Weight Loss!

[drnorm]

My question is why is the plant food diet working for me with regard to weight loss, I lost 10 pounds of fat in 2 weeks, and my female spouse, who happens to be on the same diet, has not lost any weight. In fact, there are mornings that she gained a pound or two.

Nonplussed!

[JulieS]

Men have more muscle mass, making it easier for them to lose weight.

[didi]

If she gains weight some mornings it isn't fat. Unless she ate 7500 calories more than usual the weight she gains (and I am guessing loses after a day or two) is water weight. If I pop just a quarter to one third cup of popping corn and consume the popcorn I can gain two or three pounds overnight. Doesn't happen with oatmeal or some other starches. Men don't seem to be plagued by this. I hate you.

didi

[annhett]

I'm so sick of the scale. I've tried not stepping on it, but I can't. I'll show a new all time low, then the next day I 'll show a 2-3 pound gain, then in a week or 2, i'll show a new low. I work out with a trainer and I'm getting stronger, so I suspect I am building muscle. Regardless, it does get discouraging.

[landog]

Some things just aren't fair!

However, stick to it and give it time. If you are new to this, you may have a learning curve. She may need more greens and less starch. She may benefit from eating all totally unprocessed whole foods.

You might learn more by posting a few days worth of foods consumed.

It may be very helpful to become acquainted with Jeff Novick's forum, and the concept of calorie density.

Best wishes,
-dog

[Lee Mack]

The lesson here for me is that I'm not in control of my weight, my body is. My body; my metabolism; my food determine my weight, not my desired or my mind.

Why should I worry about controlling something I can't control? The best thing for me to do might be to adopt the Hindu concept of The Yoga of Action: I must work, but I am not entitled to the fruits of my actions. A Hindu yogi is mindful of the Truth that God, not himself, is in control of everything. It is his job to work, but only God determines the results.

[hvacigar]

I'm so sick of the scale. I've tried not stepping on it, but I can't. I'll show a new all time low, then the next day I 'll show a 2-3 pound gain, then in a week or 2, i'll show a new low. I work out with a trainer and I'm getting stronger, so I suspect I am building muscle. Regardless, it does get discouraging.

I find myself in this current state since I started an exercize regime. My weight stays steady for the interim. I know they are not accurate, but I started using one of the fitbit scales that track weight and body fat and wirelessly send the figures to my online weight storage for tracking. I am finding that although my weight stays slightly steady (some reduction), my % fat (according to the scale) is dropping and my lean mass is gaining. I am hoping this translates into a weight drop in the near future. I also feel my belt sinching up another notch over time, so I know I am loosing something [and yes, I am too lazy to actually do measurements on my body, which is probably the best way to track your progress).

[Starchmonger]

Day to day weight checks can be heartening or disheartening, but remember - a pound of body fat is a lot of stored energy. When your weight is up 5 lbs one day then down 3 lbs the next, it's obviously not body fat causing those changes.

So what's at play? Stored waste in the intestines/kidneys and of course water retention.

Carbs will cause weight fluctuations from water retention more than anything, and that's all we eat here on the McDougall diet, so the water weight swings up and down quite a lot.

Bear in mind, every living cell in your body relies on/can store water. A dehydrated human would lose somewhere from 75-80% of their total mass.

Tell your wife to keep at it. Nobody on earth who has had successful weight loss did so overnight. It's a process, and a product of good habits, not good genes. 110 lbs took me well over a year of consistent lifestyle change.

Keep at it! Eat plant strong!
Starchmonger

[dynodan62]

I couldn't figure out why, that while my weight is now down to what it was in high school (trim/athletic then), the fat slob in the mirror still has a belly (and tits to boot). One clue (I just recently discovered), is that I am now nearly two inches shorter! Quite disconcerting, until I learned that it is a normal result of aging. I now have to adjust down my 'ideal' target weight from the insurance height charts. I should also likely bite the bullet and add some core/strength training to my daily aerobic workouts, if I really do want to eventually lose the flab.

[Lee Mack]

Day to day weight checks can be heartening or disheartening, but remember - a pound of body fat is a lot of stored energy. When your weight is up 5 lbs one day then down 3 lbs the next, it's obviously not body fat causing those changes.

So what's at play? Stored waste in the intestines/kidneys and of course water retention.

Carbs will cause weight fluctuations from water retention more than anything, and that's all we eat here on the McDougall diet, so the water weight swings up and down quite a lot.

Bear in mind, every living cell in your body relies on/can store water. A dehydrated human would lose somewhere from 75-80% of their total mass.

Tell your wife to keep at it. Nobody on earth who has had successful weight loss did so overnight. It's a process, and a product of good habits, not good genes. 110 lbs took me well over a year of consistent lifestyle change.

Keep at it! Eat plant strong!
Starchmonger

I read the BhagavaadGita last week. I believe that what you are saying, Starchmonger, is in line with the Yoga of Action recommended by the Hindus. They say something like, just do the work with detachment and leave the results to God.

I think that doing that would give me a much saner program, if I could do it that way. I weigh myself every day, but it's only for information. I no longer worry and fret over what the scale says. I no longer think that I have any control over what the scale says. In fact, I no longer think that I have any control over what my metabolism does! I realize that I'm powerless over most of what happens in my life--but it is still very important for me to act--even if I don't have control over the results of my actions.

I like your idea about just living a healthy lifestyle and forgetting about a 24/7 battle with weight. Why should I worry about something I have no control over?
Lee

[Lee Mack]

I couldn't figure out why, that while my weight is now down to what it was in high school (trim/athletic then), the fat slob in the mirror still has a belly (and tits to boot). One clue (I just recently discovered), is that I am now nearly two inches shorter! Quite disconcerting, until I learned that it is a normal result of aging. I now have to adjust down my 'ideal' target weight from the insurance height charts. I should also likely bite the bullet and add some core/strength training to my daily aerobic workouts, if I really do want to eventually lose the flab.

We must be about the same age, dynodan62. My mirror shows the same thing yours does! And my conclusion is the same as yours.

When I was in high school I used to run 3 miles every day after school. I played basketball an hour a day, and we had team workouts every night.

Now that I'm retired on social security, I sleep until I wake up, sit around and watch TV and don't do anything that could be described as athletic...! No wonder!

Personally, I want more than just weight loss from my lifestyle change. I've joined the Y, and I bought a bicycle and a pair of jogging shoes. I've decided that I have more time than ever before to exercise, so I may as well be more active than I am.

How I ever let myself get to 200 lbs. of sloppy fat is a wonder to me! I didn't notice what was happening!

[drnorm]

I am back again with a simple question that never seems to get answered. My spouse is 50 years old. She follows the exact same regime that I do with the plant food, juicing and fruit. However, I lost 25 pounds and none of friends who are 60 plus do not loss a pound.

My question is for the females who can empathize with my spouse. Is there a reason that middle aged females have a problem with weight loss using this diet? Has anyone found a solution? Is this a hormone or other mysterious issue that does not get resolved?

Frustrated and nonplussed!

[dteresa]

If you were at True North or could speak to any of the wfpb no fat doctors, they would most likely ask whoever is having trouble losing weight to faithfully keep a journal of every mouth full of food they eat or drink. Everything. They would then be able to see if there is some way that the diet could be tweaked to allow more weight loss. For instance, maybe the higher calorie density breads and pastas are being eaten or some processed foods might have fat added. Or maybe we rely on too many processed foods. Or maybe the sauces we use are calorie laden and we do not realize it. Perhaps some people are compliant most of the time but figure that this little piece of cake or this little piece of meat won't make a difference. Some people might be eating perfectly but are having a bit too much wine or beer without thinking that these can add calories too. Eating a nice size salad first, then vegetables or soup and then starch last might be the way to go so the more calorie dense food is eaten when you are close to satiation. It is very hard to know what to suggest from an impersonal venue like the internet.

didi

[Jack Monzon]

I'm so sick of the scale. I've tried not stepping on it, but I can't. I'll show a new all time low, then the next day I 'll show a 2-3 pound gain, then in a week or 2, i'll show a new low.

Welcome to human physiology.

[eXtremE]

Eat more greens and get more lean as Dr. Fuhrman said in that video Katy posted several days ago.