My MWL Diary

Share your daily McDougall menus and/or keep a journal describing your personal progress.

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My MWL Diary

Postby RacingSnake108 » Wed May 26, 2021 12:59 am

Very brief introduction about who I am; I'm a Swedish 43 year old runner living in the UK. I have been vegan for 10 years (ethical) and vegetarian since I was 15.
I first found McDougall probably around 2010 or so, and have dabbled and flirted with this way of eating ever since, without committing to it for more than a few months at a time.

I've now reached a point where I can no longer deceive myself. I am fed up (no pun intended) putting gustatory "pleasures" ahead of my physical health, wellbeing and appearance.

I don't need to look at the scientific literature, I only have to look back at my own history as an experiment of one. The times in my life when I have stuck to a 90%+ WFPB diet I have looked my best, felt my best and ran my best. Nothing has come even close to the wellbeing I feel in my body when I eat whole plants and keep the fat very low.

As of the beginning of May this year I have moved towards a MWL style of eating, and I now feel ready to remove the last pieces of processed food from my diet such as tofu and whole-wheat pasta. To use a tired old meme - I already know what it feels like to give up, I want to see what happens when I don't.
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Re: My MWL Diary

Postby RacingSnake108 » Thu May 27, 2021 12:46 am

Food Journal Wednesday 26 May 2021

Lunch:
I have read everywhere about the power of pre-loading so I thought I have to start doing this. It's in our 10 point checklist and I know Dr Greger also mentions it as part of his weightloss tweaks. So I started with a bowl of mixed frozen veg I microwaved. Definitely needed more salt and should have drained it all off better as I am not a fan of liquid at the bottom of the bowl. It was alright though.
I tried making porridge in my instant pot, and it sort of worked. I took half a cup of oats, 3 grated carrots and a handful of cooked black beans. Added some ginger and cinnamon. Next time I will use less water because it was all a bit to soupy, and I will add more salt and a frozen banana for sweetness. I put a cut up apple on top and it was all quite nice.
I also had a brazil nut for the selenium, I try to have one a few times a week.

Snack:
Not all in one sitting, but I had 2 apples and a small bowl of black beans.

Dinner:
I recently got an Instant Pot Duo somethingsomething, the big boy with the air fry lid. So I am finally trying to learn to cook. Expect mistakes on the way!!
I air fried a load of frozen button sprouts, and filled slightly less than half my plate with those. The other half was white rice (I enjoy healthy food very much but just can't stomach brown rice. I will keep trying though) and an absolutely delicious stew/soup I had made the other day in the IP and froze. It contained tinned tomatoes, red lentils, butternut squash, spices and the magic incredient - Scotch broth mix. For those of you who aren't familiar with it it's a mix of different dried legumes such as split peas and also pearl barley. I love the texture of really soggy cooked barley lol
For the dinner pre-load I just snacked on carrots as I cooked. I am a bit of a prep snacker, so I thought I might as well keep that habit but make it compliant by using it as my pre-load.

I recently purchased smaller plates as I have had a very bad habit of eating from what I call "my trough". I know you can eat a lot when you stick to this kind of food, but it's a definitely unhealthy thing mentally for me to eat like that. What I am doing now is serve up what I consider a normal portion, and should I be hungry still after 20 min or so I can go back for more.

For my exercise I just went for a 4 mile walk. The weather was nice, which made a pleasant change from all the rain we have had. On my way back from the walk I was sorely tempted to go to the shop and buy a vegan pizza or crisps as a "last supper". I have had plenty of last suppers, and decided I deserve better. So home I went to my delish dinner
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Re: My MWL Diary

Postby RacingSnake108 » Fri May 28, 2021 7:07 am

Food Journal Thursday 27 May

Lunch:
I have so many frozen bananas in my freezer and it has been stressing me out a bit. I'm very much a minimalist and this extends to the kitchen. I get overwhelmed when I have too much of anything in my house. So I decided to make flapjacks with some of the frozen bananas as sweetener.
I eyeballed the recipe and made it from rolled oats, bananas and 3 dates. I mixed in a fair amount of pumpkin seed and flaxseed as well as cacao powder. I baked it in the oven.
Then the HUMAN BIN mentality struck. I thought to myself this is not what I'm supposed to eat, it's not my plan, and instead of just chucking it or eating small pieces I proceeded to eat the whole thing.
While the ingredients are all wholesome this was way too many calories for me.

Then on to dinner, which was early and almost like an extension of lunch. This was a good case of "I already blew it so let's finish off some other stuff".

Dinner:
Started with some air-fried brussel sprouts. I am not a lover of them, can't seem to be no matter how many times I try. I think I have to find other seasonings. Then I had boiled rice and lentil stew. Compliant and tasty, but not a 50/50 plate and way too much.

So overall this was disappointing behavioural wise. The food was healthy, but my actions not.
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Re: My MWL Diary

Postby RacingSnake108 » Tue Nov 16, 2021 2:43 am

I have just read through my previous posts, and shamefacedly return here once more.

I wonder how many times I will allow the head gremlins to tell me that eating "normal" vegan food with lots of oil and refined carbohydrates are a perfectly healthy and positive way to live. The extra pounds I've gained since my last stint with McDougall tell a different story.

I don't know how many turns on this merry-go-round will be needed for me to finally commit, but I'm hoping I'm there now. I will be honest though and say I am not totally confident. I have a fabulous ability to deceive myself. I'm hopeful that the amount of physical and emotional pain I am feeling right now is enough to allow me to see this through and make it my new "normal".
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Re: My MWL Diary

Postby deweyswakms » Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:29 am

Hi from the soggy NW of USA.

"I have a fabulous ability to deceive myself." Oh boy, haven't we all done this!! I still do it, and talk to myself all the time: "you don't need that treat; you know this isn't 'real food'; WHY do you need this, now?" etc boring Like most hard things, this is a daily (hourly?) commitment.

I am sure you can do this. Try the MWL monthly challenge; you might not be 'perfect' from day one, but it's a process. And be gentle with yourself.

Marsha
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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Re: My MWL Diary

Postby RacingSnake108 » Sun Feb 27, 2022 3:04 am

Marsha how nice of you to come comment on my journal.

I haven't checked in in quite some time, but things are good. I had another couple of cycles of "I want to do what's proven to work (MWL)" and "I am vegan and that's good enough so I'll eat normal vegan food"

I don't know fully what it is, but something clicked in me recently. It no longer felt like a struggle. I just knew that this is the food my body likes and I enjoy eating it. The mental battle subsided and I feel really at peace for the first time in goodness knows how long.
I am now on day 10 of being fully compliant with my own rules. I say my own rules because even though I follow the principles of calorie density and I focus on starch, I have adapted the program to suit my own life and needs.

I have occasionally taken part in the MWL groups but I don't quite fall into that, and do what McDougall considers 'hacks' but that I consider adaptations to allow this to be a lifestyle and not a diet.

For reasons I won't fully go into here, I practice intermittent fasting. I have experimented with this over the past several years and my study of n=1 is conclusive; I feel so much better, regardless of food eaten, when I eat in a very short window. So I fast for a minimum of 20 hours per day. I certainly don't recommend this in general, but I love it and I will keep doing it.
The other big no-no is that I take a vegan protein shake when I break my fast. I am active in the gym and with running, and I have noticed improvements in my hair since I started taking it. I won't say it's something I will do for life but it suits my purposes.
I also track all my food in Chronometer.

So there you have it. My daily blueprint is to go about my day, do my workout, and in the evening I have a two-part meal with a protein shake and fruit, followed a bit later by a starch/bean/veggie meal.

Feel great and it feels right and sustainable.
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Re: My MWL Diary

Postby deweyswakms » Sun Mar 06, 2022 11:25 am

Good morning from the soggy NW of US.

Yes, I too do a few tweaks to MWL way of eating, and it really helps me stay full and satisfied. Important to find the 'sweet spot' for our bodies which, by the way, changes as we age. I am 'old' now but thanks to eating this way, I have almost no aches/pains.

Continued success, Marsha
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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