Ruff's Recommitment journal

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

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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby ~Skye~ » Tue May 04, 2021 12:41 pm

Hi Ruff,

I definitely get the sense that you are settling into a routine or schedule - I wonder what the difference is. Anyway, that is one of my major goals. I have known for most of my adult like that reaching my goals is almost always facilitated by a robust structure to my life. Schedule seems to be the easiest structure to impose. But now I wonder what other types of structure are available - especially since my eating/sleeping schedule has been destroyed by Covid.

I rejoice that you had a good day! (Rejoicing is currently the focus of my Buddhist practice)

As far as the tea goes, I can't tell you what to do, but I can say for myself that I thought long and hard about what exactly it was about coffee and half&half in the morning before I made the decision to keep it. Like, am I addicted to the caffeine? Is it just a warm beverage in the morning - like in Erin's case? What am I hoping to gain from the change, and what am I willing to do to ensure that happens? Could some other change accomplish the goal better?
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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby Ruff » Wed May 05, 2021 3:41 pm

I'm back, I have had a bad few days, not food wise, but health wise. On Tuesday I had a filling replaced and had a bad reaction to the local anaesthetic. The appointment was at 12 noon, so I had no lunch, and things were so bad that for supper I had a little home-stewed apple. I drank a lot though, water mostly, to try and 'flush through' the reaction. My face was puffy and my eyes swollen. The next morning I had put on 2kg! well it obviously was NOT the food! the water retention is going down now, and I dont look quite so bad. I lost 1.5 kg last night so hopefully I will lose the rest of the water today/tonight. No aikido tonight though.

Squeelcat, aikido is the martial art of self defence. The attacker always loses when training (obviously not the case in real life!) and ends up falling to the ground. I started aikido so I could learn to fall safely. I have drop foot and trail run, so I fall a lot. Aikido training helps me fall safely.

Buns, hello :-D . Yes, I think the trick is stopping the rot before it gets a proper hold. It is startling how much easier it is to go up, rather than down where weight is concerned.

Skye. Yes, I think you are right. Routine is critical. I have been feeling the loss if it over the last few days, it must be really hard to have them permanently thrown off by Covid. I retired about 2 years ago even though I am not even 60 yet. I had my own business, and it was reasonably successful, making a 2nd income for the family. However eventually I could not compete against the might of China from a shed in my back garden. Several setbacks happened in 1 year and we decided to let the business go. At the same time our last child that needed financial support qualified and is now earning more than his dad. In fact all 3 kids earn more than him now, so as they no longer needed support, I retired and Peter went to a 4 day week. Less money, more time. BUT...I discovered routine is critical, or I just wasted the day frittering time away on things that dont matter. When I am in a routine, all just flows...when I am not, it all goes to custard. Fast! One really weird thing is how finances and weight correlate.When I am on top of the finances I lose weight, when I lose weight I am on top of the finances. And the reverse is also true. Lose control of either and the other follows.

Thus, todays goal is to get better, and also make plans. Its time to upgrade my routine. Which is the best day to grocery shop? For cleaning days? For charity work? etc etc. I can make plans even though I am still a bit of a puffball! Onwards.
Katie

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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby Ruff » Fri May 07, 2021 12:39 pm

quick pop in, I'm mostly over the reaction, sinus' still a little stuffy, but much better today. I had a lovely surprise on my scales this morning as I had lost around 6kg! How very nice if a little unbelievable, so I stood on them again, they said 'Low battery" and promptly died! I dont have another battery so I couldn't do the MWL weigh in.

I have decided to work on each of the MWL points, 1 a week for 10 weeks. so the focus this week is starting each meal with soup or salad or fruit. the idea is, I believe, that one fills up on low calorie density food before the main event, thus eating less of the high calorie density food. So this is this weeks focus.

Also I am going to get back into daily exercise. I have been slacking a bit since the Mt Oxford race, and then the reaction at the dentist, but its time to get back into it now. I walk on the beach daily come what may because the dog needs to go out, but I am going to run or do aikido daily as well from here onwards, maybe even both!
Katie

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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby ~Skye~ » Sat May 08, 2021 12:26 am

Hi Ruff,

I just have to say that if we've learned anything from Covid, hopefully we've learned that permanence is an illusion.

ImageImage

~Skye~
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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby Ruff » Mon May 10, 2021 12:15 pm

nice to see you Skye. Tell me about the white tiger.

I brought new scales, really simple cheap ones that just give ones weight.

I'm doing a little more aikido at the moment and therefore less running because I have a grading soon, 3rd kyu.

Foodwise, I am concentrating on no1 from the MWL list, preloading ones meal to reduce the calorie density. Salads are a pain because of all the prep, so I made 4 salads in a jar on Sunday when I was prepping other food anyway, and so I can have them over the next few days. I have given up trying to find a compliant salad dressing I actually like, and am having the salads plain or just with a splash of lemon juice. I also have a lot of pumpkins in the garden, and have made carrot and pumpkin soup and have dehydrated it into cup-a-soup. I can just make a cup of this to drink before my meal, I can adjust the water according to how I want it. Runnier for preloading, or thicker for a meal. Its also great when out and about. Just pour hot water from a flask and you have a hot compliant meal wherever you are. I shall make a couple more batches I think. I can also have hot steamed veggies as a preload and I have a cabbage glut going on too, so thats another choice, and finally, if all else fails I shall eat a raw carrot whilst cooking the meal! breakfast at the moment is easy, have an apple or banana before my run and my porridge when I get back.
Katie

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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby Ruff » Sun May 16, 2021 9:12 pm

Interesting things happening here at home (I have been away for a few days...it rained...except when it snowed...)

The really big thing is that my husband, a vegan at home, vegetarian when out, but happy cake baking, fried food eating vegan, is going to do an Engine 2 21 day challenge. Why Engine 2? Because he is also an insanely fit, uber skinny ultra runner, and engine 2 allows nuts and dried fruit etc. Actually also because I think he identifies more with Rip Esslestyne than with Dr McD. But who knows really. Anyway, he has always been very supportive of me, eating what has been put in front of him if I am cooking, and allowing for my diet if he is cooking. But he has not really eaten WFPB, choosing to have potato crisps, vegan baking, hot chips when out etc etc.

But he is getting a little joint pain (he is 61) and he is also a guitar player, so this is important. Also whilst he is very fit, he wishes to remain fit and strong, and continue to run and surf and snowboard for many years to come. He has been looking at my books and has decided to give Engine 2 a go.

I am considering doing a week of daily journalling with the MWL template, just to see how I am doing and making sure I get into a good routine. I dont always have a 3 meal day standard day. I also want to simplify and streamline my routine so less time is spent thinking about, planning, shopping for, prepping and cooking food. I mean I like cooking but I do have a life other than food! :lol:

Running, I seem to have lost my enthusiasm with running since the Mount Oxford race. I have Mt Somers coming up later in the year and it is even harder, so I have to get back into it, but it just doesn't seem to be happening. I might have to do a 10 day running streak or something.

Anyway, that's it for today. Onwards.
Katie

My testimonial. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=38433
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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby Ruff » Mon May 17, 2021 12:24 pm

so, for a few days I am going to try and post the MWL rules here, and see how I do with following them as an additional aid for getting into a routine.

Monday.
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes.

2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. Yes.

3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them. Yes. I still use a little salt in cooking sometimes, but I have so drastically reduced my salt consumption, its unreal.

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

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Splash homemade cashew milk in tea.

6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes.

7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. Yes

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

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

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 2 hours aikido.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Made a batch of capsicum soup for preloading. its not the best soup I have ever made but it does the job. Considering 'mono-salads for preloading too, like just eating a carrot, or a bowl of tomatoes, as a method of keeping things simple.
still working on the tea issue.
Katie

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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby Ruff » Tue May 18, 2021 12:51 pm

Tuesday.

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes

2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. Yes. (had soup but it was more than 50% veg)

3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them. Yes.

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

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). Had some cashew milk...but a breakthrough here, see below.

6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes.

7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. Yes.

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

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Yes.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 3km run am. 1.5 hrs easy aikido (helped with beginners class)


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
I think I have cracked the tea problem. I couldn't work out what the problem was. After all I have given up far more problematic things, like chocolate, and butter....And after a lot of thought I realised its not the tea, its the ritual. When I make tea, I do it properly, leaf tea, in a china pot. And I go through quite a ritual. Freshly drawn water, warm the pot, measure out the perfect amount of leaf tea, (cashew) milk and tea into a china cup in correct order and proportions, tea strainer, the works. And what this is doing for me is signalling the break between doing things time and rest time. The ritual allows me to unwind and relax. So....today I brought some speciality fruit and herbal infusions. Really posh organic ones. I looked out a small china teapot from my collection, and chose a deep blue one with white stars, and chose a different teacup, a deep blue Spode one. And then I set up an 'infusion ritual' special pot, special cup and saucer, freshly drawn water, infuse the fruit or herbs in the special infusion thingy etc etc, pour into nice teacup. Ritual complete. And no cashew milk. So tomorrow, with luck, will be a no cashew milk day.
Katie

My testimonial. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=38433
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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby bunsofaluminum » Wed May 19, 2021 7:11 am

Hi Katie,

That mono-salad idea is genius! I've skipped my preloading a few days this week due to not getting to the kitchen for soup making, and I don't like salad without ranch or blue cheese dressing. Never occurred to me to just make veggie sticks or something. A sliced tomato in fact sounds perfect for the job.
JUST DON'T EAT IT

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The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby Ruff » Wed May 19, 2021 11:51 am

bunsofaluminum wrote:Hi Katie,

That mono-salad idea is genius! I've skipped my preloading a few days this week due to not getting to the kitchen for soup making, and I don't like salad without ranch or blue cheese dressing. Never occurred to me to just make veggie sticks or something. A sliced tomato in fact sounds perfect for the job.


Glad to help. Its saved me a few times this week too.

Wednesday

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. Yes.

3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them. Messed up salt with some 'better than bouillon'. Ran out of homemade stock and chucked some in, only looked at the salt afterwards. :eek:

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

5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). YES!!! no cashew milk!

6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes.

7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. Yes.

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

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

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). 3km run.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Well the tea thing went Ok. I still prefer my Earl Grey but I think this is going to work, and I have been at this long enough to know that tastes do change. Shame about the bouillon, but thats life, not a huge disaster.
Katie

My testimonial. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=38433
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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby Ruff » Thu May 20, 2021 12:26 pm

Thursday

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes

2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. Yes.

3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them. Yes.

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

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

6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes

7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. Yes

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

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

10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Yes, 2 hours aikido.


Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
A perfect score yesterday, so I am very pleased. Today is Friday and it should be weigh in day today, but I do it Saturday because we are so far ahead of you!
Katie

My testimonial. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=38433
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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby squealcat » Thu May 20, 2021 5:28 pm

Katie, I need to do what you do and comment on the 10 MWL points. Maybe tomorrow :unibrow:

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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby Ruff » Thu May 20, 2021 8:08 pm

squealcat wrote:Katie, I need to do what you do and comment on the 10 MWL points. Maybe tomorrow :unibrow:

-squealcat



I dont think I am going to keep it up forever, but I do find it very helpful with keeping my mind in the game. I said a week, when I started, but I might carry on for another week, because it is beneficial.
Katie

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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby Ruff » Sat May 22, 2021 12:46 pm

Saturday. Just released I missed Friday...this was because I posted in the MWL mostly group and forgot to post here! Never mind.

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes.
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. Yes..except soup meal, which was about 50/50 but maybe more starch? Potato and leek soup.

3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them. Yes.

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

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

6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes.

7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. Yes.

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

9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. Yes.
.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). Rest day (official rest day due to bad leg playing up and catching it before problems start)

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Fairly normal day, not much to report. I was very hungry in the afternoon evening and had seconds at suppertime, and was still hungry at bedtime. I hate eating before bed though, as I get heartburn in the night if i do so so I just put up with it. It went away.
Katie

My testimonial. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=38433
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Re: Ruff's Recommitment journal

Postby Ruff » Sun May 23, 2021 2:27 pm

Sunday

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. yes...does this count for snacks?

2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. yes.

3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them. yes

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

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

6. Eliminate any added oil. yes

7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. Yes

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

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

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

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
query, do we have to start a snack with a salad/soup? I was really hungry again and in the afternoon made myself some porridge with stewed fruit. but I didn't start with a salad/soup. does anyone know?
Katie

My testimonial. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=38433
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