Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

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

Moderators: JeffN, f1jim, carolve, Heather McDougall

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby geo » Thu Apr 05, 2012 4:16 am

Day 36

B: 2 cups herbal tea
L: mex veggies with corn and salsa
herbal tea
S: apple
D: baked potat and sweet potato
S: 1/2 cantaloupe

Feeling good today. Stress at work but nothing too unusual. Was pretty well stuffed today with that cantaloupe again :) Thankfully its mostly just water. Ant thats something I've noticed. Since eating so many low-calorie veggies and fruits, my consumption of water has gone way down. I bet I only have 2-3 glasses of water and 3-4 cups herbal tea a day now. My food is becoming a major water source!

Been doing more research on exercise and fitness lately. Found Dr Len Kravitz's site. He is an excellent exercise physiologist and publishes a lot of papers on the recent exercise/fitness studies here:

http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Pages/articles.html

and here:

http://www.drlenkravitz.com/

Very good stuff! He writes it for basically personal trainers but its easy enough to read for the layman as well . His articles are short, concise and to the point. Its nice he compiles all the latest info and studies for you :-D Though got to admit his site looks like a reject from the mid 90's :lol:
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
geo
 
Posts: 2445
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:53 am

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby geo » Fri Apr 06, 2012 5:15 am

Day 37

B: gluten free hot cereal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
L: 2 baked potatoes
D: Baked potato, a little rice and mixed veggies with salsa
Orange

Had my 4-month dental checkup today. The dentist was quite happy with my teeth. She said I had virtually no tartar or plaque and that I had really improved my brushing technique. Didn't tell her I hadn't changed how I brush or floss at all. All that's changed is switching to a strict MWL plan for the last 5+ weeks. I wonder if this woe also improves dental hygiene? Seems like it :D

I can't eat as much as I used too. So I've been playing around with eating less, usually cutting back on the green and yellow vegetables due to their volume effects.

But I think that may be cutting too much nutrition out. So I will try adding the veggies in and cutting back just a bit on the starches for a while.

Any sign of hunger and I'll up my intake. Its like a delicate balancing act right now. I'm sure I'm over-reacting but my engineering mind says take it slow and precise, weigh all the variables, make a plan and execute on that plan. There's time to relax once I figure out my true needs.

I know for most that's just too much work and strictness. For me, its getting my head into a place where I understand the process and my body to feel the truth of it all. Belief comes from understanding and observation of the facts, that's my guiding principles...
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
geo
 
Posts: 2445
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:53 am

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby geo » Sat Apr 07, 2012 3:34 am

Day 38

B: 2 cups herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: mex veggies with corn and salsa
Pluot
herbal tea
D: baked potato and sweet potato
Apple

Good day but was tired after work. Went to bed early. Slept very well. I'll be working Sat evening unfortunately :( But easter should be fun. Will have the house blanketed with easter eggs to find. Yes they will be filled candy/chocolate. Its a tradition and I won't deny my dau the fun. I'll even be making the traditional easter dinner for the family, though I will stick to MWL for myself. Not really a hard thing to do. And I will add a few extra veggies in the meal for them :-D

Oh and since I've been researching exercise a lot lately this is a study from 2011 on High Intensity Interval Training and fat loss:

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobes/2011/868305/

It appears to be the best way to gain aerobic capacity and lose fat from exercise...
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
geo
 
Posts: 2445
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:53 am

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby geo » Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:05 am

Day 39

B: oatmeal with flx and cinnamon
herbal tea
L: rice and mixed veggies with salsa
orange
D: small potato and sweet potato
banana

Felt great today. Worked from 9PM till 2:30AM, a bit stressful but everything went fine. Did a lot of reading today, especially blogs on nutrition and exercise. There are a lot of people out their that like to keep tabs on all the latest studies and report the findings. Like the following:

Alex Hutchinson - http://sweatscience.runnersworld.com/

He's a fountain of information on all the latest exercise studies and his book, "Which comes first, Cardio or weights?" answers all the exercise questions you may have using the current literature and studies. Really good stuff.
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
geo
 
Posts: 2445
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:53 am

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby geo » Mon Apr 09, 2012 5:11 am

Day 40

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
orange
herbal tea
L: baked potato and sweet potato
banana
Dinner: rice and mex veggies with salsa
herbal tea

Great day. Dau had a fun time hunting down the easter eggs hidden all over the house. My wife gave me a few pieces of chocolate but I put them away for a future day :-) She did get me a frizbee as well...her way of gently saying maybe I should go outside and get some exercise with my daughter...gotta love a subtle woman :)

I got me a pair of OP Dominica water shoes yesterday at Walmart. Cheap ($8.99), but they are very comfortable. I'm actually using them to take walks now. They are meant for wear around/in water but they are almost like wearing a pair of those "shoe-less" running shoes. And they are all man-made so they don't shrink when dried out. Not sure how long they will last but they are more comfortable to walk in than my regular sneakers.

Also tried on a pair of jeans I hadn't worn in 3+ years. They not only fit but were a little loose. The new belt I got 2 weeks ago had to take in another notch. Little victories keep me going...tomorrow will be 6 weeks...
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
geo
 
Posts: 2445
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:53 am

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby geo » Tue Apr 10, 2012 4:26 am

Day 41 - week 6

Its been 6 weeks now and here are my numbers:

Weight: 235.2 down from: 239.8 started at: 261
BP: 128/77 down from: 129/74 started at: 153/92
Pulse: 51 up from:49 started at: 88
BMI: 31.9 started at: 35.4

So things continue to go in the right direction :D Down 25.8 lbs in 6 weeks. Thats a 4.3 lb/week average which is right in line with what DrM says about MWL. My BP seems to be a bit high still but that may be my machine. It seems to be a bit eradic over multiple measures lately.

B: 2 cups herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: mex veggies with salsa and corn
banana
D: baked potato and sweet potato
orange

Was a good day. Stress a bit down at work. I can tell my body is changing. My shirts are getting baggy and pants seem losser everyday :-D My dau wants me to go swimming with her this year. Pool opens up at end of May so maybe I'll be down another 25 by then. I promised her I would this year. And I will!

These past 6 weeks have gone by pretty quick. I don't think about food nearly as much as I had before. Eating has gotten boring. I don't really look forward to it as much as before and thats a good thing. I still get cravings for things like pizza and bread and even coffee after 17 months! There are just somethings I guess you never get over the smell of. But the difference is I don't feel the compulsion to have it that I used too. I can easily turn away from it or have something else that will satisfy me. So while my desires are still there they aren't controlling me and thats a much better place to be in.

I don't feel any desire either to stop this lifestyle. I've become used to it. Its actually become rather boring thinking about it. Nothing really special to talk or think about. What I think most about now is what will things be like by the end of the year? The days can't go by quick enough. Change always seems to be slow, but more so when you don't feel your really working at that change. I know I am, working at it, but honestly it doesn't feel like it. I'm in a very comfortable place now and its just waiting for the days to go by to get to that place I know is waiting for me.
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
geo
 
Posts: 2445
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:53 am

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby geo » Wed Apr 11, 2012 5:28 am

Day 42

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
L: rice and mixed veggies with salsa
banana
D: baked potato and mixed veggies with salsa
banana
herbal tea

Felt great today. Stress levels down since I worked from home. Dau's dance classes started back up today as their spring break is finally over. I think she was was really eager to be dancing again :)

I was testing myself a bit today and I ate a bit more than I usually do and I'm feeling it. Being stuffed is just not comfortable anymore. Its no longer the norm for me. If I eat a breakfast then I have to cut down on lunch or dinner or both.

I'm thinking that I need to stay within about 400-500 calories per meal (based on the foods I eat. i.e., lower calorie density). Its hard to do as I'm trying to undo habits that have taken decades to form. It's like if I don't see a plate full of food, then I'm afraid I won't be eating enough and will get hungry. Maybe if I start using smaller plates I can get over that psychological hurdle. Something to think about anyways...

Its been really cold here the last few days, last gasps of winter I guess. Supposed to snow a little tomorrow...I'll be needing to get new winter coats and such for next winter. All the stuff I have now is pretty much hanging off me. I'm trying not to buy anything less than 2 sizes down from where I'm at so I don't spend so much money :-D Oh well, I'd rather have the clothes look bad on me then me look bad in the clothes :lol:
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
geo
 
Posts: 2445
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:53 am

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby carollynne » Wed Apr 11, 2012 6:07 am

Good Morning to you geo! Hope you are having a good day !!
Love hearing about your dau dancing. I have only sons, so it is cute to hear about a dau.
Have a good day, and keep at this WOE, the rewards are great! good health, energy, and all around nice contented feeling that we are protecting the earth and the animals too.
I have lost about 60 lbs and never thought I'd be in the 150s ever again. cured my NAFLD!! Feel great!! Wt loss is so good for the knees and back, ankle, that I know I will never start back to the SAD way of eating again.
carollynne
 
Posts: 1492
Joined: Sun Feb 13, 2011 7:42 am

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby geo » Thu Apr 12, 2012 4:43 am

Thanks Carollynne! She loves dancing. Started when she was 5. She's also taking Gymnastics, well tumbling and flips right now. She wants to be able to do the more acrobatic moves they do in Dance. She's a pretty quick learner and turning out to be so graceful as well. Its not cheap, all the classes, but its well worth it and we love watching her perform :-)
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
geo
 
Posts: 2445
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:53 am

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby geo » Thu Apr 12, 2012 5:05 am

Day 43

B: 2 cups of herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: Steamed Chinese Veggies with brown rice and a touch of soy sauce
herbal tea
S: banana and herbal tea
D: baked potato and sweet potato
orange

Feel good today. Have some tendonitis in my left elbow/arm (tennis elbow I think). It kicked off a few weeks ago after doing some pushups and is still bothering me. If it doesn't get better in a few more weeks I may need to see a doctor. I've had this problem in the past and it always seems to take several weeks/months to clear up. For now, a little motrin keeps the pain down.

Went out to lunch with a good friend (Chinese again :) ). I need to start exploring other places for lunch. But the choices are so limited as everything seems to either be soaked in grease or cheese. I know I can probably just go to a steak house and have a baked potato/steamed veggies and a salad, but that just seems wrong somehow :-(

Oh well at least I'm saving money...and I need too so I can buy new clothes! McDougalling may be cheap, but the side effects certainly aren't :lol:
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
geo
 
Posts: 2445
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:53 am

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby geo » Fri Apr 13, 2012 5:00 am

Day 44

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
2 cups herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: mex veggies with salsa and corn
apple
herbal tea
S: herbal tea
D: rice and mixed veggies with salsa
banana

Felt great today. Light day at work today for a change. Caught up on a lot of forum reading. Jeff's facebook has been interesting lately. He had a recipe up for these curried sweet potato/bean burgers that looked great!

I'm ordering some of DrM's books like his Quick and Easy cookbook and his original McDougall Plan book. I know its outdated, but I'm interested to see how the plan may have changed over the last 30 years, compared to the Starch Solution.
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
geo
 
Posts: 2445
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:53 am

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby geo » Sat Apr 14, 2012 3:23 am

Day 45

B: 2 cups herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: mex veggies with corn and salsa
herbal tea
banana
S: herbal tea
D: baked potato and sweet potato
1/4 fresh pineapple - this was so incredibly good and sweet!!

Great day. Slow day at work so no stress. Went to bed early and slept like a log. Tried to upgrade my personal laptop and blew it up big time. Now I need to re-install from scratch. Oh well, it happens. Fortunately I have everything backed up so its just a time sink.

I'm hoping it starts getting warm this weekend so I can start walking again. Its just really been cold the past few weeks. I like to go walking with my dau. She loves her Ripstick. So she rips while I walk behind her. Great exercise for the both of us, though shes faster than I am.

I need to take a look at her bike as well. Seems she dropped it and the front brakes are now bent into the wheel, sigh, always something broken on the thing.
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
geo
 
Posts: 2445
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:53 am

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby working at it » Sat Apr 14, 2012 9:50 am

Geo,
Just read your journal, and find your approach to this woe refreshing and relaxed. And your results are impressive! Congratulations!

Your effort to educate yourself is inspiring too. Thanks for sharing what you are reading and learning.

About the need for smaller clothes: Had saved some things I had sentimental attachement to (wedding dress, special event clothes, etc) that I thought I'd never be able to wear again......and I was right... because they are now too big! Never expected that to happen. It's wonderful.
working at it
 
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 6:59 pm

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby Birdy » Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:29 am

Hi Geo,
I dropped in on your journal for the first time and kinda scanned through your first few posts then a bit of the recent posts. From the post on Wednesday 4/11 you talked about eating a bit more and feeling uncomfortably full. What I was thinking browsing through your posts is that you're not eating enough vegetables. If you're feeling hungry you might consider eating a salad at lunch and dinner along with the meals you're already having.

Also, it seems like you're making such good progress with the MWL! I look forward to hearing how your lab work results next time you're tested.

Swimming with your daughter sounds so great. 8)
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
User avatar
Birdy
 
Posts: 1248
Joined: Sun Oct 29, 2006 4:23 pm

Re: Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

Postby geo » Sun Apr 15, 2012 5:26 am

Hi Working at it! Welcome to my journal and thanks for the comments!
I'll probably give my old clothes away in a couple months...don't really want the reminders in my closet :)

Hi Birdy! Right now I eat about 4 lbs of food a day. About half that is veggies and the other half starches plus a couple fruits. So I have a lot of veggies really. I never eat much salads as I'd rather have my greens cooked in with my veggies (like spinach and turnip greens). I don't bother to break it out that way in my journal. Trying to keep this as simple as I can which I think helps me stay on track and keeps the cooking simple :-D But one day I will start branching out with more variety once I reach my weight goals...probably in a year.
geo

My 1 year Journal McDougalling and results Testimonial
My March 2013 Star McDougaller Story
Some Random Thoughts on Successful McDougalling
geo
 
Posts: 2445
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:53 am

PreviousNext

Return to My Daily Menus & Journals

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests



Welcome!

Sign up to receive our regular articles, recipes, and news about upcoming events.