Discussion Board

I'm new to the McD diet. He wrote in his books that there is no portion limitation for people eating his diet. But some people do not stop eating when they are full and that no limit may not help in losing weight. I have a friend who got into this diet at the same time as me, but he was gaining weight on the McD diet. He eats strictly the food from the 12 day program. What was wrong? Isn't portion necessary to lose weight?

Thanks,
Helen

There are some misconceptions about what is acceptable, every day food even on the 12 day plan. So, without more specifics, it's hard to say why your friend gained weight. Also, it's full, not stuffed.

Nonetheless, there are some people (I'm one) who need a lot of food to feel full. In one newsletter article, Dr. McDougall referred to them as volume eaters and offers some tips to deal with it. Go to the search tab, and enter Volume Eater, and you should be able to find the article.

Thank you very much for the clarification and distinction between full and stuffed. I told my friend about this and he said that is helpful. We will see if this will be put into practice.

Helen

There are foods that are allowed on the program that should be taken in moderation for people who need to lose weight, such as flour products. For the most rapid weight loss, stick to the Maximum Weight Loss foods, which don't allow flour products. You can eat potatoes, for instance, to your heart's content, but even bread with no added fat will make most people gain weight if large amounts are eaten, and even small to moderate amounts can stop weight loss in a lot of people, especially if they are within 30 pounds of their goal.

I tend towards volume eating myself. I like to feel full from a meal. If I stray at all from the program, my weight is affected because I take in too many calories. The best help for me has been Jeff Novick's DVD about calorie density. Understanding this makes all the difference. Also, the program allows for some more calorie dense foods when one is at one's ideal weight that are not appropriate for weight loss. In addition to Jeff's DVDs, the Maximum Weight Loss book explains it all as well.

hfang688,

All suggestions are good. I tend to volume eat too. I am pretty sure that your friend was probably using salt in his foods and thereby missing some of the instructions. You might ask him if he was using canned tomatoes with no added salt or canned beans with no added salt. The regular versions of these have about 10 times the salt as the no added salt variety.

I think it makes a big difference. A great explanation about the salt is in the DVD, Should I eat That? available on this site. I adopted the guidelines explained in that DVD and lost 40 pounds since February.

Steve