MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

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MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

Postby spudnik » Sun Feb 14, 2016 1:21 pm

I know there have been some threads about this in the past, but I can't find anything really addressing my current issue, which is that in general veggies are just much more expensive than the starches. Especially where I live, which is kind of the end of the road as far as food distribution goes, and anything packaged (including frozen veggies) comes at a premium. Potatoes are dirt cheap however, year around. And I can eat potatoes all day long and nothing but potatoes--I'm totally satisfied by that! But if I'm going to eat 2/3 green and yellow veggies.....even frozen, it starts getting much pricier. I also really struggle with preparing frozen veggies in a way that is appealing. But on just regular old Starch Solution, which is the easiest thing in the world, I'm maaaaaybe losing a pound a week, and it's subject to so many ups and downs it's really hard to even see that, so I'd like to speed it up if I can. Any suggestions on bumping up the veggies in a way that doesn't kill the budget and doesn't taste exclusively like mushy steamed frozen veggies? :)
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Re: MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

Postby Katydid » Sun Feb 14, 2016 5:07 pm

Cabbage, onions and bulk carrots are always cheap, store well if bought in bulk, and go great with potatoes. :D

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Re: MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

Postby Debbie » Sun Feb 14, 2016 6:22 pm

spudnik wrote:I know there have been some threads about this in the past, but I can't find anything really addressing my current issue, which is that in general veggies are just much more expensive than the starches. Especially where I live, which is kind of the end of the road as far as food distribution goes, and anything packaged (including frozen veggies) comes at a premium. Potatoes are dirt cheap however, year around. And I can eat potatoes all day long and nothing but potatoes--I'm totally satisfied by that! But if I'm going to eat 2/3 green and yellow veggies.....even frozen, it starts getting much pricier. I also really struggle with preparing frozen veggies in a way that is appealing. But on just regular old Starch Solution, which is the easiest thing in the world, I'm maaaaaybe losing a pound a week, and it's subject to so many ups and downs it's really hard to even see that, so I'd like to speed it up if I can. Any suggestions on bumping up the veggies in a way that doesn't kill the budget and doesn't taste exclusively like mushy steamed frozen veggies? :)


Dr. McDougall doesn't really advise 2/3 of green and yellow veggies as much anymore. 1/3 is more than plenty. With a family of 5, I cannot afford that either. Nor would I want to. Starches satisfy. A pound a week is great....What happens if you continued only losing a half a pound a week for 52 weeks? You would lose 26 or so pounds. If you try eating below satisfaction, you may lose 2-4 pounds a week, but if your'e not satisfied, you *may* begin to look elsewhere and eating off plan.....gaining or at best, stalling weight loss. But like Katydid said, carrots and cabbage is pretty cheap.


In this video at about minute @35:40.....Dr. McDougall says 70% of starch or even 90%....You can still eat MWL without eating 2/3 of your plate as veggies.

https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... ar-1-7-16/
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Re: MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

Postby Wren » Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:53 am

Lettuce shouldn't be too expensive, I reckon. And it has some of the best volume to calorie ratio. What ever green leafs you like really should be good and easy.
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Re: MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

Postby spudnik » Fri Feb 19, 2016 4:06 pm

Thanks all! I am struggling with finding anything appealing and cheap, especially this time of year. Frozen veg is definitely the way to go in my area, so I am doing a lot of frozen broccoli which I really like, but it's a bit tougher to get excited about the sad cabbage and dry little carrots I am finding. So I guess I will live on broccoli and potatoes for a few months until some summer veggies come into season....nothing wrong with that right? :)
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Re: MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

Postby VeggieSue » Sat Feb 20, 2016 6:28 am

spudnik wrote:So I guess I will live on broccoli and potatoes for a few months until some summer veggies come into season....nothing wrong with that right? :)


In a number of recent webinars Dr. McD has been saying he and Mary eat very plainly now, that most days they eat potatoes or sweet potatoes and broccoli, or rice and beans.
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Re: MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

Postby honeyhiker » Sat Feb 27, 2016 7:01 am

I find making a big pot of vegetable cabbage soup helps a lot. Eat a bowl before your starch to help fill yourself up and feel like you ate enough. It's cheap, easy and forgiving. Just vary the seasoning and vegetables to 's it up.
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Re: MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

Postby shortygreyhere » Tue Mar 01, 2016 9:40 pm

Have you considered spouting? Sprouted lentils change in caloric density once sprouted and I think they are really delicious. You could eat them raw or cook them. There are a lot of possibilities. Another inexpensive possibility is mung beans (commonly used for bean sprouts) or broccoli seeds which are supposed to be really healthy. I am sure there is tons of info about this on the web and all you need is a jar, some cloth or netting, seeds, and a rubber band.
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Re: MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

Postby frozenveg » Wed Mar 09, 2016 9:01 am

Hi there--I'm chiming in a little late on this, but I hope you don't mind. It's interesting that of all things, vegetables vary in price so much from one area to another, that all we can really do is tell you to find what works where you are. I saw in another thread, someone recommending sweet potatoes as a super-cheap starch, at 69 cents a pound. They are never less than $2 a pound here, and usually $2.79. And they practically disappear in the summer here, and the 3 of them in the bin look all sad and shriveled, like Spudnik's carrots and cabbage.

Here's a suggestion about helping the frozen vegetables--I'm not called Frozenveg for nothing!--lemon juice is a great way to bring out the flavor of frozen veggies. I keep a bottle on hand all the time, and it doesn't spoil, and it isn't too pricey (as opposed to fresh lemons, which are $1 each). If you don't like that, maybe there is a vinegar you like that can help spark them up! I know what you mean about mushy--many frozen veggie blends are not great because each of the individual veggies have various cooking times, and the softer ones (like zucchini) get ruined so the harder ones (like carrots) can get cooked.

Shortygreyhere recommended sprouting--but for me to do that, I have to either drive 50 miles into the city, or do mail-order and pay shipping and handling, and the price of the beans, even though the volume produced is good, is prohibitive (especially since I'm a neglectful sprouter, and half my stuff gets thrown out because I forgot about it!).

Lettuce is another kind-of expensive thing here, at $1.79 a pound, but it does provide that volume! I get romaine at Costco and eat 1/2 head a day, when I'm in the mood--then I stop eating it for a few months, till I'm in that mood again.

Debbie is right, though, and I want to re-emphasize that. The MWL standard proportion of starch to veggie is 2/3 to 1/3 VOLUME, so basically an eyeball estimate of what's on your plate. So to knock it down to very simple images--let's say you have 3 small potatoes--they take up the size of, let's say, your 2 fists. Have one fist-sized portion of any other vegetable--your frozen broccoli (love it, BTW, especially the packages that give it to you chopped really small!). If you are full after that, that's your meal. If not, have another little potato and a couple tablespoons of broccoli, until you are full. VeggieSue is also correct--Dr. M has said they are eating very simply now--nothing wrong with a few months of potatoes and broccoli! And a pound a week is great losing--don't get frustrated! Keep us posted!
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Re: MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

Postby roundcoconut » Thu Mar 10, 2016 1:51 pm

Hi, wow, chiming in extra, EXTRA late on this thread. I don't know what my excuse is!

A couple things about being a volume eater:
I definitely used to be a volume eater, and considered it just my preferred pattern of eating -- largish quantities of fairly calorie-dilute foods. And, for sure, I think that if a person likes to chew on carrots while reading a book, or just eat a head of cooked cauliflower once in a while or on a regular basis, I can't see any harm in that.

At some point -- I'm not sure how and I'm not sure why -- people who were once volume eaters sometimes develop very different patterns. I wouldn't ever force it, but I do think that if you ever get the urge to tinker with it, other patterns can be very much there for you, and just as satisfying to you. (Again, I'm not saying that you should ever force this unless YOU personally have the urge to tinker.)

For me, I know that if I have good control of my food environment (meaning I'm not in places where my peers are constantly eating and snacking), then I am all of a sudden NOT a volume eater. I find this very interesting!

I live in a small town (about 1,000 people), just outside of a small ciety (of about 10,000 people), and there is a little general store in my town. There are potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and avocados there, along with oats, apples, etc. And so, thre are several days out of the week lately, that I go pick up two humongous potatoes, an onion, and two or three apples, and that's my dinner.

Strangely, the little general store we have in town does carry more fresh produce than that, but since they do not have sprayers, they put the fresh carrots into ziploc bags, and put the fresh broccoli into ziploc bags, and (massive hippie that I sometimes am), I just came to a point that I won't buy produce in packaging. Poor, poor Gaia needs to heal herself!

But honest -- it is massively filling and nutritious to eat this way, maybe four days a week, and then on days that I have to go into work, I DO get real vegetables and eat them.

So, the real thing I'm saying here, is please don't have any anxiety if there are days when you eat only 1/5 of your plate as vegetables. If you are eating whole foods, and especially if potatoes are your main starch, I am guessing you will continue to do quite well. Your body seems to be using stored body fat, and I think that's a good sign you're doing well!

Hope that makes some blessed sense! (Making sense -- not always my strong point. Rambling -- occasionally my strong point.)
Last edited by roundcoconut on Thu Mar 10, 2016 2:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

Postby denierlexiese » Thu Mar 10, 2016 2:18 pm

Dr. Michael Greger recommends Red Cabbage as one the cheapest forms of high nutrient vegetables. Did a quick scan for the video, maybe someone else can post it, or I'll post it later when I find it.

Anyways, at least around where I live it's 99 cents a lb for oraganic, or 49 cents a lb for non-organic. That's a lot of cabbage.
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Re: MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

Postby spudnik » Mon Mar 14, 2016 12:04 pm

Great advice all, thank you!! Frozenveg, not to be a giant stalker or anything but I actually live very close to you. ;) So you feel my pain with the local prices for sure. The frozen broccoli from Costco is a lifesaver and I eat heaps of it, and will continue to do so.

I can definitely make it work if I'm more flexible on that starch/veg ratio. I have given up trying to track the rate of weight loss because I am SO sensitive to any extra sodium and monthly fluctuations also just send numbers careening wildly around. I think there is basically one day a month I have a shot of a quasi-accurate weight, so I am just going to go with that and see how it goes. :)

Thanks for your insights into volume eating too Coconut...that definitely rings true for me. Just going to keep on keeping on. I've just starting riding the bike again too so maybe that will shake things up!
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Re: MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

Postby frozenveg » Tue Mar 22, 2016 8:05 am

Hey, Spudnik, I am now quite curious--how close DO you live to me? Is it "close" in U.S. terms, like, 20 miles (are you in Wasilla?), or close in AK terms, like 3 hours?

Seriously, though, dealing with the quality of veggies here is not easy. Sometimes we get the best stuff--and I still claim that Costco has the best quality fresh veggies here--but at the regular stores, and the farmers' markets I've managed to get to, so much of the stuff is limp and unappetizing. That's why I do a LOT of frozen. Also because the job and commute I have leaves me no more than 2 hours between walking in the door and falling into bed, frozen veggies makes eating happen a lot sooner!
5'3", 74 YO. Started Jan. 11, 2010
Starting weight: 222.6
Current weight: 148.2.0


Success Story:
https://www.drmcdougall.com/articles/st ... -rockwell/
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Re: MWL on the super cheap for a volume eater?

Postby spudnik » Tue Mar 22, 2016 1:26 pm

Hey Frozenveg! I'm in Anchorage at the moment but I grew up in Palmer. :) Costco wins hands down for produce although organic is harder...but I bought $20 worth of bananas this weekend at .60 a pound, so banana ice cream will be on hand for a quite a while at my house! I also bought a few giant bags of frozen organic broccoli at Costco, and various other veggies and delicious starchy things.

The flipside as you know is the AMAZING produce for like 5 minutes in the summer....especially in the valley--so I'm holding out for that! In the meantime, lots of frozen veggies and those good ol' Alaskan grown potatoes. Nom nom.
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