Stephanie's Journal - Moving Right Along

[Ejeff]

Glad your foot is feeling quite a bit better and the exercises are helping. Thanks for stopping by my journal. I’m like you, I find that always sticking to the minimum of 30 minutes a day keeps me moving when at times I might not.

I hope the no assigned work spaces isn’t too chaotic. Since they have moved to that model does that mean you work from home some days too?

Enjoy your outing with your son. Love all your photos, everything is so nice and colourful.

Erin

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Erin,

Thanks for great comments!! Glad that you like to make sure you do the 30 minutes of minimum exercise too! It definitely makes me feel better to at least have walked even if no other exercise is going on that day!

The work without assigned spaces was a bit chaotic... I am sure that it will get better as folks get used to it. Doesn't bother me as I am used to working out of my laptop bag --- as long as there is network connection, all is fine. I've been remote for 4 days and in person for 1 for about a year --- switching it to 3 days remote with 2 in person. For the most part, I really miss working with people in 3D...

Hope your week is great!

Hi Journal!

I did days 6 and 7 of the soup for dinner and exercise as I outlined. So, closing out this concept instead of going to 14 days --- was a bit too prescriptive.

I expect that what I will do is ramp up my veggies / starches ratio a bit. For this week, going to be more consistent with the preload --- and stop blowing off doing it at dinner. If I am not super hungry, can make the PL and the meal a bit smaller. I am also going to continue eating more soup. I do love soup, salad, fruit --- so all good!

Funny - I am again posting between pickleball events today (and icing my feet!)... Also, doubled down on league yesterday as I subbed in the group before mine. Was a lot of PB as 3 of 4 were really close matches and 2 of them went to 3 games. Was a lot of fun!

Here are some pics:





Went to see the butterflies yesterday with my son. ❤️ They are amazing - I enjoy doing this each summer. OMG - another butterfly friend (a Comma) who hung out for about 10 minutes on my foot... Food is what I packed for the day - P foods - pepper, peach, pluot, potatoes..




A sample breakfast, lunch (another to go), dinner for the week.


One of my girlfriends shared this with me... finding it amazing!!

Here is what I posted to the T&A group for the week.

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

Hope everyone is doing great! Seems like we are moving on to fall, but the temperatures aren’t really following! Oh, mercury shooting through every degree…

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Still about 2/3 of the time. Going to focus on increasing percentage of preloads for the upcoming week.

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. Continuing to eat and enjoy the same foods. Made a couple of pots of starchy soup this week – tastes good cold too!

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. Reduced, not eliminated.

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. I am not stuffing or starving.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
YES - 7 / 7 after a few mostly’s in a row! Loving that there are indoor venues for pickleball when the “wind chill” is 117…

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Hope that you had an awesome vacation, Mark! We missed you, but Wildgoose took great care of us!!

Wishing the group a spectacular week and hello to September!

Cheers,
Stephanie

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Journal,

Here's a few pictures from the week.




Sample breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the week. All were delicious. I honestly do not get bored of eating pretty much the same thing for each meal. It is kind of comforting to not even really think about what to eat --- except what fruit / veggies to add. Easy peasy.


Got a large crockpot of Split Pea Soup going! September seemed like good timing to go back to an old favorite!


Current picture of the cygnets from my work walk– they are almost full grown!


❤️ Not a great picture since I didn’t want to scare these gorgeous deer. Saw them with my son on a hike last Sunday. Maybe I will go back this weekend and try to get closer!

Below is behavioral assessment that I will post for week of 9/1.

Hi Time & Adherence peeps,

Happy September!!!

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Frequently - increased from prior week. Missed a few dinners. Going for 100% for upcoming week.

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. I am super boring here and ate everyday the same starch: oatmeal for breakfast, brown rice / corn / beans for lunch, potatoes for dinner. All with veggies and fruit. Those were different!!! Also, made a huge pot of split pea veggie soup today. I have missed it over the summer!

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. Reduced, not eliminated.

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).
No. I had a close encounter with a couple of handfuls of pretzels that reside in my house. Have had a higher stress past few weeks at work and I caved to the dry and salties. Normally, I am able to avoid by: eating something else (like a potato), remembering my why, engaging in self-care (picking something from list). I feel pretty good about being able to be a full YES here next week. The pretzel eating didn’t really help anything and just made my feel a bit inept for making a choice that isn’t in alignment with my goals.

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. No starving and no stuffing.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
YES - 7 / 7 --- some great walking weather this week! Also, played pickleball 4 days this week.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Mark – sounds like you and your family enjoyed an amazing vacation! Thanks for sharing how you handled the food part of it – very helpful!
Bambi – Hope you have a wonderful birthday!
Starflower – Love how you navigated the fair! Funny that you got “a look” for plain baked potato… Like who ever heard of that??
Rebecka – Awesome thought on being grateful for health and energy this lifestyle provides!!! +1

A big hi to anyone that comes later!

Hope that everyone enjoys a fun and relaxing Labor Day weekend!

Cheers,
Stephanie

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Journal,

Saving below quote from Mark - I tend to think that for the long-haul building skills around dusting myself off and getting right back into the groove will prove important. I definitely see the relationship between stress and non-optimal choices and would be fooling myself to not expect plenty more future stress and other "depleting experiences". I do feel like I have made progress here working on positive self-talk and acknowledging not the choice I meant to make, but not a huge deal either - just move on...

VegSeekingFit - Nice work, Stephanie, and a really thoughtful, well-considered assessment! I'm one of those people whose meals are often "super boring," too; I eat the same thing for lunch almost every day: a big salad, followed by collard greens, California blend vegetables, green peas, sweet potato, and no-salt packaged tomatoes. I always figure, as long as it still tastes great to me, why mess with a good thing. I am happy to know you are feeling confident in your ability to confine your "close encounter" to that occasion and continue your consistent pattern of adherence. It is interesting the role increased stress and other depleting experiences can play in our choices and behaviors, right? I think your measured perspective, which seems fairly free from self-recrimination (which is awesome, btw), offers a useful and actionable framing of the situation. Enjoy the weekend!

Anyway, no stress this weekend --- had a blast socializing and playing outside games with family and friends. Also, played pickleball Friday and Saturday and went hiking today. Got some chores done with my husband on Sunday - which are nice to check off the list! Have my first real (not my club) pickleball tournament coming up on Saturday and I am getting excited! Should be fun and a great experience. TBD!!!

Found a GREAT RESTAURANT for breakfast! Seriously! Had steel-cut oatmeal (made with water) with blueberries and blackberries and a fruit cup. It was delicious and COMPLIANT.




Shockingly different breakfast and lunch!



From hike this morning - got up early as we are again in a heatwave - 90's. Other folks had the same idea - trail was the most crowded I have ever seen it. Lots of native golden rods growing - pretty!

On to the workweek...

Cheers,
Stephanie

[VegSeekingFit]

Hello Journal! Happy Friday!


Packed a bunch of food to bring to work. I always bring a bunch of potatoes just in case I get hungry. Many times I just haul these back home and eat them for dinner, but better safe than sorry.


My favorite lunch in progress… also added some beans, black grapes, and pineapple. Delicious!


This kind of goes along with a sign that I love --- “what can go right?” --- great for when attitude needs a bit of help…

Below is behavioral assessment that I will post for week of 9/8.

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

Hope everyone had a great week!

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Frequently – about the same as last week – a few misses. I am looking to increase the percentage of preloads here.

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. Same meals – still love them.

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. Reduced, not eliminated.

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. No stress eating dry and salties this week.

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 - 7 / 7. I am super excited to compete in my first ever non-club pickleball tournament this Saturday. It is a round robin format and I am assigned to court 7 --- so feeling lucky! Ha! I leave really early in the morning – so am packing banana, grapes, and potatoes as I’ll be gone for at least 6 hours and don’t want to be hungry – they provide some snack bag that I will give to a hungry buddy.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Thanks, Mark for great comments last week – a lot of “food for thought”! Very cool that you continue to eat the same lunch that you love most days. I agree 100% that as long as it tastes great, why mess with a good thing! Also, I absolutely do have a tendency to make non-optimal choices when under stress (especially when it is on-going, sooner or later a poor choice may happen). I am trying to continue to build skills around positive self-talk and just moving on while trying to learn something from each experience. Additionally, I continue to work on mindfulness and reducing stress. I think that I have made progress in this space, but that there is always room to learn and improve.

Gimmelean, I loved your comment last week about smugly enjoying being on the fringe. YES!!!

Here are my comments to Mark’s bonus questions.

I go with simplicity and repetition for the most part with my meals (oatmeal, rice / corn / bean salad, potatoes, various crock pot soups). I love these meals which are quick to prepare, and I don’t feel like I need to venture much outside of them. Given that, if someone wants to cook me some different delicious MWL compliant food, I would be happy to sample it!

I do not feel the need to try new recipes (although occasionally, I do make the attempt). I do try different varieties of fruit and veggies (sometimes beans and whole grains).

I like a mix of familiar enjoyable activities and trying new things. For instance, I have only been playing pickleball since this March and I am hooked for life. I have done some semi-adventurous things in my life (i.e., parachuting, hot-air ballooning, a few trail running events) --- but also do like the comfort of familiar activities.

I value spending time with family and friends the most. Love to play various yard games in nice weather like badminton, bags, ladder ball. During COVID, we really started playing board games of all kinds and cards. We continue with this and it’s lots of fun! I am also happy curled up on the couch or on the deck if the weather is nice with a book. Foodwise, enjoying honeydew melon, pluots (mottled and black), corn on the cob, heirloom tomatoes, Yukon gold potatoes --- among other things.

Mark, enjoyed what you shared around your newfound fun family activity! We have a Six Flags nearby that has Hurricane Harbor water park inside the amusement park. When my son was younger, we had season passes for a few years. What an awesome way to spend time together.

Wishing everyone an excellent week soaking up the last days of amazing weather!

Best,
Stephanie  

[VegSeekingFit]

Happy Friday !!!


This is the food that I packed for pickleball tournament last Saturday. Left too early to eat breakfast (met a few buddies to warm up before) so brought this oatmeal cup that is regular McD but not MWL compliant (seeds) but was convenient. I also brought an extra banana (not pictured). The tournament provided granola bars, pretzels, and chocolate that I ignored. I had a few people ask me where I got the banana and grapes – and seemed disappointed when I told them I brought them from home. Next time I will bring a bunch of extra fruit to share.


On lucky court 7 – I placed second in the 3.0 level and got a medal! I went 6-1, dropping 4 points in the losing game. Was a ton of fun – everyone played about every other game (32 of us in this level across 4 courts)– so plenty of time to socialize too. The same organizers are putting on a Halloween tournament – with costumes… Thinking about it --- my club has a costumed tournament too so could double down on costume use!


Watching the weather forecast as I’m planning to go away for some hiking with my son this weekend – if no heavy rain. Fingers are crossed! We are looking to do the Lake Geneva Shore Path --- we can’t decide if we will split it up or do it all at once – TBD! Got a hotel with a microwave and refrigerator --- so will bring oatmeal (the regular kind) and potatoes to eat!

Below is behavioral assessment that I will post for week of 9/15.

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

Hope everyone is doing awesome! Can’t believe September is half over already! The weather here abruptly went from 90’s to 70’s --- missing the 80’s --- maybe they are still to come! Beautiful weather though, so can’t complain --- windows are open and the birds are singing.

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Mostly - about 2/3. I do have an opportunity here to increase the percentage of meals pre-loaded that I keep commenting on but haven’t executed. I will work on this.

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. Reduced, not eliminated.

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).
Materially yes BUT had a “to go” oatmeal cup --- Bob’s Red Mill that has chia seeds and flax (and salt) in addition to oats. Would not do that often, but it worked in a pinch (and fits nicely in the cupholder in my car). I wish they had these cups without the seeds, but I can’t find anything like that. Greatly prefer my own oatmeal - just keeping a couple of cups in case of emergency (like in my work bag since I don’t have a desk anymore to store belongings).

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. Did not stuff or starve.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes - 7 / 7. Love walking outside in the cooler weather. Also, I went to my work gym for the first time in 3.5 years (and then I went again)! Will keep doing this – was a wonderful and energizing break in the day. Started back up with park district “Pickle Spears” which is amazingly fun --- imagine playing to music – like Freebird! Starting up my fall league tonight with a new partner who is awesome. I have to say that #10 is part of my “why” --- I am so thankful to be back to being active and love doing so – the McD program and this checklist has given me back some lost self-esteem as throughout most of my life I was semi-athletic. So, just feeling wonderful about this.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Mark – thanks for sharing that article last week. What a phenomenal example of a grassroots team supporting better health for the community! One thing I noticed in the link --- the pictures of the people who are driving this initiative--- they look so happy and healthy --- radiant! ❤️

Hope that everyone has a fabulous week!

Cheers,
Stephanie

[Ejeff]

Stephanie it’s so wonderful this program has given you more confidence to go to the gym and be so active. I find it intimidating when I go to a new gym or facility for the first time too. One of my whys is very similar to yours, I love being active and pain free and this way of eating helps me achieve that.

I agree September is flying past so quickly. Nice that you are so involved in Pickleball, congratulations on your tournament results. That is so cool they will host a tournament in costumes! Sounds like such fun. I hope the weather cooperates for your hike with your son this weekend.

Erin

[Starflower]

I hope you have a fun and rain-free hike! Keep being amazing!

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Erin! Hi Starflower!
Thank you both for awesome comments!!
On the Halloween pickleball tournament…. You snooze, you lose! I waited too long to register and it is full!

Hi Journal,



I am going to name my next journal “Stephanie eats 1000 bowls of oatmeal”! Also, love super simple dinners or snacks with some potatoes and raw veggies with a fruit. I eat bags and bags of potatoes and really don’t get tired of them. Made a “stewy” soup --- just a box of Pomi strained tomatoes, a box of Pomi chopped tomatoes, maybe ¾ box of water, an onion, lots of carrots, some potatoes ---- and that’s it! It is delicious.



Went for a shorter hike with my son last weekend than we planned. It was quite a rainy weekend and didn’t seem like the best time to check out the Geneva Lake Path – we still want to do this one, but in dry times. We went to a different local forest preserve and walked some of the red trail there --- going to do the whole thing this weekend. Didn’t expect the crime scene tape and have found that a small plane crashed here the week prior.



Below is behavioral assessment that I will post for week of 9/22.

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

Hope everyone had an awesome and successful week! Hard to believe that we are officially in fall! My neighbor put out all of his Halloween decorations last weekend --- including the ridiculously cute purple spider with a web. I feel like the Halloween grinch with nothing out (and not planning to decorate), but that’s ok!

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
More than last week’s 2/3, but less than 100%. I have bought various apples and pears to make this super easy to increase. They are delicious in the fall!

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. Mostly eating the same meals, but have started to add more starchy 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. Reduced, not eliminated.

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).
Totally yes. Thanks again for the oats suggestions last week. I bought the quick oats and have used them once as a work breakfast when I went in early. There are coffee and hot water machines that this works perfectly with! I also bring an extra self-made cup in case I run out of food / get hungry during the day. I find it important to NOT be hungry at work (without compliant food handy) because this may be the environment that I spend the most time in on a regular basis that is full of Pleasure Trap foods. For instance, Wednesdays are popcorn days --- the whole campus smells of popcorn in the afternoon – everywhere you walk. Happily, my team’s in the office days no longer include that one!

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. No starving and no stuffing.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes - 7 / 7. I have done better this year by transitioning to some gym usage in the darker and cooler weather which has been great for consistency in this space. I was able to go to my work gym before work and walk for an hour. I brought 2 containers of quick oats and a banana to eat afterwards. Also, have been back to my neighborhood gym a few times in the early morning. On warmer (and LIGHT in the early AM) days, I would always pick being outside vs. a gym, but I am getting used to being more flexible with the season so that I just do the exercise. I feel FANTASTIC when I start the day out with movement.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:
Thanks, Mark for sharing great reading material from Jeff! Fascinating how we can use caution at restaurants and still overconsume calories. Loved also reading Jeff’s first newsletter. I was a student at UIUC the year prior – so connect with the locations, etc.

Hope that everyone has a wonderful week!

Cheers,
Stephanie 

[wildgoose]

Stephanie, I loved your "stewy" soup idea. I’m doing a "stewy" SNAP meal for supper: 2 cans of beans that needed to be used up (1 cannellini, 1 black), crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, leftover cooked brown rice, frozen broccoli. Looks a lot like your picture except greener

I was a grad student at UIUC in 1984-85, so I missed Jeff by a couple of years, but I do remember eating at the YMCA that he mentioned in his newsletter as a place where he taught a course in natural health and living. Good food and cheap!

Goose

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Wildgoose!

Thanks for super comments! Appreciate you sharing your “stewy” SNAP meal --- have been envisioning trying this in the crock pot and maybe serving over whole wheat pasta – I have the bag of broccoli. Would make a nice lunch to take to work.

Small world!!! I guess I just missed you too! I attended 86-87 my freshman year and then decided to not pursue major and went back home to find myself! I used to go to that Y for Friday night roller skating events and to play racquetball with a buddy who had a membership there. I would have loved to find a place with good food --- I lived in PAR dorms (hated the food) and really mainly ate wheat toast / bagels with pb or jam, fruit, salad bar and… (hoping I don’t get struck by lightning for posting this)…. Crunchberries (which I never had eaten before or since)…

Hi Journal,





My son and I walked this trail last weekend – about 8 miles. The crane was more impressive in person!! The elk is simply majestic! Always love watching the geese… there are a couple of kayakers in the background – going to check this out hopefully still this fall.



Didn’t take many food pics this week. I did buy a few of these new to me Pazazz apples – which were delicious! I brought easy food to work – oatmeal, banana, apple, carrots, grape tomatoes, potatoes. In addition to extra oatmeal cups, I carry a Dr. McD Split Pea soup cup in my laptop bag. So far, have not “needed” it!


This is from Prevention: Find Your Calm. Pretty cool self-evaluation and exercise for increasing self-compassion – check it out!

Pickleball – Still loving it! Played with my group this morning and heading out to be mentored. Lost my mojo on Tuesday! We all have good and bad days, yeah? Anyway, still was super fun --- I can’t articulate how much I love playing with so many different folks and to music! Also, last night in league had a strange experience where one of the guys my partner and I were playing against became mad – enraged really… kind of flailing his paddle around and hitting the ball harder and harder (usually out or into net). My partner said she was afraid he was going to clobber one of us in the face with the ball --- so a big wth to that… Hoping we don’t play that team again.

Below is behavioral assessment that I will post for week of 9/29.

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying fall colors and flavors! Thinking I’m going to make some pumpkin oatmeal this week with apples and cinnamon - will smell like autumn.

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Frequently. I am at about 80% of meals with preload. Having the apples available is helping here.

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. Not perfect - I ate white rice at one meal out – vegetable sushi. They didn’t have brown rice at the restaurant – so this was the best choice available. I don’t go out to eat much, but this week was three times. Have found that a couple of places have easy to get compliant breakfast of steel cut oats made with water with fruit – no milk, no granola = MWL compliant. At another restaurant had a raw veggie salad and brought own dressing / bv--- ate before going so all was good.

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. Reduced, not eliminated.

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. Did not starve or stuff.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes - 7 / 7. Took a couple of beautiful hikes last weekend with my son. Played some pickleball. Went to the gym at work and by my house. I have been trying for over 2 years to consistently incorporate strength training – which I know is important. It is not my strength (no pun intended)! I am hopeful that I am getting closer here --- meeting with a personal trainer next week for a consultation – fingers crossed that we are compatible --- as searching for the right fit has been a mini project.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Thank you, Mark for your amazing patience last week and your feedback! Much appreciated!

Hope everyone has a terrific weekend and start to October! We are closing out September with a bang!!!

Cheers,
Stephanie

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Journal!

Happy Saturday!!!



A friend and I meet up to hike every couple of months. If the weather permits, we bring our lunch and eat outside. Had a great time catching up last weekend – met at a marsh, but path goes through this park.


Scored some delicious produce!


This is my son’s favorite apple – it is huge and called the “Apple Pear” at stores around here.


Loving this simple meal of potatoes with fruit and veggies.


Also loving this fuzzy bumblebee who is enjoying purple asters. Spotted him on a work walk. There are also tons of grasshoppers and some frogs on the path. The swans and cygnets are gone for the season.

Facilitated discussion this week with my work networking group. Was incredible to hear everyone’s thoughts on this James Clear Ted Talk – How to Get 1% Better Every Day (8 minutes). https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/r ... 04401FDDFF

Many of us had also recently heard him speak at the Global Leadership Summit. Lots of powerful ideas to act on to help establish integrating healthy habits into your life. This quote especially resonated:

“Every action is a vote for the person you’d like to become.” – James Clear

Heading out to do some errands before pickleball. I was able to sign up for my group’s Halloween tournament even though I missed the boat on the other one. In search of a costume that won’t hinder playing!

Below is behavioral assessment that I will post for week of 10/6.

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

Happy October!

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Frequently. I am still at about 80% of meals with preload. Not consistently preloading lunch which is usually a huge salad with brown rice, corn, and beans. Thinking some veggie soup first may hit the spot for this chillier weather.

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.
Mostly. I did eat 4 Brach’s hard peppermint candies on Tuesday night after Pickle Spears (so sugar, yes?). They had a table of “treats” with Halloween plates that I ignored except for the above. I think about the why kind of like Defect Management --- as I did not plan / intend to do this. I believe it comes down to willpower can be low if energy is running low. I had a really long day that Tuesday and ended up scrambling home from work to change into pickleball clothes and head back out. This night, I didn’t pack any food to bring with me (usually I eat something before). If I find myself in this situation again, will grab a banana and potato(es) to eat in the car.

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. Did not starve or stuff.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes - 7 / 7. Had a wonderful consult with personal trainer and will be starting up next week with CONSISTENT strength training. We discussed goals and walked-through a sample workout. He was quite patient and encouraging --- which I greatly appreciate. I am confident that he will not be discussing my diet, protein supplements or yelling – so looking forward to getting STRONG!

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Wishing the group an awesome weekend and a successful starch-filled week ahead!

Cheers,
Stephanie 

[Artista]

Hi Stephanie!

I love reading your journal, it's so inspiring. I noticed you said you are starting to work with a personal trainer. I've been thinking about that too and wasn't quite sure how to go about it. There are two gyms near me and I thought I would just go in and ask them if it that's something that they can offer. I want to improve muscle strength and bone density. I walk often but I think I need to kick it up a notch. Good luck with the personal strength training, let us know how it goes!

[bunsofaluminum]

Your pictures are so amazing! Loved the butterflies and of course all the food pics yum! that Pear Apple is what we call an Asian Pear. We have an Asian Pear tree in our yard and harvested TWO FRUITS from it this year! Tiny little juicy crisp pears. SO delicious.

You're doing amazing...and I"m with the rest: Inspirational!

Oh, and speaking of inspiration: I screen shotted that Happy People poster. I've got it up on my computer screen and plan to print it after work. I'll hang it on my literal wall where I can see it.

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Artista! Hi Heidi ! Thank you both for stopping by and appreciate your lovely comments! ❤️

Artista, I think we have the same strength training goals! Wishing you the best in your endeavors. Would love to share progress along the way! I still find walking amazing and I really look forward to doing it. Hoping to get that same zen feeling from lifting weights…

Heidi, Cool that you have an Asian Pear tree – YUM! Funny that this fruit has 2 names, but just going with it!!! So glad you liked the Happy people picture!!

Hi Journal!



Couldn’t resist these adorable teeny tomatoes and cucumbers! Not an always purchase --- pretty $$$... but very good and fun!





I continue eating the same foods and enjoying them. Made this oatmeal with mangoes and a banana – delicious! Still loving the rice and corn salad for lunch. Added a scoop of beans after. Potatoes for the win!!! Calling the fruit / veggie combo a preload salad!


Happy to have started strength training. I really like my trainer who has been great. He makes sure that my form is correct for each exercise --- and has helped me to actually use the mirror to self-adjust! He also helps motivate me to keep going and feel ok with where I am at. This week I completed 2 days of dumbbell and body weight circuits which worked every muscle. A lot of planking (my abs were screaming), squatting, step-ups, bench press, deadlifts, various shoulder exercises, rowing, etc. My personal favorite is the calf raise which I have down pat!! HA! Going to keep doing this for at least 3 months as I expect I should see progress by then. At that time, will evaluate how best to go about continuing….

Below is behavioral assessment that I will post for week of 10/13.

Hi Team Time & Adherence,

It is a chilly and rainy Friday here in Chicagoland, IL! I guess that is fall, yeah? Anyway, here is my week…

1 Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
Frequently – did not do 4 / 21. I made an easy veggie soup with just a bag of frozen soup veggies, a box of Pomi, some water, garlic, and a red onion. It turned out pretty good.

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. I continue eating primarily the same meals and am still enjoying them.

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. Reduced not eliminated.

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. Did not starve or stuff.

10 Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Yes - 7 / 7. Consistent walking and pickleball. Started strength training this week and did 2 sessions – went great! I am signed up for my group’s Halloween pickleball tournament and got my costume -going to be a tiger - found tiger print exercise leggings, ears, a tail… HA! Should be a screech.

Victories, comments, concerns, questions:

Hi Wildgoose! And a big HI to the whole group!

Mark, hope you are having a great outing!

Welcome Artista!

Hope you are feeling better, Starflower.

So glad that we have this place to learn and share. Thank you!

Wishing everyone a fantastic week ahead!

Cheers,
Stephanie