APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Share your McDougall successes here in order to inspire others.

Moderators: JeffN, f1jim, carolve, Heather McDougall

APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Lyndzie » Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:39 pm

Welcome to the McDougall Maintenance support group! Let’s join together for support and camaraderie while we strive to maintain our successes.

Many of us have lost weight and/or reached other health goals. We’re ready for that next chapter, maintaining the gains we’ve accomplished.

This group will have Friday check ins, where everyone can touch base. Weigh-ins are optional, and will not be tracked. Please feel free to share your non-scale victories (NSV) as well.

In order to foster group participation, we do ask that only participants post, so please do join! You can join at any time simply by hitting the “post reply” button and saying something along the lines of “I’d like to join.” As they say, the more, the merrier.


Hi everyone!

This past twelve months has been a lot. A worldwide pandemic completely upended everyone’s lives across all continents, changing everything from travel to work to buying toilet paper. Thankfully due to efforts around the globe, the vaccination effort is creating positive change in many places.

I’ve looked to see if Dr. MCDougall has spoken or written about his thoughts on the COVID vaccine, and turned up empty handed, but after perusing the Lounge, it appears most commenters are comfortable getting vaccinated. (If you have a link to the good doctor’s latest thoughts, please post below!)

The seasons are shifting once again, with the spring equinox (here up north), Passover and Easter all coinciding this year. I’ve seen many vegan alternatives pop up on social media as substitutes for traditional fare, such as a mushroom and cashew spread in place of chopped liver, or deviled “egg” mini potatoes. A matzo ball and cabbage soup particularly caught my eye. What seasonal or holiday dishes are you making?

Stay safe, wear a mask, wash your hands, and eat starch,
Lindsey
Lindsey
My food journal: Adventures in Eating
My pregnancy journal: Maybe a Baby 2017
www.lindseyhead.coach
User avatar
Lyndzie
 
Posts: 2709
Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2016 7:24 pm
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana USA

Re: APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Daydream » Sat Apr 03, 2021 6:59 am

Lyndzie, in a couple YouTubes with Chef AJ, I heard Dr. McDougall tell her that both he and Mary planned to get the covid vaccine so they can see and hug their grandkids again.
User avatar
Daydream
 
Posts: 669
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 11:16 pm

Re: APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Sat Apr 03, 2021 8:40 am

Happy Easter and it’s nice to have April here with spring sort of appearing. We had an Easter dinner with the family, decided to do Ukrainian. Perogies, borscht, cabbage rolls, sausage. It was all vegan, but not low fat. I hadn’t made cabbage rolls before so that was a challenge. Turned out okay, but a bit labor intensive lol. The borscht recipe I found online was a good one, I would make it again, would be a nice preload soup. I made rice crispy peanut butter balls for dessert and banana loaf. I hadn’t made the loaf in quite sometime, it’s from Well Your World, no sugar and no added fat. It’s a nice dense loaf.

We got our ebikes so have been out exploring and riding. They are quite fun and I can see us using them often. Outdoor pickleball courts are now set up, still chilly but we play anyways. I’m still seeing the chiropractor for pinched nerve, am slowly improving so that is encouraging.

This week I made Chef AJ’s Mushroom Black Bean Chili in the pressure cooker. Very easy recipe and super tasty. I also made a walnut lime spread which was basically a version of hummus. It wasn’t so good.

Lindsey, how was your vacation? Hope it was a good one.

Have a great week everyone!

Erin
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
Ejeff
 
Posts: 679
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 10:00 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada

Re: APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Lyndzie » Sat Apr 10, 2021 7:54 pm

Daydream - Thanks for the update!

Erin - Your Easter holiday with the family sounds great. Cabbage rolls are so good! Totally worth the effort. What did you fill your pirogies with? I used to buy some filled with mushroom and onion, but I would serve them in browned butter, so I’m open to ideas on alternatives. Enjoy getting back out to the pickleball court. The days are slowly getting warmer, yay!

I have been mind-bogglingly busy. The trip to South Carolina was a great change of pace from everything going on here. Then, we came back from vacation last month to close on my new house, then dive into renovations. The house was built in 1909 and needs just a little bit of updating electrical, remove old carpet, etc. On the food front, my biggest weakness is Easter candy, for some reason I can’t resist egg-shaped chocolates wrapped in pastel colored foil. Thankfully that holiday has passed, and in an attempt to recenter my focus I rewatched Dr. Doug Lisle’s lecture How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind and Jeff’s lecture Eat More, Lose Weight and Live Longer (twice!). These two videos explain pretty much everything you need to know to be successful with maintaining a healthy weight and eating a healthy diet. I’ve also started a couch to 5K program to get moving again. I have a family vacay set for the end of May, and need to be swimsuit ready.

Have a great week everyone!!
Lindsey
My food journal: Adventures in Eating
My pregnancy journal: Maybe a Baby 2017
www.lindseyhead.coach
User avatar
Lyndzie
 
Posts: 2709
Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2016 7:24 pm
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana USA

Re: APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:50 am

Hi everyone!

Erin - your food sounds good. E-bikes are a great idea. Some of our friends in Spain have them and enjoy exploring further than they would be able to on a conventional bike. How far do you travel on yours?

Lindsey - those seasonal recipes sound interesting. Did you make any? I tried making pierogis once but used wholemeal flour and they were a little heavy. Mushroom and onion filling was good though! Glad you had a good vaaction :) The house sounds wonderful - you have been busy! Good luck with the couch to 5k program - please let us know how it goes :)

All is well with us. I spent a whole evening sorting out Covid tests for our trip to the UK on Sunday, plus booking our vaccination jabs for after we arrive. We are hearing stories of lengthy delays at the airports while all the new paperwork is checked, so we are preparing to be patient!

Food-wise, I have veered a little off program recently, with some Easter chocolate like you Lindsey, and some richer items the past 2-3 weeks. Exercise has been much-reduced due to a knee problem and has meant spending more time close to the food cupboards :(

Looking at my weight pattern it's pretty consistent with last year - a pound or two gain over goal during winter/being in Spain (different scales) and then dropping back to goal or a pound or so under during the Spring and Summer. We will be in strict quarantime for up to 10 days when we arrive back in the UK so have asked my step-daughter to get us some veggies to go with items that we have in the store cupboard.... I'll catch up those two videos then LIndsey :)

Warm regards, Sue x
User avatar
Suey51
 
Posts: 433
Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 11:21 am
Location: UK

Re: APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:36 am

Lindsey, glad you had a good trip. Wow a 1909 house very cool, lots of character in older homes. We just bought perogies some were filled with onion and potato. We also fried them in becel so not healthy. Thanks for those links I’m going to watch the Jeff one today.

Sue did you injure your knee? I hope you can recover quickly. So far with the ebikes we have ridden for about an hour each time just exploring the city. The batteries have a lot of power so we could likely ride for about 4 hours without issues. Safe travels back to UK.

I managed to stay away from all Easter candy, but have had some potato chips so there has been some oil. I’m planning to make a batch of cheese sauce this week. I’ve been doing an experiment I have added 3 TBS of flax and 1 TBS of chia daily. Trying to see if it helps with inflammation mostly. Interestingly my sleep has improved significantly. I seem to now sleep 10 to 5, where for quite awhile I was waking at 3 almost every night and unable to get back to sleep. So for now I will continue the experiment. I cooked up several yams and froze in one cup clumps. I also made several yam flatbreads which are just yams and oat flour. I enjoyed that this week with chickpea tuno on top.

Have a good week!

Erin
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
Ejeff
 
Posts: 679
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 10:00 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada

Re: APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:20 am

Hello everyone. We arrived back in the UK after a good journey and are now nearing the end of our quarantine :-)

Thanks Erin. The knee pain started a couple of weeks after I fell onto my knees while walking up some steps. Didn't have any pain at the time, only a bruise that came our 4-5 days later. A Spanish physio said it was an inflamed patella tendon; likely started when I fell over but becoming more inflamed with exercise. Have been resting it and going to see a UK physio when we escape quarnatine. Your ebike travels sound lovely. Interesting to hear about the flax and chia experiment and how your sleep has improved. What's the latest?

We've planted some veggie seeds in the greenhouse and garden and will plant potatoes in the allotment when we can visit it. Made a big batch of our usual root veggie and pearl barley soup which turned pale purple because some of the carrots were a heritage variety with some dark purple patches. I was surprised at how much it affected the taste. (It probably didn't help that the carrots and parsnips had been in the ground since last year!) The second day I told myself it was a barley porridge/stew, added some chili sauce and the experience was much better!

Best wishes, Sue x
User avatar
Suey51
 
Posts: 433
Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 11:21 am
Location: UK

Re: APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Tue Apr 27, 2021 8:49 am

Sue, glad you are almost done quarantine and had a good trip back home. Hopefully rest is helping your knee, sometimes a couple weeks to heal without much exercise makes a big difference. I had a small wipeout on ebike, but just a bruised right leg and a scrape on the shin. Happy I didn’t land right on the already aggravated hip. Your soup sounds good, I do the same thing if I have a soup or stew that isn’t my best, I just add something to it! I never throw food out. Well very rarely haha :-D

Still continuing with the flax and chia. Sleep is still quite good, although not so great these past few nights. I will continue the experiment and tracking for now. It does seem that I sleep better when I go to bed quite full. But I don’t really like the feeling of that so we will see.

This week mushrooms were on sale as well as broccoli so I’ll be eating a lot of that with my starches. I finally got another jar of tahini and enjoyed that to make salad dressing again. Also picked up a few grapefruit which I hadn’t had in a while and gosh was it ever good. It was so juicy. Even the oranges have been very tasty.

At the used charity store they sell books for 25 cents. I found the engine 2 diet and forks over knives. My goal is to find a McDougall book or 2, but no luck so far. These are hardcover books so quite the deal. I will be trying out a recipe or 2 in the next bit.

I’ve been really enjoying Pickleball playing 3 to 4 times a week. Then I do weights twice a week and spin 2 or 3 times a week. I have a pretty good exercise schedule that’s working for now. I also walk most days as well.

Hope everyone has a good week.

Erin
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
Ejeff
 
Posts: 679
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 10:00 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada

Re: APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Starchyme » Thu Apr 29, 2021 12:53 am

Hi, first time since I hit goal weight a little over 2 years ago that I gained 3 pounds. Mainly restarted eating flour products! Shows me I will always need to be cognizant. Back on track.
Happy McDougalling!
User avatar
Starchyme
 
Posts: 1076
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:56 am

Re: APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Fri May 07, 2021 5:06 am

Thanks Erin. Yes, the rest is helping and I also have some new phyiso exercises. It's surprising how long a relatively minor problem takes to heal. :shock: Apparently its because tendons don't have much blood supply.... Sorry to hear about the ebike wipe out but relieved you only had minor injuries. Sounds like you have a really good exercise routine - love the variety of activities! What a bargain those two books were. Keep us posted on the recipes and the hunt for a McD book!

Hi Starchyme. Good for you getting back on track.:) How's this week been for you?

Had my first Covid vaccine jab last Wednesday and felt very shivery later in the day and a little tired/unwell the next day. Have been a bit lazy on the cooking front most of the week, but made an aubergine and lemon risotto yesterday which was yummy.

Some days this week we've had such varied weather (strong wind, sun, hail and rain all in the same day) so took the opportunity of a fine dry day today to plant our potatoes.

Best wishes to all xx
User avatar
Suey51
 
Posts: 433
Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 11:21 am
Location: UK

Re: APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Starchyme » Fri May 07, 2021 5:19 am

Hi, Sue. Thanks for asking. Glad to hear you are doing well. I got the regained couple of pounds off and am now below my goal weight by a half a pound. Loving being a Happy Maintenance Mcdougaller! Wishing everyone much success.
Happy McDougalling!
User avatar
Starchyme
 
Posts: 1076
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:56 am

Re: APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Fri May 07, 2021 9:22 am

Starchyme, good for you realizing what causes the weight gain and quickly correcting it. I am in that same boat started eating too much bread, gained a few pounds. This week stopped that and the scale drops pretty quickly.

We are going into a stricter lockdown starting Sunday so I won’t be playing Pickleball for a while. Will do more cycling and walking instead.

I watched a good interview by Chef AJ with a Canadian couple Dan and Sheanne Moskuluk. Their story is very inspiring, she lost 100 pounds and he successfully beat stage 4 kidney cancer with WFPB diet. She made a Thai dressing. It’s very good I would make it again. Another new recipe this week was by The Jaroudi Family. Super easy soup for the instant pot. A red lentil soup, but it was the smoked paprika that made it very yummy. Even my hubby said it was one of the better soups I’ve made recently.

Have a good week everyone.

Erin
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
Ejeff
 
Posts: 679
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 10:00 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada

Re: APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Wed May 12, 2021 1:49 am

Congrats Starchyme and Erin for correcting your weight gains :-)

Thanke Erin for sharing that video - I'll check it out. Those recipes sound good!

Yesterday I made a new recipe, Chef AJ/FOK red lentil chilli which was delicious! I don't have a pressure cooker and underestimated how long the lentils took to cook in a normal pan :eek: My husband and I had it with baked potatoes and mixed greens. There's plenty of leftovers for a quick meal today and tomorrow. Like your red lentil soup Erin, it has smoked paprika and has a lovely depth of flavour from plus other seasonings. Will definitely make it again.

My knee is wayyyy better so I have been out walking a lot this week and even went to the gym for the first time in several months. I've definitely lost some strength so there's plenty to work on!
User avatar
Suey51
 
Posts: 433
Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 11:21 am
Location: UK

Re: APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Ejeff » Sun May 16, 2021 7:25 am

Sue, so glad your knee is way better. And I know what you mean, it’s amazing how quickly we can lose strength. Good for you getting back at it. Thanks for sharing the Chef AJ recipe, I will try that one.

This week kale was on sale for 0.98 a bunch. So I bought 7 bunches and blanched and froze quite a bit. I added some to a farrow bowl this week and it was quite nice and chewy. I seems to enjoy things that require a lot of chewing so it was a good idea to freeze some. I’ve not done this before so it’s another experiment haha.

A couple times this week I had a large plate of retried beans topped with lots of cilantro, black olives, spicy green Chili sauce, tomatoes and some cashew sour cream. It was very delicious and I didn’t miss having a taco shell with it. I might add some fries to the bottom of the pile next time.

Lindsey, hope you are doing okay.

Have a good week everyone.

Erin
"The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream."
Ejeff
 
Posts: 679
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 10:00 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada

Re: APRIL 2021 Maintenance Thread

Postby Suey51 » Tue May 18, 2021 2:02 am

Thanks Erin. I'm jealous of your kale bargain! The Chef AJ interview with Dan and Sheanne Moskuluk was very inspiring; thanks again for sharing it. I found her Surprise Birthday Party Tribute for Dr McDougall last night and started watching it. It's wonderful to see legends of the plant based heatlh world like Dr Barnard, Dr Esselstyn, Dr Ornish, Dr T. Colin Campbell, Dr Lisle etc. pay tribute, share stories and send love to Dr McDougall.

We have some of last year's leeks still growing in the allotment so I tried out a couple of new recipes for leek fritters with a barley and pomegranet salad last night. They were both delicious but quite time consuming :eek: Next time I'll start doing them earlier in the day :lol: It's my husband's birthday today so I'm cooking again tonight. We're having a roasted aubergine (eggplant), onion and tomato pasta. I think I have some of the tomato sauce component in the freezer so it should be a bit quicker to make!

Best wishes to all xx
User avatar
Suey51
 
Posts: 433
Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 11:21 am
Location: UK

Next

Return to Testimonials and Success Stories

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests



Welcome!

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