It can take some trial and error to get this way of eating figured out in a way that fits each of our daily lives, and there can be a bit of a learning curve. If you aren't seeing the results you want, Dr. McDougall's Maximum Weight Loss program can be very helpful.
For MWL, oats should be cooked in water in a ratio of at least 2 parts water to 1 part oats (I prefer 3:1 myself). Dry rolled oats are ~1700 calories / lb, so consuming them without further cooking in water would not be recommended for MWL. You may find it helpful to review the MWL 10-Point Checklist for a sense of how to construct adherent meals.
A 10-Point Checklist for Maximum Weight Loss- Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
- Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert.
- Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.
- Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
- Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
- Eliminate any added oil.
- Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit.
- Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
- Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
- Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
Your plate should look like this -
For example,
I strongly recommend using the MWL 10-Point Checklist on at least a weekly (or daily) basis to bring to your attention the areas that may hinder your progress. The more you are willing to use it in your own life, the more success you are likely to have.
An essential resource for everyone to review is Jeff Novick's presentation on the principle of calorie density -
Calorie Density: How To Eat More, Weigh Less and Live LongerWatching this video is one of the best ways to come to a clear understanding of the concepts embodied in the MWL program, and it will likely answer MANY questions and help alleviate confusion.