Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

For yesterday:
Breakfast: cooked frozen veg, oatmeal, blueberries
Lunch: cooked frozen veg, lentil stew, barley, sweet potatoes
Dinner: kale, beans/rice/veg, sweet potatoes

Going to start working out with weights again. I've just been walking 30 min a day, not fast. I think I have to do weights like I've been eating, just the simplest plan possible, something I won't feel guilty about messing up on. I have been a perfectionist with eating vegan before, where I thought I needed to be cooking all the time, but hearing about people like wildgoose and this other guy Josh LaJaunie, who eat really simply sometimes, made me change my perfectionist ways and just be a little more brave about not having to eat the perfect meals all the time. I also think of animals in zoos and our dog, where they eat a measured amount of food and it's healthy for them. My dog gets 1.5 cups in the morning and 1.5 cups at night and he's happy. Sometimes I like cooking though.

Breakfast: kale, lentils/barley, rice/beans
Lunch: broccoli, kidney beans/barley, tangerine
Dinner: broccoli, kidney beans/barley, apple

Got really hungry right at dinner and was thinking about what else I could eat but just stuck with the usual and it tasted good and I was full.

Breakfast: collard greens, beans/rice/veg, tangerines
Lunch: collard greens, veg stir fry with rice noodles and tofu, apple
Dinner: not yet
Got through Thanksgiving ok. Still eating well, still losing weight. Think it is 10 lbs.

I think I'm now in the normal weight BMI. I feel weird continuing to lose weight and put on the brakes a tiny bit by having some cookies one day and something else I can't remember yesterday. Everyone in the house is eating like I used to so it is strange to make sure I always have collard greens and beans and grains around. I'm really not having cravings that bad, it's just a temptation to eat so I won't be too skinny. I think I still have a way to go til anorexia. This is like the opposite of anorexia.
Breakfast: collard greens, oatmeal, blueberries
Lunch: collard greens, chili, banana
Snack: rest of morning oatmeal, saved me from looking around for non-MWL food to eat
Dinner: not yet
Going to read and listen some more about why it's good to eat this way. What is mostly saving me is I don't want to eat sugar because I don't want to get any more dental work.

taz432 wrote:I think I'm now in the normal weight BMI.

Congrats on the weight loss! I laughed at not wanting more dental work; great motivation and one I use too. Dang expensive. How do you fix the collard greens?

Thanks for the post, I make all greens the same way, I get big bags of chopped greens, put a small amount of water in a big pot, like barely 1/4 inch, let it boil, then add as much greens as will fit, cover, stir and reduce to medium for 5 mins. Sometimes I just let them sit covered off heat to cook some more. But I have turnip greens, collard, kale that way. I add some red wine vinegar before eating them. I find them really filling, more filling than most vegetables.

Today I just went off MWL but still stayed mostly there. Now my stomach hurts which never happens.
Breakfast: collard greens, oatmeal, blueberries
Lunch: collard greens, chili/rice, bananas - this is where I went wrong, I ate an hour later than normal because I was busy, and this made me too hungry, so when I was done eating I was still hungry and had some cookies. Then more cookies, peppermint patties, some cheezits
Dinner: potato fajitas (very low oil), collard greens, then cocoa puffs with rice milk

I found another person to listen to on youtube about wfpb eating. There's always something to listen to about how this is healthy for you. It's a lesson I keep learning that I can't wait to eat past my normal eating times or I will get too hungry.

Last night had dinner an hour late. Wasn't really hungry so didn't eat everything I normally would and then got hungry later and had cocoa puffs with rice milk. I'm going to try to get rid of the food that is too tempting. Right now I'm having chocolate cravings and almost caved since I saw chocolate chips way back in the cupboard. Will also get rid of those. This is a challenge. Otherwise I'm not hungry, just having cravings:
Breakfast: broccoli, chili/rice
Lunch: broccoli, black bean soup/rice, apple
Dinner: not yet

Thanks for the info on cooking the greens. I need to eat more dark greens, but admit I don't really like them 'by themselves', so I chop them up and add them to whatever main dish I prepare. I am not really successful eating something because I 'should'. And oh yes! I hear you on letting myself get too hungry and then falling into eating crap. Can also happen if I am tired or stressed. Best to get that stuff out of your house. Reduce the temptations. You are doing great. Marsha

Thanks Marsha! I think I'm squeezing into a 10 or 8 now. Today I was really stressed and ate oatmeal, then potatoes cooked in oil, and xmas cookies. I think I can get back to eating MWL now but not positive. The holidays are just too much with all the different food possibilities. I think I really need to go back to my simple diet with very little cooking. It just works for me. Trying to be too creative with the possibilities just makes me go off track. Over the summer, when I was trying to eat vegan, I would make oil free banana bread a lot and it would always lead me to search for more sweets or bread. I get what you're saying about the greens, I just listened to Dr. Esselstyn who recommended something like 6 servings a day and I figured I could do it, maybe not 6, but at least 2-3 a day. What throws me is all the special recipes for vegan cookies and even thanksgiving. I really have to figure out thanksgiving for next year but cookies of any kind are just not going to work. I'll have to figure out better ways to serve fruit.

taz432 wrote:I think I really need to go back to my simple diet with very little cooking.

6 servings a day of dark green veggies? Jeez. I don't eat 6 servings of anything all day; too full. But I definitely need to do better at adding greens. I will steam my broccoli now!

I totally agree on eating simply. I tell people I just like peasant food. I always get in trouble (GI and scales!) when I try richer foods. And frankly I get tired of always thinking about food: what to eat, when to eat it, buy/cook/prep it. It's much better for me to make 1 or 2 big dishes and eat them for a few days.

Good luck, you can make it through the holiday minefields. Fortunately for me, I stay pretty apart from people right now. Rather not get covid.

Marsha

The cookies are still in the house and I've been eating them. Next year I'll halve the recipe for dough. More family is home and there is more good food around all the time. I've been eating decent meals but then cookies and whatever I can find in between if I'm hungry. I'll try to have a good dinner and start eating well again tonight. Maybe I'll start increasing exercise a bit again. I've been lifting weights but walking/cardio has dropped. I hope to write in here tomorrow that I ate well.

I'm still not back to my previous no cravings state. I can't believe I had no cravings for so long and the only thing that derailed me were these xmas cookies. I wasn't even tempted by them but just felt like I should eat some and that was the end. I can get back to my no-sweets state but it will take another week I think. Just going to write what I eat in here to see how long it takes.
Breakfast: green beans, oatmeal with blueberries
Lunch: green beans, canned chili beans/rice, apple
Snack 2:30 hungry: potatoes, 1/2 smoothie with rice milk, cocoa powder, sugar, frozen cherries, some berries
Dinner: green beans, lentils, rice
Snack: some leftover homemade mac and cheese, 1 bread with peanut butter
rice milk cocoa

Breakfast: green beans, oatmeal/blueberries
Lunch: green beans, rice/lentil stew, cherries
Snack 2:30 hungry: some goldfish, cheezits, 2 pieces chocolate pie
Dinner: green beans, quinoa/canned bean chili
rice milk cocoa

Really need to pick up some groceries. Should have time to cook, eat better soon. I'm going to try to make a bunch of potatoes for when I get hungry at 2:30. The thawed frozen cherries were good, probably going to get more berries.

Wow, this is not going so great. Tomorrow I finally have off so I'll be able to cook some more stuff. Also was low on groceries and veg til today.
Breakfast: oatmeal/blueberries, rice milk cocoa
Lunch: rice/lentil stew, steamed carrots, apple
2:15 hungry: 2 pieces pb toast, 2 pieces toast with light smartbalance and jelly, around 4, a piece of chocolate pie
Dinner: 2 peppermint patties, piece of pizza, turnip greens, canned chili beans, rice, 2 peppermint patties

Will make some stuff for tomorrow finally tonight. Maybe a bunch of potatoes too. I'm definitely craving carbs.

Finally got to cook today.

Breakfast: collard greens, rice/beans/veg, sweet potatoes
Lunch: turnip greens, rice/lentil stew, sweet potatoes, rice milk cocoa
Snack, craving wasn't as bad: roasted cauliflower, roasted potatoes, some edamame
Dinner: 2 pieces pizza, 6 peppermint patties

Forgot to make dinner in time, had leftover pizza. Would have eaten better if I had the food ready.