to an excess of sweets. While my brain kept saying a little more, get back on track next week, my body finally let me know that I do not eat like that anymore! I was up in the middle of the night feeling like I had the stomach flu and I knew I did it to myself. I just wish these things weren’t so appealing to me, but I know the best thing I can do is put time and adherence together and while I’ve made that harder for myself this week, I know I can do it. So back on track.

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Time & Adherence folks,

Hope that everyone is having a spectacular week! Another weekly weather comment from me --- we’ve had a few days of SUMMER weather here in IL with temperatures up to 80 (will take it!)… Monday is supposed to be a high of 43 --- that’s just crazy! I was going to retire my fleece tights for the season, but just may need them still!

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Sometimes - for breakfast only.

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! Have been making amazing starchy salads for lunch --- cannot get enough of these – my favorite meal of the day. For those who are eating fruit --- OMG --- the black seedless grapes and cantaloupe are both incredible right now!

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 and no stuffing.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
YES, YES, YES --- 7/7 --- finally!! Feels great to get back to walking and Pickleball!

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Mark, greatly appreciate your support and the awesome materials that you share!

Thanks, Marilyn and Beth for kind comments last week.

Holly --- I love the gifts that you selected for your grandkids (and NO candy) --- excellent!!

Marilyn --- I also like to take my own food where I go --- it is a great safety net. I find that I need it more often than not…

Beth --- Awesome that you found a class at the gym that you are enjoying!!! Also, wishing you all of the best in moving forward from the dental procedure… I know that you’ve got this!!!

A big hi to everyone else!!! Keep going -- onward to next week!!!

Cheers,
Stephanie

[Lizzy_F]

Hello Gang Time & Adherence! After totally losing my sh*t last week, I've had a really solid week. I defied perio instructions and have been back to my normal eating since last weekend. Due to my orthodontics, I typically eat pretty soft foods anyway (and mostly cooked vegetables - but not blended!) so it doesn't seem like there were any ill effects.

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes for lunches and dinners.

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, I think. I still struggle sometimes to figure out exactly what I am feeling, and sometimes think I am overeating. And yet I need to eat to satiation – that is so key to me staying out of the Pleasure Trap. So this is an area I am still trying to figure out and balance.

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). I am SO happy with my activity this week! I went to 4 exercise classes at the gym. The weather has been unseasonably warm, so beautiful for outdoor walking. And the sissy (stability ) bar for my new rebounder finally arrived yesterday, so I will be spending time this weekend getting started with beginner rebounding, which I am very excited about. (and I am rarely excited about exercise LOL!)

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: It feels SO GOOD to be eating my regular food again, and to be solidly back on track.

I deeply appreciate the suggestions and support from the team last week – you all really helped me get things back on track after the perio surgery debacle. Most importantly, I have started a file for all of the suggestions and ideas so that when a dental recovery diet is necessary in the future, I have the tools I need to create a much better plan. This situation drove home to me the importance of preparation, planning, and having on-plan foods at my fingertips. That has always been an important part of my success, and I need to accept that adaptations will be necessary from time to time, and that I CAN plan for them and navigate them successfully.

Jeff – I had my perio follow-up on Thursday, and she confirmed her expectation that I eat according to the written instructions she gave me for this type of procedure. Seems extreme, but that is her expectation. Not sure if she will be the perio of my future, but that is a whole ‘nother conversation.

The good news is that the damage on the scale for the off-plan adventures has been minimal. Most importantly, I am fully back on track, and my weight today is only 2 pounds over my goal weight range. So I feel confident that if I just keep doing what I am doing right now, I will be back inside my goal weight range in the not too distant future. And better armed for future disruptions to my normal eating patterns and food/meal/recipe preparations.

I hope everyone is having a strong and healthy week!

[Gimmelean]

Post for week ending 4/14/23
Hello everyone. Glad to see you!

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

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

3) Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts.  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).
No- I had a slice of pizza, so I had some dairy. I would still feel best declining and having “ my” food without cheese or flour and serving whole wheat penne with veggies and quick homemade marinara next time.

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. Not entirely. But always aware and eating less of it.

8 ) Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Yes

9) Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full.   Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Yes.

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

Victories,Comments,Concerns,Questions: I am doing my best to remain honest and positive when I’m not adhering 100% i appreciate your kind reinforcement Mark and group more than you know.

[Noella]

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
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.
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.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
6. Eliminate any added oil.
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. A few raisins cooked in an Indian rice and veggie recipe my husband made with no added oil or salt. also a spoonful of mango chutney.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). I am working on this. I have been doing all of my physio exercises about an hour five times each day, I have changed my sewing room into a yoga retreat: I decluttered, edited almost everything out of the room, redecorated with an inspiring new 'zen' style and bought some new inspiring yoga props: stylish bolster, mat, cotton blankets, alpaca blanket, cork blocks, etc


Hi Beth,
You are doing great with your ortho and perio! I rebounder with a stabilizer bar sounds fun! Thanks for sharing about that!

Hi Stephanie,
Sorry to hear about you losing your cat. So, so sad. You will miss the joy and companionship your cat gave you. Take care.

[Mark Cooper]

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

My replies and the weekly summary will follow.

[Mark Cooper]

BambiS - Really nice progress! Glad you are feeling good about how you're advancing. If you want to reply to someone else's post you can use the quote button, or just use their name and write your reply in the body of a post. Private messages can be accessed by clicking on the User Control Panel near the top of the forum page.

Ejg - Solid efforts! Just to clarify, fruit is an acceptable option for part or all of the non-starchy half of the 50/50 plate. Keep on pushing that rock!

Rebecka22 - Happy Anniversary! And good for you getting back on track sooner rather than later. Sometimes situational and contextual influences can feel quite overpowering. I often picture a sort of tug of war, with all our various tools, practices and routines pulling toward our goal behaviors, and various environmental, social, cultural, geographic and economic factors on the opposing side, dragging us backward. Practice, assessment and adjustment help "our side" become more powerful, so you are absolutely correct that putting together adherence and time is the best practice. Keep at it!

VegSeekingFit - Omigosh, Stephanie, it has been ridiculously warm here this week, too! Highs over 80 a couple of days. Woo-hoo! Fantastic that you are feeling recovered and back to full activity; I'm sure that really feels great. Onward!

Lizzy_F - A really fabulous recovery; great work! I'm glad you are feeling good about how things are going for you now, too. That sense of excitement about exercise seems like a fun feeling, no?

I need to eat to satiation – that is so key to me staying out of the Pleasure Trap.

I think this is a really important point, and you are astute in recognizing it. From my perspective, if you don't feel physically uncomfortable when you finish eating, you are probably doing fine. Great work building an action plan to suit the expected future challenges! You've assessed, adjusted and built a stronger practice in the wake of these challenges, and that is just what we want, right? Have a great week!

Gimmelean - Yours seems like a really useful and advantageous perspective: facing challenges with honesty, confidence, self-compassion and an eye toward adapting best practices for the future. Progress > perfection!

Noella - Excellent efforts! Your yoga retreat sounds lovely to me. As someone who also spends several hours throughout the day on physical therapy exercises, I definitely feel a kinship with you. Carry on!

[Mark Cooper]

That will do it for the first half of April! Kudos and applause to all who are participating!

Jeff shared a post today, linking to this article, so I thought I would pass it on to all of you.

From the article:

Vegans are considered health-conscious both by the public and in their own perception. Researchers at the Center for Public Health have now examined the dietary patterns and physical activity behavior of vegans and found a discrepancy between appearance and reality in many cases.

Although many vegans exercise more than the average person, the widespread consumption of industrially processed foods in this group cannot be classified as beneficial to health. The results of the study were recently published in the journal Nutrients.

The research group led by Maria Wakolbinger and Sandra Haider from MedUni Vienna's Center for Public Health conducted an online survey of 516 people with an average age of 28 who had been vegan for at least three months when the study began. As the responses to the survey demonstrated, "being vegan is not per se synonymous with being 'healthy'," emphasizes study director Maria Wakolbinger. As undisputed as the benefits of a plant-based diet for health are in science in the meantime, the degree of processing of the consumed food has to be taken into account, particularly in this category.

Against this background, the research team arrived at the distinction between a "health-conscious" and a "convenience" dietary pattern in the vegan lifestyle. Vegans with a convenience-based diet quality (53%) were characterized by a higher consumption of processed fish and meat alternatives, vegan savory snacks, sauces, cakes and other sweets, convenience foods, fruit juices and refined types of grains.

"The negative effects of industrially processed foods on health have now been clearly proven in studies," Maria Wakolbinger emphasizes. "For people who primarily consume convenience foods, a 29% higher risk of overall mortality, up to 51% higher risk of overweight or obesity, 29% higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and 74% higher risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus have been scientifically proven."

Here is the study:

Haider, S.; Sima, A.; Kühn, T.; Wakolbinger, M. The Association between Vegan Dietary Patterns and Physical Activity—A Cross-Sectional Online Survey. Nutrients 2023, 15, 1847. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15081847

Abstract
A balanced diet and sufficient physical activity (PA) are known to have positive health effects. The relationship between a vegan diet and PA levels is understudied. This cross-sectional online survey aimed to analyze whether different vegan dietary patterns differ in PA. In total, 516 vegan participants were included (June to August 2022). Different dietary patterns were compiled through principal component analysis, while group differences were calculated using independent tests, or chi-squared tests as well as logistic regression analyses. The population had an average age of 28.0 (SD: 7.7) years and had been living vegan for 2.6 (95% CI: 2.5–3.0) years. Two dietary patterns, the “convenience” and the “health-conscious” group, were identified. People with a convenience dietary pattern had significantly higher odds of sitting more (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.04–1.18) and not achieving aerobic PA (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.18–2.79) or strength training recommendations (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.26–2.61) than people with a health-conscious dietary pattern. This study suggests the heterogeneity of vegan diets and that dietary patterns must be differentiated, as they also differ in the level of PA. Additional studies involving complete dietary assessment with a focus on ultraprocessed foods, blood metabolite analysis, and objective PA assessment are required.

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