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Introduction Text Starting Weight = 319 Current Weight = 210 (-109) Goal Weight Range = 152-158 (155 +/- 2%) 55 to go! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Non-Scale Victories: Stopped needing a cane to walk Size 3X/28 to a XL/18 Can now shop in a regular women's department and not plus ~~~~~~~~~~~ Renee's Size 12 Goal Tracking - Goal waist = 30 (current 41, was 56) Goal tummy = 40 (current 47, was 58) Goal hips = 40 (current 45, was 58) I can do this!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~ After a LOT of research and experimenting to optimize my nutrition, I'm following the McDougall way of eating (starch based - whole grains, winter squashes, beans, and plants - low fat - no animal products or oils) as outlined in The Starch Solution. Some of what I eat is organic, but I don't *have* to eat organic foods. I buy canned/boxed 365 or Goya low-sodium chickpeas and beans. I am batch cooking my own whole grains and using old fashioned oats for breakfast. I also eat a lot of fresh veggies, and frozen fruits. I LOVE my frozen cherries! I don't eat any of the high-fat "fake meats" or vegan cheeses that are out there. I eat whole foods. I have no desire to substitute fake bacon, sausage, hot dogs, chicken, cheese, or ground beef. I am a vegan who hates nutritional yeast and doesn't own a Vita-Mix. I also don't eat vegan junk food. I want to eat clean, not find junk substitutes! In the past I have been a high-fat vegetarian and vegan - and it showed! You really CAN be a fat vegan if you eat the junk foods! I mostly eat mixed grain bowl meals - whole grains, starchy veggies, beans, and plenty of greens and non-starchy veggies over the course of a day. Every week or two I have a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread. And I LOVE old fashioned oats in Silk soy vanilla yogurt. I have found myself naturally gravitating to eating four meals a day instead of three. I usually get hungry at 8:30, noon, 3:30 and 6. The 3:30 used to be an afternoon snack but it's evolved to where I eat smaller meals at 3:30 and 6 instead of a snack and a larger meal. That seems to be what my body likes, so I have been listening. The overall calories for the day are the same, just split differently Finding the McDougall program was a huge breakthrough for me - I discovered my true lifestyle change. That's how I will be eating to lose, and that's how I will maintain it. I just discovered the other piece of the puzzle, from Coach Dean on this article - Getting Off to a Good Start—Again www.sparkpeople.com/blog /blog.asp?post =getting_off_to_a_good_startag ain He talks about not wanting to stress about losing weight, so he decided to figure out his calorie range for maintaining his goal weight, and eat that way through his weight loss journey, letting his body decide how fast it wants to lose. I LOVE that. My maintenance calorie range for a weight of 155 is 1550-1750 calories. I don't regularly use the Spark nutrition tracker, but occasionally track a day or two, and I am always at the low end of my calories. I lose on average one to two pounds per week, and I'm fine with that. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Bloodwork I hope to improve (values as of 2/28/17): Cholesterol = 182 (McDougall likes it under 150) Triglycerides = 188 (should be under 150) HDL (good cholesterol) = 32 (should be 40-60) LDL (bad cholesterol) = 112 (should be under 90) HDL/LDL Ratio = 3.5 (should be under 3.2) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.” Mark 5:34 You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done. Psalm 92:4 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33 When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart's delight. Jeremiah 15:16 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23 Honor the Lord with your capital and sufficiency from righteous labors and with the firstfruits of all your income. Proverbs 3:9 Why do we call it radical when, to Jesus, it is simply the way it is? The way it should be? Francis Chan, Crazy Love Food should not stress you out. If it does, you’re on a diet, and diets don't work. Beth Donovan ~INDYGIRL If you can figure out roughly how much a person who weighs what you want to weigh needs to eat and exercise to maintain that weight, and start doing that today, your body will take care of everything else for you. It will use your stored body fat for the extra energy it needs until you get to the point where what you're eating is right for your body size and activity level. Then you'll shift into weight maintenance mode automatically. Spark Coach Dean All you're really doing here is turning over the business of getting to your ideal weight to your body, which knows what to do, and taking the pressure off your mind, which often doesn't. If you can figure out roughly how much a person who weighs what you want to weigh needs to eat and exercise to maintain that weight, and start doing that today, your body will take care of everything else for you. It will use your stored body fat for the extra energy it needs until you get to the point where what you're eating is right for your body size and activity level. Then you'll shift into weight maintenance mode automatically. Spark Coach Dean

Short-term weight loss goal = 219 pounds (100 pound loss) MET! My long-term weight loss goal range = 152-158 pounds (will be a 161-167 pound loss, it's 155 +/- 2%) Once I get to 155, I will join the At Goal and Maintaining Sparkteam! I have a pair of size 12 pants as incentive for my long-term goal of getting into that size. I am currently in an 18, with 55 pounds left to lose. We'll have to see if I get to 12 or not. I won't be heartbroken if I don't.

Lots of whole grains, winter squash, beans/tofu, greens, veggies, and fruits. I follow the regular McDougall program (not the one for Maximum Weight Loss). I eat four times a day - 8:30, noon, 3:30, and 6. I meal prep my foods by cooking a big batch of whole grains, like barley and amaranth (my favorites), twice a week. I steam winter squashes as meals or snacks. I always have canned/boxed beans, peas, and corn on hand, canned tomatoes, greens, sauteed (in water) onions and peppers, and a well stocked spice rack. Also plenty of frozen cherries. I LOVE the way I eat. My maintenance calorie range will be 1550-1750 calories at 155 pounds, so I eat there or under. I no longer use the Spark nutrition tracker regularly, I use the principles of calorie density as shown on the left side of my page. I naturally eat at my maintenance range or lower without even trying. I found my lifestyle change, now it's just a matter of time passing to naturally reach my long-term goal. This is

I live in Virginia with my wonderful husband, Chris, and my beautiful rescue cat, Mondo Kitty. I am a dual Canadian/U.S. citizen though, and my heart is still in western Canada. I will move back there eventually. I spent nine years there after Chris and I were married and I miss it every day.

I became a born-again Christian on October 12, 2012. My anniversary of being miraculously put in remission for my schizoaffective is March 13, 2019. My McDougall anniversary is October 5, 2019 My favorite Christian authors are Merlin Carothers, Randy Alcorn, and A.W. Tozer. I mostly read the NLT Bible, but I also have a NCV and ESV I bring out from time to time. I just finished reading the NLT cover-to-cover as of October 2019.

Add a Link My name is Renee, co-leader, Women Weight Warriors of God, following the McDougall way of eating. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.” Mark 5:34
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