The Behavioral Path to MWL Success - March 2024 Group

[Mark Cooper]

MARCH 2024 RESOURCES
This section will be updated throughout the month with links to useful resources, as they are added to the thread.

Orientation Information for Time & Adherence:
The Behavioral Path to MWL Success
MWL 10-Point Checklist
MWL Program Guidelines
Calorie Density: How To Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer
MWL Recipes
Some of Jeff Novick's Quick and Easy Recipes
Jeff's Simple Recipes on Facebook
SNAP Meal Template

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

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

[Mark Cooper]

I just wanted to update the group; I've corresponded with JeffN and wildgoose and they have experienced the same issues. It seems likely that this issue is resulting from some conflict or error between the Forum Software (phpBB) and Spamhaus spam-blocking. Hopefully, the issue will be resolved on phpBB's end of things, but at present it seems to be ongoing.

Again, my apologies if you are having to deal with this issue when posting and if I receive any new information or instructions on how best to proceed, I'll share it here.

[kirstykay]

I've been away for awhile. I would like to join the program for March, please.

[Mark Cooper]

I've been away for awhile. I would like to join the program for March, please.

Hi, Kirsty! We would be glad to have you! If you haven't already, check out the current orientation information, as we've updated a few things.

[Mark Cooper]

I can’t seem to post from any devices now. Here’s what I would have posted.
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

It was a good week. Back on track. Kept things simple. Hope everyone has a great week. Looking forward to spring and warmer weather!

Thanks,
Rebecka

[Mark Cooper]

The technological glitches seem to be resolved, at least at present, but if anyone is unable to post, you can send your reports to me via private message, and I will try to repost them here. Just click on my username, then click the button that says "send private message."

Thanks and sorry for any ongoing issues. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that this has been solved.

[BambiS]

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).
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

Another great week, released more weight. I made some McDougall gravy, so good!

[Starflower]

Happy March, MWL team!


1) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. NO

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

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. 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:

It’s wonderful to be able to post again! I fell back into my usual pitfall in the weeks since my last post, taking care of everyone except me. It could have been much worse, and would have been even six months ago. The last few days have been on plan with food and adequate sleep. Being tired almost always leads me to poor choices. I did a large shopping of fresh fruit and vegetables tonight, and plenty of potatoes. That will give me lots of quick to grab compliant choices over the weekend.

Wishing everyone a wonderful and healthy week!

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Many times, not always.

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 and I still ❤️ my meals.

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).
Mostly. Had an energy depleting day where I had a couple of handfuls of pretzels that I usually peacefully coexist with. We had bad storms in the area and when I made it home after sheltering in place at pickleball, found we had lost power and had a good clip of work to do to clean up debris / huge branches (taller than our house – looks like a new tree). Sounds like I am writing an excuse like “the dog ate my homework” – Ha! I had successfully navigated a “food day” at work where the food was displayed about 10 feet from my work area all day – that’s why I think it was an energy depleting day. If I run into another work food day like that, I will move to another location --- which should be do-able. Otherwise, I feel ok about this as being a day with extenuating circumstances.

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 continue to be mindful to stop eating at satiation. I think I did ok here this week.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes – 6/7 (one rest day). Really looking forward to playing pickleball OUTSIDE tomorrow with my group. It is forecast to be a high of 70 degrees. Woo-hoo!

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Yay that folks are able to post to the group!!

Welcome back, Kirsty!

Starflower – hope your week goes better. Fruit, veggies and potatoes sound wonderful --- they are so easy, delicious, and portable!

I very much appreciate your comments last week, Mark. I do feel calm and comfortable in continuing to follow this way of eating. I think that I have gotten quite used to the idea that we all will regularly run into circumstances that are outside of our control and to just try to do our best to navigate through these events. Then, onward --- back to regular life.

Happy March, everyone!! Spring is almost here!! Hope you all have a fantastic week!

Cheers,
Stephanie

[Gimmelean]

MWL Post for week ending 3/1/24
Hello 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,)
No

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). 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.

11)Posting before the close of the week
Yes.

Victories,Comments, Concerns, Questions,
Although I had the best of adherence intentions and had no special reason to just let go, I did. The first few days after coming back from a lapse are going to be the hardest but delaying will only be more difficult. Knowing we have a very solid, and reliable plan with your support is so helpful and appreciated. Hoping to report a much better outcome soon.

[Mark Cooper]

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

My replies and the weekly summary will follow.

[Mark Cooper]

Rebecka22 - Seems like you had an awesome week that was definitely back on track! Getting back to the basics and keeping things simple nearly always helps support adherence. I am really looking forward to spring, too! Sorry for your difficulties posting, kudos to you for messaging me with your report, and with any luck the various technical challenges are behind us. Onward!

BambiS - I think you are having an outstanding 2024 with regard to adherence! Do you feel like any particular strategy, tool, or change you have made has been a significant contributor to your consistency over the past few months? Carry on!

Starflower - I'm delighted you were able to post again! It can be so easy to lose sight of our own need for care when we're responsible for providing care for those around us, right? A viable balance can be a difficult thing to maintain. I applaud you for being able to recognize the progress you have made in comparison to how you might have experienced a lapse or relapse in the past; I think taking note of the ways in which we change, develop, and grow has great value. I completely agree with you about how it can feel much more difficult to make choices congruent with our goals when we feel exhausted or depleted. Being stocked up on the recommended foods, on plan for the last few days, and adequately rested seems like it puts you in a strong position for moving forward. Keep those adherent foods available and easy to access, and keep reaching for them!

VegSeekingFit - I will join in with your big YAY, Stephanie! I'm so happy that the posting issues seem to be resolved. I think many of us can relate to the experience you describe with that "energy depleting day." Sometimes burdens, challenges, and obstacles seem to pile up, one on top of another, which can feel so exhausting. In that context, how many of us feel like we are in our best or most capable state? Whether or not "willpower" is actually an expendable and finite resource, that certainly seems to be a framework within which many of us experience the phenomena of will or efficacy, right? I love that you didn't beat yourself up over the challenges, but rather came up with a plan for how you could manage a similar situation in the future. That seems like a solid formula for growth and further success. I feel like being able to recognize, acknowledge, and accept circumstances over which I lack agency, while still looking for opportunities to better my understanding and strengthen my practice has been a real boon for my adherence, but also for my happiness. It feels like that is where you're at too! Have a fantastic week!

Gimmelean - Having a week where it feels like we "just let go" for no particular reason can stir up some powerful feelings, in my experience. I think you're right about getting back on track as soon as possible feeling hard, but not as difficult as continuing the lapse or having a full relapse. As you focus and move forward, don't forget to treat yourself with kindness and compassion; I recognize that even this period of "letting go" still shows you reporting yes to 6 of 10 recommended behaviors AND you showed up here to connect with the group and make your report. All positive things, from my perspective. Focus on the fundamental principles, lean into planning and preparation, and keep things simple. You know how to do this. Wishing you all the best!

[Mark Cooper]

March has started with a bunch of rain for me here in Princeton, but it always feels sunny here in our little group! Congratulations to everyone participating this week; another laudable week of practice, learning, and growth is on the books.

I've been thinking, if nothing more immediate or urgent arises in our weekly discussions, I can use these summaries for a review of each of the recommended behaviors and some of the reasoning and evidence behind them. Beginning with,

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

Which is also one of Jeff's Principles of Calorie Density

2) Sequence Your Meals - Start all meals with a salad, soup and/or fruit. By starting with the foods that are lowest in calorie density, you begin to fill up for fewer calories.

Jeff wrote an excellent article on the topic which includes references to a variety of supporting studies: On Salad, Soup, and Success, and the corresponding forum post is here.

Here is a post discussing why SOUP, in particular, seems especially effective in this regard. This post reviews some of the research relating to soups and satiety, including abstracts for the studies.

This post examines how and why fruit can fill the preload role, and here is a discussion where I outline how I think about fruit consumption.

Finally, it is always worthwhile to remember that

The MWL guidelines are guidelines, not black and white rules and are based on the principles of calorie density, satiety, fiber/kcal, food form, chewing, etc. etc. The more you do, the more you can benefit.

Starting meals with a soup, salad and/or fruit, helps to lower the overall calorie density of the meal and increase the overall satiety. This helps to decrease the overall caloric intake without giving up any weight or volume of food, which usually increase. Hence the saying, eat more, weigh less. Eat more food in volume/weight while eating less calories. Some will start with huge salads and/or soups, some will have small ones. Some have both, some have none. It is a guideline but all based on the science of pre-loading. Fruit is included because it works better for breakfast for many. However, many people like “savory” breakfast and have oatmeal with vegetables.

While using these as a pre-load work, they also work as part of the meal (50/50 plate) which is based on the science of dilution.Some may end up needing to do both to hit their goals, same may need to do one or the other.

Fruit for dessert is also a guideline not a rule. Dessert is not served everyday at the 10-Day, and when it is, it is fruit. The limit of 2 servings of fruit is based on Dr McDougall’s personal experience and, like the limit on beans, is just a weekly average. His main concern with fruit in regard to weight is that he says he sees participants “binging” on fruit.

For the record, there is also unlimited fruit (and unlimited McDougal bean soups) served at the 10-Day program in the snack room for the participants to choose from.

Wishing you all a wonderful, meaningful week to come! Take care and be well!

[kirstykay]

Hi everyone! I've really enjoyed reading your posts this week. I am coming back after a long absence on these forums, and I am excited to be posting again. Thank you for the warm welcome, Mark. I spent quite a bit of time reading all the threads you posted and reminded myself why this is such an awesome place. There is not only so much information, but also so much great community and encouragement, not to mention honest accountability. I appreciate it all and I need it all right now. It has been a couple years since I've strictly/exclusively followed MWL, and I keep coming back to it because I know it works! Thankfully, I have not regained any weight, but unfortunately, I have not lost any, either and that is what I need to do.

Here is a little about me: I am a 56 yrs old woman, married, mother of 3 grown children who live all over the country. My husband and I are originally from the Chicagoland area and have happily relocated to the Upstate of South Carolina. We are close to the Blue Ridge mountains and only a few hours from the beach, so it's pretty perfect here. I have been a Type 2 diabetic for 20 years, as of March of this year, and have managed to stay off medication by following a WFPBLF diet and exercising. In 2010-2012, I lost 100 pounds on the McDougall MWL diet. (From 260-160 pounds) I kept it off for 3 years and then started to slowly gain back about half of it. I have been up and down in weight ever since. Back in 2020-21, while participating on these forums again, I managed to lose about 25 pounds and have basically kept it off since then. I am here to lose the rest of my weight and actually get to a healthy BMI, which I have not yet accomplished but know that I can. I also want to reverse my T2D. those are big goals, I know, but I am finally ready to dive all-in and commit to this WOE for LIFE!

If you're still reading, thank you. I will create an official check - in post on Friday with the rest of the group.

[Mark Cooper]

Congratulations for everything you have achieved up to this point, Kirsty, and for maintaining and sustaining those achievements; that is a major feat! We achieve big goals by taking small, steady, consistent steps along our path to those goals, right? Each day often presents challenges, but also opportunities and lessons that help us grow and progress. I'm so glad you are here!