My Daily "Weighing in"

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

Moderators: JeffN, f1jim, carolve, Heather McDougall

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby squealcat » Sat May 22, 2021 8:43 am

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.yes
2. 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
3. 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
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).yes
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).yes oops ! now it is no. I had some peanut butter on a banana
6. Eliminate any added oil.yes
7. 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
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).yes
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.yes
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).yes

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:I started my day by eating a banana and then went out the door and walked 3 miles followed by some stretching.
Breakfast: a handful of spinach, mango, oat groats with some cinnamon and cardamom sprinkled on top
Lunch: very large salad with balsamic vinegar and my hummus on top. Also a Japanese sweet potato
Dinner: a few slices of cucumber, steamed broccoli, a smallish baked potato, a mix of chic peas, greens, onions with ginger. After that I had a banana with peanut butter.

that's my Saturday !

-squealcat
Last edited by squealcat on Sat May 22, 2021 6:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
squealcat
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:26 am
Location: Michigan

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby Ruff » Sat May 22, 2021 12:58 pm

reading your daily reports! Its dark ...7am, and very cold. sunrise at 7.45am. I am trying to drag myself away from a warm log fire to go for a jog on the beach at sunrise. Normally I love doing this but it is soooo cold! And I read reports of people planting flowers! :unibrow: never mind, I shall get my revenge in January :lol: I bet its cold in Michigan in January.....
Katie

My testimonial. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=38433
User avatar
Ruff
 
Posts: 953
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 5:59 pm
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand.

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby squealcat » Sat May 22, 2021 6:00 pm

Yes Katie ! You will get your revenge in January. I will be freeeeezzing ! I just never warm up in the winter !
squealcat
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:26 am
Location: Michigan

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby squealcat » Sun May 23, 2021 11:46 am

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. :nod:
2. 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. :nod:
3. 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. :nod:
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). :nod:
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). :nod:
6. Eliminate any added oil. :nod:
7. 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. :nod:
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). :nod:
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. :nod:
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). :nod:

Victories, comments, concerns, questions: This morning I got out of the house right away and walked for 35 minutes which was about 1.5 miles (not as fast as some can do but plenty fast for me). I did my stretches and now my hip tightness is mostly gone from last week. I have to remember to do those stretches the next 3 days at my daughter's house so that doesn't happen again.

Breakfast was oat groats, blueberries, 2 cups of decaf coffee (my Sunday treat)
Lunch: steamed veggies (no salad today....the vinegar bothered my sore mouth yesterday .....bit my tongue while sleeping :crybaby: ) also a bowl of cauliflower soup
Dinner: TBD

I will finish this later. I may not post anything the next 3 days as I will be watching my grandson on those days and I am tired afterward . Will see ! If any "nods" change to sad faces, I will come back and change them. So far so good :-D

-squealcat
Dinner:
squealcat
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:26 am
Location: Michigan

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby squealcat » Thu May 27, 2021 1:24 pm

Jumped back in today ! Started with a 3 mile walk. Nice a cool today and I feel better during my walks when it is cool outside.

Breakfast: steel cut oats with a mango cut up on top and cinnamon and cardamom too!
Lunch: a large salad with my hummus and balsamic vinegar as dressing. Had a couple of radishes from our garden chopped up in it too! Our garden is starting to produce and that makes me happy.
Dinner: I know I will have rice and beans. I made Esther's recipe from her post on Facebook and it is so good and creamy! I think I lost count and used 1 more cup of water and cooked for one more minute using my instant pot. It actually turned out really good ! :nod:
Along with that I may have steamed broccoli as well. I have some all cut up and washed and ready to steam ! An apple or an orange for dessert and I will be all set !

-squealcat
squealcat
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:26 am
Location: Michigan

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby squealcat » Sun May 30, 2021 9:35 am

Today is my day of rest. No walking today unless it calls to me. I enjoy having a "lazy day" once a week ! I do have a few things to do though like water my plants and do some meal prep.

I made a great veggie soup yesterday. I needed to use up a big can of chopped tomatoes so this did the trick. It included some split peas, carrots, onion and other things. Tasted better than I thought it would !

I am trying to tie together a few successful days together to get myself back in the groove. I have been doing pretty well but not well enough for me. Will see how this week goes. I am planning for this week better and will walk tomorrow, Thursday , Friday and Saturday. I also want to get back to some resistance/weight exercises. I have to figure out how I will do that.

Enjoy your weekend everyone !

-squealcat
squealcat
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:26 am
Location: Michigan

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby squealcat » Mon Jun 07, 2021 5:53 pm

Today and the next two days I watch my little grandson. After I was finished today I went to the gym and walked 30 minutes to get my exercise in. It is very muggy today so being indoors in air conditioning sounded good.

Breakfast: steel cut oats and blueberries
Lunch: large salad with my hummus and balsamic vinegar over the top and half a large sweet potato
Dinner: large salad, mixed steamed veggies and mashed potatoes followed by cantaloupe chunks

that's it for today ! Feels good to be back in the game !

-squealcat
squealcat
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:26 am
Location: Michigan

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby squealcat » Fri Jun 25, 2021 6:02 pm

I am continuing my journey and hope to do a better job than the last couple of weeks by tweaking a few things.

It is really difficult for me to eat the way I want to (the MWL way) if there is no food prepared ahead of time that I like. One of the things I did today was prepare a bunch of foods that are ready for me to grab. So, mashed potatoes, brown jasmine rice and then lentils were the things I cooked today. I thawed out some dal that I had in the freezer as well. I already had some steamed veggies in the fridge and I also chopped up cantaloupe and put in a storage container.

Breakfast: old fashioned oats with fresh strawberries
Lunch: large salad with my hummus and balsamic vinegar for dressing and chopped up a cooked Japanese sweet potato to eat with my salad ( I like to eat it cold)
Dinner: small salad with balsamic vinegar and a little of my hummus, mixed steamed veggies, mashed potatoes with a half cup of lentils in sauce. I followed this with cantaloupe for dessert.

exercise: walked 3 miles this morning at the gym and did some stretches afterward

I took a break from the MWL group ....just 2 or 3 weeks. I was trying out some changes and wanted to do something different. I guess I was thinking that my weight loss wasn't fast enough or maybe I should just try a different plant based way to eat ? Not sure what I was thinking. Anyway, I missed this way of eating so much ! I also realized that it doesn't matter how long it takes....If I just follow the McDougall way, I can be happy just where I am. I like the fact that if I am hungry or even THINK I am hungry, I can always have a potato ! I don't have to worry and get picky about it.....just eat a potato ! I also have many recipes that are easy that I like to make ..... Every time I had peanut butter or almond butter I thought...."this is not really good for me right now". Every time I had bread with vegan margarine I thought " this is not really good for me" ! These things were swaying me and pretty soon I was going through the drive-thru and getting Jimmy John's ! My weight was slowly creeping up too !

Enough said. I am back ! Has this happened to you?? I don't think I am the only one !

-squealcat
squealcat
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:26 am
Location: Michigan

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby deweyswakms » Sat Jun 26, 2021 8:27 am

squealcat wrote:I am continuing my journey and hope to do a better job than the last couple of weeks by tweaking a few things.



Enough said. I am back ! Has this happened to you?? I don't think I am the only one !

-squealcat


Oh my yes, the past year of 4th grade online zoom classes (me, the granny hall monitor) was hard on mind and body, so I slipped into the pleasure trap. I rejoined the MWL group for June, July and however long to course correct myself. And YES to food prep. It is key for my success.

Here is to us! good luck, Marsha
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
deweyswakms
 
Posts: 630
Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2014 7:30 am

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby squealcat » Sat Jun 26, 2021 5:59 pm

Thanks for your input Marsha ! Makes me feel better when I have a "buddy" that understands ! I am sure there are more :nod: !

Today was another good day for me.

breakfast: old fashioned oats, blueberries and I had a banana before going to the gym since I was starting to get hungry this morning
Lunch: large salad with my hummus and balsamic vinegar for dressing, mashed potatoes with a lentil gravy topping
Dinner: small salad, steamed veggies, brown rice and dal on top and mixed in. I found a small amount of curry vinegar and I put a little over all. That was pretty good ! I may order some more of that flavor !

exercise today: I went to the gym and walked 3 miles followed by stretching. I have a tight Achilles tendon on my right heel and also started getting some pain down my right leg so I have been doing stretches to help with that. It really helps and feels good all day but when I first wake up it is quite painful :eek: . I hope it goes away quickly !

Today I made 4 servings of steel cut oats to last me through Wednesday. I need to plot out meals for the next 3 or 4 days so I will have enough good tasting food and won't be tempted. I have a stand-by emergency sweet (kind of like nice cream but put in a blender) for really though times. It is just enough trouble to keep me from making it all the time but easy enough that I WILL make it to keep away from other things that are too rich for me. Having a plan right now is important so I can stay away from those drive-thru places. I also will try to practice being comfortable with being uncomfortable (as Dr Lisle says) by letting myself feel what I am feeling and accepting it. I know I won't die if I don't treat myself to something rich and, in fact, that feeling will go away. I just need to practice it and prove to myself that it works. I will report what goes on with this.

Until next time ! :unibrow:
-squealcat
squealcat
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:26 am
Location: Michigan

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby squealcat » Sun Jun 27, 2021 6:02 pm

Exercise today: I walked outdoors today but it was pretty muggy. I got a late start because I watched my favorite TV show (CBS Sunday Morning). Out I went after that show was done. I walked about 2 miles today.

Breakfast: steel cut oats and blueberries
Lunch: Large salad with my hummus and balsamic vinegar (peach flavored) as dressing. I added some chopped parsley and basil to my salad. I also had brown rice with lentils in gravy over the top and some canteloupe
Dinner: I just finished a small salad with the same dressing, mashed potatoes and corn. Having frozen watermelon with lime juice for dessert

I am feeling so much better mentally. Protecting myself by planning is going to be key. If I get hungry and there is nothing easy to fix around then I have a more difficult time sticking to MWL.

I will pack my breakfast and lunch for tomorrow soon. Watching my grandson the next three days and pre-packing makes it all easier. Thank heavens they don't have a lot of junk food in their house !

This week I have been making an extra large salad and eating 2/3 of it for lunch and the rest for dinner. Thus: the meal pre-load ! :nod: I really don't like veggie soup unless it has beans or pasta or something else in it so I am, so far, going with the salad preload.

-squealcat
squealcat
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:26 am
Location: Michigan

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby squealcat » Mon Jun 28, 2021 5:33 pm

In order to get back in some kind of control and away from the crazy eating I was doing, I am making some very small changes. Number one is that I will go straight home after watching my grandson on M-Tu-W each week. Number two is I will walk one mile on each of those three mornings instead of doing nothing and sitting most of the day. Those are two very doable things I can so to help myself out. Today I did those things and had a very good day. I also made the blended sweet shake (like nice cream only more drinkable) today as I was really tempted to have something sweet (which usually contains fat and sugar). If I can avoid doing that, I will but it is MUCH safer than the alternative. This is not MWL but I will work on that later.

Breakfast: steel cut oats and mango
Lunch: large salad with my hummus and balsamic vinegar for dressing, steamed veggies, rice and lentils with their gravy
Dinner: small salad with the same dressing, asparagus, one small wedge of cantaloupe, a few steamed veggies, mashed potato with dahl on top. Then I had my shake with banana and dark sweet cherries, almond milk, vanilla and a tablespoon of coco powder.

In a minute I have to pack my breakfast and lunch for tomorrow. I HATE packing lunches !! I have always disliked it !! I thought I was done with that when I retired but alas, I am not done with it. Most of what I take is really already prepared (thanks to the prep I do every few days) but the salad I have to chop and I have to put everything in containers for tomorrow. If I am going to walk in the morning then I need to have it all ready. So I will do this and I will not cry or scream. :unibrow:

I also have to plan what to fix on Thursday. I want to make a multi bean soup from Vegan Under Pressure cookbook. One of my favorite recipes ! It is so tasty and it is good all by itself or over rice or potatoes. It makes its own sauce and is not fussy. That is one plan. Another is to cook just plain potatoes and replace the rice and probably cook up the 3 Japanese sweet potatoes I bought last week. Enough?

-squealcat
squealcat
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:26 am
Location: Michigan

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby squealcat » Tue Jun 29, 2021 6:10 pm

Today I walked a mile and went right home after watching my grandson. YAY! Met my small step goals for today !

Breakfast: steel cut oats, blueberries
Lunch: large salad with my hummus and balsamic vinegar for dressing, mashed potato, corn, lentil dal, cantaloupe
Dinner: small salad with same dressing, brown rice, lentils and their gravy, frozen dark sweet cherries....oh, I added a medium baked potato with mustard on top because I was still thinking about food.

Funny how those potatoes really stop the craving ( well, most of the time and IF you eat enough of them ) :lol: That is one of my "tricks" for eating the way I really want to without eating the way I really don't want to. :duh:

Some of my kids are coming over this Sunday. My husband wants to try out his new grill. I find myself feeling tense. :mad: I am not an amazing cook and my adult kids (some of them) are a little fussy. My husband will take care of the meat and he said he would like to also do baked potatoes for those of us who don't eat meat. Well, I don't want to use oil either and am not sure how this will go. I may just keep my food separate and try not to use oil ....if I fail then I will be OK. Anyway, I am sure it will all be ok. My family is pretty easy going. It is ME that worries and wants everything perfect and wonderful all the time. I have to work on being ok with being imperfect AND work on being comfortable with being uncomfortable at the same time ! :eek: Can I do this?

-squealcat
squealcat
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:26 am
Location: Michigan

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby squealcat » Thu Jul 01, 2021 12:53 pm

No time to post yesterday so here I am posting today earlier than usual !

Exercise: I walked 2.5 miles today. Nice and cool this morning but sun is out so it will warm up quickly.

Breakfast: I met friends at a restaurant at 11 AM. They have healthy and unhealthy offerings. I had steel cut oats with a little granola over and very little whipped yogurt on top too. A few strawberries and blueberries too. Along with this was whole grain toast with sunflower seed butter and drizzle of honey. It was very good and filling. I had decaf black coffee too.

the plan for later is a big salad (when I get hungry) with some beans on top to bulk it up. Later I will have one of my soups from the freezer or maybe some old fashioned oats with berries but not the other stuff....just plain.

Going to the store tomorrow . I need to stock up !

Cooking plan: Japanese sweet potatoes, yellow potatoes (just cooked in the IP) and I will steam the leftover broccoli and cauliflower. That's all !

After that breakfast I felt really foggy-headed ! I don't like that feeling :cry: . There definitely was something I ate that fogged me up . I need to drink more water and wait for it to clear up. Yuk !

-squealcat
squealcat
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:26 am
Location: Michigan

Re: My Daily "Weighing in"

Postby squealcat » Fri Jul 02, 2021 2:46 pm

I was pleased to report a good weight loss on the MWL board this morning. (I already don't remember what it was but it was good :lol: )

Exercise: 3 mile walk this morning. Nice and cool this morning but I had to push myself to get the 3 miles in. I didn't feel really light and active this morning. Glad I did it though and glad I am getting my stretching in too. It makes me feel so much better !

Breakfast: old fashioned oats and blueberries. I put a tablespoon of cocoa nibs on top as a treat. No sugar though or anything else
Lunch: very large salad (took about 45 minutes to eat :nod: ) I used my usual hummus and balsamic vinegar for dressing. I had a half of a sweet potato chunked up in that salad. I am full !

Two cups of green tea this afternoon.
Dinner: will be steamed veggies and soup with rice or rice and beans. Both are still in the freezer so I had better make up my mind !

My balsamic vinegar is almost gone. I do have some non-flavored type of balsamic but I am not fond of it. Maybe I will make the 3-2-1 dressing out of it to make it more tasty. My new vinegar shipment should arrive Monday or Tuesday. Getting it from California Balsamics this time.

Going to experiment with my husband's grill on Monday. Don't exactly know how to grill without oil but I want to try it . If anyone has tips, please let me know. I have portabella mushrooms to use and maybe will slice up some cauliflower steaks ? Will see what happens ! :roll:

-squealcat
squealcat
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:26 am
Location: Michigan

PreviousNext

Return to My Daily Menus & Journals

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 12 guests



Welcome!

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