6 Weeks In - Question: How much is too much?

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6 Weeks In - Question: How much is too much?

Postby JerseyGirlDiet » Fri Oct 28, 2016 8:27 pm

Hello,

I have been following the McDougall program for 6 weeks now. The first month I lost 9 pounds, the second month (now two weeks in), I feel that I have stalled, I have not weighed in yet, as I am scared to do so. I have been extraordinarily hungry and track my every meal with a food journal. I find that the past week, I have been eating much more grains and potatoes than ever before. I just seem to be craving them- I’m not sure if it’s the fiber or protein. I am eating a good amount of vegetables and beans also and limiting my fruit to just two pieces a day. Is this hunger normal? I have found that the past week, most of my daily intake has been from 1700-1900 calories, whereas the first month I was usually 900-1400 calories a day.

Is this fluctuation normal on your program? I am fearful of regaining weight when I step back on the scale at the end of this month, but find listening to my body – is what I’m doing. Grazing throughout the day, but shocked when I see the ending result.

I hope you can provide some insight…

Thank you
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Re: 6 Weeks In - Question: How much is too much?

Postby Rob » Fri Oct 28, 2016 9:04 pm

Kudo's to you for strictly adhering to the McDougall MWL Plan! Some people weigh daily, once per week or only once per month. The biggest problem with MWL diet is not eating enough food and then getting hungry and getting off plan. Watch the videos of Chef AJ eating a HUGE sweet potato and an entire head of broccoli for a meal. That is a lot of volume.

So go ahead and enjoy the potatoes, rice, beans and lots of vegetables. Start your meals with a large salad of greens and other non-starchy vegetables with a no-fat dressing. Limit fruits to a couple per day as you are doing and of course, no nuts, no highly refined foods, eliminate high-fat vegan foods such as tofu, soy milk, avocado's coconut, and of course no added oils

Some regular, mild exercise 4-5 times per week really helps shed weight. As you get closer to your ideal weight, it often becomes more difficult to loose weight. If you're hungry, eat some fresh veggies. Face your fears and climb on the scale. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Good luck!

Rob
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Re: 6 Weeks In - Question: How much is too much?

Postby frozenveg » Sat Oct 29, 2016 9:34 am

Everything that Rob said, for sure, especially with not letting yourself get too hungry so that you overeat later in the day.

Also, you didn't say how much you want to lose, or how close you are to that goal. That makes a big difference in how much weight you are going to lose in a given period of time. It does slow down as you get closer to a normal weight.

As far as being afraid to weigh yourself, that is an issue you need to deal with! Some people view the scale as kind of an adversary, or a bad friend, one which makes you feel like a million bucks when you have lost weight, but a failure when you have gained. Others view the scale as a reporter, letting you know the results of something you have done or not done. When I was losing my weight, Elizabeth, another Star McDougaller, was also losing. She is a big adherent to NOT weighing more than once a month, to avoid having the scale rule your life and psychologically derail you. I am in the opposite camp, along with another Star, Cathy, who weigh every day, with a fairly scientific eye, rather than an emotional one. I would weigh every morning, but only log the weight once a week, to see the progress, or lack thereof.

You should figure out what your relationship to the scale is. Understand yourself, and respect that understanding. Then, either decide you will not use scale weight as any kind of a gauge in your journey, or take control of the scale weight and set yourself a schedule that will make you feel strong and informed, and give you valuable understanding of your progress. Whatever you decide, it will be your decision, and not fear, that drives you, and that will be a much better thing!

The reason I spent so much time on that is that you seems to be fairly analytical in tracking your food intake; I think you might find it rewarding to have a similar record of what is happening on the scale while you are eating in the way that you've been doing. But I don't want to push that; you may also find that the scale will instead be that "bad friend" and it would not be good to have it derail you. Only you can decide, but it is my suggestion.
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: 6 Weeks In - Question: How much is too much?

Postby Lesliec1 » Sun Oct 30, 2016 7:43 am

Everyone's different. For me, raising the amount of non-starch veggies was the key to weight loss. Even before this WOE, if I REALLY kept up the volume of veggies, I lost 2+ lbs every single week for months with no plateaus ever. (Every "lifetime dieter" knows what a big deal that is.) I am a volume eater so I would eat huge stir frys (for example) that filled a whole skillet. I seriously bulked up the veggies and I enjoyed it too.

If I were you, I'd experiment. Eat a ridiculous amount of veggies just to see if it makes a difference. Of course still eat your starches but eat huge salads and huge stir frys, etc. Fill your fridge with veggies. Then adjust from there. You might learn something important.
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