I'm gaining 1 pound a day in weight... help!

[Moonfruit]

I've been following The Starch Solution for 5 days, and I've gained a pound every single day... I am terrified of continuing at this rate.

I have eaten only potatoes, vegetables, peas, lentils and oats - I have used no fats or oils whatsoever, and have not eaten any nuts, seeds, olives, coconuts or avocados.

I am not over-eating either. I eat until I am satisfied then stop. This is easy because the food is not "moreish" like fatty foods are.

I am about 20 pounds overweight (I'm 150 pounds and 5 feet 6) so I should not be gaining weight.

What is going to happen to all this weight? It can't be all water. I always drink plenty of water.

I've been vegan for 18 months before this (and vegetarian for 16 years), and was consuming an average 40% of my calories from fat, as per most people.

Now I've eliminated the fats, the weight is piling on. Help!!

Any advice much appreciated.

Thank you!

[Ege Bamyasi]

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[Donna R]

are you having regular bowel movements? that can change when oil is removed from the diet but should resolve. my opinion only. I hope you can stay on this plan and do well!

[Moonfruit]

Hi Ege Bamyasi

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, I was consuming a lot of fat in the form of vegan sausages and the like, avocados, nuts and oils. I thought olive oil was healthy for many years, and added extra to salads just to get the fats in.

I figure I was consuming more than 2000 calories a day as I am overweight by at least 20 pounds.

I am worried right now because I am totally new to this concept of eating, and naturally I don’t trust it fully until I see with my own eyes that it works.

I am hoping to hear from people who have had the same issue, and hear that it’s normal and will subside.

Thanks for your help and advice.

[Moonfruit]

are you having regular bowel movements? that can change when oil is removed from the diet but should resolve. my opinion only. I hope you can stay on this plan and do well!

Hi Donna R,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, bowel movements are clockwork, as they always have been. I guess time will tell..... I will update the post in due course.

[carbs-and-plants]

hmmm.

You shouldn't be gaining that amt. I don't think that can all be fat. Maybe to a degree you may have some lack of release of waste from bowel movements because a 1lb a day does not add up on this plan.

Also, if within 4 weeks you don't see a decent drop, I'd get Mcdougall's older book "Maximum weight loss". It's stricter because it's based on eating a higher degree of veggies to help drop your calories more and some people need that to see good results.

Weight gain on this plan is not typical, at all, so I am sure it will work itself out in the end.

[healthyvegan]

Just be extra vigilant on processed foods & food not prepared in our own kitchen. You can only store 2 to 4 pounds of carbs in your body as glycogen in your muscles and liver so you haven't gained any fat unless its been sneaking into your diet. Try reading Dr. McDougall's Maximum Weight-Loss book (you can likely get it for $1 on amazon) Going below 150 is a much slower process eating regular McDougall vs Maximum Weight Loss, which includes more veggies and less starch.

Your body has to burn all the sugar before it can burn the fat, so if you are sugaring up with brown sugar in your oatmeal, sugary soy milk cereal, smoothies, juice in the morning you'll certainly not be loosing weight that day w/o intense calorie burning exercise greater than the amount of sugar you ingested earlier.

I had a huge McDougall learning curve when I started, spray cooking oils, hidden oil in restaurant items like rice/quinoa/10grams of fat in most flour tortillas, etc.

You are on the right path, just stay the course and read more from this website / newsletters, etc check out JeffN's nutritional advice. The switch will flip and you'll be there in no time.

[jamnn25]

Are you adding salt to your meals? Salt can cause your body to hold on to water to dilute the salt in your blood/body.

[vgnwitch]

Moonfruit, are you a woman? Is there any chance that you are approaching your time of the month and retaining water? That might be causing a bit of weight gain.

[Moonfruit]

Hi carbs-and-plants. Thanks for your reply. Yes, it is a lot of weight gain, which is why I thought I'd ask on here. It's more bloating than fat. It can't possibly be fat. I haven't eaten any. Everything is home cooked so nothing has sneaked in. I do think you have a good point about retention of the bowels. I am going to start juicing vegetables tomorrow and see if that helps. Thanks!

Hi healthyvegan. Thanks for your reply. Thanks for the reminder that I can't store carbs. It is hard to believe. I will order that other book, thanks for the recommendation.

Hi jamnn25. I think you have a point as I have been adding salt - and I tend to add salt to starchy foods, thus more starches, more salt!! Good point.

Hi vgnwitch. Thanks for your reply. I am a female, and I'm not due on for a fortnight, so it's not water retention of that kind - could be the salt though!

Thank you everyone for your advice and support. It is much appreciated!!

[talkingmountain]

It sounds to me like you are experiencing bloating from the sudden increase in fiber on the McDougall diet.

This will resolve itself soon, usually within a few days but sometimes it may take a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, be sure you are drinking plenty of water.

[Concerned]

There is a great article about the Maximum Weight Loss diet in one of the older newsletters.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/pdf/pdfmc050100nl.pdf

I think that is a link to it.

Best of luck!

[Moonfruit]

Hi talkingmountain... Thanks for your reply. I am sure you are right - I HAVE JUST GAINED ANOTHER 3 POUNDS SINCE YESTERDAY - it HAS to be water or fibre.

Good advice about the water. Thank you!

Thanks concerned for the pfd. I've just downloaded it. I think I need to go easy on the flours and grains.

Cheers! I am really grateful for all of your help and advice.

[talkingmountain]

Hang in there Moonfruit, it'll turn around soon. You've got the right attitude - make the adjustments you need, rather than come up with reasons why you "can't" do them! That bloating will fade away soon and you are going to feel terrific!

I'm just learning about sodium, and even though I've never been much of a "salter" it turns out there's a ton of it hidden in my diet. Things like the pasta sauce I use as a flavoring for everything (except pasta, don't care much for that! ).

Anyway, my point is to look closely at anything you get out of a can, bottle, box, or freezer package. The milligrams of sodium should not exceed the calories per serving. (You might find it helpful to read Jeff Novick's responses to my recent post in his forum, I think it's called "Which Pasta Sauce is Better?").

And don't worry, the lower-salt food will taste bland only for a few days (during which time you can bump up the garlic, lemon juice, hot pepper, or whatever). Your palate will adjust very quickly if you let it.

[frozenveg]

Hi talkingmountain... Thanks for your reply. I am sure you are right - I HAVE JUST GAINED ANOTHER 3 POUNDS SINCE YESTERDAY - it HAS to be water or fibre.

Good advice about the water. Thank you!

Thanks concerned for the pfd. I've just downloaded it. I think I need to go easy on the flours and grains.

Cheers! I am really grateful for all of your help and advice.

That weight gain is very odd. But I agree with Ege, you might just want to stop weighing yourself for a period of time. It could be your scale. Are you weighing yourself in the same clothes at the same time every day? Our weight an vary throughout the day as much as ten pounds.

If your are salting food, it can cause a lot of bloat. Something else I'd like to ask about: in your first post, you said

I have eaten only potatoes, vegetables, peas, lentils and oats - I have used no fats or oils whatsoever, and have not eaten any nuts, seeds, olives, coconuts or avocados.

However, in the last post, you said you needed to go easy on the flours. So have you been eating bread and tortillas? Bread, although wonderful, is very calorie-dense, and can easily be overeaten. It can also contain fat or salt, which both can derail an attempt at weight loss when you only have 20 pounds to go.

One other thing you mentioned earlier is that you might start juicing your vegetables. DON'T! This way of eating does not encourage juicing. Juicing can allow you to consume too many calories, and it also oversteps the chewing that is very important to digestion. If you are indeed gaining because of retention, more fibre is what you should strive for, not less. So avoid juicing. Keep us posted. I'm sure this weight gain will pass, and once your body is more comfortable with this new regimen, you will lose as well.