Hi Amy! Thanks for the kind words! I don't really eat so little
On a daily average I have about 2+ lbs of veggies, another pound+ or so of starches, basically either white or sweet potatoes or brown rice or oatmeal, and a few legumes and a couple fruit. So I'm probably eating about 4 lbs of food everyday. I also drink lots of herbal tea throughout the day as well.
But its getting harder to eat that much to be honest. There are days that I don't eat that much and usually those are days where I'm so busy that I don't even think of food. It takes a back seat to everything else I do. So its been very helpful to eating less. But mostly its just my stomach doesn't want to be stretched so much anymore.
Also understand that I'm following the MWL very strictly. No cheating. For me its an all or nothing thing. If I do this half way as I have in the past, it just simply becomes either a way to make excuses for my choices or it leads to a stepwise pattern of slowly denying myself what I still have a taste for. For me that's a sure road to mental pain and failure. But I understand that everyone's different and some do like the slow but steady changes approach.
So I went into this, this time really understanding the program and deciding to be fully compliant. I have way to many issues (metabolic syndrome) that I need to overcome. So I'm not interested in half-way measures that give me half-way results...that's also another way to find yourself rationalizing your diet and just leaving it.
And so far the effects have been tremendous for me. Weight is dropping off quickly. Blood pressure and pulse are back to normal. So many little issues that I've had are either completely gone (gerd, sinus issues, minor aches and pains) or much less prominent than before. I really don't have hunger (in fact I feel too full most days and need to cut back).
So MWL has worked for me so far as stated by DrM and Jeff. Its almost scary how my long term issues have been going away so quickly. And to think it took me so long to actually get started when for me its been incredibly simple and painless to do. Maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones, but I don't really think so. 50+ years of eating SAD pretty much effects everyone in similar ways I would think.
But I'm not fully there yet. There are some mental battles I'm still fighting. Its hard to eat less when your mind constantly nags you that you'll get hungry if you do. So that's my main struggle these days. But slowly I'm getting over that mental trap too.
But I think the most important thing is truly understanding the program, that it is a lifestyle change and not just a temporary diet. And that means learning how to make your own food. I stick to simple meals as my cooking skills are seriously lacking. No gourmet here.
So I've pretty much stuck with Jeff's SNAP type cooking for my meals. My basic philosophy is that I won't make anything that takes me longer to prepare than it does to eat
So 10-15 min meals is where I'm at right now. And so far its working well. And because the meals are simple and quick its not such a chore to make them even when I'm overly tired. So that keeps me away from making bad (fast) food choices that will simply sabotage everything.
But I will also admit that even after 4 weeks I still crave some foods. I used to be your typical meat/potatoes/bread guy. All my life that was a typical meal. Veggies if they were on my plate was usually corn (and yes I know corn is a grain). Salads were for rabbits.
Now I'm a 100% whole food/plant-based starch eater. The meat I don't miss. The potatoes I have everyday
But the bread is really hard to turn away from (everything goes better with bread). MWL doesn't allow flour based products per se. And the one bread based product that I most definitely crave/miss is pizza. But then I just have to look at myself in the mirror and easily tell I don't need it right now
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Eventually I'll add bread products (McD'd versions) and other real foods back into my diet but for now I'm happy with what I'm eating. And I do think of this as a permanent way of eating, (just a bit more stricter for now) to effectively give me the results I want. And the quick results simply make it that much easier to maintain
I think I've rambled on too long again...
I love going to the dance competitions. She dances so well as do the others in her team/studio. But they do get long sometimes. I find it hard to sit for hours on end in theater seats. And of course they are effective at taking my mind off of food lol
Yes I'm in MI...general Detroit area. Not sure if there are others here from there but if there are speak up!