JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Share your McDougall successes here in order to inspire others.

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JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Wed Jun 02, 2021 10:43 am

Welcome to the McDougall Maintenance support group! Let’s join together for support and camaraderie while we strive to maintain our successes.

Many of us have lost weight and/or reached other health goals. We’re ready for that next chapter, maintaining the gains we’ve accomplished.

This group will have Friday check ins, where everyone can touch base. Weigh-ins are optional, and will not be tracked. Please feel free to share your non-scale victories (NSV) as well.

In order to foster group participation, we do ask that only participants post, so please do join! You can join at any time simply by hitting the “post reply” button and saying something along the lines of “I’d like to join.” As they say, the more, the merrier.

Hi everyone!

Can’t believe it’s June already and here in the UK we are allegedly at the start of Summer! We are dusting off the outside furniture, sunhats and raincoats ;-) Do you have any favourite recipes for this time of year?

As we approach the half-way point of 2021, how are you doing with any goals set in January? (I must admit that I had to check back to the January thread to see what mine were!)

Our first check in is Friday 4th June. After having two UK trips postponed last year, they've both arrived together so we’re away the first two weekends of June. I’ll check in as and when I can.

Best wishes, Sue
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Re: JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Fri Jun 04, 2021 1:31 am

Hi everyone!

How’s your week been? We’ve finally had some sun here in the UK, so its been delightful to be outside in the garden or walking.

I promised a report on my recent 10 day MWL experiment, so here goes:

Some aspects were easy (eliminating animal foods and oil). I ate at home (or took food with me) for every meal so no problem eliminating oil. I did miss having bread and dry cereals. Both foods are very easy for me to snack on so the experiment was a useful reset. Bread was lurking on the kitchen counter so it did leap off into my mouth a couple of times! Also I became more aware of using nuts or seeds in recipes and looking at the relative proportions of starches and veggies on the plate. I lost 1.5 pounds in weight so am close to my goal weight again. Overall, it was a very useful experience and certainly something I’d do again. I’m curious to see where my weight would settle if I carried on with the experiment a bit longer. By way of contrast, we’re about to go on two short trips in the UK, almost back-to-back, eating in hotels and restaurants for the next 9/10 days.

Here's the MWL checklist assessment for the 10 days:

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes; sometimes just some raw veggies while preparing the rest of the 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. 2 out of 3 meals per day on average
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. This has definitely reduced. A little celery salt or salt sprinkled on when serving. Some homemade jam and Marmite on toast as a late afternoon snack on 2 days.
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). Some soya yogurt on 2 days, a little tahini (hummus), cashews (sun dried tomato dressing) and peanut butter on toast on one day.
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. Slice of bread on 2 days, and some muesli on 2 days.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). I've realised that the almond milk in my cup of tea is out of step so have started to have more water and herbal teas. Became aware that I was ‘craving’ a cup of tea, even though I drink decaff.
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Works well during the day, but I've sometimes eaten a bit too much in the evenings. I took food with me when out and about so I didn't get over hungry and/or get tempted to have something at a cafe.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Yes

Best wishes to all, Sue x
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Re: JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Fri Jun 04, 2021 8:11 am

Sue, thanks for the update on your experiment. Bread has that same pull with me as well. Enjoy your upcoming trips!

My week has been great, beautiful summer weather with bike rides, walks and Pickleball. What more could I ask for lol. I try to eat the 50/50 plate for most meals. I must admit when I’m having some bread there isn’t usually a side of veggies with that. I did make a nice veggie soup which I had for lunch most days this week. I added beans and flax so it was very filling and became the meal. After heating up the soup I sprinkle in oregano, makes it extra tasty.

Wishing everyone a happy week.

Erin
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Re: JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby CindyD » Sat Jun 05, 2021 10:27 am

Ok, I missed Friday! (Also this is really long, sorry!)
Thank you Suey51 and Ejeff for the nice welcome in the last thread.

I weighed at 140.9 this morning, which is the lower end of the 140-144 I had been fluctuating the last few months (in the MWL thread). I have been doing 30 minute workouts with this new trainer twice a week for two whole weeks now. I have also added in tofu every day, plus a bit of avocado and more beans.

I almost bought some almond butter at Costco but I decided I better not since I'm not sure how tempting it will be. I did buy a big bag of raw almonds which I think I will go through much more slowly. These are all foods I always planned to add back after MWL but I know that doesn't work for everyone. I was glad to see these foods have not added 5 pounds or something crazy, though I have added some muscle. Just a bit, it takes time. :D

Suey congratulations on your successful experiment! I was about to say I am so jealous of your trip to the UK, but you meant within the UK since I see you live there! In any case, I hope your trips are nice and you find many happy food options. I would LOVE to visit the UK and have long planned to do so. It is sad I am 52 and have only left America for a couple hours (Canada, ages ago). Though, I have been to most U.S. states and have lived in six of them, currently living just outside Chicago, IL.

Ejeff, Pickleball! So funny that's the second time I have seen it mentioned in two days. I should try to find some. I haven't played in ages but I remember it was very fun.

I am back to salads rather than soups in the hot weather, but it is about time I make some lentil soup. Usually a couple onions, maybe a can of diced tomatoes and/or tomato paste, usually red lentils and some veg - either zucchini, or red cabbage or cauliflower - or my last batch had some of those little eggplants (Thai eggplants I think), quartered. And then my favorite spices almost always involve curry. The eggplant was a bit too mushy by the end so next time for eggplant I will shorten the cooking time in the Instant Pot (my best friend).

Hope everyone has a great week! My homework is doing some squats today, but it's so nice outside I won't mind too much. :)
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Re: JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Sun Jun 06, 2021 8:53 am

Thanks Erin! Your week sounds wonderful. Happy that you're able to play pickleball again:) Eating the 50/50 plate for most meals is a great idea. Hope your weather continues fair for outside activities!

No worries CindyD! Congrats on being at the lower end of your recent weight range and on doing the workouts! Good idea to not buy almond butter if that might be tempting for you. Haha, yes I am already in the UK so it was just a 2 hour trip to the coast. This was a family trip postponed from last year to celebrate my Mum's 80th birthday so we were very happy to be able to do it! And the weather was mostly good :) It sounds like you've travelled a lot within the US. How long have you been near Chicago? Do let me know if/when you visit the UK, I'd love to meet up! The lentil and veg soup sounds good. Good luck with the squats!

Hope everyone has a good week xx
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Re: JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Sun Jun 06, 2021 9:04 am

The weekend away was lovely. Being able to spend time with Mum, brother and sister-in-law was wonderful after not being able to see them for most of the last 15 months. Food-wise, I scored myself about a 7 out of 10 against the regular program checklist. Some oil and salt in the restaurant evening meals, and some more processed foods at lunchtime (vegan sandwiches and vegan cake). Be interesting to see what the scales say tomorrow. With the hotel and restaurants only recently re-opening after lockdown I went with menu options, rather than asking for something else. There were lots of new staff and new procedures and I didn't want to add to the workload. It was interesting to see that both restaurants had a more extensive vegan menu than on our previous visit 2.5 years ago.

Hope everyone has a great week!
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Re: JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Thu Jun 17, 2021 1:14 am

Hello everyone,

How’s your week been?

After CindyD’s post last month, I revisited the very interesting post from Wildgoose about how she settled on her end weight. How about anyone else who has lost weight by eating this way: how did you work out a goal or end weight?

Starting the MWL program in May 2017 I set a goal to lose 10 pounds. Mostly because it was a round number and fitted with my self-image of ‘needing to lose a few pounds’! After that I set another 10 pound goal and then a 5 pound goal. This took me to 125 pounds; so at 5 feet 5 inches tall this gives a BMI of 20.8. I decided to stop there due to feeling a little fatigued with MWL and wanting to reintroduce some richer foods. I’m pretty happy with this weight but may do a longer MWL experiment just to see where my weight would settle.

Erin – I thought I spotted a post from you last Friday, but it seems to have vanished…or else I was dreaming :?

The weather has been warm so I made Cathy Fisher’s Tabouli (Tabbouleh) which was tasty and very refreshing. Had it with some green salad, hummus and roasted sweet potato. After my recent trip to Cornwall, and some off-program eating in restaurants, my weight is up by a pound so I’m working my way back to closer compliance now! Sadly we didn't get to meet any of the G7 country leaders who were having a summit nearby, but we did spot Air Force 1 parked up at Newquay airport!

Best wishes, Sue x
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Re: JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Thu Jun 17, 2021 8:35 am

Hello. Week has been good, we just got back from 5 nights of camping. Well it’s really glamping as it’s in a big fifth wheel. We wanted to have full hook ups to test everything as we will take this down the the US this winter assuming the border opens. Had a nice time visiting with friends and family and playing some games. Rode the ebikes around to do some exploring.

Sue, I think you are correct my last post disappeared. Good thing it’s easy to write another. :-D That’s a very good question about how we determine end goal weight. I think I am a bit like Wildgoose, it sort of evolved with time. When I originally started McDougall at the very end of 2014 I knew I needed to lose at least 20 pounds. That would bring me down to 121. But since I enjoy veggies and large salad/rice bowls so much my weight kept dropping over time. At 5’ 2”, I can be 101 pounds and be at the lowest range for a healthy BMI. Right now I’m hovering about 107 or 108. I want 105 to be my maximum though. I’ve used the same scale for many years and it also shows body fat %. I’m sure most people don’t think that’s very accurate, but I do. I say this because years ago I went to this place where they do body analysis and the body fat % they provided was very close. Anyways, I went back and looked and with weight range from 102 to 112 my body fat % ranges from 23.5% to 28%. My goal now is to work on changing my body composition to get to 20% body fat. I’m not just doing this based on the number appearing on my scale. I use how my body looks and feels as the primary indicator. I’ve said before, I have jiggly stuff where I shouldn’t have jiggly stuff so I will continue to work on strength and fitness along with healthy eating. Jeff Novick had recently written not to waste time on the smaller exercises such as bicep curls, but to do compound exercises for the chest and back. I bought weights, but will need to get some heavier ones soon. So every second day I am doing bench presses, rows, and deadlifts. I do feel it in my back so will be interesting to see how much progress I can make in the next few months. Overall, I just want to stay as strong as possible as I age so that I can be active and not struggle to lift boxes and groceries. And of course I plan to be on the Pickleball courts until at least 100. 8)

I think in my last disappearing post I mentioned blanched kale. I just wanted to say again I will definitely be batching and freezing more kale this summer as it will get super cheap soon. When we were camping it was very handy to grab a couple handfuls to throw in my big rice bowl. I really enjoy the chewiness of it. And because it shrinks quite a bit from raw state, I’m sure I’m consuming more which is a win also. I always buy frozen spinach, but I’ve not seen frozen kale in the stores here, guess I should look.

Sue, glad you enjoyed the Tabouli, maybe I will make some soon. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

Erin
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Re: JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby CindyD » Thu Jun 17, 2021 10:13 am

Hello!
I saw some posts that disappeared, so I can also confirm it happened!
I also lost my password but luckily a nice person named Carol was able to send me a new one.

Definitely interesting to see how people think about their goal weight. My original "goal" was 150, which would have been my lowest in about 25 years and sounded good, though when I originally picked that number I didn't realize how truly exceptional the MWL plan would be for weight loss. I'm now about 140 which is a BMI of exactly 21.0 and I am pretty thrilled about it.

I am still seeing the trainer, twice a week for half an hour each time. Like Ejeff I need to get some weights and do my own thing. I do like the trainer and just in general the feedback and encouragement, but it's probably not a long term strategy because it's not cheap! Also like Ejeff, I have jiggly bits. But some is extra skin that may improve a little but probably most of that is here to stay. It's ok! I prefer that to the extra 72 pounds.

Ejeff, the camping sounds great! I haven't been in ages, but I would prefer the hookups and conveniences as well. I'm going to Florida to see some family next month and stay with my sister. I plan to go shopping and do the cooking while I'm there. I may even buy her an early birthday Instant Pot to make my life easier even though it's only three days. :D

I haven't had much kale recently but I should get some. I've been making big dinner salads with mixed greens, green or red onion, red cabbage, lightly steamed brocc, some tofu and cooked fancy mushrooms (Costco has this fancy mix and they are really good!) Oh, and a ginger sesame (tahini) dressing I found at Whole Foods.

Suey, you ate at restaurants and only "gained" a pound - wow great job! I think it makes sense you can stray just a bit once in a while and as long as you get back on track, you're doing grand. So nice that the vegan restaurants had updated options.

In answer to your earlier question, I've lived in Evanston (north of Chicago) for about 12 years. Before that, Florida. Born in Connecticut. (Also lived in California several years, and very briefly in Cincinnati, OH and Austin, TX) :D
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Re: JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Fri Jun 18, 2021 8:38 am

Hi Erin! The camping/glamping sounds lovely. Is a fifth wheel the same as a caravan? It’s a new term to me! Thanks for sharing your story about how your end goal weight has evolved over time. Have you always enjoyed veggies and large salad/rice bowls? Are you seeing improvements in the jiggly stuff with the weight training? Do you have a link to the Jeff Novick comment about exercises? Sounds similar to the type of exercises a Personal Trainer gave me a few years ago. They were really good for overall strenght and tooning - must get back to them! Love your goals of staying strong as possible as you age and being on the Pickleball courts till you’re 100 :-D Hope you find some super cheap kale. We don’t have any growing in the garden and I’m shocked at the small bag size / price of it in the shops at the moment! I’ve tried a couple of other Tabouli recipes but this once suited me best so I'll plan to do it again over the Summer. Forgot to say on previous post that I used bulgur rather than millet.

Hi CindyD! Thanks for sharing feedback on your weight loss goals. Very well said: ‘I didn’t realise how truly exceptional the MWL plan would be for weight loss’ – so true! Congrats on achieving that amount of weight loss – 72 pounds is amazing! (Clapping emoji!) Does your sister also eat this way or will you cook different meals for her? An early birthday pressie Instant Pot sounds fab; wish you were my sister! :lol: I haven’t got an Instant Pot – do you recommend them? What do you cook in yours and how often do you use it? Your big dinner salads sound yummy :-D Thanks, I was relieved to gain only a pound but it still surprises me how tricky it can be to get straight back on track. We were away 5 days on the second trip and I’m still being drawn towards those richer foods…. Did an online search on Evanston and it looks like a good place to live :-D

We are visiting my father-in-law on Sunday as its Father’s Day here in the UK. He will BBQ some stuff for the non-McDougallers and we’ll take other dishes. Do you have any fav dishes to take to such a gathering?

Best wishes for the weekend, Sue x
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Re: JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Sat Jun 19, 2021 7:44 am

Sue, I cannot find the link. It was a post by GlennR that was titled muscle growth. Jeff essentially said don’t waste your time on small isolated exercises. Lift weights 2 to 3 times a week, 2 to 3 sets. Use compound exercises only that focus on chest, back and thighs. Maybe you can find the post...searching doesn’t return much for me. This makes sense to me, so I stopped doing the bicep curls and the arm routine I was doing. Rows make more sense as it’s true doing the rows I am now working arms and back at the same time. I think the jiggly parts are improving, takes lots of time though.

A fifth wheel is essentially a large trailer that you pull behind your truck. The difference between a fifth wheel and a trailer is that the fifth wheel is hitched several feet inside the truck box so supposedly it makes pulling length a bit shorter and perhaps more stable. I don’t know what a caravan is lol.

This bean salad has always been a big hit for family events. I just leave out the oil. It has nice flavour and it’s pretty.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/14169/mexican-bean-salad/

You didn’t ask me, but I have an instant pot and a stovetop pressure cooker. I don’t need both, but that’s another story. I like to cook steel cut oats it’s very fast and also lentil stew. I don’t really use it all that much, but it is handy sometimes. I have been boiling my brown rice like pasta so I don’t use the instant pot for that.

Erin
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Re: JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby CindyD » Sun Jun 20, 2021 8:29 am

Ejeff, me too! I cook at least one batch of steel-cut oats in the Instant Pot weekly, plus lots of lentil soup/stew. I'm trying to get in the habit of cooking beans in there, especially since I read that the need to soak beans is a myth.
https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/soaking-salting-dried-bean-myths-article!
(Though, one supposed benefit is that soaking beans makes them cause less gas. But since I eat so much veg and beans I don't worry about that anymore.)

Fresh cooked garbanzo beans taste much better to me than canned, more mild. Plus I think the canned ones smell kind of terrible! But even with the canned ones, I like to roast them and put them in salads or just snack on them:
Toss with some tamari, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric and curry powder (or your favorite spices), spread evenly on a large pan with parchment paper, cook 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. They are really good! One of the first recipes I learned when I started my WFPB lifestyle last July.

Suey in answer to your question, my 58-yr old sister is very heavy and diabetic. She does not eat this way. But I will not be cooking her anything different. I hope to set a good example and show her how easy this lifestyle is. (While also understanding that the first few months are much more challenging than later on.) We grew up in a very heavy family (except our skinny brother, grrr lol). I think she will be surprised by my changes and I hope it will be encouraging, maybe even inspiring to her! She has taken my advice to cut dairy drastically, so that's a start. And I've also suggested oatmeal for breakfast every day, any kind but instant oats.

That reminds me! I just saw "Quick Cook" Steel Cut Oats at Costco and though I would love that because they are cheaper in the size they sell, but I am skeptical. I should have taken a photo of the package. The ingredients are just "whole grain oats" but I don't know what processing was done in order to make them instant. Ok, so I just looked them up online and apparently the "Quick" part is in the microwave, and they still take 45 minutes on the stovetop (or about 20-25 minutes in the Instant Pot including warming up time!) So maybe I will try them next time I go. I am so lucky to have a Costco less than 2 miles from my work. :)

I really do recommend the Instant Pot. I read so much about Instant Pot cooking but never thought I would do it. Then finally I bought one and it sat unopened for 2 months. And then I made some stuff and holy cow! So easy! No watching the stove, easy clean up, I just love it to death. I think I grabbed one for under $80 or so on sale, a 6-quart one. I don't measure stuff, I just dump stuff in it.

By the way, it's so nice to chat with you guys! The MWL threads were excellent but less interaction because it was so many people. Of course, I'd love to see more people in this one just because it would mean the message is spreading far and wide. I have been trying to think of ways in my life to spread this message, specifically a whole foods plant-based vegan message. Recently I started painting farm animals in hopes of bringing attention and helping rescued ones. I've been trying to learn to paint for about 10 years and it's a good project.

Wow, this was a long ramble. Have a great week Suey and Ejeff! I'm going to go make some IP garbanzo beans. :)
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Re: JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Fri Jun 25, 2021 4:21 am

First up, replies to last week's posts:

Thanks Erin and CindyB for your feedback on the Instant Pot. Very helpful and interesting. I’m tempted to get one but need to clear some room in the kitchen first. We have a slow cooker, which I no longer use, I think because when making soups or chillis I saute the onions etc first and then just stay with the stove top pan. (And I’ve never really figured out the timings!) Also, I wasn’t sure about cooking dried pulses in it but I might give that a go. We used to have a pressure cooker but got rid of that many moons ago. We’re trying to declutter throughout the house so I want to focus on that at the moment and then revisit bringing in any new things!

Erin - thanks for the bean salad recipe. :) It looks great and I will give it a go, perhaps for another family gathering in early July. My plan is a hot chilli if the weather’s cold and the cold bean salad if its warmer! Thanks also for the exercise information; I’ll have a look for the post. A caravan must be a UK term, I think it’s what is called a trailer in the US.

CindyD – I’m surprised those ‘Quick’ Cook Steel Cut Oats still take so long to cook. However, maybe that’s because I’m not familiar with steel cut oats as they don’t seem to be a thing in the UK. We can get oatmeal which I think is similar, although it may be ground more finely than steel cut oats or rolled porridge oats. Thanks for reminding me about roasted garbanzo beans/chick peas. We haven’t done those in a long time. Sorry to hear about your sister’s diabetes and I’m sure that you are an inspiration to her! It sounds like she’s receptive to trying new things so that’s encouraging. Do let us know how your visit goes. It’s so lovely to chat with you too; I’m very pleased you joined the maintenance threads. The painting sounds like an interesting and worthwhile project. Are you painting them from real life? Are there any photos you’d like to share here? It sounds like you’re already spreading the message about this way of eating (for example, with your sister). Look forward to hearing more about other ideas as and when you're ready to share :)
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Re: JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Fri Jun 25, 2021 4:45 am

And secondly, a topic for discussion, if you fancy sharing your thoughts!

This week, I've been thinking about community during the maintenance stage of McDougall-ing. Do you have other people in your house/family/friends etc. that eat this way? Have you taken part in a McDougall pot luck or other face-to-face or virtual event with other McDougallers? How important is connecting with like-minded people for you to keep on track in the long-term? What strategies do you use to keep on track when sharing meals with non-McDougallers?

Please feel free to share as much or as little as you like or ignore if the topic doesn't interest you! :lol: I'll share my own thoughts in the next day or two but need to pop out shortly! x
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Re: JUNE 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Fri Jun 25, 2021 9:49 am

It was sooooo lovely to read both your messages last weekend. I’d been feeling a little flat so the timing was perfect and really cheered me up! This week I tried a new cardio/weights class with music which was great fun:) My arms and legs are still feeling tired but I think that’s a good sign! I’m still about a pound above goal weight as I’ve not got fully back on track since my trips away.

CindyD – you’ve inspired me to have another go at cooking dried beans from scratch and I’ve even dusted off the slow cooker for the occasion! The white beans are a little old so it'll be interesting to see how it does!

On the subject of community:

My husband eats this way most of the time (anything between 60 and 90 percent) but doesn’t call himself a McDougaller. I feel lucky that he has adopted this way of eating to the extent that he has and that he’s willing to cook compliant meals for us. He’s seen big benefits since he changed his diet so that helps him stay motivated. There’s been more off-program foods in the house recently as we also have my adult step-daughter living with us and I do end up eating some of them on occasion.

I’ve been very lucky to meet some other UK McDougallers in 2019, at a pot luck lunch one of them organised and then at a health conference in London where Dr Barnard, Dr Greger and some UK plant based doctors did presentations. I’ve recently found out that there’s a McDougaller who lives about 15 minutes away so we’ll definitely invite her to the next pot luck! I also went to a McDougall weekend in Santa Rosa in March 2019. Connecting with other McDougallers helps me feel less alone in a world where everyone else eats differently and the presence of other foods in advertising, restaurants, supermarkets can feel overwhelming at times. I feel so luck to have this online community of people that I can chat with, ask questions of and generally share the maintenance experience with. Perhaps other people are happy doing their own thing and don't feel the need to connect in the same way?

If going to non-McDougallers’ households for meals I will either take something with me (mostly I’ll offer to bring a dish to share or sometimes take a small portion of something just for me) and/or eat something first, so I can just have the salad or veggies or whatever items are compliant. When I go to my Mum’s I’ll either take some soup for us all to share or suggest we do jacket/baked potatoes; with both options we can have different accompaniments.
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