JANUARY 2020 Maintenance Thread

[Ejeff]

Mark I will try to find some of those Cosmic crisp apples. You eat so clean and no snacks that’s so great!

Last few evenings had too much food, so I’m now going to limit any after supper eating to a few raisins or a piece of fruit. Nothing else. I need to have a hard rule in place otherwise I won’t stop this quickly. Otherwise challenge is still great.

[Lyndzie]

Hi everyone! I’ve had some expected temptations that I’m trying to navigate (sometimes more successfully than others), but on the plus side I had a doctors appointment recently and my weight was reasonable (my scale is out of batteries and I’m trying out what that is like without it). My blood pressure was up a touch, but I think I was nervous for the visit which did not help.

Mark - I have heard of the Cosmic Crisp. Next time I’m at the grocery I will look for them. We’ve been eating through different varieties and picking our favorites. We’ve had gala, pink lady, golden delicious, red delicious, next is granny smith. Glad to hear you are still feeling fairly well.

Erin - Have you reached your final destination? I saw someone post in the MWL thread about traveling in an RV, but I’m not sure I could locate that post (that thread is about a mile long!). We’ve had bok choy multiple times this week as well, it’s my favorite! We’ve been having canned fruit for dessert lately, which doesn’t sound very exciting but the canned pears are quite tasty.

Sue - Excellent adherence to the list! Thanks for posting all the links. The interview with Dr. McDougall was good, he sure is full of enthusiasm. I’ve been meaning to rewatch The Perfect Personality, mine seems to be causing me trouble these days!

[Ejeff]

Lindsey, yes we have reached our final destination and won’t move again until March 1st. Actually canned pears sounds very good to me, I will add that to my shopping list. Glad your doctor appointment went well and your weight is reasonable.

[Mark Cooper]

Happy Friday, all!

I had an exceptionally good week managing my CRPS, pain was mild the vast majority of the time. My weight / BMI is actually trending down, although I expect it will stabilize again pretty soon.

I'm glad your visit with the doctor went well, Lindsey; I used to always have "white coat syndrome" with BP readings at an appointment.

Enjoy your current settlement, Erin; hopefully the next month and a half will be nice weather for you.

[Suey51]

Yay Mark, so pleased you had a good week

Lindsey - great news about your visit to the DR's and your weight

Erin - I'm with you on limiting the after supper eating. Glad your challenge is going well

Weight is the same as last week and scored 8.3 out of 10 on the MWL checklist so I'm happy with both of those measures. Had a day of travelling and then getting settled in a new environment so some different challenges to navigate but all is good Watching The Cram Circuit webinar video reminded me what's causing the evening snacking and is helping me get out of that habit.

Exercise-wise, did a big walk with a local group plus lots of walking around town with my husband; been to two yoga classes and a gentle aerobics class and played padel.

Best wishes x

[Mark Cooper]

Way to go with your commitment to the checklist, Sue! That Cram Circuit video is a real eye-opener. Enjoy the new environs!

[wildgoose]

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.

Lindsey, I’d like to join if you’ll have me. I’m trying to figure out what maintenance is going to look like for me.

Goose

[Mark Cooper]

I'm so glad you've decided to join the group, wildgoose! Welcome & thanks for all your help in the MWL group!

[wildgoose]

Thanks, Mark. You’re doing a fabulous job with a very busy MWL group. Glad I can contribute a bit.

Goose

[Suey51]

Welcome Goose! Happy that you're joining the group

My weight is up by a pound this morning after a few days with some off-plan eating. There are some different dynamics in my life at the moment and some of the off-plan eating was because of changes in the environment and some was to sooth jangled nerves. Nothing major; just some ripples that disturbed the waters in the pond a little As usual, its been a learning opportunity!

Best wishes to all xx

[Ejeff]

Sue, glad it’s just a few ripples! I agree the learning never stops and it’s fun to learn and progress. I’m down about half a pound this week. Eating very healthy although probably too much avocado last couple days. Keeping quite active which is what I enjoy. Planning to make tuno salad this week, falafels with spicy sauce and cilantro pesto. Haven’t made the pesto recipe before, but I think I would enjoy it on pasta. My challenge has really helped me keep on track avoiding eating out and such. Wishing you all a great week.

[Mark Cooper]

Sue - Even after all this time, I still feel like I'm learning pretty much every day! Those "ripples" can be frustrating, but also enlightening sometimes (as long as they don't turn into TSUNAMI's ).

Erin - Your meal plan for the week sounds absolutely delicious!

I had another good week managing my CRPS. My weight seems to have stabilized, just a bit lower than my previous "set point." As always, I'm eating in accordance with the MWL 10-Point Checklist. I had a pretty busy week (for me) with a lot of expeditions "offsite." I've been loving the Sumo Citrus this week - came home from the grocer with 2 boxes!

[wildgoose]

Sue, thanks for the welcome. I get that life happens, and that it’s always an opportunity to learn. The good thing is, it’s just a few ripples. And you know what to do about it.

Erin, I’ve always wanted to make falafel but never got up the nerve. Do you have a recipe/technique that you especially like?

Mark, happy to hear about stable weight and good pain management. And I’m so jealous of your Sumo Citrus! We rarely see them here. I have a friend who normally gets them shipped in, but she took off for snowbird country this year, so I’m out of luck.

As for me, I looked over my journal, and I’ve been stable in a 3 pound range for 3 months now. BMI in the mid-19s. I’m happy with that. I’m still dealing with intermittent joint pain, which may or may not be food related. I’m slowly approaching the idea of exercise (which I know would be good for me, and I still resist heartily). I did a post on that over on MWL.

I’m trying to see if I can add some condiments (Well Your World Asian Everything Sauce, a few flavored balsamics) to basic MWL and still be OK. I know that flour and salt and sugar don’t work for me for the most part, but I don’t know about some of the other potential add-ins. I guess the only thing to do is try. If I find myself liking something too much, I have my answer!

Goose

[Mark Cooper]

I really loved that post on exercise, wildgoose! I'm curious to hear how your condiment "experiment" goes - best of luck!

[Lyndzie]

Yay! It’s wonderful to have you, WildGoose! I’m so grateful for my internet friends. It’s so nice to know that we’re not walking this road alone, even when it seems like we are the odd man out. You mentioned not being able to get the Sumo oranges. If you don’t mind sharing, what part of the world are you in? I’m in the Midwest and haven’t seen them yet, but they usually show up. Also, have you tried the WYW asian sauce? I am more adherent when I cut out sweeteners, but it’s hard to find a good sauce.

Mark - Sounds like you had an eventful week. How long will the Sumo last you? I’ve recently found out that I love grapefruit and have been buying 5 lb bags of them. It’s a taste of sunshine during the winter months.

Erin - Tuno salad is the best, I’ve been eating the FoK recipe quite a bit the past two months, is that what you use? Do you have a good falafel recipe? I’d be game to try something new, and falafels in pita are quick and easy. I came across a pesto recipe to try this week on pasta, but at the moment have completely spaced where I saw that.

Sue - Sorry to hear about the rough waters, but glad to hear it’s nothing major.

Well, I’ve not replaced the batteries in my scale, and I think that has been to my detriment. I was just going to go by the fit of my clothing and how I feel, but without the scale to give me feedback I seem pretty adept at turning a blind eye to the non-scale feedback. I’ve veered a little too far off the path this past week, partly planned (my husband’s birthday), and partly just gluttony. I’m back to the basics with a solid dinner of mashed potatoes and cabbage, and it has never tasted so good. I will get new batteries this weekend and face the music.

(Truth be told, I’m probably not too far off, but I tried on a swimsuit and that was a sobering experience! I’ll be attending a wedding in two months and would like to feel confident when I see all the extended family that one only sees at weddings and funerals).