by Letha.. » Sun Oct 18, 2009 9:32 am Hi Lindas,
I think you might be putting too much importance on portion size. On the McDougall plan you don’t count calories, or points, or measure quantities of food. Instead, Dr. McDougall recommends that we eat until satisfied from the recommended healthy foods. Here is a brief quote from the McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook that explains the reasoning for this.
From page 27:
“Doctors, dietitians, and scientists think of food in terms of calories per gram (cal/g). Olive oil is 9 cal/g, just like lard. Beef, cheese, and white sugar are 4 cal/g. Bread is 2.4 cal/g. Common whole starches like beans, rice, and potatoes are about 1 cal/g. Fruits and green and yellow vegetables are just a few tenths of a calorie per gram. When you change from the rich American diet to a starch based diet you change the concentration of calories fourfold. In other words, for the same volume of food, the McDougall diet has one-quarter as many calories.“
So just eating whole starches, fruits, green and yellow veggies should allow you to lose weight without going hungry. If you haven’t already, I’d recommend you read the book “McDougall Plan for Maximum Weight Loss”. Here are some of the points from the book. They are all explained in more detail in the book.
Program outlined in the MWL book, page 60.
1. Eliminate All Animal Foods
2. Eliminate All Oils
3. Eliminate All High Fat Plant Foods: Nuts, Nut Butters, Seeds, Seed Butters, Avocados, Coconut, & Olives.
4. Eliminate All Flour Products
5. Eat Whole Grains and Potatoes
6. Eat Legumes
7. Make Green & Yellow Vegetables One-Half to One-Third of your meal
8. Eat Uncooked Foods
9. Restrict Fresh Fruit to No More Than Two Servings a Day, and Avoid Dried Fruit, Fruit Puree, and Fruit Juice
10. Use Simple Sugar Sparingly
Guidelines for Healthy Eating in MWL book, page 67.
1. Eat until you’re satisfied
2. Graze
3. Allow time for digestion
4. Chew foods thoroughly
5. Restrict variety
Weight-Losing Reasons To Exercise. MWL book, page 100.
1. Exercise burns calories
2. Calories continue to burn after exercise
3. Exercise counteracts plateaus
4. Exercise suppresses appetite
5. Exercise reduces insulin
6. Exercise protects and increases muscle mass
Exercise you can live with. MWL book, page 106-107
Aerobics: The best kind of exercise. Walking, running, cycling, & swimming are not only enjoyable but highly efficient ways to lose weight.
Benefits of weight training:
Build a stronger body
Build a shapelier body
Strengthen ligaments
Improve bone density
Help prevent musculoskeletal injury
Elevate metabolism
Increase stamina
Elevate blood levels of HDL cholesterol
Your New Daily Exercise Plan: MWL Book Page 109
1. Get up half an hour earlier each day, or skip a TV program to do a specific exercise.
2. Make exercise a part of each day.
3. Choose an activity that you have always enjoyed and do it at least four times per week
4. Sometimes purchasing equipment helps to motivate…
5. Invest in a membership in a YMCA, YWCA, or health and fitness club
6. Ask a friend to become your exercise partner
7. Go dancing, a great aerobic (and romantic) exercise
8. Join a walking or hiking club.
9. Check with your local adult-education program for exercise programs.
10. Keep an exercise journal.
Establishing a healthy way of life from page 127 of the MWL book.
Step 1. Be Goal-Oriented
Step 2. Acknowledge Your Willingness to Pay the Price
Step 3. Educate Yourself, Become an Expert
Step 4. Visualize Yourself as Healthy
Step 5. Make a Commitment: It’s Magic
Step 6. Ensure That Your Environment Supports Your Goals
Step 7. Alter Your Coping Mechanisms
Step 8. Join A Support Group
Step 9. Reward Yourself
Step 10. Keep It Simple
