The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2023 Group

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

Moderators: JeffN, f1jim, carolve, Heather McDougall

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

Postby trueunity » Fri May 12, 2023 6:51 am

Happy Friday Everyone!!!!

5/6 - 5/11
A 10-Point Checklist for Maximum Weight Loss

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). Absolutely Always

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Yes...in whole form.
There has been a little soy milk or a little oatmilk in the morning.


6. Eliminate any added oil. Absolutely Always

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, accept for my Morning Coffee which is where the soy / oatmilk comes to play from #5. I'm working on reducing this and drinking coffee black instead.


Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full.
Yes

9. 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

349 exercise minutes for the week
53,699 steps for the week


Extra Tidbits
Weight this week: 0.6 pound gain

SW: 134.8
CW: 135.4
GW: 115

Fruit intake:
24.5 pieces for the week

On Wednesday 5/10 I over ate on fruit. I consumed 4 bananas, 1 apple, 10 oz Mango slices & 2 small plums. Not sure why I had the urge to eat so much, I was craving sweet.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2023 Group

Postby Rebecka22 » Fri May 12, 2023 8:19 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

I have now made it two years following the behaviors at the Apple Blossom festival and that is after a lifetime of going to this festival and eating sweets and fried foods. This is something my parents went to as kids, then I went to my whole whole life, now my kids go to and it’s a blessed family tradition that I love. It’s to the point that people don’t even question my potatoes and veggies anymore which is so wonderful. I am traveling again today. Driving from Seattle to Montana for my nieces graduation. This will be a little harder, but I have prepped and packed a lot to help me do the best I can. I hope everyone has a great week!
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2023 Group

Postby VegSeekingFit » Fri May 12, 2023 1:56 pm

Hey Team Time & Adherence, :)

Hard to believe it’s reporting time again!!! This week has flown by!

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Sometimes. Always for breakfast; sometimes for dinner. Skipping it at lunch for now.

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. Still mostly eating the same things! Loving them – especially my huge starchy salads at lunch. ❤️

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 - not stuffing and not starving.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes. 7 /7 --- lots of walking and some pickleball. The weather has been amazing some days with lots of sun and bright blue sky!!! Really loving the pickleball. For next month, have enrolled in lessons and a league --- in addition to mentoring and drop-in sessions. Have organized a text- list of fellow advanced-beginner ladies so that we can meet up on the courts.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Really excited for my son who is graduating from college this weekend!! I will be bringing my own food to the festivities (starchy salad, fruit, veggies, potatoes).

Welcome to ShallWeDance and Trueunity!!! Nice to “see” some new faces here!!! :-D

Wishing everyone an amazing week!

Cheers,
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 - May 2023 Group

Postby Noella » Sat May 13, 2023 12:36 am

Hi Mark,
I'm travelling this week (and for the next two weeks).
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). no, I had some avocado,
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 some bread
8. Don't drink calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). yes
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

Best regards to everyone! Noella
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2023 Group

Postby Ejg » Sat May 13, 2023 5:57 am

I got busy because I had to go to Detroit last week and missed reporting again, but have been sticking to the principles and the weight continues to come off, so I guess that's the desired outcome. :D

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. I think mostly yes, was kind of hard to measure out 50-50 when I was traveling for work but I got a lot of my food at the Whole Foods prepared foods bar and whatever steamed vegetable they had, I got lots of 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
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 -- the Whole Foods prepared foods bar selections tend to be swimming in oil but its easy enough to avoid those items
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 -- at work conferences, there are cookies, pretzels and chips available (usually for free) around every corner. I've found that as long as I don't indulge even a single time, I'm really not tempted at all. I know how quickly things will go off the rails for me if I say to myself "it will be ok if I do it once," so I don't and so far (knock on wood), have been able to do this successfully while traveling a fair amount for work
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 - have been paying extra attention to this one lately
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). yes

Things continuing to go well, I have one more bit of travel coming up (a father/daughter camping trip with my daughter next weekend) I'm going to have to think about and plan for, but was pleased with how the two work trips I recently took went. Turns out, airlines are ok if you stuff your suitcase with oatmeal, cans of kidney beans, and bags upon bags of apples. Have a good week.
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 - May 2023 Group

Postby JeffN » Sat May 13, 2023 6:20 am

Welcome to the group!.

trueunity wrote:
Extra Tidbits
Weight this week: 0.6 pound gain

SW: 134.8
CW: 135.4
GW: 115


Just a reminder from the orientation...

"If you like, you may post a change in weight at the END of your post, but it is not required, nor is it part of the formal template. If you do choose to post a weight change, please do so in pounds gained or lost, and enter it as a whole number without a decimal. If your scale displays weight that includes a decimal place you can follow the general rules for rounding; .1 to.4 is rounded down to the nearest whole number, .5 to .9 is rounded up to the nearest whole number."
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2023 Group

Postby Taters » Sat May 13, 2023 7:50 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! No dry cereal consumed this week!

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 - daily walk with my pup.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: I did really well this week. Mark - I appreciate your response from last week about looking at the pricelessness of having a calm mind instead of saving a few bucks of whatever cereal is on sale. Reframing it that way is helpful for me.
My consistency was on point this week which really allowed me freedom of mind and no food obsession thoughts.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2023 Group

Postby Gimmelean » Sat May 13, 2023 8:53 am

Post for week ending 5/12/23

Greetings!

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- see comments

5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu,soy).
No- see comments

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- see comments

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:
Mark and Stephanie, thanks for your encouragement last week which helped me to focus on the adherent days rather than an entirely gloomy picture overshadowing any and all of my efforts. I have been slipping. I started out doing very well the first half of this week as well. Once I started eating cookies, crackers, cheese, and nuts, along with well prepared adherent foods, I just let go for the past three days. This morning I really felt the miserable results of eating those foods; disheartened, puffy, and sluggish. My scale shows a jump too in the wrong direction.
Mark, as you suggested, I am going to focus on basics again and what I did to power through the first tough beginning. I’m inspired and encouraged by everyone’s challenges and learning how each of you manage them. Have a good week everyone.
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2023 Group

Postby Hjklost55 » Sat May 13, 2023 9:14 am

Good Morning MWL group,

Hope everyone is having a good week. With the weather changing it feels good to be able to be outside more. Welcome to our newest members. This is a great place for accountability, feedback and support of this lifestyle.

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, I added some salt a couple times this week to some hash browns I cooked. :(

4) Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
YES, this is the easy one

5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
NO, I had a piece of avocado this week in one of my salads that I had at a restaurant. And…. Instead of taking it out or leaving it on the plate, I ate it. Can’t say I LOVED it, so WHY did I even eat it? UGH!!!

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, ate a couple WASA crackers. :(

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.
SOMEWHAT….. this is an ongoing challenge for me. However, I feel like I have more awareness of it now (since doing the MWL 10-pt checklist)

10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
NO, Had a back issue for several weeks. It is better now though and moving forward. Goal this week is 7/7.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: Well, not the best week for me. I could give you a dozen excuses, but that won’t help anything. I had previously been incorporating the Mary’s Mini in with my MWL plan, and it really worked well for me. I don’t do well with options. I have strayed away from that and need to refocus. I am at the top of my BMI healthy range, (which is a victory for sure) but need to lose some more to get to the middle or lower end of it. And then maintain. I have NO WIGGLE room right now. I have incorporated some meditation in my daily routine and that feels good. NO EXCUSES NEXT WEEK FOR ME!!!!

Thanks to Mark, and all the other moderators for your continued support, and information.

Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there, and the fathers who might be doing BOTH rolls…. :-D

Take Care,
Holly
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2023 Group

Postby Lizzy_F » Sat May 13, 2023 9:58 am

Hello fellow travelers, and welcome to the new folks!! One year ago today I started Day 1 of the McDougall 12-Day Program. It has truly changed my life! I love eating this way, I love this community, I love living in a much healthier body, and I never want to go back to the Dark Side (SAD). Next week will be my last appointment with my Support Specialist Tiffany as part of the 12-Day Program 1 year support package. I'm glad to know that I can always schedule more time with her if I need to! (there is a fee, but I feel it is very reasonable). There are certainly some mixed thoughts and emotions reaching this particular milestone. I'm so grateful to be a part of this MWL group and this forum where Jeff gives so generously of his time and wisdom, along with Mark, Goose, and so many others who are solidly on this path.

Mark, thank you for your detailed feedback last week (and every week!) including helpful links and reading suggestions. Not only to me, but to everyone! I don't comment much, but I always read the reports and your feedback (and follow the links wherever they may lead, LOL!) and I learn so much. I appreciate you!

OK - here goes! It was a decent week all in all:

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 (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. I'm really trying to focus meal by meal on hunger and satisfaction feelings. I feel “stuck” right now at BMI 22.5. On one hand, if I was a BMI of 22.5 for the rest of my life, I would be fine with that! On the other hand, I do really think I am eating more food than I need to and just want to keep points 1-8 stable (as they were last week! YAY!) and just give this some concentration. Last night was an example where I definitely overate. I was uncomfortably full after dinner. So I definitely think I can make some improvements here. I’m sure you are as sick of hearing about it as I am of reporting it LOL!

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 acceptance that for the foreseeable future, this is going to be a day-by-day thing because of my worse knee. I saw an orthopedic doctor last week who confirmed all the problems (arthritis, near bone on bone in multiple places, as well as the old torn meniscus still causing some trouble). A knee replacement is in my future. Between now and then, I will get some gel injections and some physical therapy, and stay as mobile and active as this knee will allow. Even on the worst days (so far anyway!) I still am averaging over 10,000 steps per day according to Fitbit. I do spend a lot of time on my feet, up and down stairs, and moving around. So at least there is something. My first PT appointment is week after next, so I'm looking forward to working with a physical therapist to do the best I can with what I have.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: This was a very solid week for food choices per the MWL guidelines! I definitely feel confident about “what to eat.” I love this food, and have no issues with simple meals on repeat. I occasionally make something a little different or a little “special” but for whatever reason, basic potatoes never get old! In addition to my goal of increased consistent attention (meal by meal – not just at weekly report time) to hunger/fullness, I also plan to resurrect my regular journal here on the forum. Especially since I am transitioning to life beyond the one-year McDougall 12-day support system, I want to make sure I am maximizing this forum as an important support system. So that means not only posting in my own journal but keeping up with other people through their journals as well.
Beth

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

Postby Greens » Sat May 13, 2023 10:51 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 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 to reduced
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, ate PB&J that a friend packed for me.
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 as part of sandwich.
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. The weather is perfect for beach walks and the dogs are always willing participants in exploring the dunes.

Hello team Time and Adherence! So happy that it is warming up for outdoor activities!
Questions, concerns, victories: overall pretty happy with my the limited number of deviations from plan. Am finding that precooking sweet potatoes, chopping up raw veggies and having fruit is working for carry-along food. Having something already prepared has saved me from many poor choices.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences here! Love reading your stories.
Marilyn
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Reporting for this week's Assessments is now CLOSED

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat May 13, 2023 1:04 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 May 12

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat May 13, 2023 1:32 pm

BambiS - Nice effort! I'm so sorry your husband is facing some health challenges, and I wish him (and you) all the best outcomes from his upcoming appointment with the cardiologist. Take care. :)

ShallWeDance - Hello! How wonderful to have a huge garden to enjoy! If you haven't already, be sure to review the orientation materials for the group. Kudos to you for getting started with the checklist! The great thing about these self-assessments is that they tell us exactly where and upon which behaviors to focus our attention toward closer adherence. Something definitely worth being mindful about in these early days is including an adequate volume of minimally processed starches at each meal. Those starches provide excellent satiety and really help us feel satisfied with our meals. Happy gardening!

trueunity - Pretty solid adherence! :thumbsup: On Wednesday, when you felt that craving for sweet fruits, what was your starch consumption like? Was there anything different of unique about the context for that day? Can you think of anything that might have served as a trigger for the craving? Just as a reminder, we do request that, if participants choose to include weight in their self-assessment report, weights are rounded to the nearest pound. Keep doing your best!

Rebecka22 - Woo-hoo! 10/10! :thumbsup: And two years worth of successful, adherent trips to the Apple Blossom festival! That is awesome!
Rebecka22 wrote:It’s to the point that people don’t even question my potatoes and veggies anymore which is so wonderful.
I think this is a really important point; the feeling and perception of our behaviors as "normal" and accepted has a positive impact, I would say. Have a great trip to Montana!

VegSeekingFit - Awesome progress! Congratulations to your son, Stephanie! Graduating from college is certainly an exciting and momentous occasion; I imagine you feel really proud. Enjoy celebrating and keep up your amazing efforts! :D

Noella - Pretty respectable adherence for a travel week! Carry on doing the best you can, and have a safe and rewarding journey!

Ejg - Your fantastic planning and determination seem to have delivered great success in maintaining the recommended pattern of behavior on those business trips, Eric! :D Cheers for you! Apply that same mindset to your upcoming camping trip and I imagine it will follow suit!

Taters - Spectacular adherence, Rachael! I'm so happy to know you were able to move through this week with equanimity and it felt like things went really well. :nod: Carry on!

Gimmelean - I'm so glad you are feeling encouraged and inspired! A dedicated focus on the fundamental, basic principles definitely seems like a good approach. As you observed, sometimes we just have to "power through" or "white-knuckle it," as Dr. Lisle says. As always, the more you can do to make your environment and routine support the behaviors you are trying to achieve and maintain, the better. The positive physical sensations you associate with this way of eating seem like a powerful source of motivation. Aim for that!

Hjklost55 - I'm so happy to know your back is feeling better! As you observe, Holly, achieving a BMI in the healthy range is a victory, and worth highlighting. :nod: As Jeff discusses in his post on Why We Hit Plateaus and What We Can Do About Them, as one's BMI lowers, the margin of error becomes very narrow and stricter adherence may be necessary for continued progress (as you said, "no wiggle room"). Focus your efforts on the areas highlighted by your self-assessment, and do what you can to establish an environment and routine aligned with that, and you will make progress. Onward!

Lizzy_F - A very solid week indeed, Beth! Congratulations on your McDougall Program Anniversary! You have certainly had many victories and achieved a great deal over this past year! :nod: I wish you all the best with your knee, and best wishes for that upcoming physical therapy session. PT has definitely had a very positive effect on my own quality of life. Regarding the meal after which you felt uncomfortably full, what do you think was driving that? Was it just the enjoyment of the taste? An instinct to "clean your plate"? Something else entirely? Something I found useful in stopping at "comfortably full" was knowing I could put my adherent leftovers in the fridge and have them right at hand if I ever needed a snack. I think you are doing great, and I also agree that engaging with your journal seems like an excellent practice to resume. Cheers!

Greens - A lot to be happy about this week, Marilyn! You are so right that being prepared is a key factor for success and can be so helpful in avoiding choices that are counter to our goals. :nod: Walking on the beach sounds divine! Enjoy!
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In Closing,

Postby Mark Cooper » Sat May 13, 2023 2:01 pm

Wonderful work this week, everyone! It is so rewarding to know how things are going and how much you are all achieving with your continuing efforts. Inspiring!

I think this thread, discussing adherence fatigue, is relevant to our discussion this week. Jeff writes,
JeffN wrote:Adherence fatigue is similar to pandemic fatigue, treatment fatigue and as I mentioned, it is a feeling of fatigue over time for doing what is necessary to maintain adherence to the program (i.e., special ordering, meal prep, preparing ahead for social situations) in a world that doesn’t support us.

For years, I have listened to clients talk about it not only in regard to adhering to the program but recovery from substance abuse. They have done all the right things to maintain the program and have reaped the success of their actions but they get to a point where they just tire of having to do the “different” thing one more time. In treatment fatigue, is is tiring of having to organize their pills, remembering to take them, dealing with the side effects etc.

In regard to adherence fatigue and this way of life, it can come from any one of the things we do to maintain the lifestyle including (but not limited to)…

- feeling like an outsider
- having to special order when out
- having to always prepare ahead
- bringing your own food when out
- being different at social gatherings
- being asked over and over about their lifestyle choices
- having to set aside the time necessary to be active
- not being able to “indulge” in all “food” around them
- having to give up things they used to enjoy
I feel like I have been pretty free from adherence fatigue personally, and I've been thinking about why that might be the case. I think one aspect of my resilience is related to personality: I'm quite conscientious and I've never much cared about "fitting in" with other people. I'm somewhat neurodivergent, and I've often "felt different" throughout my life, so it isn't a feeling that is unusual or bothersome for me. Another significant factor that comes to mind isn't about personality, but behavior. In practicing this way of eating, I've been methodical and iterative in applying the checklist and establishing "best practices" for myself. I've worked really hard to habituate those practices and behaviors, and I've been doing this for a long time so it all feels pretty routine for me now. Likewise, my friends, family, and associates have all observed me behaving this way loads of times, so they are used to it, too. In fact, I'm pretty sure if I suddenly sat down to eat something abnormal for me (i.e., non adherent) THEY would ask me about it and / or call me out. :lol: I think this sense of "normalcy" has been powerful for me in avoiding adherence fatigue, at least in my own particular situation.

JeffN wrote:Sometimes, people just tire of doing the right thing especially when it is outside the norm. Sometimes it comes even years after success and the initial thrill of getting well and overcoming their health challenges has waned.

Managing it will be dependent on the person, their situation, what is causing the fatigue.
What are your thoughts on adherence fatigue? What do you think might cause it? Has it been an obstacle for you? What have you done to deal with it or how have you avoided being derailed? Lots of interesting discussion in the linked thread, and I would love to continue that dialogue here. :)

A very happy Mother's Day to everyone celebrating and being celebrated!

Have an amazing, success-filled week! Take care and be well!
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Mark Cooper
 
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Re: The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - May 2023 Group

Postby BambiS » Thu May 18, 2023 4:15 pm

5-20


1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Some meals


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.
Reduced

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.
No, had some cereal

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 pretty good week, I feel like I dropped weight, but haven’t been on the scale. I’ve been going by the way clothes fit.

I had beans this week and felt more satisfied. It’s been easier being home to prepare foods.

My week was fair, I went to my mom’s for Mother’s Day. I walk in and she’s baking “healthy” blueberry muffins. Whole wheat flour, honey instead of sugar, but they had oil.

I’ve talked to her before about having sweets around. I guess I’m going to have to be stronger.
Once I left, back on plan.
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BambiS
 
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