FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

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

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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby frowsyowl » Mon May 17, 2021 8:39 am

Good weekend overall.

I made some exceptions on Saturday. I ate out with my weigh-in group. (Funny) I had said I would the week before. I chose dry toast, fruit and hash browns. I ate the middle of the hash browns, thinking maybe there was less oil there. Too much salt. Jam on toast was too sweet. I had a headache right after I finished. Yuck. Lunch that day was a bean wrap and one of my husband's banana muffins. :oops: Back on track for dinner and did well on Sunday.

Did most of the prep again on Saturday. Was dragging from getting up too early, but got a lot done. Just potatoes and muffins left to prep on Sunday morning.

Got all of the laundry done! Lately I've been leaving a load undone on the weekend, but made it. Sewed a skirt (fail) and beat my husband twice at Bananagrams (like scrabble only fast).

Husband was concerned about his brother's health, but said he probably wouldn't listen to suggestions. My husband doesn't even completely follow what he knows to be true (heck neither do I), but his brother is worse off weight-wise. Anyway...so I took it upon myself to subtly suggest something to his brother. He had mentioned last time we visited that he wanted to lose weight too, so I asked how that was going. When I got a negative response, I sent a Calorie Density article, and said I had lost three lbs. Who knows if he read it, but I will feel better if something happens, knowing that I tried.
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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby Ruff » Mon May 17, 2021 1:51 pm

re the brother in law....try sending him the Engine 2 book. My (fit, slim healthy) husband is actually doing an engine 2 21 day challenge, as he is 61 now, and wants to keep running into his 90's. And somehow McDougall wasn't really his thing, although he is (mostly) vegan and very supportive of me. Anyway, long story short, I gave him Engine 2 to read and it hit the spot. Today he starts his 21 day challenge. Maybe Rip-Real-Men-Eat-Plants Esslestyne will be a hit with your B-in-Law.
Katie

My testimonial. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=38433
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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby frowsyowl » Mon May 17, 2021 2:06 pm

Thanks Katie. I haven't looked at that one in a while. I'll have to give it some thought.

The article I sent was by Jeff Novick, but on the Forks over Knives page. I thought even if he didn't want to be vegan/vegetarian, he might get the hint to eat less olive oil via calorie density. He really thinks it's healthy and used it more than liberally...at least when I met my husband (more than 10 years ago).
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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby Ejeff » Tue May 18, 2021 8:25 am

It’s very hard watching relatives and friends struggle with health issues mostly caused by bad food choices. Many times people tell me they want to lose some weight or need to lose some weight. They can see how well this plan has worked for me, but it’s somehow just doesn’t seem to register. Mostly now I just encourage people to eat more fruits and veggies.

I am finding I have to really bite my tongue when people all around me complain about their health issues followed with “it sucks getting older”. These people truly do believe that having high blood pressure, knee pain, back pain, circulation issues, and heartburn are just an inevitable part of aging. Talk about denial.

On a positive note, 2 of my 3 kids do eat quite healthy, no meat or dairy. Oils are still an issue in processed food. I hope your brother in law will read what you sent him, you never know when a person might be willing to start being accountable for their own health.

Erin
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby frowsyowl » Tue May 18, 2021 9:20 am

Thanks Erin. That's great that your children are on board.

I don't want to push too much, because I know how long I've been failing, and I know how hard it is to actually change. I'm going to try to remember to work on 'showing' and not telling. It will be awhile before it shows. I have to remember that my very health conscious mother, ignored the advice of my MD cousin to avoid saturated fat, all the while proudly talking about the work she is doing.

Hurdles today/this week: Many treats will be flowing through the building being the last week of school. I had to carry two boxes of "Warm Cookies" to the break room. It wasn't that excruciating. I knew I wasn't going to make an exception. If I get too hungry this afternoon, I'll ask to run to the neighborhood grocery to get some healthy things for my desk. It's been a crazy morning today. I hope this isn't the way it's going to go the rest of the week. Tomorrow, I will be avoiding cupcakes and bringing fruit as an alternative for folks with allergies...and me. I keep having to remind myself that I also probably have some sort of issue with dairy, aside from it being "not food".

I want to continue to simplify my food prep this weekend. I'd like to try to make extra of something to freeze even though the prep feels kind of maxed out already. Our freezer isn't all that large either, especially with all the frozen fruit and vegetables already in there. I have been adding left-overs a little at a time, but not much is built up yet. Maybe I'll do something in the crockpot some morning, so I'm not adding much of a mess. Need more containers too.
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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby frowsyowl » Wed May 19, 2021 8:35 am

I went from completely optimistic and cheerful yesterday to irritable and discouraged...for no apparent reason. I ate extra rice and vegetables after dinner, just in case I was undereating. I've got things in my desk now for afternoon snacks. I want CRAP! :crybaby:

It's treat day at work, and I didn't sleep enough. Had thoughts of coffee and junk, but just went straight to work with the fruit for staff. I ate some canned fruit at my desk so I didn't have to go back near the cupcakes in the break room.

The things I made aren't quite pairing up as well this week as they did last week. I'm not sure what the difference is. And the amount of hummus I have left...might end up being the main dish! j/k

I'm doing this to complete what I started...just like the exercise I started in April. Just check it off and keep moving. I hope to be one of you, that I read about, who get there! I don't trust it yet.
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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby frowsyowl » Thu May 20, 2021 7:44 am

Ended up scrounging around after dinner last night was tired, etc. Had some extra things and therefore didn't have a 50/50 at dinner. If I do everything right today, I will have an 84% compliance rate for this week. Up from 78% the first week.

I'm going to have to start writing down what I eat. When I went back to check over my habit tracker, I almost couldn't recall what had brought down my score on a particular day and maybe I'll know what was throwing me off the next time I have a couple of tough days.

Feeling better today. Ready to keep going. I did my little exercise video, but not a walk. I missed both yesterday.

Today:

B: Back to oatmeal, blueberries and a banana, no added sugar. (last two or three days, had quinoa, banana, kiwi with a tiny bit of sweetener).
L: Brought kiwis, veg and hummus, Mexicali beans and brown rice and frozen veg.
S: Lacroix water and ? Edit: had canned peaches and oatmeal at work before running around town on errands.
D: Unsure what's left...Edit: Started with raw veg and hummus and had small amount of bean soup and rice.

Going shopping tonight to look for things to decorate our new place. I tried the Goodwill on Tuesday and didn't see anything that would work. My bathroom is so blah, it's not a nice place to start the day. Edit--got nothing but exhausted.
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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby frowsyowl » Fri May 21, 2021 8:21 am

Happy with the results this week. Down -2.4. Scale looks like it's not going to move and then "magically" does.

Biked to work today b/c I didn't feel like walking in the neighborhood. Super humid, should have walked. Also have to get my walking routine solid before the running class in June. Three years ago when we did it, I had trouble keeping up with the schedule.

Goal for this week is to have 90% compliance with the list. Still not sure what's for supper this week. I looked at the app and picked some things, but may change. Husband has vetoed "Beans and rice"... :|
_______________________________________________________________________
Pre-loads or sides:
Italian vegetable soup*
Shredded salad*
Frozen veg.
Raw Veg.
Fruit

Mains:
Jeff's Burgers
Garlic Mashed Potatoes* w/Mushroom Gravy*
Pasta with Simple Marinara Sauce*
Rava Uppma* (sub couscous)...husband probably won't like this either. :D

For DH:
Baked Chicken
Banana Bread
(He eats other things, but they don't take much prep so I don't list them).
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Food for today--we are short on some things, so I made do.
B: Oatmeal with frozen peaches, lightly sweetened
L: Bean burrito (made myself and froze), apples, asparagus soup, green beans. Tortilla is not compliant (oil and processed).
D: I will make Rice, Quinoa or pasta and have Mexicali beans on top, side salad, fat-free bottled dressing, start with soup. (Can't remember if we still have rice left.)

I have reduced, but not eliminated sugar and salt. I use very little dressing, etc. Will revisit later if it's causing an issue.
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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby frowsyowl » Mon May 24, 2021 7:35 am

Made it through the weekend. I'm not on the computer much over the weekend (on my phone yes, but...) so haven't recorded my food. Still on track. I'm feeling lazy about the pre-load this weekend, but still doing it. Got a nice walk in on Saturday. No social engagements to be tempted with

The prep this weekend seemed to take an eternity. I didn't time the first two weeks, but didn't seem that bad. I need to come up with a different plan....it takes so long to feed one's self properly! :lol: I also used to save money eating this way, but it's been about the same. Increase in prices and buying more than I realize?

I like the recipes I chose. The Italian soup is very good, although I accidentally got tomatoes with salt. The Rava is nice and spicy--a very quick recipe. I made Jeff's basic burgers this time, but I used beans I cooked myself. They didn't hold together as nicely. The marinara is good, but I hope to find a compliant sauce to save time. Shredded salad is a nice change, though this was too involved for a staple recipe.
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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby frowsyowl » Tue May 25, 2021 7:35 am

Yesterday:
B: 2/3 c oats, banana, blueberries
L: apple, salad w/dressing, Couscous (white), brussels sprouts.
D: soup, salad topped with couscous and veggie burger, salsa
Exercise: Walk and video

Weight, same as Saturday morning.
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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby frowsyowl » Wed May 26, 2021 8:15 am

Yesterday:

B: 1/2 c oats, peaches
L: Banana, Tomatoes, Salad with dressing, two crumbled veggie burgers.
S: Low Sodium McD Split Pea Soup cup, used half the seasoning packet (was about 1:1 ratio, surprised!), tomatoes
D: Apple, Couscous, Frozen Veg (most of a bag)
S: Two veggie burgers (Jeff's, no bun), with mustard.

Exercise/activity: video, errand, laundry, sewing

Was a little wobbly yesterday, but I stayed upright. Was tempted to buy junk on my errand on the way home, but made it out safely. I had experimented with less oatmeal and more salad, because??? Dumb. The evening snack may have been to do with boredom as well as hunger.

The cous cous is gone now, so I don't have to dock myself anymore for the white pasta. I don't think I'm going to meet my compliance goal this week at this rate.

Yesterday, I had some downtime and got a weird idea to look up what size I would have been in the 1950s, and if Sears would have had clothing in my size. (I have had a life-long problem with clothes shopping, starting with the "Pretty Plus" sizing in the 80s--many tears. As an infant, my mom had to clip the elastic on my tiny puff sleeves b/c I have large arms). Back to 1950s--I would have been plus or minus a size 46. (They used different sizing tracks for misses vs women's then). There were four dresses in that size! Today I wear a 16/XL usually.

Didn't get up in time to exercise this morning, so need to do both the walk and video tonight...also some cooking--potatoes and/or pasta.
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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby frowsyowl » Thu May 27, 2021 8:36 am

Yesterday:
B: Oats and blueberries
L: Apple, Salad w/dressing, vegetable soup, oatmeal
D: Salad w/dressing, a few bites of bean soup, Rice and Spinach, a few cherry tomatoes

Exercise/Activity: Walked 15 minutes on my break, did 15 minute video at home, thrift store, library (cookbooks), read, started puzzle.

Good day yesterday. Was sort of hungry after dinner, but nothing sounded good. Kept busy.

Eating the same breakfast and packing my lunch while it cooks has become a nice mini routine.

I'm getting lazy about getting up and exercising in the morning, will have to do it after work again today. Stayed up too late last night. On the upside, maybe I'll get some vitamin-d exercising while the sun is out. Two weeks until running starts :shock: Hope we don't regret signing up!
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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby frowsyowl » Fri May 28, 2021 7:28 am

Yesterday:

B: Oats and blueberries
L: Peaches, Refried Bean soup with rice, Salad w/dressing, cherry tomatoes.
D: Soup, Rice w/Spinach, orange

Exercise: Walked around building after lunch--4 laps, about 15 minutes, 15 minute video after work. Puzzle. Early to bed.

I can't believe it's Friday! And I can't believe how much I lost this week! Down 3.8 lbs to 220.8.

Here's what I plan to eat today b/c I keep forgetting some of it by the time I want to record it here:
B: Oats and blueberries
L: Apple, Raw Veg, Soup, Two homemade freezer burritos (very small)--I may save some of this for a snack. I did that yesterday to test whether I was actually full or not at lunch time.
D: Probably whole wheat pasta with homemade marinara--we have hardly touched this. Frozen veg, soup.

I'm not sure what's on the menu this week. We have a few potatoes, pasta, sauce and a couple of servings of soup left. I have a bag of split peas in the cupboard and one or two servings of things in the freezer. Split pea soup doesn't sound that good right now. I'm leaning more toward curry. I liked the Italian soup this week, but I'm not sure I want exactly the same thing this week.
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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby frowsyowl » Tue Jun 01, 2021 9:00 am

Good weekend overall. Had trouble Friday. Made a planned exception, one I thought was safe and then another. Had planned to have a homemade frozen burrito for lunch like I did last week without incident. Then I left work early and wanted to treat myself to a sparkling water. They didn't have any at Walgreens, so I got an ice tea, and thought a Nutrigrain bar would be fine. I knew it was processed, but it also has milk in it. :| Then at dinner, I didn't feel like cooking and had a tortilla and another burrito. It wasn't a binge, but I definitely triggered myself both with food and psychologically. Got right back on track the next day.

I did a lot of prep, but spread it out over a couple days. I will make something else tonight:

Raw veg
Italian vegetable soup*--converted to Southwest style seasonings and swapped in some corn and pinto beans.
Split pea vegetable soup*
Jeff's burgers made into bean balls and a second batch with some white potato and peas (along with the kidney beans) and spiced like a samosa--haven't tried yet.
Left-over Marinara from last week.
The usual banana muffins for DH. He was tired of chicken :lol:
Jeff's Chubby Chips--These are sure fun to eat.
Three-Bean Salad--no oil, no juice, very little sugar, doubled the green/yellow beans. Recipe from Fat Free Vegan. Husband said this tasted good, but he hasn't actually eaten any of it.

Tonight, I'll make Alu Gobi*, brown rice and a cabbage salad of some sort. Got more containers and stuffed half the soups, bean balls/burgers in the freezer. Getting ahead of things feels good. I'm wondering now what is left in the cupboard that I can make into more freezer meals...

I've been doing this a month now, if I count the first week in May when I was getting back on track. I did measurements 5/1 and 5/31. I don't know how accurate I am, but it appears I've lost an inch off a few places. The trend is in the right direction at least.

This is my last week of the beginner calisthenics I've been doing. Interested in seeing if I can do the next level.
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Re: FrowsyOwl's Final Commitment

Postby frowsyowl » Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:56 am

Yesterday--
B: Oatmeal with blueberries and banana, no sweetener

Pre-load: apple
L: Cauliflower, three-bean salad, chubby chips, veggie burger, ketchup.

S: Plain oatmeal at work, 3pm.

Pre-load: cabbage salad (dressing from Straight up Food, with mustard and lime juice--TART! :eek: )
D: Alu gobi, brown rice.

S: Chubby chips

Activity/Exercise: 4 times around the building at work, light calisthenics video, cooked dinner, Dr. Lisle video, puzzle.

I'm starting to write everything in a notebook, so that I get a more accurate idea of what I'm doing...even over the weekend, when I'm not on the computer as much.

Headaches lately. I thought I was dehydrated, but not sure.
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