Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

Hello,

I am posting here for the first time because I have been having some issues with losing weight recently, and even though I've looked up relevant posts on this forum, I haven't been able to find the sort of information I am looking for yet.

I started following Starch Solution 3 months ago, after a year of Raw till 4. In the first 8 weeks on this lifestyle, I lost weight at the rate of about 2.25 lbs per week, from 168 to 150 lbs. I was mostly eating rice with cooked vegetables, usually in the form of soup or stew. I was also jogging for about 40 minutes every other day.

However, I seem to have hit a weight loss plateau after that, and for the past 5 weeks, I haven't been able to lose any weight at all. I started jogging more frequently, added in HIIT exercises to my routine, and have been following Mary's Mini diet for the past 2 weeks, but no change at all. I usually don't count calories, but out of curiosity, I calculated how much I am eating on Mary's Mini, and it turned out to be around 1,200 to 1,400 kcal per day. For these few weeks on MM, I've been eating a mix of medium-grain white and brown rice with steamed vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, corn, etc. I don't drink coffee, but a cup of herbal tea on occasion and drink 2 to 3 litres of water every day. I don't cheat, I don't eat out at restaurants and stick to the above diet 100%.

I measured myself to see if I was losing fat but not weight because I was gaining muscle mass, but the measurements were still the same so I doubt that's the case.

Now, I am not sure if the initial 18 lbs I lost was water weight, since I am sure I was eating significantly more calories on Raw till 4 compared to after I started following the Starch Solution. Is it possible that I am under-eating now, and even though I exercise, my metabolic rate has simply gone down too much for me to keep losing weight?

I will continue being a HCLF vegan simply because I know it's a great for my health, whether I lose any more weight or not, but I would love some advice on how to break this plateau. I am still overweight for my height (5' 3"), and would love to lose at least 10 more lbs. Thank you so much in advance, and please let me know if I could provide any other information to clarify my situation.

Plateaus happen. Most people who have lost considerable weight did not lose it in a linear fashion. Especially as you get closer to your healthy weight change comes slower, as the margins get smaller.

You can review the threads on calorie density in Jeff's forum and see if you can tweak your diet.

Otherwise, just be patient.

Thanks for the advice, vgpedlr. I guess I just wanted to make sure I'm not doing something wrong; I will definitely do more reading on calorie density right away. Like you said, I probably need to be patient and not stress out too much about weight loss.

Dr. Marano of TrueNorth Health had the same challenge (within 5-10 lbs of her goal weight) and offers some suggestions in the following article that might help. There are days when I inadvertently do the restricted eating window. If I finish dinner at 7pm I close the kitchen and usually don't eat "breakfast" until 11am (when I am hungry again) I have gone 16 hrs without eating and honestly don't even notice it (since I am not hungry until that time anyway).

http://www.healthpromoting.com/learning ... eight-loss

Thanks, YvonneG. I just read the linked article, and I think I'll try the 16 hour fasts; I'm not comfortable with eating as little as 600 kcal a day yet, but who knows, I might change my mind. I would like to lose a minimum of 10 lbs just to be in a healthy weight range for my height, but to be honest, I think I could lose 30 lbs to look and feel my best.

Hi there,
I feel your frustration.
I'm doing the potato hack at the moment and so far have had great results, you might want to give it a try too...?
Also stress can make you hold onto weight and sometimes eating a bit more (to tell your body you ain't gonna starve) can also help.
I know, sounds counter-intuitive but it has worked that way for me in the past.
Just some ideas, but like vegpedlr said it can just take time.
Stay plant strong and good luck

I have been doing the Mary's Mini as well, but I added to it lots of vegetables (like broccoli and cauliflowers)as well as cooked carrots. Is this still within the parameters of the Mary's Mini or the carrots are considered like eating another starch? I still tend to count how many potatoes I eat for fear of gaining weight if I overdo it. Can I really eat them without worrying about quantities?

Roni10 wrote:I have been doing the Mary's Mini as well, but I added to it lots of vegetables (like broccoli and cauliflowers)as well as cooked carrots. Is this still within the parameters of the Mary's Mini or the carrots are considered like eating another starch? I still tend to count how many potatoes I eat for fear of gaining weight if I overdo it. Can I really eat them without worrying about quantities?

Carrots are very low in calories, and what carbohydrates they contain are mostly in the form of sugar not starch. So for the purpose of the Starch Solution and its variations consider them a "green and yellow" vegetable. So enjoy. As to whether you can eat too many potatoes, it depends. One problem I've seen with people doing a Mary's Mini in the past is that while they "get" the "pick one starch" aspect, they tend to gloss over the "eat the same meals every day" aspect. This is actually the key to a successful Mary's Mini - no variety in meals. Same breakfast, same lunch and same dinner everyday. If your not saying to yourself "If I have to look at hash browns with ketchup or a baked potato with salsa one more time I'm going to weep" you aren't doing it right. Boredom to the point of loss of appetite is what you are striving for here. Potatoes have a very low calorie density. But there are infinite ways to prepare them. Pick two or three only to insure your success.

Kate

Kate, thank you for your clarification, that makes sense. This means I am in trouble because I don't get tired of potatoes even if I eat them the same way at every meal (just love them too much). I guess then a Mary's mini doesn't work for me.

Hey asumaiki and Roni10,

Have you read this article?

https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl ... ushing.htm

Just wanted to encourage you both that this way of eating works, as long as you stick with it and give it time.

Thank you very much for this article!

You’re welcome Roni10.

Have you changed your way of eating after reading it? If so, have you noticed a difference in your health?

The way I have broken a plateau in the past is to up the green/yellow veggies. This works every time for me. Even if I am already eating a lot of veggies, I raise the amount further. I don't make any other changes. May be worth a try.