Well, it seems like we always come back to the same old question, “Can I eat all I want?”, and I think it’s good to look two different places for your answer:
1. What does Jeff Novick say on the matter? And:
2. What did the Star McDougallers do to get to a healthy BMI?
For the first answer, JeffN has the post where he clarifies that the recommendations of the program are to eat when hungry, and stop when comfortably full. Just to be a bit blunt here, it really ISN’T to “eat when you’re in the mood to, and stop when the food isn’t fun anymore”. Believe me, I’ve tried the latter, and it’s not exactly optimal.
There are a number of reasons why the plate test tells you to fill 1/3 to 1/2 of your plate with green and yellow veggies, but one of them is because that kinda makes the plate a “meal” and not just party food. I think that if I were to make a big baking tray of on-plan french fries, and then tell myself that they were free and unlimited, I would work my way through the whole tray through the course of the night. Because fries are yummy, and people like to eat.
The second question, about whether any of the Star McDougallers went wild and crazy eating corn and then beans, and then rice and then sweet potatoes, and found long-term success — I honestly don’t think anyone has that story. The starches are great, but even a very active person does not need plate after plate of intact starches. Especially, no one with excess weight needs loaf after loaf of bread — that would tend to amplify the problem, if anything.
So where do excess calories get stored? On your body. Where else? I wish that I had new laws of thermodynamics, but I don’t.
The good news is that if you are eating whole natural foods, then you get to have a LOT of food (large volume, and massive satiety) before crossing the line into burdening your body with additional stored body fat. But it is an experiment anyone can do — eat twice your normal intake, and watch the scale climb. Happily YOU pull the levers, and can bring your intake in alignment with your activity levels, so it is not a tough issue to pull through!