Marla's CRON-o-meter Chronicle

[Chile]

Thank you for posting a recent picture, Marla. You look happy, healthy, and trim. It seems it was well worth the effort for you to track all your food and activity for three months as it brought your attention to the little things that made a difference in your success. Congratulations!

[Marla]

Hello from London! This is a belated update for the week of April 21-April 27. I flew out of San Francisco on April 28th, and I’ll return on May 8th. The week before I left was very busy, but I stuck with my program and lost another pound. Whether it stays ‘lost’ remains to be seen. I’m doing the best I can to avoid temptation while on holiday, but I expect I will have gained a pound or two due to inactivity, richer (McDougall) food, more snacking, and some off-plan treats. Anyway, that’s a post for another day. For now, I’ll just bring this journal up to date as of the day I left.

I took some photos of my airplane travel food and the ingredients I packed to cook McDougal-friendly meals for myself and my hosts. I'll post those, with some comments, when I get a chance (possibly after I get back home to my own desk).


Weight change this week:
Down 1.2 pound to 124.2
BMI 21.1
(Down 4 pounds for April)

April 21, Monday
7:30a
Roastaroma tea, 1/4 c. soymilk, stevia
12:30p
Huge green salad w/ walnut Caesar dressing (normal)
White-fleshed sweet potatoes
Decaf black tea, 1/4 c. soymilk, stevia
6:45p
Cauliflower
Brussels sprouts
White-fleshed sweet potatoes with coriander-mint chutney
8:30p
Herbal tea

April 22, Tuesday
7:30a
Roastaroma tea, 1/4 c. soymilk, stevia
12:30p
Massaged kale salad (fat-free) w/added cooked beets and shredded raw carrots
Crudites (peppers, jicama, celery)
Oil-free roast potatoes with bbq sauce
Decaf black tea, 1/4 c. soymilk, stevia
6:45p
Spinach
Carrots
Asparagus
White-fleshed sweet potatoes with coriander-mint chutney
8:30p
Ataulfo mango and half banana
Herbal tea

April 23, Wednesday
5:30a
Roastaroma tea, 1/4 c. soymilk, stevia
12:30p
Huge green salad w/ walnut Caesar dressing
White-fleshed sweet potatoes
Decaf black tea, 1/4 c. soymilk, stevia
9:00p
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Chili Cheez Casserole (starchy casserole of beans & potatoes)
9:30p
Mango, 1 tangerine

April 24, Thursday
5:00a
Roastaroma tea, 1/4 c. soymilk, stevia
12:30p
18 ounce bag of Brussels sprouts, roasted w/ garlic powder and nutritional yeast
White-fleshed sweet potatoes
Decaf black tea, 1/4 c. soymilk, stevia
6:30p
Baked tortilla chips with pico de gallo (too many)
Broccoli
Red cabbage
Tostada (bean/rice/veg mixture on corn tortilla with lettuce and salsa)
8:30p
Bowl of strawberries

April 25, Friday
5:30a
Roastaroma tea, 1/4 c. soymilk, stevia
12:30p
Huge green salad w/ walnut Caesar dressing
Oil-free roast potatoes w/ bbq sauce
Decaf black tea, 1/4 c. soymilk, stevia
7:00p
Beet greens
Cauliflower
Indian-style mashed Yukon gold potatoes
Whole wheat pita bread (2 halves)
tomato chutney
8:30p
Mangoes and watermelon
Several dates

April 26, Saturday (day of walking half marathon)
5:00a
Roastaroma tea, 1/4 c. soymilk, stevia
1/3 cup oats w/ blueberries
1:30p
Huge green salad w/ walnut Caesar dressing
White-fleshed sweet potatoes
Decaf black tea, 1/4 c. soymilk, stevia
4:00p
Small sweet potato
6:30pm
Broccoli, cauliflower
Thai tacos (2)
8:30p
Small sweet potato
Bowl of watermelon and banana
Herbal tea

April 27, Sunday
7:00a
Decaf coffee, 3/4 c. soymilk, 2 sugar cubes
12:30p
Huge green salad w/ lemon balsamic vinegar
White-fleshed sweet potatoes
Decaf black tea, 1/4 c. soymilk, stevia
2:00p
1 tangerine
2 baked tortilla chips w/ salsa (stolen from hubby)
7:00p
Artichoke with mustard/balsamic dipping sauce
Asparagus
Cabbage
1/2 ear corn on the cob
Split pea soup
10:00p
Herbal tea

Activity
I kept my step count up, exercising every day and walking in a half marathon on Saturday. By contrast, I am having a very lazy week in London. I hope I can get back to my routine once I'm home again.

[JT of PA]

.

Marla,

Well Done, not many folk can travel halfway around the world and lose a pound ... (for what it's worth, I believe your pound will stay lost!)

All the best and have a blast making memories,
John

.

[yes2life]

Hi Marla!

Thank you so much for doing this! I am loving your blog which I have been reading straight through since yesterday (I'm not to the end yet). I've been vegan since 2007 and whole foods only for a year. I lost 22 lbs. when I went to whole foods, but have stayed stuck for 6 months and I have about 30 lbs. to go.

I have had all the same questions you have about metabolism, food choice, is it just calories in/calories out, etc. I believed the dogma that if you just eat whole foods, plant based you can eat whatever, lose weight and get to your natural healthy weight. That doesn't seem to be true for me, so I am grateful for all your scientific research !

Love the pictures (you ARE a good photographer), the CHRON-o-meter, your Fit-bit results, your observations about "accidental eating", your musings about fullness/satiety, everything you have shared! It is extremely generous of you and I'm sure it will help many people!
Warmly,
Jena