has anybody gained weight on the mcdougall plan

[jada135]

i been doing this plan for about a week and a half and actually gained two pounds. I been weight lifting and doing cardio for 5 days a week m-f and rest sat and sun. I drink a vegetable juice for breakfast along with a fruit and then i eat a salad for lunch and then i eat corn,potatoes with beans and brown rice for dinner. I been lifting real heavy weights and 30 minutes of cardio and my pedometer says i taken about 12,000 steps a day i do eat a big plate for dinner but i dont think portion size is the problem can anybody tell me why i am not losing weight?

[Sulamith]

This is how you describe your diet now:

I drink a vegetable juice for breakfast along with a fruit and then i eat a salad for lunch and then i eat corn,potatoes with beans and brown rice for dinner.

This is how you described it previously:

for breakfast a juice of wheatgrass,carrots,kale,parsley,apple and beets with ginger
for lunch some fiber raisan bran cereal and a piece of fruit like pear
for dinner brown rice,black beans ,corn with potatoes and a large romaine lettuce with broccoli salad
maybe if im still hungry later on ill eat 1 ounce of cashews which is rarely.

Either which way, you're not really McDougalling.

Have you read any of the books yet?

[jada135]

i got his total solutions dvd which is what i follow.Why do you say if im not mcdougalling i eat the starches he recommends and i eat fruits and vegetables .I like to juice first thing in the morning i find it to give me alot of energy for my gruesome workout.I updated what i been eating for the last week and a half on this post why you brought up my first posts on this site i dont know im just wondering if the book is the only information i can get the do's and dont's of the mcdougall plan

[dlb]

Jada135 -

Juice make not be the thing to have if you are trying to lose weight. It is calorie dense and lacks any fiber. I know that I pointed out Jeff's comments about juice to you before. If you feel you need it, be aware that it will slow down or stop weight loss. Maybe you can try a smoothie. That way you get some of the fiber. Then gradually go over to just the whole fruit.

Starch is the center of the McDougall plan. I don't see any in your breakfast or lunch. Then for dinner all you are eating is starches. You might want to try and even it out - get some starches in breakfast and lunch and veggies in dinner.

With your exercise routine I think you would really benefit with starches earlier in the day. I don't do heavy lifting but I'm currently working on building muscle and I know that having a good breakfast has been important to me.

Give it time. Many people have reported weight gain or no weight loss in the first few weeks. It takes your body time to adjust. I know the first week I tried McDing, I lost weight but my body fat % went up. I thought this couldn't be good. Dr. McDougall's told me to continue so I did. It all worked out fine.

Also given your exercise you may have lost fat but gained in muscle weight. Do you have a scale that gives you body fat readings?

Hope this helps.

Donna

[eaufraiche703]

Jada,

Maybe Sulasmith is referring to the cereal?

Perhaps if you added greens/yellows to the dinner plate - a huge salad or cooked greens or yellows (spinach, kale, etc) you might experience more success w/ the scale? Try making the plate 1/2 starches and half green/yellows - or even 1/3 starch and 2/3 green yellow?

Are you only eating starch at dinnertime?

Read some Jeff Novik for great tips:

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=13282
viewtopic.php?t=6032
viewtopic.php?t=6916

Even though you're feeling a bit frustrated right now, it does sound like you're heading in the right direction! And congrats on being here and persevering, too!

[Gramma Jackie]

The calories in juice are concentrated. In other words there are more calories in a cup of juice than a cup of fruit or a piece of fruit or vegetable.

Also you are not eating enough non-starchy veggies along with the starchy ones. While it is true that this is a starch-based plant diet, you have to balance it with non-starchy veggies too such as the salads, but also other greens such as spinach, kale, chard, bok choy, etc. The more of those you eat along with the potatoes, rice and beans, the faster you will lose. For instance, instead of say 1/3 green veggies to 2/3 starches, do half and half and you will see more weight loss.

Also muscles are denser than fat, so muscle tissue weighs more than fatty tissue. So your fatty tissue may be turning into muscle whether you notice it yet or not. It's not all about the scale. How do you feel? How do you look? What is your BP and cholesterol? All thin people are not healthy. McDougalling is about overall long-term health rather than just what the scale says after being on this plan for a short-while.

[Sulamith]

You should not make a meal of juice. Juice is something to be consumed sparingly and infrequently. You should be consuming whole veggies and fruit instead.

This is a starch based program. Where are your breakfast and lunch starches? They, along with plenty of green and other veggies, should be the basis of your meals.

Rarely or not, if you are trying to lose weight, stay FAR away from nuts and FAR away from processed cereals. Try oatmeal or another whole grain instead. Eat a potato if you get hungry later.

If you follow the plan and eat according to the concept of caloric density, you need not worry about portion sizes.

[Lynn M]

If you really feel the need to juice, i suggest you invest in a VitaMix. At least then, you wouldn't be sending some of the most vital parts of the veggies and fruit to the trash/compost. Also, you would not be unbalancing the food by concentrating the juice and you would be able to cut down on the amount of produce needed for the juice (but would end up with a larger volumn of juice!).

Cold cooked potaotes are a tasty addition to a salad, although, I tend to heat whatever starch and other veggies I'm having and then top the cold salad with them - yum!

My husband used to be big into body building. He claimed having oatmeal along with a fruit for breakfast would not provide him with enough energy. I finally got him to try - much to his surprise (but not mine!) he was fueled for most of the morning.

[Rob]

i been doing this plan for about a week and a half and actually gained two pounds. I been weight lifting and doing cardio for 5 days a week m-f and rest sat and sun. I drink a vegetable juice for breakfast along with a fruit and then i eat a salad for lunch and then i eat corn,potatoes with beans and brown rice for dinner. I been lifting real heavy weights and 30 minutes of cardio and my pedometer says i taken about 12,000 steps a day i do eat a big plate for dinner but i dont think portion size is the problem can anybody tell me why i am not losing weight?

I start my day out with a good workout 5x per week. For a period of 6 months, I started most days with a very large salad with nuts and a large glass of fruit juice. The combination was really hydrating and was really energizing. On the days I did not have salad I would have some cold cereal with fresh fruit. However, I remained stuck at the same weight and it left me with the 'munchies'. So I started to snack on nuts and fruit throughout the day. For lunch I usually had leftovers. I was getting stronger but not losing any weight. I've lost a lot of weight on the McDougall Plan in the past, so the lack of progress was making me frustrated.

So I went back to McDougall basics which was a bowl of oatmeal (steel cut oats) along with a half grapefruit or a whole orange (no fruit juice) for breakfast. For lunch, I had leftovers or a large salad and eliminated the nuts. Our dinner have always been built around starches.

Those changes have done the trick. I've lost 10 pounds in the past couple months and continued to build my strength in the process. The 'munchies' are gone so I've kicked the habit of snacking on nuts.

You seem to be on a good track to improve your health. With some minor adjustments you should start losing weight, so remain patient.

[jada135]

thanks rob you always have a good answer for me