Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

Wondering if anyone has any input regarding the following: My husband and I both started the McDougall program on October 1, 2018. By mid-December I had lost 25 pounds (yay!!) but my husband had only lost 10 pounds. He has stuck to the plan and has not cheated at all. We have both been eating the exact same way so I am stumped! He does have limited mobility currently as he has severely torn tendons in both shoulders, awaiting surgery. However, I have NOT been exercising other than living normal daily life. As a rule, I know that men tend to lose weight much quicker than women. In light of this fact, I would still have expected that he would have lost at least as much as I have. Needless to say this has really discouraged him. It has also concerned me that there may be some medical reason hindering his weight loss. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. (We are aware of the maximum weight loss program and are not interested in following that.) We are happy to take the weight off at a slower pace through the regular program but the lack of results for him so far are very puzzling. Thank You

Have you seen the video on calorie density? It’s very enlightening. https://youtu.be/0CdwWliv7Hg

You might just need some tweaks, like skipping avocado on your beans and rice, or having an apple instead of nuts. Just experiment a little and you’ll find out what works for you.

Hi Neweyes,

If your husband was closer to his ideal weight than you were when you started McD plan, you may lose weight faster. The closer you get to an ideal weight, the slower the weight comes off, unless you change either calorie input or exercise.

Thank you very much for the replies to my post. In response to both replies, neither of us is eating high fat foods such as nuts, avocados, nut butters or anything with a high fat content. We have been avoiding the high fat foods so I know that is not a factor. As I said, we are both eating the same way. My husband is not any closer to his goal weight than I am either so it is really confounding. At the time that we started eating this way I was approx. 60 pounds away from my ideal weight and he was about 80 pounds from his ideal weight. I did forget to mention that he has been diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic and takes Metformin. However, we have always questioned the diagnosis as his A1C level was only slightly above normal when it was at its worst. From everything I have seen regarding the WFPB diet/McDougall plan the type 2 diabetes issues correct themselves very quickly (even for a full blown well documented diabetic.) Considering that, I didn't think the type 2 diabetes would have much affect on his weight loss. Any additional comments would be greatly appreciated. Thank You

If your husband is in a lot of pain (or even mild but ongoing pain) from the shoulder issues, the stress from that could be affecting his metabolism. I've been in chronic pain state before and my system was pretty far "off balance" in almost all areas, physical, mental, and emotional!

Not certain but I think if metformin was going to have a "weight" effect it would be a bit of weight loss.

Jeff has some great info on boosting weight loss, and I love it because you never feel hungry. One tip is to sequence meals, starting first with soup or salad. Another idea is the 50/50 plate of veg/starch. For instance, today I cooked a 1 lb bag of stir fry veggies for lunch, and put that on top if rice. It was about 50/50 by visual volume. Lots of food, very filling, super yummy. Maybe those ideas would work for you?