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I have a friend who insists that she cannot lose weight if she eats more than one cup of starch a day.
She eats just 1 tablespoon linseed and fruits and vegetables and legumes.
Is the one cup of starch sufficient as it is supposed to be a starch-based diet?
She also walks 5km per day but doesn't do much exercise other than that.
She is 62.

Sooo....Tessa, by eating her way is she thin??? Some veggies and legumes are rich in starches.

Many here stay slim by eating pounds of starches/day! Here is my story:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=26307


See

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012nl/feb/excerpt.htm

No, she is overweight!

When I mentioned starch I was only thinking of grains and potatoes.
She eats about 1/2 cup legumes.
I don't know if her struggle to lose wait has something to do with MS which she has had.

She probably also eats lots of OTHER stuff: oil, butter/marg, processed convenience foods, etc. Perhaps meat and dairy as well!
It's necessary to do the WHOLE PROGRAM correctly, not just add starch to an existing poor diet.

Dr. McDougall is currently doing a study on MS and his eating plan. Many people w/ MS have seen improvements by switching to this WOE.

Actually, you can see benefits by adding starch to an existing poor diet. The starch displaces the other stuff.
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2011nl/ ... starch.htm

I'm thinking 1 cup starch probably isn't sufficient for most people. What is that, 2 or 3 servings, depending on the starch? Most folks, unless they're low carbing or dieting would have that in one meal. I don't know about this woman's case, but I would think one could eat a VLC diet that only includes 1 cup starch and have it be "starch-based" as long as you're not also eating high-fat foods (nuts, seeds, avocado, oils) or tons of fruit.

It's possible that the types of starch the woman is choosing aren't right for her. She may have issues with gluten, for example. If she has a leaky gut (that's been linked to MS, I believe), that may play a part in it too. Any kind of food intolerance and/or digestive issues could be a factor.

"1 cup starch" is too vague to make any kind of meaningful response...unless we're talking about laundry.

My friend overcame her MS on a low-fat vegan diet. She went from someone who couldn't walk unaided to someone who now walks 5km a day.
She went from being obese to simple overweight but can't shift the last few pounds.
She does not eat any animal products, oil, margarine, junk foods or nuts.
She does have some food intolerances so eats of mostly gluten-free such as rice, millet, quinoa, and buckwheat.
She is currently doing a CHIP program which is high starch low-fat vegan which runs for 5 weeks.
She has had to cut down the recommended grain quantity as she was starting to gain weight.
She also had to cut salt out of the diet as she had high blood pressure. It has normalised now.
She really tries hard.

I forgot to mention she has 3 pieces of fruit a day-apple, pear and banana.

Let's look at this objectively.
Flax (linseed) is about 35 calories per tablespoon.
3 medium fruits is about 300 calories.
1/2 c of beans runs 100 - 150 calories, so let's say 125.
1 c of rice is 218 cal; 1 c of pot is 114 cal; and 1 c of oats is 147. Let's say she mixes it up from day-to-day, the average is 160 calories per cup.
Let's also assume she eat a whole lot of veggies - 2 pounds. That's about 200 calories.
Grand total per day is roughly 820 calories. Plus she walks daily!

Tessa, the information you have been given seems to be incomplete or inaccurate, because what she says she is eating won't even support normal bodily functions much less recreational walking unless she is extremely petite. (Although I agree with AA that it could be a matter of finding the right starches for her, but it sounds like your friend has done that already.)

Thank you for that information. I did suggest she may be putting her body into crisis mode by not eating enough.
I'll give her a ring and see if I haven't forgotten something.

Update: This was her breakfast this morning=
1 cup polenta
3 pieces fruit
1 Tabls linseed
small amount soymilk

Lunch was=
2 pieces dry bread
3/4 cup red lentils
ckd broccoli and carrot
salad

Supper=just one orange

She told me she just can't fit anymore food in.
She is going to keep a record of what she eats and work out the calories.

She said she has a very slow metabolism. I think she is resigning herself to the fact that she might have to stay a bit overweight.

Seems like she would benefit from reviewing Jeff's information about calorie density.

My friend has just finished the CHIP program (Dr Hans Diehl) which is vegan and very low fat (7%) and her cholesterol level went up by a small amount.
Guess some people are destined to keep high cholesterol and hang on to their weight.