Will cutting out the sugar help?

[Beaner]

I am losing weight at a rate of one pound a month. I feel, great, and more important am NOT hungry. I would like to speed this up a bit. I love bread too much to eliminate flour, but I could probably cut out the sugar. Will this help speed things up a bit?

[kimba]

How much bread are you eating? That in itself can slow weight loss. And how much sugar are you eating too? Are you friends with the sugar bowl? A little maple syrup I don't think would hurt on your oatmeal and such.

[Beaner]

Kimba
I love bread. After years of low carb dieting that didnt work it is awesome to be able to eat bread again! I suppose I should switch to more whole wheat stuff. Also, I dont eat a lot of sweets, but I do crave sugar for dessert

[frozenveg]

A few things: you wrote this post in the Maximum Weight Loss thread. MWL does not include bread at all. Further, on even the regular McDougall Plan, the bread you eat must be 100% whole grain, made with no oil, and low in sodium. If you are eating bread made with refined flour, no wonder you are having difficulty losing weight. And even if you were at your goal weight, you are not eating what is considered an acceptable starch.

You can eat whatever you please, of course, but if you are eating bread made with refined flours, you are eating off plan.

Now, on to the sugar. What kind of sugar and how much are you having? Are you talking about eating an apple, or putting a tablespoon of white sugar on a piece of bread?

Sugar is all right as a condiment--a small amount, one that you probably should measure out, say a teaspoon--for some people. Many people, however, find that having a little sugar simply sets up cravings for more sugar. Listen to your body around this issue. If it is the case for you that a teaspoon of sugar (syrup, or whatever) on something makes you feel like you want more, that's a danger sign.

So my suggestion to you is to do more reading here on the site, if you want to fine-tune your way of eating to lose more weight and to achieve greater health. This is a link to the regular program: https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... l-program/
and here are the guidelines for food choices from the first post in this MWL thread:
Program outlined in the MWL book, page 60.
1. Eliminate All Animal Foods
2. Eliminate All Oils
3. Eliminate All High Fat Plant Foods: Nuts, Nut Butters, Seeds, Seed Butters, Avocados, Coconut, & Olives.
4. Eliminate All Flour Products
5. Eat Whole Grains and Potatoes
6. Eat Legumes
7. Make Green & Yellow Vegetables One-Half to One-Third of your meal
8. Eat Uncooked Foods
9. Restrict Fresh Fruit to No More Than Two Servings a Day, and Avoid Dried Fruit, Fruit Puree, and Fruit Juice
10. Use Simple Sugar Sparingly

You might also get a lot of out of the picture book ("Food Poisoning", which is really about "poison" foods!) Dr. M recently put out, too: https://www.drmcdougall.com/wp/wp-conte ... -Book1.pdf

And if you want to continue the conversation, we are her eto help and support you!

[Beaner]

Thanks frozen veg. The nature of my work as a bus driver means I do not have the luxury of sit down meals on most days. Sandwhiches/wraps for eating while driving are a must. I will try for whole grain as much a I can though. I think I can kick the sugar habit by using stevia in my coffee.

[DWu]

Hi Beaner,

If you can, cutting out all sweeteners (sugar and stevia, in your case) may help lose weight faster.

See Jeff’s article below.

http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Articles/Entries/2012/5/30_Maximizing_Weight_Loss__How_To_Fine_Tune_Calorie_Density.html

[Debmcallister]

Beaner, I have found that potatoes are very portable. I eat on the run a lot with three kids. I am often buckling them in the car with a sweet potato or two in the microwave ready to go. I keep some boiled or baked small potatoes cold in Tupperware and just eat them like cookies. A little seasoning helps, and the small potatoes like fingerling or purple are delicious! So are roasted beets and parsnips, very sweet, and very portable. You don't even need to heat them up! Good luck and keep at it!

[Chumly]

Have you tried Ezekial bread? It is bread made from a mixture of sprouted grains and lentils. It is very coarse and high in fiber, low in calories, sodium and sugar. You can find it in the frozen foods section of most grocery stores. You may want to give it a try and make sandwiches with that. It would help you consume fewer calories. You could also keep a thermos of hot soup or stew to give you more variety and get your vegetable intake higher.

Here is the website:

www.foodforlife.com

Michael

[VeggieSue]

Mary McDougall has said in the past that Ezekial bread is *not* allowed on MWLP because it's still a ground, processed product. It *is* allowed on the regular program, though.

[Chumly]

I know. That's why I included the suggestion for soup/stew in a thermos. While Ezekial bread isn't MWL, for her particular circumstance it's a much better option than white bread sandwiches while she's at work.

Michael