Grit and Determination

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

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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Mon Jan 15, 2018 8:39 am

Monday Day 64

24 hours on MWL Plan
I can't believe I'm back to a goal of being on plan for 24 hours but at least I'm here to write about it. I struggled last night but stayed on plan. I ate popcorn then a banana before bed. During the night I woke up and thought about eating but didn't. Yay!! Baby steps. Hoping to drop some pounds this week. For 3 weeks I've been at 194 only because I keep going off plan. I've got the exercise going daily or more frequently than not. Now I just need to be more diligent about staying on plan. If I stay focused and stop playing around, I'll get to a goal weight much faster. I'm sure monitoring my weight and maintaining will be better than this. At least when I get to an ideal weight I can add a little nuts, tofu, and bread. I think I'll be fine once I get there. I suspect my night time binging and going off plan is partly due to craving a few higher fat foods. If I could have them in moderation, I would be more satisfied with this diet.

B: Sweet Potato Beginnings recipe from MWL cookbook
25 minutes on water rower
L: Mushroom Wild Rice from MWL cookbook, roasted cauliflower, coleslaw - yum!! Very good combination
Snack: Lentil Vegetable Soup from MWL cookbook - very good!
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby bunsofaluminum » Tue Jan 16, 2018 12:15 pm

mmm, I'm going to find that Mushroom Wild Rice recipe. I have the book so... :unibrow: maybe that'll be dinner one night this week. Need to get me some wild rice. OH YUMMMMMY I love wild rice!

now my stomach wants some wild rice! hahaha it just grumbled at me. And a bit of late-ish lunch for me today as I have an errand to run before I can eat. Your exercise routine impresses me! Well done!
JUST DON'T EAT IT

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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Tue Jan 16, 2018 1:14 pm

Tuesday Day 65

Yes! I just finished some Mushroom Wild Rice for lunch. Yum! It's good with cranberry relish, too. There's sage in the recipe.

Yesterday was another complete 100% MWLP eating. I'm on a roll! Cravings Be Gone!

This morning I hiked in the mountains for a couple of miles until the snow started. I hope to row later today.

Buns, thanks for checking in. I hope you're having a good day. Let me know how you like the recipe if you make it.

B: Sweet Potato Beginnings - warned up leftovers, still very good
L: coleslaw, mushroom wild rice, and lentil soup
D: New MWL recipe "Fresh Garden Salad" - very good. I like learning how to combine new ingredients! Also ate FF potatoes and garbanzo beans.

I think I'll make it another day completely on MWL plan!
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:45 am

Wednesday Day 66
Another 24 hours on totally on the MWL plan! This has taken some effort but is getting easier. I still want bread.... I think that's what I crave the most. Last night I went to bed really early and woke up at 3:00. I wanted to eat but I was determined to only eat MWL approved food. That's hard to do since middle of the night snacking usually involves simple carbs (bread or crackers) and high fat (cheese, sandwich meat, mayo). I first had a rice cake, then after staying awake or waking back up after 10-15 minutes, I ate corn, coleslaw and a banana. That worked. I slept another 5 hours. I guess there's a sense of fullness I'm trying to achieve... I'm so pleased I stayed within the MWL guidelines. I know one of the guidelines is to eat a reasonable portion and take a break. I didn't eat a huge amount, a serving of each. It is unsettling to wake up and need to eat during the night... I'm always grateful when I don't do this. I've been reading 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food. It's written by a psychologist who works with eating disorders. She goes into great depth about the psychological attachment to food and emotional eating. I appreciate her advice to meditate and be mindful of emotions that lead to eating when not hungry. I'm also reading Savor, another book on using meditation to disrupt an eating disorder.

B: Bulgar
L: millet and veggies, garden salad, lentil soup
snack: celery, bulgar
D: mushroom wild rice, roasted cauliflower, coleslaw, cranberry sauce
snack: popcorn, banana

I think I'll make it another 24 hours 100% on MWL plan! This is feeling good AND I've lost weight. Down to 193 lbs. 5 lbs from BMI of overweight rather than obese. This is a good thing. It's been so long,,,, I think 2 years ago I was at 190 but it's been at least 9 years since I was in the normal weight range. In some ways it is getting easier to stay on the diet. It's a struggle everyday to eat enough of the right food to stay satisfied. It seems I consider every time that I could eat something else but then I decide to stay on the diet. I'm looking forward to the cravings to stop.
Last edited by moonlight on Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby bunsofaluminum » Wed Jan 17, 2018 9:25 am

Looks like you're doing great! I am SO grateful that I don't wake up hungry in the middle of the night. I've heard of it, though. Or that "right before bedtime" binge...open the fridge door, and start eating whatever's in there. And it's wonderful that you stayed in the MWL guidelines! woot!
JUST DON'T EAT IT

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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:24 am

Thursday (191.8 lbs) Day 67

Another 24 hour 100% MWLP!! Woot! Woot!

Buns, thanks for the encouragement. I love this platform to be able to talk about achievements and frustrations about losing weight without someone telling me I need to eat protein and fat and leave off the carbs!! Most of my friends are thin. The only overweight friend I have is trying to lose weight but her personal trainer keeps preaching the high protein, fats are good for you diet...

Since the roads are still icy I feel like staying in and cooking. I'll cook some more new recipes from the MWL cookbook - Lo-Cal Stew and the Chopped Broccoli Salad. Both are great!

Rowed 45 minutes!!

B: Bulgar with sautéed veggies
L: Bulgar with sautéed veggies II
Snack: Lentil Vegetable Soup
D: Chopped Broccoli Salad, Mushroom Wild Rice, and Lo-Cal Stew - Yum!

I've lost another 1.5 lbs. Woot! Woot!
Last edited by moonlight on Sun Feb 04, 2018 11:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Fri Jan 19, 2018 2:05 pm

Friday Day 68

Another 24-hour 100% compliant day! So glad I can eat air-popped popcorn in the evening! I use my olive oil spray bottle with water to mist the popped popcorn - makes the spices stick as good as butter!

45 minutes on the water-rower! Hot!

B: Potatoes with sautéed onions and red peppers
L: Lo Cal stew with bulgar
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sun Jan 21, 2018 6:48 pm

Sunday Day 70

I broke my 100% MWLP streak.... Friday afternoon I let myself get too hungry... I ate 7 rice cakes... not too bad but then on Saturday the same thing happened. At 1:00 I had to rush out the door to get to a funeral for a good friend. After the funeral there was a dinner. Not much for the vegans at this dinner but I did okay. Then afterwards there was a music party. I started getting really hungry at the party. I ate a few crackers and drank a lot of water... by the time I got home at 10:30 I was dreaming of all kinds of food.. I decided to eat a ham and cheese sandwich. I put mustard on it instead of mayo. But I also has a few potato chips and olives, then some gingersnap cookies. I washed it all down with almond chocolate milk. During the night I kept waking up.. finally I ate another sandwich, a banana sandwich... Argh. Today has been difficult! I'm wanting another ham and cheese sandwich!! I've let myself just eat as much MWLP compliant food as I want just to satisfy the craving to eat. Tomorrow I'll eat a balanced diet of veggies and carbs. I'll be busy with work so hopefully it will be easier to get food off my mind. My energy level has been very low today. I slept until 10:30 then took a nap from 3 to 4. I got up and rowed, trying to get some energy going but it hasn't helped too much. I'm thinking about rowing some more but I don't want to overdo it and be sore tomorrow... I've eaten all carbs today. No veggies.

I've noticed that kombucha is good at suppressing the cravings. I thought this before but today was a great time to test it. Again, it could be that the cravings were leaving anyway, but after the last helping of lentil soup I had a glass of homemade kombucha. An hour later my cravings have stopped.

45 minutes on water-rower

B: Potatoes and onions - twice: I ate 5 yellow potatoes, not too big, and two small sweet potatoes
L: Lentil soup
Snack: popcorn, an orange
D: More lentil soup
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Mon Jan 22, 2018 6:18 pm

Monday Day 71

I couldn't sleep last night. I got up and ate some cheese and way too many Ritz crackers. Argh! Today I've stayed within the MWL guidelines. I've had visions of eating toast, a sandwich, Mexican food with cheese.... I have had cravings all day but I've made the right choices. Such a struggle at times. I wonder if I'll get to that place where I'm not constantly thinking about food. The motivation now is the weight I've lost. I've gone down a size. I'm 4 lbs away from the overweight range of BMI rather than the obese range. It seems when I go off plan I want to eat everything that I've been abstaining from... hopefully this will level off. Years ago when I chose to be a vegan I wasn't overweight. I chose it because I wanted to have a better diet for health reasons. I didn't want to contribute to the meat and dairy industry. It wasn't hard to switch over to that lifestyle. This time is different. I switched to eating meat in 2007 after 15 years of a vegan lifestyle. By 2013 I was overweight and feeling unhealthy. I tried to go back to a vegan diet but I couldn't stay on the plan. I gave up and gained even more weight. This time when I started again I was 50 lbs overweight. It's been a struggle. I think I developed an eating disorder while I was getting a PhD from 2007 - 2014. Emotional eating. All the stress. I've developed a different relationship with food. Hopefully, if I keep working at it, after I get back to a normal weight, I can stop obsessing about food!!!

B: baked sweet potatoes
snack: zucchini corn salad
L: baked potatoes with steamed veggies at McAllister's Deli
D: Lentil soup, mushroom wild rice, broccoli salad
Last edited by moonlight on Tue Jan 23, 2018 10:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Tue Jan 23, 2018 10:35 am

Tuesday (196 lbs) Day 72

I slept all night last night without getting up to eat! I'm back on plan. 100% on plan for 24 hours. The cravings are brutal after going off plan. It's a good thing I'm seeing progress and have the drive to keep with this. Grit and determination are the cornerstones for getting me back to a healthy weight. I love most of the food I make and I'm fine eating this way. It's when I'm away from home or get way too hungry with no back-up plan. The cravings are super strong at those times. If I go off it's like a tidal wave. The cravings just come flooding in. Anyway, I'm back on track. I made the Vegetable Barley Soup recipe in MWL cookbook. It's very good.

30 minutes on water rower

B: oatmeal
L: Vegetable Barley Soup
Last edited by moonlight on Sun Feb 04, 2018 11:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby bunsofaluminum » Tue Jan 23, 2018 4:26 pm

moonlight wrote:Monday Day 71

I couldn't sleep last night. I got up and ate some cheese and way too many Ritz crackers. Argh! Today I've stayed within the MWL guidelines. I've had visions of eating toast, a sandwich, Mexican food with cheese.... I have had cravings all day but I've made the right choices. Such a struggle at times. I wonder if I'll get to that place where I'm not constantly thinking about food. The motivation now is the weight I've lost. I've gone down a size. I'm 4 lbs away from the overweight range of BMI rather than the obese range. It seems when I go off plan I want to eat everything that I've been abstaining from... hopefully this will level off. Years ago when I chose to be a vegan I wasn't overweight. I chose it because I wanted to have a better diet for health reasons. I didn't want to contribute to the meat and dairy industry. It wasn't hard to switch over to that lifestyle. This time is different. I switched to eating meat in 2007 after 15 years of a vegan lifestyle. By 2013 I was overweight and feeling unhealthy. I tried to go back to a vegan diet but I couldn't stay on the plan. I gave up and gained even more weight. This time when I started again I was 50 lbs overweight. It's been a struggle. I think I developed an eating disorder while I was getting a PhD from 2007 - 2014. Emotional eating. All the stress. I've developed a different relationship with food. Hopefully, if I keep working at it, after I get back to a normal weight, I can stop obsessing about food!!!

B: baked sweet potatoes
snack: zucchini corn salad
L: baked potatoes with steamed veggies at McAllister's Deli
D: Lentil soup, mushroom wild rice, broccoli salad



What is your PhD in? I'm impressed...me, not ever having completed even a BA or really even an Assoc. Degree, though I have the credits, I just never compiled it into a degree.

Your talk about unhealthy relationships with food brings to mind the method that I have used to completely turn around my own relationship with it. In the past couple of years, I simply followed a No S rule of eating. No Sweets (though a spoonful of sugar in your coffee or on your oatmeal is okay); No Snacks (nothing between meals) and No Seconds (eat one plate of food, and when you're done, you're done)...except on days that begin with S (Saturday and Sunday, along with "Special Days" like holidays or birthdays).

Now mind you, the "official" No S diet says eat whatever you want, as long as it is at mealtime and don't eat desserts. I can't do that, because giving myself "permission" to eat high fat foods...well, I haven't lost anything because of the high fat stuff. However, I am thrilled to announce that I go days without thinking about food! I have gotten through tremendous stresses WITHOUT GOING TO THE FRIDGE or the snack aisle, or the peanut butter jar, etc. Though it isn't perfect, I'm not at a normal weight AND I don't obsess about food...as much...anymore. ;) I've attained a nice degree of food sanity that I treasure.

Now I'm back to following McDougall much more closely, and the habit of No S'ing is still in swing and I'm loving it! Anyway, sorry to go on. I just thought you might like to know about this simple way I've used to free myself from the unhealthy patterns I have had all my life...even when I was firmly and fully McDougalling 10 years ago without any straying, my thoughts were on food all the time. Not anymore.

Meanwhile, you're striving for it! It must feel like a real accomplishment to get a solid 24 hours of McDougalling behind you :)
JUST DON'T EAT IT

I heart my endothelial lining
by red squirrel

simple, humble food
by f00die

The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
by Pamela, a FB user
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Thu Jan 25, 2018 4:12 pm

Thursday Day 74

I'm not quite sure what all the counting is about,,, day 74. I guess I'm going to see how many days it takes me to get to a normal weight. I'm hoping for some time in the spring but if I really admit that considering the breaks I keep taking it might be more like summer! Now, I'm thinking that maintaining for a couple of weeks without losing weight is actually a good thing. I learn how to maintain and not just go crazy and eat crappy food for days or weeks, and eventually go back to a bad diet. HA! I will continue to strive for 100% MWL but not get too down with myself when I occasionally go off plan. I think the key for me is not to be down on myself. The 'all or nothing' way of thinking - so detrimental. There's self-help books that devote whole chapters to that self-defeatist thinking. I'm pleased to be able to say that I'm past that! Every minute begins a new chapter in my life. Only the present is in my control.

Buns, I like your No S days plan. Thank you! You are inspiring me with your ability to get past the binge eating thing. Your approach relieves the mounting pressure of desire for other food. And, gives you the leeway to go off plan without dragging guilt and defeat along with you all day!! I noticed my husband, who doesn't have a weight issue or binge eating problem still craves a certain food sometimes. He indulges then he's done with it for a while. Hopefully when I'm a normal weight the obsessive FOOD thoughts will leave... This diet leaves me completely satisfied most of the time. If I could go in a restaurant and order what's in my fridge or an entrée from MWL cookbook I would be completely satisfied 99% of the time... my PhD is in speech and hearing science. My research interests are in understanding what babies with hearing impairment need in order to develop speech and language at a similar rate as their normally hearing peers. I love the work! As a teacher and clinician I move a lot but as a researcher I must sit and work at a computer! My breaks often involve walking to the fridge and peering in to see what tasty treat I can find! Thanks for checking in!

30 minutes on the water-rower this morning! I'm hoping to complete another 30 minutes this evening!

Brunch: Mexican fare at restaurant with a friend...
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sat Jan 27, 2018 9:32 am

Saturday Day 76

I hate writing in this journal after a crazy out-of-control eating binge... I should change the title of my journal to "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". I feel driven to keep an account of this journey. It is difficult but I'm determined to get back to a normal weight. I'm also determined to become a full-time vegan. It's a way of life I appreciated for so long. I'll get back there someday if I don't give up. Quitting never gets the job done!

Yesterday I went for a nice hike. Then I had lunch with my hiking friend at a small restaurant. She said the salad bar was great. All I could eat from the salad bar was lettuce, radishes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and dried up shredded carrots. No FF dressing, no beans,,, I was hungry! Fresh hot buns came with our meal,,, I ate mine without butter <sigh>. I also ordered a cup of potato cheddar soup,,, Well, this meal did not satisfy me and I had to run another errand before getting home. I had taken barley soup on the hike. I ate the rest of my soup, not enough to satisfy my hunger. After I got home I ate different things, trying to satisfy my cravings. I overate. I kept munching all evening...

So my plan for today is to find some recipes in the MWL cookbook to make. Row on my water-rower. I'm going to strive for rowing 2 times a day this next week and increase each session to 45 minutes. I'll be stunned if I accomplish this goal!! Maybe go for a bike ride as well before it starts to rain. I just got my bike tuned up for spring!

45 minutes on the water-rower

B: Vegetable Barley Soup from MWL cookbook - divine!
L: Eggplant curry from MWL - again divine!
D: vegetable stew with brown rice

I made it all day staying on the diet plan. I think the weight gain from going off so many times this last week has made me re-evaluate what I'm doing. I wonder how often this has to happen before I accept this as my eating lifestyle and I prefer it. No more binging off plan....
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Sun Jan 28, 2018 2:18 pm

Sunday (198.2 lbs) Day 77

Rowed 45 minutes this morning Yay!

The forecast has called for rain all day. It was raining when I woke up and hasn't stopped. A good day for cooking!

This week's menu from MWL cookbook:
Bean & Rice Salad - very good with and without the beans. I used the Tarragon Dressing recipe in MWL cookbook. It's very good. The dressing could change this dish to a completely different taste. The recipe suggests oil-free dressing or salsa. I'll make again and use salsa.
(The following I haven't made yet. Waiting for hubby to bring ingredients from the store)
Vegetable Sweet Potato Chowder
Spicy Tomato Coleslaw
Oriental Green Salad
Potato Rice Medley
Dijon Mushroom Potatoes

Today I'm cooking a big batch of black beans and garbanzo beans from dried beans. I'll freeze them in 1 3/4 C size, which is the amount in a 15 oz can. Dried beans are so much cheaper, better for the environment, and healthier. I don't use salt.

B: Rice
L: Vegetable Barley Soup and Chopped Broccoli Salad
D: Dijon Mushroom Potatoes - very good new recipe from MWL
Snacks: Popcorn, corn chips, white pasta
So , late in the evening I kept wanting something to eat, feeling like I was hungry. I decided to eat a few chips. Then at bedtime I was afraid I wouldn't sleep so I ate some pasta. Argh! Hopefully I will begin to recognize these moments as craving not real hunger.
Last edited by moonlight on Sun Feb 04, 2018 11:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Grit and Determination

Postby moonlight » Mon Jan 29, 2018 8:51 am

Monday Day 78

This morning I realized I had to let it go that I had gained weight last week. For some reason I just, day after day, went off the diet. It wasn't just one day but several days in a row. I gained a total of 3 pounds. I thought it was 2 then another pound appeared... Lesson learned. This morning I was trying to revisit the thoughts I had when I decided to go off plan. Some kind of letting go of the tension surrounding not eating certain foods. When I think about going out to eat I think it is my opportunity to eat some cheese. Interestingly, last week I noticed that I was feeling more comfortable letting people know what I'm eating - or not eating. I became a little braver with two people about what I'd like to eat. It's just that once I sit down in front of a menu, the choices are so limited for no oil, no cheese, no meat... Then once I eat that stuff I crave it later at home. Habits like late night eating are so hard to break... I'm going to add to my goals for a worthy good life the goal that I will want to eat only a WFPB diet and until I drop a significant amount of weight I will want to avoid oil.

Reflecting on my diet, I realized I am not eating the recommended serving of vegetables between salad and entrée. Also, often times I don't eat a salad either. For being on a WFPB diet it's surprising how few vegetables and fruit I eat sometimes. I will re-focus the effort that for dinner, at least, I will eat salad, then a vegetable, then my starchy entrée.

Two rowing sessions today! 45 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the early evening

B: Millet and small orange
L: Oriental Green Salad and Sweet Potato Chowder from MWL cookbook - the chowder is very very tasty!!
SNACK: Bean & Rice Salad from MWL cookbook
D: Oriental salad and Dijon Mushroom Potatoes - very good, the Dijon Mushroom sauté was even better the second night
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