I know from past experience that if I can just lose weight my blood sugar will go down - no matter what I eat. But for various reasons I was having trouble getting back on Ornish. Also I was failing at calorie counting again. I've lost 100 lb and regained it maybe 10 times in my life.
My latest bad experiment was trying "Always Hungry?" from February to April. That's a low carb diet and the results weren't good at all (see http://lerner.net/the-always-hungry-die ... i-move-on/).
Anyway, I find myself back at trying vegan, no oil, no nuts and the McDougall plan which stresses starches seems interesting if it works. I have to admit, though, I think I started gaining weight on Ornish because I started eating too much brown rice. But we'll see.
Anyway, McDougall's plan seems "reasonable" in so many ways. However these sections from the maximum weight loss guidelines raised a skeptical eyebrow for me:
How Well Does the “Regular” McDougall Program Work?
We have collected weight loss data on nearly 300 people who have attended our basic McDougall Program in Santa Rosa, California and found that with unrestricted eating (buffet tables of delicious healthy foods, three meals a day, and snacks all day long), the average weight loss is a half a pound a day – 3.5 pounds in a week – translated into 14 pounds a month – and so on, until trim body weight is reached.
and
How Well Does the Maximum Weight Loss Program Work?
This past month (January 14 to 23, 2005) we held our first 10-day live-in program based upon the principles of Maximum Weight Loss – designed by Mary and John McDougall almost 20 years ago to help people lose weight faster and easier, and to maintain that new size. Thousands of people have successfully followed this program at home. Some implement the rules strictly, all of the time, and others simply use the more limiting program for short periods to lose a few stubborn pounds, returning to the “regular” McDougall Program for most of the year. (The most significant difference, as you will soon learn, is that the “regular” program uses whole grain flour products, like breads, bagels, and muffins, and more fruits, juices and other simple sugars.)
The average weight loss achieved in this first ever Maximum Weight Loss Live-in Program held at our clinic in Santa Rosa, California was slightly over 4.5 pounds in 7 days – in other words, about one pound more than is lost in the usual program for the week. (That’s 52 extra well-deserved pounds in a year from that extra effort.)
The way that is phrased is what made me feel a bit skeptical. I have no doubt that over a one week or one 10-day trial people could lose 3.5 lb and 4.5 lb.
But then to multiply it out and say "That's 52 extra well-deserved points in a year" - well, does that make sense? Everybody knows that the first week or two on just about any diet you lose a lot of weight. Then it slows down to some regular, slower pace weight loss.
So my question is why is it reported that way and are there longer-term trials which show actual sustained weight loss at that rate?
Finally - is all this in Dr. McDougall's latest book? I'm wondering which book is the book I should buy if I don't have any of them yet.
Thanks!
doug