Vivian's Daily Journal

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

Moderators: JeffN, f1jim, carolve, Heather McDougall

Re: Vivian's Daily Journal

Postby VivianS » Sat Nov 07, 2020 4:50 am

VivianS November 7, 2020 Saturday to November 13 next weigh in
Starting weight. 147.2.
Current weight. 148.2 waistline 37"
Change +1 pound

Star for each day of compliance, X if I missed.
I succeeded on the MWL checklist:
1 soup/ salad or fruit at beginning of each meal. * * * * * *
2 plate 50% nonstarchy /50% starch. * * * * * *
Fruit for dessert * * * * * *
3 Eliminate sugar/ salt. * * * * * *
4 No animal products * * * * * *
5 No high fat plants. * * * * * *
6 No oil. * * * * * *
7 No refined foods, flour, etc. * * * * Uh-oh! Oat bran is a refined food.
8 Don't drink my calories. Drink water. * * * * * *
9 Don't stuff or starve. Be comfortable. Eat when you are hungry. * * * * * *
10 Avoid being sedentary. Exercise! * * * * * *

Points on the Maximum Weight Loss check list that need greater attention :
10 When I exercise a lot like I did on Friday, I eat a lot. My weight goes up temporarily and I rest the next day. 11/9 I lifted weights 10 pounds each hand 4 sets 35 minutes total. Mopping is good exercise, too. Sweeping leaves off the entrances is good exercise. 11/11 weight lifting as usual.

I am compliant on all points. I'm just getting better at it! It is working, even if my weight goes up or down. My waistline is steady at 37".
11/ / 2020 I have lost 20 pounds since July 3, 2020 when I weighed night 170/ 166 pounds in the morning. I'm celebrating with a song and a shout when my scale shows me 146 pounds! 11/12/2020 I am at 148.2 pounds.
11/8/20 My husband changed the batteries in my scales. It is looking like it will be next week before I get to 146, but I will get there. To paraphrase Buns of Aluminum: whole food plant based is how I eat. Period.
I watched the latest Dr. Doug Lisle video with Chef AJ.
11/9/2020 I cooked 2 heads of cabbage and have them in cup sized servings to add to soup or a plate.
11/10/2020 I have 30 ounces of blended potato soup (1 cup of potato with the skin, which I ate with cooked shredded cabbage.
I will offer to my little ones Wednesday afternoon boiled corn and fresh fruit (including pineapple). My 6x4 soup sends them to the drawer to grab a spoon. I doubled the amount of water chestnuts because I wasn't getting any. Green peas are popular with them, too.
11/11/2020 Groats are not available in any store where I live. Forget the Internet! I think steel cut oats plus oat bran must equal groats, the whole food. That's what I can do to ease constipation. I have an extremely painful internal hemorrhoid. I have been willing to eat the extra calories to have the pain relief. Until I can think of something else other than oat bran, I will have to rethink my diet and be satisfied with less than MAXIMUM weight loss because I can't exercise enough to burn those extra calories until I can get some professional help. (Surgery)
Ok, so oat bran is not a whole food. Oat bran is a refined food. At 231 calories a cup it is a calorie "expensive " food. Perhaps I can substitute 1 cup of cooked shredded cabbage at 35 calories to provide the bulk I need to give relief to that painful hemorrhoid. That savings of almost 200 calories per day will help me get rid of the pound I regained this week. My plan feels like it is working.
My report from a blood test on Wednesday, November 4, 2020 shows cholesterol 110
and triglycerides at 96. Both are well within the normal range. I am happy!
I have lost 16 pounds since my last blood test thanks to you who have donated your time and expertise to help me with the Maximum Weight Loss program!
Thank you to Mark Cooper, Jeff Novick, Wildgoose, Heather McDougall and the other members of Dr. John McDougall's Maximum Weight Loss board. You have helped me tremendously!
Thanks to Marla for leading the way on her "61 Days of Compliance". Together we will get past the end of the year in great shape! I am a Cronometer user, too. Math lovers unite! We can figure out how to have slender figures and stay healthy! (Jeff Novick told us the secrets!)
11/12/2020 Thanks to Ejeff for showing me with her ticker tracker that it is possible for me to get to the weight where I need to go. I appreciate her words and her example. I will have to be as diligent about maintaining my weight as losing it in the first place. I will be eating whole food plant based food for the rest of my life, the best of my life, healthy.
11/13/2020 Thanks to Noella for reminding me that my vow (power)to comply with the MWL CHECKLIST is due to the love I feel for the little ones in my life so I may live strong and long enough to see them grow up.
VivianS
Last edited by VivianS on Fri Nov 13, 2020 9:54 pm, edited 10 times in total.
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Re: Vivian's Daily Journal

Postby Marla » Sat Nov 07, 2020 11:28 am

Vivian,

It's a great feeling to realize that you are getting better at this and that it is getting easier! I think it takes longer if we continue to tease our system with tastes and nibbles of rich foods (been there, done that in the past). Once you adapt to the point where you enjoy the healthiest foods, it's not nearly as hard to stay compliant.

Congratulations on your success and keep going!
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Re: Vivian's Daily Journal

Postby VivianS » Sun Nov 08, 2020 3:42 pm

VivianS November 8, 2020
Pineapple is a self limiting food. The bromelain in the pineapple dissolves the mucus coating on your tongue and then the acid burns your tongue. Ouch! Some people refuse to eat pineapple after that. Once burned, twice spurned.
I allow any small children access to food to teach them to take food from the bowl, put it on their own plate and eat as much as they want in small servings. They may not put their hands in the serving bowl. We wash hands before the meal, but they still may not put their hands in the food other may be eating.
Last night my sweet little nephew had a big bowl of pineapple and he was serving himself repeatedly until suddenly he turned around and started licking my clothes to stop his tongue from burning. I got a wet washcloth to use to soothe his tongue.
I had forgotten about this reaction.
Last night I had a second serving of pineapple and had that reaction myself, but I used a toothbrush to clean my tongue. The burn is a small price to pay for the excellent sweetness. It teaches us to eat just enough.
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Re: Vivian's Daily Journal

Postby VivianS » Wed Nov 11, 2020 10:17 pm

VivianS November 11, 2020 Wednesday
On Nov.4, 2020 I weighed 148.4 pounds when I had my blood test. My cholesterol was 110. My triglycerides 96. I have lost 16 pounds since my last blood test which was March 23, 2020 when I weighed 164.4. I lost the weight beginning July 3 when I started the Maximum Weight Loss program from www.drmcdougall.com.
My cholesterol dropped from 167 to 110 (That's a 57 point drop.) Triglycerides fell from 206 to 96.( That's a 110 point drop!)
I think it is safe to say that a whole food plant based diet is working for me. I think those numbers are statistically significant for my heart health since I plan to continue eating this way for the rest of my life.
Thank you to Dr. John McDougall, Mark Cooper, Jeff Novick. Dr.Doug Lisle, Heather McDougall, Wildgoose, and the rest of you
encouragers on the Maximum Weight Loss program!
Sincerely,
VivianS
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Re: Vivian's Daily Journal

Postby Ejeff » Thu Nov 12, 2020 9:25 am

VivianS, congratulations on your success! It is always nice to read about how the McDougall plan really works well when we follow it. I changed my way of eating about 5 years ago. Like you and most others, I am trying to avoid illness and stay strong as I age. Wishing you continued success, and thanks for sharing your story.

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

Postby bunsofaluminum » Thu Nov 12, 2020 3:26 pm

I'd love to know what your 6x4 soup is. I'm always eager to try new soup recipes :)

thanks!
JUST DON'T EAT IT

I heart my endothelial lining
by red squirrel

simple, humble food
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The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
by Pamela, a FB user
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Re: Vivian's Daily Journal

Postby VivianS » Fri Nov 13, 2020 2:27 am

VivianS November 13, 2020 Friday. DISCLAIMER:I AM NOT A GOOD COOK.
6x4 soup (Typing 6 brings this soup up on Cronometer so that is why I have this crazy title after I entered it in my recipes.)
Filtered water 6 cups... and more added as needed.
1/2 cup instant brown rice or precooked regular brown rice
1/4 cup quinoa
1/4 cup lentils
1/4 cup dried split peas
16 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms (white and/or portobello)
.....Later you will add bits of sweet peppers, sliced water chestnuts and frozen green peas. If I change the recipe a little, I do it on Cronometer. I had to double the chestnuts because the kids were eating them all.

While the dry ingredients and mushrooms are cooking, I have 10 jars grouped in one side of my sink.
To those jars I add 2 five ounce cans of sliced water chestnuts and spoon them into the jars in equal amounts. Next I clean and slice in pieces 1/4" x 1/2" bits of several small sweet bell peppers (red, yellow and orange). Just put an equal amount in each jar. When I eat this soup, I pour one cup of the mixture in a big bowl with perhaps more filtered water and 1/2 CUP OF FROZEN GREEN PEAS and heat it in the microwave for 3 minutes so the pepper and green peas will cook at that time and the water chestnuts will be warm, too.

When the cooked part is ready, maybe 30 minutes or more...depending on how long it takes to you to put the peppers and water chestnuts into the jars. Spoon the mushrooms into the jars. Mushrooms float on top so they are easily spooned into the jars. Finally spoon the cooked brown rice, quinoa, lentils and split peas and the fluid into the jars.
You should have about a cup of solids in each of 10 jars. Wipe them. Put the lid on each and place them in the refrigerator or freezer when cool enough.

I do this once and have it ready to eat for 10 days. My husband keeps our refrigerator really cold so I just keep mine in the refrigerator. I make no claim to be a good cook. I eat this same soup every day. Peppers are not of equal size, so put as many as you like. Some days I eat 6x4 soup twice.
I quit cooking this all together and trying to scoop a cupful at the end of the cooking because mushrooms float and the first few jars got all the mushrooms and the last few jars had just the lentils, split peas, rice and quinoa. The peppers were not present in every jar so I decided to start spooning the soup items into small jars to have a more uniform product as to nutrients and flavors. Live, learn and adjust to please yourself. I tried to prepare a mixture that is 50% nonstarchy vegetables (peas and peppers) and 50% starch (brown rice, quinoa, lentils and dry split peas). I don't know if I actually did that, but the cup of solids looks like it.
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Re: Vivian's Daily Journal

Postby VivianS » Fri Nov 13, 2020 10:29 pm

VivianS November 13 through November 20,2020 next weigh-in
Change in weight : -2.0 pounds
Starting weight 148.2. Running average 151.32. waistline 37" BMI 26.3
Nov.20 stats: 146.2. Running average 150.68. waistline 36" BMI 25.9
Points on the Maximum Weight Loss check list where I succeeded:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Points on the Maximum Weight Loss checklist that need greater attention: (All, every day.)
10 I succeeded in setting my timer and walking 30 minutes daily, but I want to walk at a more brisk pace and walk uninterrupted.

1 soup or salad at each meal: * * * * * * *
2 plate with 50% nonstarchy vegetables/ 50 % starch : * * * * * *
Fruit for dessert * * * * * * *
3 No added sugar or salt: * * * * * * *
4 No animal products.: * * * * * * *
5 No high fat plants : * * * * * *
6 No oil : * * * * * * *
7 No refined foods, flour, etc. * * * * * * *
8 Don't drink calories. Drink water. * * * * * * *
9 Don't stuff or starve. Be comfortable. Eat when hungry. * * * * * * *
10 Exercise!!! * * * * * * *
I want to set a timer and walk 30 minutes every day.

FRIDAY 11/13/2020 I made 10 servings of brown rice ( a one pound bag) and they are in the refrigerator. I made 2 veggie soup last night (10 servings ).
I swam 1200 yards in 60 minutes. I lifted 10 pound weights in 4 sets for 35 minutes before.bed.
I ate steel cut oats with vanilla, cinnamon and an apple for breakfast. Warm water with Miralax.
I ate my usual 6x4 soup, bowl of collards, 2 veggie soup poured over brown rice and pinto beans. I will eat fruit (maybe a plum) when my husband comes home from the grocery store.
1 cup of potato soup with 2 cups water and 1 cup of shredded cabbage will finish my night eating.
I bought a new pair of pants!
SATURDAY 11/14/2020 Walk 30 minutes.
6x4 soup with 1/2 green peas, Romaine salad with 2 1/2" frozen tomato (My husband really keeps the refrigerator cold!), 1 1/4 cups mustard greens, 2 veggie soup poured over 3/4 cup of brown rice, 3/4 cup of pinto beans (1/2 can that has been drained and rinsed), 2 plums.
I ate whole wheat pasta, 1 cup, with no salt added tomato sauce and a 1/2 cup serving of 2 veggie soup (mixed vegetables) to make the sauce lumpy like regular spaghetti.
( Nope! I changed my mind and ate this after midnight: White potato with skin and 2x the amount of water, 1 cup of sliced cooked cabbage, 1/4 teaspoon salt...actually Sunday morning. I am only putting 1/4 teaspoon in the shaker at one time. I am sure I am not getting too much. I'm trying to wean myself off salt. I used 1 teaspoon, but found at first it lasted 3 days, then 4 days, so I decided to just try 1/4 teasoon. Maybe I will be too lazy to get up and fill again. Like Dr. Doug Lisle says, "Be an experiment of one." Try something else until you find something that works !
I will need to be awake Tuesday and Wednesday in the day time. MOMMA decided to stay home from work to be with her firstborn, but I'm welcome to hover and read books to the little sweetheart. I need to shift my sleep and eating strategies My meals are easy to pack. I still need to have some strategies to keep a 3 1/2 year old girl healthy and happy for those 2 days and stay sweet and alive myself.
SUNDAY 11/15/2020 I weighed 149.4 , 37" waistline, 36.5 BMI, running average 151.34
When I woke up at 6 p.m. I weighed while empty and naked. This time my stats were the source of singing and shouting!
I weighed 146.2 pounds ( 20 pounds gone!), waistline 26.5", BMI 25.9, running average 151.18. I WILL BE FULL OF WATER LATER, BUT I AM DELIGHTED TO SEE 146 POUNDS on the scale. I'll be back there again.
I walked 30 minutes. I enjoyed talking with my sister on the phone while I walked in my yard and driveway. Getting walking done first thing makes me feel better. Guts like it, too. Easy BM after that. I plan to take the little one to the park in the morning to walk . If it rains, we will walk in the atrium at the library or go to the YMCA. I have lots of options so you don't need to hear any excuses. Compliance to the checklist is the formula for weight loss success.
It is time for Miralax in warm stock from steaming my mustard greens. Life is good! Thank you, God, for providing good food for me! Thank you for my family, Lord.
I went back to sleep and rested undisturbed. God gives his beloved sleep. I must admit that sometimes I want more than He gives, but I manage. I had sweet dreams of family gatherings of the past. I had lots of smiles, hugs and kisses from loved ones who have been gone for years. In just a blink, I will see them again. For now I have little cheeks to kiss and little arms around my neck. I hold the future in my arms. I want to send them sweet dreams and good memories of a healthy life and a merry heart.
Monday 11/16/2020 I think I'm getting greedy. What usually makes 10 servings of 2 veggie soup made 9 servings. I want more tomato juice in my lunch pail over the brown rice. I put 1 and 1/2 cups in each container.
I had 1/4 teaspoon of salt in my shaker. I used all of it on 2 big bowls of potato, onion, cabbage soup. I cooked an entire medium potato for myself, but I put 1/2 in the refrigerator for tomorrow. I used 3 cups of the water to cook it and 1/2 onion. I added 1 cup of cabbage as usual.
I ate the entire 6 cups of lettuce and a 2 1/4" diameter tomato.
As usual (Monday, Wednesday and Friday after midnight, I lifted weights before bed.
My lunch is packed for tomorrow: 6×4 soup, 1/2 cup of green peas, Container #2 has 1 and 1/4 cups of collards, 2 veggie soup, 3/4 cup of brown rice, 3/4 cup of pinto beans. Bag of Romaine lettuce and 1 tomato will complete the meal. I may eat an apple for dessert. I may stop at the grocery store to get pineapple or other fruit the kids like.
When I arrived at my niece's house this morning, the little boy was clinging to me and whining. I said,"Leave him with me, too." Two children play together. Momma couldn't stay with them. There was a death in her husband's family. I was glad I already had my lunch packed. I was able to leave immediately when my niece called this morning. Since I was awake extra hours today, I ate extra food:brown rice, green peas and tomato sauce with lettuce and tomato.
I played with the children outside. I got plenty of exercise today.
I must steam our greens and pack my lunch for tomorrow before I can go to bed tonight.
Tuesday, 11/17/2020 1:06 a.m. I must be awake, dressed and driving by 6:45 a.m. My husband said, "I know our schedule is awful, but I must do it to stay alive. It has been working for me for 12 years." He is asleep much of the time. When he is tired, he must lie down or fall down. That's the way I felt yesterday when I got my niece and nephew into bed for their nap. I didn't sleep, but my back stopped hurting and I thanked God for the rest. Please, dear reader, do everything you can to avoid a heart attack or stroke. The suffering is long term for survivors and hard to accept when it could have been prevented. As Dr.McDougall says,"It's the food!" Eat your vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. AVOID FAKE FOOD! You can't fake good health.
I must get off my soapbox and get into bed. I hope all of you are sleeping well and enjoying your lives. My lunch sack is packed. I'm ready to sing, hug, run and giggle all day tomorrow with a wonderful snuggle time in the middle.
The kids painted with watercolors outside at their little table , but I still walked for 30 minutes. When my sweet little nephew awakened from his nap, he crawled over to me and lay on my chest in a nice long hug. I asked him if he wanted something to eat. He smiled and said "Canny!" When I said nothing, he said,"Apple!" We went out side at dusk and looked up at the big white smile in the sky. He munched happily on his apple. I enjoyed mine, too. Big sister still prefers junk, but lIke all big sisters, she took a bite of his apple.
I must get to sleep soon. I must get up early again in the morning. So far I have been staying awake without caffeine. I am getting up early enough to be sure I am wide awake before I drive.
Wednesday, 11/18/2020 The children are changing to a daycare closer to home with a better curriculum. I hope their food will be less "canny" (candy) and junk with more fruit, and a focus on good nutrition. I must pick them up every Wednesday so I must learn how to get them. I'm also responsible for sick days with them. On Monday I realized I must have a stash of food in my car for those unexpected days: instant brown rice and quinoa, canned corn, canned no salt added tomatoes, greens and other vegetables , canned beans, canned fruit, a bottle of water and a can opener. I need to think more about this. I have enough in my refrigerator for one meal in my sack that I take with me, but it is not enough for an unexpected 15 hour day. My husband saved my day Monday by bringing library books for the kids, my important pill, my charger for my cellphone and other things I needed. I had to leave home in a hurry. I need a "must have list of things" . Dear husband and I can read it and be in agreement if he has to do something to help in the future. We used the same travel packing list for 25 years so I know this is a list worth doing. The box of food, a couple of spoons and forks, water and a can opener is going in my car tonight. (It is in the car.)
_____"THINGS I NEED EVERYDAY LIST"
_DONE!__BOX OF CANNED GOODS AND CAN OPENER IN MY CAR....CHECK IT REGULARLY. I added a spoon and a hand towel. I already have hand sanitizer in my car.
My strategy to eat cabbage has helped ease constipation miseries, but adding more lettuce every day has helped even more. I now eat 6 cups of lettuce ( an entire bag ) instead of just 2 cups.
THURSDAY 11/19/2020 I am really sleepy. I did very well today...so far. I'm in bed and I haven't eaten anything yet!
The bad news is that hemorrhoid pain is back. I used Rx hydrocortisone acetate 25mg. Thank you, God, for meeting my needs. Goodnight!
1:50p.m. I'm awake, weighed, had my first dose of medicine with water and I can eat at 2:50 p.m. and be about my business.
The good news: I weigh 146.8 pounds, 36" waistline line, BMI 26.0, estimated fat 30.9%, running average 150.88 pounds and a Cronometer statement that I need only 1160 calories to keep the body machine running (or as Dr. Doug Lisle says, "to keep the hot water heater hot".
The bad news: I can't believe my waistline dropped 2 inches over night. I'm squeezing that fat so tightly that I must have stretched the tape measure! I'm still happy! I want to get my waistline to less than 35 inches and get to a healthy BMI.
Watching the numbers change as I write them on my daily chart as I copy results from Cronometer and the program I use to get the running average has been so encouraging.
I found some interesting new food choices in the grocery store for my "emergency food box" iny car. There are several things packed in plastic with rip off lids that will make a great meal in the park, the hospital parking lot, or the day at my niece's house if sick child has to come home from daycare. Whole grain oats and fruit are in one package. Others are available in individual servings of vegetables and fruits. The only idea I had for a soup is to open a can of mixed vegetables. All the soup options were not compliant to the MWL checklist.
I got my shopping and my walking done at the same time. I had already lifted weights yesterday. Today I will set a timer and walk in the house. I am so grateful for this Maximum Weight Loss program!
FRIDAY, November 20, 2020. I have lifted weights.
I found a strange place on my chest before I went to bed. I asked my husband to feel it and tell me what he thought. He laughed and said," That's your breast bone! Feel where it joins to your ribs." I have had so much fat covering my chest wall that I have not felt my sternum in years. What a shock! I felt silly and relieved.
I am so happy that I was able express my gratitude in my post to those responsible for the Maximum Weight Loss program:Dr. John McDougall, Jeff Novick, Dr.Doug Lisle, Mark Cooper, Wildgoose and all the MWL participants who have told their stories and written kind words to me. Thank you, God, for Dr. LOWNDES HARRISON, who introduced me to the idea of Whole Food Plant Based eating as a group and listed Dr. John McDougall as a resource. Lord Jesus, please bless all of us and let us show the world that Your way of living is the best!
VivianS
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Re: Vivian's Daily Journal

Postby VivianS » Fri Nov 20, 2020 2:20 pm

VivianS November 20, 2020 to next weigh in November 27, 2020

Weight change -2.2 pounds
11/20/2020 weight 146.2 # waist 36" BMI 25.9 Running average 150.68
11/27/2020 weight. 144.0# waist 36" BMI 25.5 Running average 148.57
Points on the Maximum Weight Loss checklist on which I succeeded:
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

Points on the Maximum Weight Loss checklist which need greater attention:
All points, every day.
1 Begin each meal with soup, salad or fruit. * * * * * * *
2 50% nonstarchy vegetables /50% starch * * * * * * *
Fruit for dessert * * * * * * *
3 No added sugar or salt. * * * * * * *
4 No animal products. * * * * * * *
5 No high fat plants. * * * * * * *
6 No oil. * * * * * * *
7 No refined food, flour, etc. * * * * * * *
8 Drink water.* * * * * * *
9 Eat when hungry. Don't stuff or starve. Be comfortable. * * * * * * *
10 Exercise! Walk 30 min. daily. * * * * * * *

Friday, November 20, 2020
I have decided to try each item in the "Emergency Food Box". If I don't like an item, I can trash it and not get caught somewhere without good or at least acceptable food. I started with the can of salt free mixed vegetables that I plan to use as a soup. It had vegetables and perhaps an unwanted ingredient : calcium chloride to keep the vegetables firm, but the side effect is possible dehydration. That possibility may present problems for me, but not as much as eating completely off the MWL CHECKLIST. Perhaps the can of salt free mixed vegetables is a winner for an emergency food box.
I enjoyed my swim: 60 minutes, 1,000 yards. I only do the backstroke. I wear a regular swim mask over my eyes. I also wear a mask for protection from Covid over my mouth and nose. It may not work for Covid protection, but it does help keep splashing water out of my nose. I did find something good about wearing a mask!
I lifted weights and walked outside 30 minutes. I enjoyed listening to Dr. Lisle on YouTube while I walked.
My meals:
Steel cut oats, 1 cup of mango
I ate 1 can of no salt added mixed vegetables. ..straight from the can as if I were sitting in the park. I thought about rinsing the vegetables, but thought of it too late. I'll have to put an extra bottle of water in the box to do that. I will also have to write a note and tape it on the can to remember to do it and get the habit started.
Dear husband didn't find a restaurant to meet his needs. He came home hungry. He ate a bowl full of 2 veggie soup. Since he was really hungry, he ate it and said it was good. I was surprised. He loves potatoes and there are NO POTATOES in 2 veggie soup.
6x4 soup with 1/2 cup of green peas
1 and 1/4 cups of collard green
2 veggie soup poured over all the other goodies in my lunch pail
Brown rice 3/4 cup
Pinto beans ( 1/2 can , rinsed =3/4 cup )
6 cups of Romaine lettuce with a small 2 and 1/2" tomato on top of the bowl of 50/50 veggies and starch
2 plums
Saturday, 11/21/2020 Remember, I'm up all night...so I'm still eating even though it is on a different page in Cronometer and this diary, but so goes my life.
Potato soup ( 1 cup of potato and the skin and 2 cups of the water it was cooked in.)
Shredded cabbage 1 cup added to the potato soup
Sprinkle of salt. I still don't like white potatoes, but I want the potassium. Maybe the salt won't drag ithe potassium out of my body before it does good things for me.
I need to research phosphorus, since it, too, is important in keeping bones healthy. Cronometer indicated it is in animal products. I will have to dig a little more to find the vegetables that contain it.
Momma of the little ones is at a funeral out of town so I will be with my niece tomorrow. I will try my "emergency food box" at her house. I have my regular lunch sack and fruit sack ready to go. I will just grab them from the refrigerator. I finally realized that I must pack those on the weekend, too. Habits help us or hurt us. Dr. LISLE recommends monotony as a good habit for a weight loss diet. I like the very few recipes I am using now. I have collected enough jars and plastic containers to fit my foods in the refrigerator in individual servings. It is easy to fix my meal and travel with it. It is easy to put in 2 bowls and microwave the soup then the main 50/50 bowl. I put the bag of salad on top with the chopped tomato and I'm ready to eat in less than 10 minutes at my niece's house. Now, actually eating it is a real trick because the little prince reigns with his spoon while sitting in my lap. He moves after he has eaten all the water chestnuts, green peas and splashed all he wants. I'm not spoiling him. His sister gets what she wants, too. Fun!
They may try steel cut oats with pineapple or mango in a little while. They have never tried mango.
So now you understand my best dieting tip: slide as many calories as possible off your plate onto some one else's plate. It's a BY-PASS OPERATION. By-pass your own lips and hips. Watch some one else's body get bigger. I think those two children will be taller and stronger than I am in about 10 years. If you don't see a child in a long time such as when you move to another town, when you visit they say, "Mrs. S. what happened to you? You used to be so tall!"
May you live long and be healthy enough to enjoy some adults you knew as children.
I'm hoping to sleep when they nap. I'm afraid when I wake up they will be big!
6:11a.m. I'm going to sleep a while.
I spent the rest of the day Saturday with my niece and nephew. We walked outside for an hour. I thought I wrote a post, but it is not here. I made a taco soup suggested by Marla and really enjoyed it.
Sunday November 22, 2020 I weighed 146.2 again this morning! No loss, but I didn't gain!
36" waist still seems strange. Because I was up all night Friday and then stayed with the children during the day, I'm off schedule with rest, meals and meds. I'm glad I have food ready to eat and can rest today. I hope to at least walk 30 minutes. I did walk 30 minutes, part of it outside.
I ate potato soup 1 cup of potato, 2 cups water, and 1 cup of cooked cabbage. I ate steel cut oats and 1 cup of strawberries.
I'm back in bed for a nap.
When I read the side listing beside my journal, it says I have many more replies than I have seen. Are they in another location? Could it be referring to ANOTHER person also named Vivian?
Monday and Tuesday I have been unable to post anything here for an unknown reason. Spamhous shows me a list of numbers that I don't understand.
Tuesday, 11/24/2020 I weighed 145 pounds today. I have enjoyed a visit this afternoon with two sets of little children ( great grandchildren of two of my deceased brothers). The smallest baby has teeth. He liked taco soup! Thank you, Marla for the idea. I have enjoyed it twice with boiled corn on top.
I have learned to add frozen shredded butternut squash to my potato soup. I have also shredded and cooked another whole cabbage to use with potato soup. Potato provides potassium and phosphorus. Everyday I learn to enjoy white potatoes more. This is a good new habit.
I enjoyed the letter from Dr. John McDougall today. I am thankful to him and his team. This is the easiest, most effective weight loss plan I have ever used. I have lost 21 pounds since July 3, 2020. My blood test results showed that my cholesterol and triglycerides levels had gone into the normal (safe) zone. Thank you for teaching me how to eat a health-giving diet and exercise well to stay strong. Thank you for helping me understand my mistakes and encouraging me to stay with the program. May God bless all of you!
Thursday, 11/26/2020 Happy Thanksgiving! I weigh 146.4 pounds, 36" waist,148.o2 running average, BMI of 25.8. I am thankful for all of you! I am thankful that I have not had to use a prescription suppository for 10 days. If my "stool"is the right consistency, it will pass that hemorrhoid without pain. Adding blended potato soup with chunks of cabbage has been the additional moisture and fiber needed to make my bowel movements less painful. Perhaps this Covid pandemic will be over soon and elective surgery will be possible. Maybe the hemorrhoid will heal on its on if I continue eating potato soup.
I am thankful to have four little children in my life! Running with a dinosaur on a stick is a great thrill. It roars! Being hugged, kissed and having the pleasure of reading to them is what motivates me to stay on this diet. Last night I was talking to them about having children of their own. The little girl is 3 1/2. She asked me,"When I have children, will you be their other granny?" I told her,"I am very old. I don't know. We will have to wait to see what happens. I think your brother will help you and you will help him. (I am their great aunt, not their great-grandmother, but they are my own by virtue of love and possession. My brother and his wife are dead. They are mine by inheritance. Children are an inheritance from the Lord. ) They will be loved whether I am with them or not.
Two of my nieces have asked me if I am going to continue losing weight. Hint: My skin is more wrinkled and my age is showing. Fat plumped skin doesn't have many wrinkles. My age is showing. It is distressing them. My answer to them is simple: Yes. If I want to stay heart healthy, I must keep my weight low and blood work good. I have 4 siblings over 80. None are fat.
According to the TV commercial, people waste 20 gallons of water pre-rinsing our dishes before placing them in the dishwasher. Maybe we should all agree to lick our plates. Ha! Ha! Ha!
I'm going to enjoy some steel cut oats and pineapple for breakfast. Thank you, Lord, for good food! Thank you, Lord, for hope of a vaccine to stop this Covid19 pandemic. Please heal our land and your people.
I made 2 veggie soup: eleven servings of 1 and 1/2 cups each. I used 8 large tomatoes to make it extra juicy. I love using Cronometer. I adjusted the recipe as I changed the amounts of the basic recipe. I click "Don't Update" past entries so the calorie and nutrient amounts don't change on previous days but do reflect the truth for the new entries.
My mother used to drive me crazy because to make substitutions to a recipe I gave her then she would give my recipe to the person asking for the recipe . The person would call me asking why it wasn't the same. I never knew what substitutions she made. She may have told the person but her visitors often didn't realize that she had difficulty writing due to the arthritis in her hands. They were making a copy of my recipe, but ate her version of it.
Cronometer has the option to copy the recipe, but as my aunt used to say, "Every good cook knows to make substitutions." I've understood that for this soup to make me happy when poured over brown rice, I want 1 garlic clove for every big juicy tomato. I want lots of okra and corn- about 50/50 , mixed vegetables, 2 sweet onions, and a can of drained, rinsed pinto beans. When I chop and add 1 cup of sweet red, yellow and orange bell peppers, I'm finished. "Oooh, Mommy" the Japanese word "umami" for "savory" is what I taste and think when it simmers while I am cutting and adding all the ingredients. I pour the soup into the jars and place them in the refrigerator after letting them cool a few minutes.
I went for a walk around a nearly completed building. The temperature and sunlight were just right for a pleasant walk. I saw an elderly friend sitting with her family outside. Her children were wearing masks. She is hard of hearing. It is sad that sign language is not used by everyone. Masks muffle speech.
Because there was no construction today, I enjoyed a deep restful sleep. Thete was no "beeping" from equipment as it is backing up.
My nephew invited me to come eat with him. I said, "No, thanks, I want to keep my wrinkles." His daughter, who is about 30 and who worries about such things is the one who asked me if I plan to keep losing weight.
I forget that young people are distressed by changes. I grew up with lots of wrinkled old parents, aunts and uncles. I was born before birth control. Women had children for 20 years. Families were large. It was easy to see the natural progression of life. Now, Cindy Crawford looks the same for 20 or 30.years. People don't realize that we get old, but staying healthy still includes gray hair and wrinkles. Why lie?
When I woke up, I weighed 145.0. Yep, I'm a "scale monkey" as Dr. DOUG LISLE calls us. I enjoyed his talk on self esteem while I walked this afternoon. I know that I have enjoyed putting in the effort to cook good food and walk today. I know I was kind to myself by resting. My internal audience and my internal hemorrhoid are happy. Tomorrow I will go back to some little folks who will be happy to see me. We will sing, run, read books, eat fruit and veggies, laugh in the bath, giggle and kiss while the hair dryer is going and drift off to sleep until it is time to go elsewhere. I have a nice life. Thank you, God!
Maybe my scale will show a weight loss if I'm not full of water or food stuff. I hope to swim tomorrow if I can get to the YMCA before the pool closes.
My husband is awake. I may serve him some 2 veggie soup or fulfill his request or let him find a chef of his choosing.
My niece gave my husband a plate of the usual Thanksgiving goodies. I ate my regular diet. We were both happy and grateful.
My husband bought a bag of small treats for the children which he will dole out one at a time. The sack won't be on top of the refrigerator at their house to elicit pointing and whining. He will be welcomed with glee and slobbering. Pavlov 's principle has been known and practiced since the first cave man brought food home to gain entry to the cave!
Friday, November 27, 2020 I wrote my post twice and deleted the second one. Slowly, but surely I am learning to use this forum.
I lifted weights during the night and now I am going to swim. Today I realized I can save time on Cronometer by making a "recipe" to list all my medicines. Now I type "meds" and they are included in the calorie and nutrient counts. I have made a recipe for "lunch" that lists all the things I eat at lunch everyday. Monotany saves time and decision making. I have had another good week with Dr. McDougall's Maximum Weight Loss program!
VivianS
 
Posts: 126
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Re: Vivian's Daily Journal

Postby VivianS » Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:05 pm

VivianS November 27, 2020 to next weigh in December 4, 2020
Weight change: +1.4 pounds gained

December 4, 2020: 145.4 pounds
November 27, 2020 :.144.0 pounds
difference. 1.4 pounds gained
* = I succeeded with the checkpoint.
1. Start each meal with a soup and / or salad and / or fruit. * * * * **

2. Follow the 50 / 50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate ( by visual volume ) with nonstarchy vegetables and 50 % ( by visual volume ) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. * * * * * * I had my potato soup ready to eat with cabbage, but the cabbage tasted bad. I chose to substitute a cup of Romaine lettuce on a side plate. Having good ready makes it easy to stay compliant.

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. * * * * * *

4. Eliminate all animal foods ( dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood ). * * * * * *

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods ( i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy ).
* * * * * *

6.Eliminate any added oil. * * * * * *

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. * * * * * *

8. Don't drink your calories ( especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages ). * * * * * *

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. * * * * * *

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily ( i.e., brisk walking ).* * * * * *

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
I hope I will be able to complete the weigh in post as requested.

Daily journal :
Friday,November 27, 2020
I lifted weights. I swam 60 minutes. I hope to walk 30 minutes before midnight. Nope! Walk didn't happen, but I shopped 40 minutes or more earlier in the day.
I had steel cut oats and mango for breakfast 50/50.
Lunch: soup 1 cup potato ( potassium and phosphorus, fiber from the skin), 2 cups water, 1 cup cooked cabbage, 1/2 cup cooked butternut squash ( a vitamin A vegetable)
3/4 cup Pinto beans, 3/4 cup brown rice, 1 and 1/2 cups collards, 1 and 1/2 cups "2 veggie"soup"
6 cups Romaine lettuce and 1 tomato (2 1/4" diameter ) sprinkle of salt. persimmon
Watermelon 2 cups
Total calories for Friday: 1725. 80 ounces of filtered water
SATURDAY , November 28, 2020 House work requires muscles and burns calories!
I swept leaves and removed them from our back door entrance. (Exercise!)
I emptied two large water containers of purified water into 1 gallon containers.
Today is MUST GO day. Anything in the refrigerator that was not eaten MUST GO into a dish, the garbage or into the yard for the birds or other animals. Today I made a soup of last night's potato , 1/2 an onion, a garlic clove, a cup of cabbage (already cooked), corn that I cut off the cob, boiled okra and maybe 1/2 cup of butternut squash spirals. With a sprinkle of salt, I'm happy. The corn adds sweetness. I love this "Must Go" soup. It can be a pleasure to clean out the refrigerator!
I made 6x4 soup and have it in jars ready for the meals to come. I listened to YouTube while I was cooking. Plant based/life style doctors may turn the tide of chronic diseases in this country. I hope so. I learned why eating mustard greens, collards and other dark leafy vegetables is so important. They generate nitrious oxide which causes blood vessels to relax, thus relieving high blood pressure. I am sure the greens do many other good things for the body like protect the eyes from damage to the blood vessels, thus preserving sight. Dr. JOHN MCDOUGALL is right. It is the quality of food that is more important than quantity.
When I was a child, my parents had dentures and wore glasses. I thought I would have dentures, too. Modern dentistry changed my destiny. I still have all my teeth. I only use "readers" sometimes. I think I have changed my mind about the "inevitable heart surgery ". Now I believe I will not need it. Diet keeps the pipes (blood vessels) unclogged. So far no one has found a diet to cure arrhythmias. Some say nuts protect against arrhythmias, but who believes anything we hear? A pacemaker may be necessary at some point in the future, but that time is not now. Eating a whole food plant based diet has changed my mind about a lot of things, including the people who will share a meal with me.
I have learned the hard way that I must place brown rice in the cup loosely. The block of solid rice is delaying my meal.
Total calories for Saturday: 1693, 100 ounces of filtered water

SUNDAY, November 29, 2020i
I have a friend who is an animal lover. She has not eaten meat since she was a child big enough to choose her own food and refuse to eat meat. I would eat food she cooked, but she wouldn't eat anything another person cooked. She used oil in her cooking. She worked hard keeping her yard beautiful. Until now I never understood why she got fat. Exercise cannot overcome the calorie load of oil used in cooking. I miss my friend, but I learned many valuable lessons from her. When her mother died, she sold her home and went to India to teach for a year. When she came home, she moved to the city where her brother lives. She lived life on her own terms. In our journey to lose weight and keep it off, Jeff Novick has marked out the path as clearly as the yellow brick road. We dare not stray off the path to live life on our own terms (That's another name for "THE PLEASURETRAP"!). We want to get to our destination: a slim, healthy body. " #6 Eliminate any added oil." is like all the other nine behaviors: ESSENTIAL! We can't expect food offered to us by others to be free of added oils. Prepare your own food.
After dealing with that block of brown rice yesterday, I realize I must set my lunch pail out of the refrigerator and/or put it in the bowl in advance to let the rice thaw.
I ate steel cut oats with pineapple for breakfast.
Potato soup plus 1 cup of cabbage, and spiral cut butternut squash
The regular lunch pail:
6× 4 soup I used diced water chestnuts in the soup. CRUNCHY!
6 cups of Romaine lettuce ( one bag of Dole salad) and 1 small, chopped tomato 2 1/2"
.75 cup Pinto beans, .75 cup brown rice, 2 veggie soup, collards
Late night snack with dear husband: Whole wheat spaghetti, tomato sauce, 1 plum
100 oz. of water all day.
I walked 30 minutes in the house.
Total calories for Sunday: 1854

MONDAY, November 30, 2020 weight before night meds with 20 ounces of water: 149.4 pounds, 36" waist, BMI 26.5, 30.1% fat. Cronometer is interesting. I have never paid attention to BMI. I am learning about it as my weight goes up and down daily. My height remains the same...not actually. I have lost 1/2 inch of height as I have aged, but on a day to day basis, the height remains the same and therefore I see how a few pounds changes the BMI. I have heard that a healthy BMI is between 18 and 23. I have heard that a healthy waist line for women is below 35" inches. Now that my cholesterol is in the normal range, maybe I will see those other markers of good health come into view again on my own body. Thank you, MAXIMUM WEIGHT LOSS team and participants for giving me hope to be healthy again and remain healthy for as long as I live until death takes me home to Jesus my Lord.
I am also keeping a chart of before bed weight and weight on rising for the day. Those two give a running average. It has been a pleasure to note a steady downward trend in my weight. Even my night weight is less every night. Sometimes there is a jump up due to constipation or a late night snack with my husband, but over all it is a steady loss. My weight when I awakened: 144.8 pounds, BMI 25.7, running average 148.29.
Lunch pail is packed and in the refrigerator with the fruit bag for the kids.
I'm thinking about Taco soup for Thursday or I may boil some corn and make it now. It is hard to beat steel cut oats for breakfast. I think Mother made oats for breakfast every day. I love them!
Buns of Aluminum reminded me of yoga. I did that for years before I twisted my knee in the bed sheet while kicking at the cover. In 2015 after arthroscopic surgery on my torn meninscus, I had to do therapy. I also had a sprained ankle in October 2018. My yoga days are over. I work on balance in more subtle ways like merely standing on one foot with my ams able to touch the door jams if I get wobbly. My feet have arthritis. Safety first!
Buns, I also wanted to mention that wearing sturdy lace up shoes with a big toe box make walking easier and less painful. I have learned from long distance daily walkers to wear padded socks inside out with the seams next to my skin. That way the stray threads and knots don't irritate my skin. I want the smooth side next to my skin.
Marla inspired me to buy a persimmon. I enjoyed it. My brother and I used to climb a persimmon tree on the right of way near our home. A green persimmon will make your mouth pucker and draw up into a funny face. You will never forget the experience! I haven't. My brother laughed when it happened to me. He knew from experience what would happen. He let me find out for myself how to distinguish the ripe persimmons from the green ones. Experience is the best teacher and often the funniest!
My cellphone battery needs to be recharged and I am hungry for oats and fruit.
Marla asked a question about sugar or any sweetner (5% or less of the total calories) in the MWL CHECKLIST as compared to the regular McDougall program.. I was not aware of the limit. Eliminate or just sprinkle on top of the food. That has worked well for me. Jeff Novick answered the quesrion thoroughly. I will reread the answers later and copy his answer in my notebook. Some foods are self limiting. In the Proverbs a wise man told his son,"Do not eat too much honey or you will vomit. " It is good to know the limit without finding out the hard way. Marla is doing a good job of leading the charge past temptation into the new year!
For heart patients I look on the package and see if SODIUM is 5%or less of the Maximum daily value. Any more than 5% on that label and I leave it alone. For my heart's sake, fresh with no added salt or just a sprinkle meets the MAXIMUM WEIGHT LOSS CHECKLIST and makes me feel safe and satisfied. I used to use a lot of condiments that my niece uses. Now they are too salty for me. She has high blood pressure requiring medication. I don't. There is an old joke that teaches that we can get used to anything. I am glad we can get used to limited amounts of salt and sugar. We are fearfully and wonderfully made as it says in Psalm 139.
Monday total calories: 1670, 100 ounces of filtered water

TUESDAY, December 1, 2020
I slept from 3 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. when the big construction machines started making noise. 100 ounces of water for three days in a row finally made it down my intestinal tract so that the "soup" made it past that internal hemorrhoid without pain or delay. It's official. I'm old. My bowel movement gets more of my attention than my appearance or the opposite sex. Soups and 100 ounces of water a day seem to be resolving the problem until I can get surgery. Dr. JOHN MCDOUGALL has said that whole food plant based eating resolves many gut problems. I hope that the Covid pandemic will be over soon and I can be examined by a vascular surgeon. Cataract surgery is delayed. Spot in my breast is delayed. Maybe all those will heal without surgery.
Another thing has my attention and also has been on my mind several days: my dryer quit blowing heated air Friday night. I never tell my husband anything until he can do something about it. Needless fretting is harmful to him. When we were awake Monday afternoon, I told him that it had quit blowing heated air, that it was still running and the 5 things that could be wrong including fuses, but most likely it is the heating element. He called a repair man. Repair man's wife said, "He can't come check it until Friday." Niece said, "You can do laundry here." I can also do laundry at nephew's house. After a lifetime of being sick, I can tell you that dear husband and I have enough clean underwear to get by without washing for two weeks and enough food to eat without shopping for longer than that. You know that I prepare batches of food and store in individual servings. Dear husband likes to choose his own meal when he is hungry. I hate trying to cook for him. Last night he didn't find anything that appealed to him. He ate a little 2 veggie soup but pushed aside the pinto beans. Since he made the call to get a repair done to the washer, I have turned my attention to removing items from the laundry room so that the repairman can actually get to the back of the dryer. Since I do my sewing in the laundry room, too, I moved part of those tools to another location last night.
Washer still works and dryer will dry in cold air, but it takes 3 hours to dry a load. I'm not having to wash by hand or hang clothes on an outdoor clothes line in cold weather. There is a laundromat nearby. I have lots of good options including my sister's solution. She lives in a small town with one appliance store. She calls that store and says, "Jerry, this is Joy. Send me the best dryer you've got. When can I expect the delivery? I do expect you to haul off the old one. This afternoon? Great! See you then." Like one foreign person said about the USA, "Everything is prepared." The question is, "Are you prepared to eat Maximum Weight Loss meals without whining, clean up without worrying about the laundry piling up (dish cloths)? Yes! LIFE IS GOOD! Thank you, God, for clean water, good food, warm home, sweet husband and time to get ready for a repairman's visit.
My cellphone battery needs to recharge and I think I can sleep. Good day to you, MWL mates.

WEDNESDAY, December 2, 2020 I weigh 145.4 , 36" waistline, fat % 30.1 ( new number for me to think about thanks to touching something I had not touched before on Cronometer. ) BMI 25.8 , running average 148.21. When I looked down at my naked abdomen as I was leaning forward to put my scales away, I saw the loose skin hanging that used to be full of fat. Good bye, midriff bulge! Good bye, pooched out paunch! Hello, wrinkled, sagging skin! I never thought such a thing could be so beautiful! My blood work proves I am healthier. My body is cooler and I am wearing extra clothes to stay warm. Nice! My blubber is disappearing.
I ate potato soup with butternut squash. My cabbage didn't taste good, so I threw it out.
I had breakfast of steel cut oats and mango.
Lunch pail regular sack is packed and ready to eat at my niece's house in a while. I need to boil corn to have as a warm snack for the little ones when I bring them home from daycare.

While I was cleaning the laundry room, I looked through a sewing kit from my sister in law. It had a photo of her wearing a stylish dress from 1969. She looked like a fashion model! I made copies of the photo for her children and grandchildren. That was the silver lining to that cloud of having my dryer quit. I have a nice gift for those children and adults I love. I may be down to that size myself again soon.
I enjoyed one half ear of corn myself. We can have fast food that is healthy and much cheaper than a visit to some restaurant! The water I boiled the corn is is now the stock for taco soup. I have garlic and onion in the pot waiting to cook when I get home. The veggies are sitting in the previously hot water,
letting their flavor soak into the water.
My husband stayed home instead of helping me get the children because the dryer repairman said he would come check the dryer today instead of Friday. Yea!
I saw a childhood friendin the pharmacy parking lot. With our windows rolled down, ( definitely more than six feet apart) we spoke of recent deaths and other community news. His wife told me that I look beautiful. I was stunned. I told her so then added, "I'm old." Her husband, ever the diplomatic jokester said, " 'There's pretty old' then there's 'pretty and old' ". After all the deaths we 've experience, I'm just glad to be here. I'm glad that my old friend's white haired wife has a sweet attitude and wants to make others feel good, even though I doubt that she could see me very well from 10 feet away in the evening twilight.
This incident reminded me of an aunt of mine who was blind in her old age. A young mother was showing her a photo of her baby. My aunt said "That's a beautiful baby! What color are his eyes? "The young mother beamed a big smile and try talked for several minutes about the baby. When I asked her about the photo that I knew she couldn't see, she said, "I wanted to share in her happiness. Every baby is beautiful! If I had said, ' I'm sorry. I can't see that.' We would have had a different conversation."
We must be careful about what we think and say about ourselves and our changing bodies. Dr. Doug Lisle recommends not talking about our weight loss, our food, our program unless asked and then give simple answers. Not everyone wishes us well or has a "filter" to guard against saying hurtful or offensive things.
THURSDAY, December 3, 2020 145.2 pounds,35"waist (That's getting to the normal zone!) 25.7 BMI, 30.1% fat (according to Chronometer ), running average 148.17 pounds. According to Chronometer I must eat 1153 calories to maintain this weight, which is 1 .2 pounds more than last Friday's weight of 144. I have exceeded that calorie limit every day this week. I am comfortable with my ups and downs. I am making progress. I see it in my waistline and my overall health. We will see tomorrow what my weight is...if I am empty. If I am not, there can be a 5 pound difference in a day. I may have to wait until Saturday to report. Even if my report indicates a gain, I know I have been compliant to the MWL CHECKLIST and I will soon see good results on the scale, in my body and in my health.
FRIDAY, December 4, 2020 145.4 pounds, 35" waist, 25.8 BMI, RUNNING AVERAGE 148.15, 30.1%fat I have lost 5 inches off my waist since beginning this program!
I found some delicious black seedless grapes from Peru called "Grape Jelly Berries". They did taste like grape jelly! I really enjoyed the sweetness.
Plums are out of season. I have lost a valuable weapon in the battle with constipation. I may need to start eating prunes again. They are not on the checklist, but constipation and hemorrhoid pain are not acceptable. I am drinking 100 ounces of water daily and eating soup. That large amount of fluid has helped. I think I am eating a sufficient amount of fiber. I have not needed a hemorrhoid suppository this week. I have not had enough sleep or enough walking this week. 30 minutes daily is not enough for me. I am looking forward to sleep tonight. It is important.
Last edited by VivianS on Fri Dec 04, 2020 11:37 am, edited 12 times in total.
VivianS
 
Posts: 126
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2020 3:38 pm

Re: Vivian's Daily Journal

Postby bunsofaluminum » Mon Nov 30, 2020 8:08 am

I like that you walked 30 minutes in the house. Why not!? It's getting cold outside, so why not walk inside the house. Even stepping in place is good. I've been doing balancing exercises, incorporating yoga positions that require standing on one foot. It doesn't take up any room, and it really works your core. Fifteen minutes of tree and warrior 1...yeah, it'll kick my old out of shape tooshy.

Also loving your Must Go soup. We called it CORD soup (Clean Out Refrigerator Day) when I was raising my kids. It's a great practice. Prevents waste.
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
User avatar
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Re: Vivian's Daily Journal

Postby VivianS » Fri Dec 04, 2020 3:45 pm

VivianS December 4, 2020 to December 11, 200 next weigh in...
Weight change 145.4 -144 = loss of 1.4 pounds
Maximum Weight Loss checklist * = compliance for the day.
1. Start each meal with a soup and / or salad and / or fruit. * * * * * *
2. Follow the 50 / 50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate ( by visual volume ) with nonstarchy vegetables and 50 % ( by visual volume ) with nonstarchy vegetables and 50 % ( by visual volume ) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. * * * * * * *
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. * * * * * * *
4. Eliminate all animal foods ( dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood ). * * * * * * *
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods ( i.e. , nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy ). * * * * * * *
6. Eliminate anyadded oil. * * * * * * *
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. * * * * * * *
8. Don't drink your calories ( especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages ). * * * * * * *
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. * * * * * * *
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily. (i.e., brisk walking ). * * * * * * *

Victories, comments, concerns, questions :
FRIDAY, December 4, 2020 145.4 pounds, 35" waist, 25.8 BMI,30.1% fat , 1154 calories needed to sustain this weight.
Help! I added another comforter on my bed and I don't want to get out of bed! Even the thought of going swimming doesn't motivate me. Little sweetheart asked me to send dear husband to see her today. Maybe later.
Steel cut oats and fruit are screaming from the kitchen. Maybe later.
Later got here. The repairman arrived to fix my dryer! He had it fixed quickly. I went to the laundry room in time to thank him. My husband paid the man and they chatted a little about sports. He was courteous and wore a mask. He stayed 6 feet away from us. Dear husband checked the dryer after the repairman left and noticed that the dryer hose had come loose when the repairman moved it back into place. He leaves plenty of room between the wall and back of the appliances so he can inspect them regularly. My dear husband went behind the dryer with a screwdriver and put the dryer hose back in place and tightened the screw to hold it securely in place. The slim man squeezed between the washer and dryer, then we moved the dryer back in place.
The principle of inspecting regularly is what we are doing by reading the 10 point check list daily and looking for anything that is different or needs to be corrected. Inspecting frequently and thinking about how things ought to be keeps us out of trouble.
I ate breakfast and went for my swim. I swam 55 minutes but only 950 yards. The lifeguard poured chemicals in the water early so I got out ASAP! This was my last night to swim. I am grateful he was willing to come to work. I was the only swimmer. The pool is closed until spring.
I lifted weights after midnight, but I am used to doing the first two sets in bed. Then I stand at the end of my bed to do the last two sets. My bed feels much better than the wooden weight bench at the YMCA. I think I will spend my exercise hour at the YMCA using the rowing machine next Friday night.
I measured 1 cup of pineapple instead of eyeballing it. My eyes are BIG!. They have never been bigger than my stomach. Stomach stretches to fit as much of Maximum Weight Loss foods as I will let it have and I don't feel stuffed. I'm comfortable. I also added more water to cook the steel cut oats. Maybe my guts will be happy. I think my meals take a long time because I am constantly getting up to tend to the kids. My lunch pail contains a finite amount: :3.5 cups but I noticed in the grocery store last night that the salad bags vary in size. I think I have been eating 6 cups of Romaine lettuce. I'm going to watch that a little closer. The extra water filled lettuce makes my guts happy! 6 cups have made me more comfortable than 2 cups.
I want to add more vitamin A vegetables, but I have eaten about 1150 calories so I am not going to eat more tonight, until dear husband gets up to eat. I will add butternut squash .5 cup to (white potato 1 cup + 2 cups water) soup and perhaps 1.5 cups of Brussels sprouts. Those calories go on tomorrow 's tab...but I chose not to eat the potato soup. Chronometer indicated that I did not get enough potassium or phosphorus. It showed 1123 calories, so I reached that goal of restricted calories for weightloss, but I robbed my body of necessary nutrients.
SATURDAY, December 5, 2020 I weighed 145.4 at 11:21 a.m. after 10 hours of sleep and urination. 144.2 at 11:31 after a bowel movement, and 143.8 after more urine and bowel movement. I started wondering if my scales were wrong. I decided to test the scales by placing my 10 pound dumbbell on it. With all the padding on it for my hands, it weighs 10.6. I cleared the scale and placed the dumbbell on it again and it showed 10.6 again. So I suppose that my weight is143.8 pounds. 35" waist, 25.5 BMI, 30.1% fat, 147.96 running average. Maybe I should have waited until today for my weigh in, but I'm losing weight.
It's time for me to go to the grocery store. I need mushrooms to make 6x4 soup and something for dear husband to eat tonight. He likes to do the shopping, but he has been sick for a few days and has stayed in the house since it is cold. Coumadin has a side effect of making a person suffer in cold weather because his blood is so thin to prevent blood clots. Believe me, every pound you lose and every bite of saturated fat you don't eat saves you ftom suffering a heart attack or stroke. You don't want to go there. My daddy died with a massive heart attack. One of my brothers died with a stroke. I stayed at the hospital with both of them. Diabetes and lots of movie butter, oily, salted popcorn contributed to their deaths. I try to remember their suffering when I am tempted by the thought, sight, smell or memory of popcorn. It was greatly enjoyed in ignorance. Now I know better.
My blue-eyed siblings used to tease me that I have brown eyes because I am full of sh...BM. Now I eat so many collards that my BM is green. My brown eyes do have a big percentage of green in them ! Ha!, Ha,ha,ha! So since I had a BM this morning, I changed my post from 1.4 gain to a -0.4 pound loss. It doesn't matter to anyone but me. Maybe Wildgoose won't care or fret about it. I hope that Mark is doing well, is healthy, on vacation or being trained ...anything but being sick.
I drank 100 ounces of filtered water during this day.
I ate steel cut oats and 1 cup of pineapple for breakfast..
I ate 6x4 soup: brown rice, lentils quinoa, dry split green peas, bell pepper, mushroom slices and water chestnuts with 1/2 cup of frozen green peas.
6 cups Romaine lettuce and one chopped 2 1/2" tomato.
I ate my regular lunch pail :beans greens, brown rice, 2 veggie soup.
I cup of potato with 2 cups of water blended into soup with salt sprinkled on top.
I've eaten about 1650 calories, but I shopped for an hour, t unloaded the groceries and stood up while cooking 10 servings of brown rice and 10 servings of 6x4 soup. I think I burned the extra calories in the potato soup balanced by the extra lettuce ( 50/50 plate) and I got enough potassium and phosphorus. The scale and tape measure will tell the tale tomorrow. I still have my dear husband's meal time to go.
I have rested a while and talked on the phone with my 86 year old cousin. She is thin, too. Her brother died at age 97. He was always thin. Their mother, who was 5'6"tall, lost weight during the Great Depression until she weighed 80 pounds. She suffered from poor health for the rest of her life. She didn't have a long , healthy life. The quality and quantity of our food makes our health easier to maintain. Figuring out what nutrients we need on a low calorie diet is much easier on the Maximum Weight Loss program. We are eating low-calorie, high nutrient density food.
SUNDAY, December 6, 2020 144.2 pounds, 35" waist, 25.5 BMI, 30.1 % fat, 147.87 running average, 1148 calories are needed to remain at this weight..
The goal now is to be a wise consumer of calories and nutrients . How do I get the most nutrition for the calories I consume since I have so few calories? How to I avoid cheating myself of needed nutrients for the sake of weight loss? How do I make myself eat foods I don't like to be able to have needed nutrients? Hint: I eat potatoes which I don't like because I need potassium and phosphorus and they keep me from being hungry. I will eat potatoes with salt. Are there other foods supplying potassium and phosphorus that I do like? Investigate!
The other side of the equation is to increase my activity level. I prefer staying in bed and being warm. Cutting wood warms you twice, but I have no wood to cut nor a stove to burn it in..Yea! Modern life is easy for some, but I have to find satisfying ways to expend calories, too.
I drank 100 ounces of water. I consumed 1116 calories.
I ate pineapple and steel cut oats for breakfast. Oats are a good source of phosphorus!
I ate freshly made 2 veggie soup 1.5 cups, potato soup ( 1 cup of potato) and cabbage 1 cup.
Later I ate 1 cup of potato and 1 cup of cabbage. I ate 12 ounces of pineapple for dessert.
I have worked steadily this evening to be dressed and fed during the next four evenings with the children. I'm ready. I took the chair out of my laundry room when getting ready for the repairman. I didn't put it back . I stood up to do the laundry for the first time in months. Every calorie counts. The children are bigger and I am not as tired as I was when baby number two was born. Their momma, grandmother and I were busy nonstop when I was with them. Sitting down at home to fold my own clothes was really necessary. Changing my diet and losing weight has strengthened me.
I am so thrilled that my waistline has stayed at 35 inches for several days. I am not worried about my clothes being loose. When I was younger, I was always cold. I would get sick. I have been wearing long johns under my jeans the same way I did when I was very young. That has taken up some of the slack. I think I am going to buy some silk long johns for dress pants. My 100 pound sister told me the secret to staying warm. I won't know until I try them. She coughs, too. I don't know if underwear is the answer. I have lost my thick layer of fat that was keeping me warm. That is the only thing that makes me sad to see it go. I can get a wet suit so I can still enjoy swimming during cold weather.
Beloved is still asleep. He has been coughing for at least a week, but he has no fever. The children are missing him.They were disappointed when he didn't go see them tonight. I have 10 packages of food for him in the freezer when he decides he is ready to eat. They are small servings that will thaw quickly. His potato is cooked and can be ready for him when he comes to the kitchen.

MONDAY, December 7, 2020 143.6 pounds, 35" waist, 25.4 BMI, 30.1% FAT, 1145 kcal to maintain this weight. I lifted weights before going to sleep.
It is time to eat breakfast and go see two little ones.
+ will drink 100 ounces of filtered water in this 24 hour period. I have had 20 ounces with bed time medicines and 2p ounces with start the day medicines.
Breakfast: Steel cut oats, 1 cup mango chunks, water and Miralax. 30 ounces to sip over a two hour perio in soup for those hours at their house.d. When I return home I will drink 30 more ounces over a two hour period. I don't drink anything around the children because they want to drink out of my bottle or put their hands in my glass. This way I avoid, hassle, spills and frustration. It's just easier to get my fluids from my soup.
Lunch: 6×4 soup with .t cup green peas, 1.5 cups mustard greens, 1.5 cups 2 veggie soup, .75 cup black eyed peas, .75 cup brown rice, 6 cups Romaine lettuce, squeeze of lemon..
Dinner: .25 cup potato+ water in blender, .18 cup butternut squash in blender add 1 cup cabbage and .25 teaspoon sea salt. (The grains are big enough to taste and enjoy on my tongue.)
.33 cup of black seedless grapes (I am sure I ate 12 small grapes) I''m guessing because I didn't put them in a cup. 1.5 cups is a serving. Grapes come in many varieties and sizes. I have no idea how any body is certain about counting calories, but I think I may as well do it. I know I eat less when I think about numbers. My volume eating is stymied a little .
The total calories for the day was 1191. The nutrient counts were not good, but my stomach is happy. I'm satisfied with the quality of the food I ate.
TUESDAY, December 8, 2020 143.0 pounds, 35" waist, 25.5 BMI, 30.1 % fat, running average 147.48 Today I consumed 1444 calories according to Chronometer. I am doing all the shopping, cleaning, cooking and just watching for my husband's needs. He has lost his voice from coughing so much. I decided that it is more important for me to rest when he does because it has been an all night "attention necessary" situation all week. He is eating now and it is 1 a.m. (actually Wednesday morning ). I took care of the children with their momma while grandmother was away. I help with the housework and read books to the children. Momma's schedule has changed and she is bathing them herself. I miss bathing them and talking with them and playing with the bath toys. Beloved's sickness is making me feel uneasy about being around them. He is checking his temperature regularly and does not seem to have trouble breathing. They are in daycare, they are in contact with many other people. We must live life as it comes.
I ate 3 baby gold potatoes with salt sprinkled on them at the table and 1 strawberry, 3 bites of mustard greens before before bed.
I was eating while in the act of cleaning Beloved's dishes and pots ( untouched food) because he is still coughing.
A friend I saw at the grocery store said his wife and son have Covid19. A young eye surgeon from the practice where I have delayed my cataracts surgery is in the hospital with Covid, fighting for his life. I saw him grow up and know his family well. Three others I know are in the same hospital with Covid. My sister-in-law has had Covid and pneumonia for 20 days. Her husband and children have had it, too. They have stayed at home.
I thank God for my own good health. I think eating vegetables, really the whole vegan diet has strengthened me. Staying away from crowds has helped,too.

My 89 year old brother is in the hospital with pneumonia, sepsis, and anemia due to leukemia. He expects a full recovery. He has already beaten cancer of a different type in another part of his body with immunotherapy. They are treating the pneumonia and he is enrolled in a clinical trial of immunotherapy for the leukemia, but for the two weeks until it starts, he will be on chemo. He has always worked hard physically and been slim. I went to a vegan restaurant with him during the 1980's. I was impressed with how quickly the waiter returned with a huge steaming plate full of brown rice, cauliflower and squash.I enjoyed the meal. My mother was not pleased. We didn't go there again.

My husband won't go to any doctor except his cardiologist. My lung specialist said he and his granddaughter had Covid last spring. He was sick two weeks and recovered fully at home. That gives me hope for my husband who says he is having sinus drainage that is making him cough. If he decides he is sick, I will only be able to drop him off at the emergency room. He won't go unless they let me stay with him. There is no chance of that happening.

Those gold potatoes had a label declaring "about 4.5 servings/ 5 potatoes per serving." According to my calculations, there should be 22.5 potatoes in the bag, but there were only 12. Perhaps the bag is filled by weight and the 12 potatoes were just big babies! I wondered where the other 10.5 potatoes were hiding. I wondered if the calculation of 90 calories for 5 potatoes is right. Probably so. The potatoes were delicious and I enjoyed them. Beloved says he is tired of brown potatoes. It's time to try something new, but he asked me not to buy any more golden potatoes.
I ate 1444 calories including, 3 baby golden potatoes (mentioned earlier )with salt.
Soup of blended potatoes, butternut squash, and cooked sliced cabbage added to the soup, but not blended. I ate a little mustard greens and black seedless grapes,
Steel cut oats and 1 cup pineapple,
6x4 soup
Mustard greens, 1.5 cups, 2 veggie soup 1.5 cups, .75 cup black eyed peas, .75 cup of brown rice, 5.25 cups of Romaine lettuce with 1 small chopped tomato, 1 medium apple.
Black seedless grapes 1.5 cups,
2 fresh plums (I found them at another grocery store!)
100 ounces of filtered water
The "brisk walking" I did was to take the garbage can to the roadside and help the little one chase the cat. I don't know if anyone else considers what I did during the last 24 hours was enough exercise, but I am tired. I've done all I can do. I did laundry and the dishes at two households and I didn't get to the leaves that need to be swept off the back entrance of my home. There will be more leaves tomorrow. I will lift weights before I go to sleep. That's exercise for Wednesday!
I no longer record my before bed weight here because it caused problems for Mark about my weigh in. I may have upset Wildgoose by reporting a second weight, but I think that everyone knows that for most humans our weight fluctuates over the course of a 24 hour period. She's pretty unflappable for a goose. I am grateful to her for responding positively to my waist line dropping to normal. It has stayed at 35 inches for 6 days now.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2020 145.0 pounds, 35"waist, 25.7 BMI, running average 147.52. I see my weight creeping up as I have been awake more and working more, but I have exercised less intensely. ( I'm TIRED!) I had a bowel movement shortly after awakening. I am grateful for the 2 fresh plums I ate before bed. They have lessened my misery.

Beloved is still coughing, but not as much and not as hard. He wrote a note to ask me to find an address on the Internet for him. When I hand him a written note, he groans because he knows from 40+ years of experience that I've lost my voice from coughing (chronic bronchitis due to allergies and asthma). Communication is so hard when we have to go to writing. He hates waiting for a reply. This morning before going to sleep he whispered that he felt better. I thank God for that news!
In referring to the coughing, he whispered, "I didn't realize it hurt so much." I asked, "Are you feeling pain in your ribs, throat, head, vocal cords, swallowing or all over due to lack of sleep?" He didn't answer except with a nod because his throat hurts when he talks. He won't be saying much for a while. That is frustrating, too.
Wednesday about 2 a.m., before bed I ate "2 veggie soup"(1.5 cups), 3 golden potatoes with salt, 1 cup of strawberries and 2 fresh plums.
WEDNESDAY afternoon- steel cut oats, 1 cup mango, 30 ounces of warm water with Miralax (15 ounces with my meal and 15 ounces when I return from my niece's house about 10 p.m.)
Lunch: 6 4 soup, .5 cup of green peas, steamed fresh collards 1.5 cups, 2 veggie soup 1.5 cups, .75 cup brown rice, .75 cup black eyed peas, 6 cups Romaine lettuce, small chopped tomato, 1 cup of pineapple. 4 small ears of boiled corn. 1801 calories for Wednesday, 12/9/2020. For exercise I lifted weights and mopped for 35 minutes.
Tonight Beloved is feeling better. He told me not to cook. I am going to bed. Good night!
Wrong! I spilled a box of oats Wednesday afternoon and had to clean up the kitchen countertop and all the things on it to remove the mess. One hour later, I went to bed. COUNT IT ALL JOY WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER VARIOUS TRIALS..That mess caused me to clean all my pots and pans which I keep next to the stove along with cooking utensils and a few decorative items. The grease on the pans we don't use every day was building up because my husband has stopped eating at "greasy spoon restaurants" during the Covid pandemic. He has been cooking with just a little bit of butter to cook lean meats. I'm just glad I have not been eating those lean meats cooked in s little bit of butter. I'm glad that grease and cholesterol did not go into my arteries.I'm sorry rhat the grease and cholesterol into his arteries. He has turned our home into a "greasy spoon restaurant". The grease was on everything. He ate broccoli with his meal at the restaurant and I didn't have to cook greens last night. No cooking and no clean up of nightly dirty dishes gave me time to clean up the oats/grease mess and really clean and organize that counter.
Why are my pots and pans on the counter? I had knee surgery in 2015 and I knew I couldn't bend over, kneel or otherwise get the pans out from the shelves under the counter; therefore, I put the pots and pans I use on top of the counter. We are all only temporarily able bodied. An older couple I know had their kitchen remodeled to have pullout drawers instead of shelves under their counters. Their remodel was expensive and done by their sons, but they were too old to cook. Handicapped people I know / have know keep everything within reach or they can't function.
On Wednesday, I learned that the second shelf is no longer within reach for me. It was always a stretch, but now my grip is not strong enough to control the small oats box. I have moved it to the bottom shelf so I may get the oats box with two hands, not trying to stretch to the second shelf to get it or put it back with one hand. I want to remain in my own home and be able to cook for myself.

THURSDAY, December 10, 2020 145.4 pounds, 35"waist, 25.8 BMI, 30.1 % fat, running average 147.55. My weight is creeping back up!#%/××÷÷÷×÷₩£££ If I could jump, I would jump rope to burn extra calories. I can't even have a fit properly! No temper tantrum is allowed either. I'm just going to keep eating the MWL compliant food, rest enough and when things settle down, maybe I will be able to do some brisk walking to actually lose weight. Working in the house burns calories, but not enough.
Since I noticed that "fat percentage" item on Cronometer, I have not seen it change at all.
I know I'm still tired. I'm going to take my morning meds and go back to sleep.

Thursday night was unexpectedly pleasant. I enjoyed being with my niece and her family. My husband is still experiencing allergy symptoms, but he is able to talk. He went to a noisy restaurant and he came home with his opinion changed. He decided to stick with eating mustard greens at home instead of eating restaurant broccoli. Getting enough broccoli to equal the vitamin K of one cup of mustard greens is next to impossible. They wouldn't bring him as much as he needed. I think the loud music made him nervous, too. He told me all that had been on his mind this week. He said, "I used to feel sorry for you when I heard you coughing your guts out. Now I have some idea of how much you suffer." He has always been thoughtful and caring in bringing me water and encouraging me. He enjoyed telling me about local politics and the new building near us which is almost finished. As he predicted the construction crew must make a lower drain hole for the run off water from the parking lot holding pond. It is supposed to be a temporary place for water, not a year round pond. It was great to see him smiling and so animated as he talked. I am so relieved that he is better. I feel like my body has been that holding pond this week. I am definitely full of fluid! I have been eating more of the MWL complint food. I have been working hard this week.
I had a break from cooking again tonight. I rested after I lifted weights. I ate 1937 calories in the last 24 hours. My battery is almost dead.
FRIDAY, December 11, 2020. 144 pounds, 35"waist. 25.5 BMI, 30.1 % FAT, RUNNING AVERAGE 147.46, Kcal needed 1147... I am back to the weight of November 27. I have been working long hours and eating more calories of MWL approved foods. I have had easier bowel movements since I found some more fresh prunes, fresh corn and black seedless grapes. I have also added a simethethicone pill each meal and before bed. Perhaps part of the pain has been due to gas. My colon has a kink, a hernia at my belly button, diverticulitis (pockets) and an internal hemorrhoid. Keeping my guts happy is one of my top goals in life. I am going to the YMCA to use the rowing machine and other machines. I lifted weights before going to bed. The pool is closed.
VivianS
 
Posts: 126
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2020 3:38 pm

Re: Vivian's Daily Journal

Postby VivianS » Sat Dec 12, 2020 2:20 am

VivianS December 11, 2020 to next weigh in December 18, 2020
December 11 weight: 144 pounds
December 18 weight: 144 pounds NO CHANGE IN WEIGHT

Weight change: NONE

I am compliant to all 10 behaviors on the Maximum Weight Loss checklist.
Compliance = * × = non- compliance I ATE 1.5 CUPS OF TOMATO AND BASIL SAUCE CONTAINING A LITTLE SUGAR AND OIL DURING A TIME OF GRIEVING FOR A FRIEND. OTHERWISE I HAVE BEEN COMPLIANT TO THE MWL CHECKLIST.
1. Start each meal with soup and / or salad and / or fruit. * * * * * *
2. Follow the 50 / 50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume ) with 50 % nonstarchy vegetables and 50 % ( by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. * * * * * *
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. * * * * * × ×
4. Eliminate all animal foods ( dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood ). * * * * * * *
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods ( i.e. , nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy ). * * * * * * *
6. Eliminate any added oil. * * * * * × ×
7. Eliminate all higher calorie - dense foods including flour products ( i.e. bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, cookies, cakes ), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. * * * * * *
8. Don't drink your calories ( especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages ). * * * * * * *
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. * * * * * * *
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily ( i.e. , brisk walking ). * * * * * * *

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

FRIDAY, December 11, 2020 144 pounds, 35"waist, BMI 25.5, running average 147.46, calories to maintain: 1147. Total calories: 1904. I ate too much!
I lifted 4 sets of 10 pound dumbbells for 35 minutes.
At the YMCA I used the rowing machine for 30 minutes and walked on the treadmill @ 2.5 mph for 30 minutes.
I ate black seedless grapes 1.5 cups bedtime snack.
Breakfast: Steel cut oats, 1 cup pineapple.
Lunch: 6x4 soup, .5 cup green peas.
Romaine lettuce 6 cups, 1 small 2.25" tomato, 1 cup okra, 3 small ears boiled corn, 1.5 cups collard greens, 1.5 cups 2 veggie soup, .75 cup brown rice, .75 cup black eyed peas, 1.5 cups black seedless grapes
Dinner: 1 cup potato, .5 cup butternut sqouash blended with water, microwave 3 minutes with 1 cup of cooked cabbage, Black seedless grapes1.5 cups,
40 calories in B12 supplement and magnesium citrate capsules,
100 ounces of water

SATURDAY, December 12, 2020 143.8 pounds, 35"waist, BMI 26.6, running average 147.43, fay 30.1% ,calories to maintain 1176
Today I have eaten:
Breakfast
Steel cut oats, 1 cup pineapple .
Lunch
6x4 soup, .5 cup green peas.
Romaine lettuce 6 cups, 1 small 2.25" tomato
1.5 cups Collards cooked from fresh,
1.5 cups 2 veggie soup,
.75 cup brown rice,
.75cup black eyed peas
1.5 cups black seedless grapes
40 calories from B12 supplement and magnesium citrate,
100 ounces of water
Total: 1135 calories
Beloved was having trouble "choking down"his serving of mustard greens at 4 a.m. this morning. He has to take a test to measure the thickness of his blood on Wednesday. He doesn't want to that test to show any variation, so he tries to keep his diet the same all the time. He doesn't want the doctor to change his medication and have to have a time of adjustment, retesting and more adjustment. The solution? Eat the mustard greens and keep the level of vitamin K and the level of medicine in balance. Beloved asked me to find out what causes mustard greens to be bitter and what to do to make them palatable. Internet search revealed:1. Add salt. That option was rejected because he takes medicine to keep blood pressure low. 2. Add lemon. That option was rejected because it made the greens taste worse to him.
We came to the real objection when he said he was having trouble chewing them. I put them through the blender with an equal amount of the water used to steam them. He was able to eat a little more of them. I put the rest in the refrigerator for tomorrow morning. I have been staying up with him. He realizes I am tired...exhausted. He is going to try to steam these blended ones in the morning in the little stainless steel cups. I admire his courage and his strong will to do what it take to live, but he says he is getting tired of it all. He has had a hard life with very little pleasure.
At least from my experience, an unpleasant food can be less so when it is blended with water. I can swallow brown potatoes when they are blended with water. If a food is worth eating, eat it as pleasantly as you can, find an acceptable substitute, or if not, just eat it! Adding potato to the greens has helped my dear husband eat the bitter greens. If I had not been having trouble eating the potato and started blending it, I would not have thought of blending his greens with water and potato. My pain was his gain. Rejoice in trials. We gather the benefit sooner or later.
I have found that black seedless grapes relieve my constipation. I bought four pounds in hopes of getting me through the week. I'm taking simethethicone four times a day in hopes of being free of pain if it is caused by gas. I think boiled corn has helped, too, but fresh is "out of season". I don't know if frozen corn will do the trick or not. I am willing to delay weight loss if necessary by eating more calories in black seedless grapes and plums to be able to have a painless bowel movement to manage this medical problem until surgery is possible. In this city Covid is filling the hospitals. No elective surgery is being done.
I know that walking "jostles" the guts to keep them moving. Walk!

Beloved ate the blended mustard greens when I reheated them in the metal cups in the steamer. He ate them with his potato and the rest of his meal. He said it was easier to swallow and tolerable because of the potato. The water softens the bitterness and he ate enough to keep his blood test from being significantly different. He said that he hopes blending the greens won't cause him to be constipated. He believes broccoli caused him to be constipated.
Since Beloved ate his meal about midnight, I started my new day then, too.

SUNDAY, December 13, 2020 Statistics at 4:30 p.m.: 143.2 pounds, 35"waist, 25.4 BMI, 30.1 % fat, 1144 calories to maintain, actual kcalories 1649 calories. I have already planned 1635 calories for the day. I have started entering my calories burned on Chronometer and "avoid being sedentary "adds up to more than I thought possible.

MONDAY, December 14, 2020 statistics: 145.2, 35"waist, BMI 25.7, FAT 30.1%,1153 calories to maintain, "ACTUAL" Kcal 2046
"Midnight chow": I cooked potato soup: Blend 1 cup potato and 1 cup of water it was cooked in. I use .25 teaspoon of salt sprinkled on top.
1 cup collard greens steamed cooked from fresh. 1 cup corn kernel cooked from frozen, 1 cup okra and 1 small fresh tomato. I ate 2 strawberries for dessert and 1 cup of black seedless grapes.
Breakfast: At 4 a.m. I ate steel cut oats( .25 cup dry) and 1 cup pineapple.
After cleaning the dishes, I went to bed about 5 a.m. and slept until 3:30 p.m. That gave me 10 hours of sleep with a couple of trips to the bathroom. It is time to start drinking my water and walking.
6x4 soup, .5 cup green peas,
6 cups Romaine lettuce, small 2.25 " tomato,
1.5 cups collards, 1.5 2 veggie soup, .75 brown rice, .75 black eyed peas,
1.5 cups black seedless grapes and 2 plums (Easy, pain free bowel movement!) I also think the simethethicone 4 times a day has helped me.
40 calories from B12 supplement and magnesium citrate capsules
Total 2046 calories.
96 ounces of water.
I made enough 2 veggie soup to last for 10 days. Each serving is 1.5 cups. I use it to moisten the rice in my lunch pail and be the remaining starch ( corn and pinto beans) to make 60/50 plate and the remaining veggies are nonstarchy ( tomato, okra, onion, garlic, green peas, carrots, green beans). I took out a pint of soup for Beloved before I added the pinto beans. Maybe he will continue to eat the soup.

TUESDAY, December 15, 2020 statistics: 144.6 pounds, 35"waist, 25.6 BMI, FAT 30.1 %, running average 147.45 pounds. Calories to maintain:1150.
"ACTUAL" Kcal 1818. EXERCISE: 60 minutes of walking.
,
Midnight chow: 2 veggie soup (without pinto beans), 1 cup of potato, 1 cup of water, .25 teaspoon of salt, 1 small ear of corn, the remaining portion of lunch non starchy veggies that I was not able to eat earlier ( calories were counted yesterday) That made my 50/50 plate.5 cup of black seedless grapes.
Breakfast : Steel cut oats with pineapple or strawberries
Lunch: 6 ×4 soup, .5 cup of mixed vegetables
6 cups Romaine lettuce, small 2.25 " tomato
1.5 cups of collards cooked from fresh, 1.5 cups of veggie soup (with pinto beans and corn), .75 cup brown rice, .75 cup black eyed peas, 1.5 cups black seedless grapes
Dinner: soup (1 cup potato, 1 cup water, .25 teaspoon salt, sprinkled at the table), 2.5 cups black seedless grapes (dessert), 1 cup okra, 1 small 2.35" tomato, 1 small ear of boiled corn

40 calories from B12 supplement and magnesium citrate.
100 ounces of filtered water
I walked 30 minutes in the house before bed.
I walked 30 minutes outside.
I shopped a few minutes and did some sweeping, cooking and general cleaning.
Beloved reported that putting part of a potato in with his blended mustard greens reduced the bitterness.
I am grateful to report that corn, grapes and plums had the desired result: an easy bowel movement. Now I need to choose 300+ calorie activity to counter balance these foods or stop eating something else.

WEDNESDAY, December 16, 2020 statistics: 145 pounds, 35"waist, 25.7 BMI, 30.1 % fat, running average 147.42 pounds

Well, the "something else" part was another surprise for me. I had been eating soup before midnight, but I was still hungry. I cooked instant brown rice. The package stated that there were two servings in a pouch. 160 calories per serving. STARCH. RIGHT? When I used the bar code on the Cronometer, the instant brown rice was listed as 250 calories per serving. 500 calories for two servings of instant brown rice. Forget about sticker shock on the price of things. It's ticker shock on the high count of calories. I had chopped an entire 3" diameter sweet onion and one garlic clove in water and poured the brown rice to cook for ten minutes. In the last three minutes I added 1 cup of tomato and basil sauce and some (Who measures?) oregano. That was a 700 calorie delight. I sprinkled salt at the table. I enjoyed this meal more than any I have eaten in a while. I also had delicious canetelope for dessert.
When I woke up I realized why I enjoyed the tomato sauce so much: sugar and oil! I bought 10 cans of diced tomatoes with garlic and onion with the intention of using those. But there was still that cup of tomato sauce in a jar that I decided to use instead. I should have cleaned up my environment instead of being too greedy, thrifty or just wanting it too much to throw it out. Eating that reminded me of eating pasta with a deceased friend who died at this time of year.

THURSDAY, December 17, 2020 statistics: 144 pounds, 35"waist, BMI 25.5, running average 147.52, kcal total 1638
Foods similar to yesterday.
Lots of cooking, cleaning, today. Walking 12 minutes, 30 minutes

Beloved had my car repaired today - a light switch replacement . I slept part of the time because he needed a hair cut last night. I had a phone call from another niece needing a babysitter. Her mother-in-law helped her today. I may soon have another toddler in tow. His big brother is in kindergarten. His cousin decided to get out of my lap on his own Wednesday night. He chose to sit in a booster seat while I read a book to him. Do I have enough strength to carry a baby around again? Momma and grandmothers are working. Baby is not in daycare, but may be soon. I don't know what the future holds, but God is already there. I'm not worried. He will equip me if that is my job. If not, he has other things for me to do...like sleep enough to care for my sick husband who cares for me.

FRIDAY, December 18, 2020 statistics: 144 POUNDS , 35"waist Exercise : Lift weights 35 minutes, usual foods.
Cronometer, as noted earlier this week, seems to be giving me crazy information. I don't have to have anything but the basics: tape measure, scale, knowing that my body is changing. I will have more blood tests in January and see my internist in February. Thanks to Dr. John McDougall, Jeff Novick, Mark Cooper, Wildgoose and the MWL board for teaching me how to lose weight and keep it off. I enjoyed Heather McDougall 's interview on YouTube.
I hope all of you have a happy holiday season. I am going to have a merry Christmas. Our choir has our program on YouTube so I have enjoyed it. I am not able to participate because of my high risk for getting Covid. I am so grateful that I have not been sick. I think my diet has helped me. May God bless all of you!
VivianS
Last edited by VivianS on Sat Dec 19, 2020 2:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
VivianS
 
Posts: 126
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2020 3:38 pm

Re: Vivian's Daily Journal

Postby VivianS » Sat Dec 19, 2020 12:37 am

VivianS December 18, 2020 to weigh in December 25, 2020 Christmas

December 18, 2020 weight: 144 pounds
December 25, 2020 weight: 144.2

Weight change : +0.2 pound

Maximum Weight Loss checklist compliance = *

1. Start each meal with a soup and / or salad and / or fruit. * * * * * * *
2. Follow the 50 / 50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate ( by visual volume ) with nonstarchy vegetables and 50 % ( by visual volume ) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. * * * * * * *
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. * * * * x X x
4. Eliminate all animal foods ( dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood ). * * * * X x
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods ( i.e. , nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy ). * * * * * X x
6. Eliminate any added oil. * * * * * * *
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. * * * * * *X x
8. Don't drink your calories ( especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages ). * * * * * X * *
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. * * *
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily ( i.e. , brisk walking ). * * * * * * *

Victories, comments, concerns, questions :

FRIDAY, December 18, 2020 statistics: 144 pounds, 35"waist, 25.5 BMI, 30.1 % FAT, running average 147.39, Kcal to maintain 1147, Actual kcalories consumed 1813

SATURDAY, December 19, 2020 statistics : 143 pounds, 35"waist, 25.3 BMI, 30.1 % FAT, 11 43 Kcal to maintain, ACTUAL Kcal consumed 1334.
When my husband brought home one of my favorite foods, I grabbed my last two plums and ate them instead! Victory! I have not given in to the temptation.


Breakfast :
Pineapple 1 cup
Minimally processed starch ( 50%)
Steel cut oats .25 cup dry
Brown rice .5 cup steamed
Non starchy ( 50 %):
Tomato 2 small 2.25 " cooked
Onion .5
Garlic clove 1
Cabbage 1 cup cooked

Lunch
Laxiative in 30 oz. of warm water sipped during 2 hours
6×4 soup
.5 cup green peas
Romaine lettuce 6 cups
1 tomato 2.5"diameter
Collards 1.5 cups
2 veggie soup 1.5 cups
.75 cup steamed brown rice
.75 cup bLack eyed peas
Black seedless grapes 1.5 cups
2 plums

I cooked brown rice ( 1 pound yields 10 servings @.75 cup each).
I made 10 servings of 6×4 soup. I cut up 1.5 cups of bits of sweet bell peppers in red orange and yellow. 2 cans of sliced water chestnuts. I put those in the 10 jars while the other ingredients were cooking about 30 minutes: .5 cup of instant brown rice, .25 cup each of lentils, quinoa, and green split peas. I used jars big enough to add .5 cup of frozen green peas when I pack my lunch the night before I eat it.

SUNDAY, December 20, 2020 statistics: 143 pounds, 35"waist, 25.3 BMI, 30.1 % FAT, running average 147.08 pounds, kcal needed to maintain : 1143, ACTUAL kcalories consumed :1334.
I ate my usual foods. I cooked our potato and mustard greens . I washed many clothes this weekend. The children will be home from daycare so I will need the clothes ready to wear for 4 days and then Christmas I will be home with Beloved..
I have discovered that putting 30 ounces of water in the microwave for 4 minutes heats it enough to make me feel warm and as happy as having a freshly scratched back. The hot water seems to help empty my bowels better.

MONDAY, December 21, 2020 statistics: 143.00 pounds,35"waist, running average 146.48

I started off with 1 cup potato + 1 cup water in blender. I add salt at the table. I ate 1 cup of cauliflower, Brussel sprouts and butternut squash. I finished breakfast with steel cut oats .25 cup dry in 2 cups of water, 1 cup of blueberries and .5 cup of strawberries.

Lunch: 6x4 soup + .5 cup of green peas,
6 cups Romaine lettuce, .5 of 3" diameter tomato (chopped),
1.5 cups mustard greens cooked from fresh,
1.5 cups 2 veggie soup,
.75 cup of black eyed peas,
.75 cup of steamed brown rice.
Fruit for dessert if I am still hungry. Maybe pineapple, or a pomegranate.
I have lifted weights.for my exercise.
It is 6a.m. I hope to sleep until 3:30 p.m or 4 p.m to get 9.5 hours to 10.hours of sleep. I cheated myself of half hour of sleep by writing this journal entry. I should have done it earlier, but I was doing other things. It is important to me. I am grateful to have this opportunity. I'm going to change my alarm to 4 p.m.

TUESDAY, December 22, 2020 statistics: 143 pounds, 35"waist
Similar foods. I switch between mustard greens and collard greens depending on what is available. I have been eating black eyed peas instead of pinto beans. I have been eating more fruit and a potato daily with Brussel sprouts to make the 50/50 plate.

WEDNESDAY, December 23, 2020 :146.4 pounds. I am up at 11 a.m. I have childcare duties today. Daycare is closed.
Tea is a necessity today because I must be alert to care for children when I am usually sleeping in the daytime. Momma gave her darling daughter a tea set as an early gift. We had a little party with our tiny hostess. Little brother was glad to say all the magic words ( please, thank you, and you're welcome ) to be allowed access to the sugar being served at the tea party. He's a smart little boy who will be three in February. He didn't need tea in his cup. She said, "Sugar?" Naturally he said ,"Yes please." Since it was her first tea party, she poured his cup full of sugar only.. Since it was no more than a teaspoon, he was ready for a refill by the time she had learned to pour the tea first. He gladly participated in the tea party until the sugar was all gone and he promptly went back to playing with his cars, but he thanked her first.
I politely refused the milk and sugar, but I drank the tea. I also had a can of sweetened tea before the tea party or I would have missed it.
I ate my usual oats, fruit, 6x4 soup, green peas, collards 2 veggie soup, brown rice, black eyed peas, boiled corn (It's WEDNESDAY NIGHT!), 6 cups of lettuce and small tomato., POTATO,, water, salt, Brussels sprouts, black seedless grapes. 100 ounces water, weight lifting 4 sets of 60 reps for arms with 10 pounds in each hand.
THURSDAY, December 24, 2020 statistics: 144 pounds , 35"waist,
I slept all day. I woke up in time to enjoy a few bites of that special dessert my husband brought home to celebrate on Christmas eve. I ate my portion minus the part containing flour and fat, but it contains nuts and sugar and perhaps butter. Since I didn't make it, I don't know
I ate the regular foods with the addition of raw cherries
I made 2 veggie soup to last for 10 days. Mopping, cleaning and cooking are calorie burning exercises.
FRIDAY, December 25, 2020 Christmas statistics: 144.2 pounds, 35"waist
I ate the usual foods except I ate black beans instead of black eyed peas,
I ate one boiled corn with boiled okra and one-half of a tomato another small serving of dessert and more cherries.. I will weigh and report when I wake up and get dressed for the day. I lifted weights. I have enjoyed this week. .
Heaven must certainly include lots of fruit! I'm planning to go there because of Christ Jesus, my Lord.
Last edited by VivianS on Tue Jan 05, 2021 5:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
VivianS
 
Posts: 126
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2020 3:38 pm

Re: Vivian's Daily Journal

Postby VivianS » Fri Dec 25, 2020 8:40 pm

VivianS December 25, 2020 to next weigh in January 1, 2021 New Year

Weight on December 25, 2020: 144.2 pounds
Weight on January 1, 2020:

Weight change :
VivianS
 
Posts: 126
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2020 3:38 pm

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