HH's 1200 calories

[patty]

At some point in my journey, I learned that throwing money at the problem did nothing but make me more poor. I tend to buy the latest books or DVDs only to be disappointed when magic doesn't happen. Maybe this is what Patty talks about when she says oil and money are the last two seats on the addiction bus?

Lindsay hasn't reached bottom:) The learning curve is very deep. The Anorexia learns to recast the voice that is telling her not to eat, as the Over-Complusive eater, the Alcoholic and Drug Addict learn to recast. And with legal drugs it just means you have to go a little deeper, it is not the doctor:) In AA they have a saying, "You can't smell a gambler", and that is where there actions speak louder then words and where putting principles before personalties comes in. As there is a difference between cash register money and emotional money. It is like the Emperor without any clothes. I feel Dr. McDougall is like Dr. Bob and Bill Wilson of AA, because the addiction (whatever substance) and money stops when starch centered. Why? Because starch allows discernment to happen. And then there is no greater high then paying it forward, because the begin all and end all doesn't happen. I am you:)

Aloha, patty

[eXtremE]

Look at the stark contrast between her before and after. It is really sad but if these were two different single women out dating, which one do you think would have the most luck finding a man? We should all be happy in our own skin and bodies but society tells women if you are not skinny, then you are not wanted and considered attractive. Maybe, she will be able to keep up the 1200 calories per day and maintain her new body. Maybe the self esteem she got from shedding those extra pounds and feeling really good about herself now will provide her the motivation to keep eating how she is currently eating and this might inspire others to follow in her path. She looks good to me in the new body but hey, I am a male pig (j/k)....... (LOL). Really tho, it is working for her, she is happy, she is eating healthy plant based, so why all the fuss?

[miranda2060]

Look at the stark contrast between her before and after. It is really sad but if these were two different single women out dating, which one do you think would have the most luck finding a man? We should all be happy in our own skin and bodies but society tells women if you are not skinny, then you are not wanted and considered attractive. Maybe, she will be able to keep up the 1200 calories per day and maintain her new body. Maybe the self esteem she got from shedding those extra pounds and feeling really good about herself now will provide her the motivation to keep eating how she is currently eating and this might inspire others to follow in her path. She looks good to me in the new body but hey, I am a male pig (j/k)....... (LOL). Really tho, it is working for her, she is happy, she is eating healthy plant based, so why all the fuss?

It depends. (Of course, Lindsay is married, so it's only a theoretical issue.) A lot of men prefer women who look a bit softer and more feminine, and in the "after" picture, she looks pretty "hard." The "fierce" photos she's posted, with tattoos, are even more so.

[sprout92]

So from reading this entire thread, I have gathered that the Star McDougallers who maintain a low BMI around 18.5 do NOT eat all they want of the starches. Instead they have set amounts they eat and at specific times etc and do not eat more if hungry.
Would any McDougallers who maintain a lower BMI offer there eating and lifestyle plan that allows them to do this?

[eXtremE]

Can you eat all the starches you want and look like HH does now? The answer is probably no. You can not just pig out all the time even if what you are eating is considered healthy. There is an element of impulse control in maintaining a healthy, desired bodyweight for life.

[ETeSelle]

She looks great, IMO. Not everyone wants to restrict calories, but all the studies show improved longevity and better health on the lower end of the BMI scale.

[patty]

In AA it is not uncommon to see women who look like the after picture of Lindsay. What you find out it is not uncommon to find out they are binge and purge vomiters. No one made them binge and purge. It is a disease. A lot of these women die, because men work their program on them. Why? Because women look to men for protection financially. That is why Dr. McDougall has it nailed. Food and money go hand and hand on the addiction bus. How much do you need when satiated on Starch? I remember a girlfriend in OA, when someone mentioned to her she didn't look like she should be there. I watched the frustration on my friend's face, as I knew she vomited 30 times a day. Looks are deceiving.. I thought nothing of Lindsay's picture, until Stacy mentioned her actions.

Aloha, patty

[dailycarbs]

Personally, I've stayed out of the body image/anorexia discussions. She looks fine in either pic to me. It's her choice as to what she prefers. I don't really understand how people can jump to all sorts of conclusions about people being anorexic. Anorexia is an eating disorder and although eventually an anorexic will look the part, the eating disorder is what causes the results. Lumping thin people in with anorexics is bizarre.

Now as to her reported eating habits, I think there are some signs of trouble, based on her own reporting. But there is not enough info there to know for sure. What chaps my hide is as follows:

1. She's an expert in nothing, yet she is giving definitive and authoritative health and nutrition advice to many followers (a la Jimmy Moore).
2. She's convinced that her reality translates to hundreds or thousands of followers' realities and that they should do the same. At least that's the sort of authority she projects in that blog post.
3. She gives very strange advice and it could promote eating disorders in susceptible minions. Buying jeans, never washing them, and using them for weight control because the "scale does not work" is pure quackery!
4. She implies Dr. McDougall was the cause (at least in part) of her own, self-reported, personal fail.
5. She confuses being thin with tattoos as proof of something. It is not. Any fool can do it. Look at me. I'm thin. I just need to get some tattoos and start a blog but if I tried to present at a McDougall ASW weekend I'd be laughed off the stage (and rightly so) because I am no expert in anything health or nutrition. And guess what? Neither is she!

I wish people had the good sense to separate the wheat from the chaff (see what I did there? ). We have solid people providing fantastic advice and support. Don't run with the dingbats lest you turn into one yourself.

[chris.]

The success of Lindsay has always baffled me. Her "recipes" (putting three ingredients in a pot and heating, you can't make this up) are far from interesting, she lacks overall charisma, and her "journey" to plant-based eating isn't particularly inspiring.

Compare Lindsay to "Nom Nom Paleo," for instance. THIS is why Paleo is winning over the twenty and thirtysomethings.

I'm sure she recognized that she needed a new narrative (a "rebranding") to keep people distracted by how mediocre her cookbooks are, and unfortunately, this is what we got.

[dailycarbs]

Compare Lindsay to "Nom Nom Paleo," for instance. THIS is why Paleo is winning over the twenty and thirtysomethings.

It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of the paleo-sphere is astro-turfed. I'm no conspiracy theorist but there is a lot of money at stake here and if it's one thing I've learned over the years is that sustained, successful shifts in public opinion rarely happen by accident.

[miranda2060]

Speaking for myself only, her "after" picture reminded me of what I looked like years ago when I did have anorexia. I disagree that she looks "great," but I can see where this level of thinness is considered highly desirable by many.

[colonyofcells]

Bmi is just an approximation so it can be hard to tell if somebody is underweight. If I exercise more, maybe my tummy will become flat too. I don't want to give up whole grain bread, pasta and corn tortilla. I was at whole foods today and the whole foods brand 365 organic corn tortilla has only 3 ingredients and does not have guar gum. Food for life has sprouted corn tortilla and sprouted pasta.

[catlcp]

I may be missing the mark here, but in looking at the volume of food she was eating & gaining weight...good grief. Even my 6'2" husband can't eat that much.

[colonyofcells]

It is also hard to diagnose eating disorders bec. athletic people can eat a lot.

[chris.]

Compare Lindsay to "Nom Nom Paleo," for instance. THIS is why Paleo is winning over the twenty and thirtysomethings.

It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of the paleo-sphere is astro-turfed. I'm no conspiracy theorist but there is a lot of money at stake here and if it's one thing I've learned over the years is that sustained, successful shifts in public opinion rarely happen by accident.

Good point. HH's books are a good introduction to low-fat/no-oil plant-based eating, but I find much more value in Thug Kitchen, for example. It's easy to simply omit the oil from their mostly fantastic recipes. We're doing a huge disservice to ourselves by virtually ignoring all vegan recipes that call for oil, but that's another topic entirely lol.