Marla's CRON-o-meter Chronicle

[Marla]

Chile - Thank you for your comment. You are right - when it comes to getting your veggies in, there's more than one way to approach it. I think that the compromise you have worked out with your hubby sounds like a smart way to deal with your different preferences. I nearly always include veggies in the stews, soups, chilies, curries, and casseroles I make, but I can't get the volume that I need by that method alone. I'd rather eat a big salad or pile of steamed veggies (I always eat them first) and then enjoy my main entree, which might have a bunch more veggies in it or might be mostly starch. I often think of Pinkrose's advice to "eat your vegetables as your entree, and then eat your starch for dessert!" I still get the bulk of my calories and satiety from starch, so my diet is absolutely starch centered, but veggies are my secret weapon for slimming down.

Nancy - I am relieved that I am not the only one who gets pathetic and weepy about how hard this seems at times. Let's both climb out of that mental trap and empower ourselves to be our best. In my first years on this forum (and the one that came before it), when I would read posts by Star McDougallers who explained that they had to follow MWL strictly in order to maintain a low BMI, I didn't really want to hear it. I wanted this to be the plan where I could eat all the pancakes I wanted for breakfast, all the burritos, pizza, and lasagna I wanted for lunch and dinner, muffins and crackers for snacks, and Mary's brownies for dessert every night And I stubbornly clung to that notion for a very long time, struggling all the while, because I wanted it to be true. Only in the last couple of years have I really come to accept that I am one of those people who needs to be extra mindful of caloric density if I am going to reach, and maintain, the BMI I want. So, brownies every night are out. Brownies on my birthday, sure thing!

Those freshly made corn tortillas are like heaven. I am not kidding. So soft and light, they just melt in your mouth. If you have a Mexican market near you, or a carniceria, they often have a hot food counter/taqueria where you can buy fresh, warm tortillas (but no guarantee that they are made on site). For an actual tortilleria, I go to La Esperanza on Franklin Blvd (http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-esperanza-me ... sacramento). Apparently La Esperanza supplies a lot of local restaurants with tortillas. I don't live in the area, but I am there about once a week to get my Japanese sweet potatoes from the Asian supermarket at Franklin and Florin. So on those trips, I make a point of picking up a few dozen tortillas each time. They come in stacks, wrapped in foil, hot off the press, two dozen for $1.30. The pico de gallo is made fresh every day too and is delicious. Let me know if you try some!

[Marla]

Sometime last year, I read a fascinating article on the Healthy Longevity blog, about the traditional diets of various cultures and their implications for health. The full article is here: http://healthylongevity.blogspot.com/2012/11/traditional-diets-in-asia-pacific-and.html. I was especially interested in the study of the Okinawan diet circa 1949. Recently, my mind has turned again to the Okinawans and I wondered how my way of eating compares to the dietary pattern described in this study, particularly with regard to calorie density.



It looks like the Okinawans, on average, ate 1758 calories per day, consuming 2.78 pounds of food with a calorie density of around 632 calories per pound. Of course this is an average, and not every individual ate the same number of calories or the same volume of food, or even the exact same foods. But it is still interesting to think about what such a diet would look like. Would I feel satisfied on 2.78 pounds of food? If we ignore the tiny amounts of nuts, sugars, oils, fish, meat, eggs, dairy, potatoes, fruit, seaweed, flavors & alcohol, all of which make up only a negligible percentage of the diet, we are left with:

Rice 154g
Grains (judging by the calorie density this must be bread, noodles, or other processed grain) 38g
Legumes (soy and other beans) 71g
Sweet potatoes 849g
Vegetables 114g

That would be approximately
--a little more than 3/4 cup of cooked rice - 214 cals
--a slice of bread - 125 calories
--a little less than half a cup of beans - 107 cals
--3 Japanese sweet potatoes (each about as big as my two fists pressed together) - 1231 cals
--3/4 cup of chopped broccoli - 54 cals

(I suppose I should point out that the sweet potatoes must have been a very calorie dense variety. The kind I eat are pretty calorie dense at about 600 calories/pound, but the math works out to 658 calories/pound for the ones the Okinawans ate. The rice seems a little high too at 631 calories per pound, but that's what the table says).

My impression is that this isn't a huge amount of food, but I would probably be satisfied with it because of the satiety provided by the rice, grains, beans, and sweet potatoes. Also, the Okinawans famously practiced "Hara Hachi Bu," loosely translated as "eat until 80% full." I am not so good at that. With me, it's more "down-the-hatchy-bu." LOL. Perhaps that is part of the reason why I feel the need for more volume than the Okinawans ate.

But now, say hypothetically that unlike the fit and trim Okinawans, I have weight to lose (which I do). So, I desire to reduce my caloric intake down to around 1200 calories a day. That is only 67.3% of what the average Okinawan ate -- to keep things simple, let's call it two-thirds of the amount. Keeping the same proportions in the Okinawan diet, I would only get to eat about

--just over 1/2 cup of rice or grains (101g)
--2/3 slice of bread (25g)
--a little more than a quarter cup of beans (47g)
--two Japanese sweet potatoes (565g)
--about half a cup of chopped broccoli (76g)

....and that's my 1200 calories Nope, I don't think that would work for me. I would be pretty hungry. I would also be low on many nutrients, though I'm sure I would still get more than someone following the Western diet.

Thus, I can conclude that if I ate at a typical Okinawan level of calorie density (632 calories per pound), and ate enough to satisfy my appetite, I would lose weight much more slowly or not at all. Maybe it would work if I could nail that Hara Hachi Bu thingie However, I know that I will be able to eat to eat to satisfaction on 300-350 calories per pound, and lose weight at a reasonable pace. Pretty clear to me which one I should pick!

[Marla]

March 7

Today I ate 3.7 pounds of food, with a calorie density of 325 calories per pound.

This was lunch. I had to take two separate pictures because I ate my salad while the potatoes were cooking, and by the time they were done, the salad was gone On Fridays I like to treat myself to these oil-free roast potatoes, which amounted to just over a pound of potatoes before cooking. Most people would put ketchup on them, but I like them plain (they are seasoned with granulated garlic, onion, and Mrs. Dash seasoning).



Dinner was a new recipe for me, Thai Tacos by Happy Herbivore (also featured in a recent McDougall newsletter). I didn't make them exactly as directed; for example, I used Thai curry paste plus extra garlic and onion in the filling. They were yummy! I made some simple stir "fried" vegetables to go with them. That's about a pound of vegetables in the bowl.



I noticed that I was low on omega-3's today, but I expect my average for the week will be fine, especially if I add a teaspoon of ground flax here and there. I meant to do it today but I forgot. Here's the full CRON report.

[Marla]

March 8

Tonight we attended a dinner social with a large group at a hotel. We attend 3-4 of these per year, at the same hotel, and we always place a special request for an oil-free plant based dinner, but we have had no success actually getting a 100% compliant meal. These are the instructions we always submit, about 2 weeks in advance:

We do not eat meat, eggs, dairy products (including milk, cheese, sour cream, and butter), or oil (including olive or canola oil or margarine made from them). Please feel free to create two meals including the following:

--ANY vegetables such as broccoli, bell peppers, cauliflower, asparagus, zucchini, squash, green beans, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, snow peas, etc.

--potatoes or yams -- baked, steamed, or roasted without oil

--grains such as rice, quinoa, barley, corn, millet, polenta (prepared with no added oil)

--beans such as kidney, garbanzo, lentils, pinto beans, lima beans, black beans, etc. (prepared with no added oil)

--Any and all spices

We would prefer a plain green salad as a first course, and fruit for dessert.

Thank you for your creative efforts!

"No oil" seems to be the hardest part of the request (although we have also received melted cheese on top of our meal a couple of times). Anyway, we finally admitted defeat. At the last event we attended, when dinner was served to everyone else we left the room for a few minutes to eat our own food that I brought from home. It worked, so we did the same thing tonight. This isn't officially an option; everyone who attends is supposed to order a meal. But we are glad that an exception can be made in our case. It isn't an ideal solution, because of course we miss the socializing and conversation during dinner, but our health is worth the hassle and awkwardness. We still get to socialize during the pre- and post-dinner parts of the event.

Today I ate 4.4 pounds of food with a calorie density of 277 calories per pound. Here's lunch:



And here are the two tiers of my steamer, loaded with vegetables in preparation to make our take-along dinner:



For the dinner that we brought with us, I made rice bowls with brown rice, vegetables, a little tofu, and peanut dressing. These were meant to be eaten at room temperature. The rice is in the bottom of each bowl, although you can't see it. The peanut dressing is made with defatted peanut flour ("powdered peanut butter"). I use a brand that has nothing but peanuts in the ingredients. I wish that this picture conveyed the size of the bowl better -- it's a very large 1 1/2 quart size.



Here is how my nutrition looked today:

[lifeisgreat]

Thank you so much for posting this information.
Have you ever thought of puting it all in to book form? I for one would buy it. The beautiful simplicity of your meals along with the information would be extremely valuable to many people. It cuts through the confusion around how to eat this way. It also provides an answer to all the questions about the nutritional value of eating this way. Of course including the pictures would be a must. I love the pictures.
Somewhere I got the idea you are from Sacramento. If that is true would you please tell me where you get your Japanese yams and the home made corn tortillas.

[Marcella]

Marla, I'm enjoying reading your journal. Once in awhile, I also play around with cronometer to keep me honest and help me make some tweaks in my food choices.

I also occasionally use a defatted peanut flour from Southern Grace Farms that is made only from defatted peanuts. I use it sparingly, but like to include a bit in my Spicy Thai Stew or a peanut dressing and once in a while I mix a couple of tablespoons with some water and use this defatted peanut mixture for a sandwich filling to take along on a long bicycle ride or hike.

It's unfortunate that you had to resort to bringing your own food to that event last night, but good for you for being creative and finding a way to enjoy the evening without indulging in foods you don't want to consume!

All the best,

Marcella

[smudgemom]

LOVE the journal w/ all the bells & whistles! I kinda/sorta a number cruncher so I really dig this. Pictures are a nice reminder that alot of food can be consumed....plus I like your avatar...you are so flippin' cute! Do you have before/after (ie current) pictures for a success story? Plus having all this data in an Ebook would be a good guide for beginners. Keep posting!

[Marla]

Lifeisgreat, thank you so much for the encouraging comment. I agree with you that journals with pictures are inspiring; for example I really love Sweet Pea's journal which shows all the gorgeous, colorful, simple food that she ate while getting healthier. Unfortunately I am a terrible photographer But my sister is a professional photographer, so one of these days I am going to ask her to teach me how to take better food photos. I would like to have a website/blog one day, if only so that I can find my own recipes easily! Yes, I live in Sacramento (North area). Alas, most of the ethnic markets seem to be in the South area. I get the fresh corn tortillas from La Esperanza tortilleria on Franklin. They are not "home made" but they are made from scratch on a big tortilla press that you can see working if you peek through the double doors into the kitchen. I get my Japanese sweets from 99 Ranch Market at Florin & Franklin, and I have also seen Asian sweet potatoes in Indian markets, if you have one of those near you. Whole Foods may carry them too. To me, they taste best the day after baking -- let them cool and then reheat before eating. The texture, sweetness, and subtle vanilla/caramel notes remind me of pound cake.

Marcella, I order my peanut flour from Southern Grace Farms also. Like you, I use it sparingly in a few recipes that call for peanut butter. As far as the CRON-o-meter goes, I have never used it for an extended period before, and I am looking forward to just eating my food again when this project is over! But I am still glad I decided to do it. I needed a reality check. Like, making a McDougall compliant blackberry cobbler and eating the whole thing is not really a good idea. LOL!

Smudgemom you are too nice. Thank you for letting me know that you are enjoying the journal. Gosh, my "before" was over a decade ago. I was fat, so I did not like to have my picture taken AT ALL. When I got married in 2002, I was wearing a size 20 wedding dress with an industrial strength full-body shaper underneath to keep my rolls and bulges under control. I could barely breathe, but it almost made me look like I had a waist! So, my before picture is probably the most flattering one there is from that time. I wish I had more "before" pictures, but I never knew there was going to be an "after." I believed that I was always going to be heavy, probably headed for morbid obesity like my mom (who passed away in 1995) and my sister. But about 6 months after my wedding I found Dr. McDougall's program, and everything changed.



Here's another before/after of me and my hubby.



In the interest of keeping things real, I have to say that after my initial weight loss I did not stay there effortlessly. I stayed within the "normal" weight range for the most part, but gravitated towards the upper end of it. For the last few years I have stayed closer to the middle of the "normal" range -- better, but not quite where I want to be. As I said at the beginning of this thread, I have never reached a low BMI of 20-21. But I feel like I have the tools now to make that happen, if I want it enough. Some of us are slow learners!

[Marla]

March 9

Busy day today! And I am trying to get to bed a little early because of Daylight Savings. So I'll keep this short and sweet.

I had my once-a-week, Sunday morning homemade soy latte when I got up. I enjoy this so much more now that it's just an occasional treat rather than something I do every day.

Lunch was kale salad and -- you guessed it -- baked Japanese sweet potato. I know my lunches seem boring, but when you find something you really like and don't get tired of, it's no hardship to eat it every day. I get a lot of variety at dinnertime, so I don't feel deprived. If the day comes when I don't look forward to my lunch, I'll change it.



For dinner, I fell back on the convenience of a casserole -- Farmer's Pie -- that I had prepared and frozen several weeks ago. All I had to do was take it out, stick it in the oven, steam a few vegetables, and presto, almost instant meal. I LOVE these little 6-cup Pyrex casserole dishes. They are the perfect size. This is my Farmer's Pie when I took it out of the freezer (apple included for size perspective):



And this is my dinner plate. Umm....too many light-colored veggies? Well, that was what I had. I need to walk up to the supermarket tomorrow for more!



And, although I don't usually include a picture of my after-dinner fruit bowl, here it is:



All of that added up to 3.56 pounds of food, with a calorie density of 337 calories per pound. I felt full all day long (from lunch onwards) and absolutely did not need any snacks. I would not have had room for them.

As you can see, selenium was low today. This happens whenever I don't eat a lot of grains. There was a little barley in the casserole, but that was all. Still, as long as I am getting enough over the course of a week I don't worry about it.

[Marla]

March 10

Lots of colorful food today! I ate exactly 4 pounds, with a calorie density of 291 calories per pound.

Lunch (no surprises here):



Dinner:



Dessert:



I added half a Brazil nut for selenium. All my nutritional targets were satisfied.....and so was I! I would have liked a little larger piece of Farmer's Pie, but this was leftovers so there wasn't any more. If I'd still been hungry after eating everything, I would have had a snack, but I felt full enough. I am starting to think about how I will need to increase my calorie density a little bit after I reach my target weight. I like the way I said that, like it's really going to happen. I am starting to believe it will.

[Marcella]

I love your before and after pictures Marla! You and your husband look very happy and healthy.

Marcella

[Marla]

Thank you Marcella! We are both so much healthier than we used to be.

Today is Tuesday, so I got my weekly activity report from Fitbit (my pedometer). I managed to stick to a very consistent exercise schedule last week by going for a 5 or 6 mile walk/run each morning. I am starting to incorporate more running, but only as much as I feel like. I guess I am running about half of my miles now.

[Marla]

Salads and Satiety

This morning in the Lounge, I noticed someone commenting that they don't feel satisfied by "a giant bucket of salad." I had to smile, because I've been thinking a lot about satiety lately and how important it is. I have noticed that after I finish my huge lunch salad, which contains raw and cooked greens, I feel like I have something in my stomach, and I feel less hungry, but I don't feel satisfied until I eat my plate or bowl of starch. By the time I finish my starch, I feel completely full and ready to put my fork down. Yet, if I were to skip the salad and only eat a sweet potato, its volume alone wouldn't be enough. For me, the winning combination is a big serving of veggies first, followed by a generous serving of starch.

Doug Lisle and Alan Goldhamer have an excellent article where they discuss caloric density and satiety: http://www.vegsource.com/articles/goldhamer.fatforlife.htm. In it, they explain the two types of receptors that we rely on to signal that we've had enough to eat:

The satiety mechanism appears to depend upon two types of receptors in our mouths and stomachs. These are stretch receptors, which give our brain information about how "stretched out" our stomach is, and nutrient receptors, which tell us the caloric density of the food we have eaten. Notice that if you eat four pounds of raw salad, you may feel "full" in terms of being "stretched out," but the nutrient receptors in your stomach also will be saying, "Hey, that was 'OK,' but it wasn't nearly enough! Get me some calories, or I'm going to continue to complain!" You might feel stretched out" but still hungry. To be satiated, or hunger-satisfied, we have to have our stomach both stretched out and filled with some "real" calories.

Aha! This makes perfect sense to me. I need plenty of veggies to stretch my stomach, and enough starch to keep my nutrient receptors happy. It seems that I am not the only one who finds that it works best to eat vegetables first, then starches:

At the [True North Health] Center, for lunch and dinner, we recommend that meals be eaten in a particular order. First, eat a large, raw vegetable salad. Steamed vegetables should be eaten next.

Finally, eat starchy vegetables and whole grains. There is a reason for this recommendation. We have observed that once a person gets a taste of higher-calorie foods (such as cooked grains), lower-calorie foods (such as raw salad) are suddenly less appealing. This can result in less salad and vegetable consumption, which, in turn, can cause an overall increase of the meal's caloric density. By starting with the least caloric foods - when we are the most hungry - more low-density food is consumed. This results in more stretching of the stomach, which helps us to feel full and thus less likely to overeat.

This is also one of Jeff Novick's principles of calorie density:

The Principles of Calorie Density: How to Eat More, Weigh Less & Live Longer


1) Hunger & Satiety - Whenever hungry, eat until you are comfortably full. Don't starve and don't stuff yourself.


2) Sequence Your Meals - Start all meals with a salad, soup and/or fruit. This way, you fill up on the foods lowest in calorie density and less likely to overeat on foods higher in calorie density.


3) Don't Drink Your Calories - Avoid liquid calories. Eat/chew your calories, don't drink or liquefy them. Liquids have little if any satiety so they do not fill you up as much as solid foods of equal calories.


4) Dilution is the Solution - Dilute Out High Calorie Dense Foods/Meals (The 50/50 Rule) - Dilute the calorie density of your meals by filling 1/2 your plate (by visual volume) with intact whole grains, tubers, starchy vegetables and/or legumes and the other half with vegetables and/or fruit.


5) Be Aware of the Impact of Vegetables vs Fat/Oil - Vegetables are the lowest in calorie density while fat and oil are the highest. Therefore, adding vegetables to any dish will always lower the overall calorie density of a meal while adding fat and oil will always raise the overall calorie density of a meal


6) Limit High Calorie Dense Foods - Limit (or avoid) foods that are higher in calorie density. These include dried fruit, high fat plant foods (nuts, seeds, avocados), processed whole grains (breads, bagels, crackers, dry cereal, tortilla's, popcorn, etc). If you use them, incorporate them into meals that are made up of low calorie dense foods and think of them as a condiment to the meal. For example, add a few slices of avocado added to a large salad, or a few walnuts or raisins added in a bowl of oatmeal and fruit.

Dr. McDougall also talks about this in his article on "Pushing Your Set Point to the Limits." Describing the protocol at the Maximum Weight Loss Live-in Program, he says:

Begin with leafy green salads and bowl of shredded carrots, beets, celery, onions, and cabbage as options to top your salad.

Then, choose any of 4 distinctly different flavorful, fat-free salad dressings which are set on the serving table. For example, Oriental, Berry Vinaigrette, and Tofu Island. (Find dressings in the August 2004 newsletter.)

Next take generous helpings two raw vegetable salads, like fat-free Coleslaw, Tomato Vegetable Salad, and Spinach Salad.

Then you come to two hot steamed green and/or yellow vegetable dishes are served, like seasoned steamed carrots, zucchini, kale, baby bok choy, or broccoli. Our guests were asked to eat full servings of these very low calorie dishes before moving on to the starches.

It's funny, but I'd seen this advice on the forum for years and never got serious about implementing it until recently. I was happy to learn that it was also part of Chef AJ's recent success in getting to her ideal weight, as she discusses in this thread:

Now that I started exercising I really can't eat breakfast because I can't work out with any food in my stomach or I get sick so I'm only eating 2 meals a day, so I eat one pound before lunch of steamed veggies and one pound before dinner, I still may have salad or more veggies with meals, but this is my medicine and what helped me lose over 40 pounds, I do it consistently and never waiver, as far as calorie density goes they are only about 100 calories a pound....

....At first I had to use fancy flavored vinegars or a tahini dressing to choke it down but now I don't mind just eating plain veggies. Since implementing this in my life two years ago, I rarely overeat anymore, and I know once I'm done eating my greens, I get to eat something really delicious like potatoes, rice, lentils and fruit. if I eat anything super tasty FIRST I don't eat my veggies....

http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=40457&start=30

That is exactly how I feel. I don't mind my greens at all, and in fact I enjoy them, but I look forward to finishing them so I can have my "super tasty" potatoes, rice, etc. I think this is a habit I can continue to practice for life because it is pleasant and it works!

A friend of mine, who does not eat this way, said to me "oh, I get it, you are basically tricking your body by filling up with vegetables before you eat your potatoes." I said NO....you "trick" your body when you eat cheeseburgers and ice cream and potato chips. It has no idea how to evaluate the nutrients in those because they don't resemble our natural diet. This is more like understanding your body's natural processes, and working in harmony with them to achieve health and happiness.

(By the way, it is 5:20pm, I ate lunch 5 hours ago, and I am not the least bit hungry. Yay for the large salad/sweet potato combo!)

[Marla]

March 11

I made two things in my new Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker) today -- cooked whole beets, and delicious brown rice. They both came out great. I am looking forward to using it more.

Today I ate 4.39 pounds of food with a calorie density of 286 calories per pound. Slightly low in omega 3's today. Sodium was a tad high (but not terrible), probably because there was some soy sauce in my dinner entree and dinner salad.

I am way too full to eat fruit tonight, so I'll just post my lunch and dinner.

Lunch (with beets from my Instant Pot!):



Dinner - Thai red curry with rice, and Thai cabbage salad. For the curry sauce, I used 8 ounces of light coconut milk mixed with 8 ounces of soymilk, plus 2 teaspoons of coconut extract and Thai Kitchen brand red curry paste. The overall fat content was not that high, and the dish was low in calorie density due to the vegetable content. It was also delicious and very satisfying.



Here's my CRON report for today.

[Marla]

March 12

Today I had 3.73 pounds of food, with a calorie density of 324 calories per pound.

Lunch was my usual salad and sweet potato (except I forgot to take a picture of it until it was partially eaten ).



Dinner was pizza! I make my pizza dough from whole wheat flour, in my bread machine. It's about the only thing I use my bread machine for, but it's worth keeping just for that. It's an old machine and when it dies I might start making my pizza dough by hand, but until then, this is easier. The sauce is made from one 8 ounce can of no-salt-added tomato sauce and one 6 ounce can of tomato paste, plus herbs and spices. I bake the pizza on a pizza stone, which makes the crust nice and crispy.

I had one large piece (one quarter of the whole pizza) along with lots of oven-roasted broccoli. The broccoli was dusted with garlic powder and a little nutritional yeast. For "dessert" I had three little satsuma tangerines ("cuties").



Nutritionally, everything looked adequate today. Although I had pizza with its calorie-dense crust, I "diluted" it with enough vegetables to bring the calorie density down considerably. The pizza itself, with all the veggie toppings, came out to be 526 calories per pound which is within the "green zone," similar to cooked whole grains and beans. I like knowing that I can eat flour products on occasion -- I just have to limit my portions of them and make sure they are part of a meal that includes lower calorie density foods. Getting a feel for how this balance works has been a major benefit of doing this CRON-o-meter project. I think I've internalized it now to the point where I can achieve the right ratio of foods without thinking about it too much.