Change all at once or focus on fundamentals?

Learn the basics and take the first steps to successfully implement the McDougall Program.

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Change all at once or focus on fundamentals?

Postby McCalister.A » Wed Oct 30, 2019 10:47 am

Right now my diet is pretty awful. I do eat healthy starch based meals but also SAD crap when I'm unprepared, feeling lazy or just having cravings. I drink coffee with plant based creamer and almond milk. I drink soda, I don't drink enough water. I feel like crap, I've gained a lot of weight. I previously had decent success and got to a healthy weight but developed disordered eating habits because I felt like I needed to continue getting smaller and smaller. So I went back to eating crap and now I'm stuck and feel like I can't get out. When I think about completely overhauling my diet and trying to be perfect I feel afraid of going back to having disordered thoughts around food and my body but I want to be healthy and I don't want to feel like crap. Any advice?
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Re: Change all at once or focus on fundamentals?

Postby kirkj » Wed Oct 30, 2019 12:06 pm

I'm sure you will many different answers to this question. I think all are valid and it depends on what works best for you.

I came to this way of eating gradually. I became vegan first. Weight loss was an important goal, but after going on and off diets for 40 years, I decided it wasn't a race (or a "diet"), and it was OK to lose weight very slowly. I set a goal of 2 pounds a month, and after a year I was 25 pounds lighter.

I then discovered this site and began eliminating lots of high fat and processed foods like peanut butter, tofu, seitan etc. Over the next year I lost a few more pounds. After those couple years I eliminated salt and worked to get my bmi a bit under 22. That was about 6 years ago and I have maintained that. My weight has been more stable in the past 6 years than it ever was in my whole life!

All that said, I now recognize some foods are triggers for me. I generally try to not eat anything I can binge on (like peanut butter or bread) unless I go out to eat which I only do about once a month.

Best of luck to you!
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Re: Change all at once or focus on fundamentals?

Postby michaelswarm » Wed Oct 30, 2019 7:19 pm

I recommend review Dr Doug Lisle’s talks:

Willpower
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ciZ4zN60Lq4

How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind (Full Lecture)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ

The Pleasure Trap (Full Lecture)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxf4kj8Rb6Y

No need to be perfect. Just be good. Get thinking in order. Understand deeply. Practice. Some people do seem to have addictive personality (like Chef AJ or Andrew SpuFit Taylor), and benefit from approaches that extinguish the addiction. Others can take moderate approach. Only you know which you are.

If you are sometimes unprepared, then work on prep, and make backup foods. For example I like to have some extra staples like potatoes, brown rice, lentils, bean, etc. always in the refrigerator. For travel I often take a tupperware container of baked french fry snacks.

If you sometimes need an indulgence, then work on on plan indulgences: air popped popcorn, whole grain crackers, fresh fruit, black bean brownies, sweet potato-pumpkin pie, banana ice cream, etc.

Skip the soda and try sparling water, lemon water, juicy fruits (watermellon, mellon, oranges, grapefruit, grapes), etc.

If you are here you are on the right track.
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Re: Change all at once or focus on fundamentals?

Postby Lyndzie » Thu Oct 31, 2019 9:39 pm

Hi there. I just saw this video and it reminded me of your post.

https://youtu.be/aA03GO-cIi8
Lindsey
My food journal: Adventures in Eating
My pregnancy journal: Maybe a Baby 2017
www.lindseyhead.coach
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Re: Change all at once or focus on fundamentals?

Postby victw » Fri Nov 01, 2019 2:49 pm

You might want to start with additions rather than deletions. Can you get more veggies in? Can/will you make half your plate veggies.

Ultimate it's an experiment. And it's more about tools and habits. Are you willing to change your environment? It's easy to say I will eat more veggies. But if there is junk in the house I know I'll eat it instead of the veggies.

Please experiment and report back how it works.

Vic
11/1/19 Sloppy - 137.6/21.55
1/1/19 Still maintaining - 134.8/21.11
10/12/18 Maintenance wt - 136.4 BMI 21.36
5/6/18 151.8 lbs 23.8 - Normal. 4/8/18 154.6 lbs BMI 24.2 - Normal. 3/11/18 161 BMI 25.2 Overweight.
3 years staying on plan is the goal.
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Re: Change all at once or focus on fundamentals?

Postby forgood » Wed Jul 08, 2020 6:39 pm

It's been a slow process for me, I kept trying and now I am 90% compliant, the occasional veggie burger out with family etc, is when I go off this way of eating, but I never eat out, and starting to bring my own food helps, if I do I eat a lot of potatoes beforehand now, so I'm not tempted to get something like fries because I'm full already. Don't go to the grocery store hungry either, I will get vegan junk food if I do. The food grows on you. I am still working on cutting down my sodium and caffeine.

But you know yourself best, some people can jump right in and do this overnight, I kept trying but that wasn't me.
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