Trinity's Journey to Thriving

[trueunity]

May 31, 2023

CW: 136
SW: 134
GW: 115

My name is Trinity (trueunity), I'm currently 45 years old. My goal is to lose 21 pounds, then start the journey of learning how to maintain the new found weight and body. This is my first time posting in this group. This is my first journal entry.


I have been following the McDougall way since November 2020. But my story started back in 2010 at 295 pounds. I got to the point where I was sick and tried of being sick and tried. Now that I have almost reached the finish line 13 hard years later, I'm starting to get frustrated, I have been stuck at my current weight give or take 6 pound up / down. I'm ready to get off this roller coaster. I'm ready to live a fulfilled life at a happy body weight.

Morning food and drinks
4x 8 oz coffee ( black)
2x medium bananas, 16 oz frozen bag of broccoli (steamed), oatmeal 1/2 cup dry cooked in water, with cinnamon and 1/2 tsp sugar over top, 7 small tofu chunks, 2 small potatoes.

Snack
10 oz container of grape tomatoes

Lunch
Salad with power greens and iceberg mix, grape tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, mini peppers, steamed green beans and 2 yellow potatoes.

Snack
Apple and Banana

Dinner
1 head of romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup chick peas, 2 large and 3 small yellow potatoes

dessert
Watermelon

Exercise
25 mins flow yoga, 29 min strength workout, 8795 Steps

Water
102 oz

[trueunity]

June 1, 2023

Morning
Banana, 1/2 cup dry oats cooked in water with cinnamon, 1 tbsp ground flax and 1/2 tsp sugar, 16 oz bag frozen cauliflower steamed.

Snack
Celery and carrot sticks

Lunch
Salad with power greens and iceberg salad mix, mini sweet peppers, grape tomatoes, cucumber, and carrots, steamed green beans and carrots, 1 large yellow potato.

Snack
Apple

Dinner
1 cup cooked white rice, 1/2 cup light kidney beans, steamed carrots, green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower, 4 tsp liquid aminos

Dessert
Watermelon

Water
88 oz

Coffee
32 oz black coffee

exercise
88 minutes cardio, core, and strength, Steps 13,358

Over all I feel really good today! Excited to see what transpires over the next few weeks.

[trueunity]

June 2, 2023

Today was a good day, all though my weigh in for the week did not go as planned. I did not let it get to my head, like a normally do.

CW: 138
SW: 134
GW: 115

Morning:
3 cups of coffee, 2 cups with 1 tbsp of oatmilk, banana, Steamed cauliflower and broccoli, and a Hawaiian sweet potato (steamed) with cinnamon.

Lunch:
Salad with power greens and iceberg salad mix, carrots, grape tomatoes, and mini sweet peppers, 3/4 cups white rice, 1/2 cup kidney beans, steamed carrots, green beans, cauliflower and broccoli, with 1 tbsp liquid aminos.

Snack:
Peach and small both small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.

Dinner:
Corn on the cob, 16 bag frozen green beans (steamed), 2 yellow potatoes, 1 cup coffee with 1 tbsp oatmilk

Additional food eaten after dinner, I had 4 little snack'mm pickles, a banana and a yellow potato

Water:
68 oz

Exercise:
62 Minutes, 13,734 Steps

Not sure what I did this week to gain 4 pounds. I'm struggling to continue eating this way. I'm here to gain health and lose weight so that my joints do not hurt as bad during my workouts and daily movement. If my health is just going to continue to decline and my weight is going to keep going up and down...I just don't know....I'm lost. I have been stuck at my current weight roller coaster since December 2022 the frustration is real.

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Trinity!

Great to see a new journal thread...

Wow !!! It sounds like you have lost about 160ish pounds and kept them off over the years!! That's phenomenal!!!

I can totally relate to wanting to release the last few pesky pounds. For me, it really has been "time and adherence" to the 10 point MWL checklist --- just keep going!

I am wondering if you enjoy what you are eating? Or, maybe there are other MWL-adherent foods that you can try? Reason I ask is that you mentioned that you are struggling with this way of eating. There are so many foods to choose from --- so I bet you can find something delicious to your taste (if what you are eating now is not)... Just food for thought...

Wishing you the best,
Stephanie

[trueunity]

Thank you for the wonderful comments @vegseekingfit

My struggle is not with the food, I love my very simple food. I'm actually afraid of to much variety cause I look at foods even one that are complaint and I gain weight.

My actual struggle is the lifestyle.

If I can not get this weight off, that I'm seeking to release after 3 years of trying, then I feel like I may have chosen the wrong lifestyle and have to find some other diet to help me on my journey. I'm 45 years old and I'm so tried of fighting with the weight. I just want it gone so I can try to live some kind of normal, fit lifestyle.

[trueunity]

June 3, 2023

Happy Saturday!!

Here is today's foods!!

Breakfast:
Steamed broccoli and yellow potatoes, 2 bananas

Lunch:
Salad with power greens and veggies, yellow potatoes, broccoli and a little over 2.5 oz kidney beans

Dinner:
Yellow potatoes, steamed cauliflower, carrots and tomato slices

Snacks:
Carrots, cucumber and celery, sliced apple

Water: 92 oz
Coffee: 40 oz, 3 Tbsps. unsweetened soy milk in the coffees.

Exercise:
32 minutes cardio yoga, 28 minute Barre class.
Steps: 13,000 +

I was not having a very good day today.
I was super stuck in my head.
When I'm stuck in my head I get pretty negative and my self worth tanks.

I made one smart choice today which was not to binge. I feel like no matter what I do its not enough. my hormones are out of wack, my face is broke out, and my joints are hurting today. Writing this makes me feel like crying. But there's no point in feeling sorry for myself. Only I can change my mindset. I have to choose to be happy even on the hard days. I have to choose to love myself, even when I don't want to. NO one else ever will.

[Ejeff]

Trinity, I’m sorry you are struggling. You seem quite diligent with tracking your food and you are doing a lot of exercise. I know it might sound counterintuitive, but perhaps you need to increase you food intake for a short period. I remember a few years ago I was chatting with a guy and he said he could not lose weight until he increased his intake. He was an avid cycler. I’m not sure why it worked for him, but it did.

Another suggestion I have is switching out your potatoes for another starch more often. Like perhaps more beans and dropping a potato from the meal. Or having barley or rice instead. Maybe your body for some reason doesn’t do as well with potatoes. Or maybe sweet potatoes would be a good option.

I hope you give this diet more time and don’t switch to something else. If you would like to private message me we could chat more. You are not alone in your struggles that’s for sure.

Erin

[trueunity]

June 4, 2023

Today was a great day! I was in a great headspace, Maybe its the fact that I got to sleep in this morning, that I had a simply slow day, ticked two things off my to-do list, or because I ate some really good foods today, just like everyday.

Pre-Breakfast:
2 Bananas, 2 (8oz) cups of coffee with 1 tbsp unsweetened oatmilk in each.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal cooked with water, cinnamon and a banana, steamed cauliflower and broccoli.

Snack:
Apple

Lunch:
2 medium yellow potatoes, 2 whole carrots (sliced), 1 tomato and half a head of romaine lettuce, 1 (8 oz) cup of black coffee.

Additional coffee (8 oz) with 1 tbsp unsweetened soy milk.

Dinner:
1/2 cup black beans, 2 medium red potatoes, steamed green beans and carrots.

Water:
84 oz

Exercise:
61 Minutes of Booti Cardio
7.500 steps

[trueunity]

06/05

Daily Simple Food

Meal 1:
Oatmeal with cinnamon and 1 tsp. sugar, steamed cauliflower with cinnamon

Snack:
Steamed Broccoli

Lunch:
Sweet Potato with cinnamon, green beans

Dinner:
Salad with veggies, black beans, and yellow and red potatoes

Today was a simple food day. Today I drink a lot of water 135 ounces
And I also had 4x 8oz cups of coffee

I did not have any fruit today, which is interesting. I usually can't stay out of it.

I realized today that I don't need as much food as I normally think that I do. Today I listened to my body and ate when I was hungry and I stopped when I was comfortably full.

[trueunity]

06/06

Food Log

Meal 1:
Oatmeal with cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. Sugar, and 1 Tbsp flaxseed.
Steamed Broccoli
Banana

Meal 2:
Salad with power greens and veggies
Yellow potatoes, black beans, carrots and green beans

Meal 3:
Carrots, cucumber slices, grape tomatoes, and red potatoes

Dessert:
Apple

Caffeine:
3x coffee (8oz)
1tbsp unsweetened soy milk

Water: 106 oz

Movement/activity ❇️❇️❇️

[trueunity]

06/07

Meal 1: Steamed cauliflower with cinnamon, oatmeal with cinnamon, 1 tsp sugar and 1 Tbsp flaxseed.

Snack:
Banana

Meal 2:
Red potatoes, carrots and green beans, salad with power greens and loaded with veggies.

Snack:
Banana

Meal 3:
Yellow potatoes, grape tomatoes, 1/2 cup chick peas, 1/2 a head romaine lettuce.

Water: 108 oz

Movement:
3 cross training workouts 87 minutes
11,000 Steps

Been feeling really good lately. Thank you for letting me/ all of us post our journeys to thriving.

[trueunity]

06/08

Meal log

Meal 1: Yellow potatoes, banana, steamed broccoli and 1/2 cup chick peas

Meal 2: Grape tomatoes and carrot sticks

Meal 3: Banana

Meal 4: Yellow potatoes, 1/2 cup chick peas, steamed green beans and carrots

Meal 5: Apple Slices

Meal 6: Roasted zucchini and roasted acorn squash

Movement: 60 minutes

Coffee:
40 oz

Water: 78 oz

[trueunity]

Meals for 06/09

This morning I did my weigh in, and the scale was up from Monday. It totally sent me into an over eating episode. My mood has been in the dirt all day. Hopefully I feel better tomorrow and can get back on track.

Breakfast:
Banana, steamed cauliflower, Hawaiian sweet potato, yellow potatoes X3 one potato not pictured.

Lunch:
Salad with power greens and veggies, yellow potatoes, steamed green beans and carrots

Snack:
Mango, banana ( not pictured), baby carrots

Dinner:
Corn on the cob, veggie/potato soup, banana

I have a food confession, I ate off plan vegan gummies. I stress ate over the scale being up. I know that it won't change anything, I know it will actually make it worse. I ate the candy but that was all, I made sure that my next meal was back on plan.

Ate two more bananas after dinner, not hungry but still struggling with my self critical role in today's activities. I usually am able to kick these feelings after a hot shower. Promise I will be better tomorrow after a good night's sleep.

[trueunity]

A 10-Point Checklist for Maximum Weight Loss

Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES, all meals start with cooked veggies mostly but sometimes I eat salad and veggies.

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 NO. I have been doing visual and weighing food on a food scale to get my numbers a bit more even. I think I have been over eating on healthy food and I feel like its causing me to not release weight.

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

Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). YES

Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). YES

Eliminate any added oil. YES

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

Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). NO. I had 3 cups of coffee with 1 tbsp of oatmilk creamer in each cup.

Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Not starving myself and not stuffing myself, but in all honesty I have been slightly restricting my calories. Trying to push through a plateau.

Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). YES I did (2) 30 minute workouts and a 1 hour walk on the treadmill at 3.5 to 3.8 speed.

Decided to use the MWL check list to get this party started. I disappeared for a bit because I did not know what to write. I saw that Mark use to do this, so I think it might help me.

Current Weight 131 pounds
Water: 108 Oz

[trueunity]

A 10-Point Checklist for Maximum Weight Loss

Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. YES, all meals start with cooked veggies mostly but sometimes I eat salad and veggies.

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 NO. I have been doing visual and weighing food on a food scale to get my numbers a bit more even. I think I have been over eating on healthy food and I feel like its causing me to not release weight. What I mean by this is I normally over fill my plate with food and then I eat everything I put on it because I don't want to waste food. Sometimes my eyes are hungrier than my stomach is. So for now until I can get my hunger/fullness in check I thank this method is working.

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

Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). YES

Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). YES

Eliminate any added oil. YES

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

Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). NO. I had 3 cups of coffee with 1 tbsp of oatmilk creamer in each cup.

Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Not starving myself and not stuffing myself, but in all honesty I have been slightly restricting my calories. Trying to push through a plateau.

Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). YES I did (2) 30 minute workouts



Current Weight 129 pounds
Water: 108 Oz