Anybody Do Weight Watcher's?

[old] Steelhead · Post by **[old] Steelhead** » February 8th, 2006, 1:11 am

I now use the WW Core program based on "The China Study" guidelines: in pertinent part, you can eat all you want (while getting lots of variety) of any whole, unrefined plant-based food (and using the Core Program guidelines makes this easy). I used to do the flex plan (counting points), and that works -- it's just staying on it. With the Core plan as long as you eat a whole food, plant based diet you don't need to count points. However, as I wrote previously I use the China Study guidelines and started last week -- the first day I was hungry, by the middle of the second day I wasn't, and by the third day I was eating less because I no longer could eat as much at any given meal. Blah, blah, blah. Either WW program is great and exercise is part of the WW plan. Here is a quotation from the author of "The China Study" (I don't necessarily agree with every conclusion of the author, but the research is impressive): "One of the most fortunate findings from the mountain of nutritional research I've encountered is that good food and good health is simple. The biology of the relationship of food and health is exceptionally complex, but the message is still simple. The recommendations coming from the published literature are so simple that I can state them in one sentence: eat a whole foods, plant-based diet, while minimizing the consumption of refined foods, added salt and added fats. Daily supplements of vitamin B12, and perhaps vitamin D for people who spend most of their time indoors and/or live in the northern climates are encouraged. For vitamin D, you shouldn't exceed RDA recommendations. That's it. That's the diet science has found to be consistent with the greatest health and the lowest incidence of heart disease, cancer, obesity, and many other Western diseases." Eat healthy, row long, and prosper. Mike

[old] Kappy · Post by **[old] Kappy** » February 8th, 2006, 2:39 pm

I think the trick to weight loss is to eat fewer calories than you burn off. Its a very simple thing. But I can't get myself to do it. I was really good all day yesterday - then last night I blew it. And this morning I continued to blow it. On what. Roasted chicken. Very frustrating.

[old] Steelhead · Post by **[old] Steelhead** » February 8th, 2006, 5:29 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(Kappy @ Feb 8 2006, 11:39 AM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>I think the trick to weight loss is to eat fewer calories than you burn off. Its a very simple thing. But I can't get myself to do it. I was really good all day yesterday - then last night I blew it. And this morning I continued to blow it. On what. Roasted chicken. Very frustrating. </td></tr></table> Using the WW Core Program, everytime I get hungry (like right now), I eat an apple, or a vegetable, or have some vegetable soup -- all low calorie. Yesterday, when I added up the calories I had eaten (not a WW Core Program requirement, but just to satisfy my curiosity) I had barely eaten 1500 calories, and I wasn't hungry until bed time and then I just had another fruit/vegetable (about 100 calories). Roasted chicken, is a problem -- yum and lots of calories too. The only path to weight loss and good health is to eat less calories than we expend but make sure the food we eat is good for us. Okay, time to eat and exercise. Mike

[old] Kappy · Post by **[old] Kappy** » February 8th, 2006, 7:16 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(Steelhead @ Feb 8 2006, 04:29 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(Kappy @ Feb 8 2006, 11:39 AM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>I think the trick to weight loss is to eat fewer calories than you burn off. Its a very simple thing. But I can't get myself to do it. I was really good all day yesterday - then last night I blew it. And this morning I continued to blow it. On what. Roasted chicken. Very frustrating. </td></tr></table> Using the WW Core Program, everytime I get hungry (like right now), I eat an apple, or a vegetable, or have some vegetable soup -- all low calorie. Yesterday, when I added up the calories I had eaten (not a WW Core Program requirement, but just to satisfy my curiosity) I had barely eaten 1500 calories, and I wasn't hungry until bed time and then I just had another fruit/vegetable (about 100 calories). Roasted chicken, is a problem -- yum and lots of calories too. The only path to weight loss and good health is to eat less calories than we expend but make sure the food we eat is good for us. Okay, time to eat and exercise. Mike </td></tr></table> OK. I should give the core options a go for a week. However when I did weight watchers successfully - I WAS hungry. Ravenous. Distractedly. Absolutely hungry. Most of the time. I had to be obsessed with the dieting just to stay focused. Thats one of the things that upsets me. I get so hungry. And so many of the other dieters say "I am not hungry." But what do you do if you ARE. And the worst thing is that I have been hungry a lot of the time while I am gaining this weight. I have tried filling up on high fiber veggies. I guess I will try again. The problem is that I am dreading MONTHS of eating my high fiber veggies and being distracted all the time by how hungry I am. Last night I was hungry and it kept me up/woke me up until I pretty much caved and over-ate roasted chicken at midnight and then again at 3am. Tonight I will try eating apples. I'd rather not be woken up by feeling hungry. UGH. I am so mad at myself. AND I have gained another pound! Since last Friday!

[old] Karen · Post by **[old] Karen** » February 9th, 2006, 1:01 am

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(Kappy @ Feb 8 2006, 06:16 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> Thats one of the things that upsets me. I get so hungry. And so many of the other dieters say "I am not hungry." But what do you do if you ARE. I'd rather not be woken up by feeling hungry. UGH. I am so mad at myself. AND I have gained another pound! Since last Friday! </td></tr></table> Are you drinking enough water? I am not much of a water drinker, but I find that on the days that I am disciplined enough to drink several glasses I am much more satisfied with less food intake. Also, hot tea, SF/FF hot cocoa are very satisfying. I have something hot to drink every night before bed, and that really helps. Have you read the book called the Zone? He mentions eating a snack right at bedtime, which will maintain your blood sugar while you sleep. You might actually not be eating enough of the right kinds of stuff, and this book will help you learn how to pair foods up to get the best bang for your calorie. Don't be mad at yourself. Losing weight is hard...the fact that you keep working on it, even with setbacks says much about your character.

[old] Steelhead · Post by **[old] Steelhead** » February 9th, 2006, 2:10 am

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(Kappy @ Feb 8 2006, 04:16 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> OK. I should give the core options a go for a week. However when I did weight watchers successfully - I WAS hungry. Ravenous. Distractedly. Absolutely hungry. Most of the time. I had to be obsessed with the dieting just to stay focused. Thats one of the things that upsets me. I get so hungry. And so many of the other dieters say "I am not hungry." But what do you do if you ARE. And the worst thing is that I have been hungry a lot of the time while I am gaining this weight. I have tried filling up on high fiber veggies. I guess I will try again. The problem is that I am dreading MONTHS of eating my high fiber veggies and being distracted all the time by how hungry I am. Last night I was hungry and it kept me up/woke me up until I pretty much caved and over-ate roasted chicken at midnight and then again at 3am. Tonight I will try eating apples. I'd rather not be woken up by feeling hungry. UGH. I am so mad at myself. AND I have gained another pound! Since last Friday! </td></tr></table> The key (for me anyway) is to just eat an apple or some veggies (e.g., a red pepper iwth salsa) whenever I get hungry. You can't let yourself get too hungry or else you'll eat too much at night, so throughout the day you eat little things. Trade the meat for fruits, vegetables, nuts (e.g., walnuts are really good for you and the fat in them will help you but don't eat too many). There are nights I dream about eating -- then I know that I am on track. Look through the Core Plan and take a more vegetarian approach to begin with, a whole wheat black bean burito for example is very few points and quite filling. Hang in there and remember that on the Core Plan you can still use your 30 extra points (for the "good" stuff). Mike

[old] Steelhead · Post by **[old] Steelhead** » February 9th, 2006, 6:13 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(Kappy @ Feb 8 2006, 04:16 PM) </div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> OK. I should give the core options a go for a week. However when I did weight watchers successfully - I WAS hungry. Ravenous. Distractedly. Absolutely hungry. Most of the time. I had to be obsessed with the dieting just to stay focused. Thats one of the things that upsets me. I get so hungry. And so many of the other dieters say "I am not hungry." But what do you do if you ARE. And the worst thing is that I have been hungry a lot of the time while I am gaining this weight. I have tried filling up on high fiber veggies. I guess I will try again. The problem is that I am dreading MONTHS of eating my high fiber veggies and being distracted all the time by how hungry I am. Last night I was hungry and it kept me up/woke me up until I pretty much caved and over-ate roasted chicken at midnight and then again at 3am. Tonight I will try eating apples. I'd rather not be woken up by feeling hungry. UGH. I am so mad at myself. AND I have gained another pound! Since last Friday! </td></tr></table> Here's a porton of an interesting article from the December 2004, Vol. 3, No. 12 Dr. McDougall Newletter that may help give you some ideas. You can subscribe to this newsletter at www.drmcdougall.com. /> Lose a Half Pound a Day by Correcting Your Setpoint Results of the 10-day Live-in McDougall Program We have collected data on 280 people during the past 2½ years (since moving to our new location in Santa Rosa, California) and the results show that overweight and obesity are cured most effectively with major changes in the composition of the diet – no gimmicks and no hunger – with unlimited quantities of delicious foods. People who eat as much as they want of [whole grain] lasagna, mu shu Chinese vegetables and rice, Tex-Mex Casserole, Bean Burritos, and highly flavorful soups with [whole grain] breads lose, effortlessly, on average, a half a pound of excess body weight daily (with very little daily exercise). Those scoffing at 3.5 pounds of weight loss in 7 days, please consider this means 14 pounds in a month, and 84 pounds in half a year – a very reasonable amount to lose by eating delicious foods. And the weight loss continues until you reach your ideal body weight because you have finally tuned your metabolic processes of homeostasis to your new, desired setpoint. [snip] Homeostasis and Your Setpoint Homeostasis is the process by which your body maintains itself in a stable condition. Maintenance of this equilibrium within the body is accomplished by internal mechanisms, such as regulations of appetite, physical activity levels, energy expenditure, and hormones. This stable condition has also been described as your biological setpoint. Ideally this setpoint would result in you being trim, active, and healthy. When it comes to body weight, however, over 2/3 of the US population have their setpoint set too high. They are maintaining a stable condition, through homeostasis, that is undesirable – both for appearance and health. Trapped by this setpoint, every attempt at dieting ends in failure. Maintaining Your Setpoint The concept of setpoint has been established by experiments that force people to temporarily change the amount they eat.1,2 When people are asked to diet (eat fewer calories), they lose weight, but once they return to unrestricted eating, they regain back to their usual weight (back to their biologic setpoint). The same occurs when people are forced to eat more than usual – they gain weight, but when allowed to eat without restrictions, they return to their usual weight (setpoint). Based on these observations you will feel out of control, because regardless of how hard you try to “eat less” you will eventually end up back at your fixed, predetermined, body weight. The concept of setpoint has also helped people overcome guilt caused by failing to lose weight – after all, it is really not their fault – their body is established at an un-moveable setpoint. Adjustments for Survival Your body always makes the best adjustment possible in order to survive and maintain a steady state (homeostasis), especially under adverse conditions. For example, stress yourself with cigarette smoking and appropriate changes result, such as mucous production and coughing, in order to eliminate toxic pollutants from the lungs and an increase in enzymatic activities to detoxify the poisons that enter the bloodstream. These adaptions remain until the stress from the smoke is removed – then the body readjusts to the new (and healthier) condition. When your body is nourished with very rich foods, adaptions are made. Diets high in fats force the body to a new, but stable state, where the excess energy is stored in the abdomen, buttocks, and thighs. This adaption might be desirable for people experiencing periods of famine – that extra stored fat would allow them to survive during food scarcity. However, in our society where food is always abundant, this new setpoint forced by excess fat calories is detrimental. Diet Composition Moves Setpoint Your setpoint is determined by the composition of your diet – in other words, the portions of the macronutrients – the fats, carbohydrates, proteins, dietary fibers, and water. Dietary fats (including vegetable oils) are the primary force for moving the setpoint higher (toward obesity).3-5 Fat’s powerful effects occur because it is very calorie dense (9 calories/gram); fat offers little satisfaction for the hunger drive, and the body effortlessly stores fat. Higher amounts of carbohydrate lower the setpoint because carbohydrate is less calorie dense (4 calories/gram), carbohydrate is very satisfying to the appetite, and excess is easily burned off, rather than stored. The amounts of protein, fiber, and water in the foods have only minor influences on your setpoint. [snip] Your goal is to establish a trim, active, and healthy stable condition (setpoint). A natural, low-fat, plant-food-based diet – a diet of unprocessed starches with green and yellow vegetables and fruits – is the correct diet for the human body – and allows you to look, feel and function your best.6 If you are now overweight, the McDougall diet and moderate exercise will change your stable state (setpoint) from one of being too fat, to one of being trim. The setpoint also acts to cause people who are underweight to gain on the McDougall Program. Two “starved appearing” women attended our Santa Rosa Live-in Program recently. Their frail condition was caused by a self-imposed diet focused mostly on very low-calorie green and yellow vegetables with very few starchy vegetables (rice, breads, potatoes, etc.). As a result, they achieved a state of homeostasis characterized by being underweight. This is an expected adaption which allows an improved chance for survival during times of food scarcity – underweight people live on fewer calories. When the composition of their diet was changed during the live-in program to one based on higher calorie starches (rather than very low-calorie green and yellow vegetables) their setpoints changed appropriately. After seven days of consuming this new diet, they had each gained 6 pounds. The exact same buffet of delicious foods caused weight loss in our overweight participants. Therefore, whatever you weigh right now, the principle of setpoint is so fundamental that changing the composition of your diet always works for you – you can count on it, without ever counting a calorie again. [snip] Billions of People Prove Setpoint Works for Everyone You are not alone. The right food choices to maintain an ideal stable state (setpoint) have been made by most of the people who have ever walked on this planet. Even now, 60% of the world’s population consumes foods with a composition that causes them to have a trim setpoint. Notice that everyone is thin and looking young – even the shopkeepers, teachers, homemakers, weavers, and government officials; people who exercise very little. Examples of populations of trim people living on starch-based diets include: People from the Middle East eating platefuls of chickpeas and rice. Africans with diets of beans and grains. The people in Peru living on potato-based diets. New Guinea mountain people with 90% of their diet from sweet potatoes. The farmers in central Mexico living on corn tortillas, beans, and rice. Asians from China to Thailand thriving on rice-based diets. You need only look at the United States, Western Europe, or any other place where a high-fat diet and fat people have become the norm, to observe the effects rich foods have on setpoint. References: 1) Tremblay A. Dietary fat and body weight set point. Nutr Rev. 2004 Jul;62(7 Pt 2):S75-7. 2) Keesey RE, Hirvonen MD. Body weight set-points: determination and adjustment. J Nutr. 1997 Sep;127(9):1875S-1883S. 3) Astrup A, Astrup A, Buemann B, Flint A, Raben A. Low-fat diets and energy balance: how does the evidence stand in 2002? Proc Nutr Soc. 2002 May;61(2):299-309. 4) Peters JC. Dietary fat and body weight control. Lipids. 2003 Feb;38(2):123-7. 5) Schrauwen P, Westerterp KR. The role of high-fat diets and physical activity in the regulation of body weight. Br J Nutr. 2000 Oct;84(4):417-27. 6) Hays NP, Starling RD, Liu X, Sullivan DH, Trappe TA, Fluckey JD, Evans WJ. Effects of an ad libitum low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet on body weight, body composition, and fat distribution in older men and women: a randomized controlled trial. Arch Intern Med. 2004 Jan 26;164(2):210-7. [snip] You may subscribe to this free McDougall Newsletter at <a href="http://www.drmcdougall.com" target="_blank">http://www.drmcdougall.com</a> Newsletter archive 2004 John McDougall All Rights Reserved Also, as a follow-up report (January 2005, Vol. 4, No. 1): The set point theory is rock solid – so accept the fact that you are stuck in your present body size and shape. Look around – don’t the body shapes of your friends and relatives remain about the same year after year? Mr. Jones, working behind the counter at the post office, has been rotund since the day you met him 20 years ago. Your Aunt Millie maintains her same full form – with a few fleeting changes due to one fad diet or another. With rare exceptions, the fat ones stay fat and the trim ones stay trim. Their identities (and yours) are maintained like the presidents’ faces carved in stone on Mount Rushmore. Fortunately, there are ways out of this ambush. You have three basic choices: 1. You could eat less everyday. But that doesn’t work because it hurts too much to be hungry all the time. Proving the accepted statement, “Diets Don’t Work.” 2. You could start an intense exercise program. People become marathon or triathlon runners - losing weigh by dedicating 2 hours or more a day to strenuous exercise. And they keep the weight off as long as they are able to endure this brutal routine. Painful! 3. Change the composition of your foods. Quickly learn to enjoy delicious healthy meals - no pain, all gain (I mean, weight loss). Last month's newsletter discussed this basic concept in detail: Eat like an Asian (rice-based diet) - look an Asian (trim, young and active). Otherwise, continue eating like an American, and continue to... From my viewpoint there is only one obvious choice in order to become trim and healthy for a lifetime. Hopefully, by now that is your viewpoint, too. How Well Does the “Regular” McDougall Program Work? We have collected weight loss data on nearly 300 people who have attended our basic McDougall Program in Santa Rosa, California and found that with unrestricted eating (buffet tables of delicious healthy foods, three meals a day, and snacks all day long), the average weight loss is a half a pound a day – 3.5 pounds in a week – translated into 14 pounds a month – and so on, until trim body weight is reached. This is a highly desirable rate of weight loss. Most experts say you should set your weight loss goals at no more than 2 pounds a week. Don’t worry about the extra pound and a half weekly loss you get with our program. Three and a half pounds per week is not too fast because our recommendation is for you to change to a natural and normal behavior: to eat delicious foods to the full satisfaction of your healthy appetite. This intelligent lifestyle transformation results in weight loss that is permanent – a new you from new nutrition. How Well Does the Maximum Weight Loss Program Work? This past month (January 14 to 23, 2005) we held our first 10-day live-in program based upon the principles of Maximum Weight Loss – designed by Mary and John McDougall almost 20 years ago to help people lose weight faster and easier, and to maintain that new size. Thousands of people have successfully followed this program at home. Some implement the rules strictly, all of the time, and others simply use the more limiting program for short periods to lose a few stubborn pounds, returning to the “regular” McDougall Program for most of the year. (The most significant difference, as you will soon learn, is that the “regular” program uses whole grain flour products, like breads, bagels, and muffins, and more fruits, juices and other simple sugars.) The average weight loss achieved in this first ever Maximum Weight Loss Live-in Program held at our clinic in Santa Rosa, California was slightly over 4.5 pounds in 7 days – in other words, about one pound more than is lost in the usual program for the week. (That’s 52 extra well-deserved pounds in a year from that extra effort.) Our guests never suffered a moment of hunger and they thoroughly enjoyed the tastes of the meals we served to them. That was obvious; they ate 2, 3, 4 and more servings at each meal. Most importantly, they loved the results – easy weight loss, relief of headaches and arthritis, and dramatic reductions in blood sugars, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. They got their lives back – all by eating delicious foods. Refinements for Maximum Weight Loss Here Are the Measures Taken to Emphasize Weight Loss: Thrive on Unrefined Starch: Starches are low in calories (calorie dilute), low in fat (the fat you eat is the fat you wear) and high in carbohydrate (which satisfies the hunger drive). Most importantly, there are sufficient calories in starches to meet your needs for energy and to satisfy your powerful hunger drive. Some starches, like squash and potatoes, are lower in calories than others (like grains), and these are very good for rapid weight loss. Starches like beans, peas, and lentils slow the emptying of the stomach, keeping you feeling satisfied longer, and thereby encouraging lasting weight loss, and providing an emotionally rewarding dining experience. Program Protocol: At the Maximum Weight Loss Program (at our clinic) we served at least one entrée every meal as a low-calorie unrefined starch. Popular dishes were Shepherd’s Pie (found in the April 2002 newsletter), Spicy Yam Stew (December 2004), Vegetable Bean Enchiladas (The Quick and Easy Cookbook) and Mexican Meal (June 2003). Practical Tips for Home Compliance: You need to find one starch-based dish that you enjoy for each meal (this can be the same starch for every meal – like potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner). If you fail to make this choice, and instead focus on mostly green and yellow vegetables, you will become ravenously hungry, out of control, and soon off your new nutritional program – and there you will be, fat again. Don’t overlook this essential component of each meal because you may have heard some nonsense like “starches are fattening.” Remember that all successful populations living on healthy diets have had starchy plant foods as their main sources of calories (Japanese – rice, Peruvians – potatoes, Papua New Guinea Islanders – sweet potatoes, rural Mexicans – corn and beans, etc.) There are many unrefined starch dishes in all of our books and in the recipe section of each [free] newsletter. You will find the “Quick and Easy Cookbook” especially supportive for those beginning the program – but all of more than 2000 published recipes from various sources are helpful. Avoid Refined Foods and Flours: Those interested in the utmost efficiency for weight loss should eat their starches in an unprocessed and unrefined condition. In practical terms, this means you minimize your intake of flour products. Flours are more rapidly absorbed than are the whole grains, causing a greater rise in insulin levels. The reason for this is that when you cut a kernel (corn) or a grain (wheat-berry) into a thousand pieces with the steel blade of a grinder; you dramatically increase the surface area for absorption through the intestinal wall – rapid, more complete absorption means more insulin produced. Insulin’s job is to push fat into fat cells (adipose tissue) where it is stored as the “metabolic dollar” for the day when no food is available – but for almost no one in Western societies does. Program Protocol: Except for a few offerings of whole corn tortillas, we eliminated all breads, pastas, bagels, and other flour products. This was an easy adjustment for program guests. Why did we allow corn tortillas, and not bread and bagels? You can effortlessly eat a half a loaf of bread in one short sitting. That could be over 600 calories downed without a guilty thought – after all it is made of “all natural, whole wheat flour, without butter.” Two or three corn tortillas, at 50 calories each, are more than enough for most people to consume at one sitting. Practical Tips for Home Compliance: Most of you will still easily lose weight and become healthy if you include some flour products – even whole grain breads – in your diet – but, don’t over-consume them. For best results, these processed foods should be kept for special occasions, and eliminated entirely if weight loss is difficult for you. Eat Green and Yellow Vegetables: Typically “popular diets” recommend that you eat large amounts of green and yellow vegetables, which are very low in calories, thus filling your stomach with low energy bulk (they are high in nutrients, however). I suggest about one-third of the meal should be from these low-calorie vegetables for accelerating weight loss. If you are desperate, then you may push that amount to one-half of your plate (measured roughly by your eye). However, be careful that you do not eat so many of these low-calorie vegetable foods that your meals are no longer enjoyable and satisfying for your hunger drive. You need the starchy selections for sustaining satisfaction. No population of people has ever lived on a diet based on low-calorie green and yellow vegetables. All successful societies have centered their diets on starches (rice, potatoes, beans, corn, etc.) – and you must do the same for long-term victory. Program Protocol: At our live-in program, the dining room serving tables look like this: 1. Begin with leafy green salads and bowl of shredded carrots, beets, celery, onions, and cabbage as options to top your salad. 2. Then, choose any of 4 distinctly different flavorful, fat-free salad dressings which are set on the serving table. For example, Oriental, Berry Vinaigrette, and Tofu Island. (Find dressings in the August 2004 newsletter.) 3. Next take generous helpings two raw vegetable salads, like fat-free Coleslaw, Tomato Vegetable Salad, and Spinach Salad. 4. Then you come to two hot steamed green and/or yellow vegetable dishes are served, like seasoned steamed carrots, zucchini, kale, baby bok choy, or broccoli. Our guests were asked to eat full servings of these very low calorie dishes before moving on to the starches. 5. At every lunch and dinner take a bowl full of delicious soup based on beans and/or vegetables. Popular examples included Black Bean, Broccoli, Sweet Potato, and White Bean. 6. Finally, finish off your meal with the starchy entree (like Shepherd's Pie, Mexican meal, or Stuffed Green Peppers) and you will find yourself fully satisfied until the next meal, (sometimes coming only 2 hours later as a hearty snack). Practical Tips for Home Compliance: Begin your main meals with a full bowl of mixed salad leaves and oil-free bottled dressing. Supermarkets and natural foods stores sell bags of washed lettuce leaves and a large variety of bottled, oil-free dressings. Make yourself a boiled or steamed vegetable dish, like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and/or peapods. Have your starchy entrée last. Eat More Raw Foods: Raw vegetables are less digestible, providing fewer calories. Cooking begins the digestion process of foods and breaks complex carbohydrates into simpler (sweeter tasting) sugars – and more calories. Therefore, eat uncooked foods when you have the chance in order to accelerate weight loss. Program Protocol: During the Maximum Weight Loss Program a plentiful supply of green and yellow vegetables, like baby peppers, green peapods, small tomatoes, jicama, broccoli, and carrot sticks were served at the back of the lecture room. At mealtimes, the salad bar with lettuce leaves and a large variety of uncooked vegetable toppings were at the beginning of the serving line. Practical Tips for Home Compliance: One easy way to have raw vegetables handy for snacking anytime at home is to slice up carrots, celery, green onions (scallions), bell peppers, and radishes, then put them in a bowl and cover them with water (change water daily). Keep them at eye-level on a shelf in the refrigerator so they will be easily available and always fresh. Avoid All High-Fat Plant Foods: Nuts, seed, olives, avocados, and soy products (unless they are manufactured to be fat-free) are high in fat, which you will wear. Vegetable oils, like olive, corn, safflower, canola, and flaxseed oil are 100% fat that will be transferred effortlessly to your chin, buttocks, thighs, and abdomen. Avoid these as if they were poisons for your personal appearance. Program Protocol: These delicacies were not served to our guests during our Maximum Weight Loss Live-in Program. Practical Tips for Home Compliance: When I was growing up, nuts were something you had for special occasions, like Christmas. These richer foods should be kept for holidays, and then, only after you have lost all of your unwanted body fat. Avoid Sugar: Minimize sugar intake. Sugar raises insulin levels, preventing fat from coming out of your fat cells. Simple sugar foods like table sugar (even brown sugar), maple syrup, molasses, and honey are also very concentrated with calories. Program Protocol: For the Maximum Weight Loss Program, sugar was not used in the preparation of the foods (with a couple of exceptions). Sugar, honey, maple syrup or molasses were not available on the dining tables. A no-calorie, sugar alternative, Stevia, was placed on the table and enjoyed by some of our guests. We serve foods containing simple sugars for the first meal and the last 2 meals. The first Friday evening meal was a little richer with a sugary dessert (brownies) to help some people make the transition more easily. Sugar in the last two meals was a little sweetener in a bean salad and maple syrup for our last pancake breakfast. Guests were shocked by how intense the sugars tasted at this last meal and this served as an education to show them how quickly their taste buds adapt. At all three of these meals, which included a sweetener, there were plenty of sugar-free options served, if our guests chose not to indulge. Practical Tips for Home Compliance: Keep the refined sugars out of the house if you are an “addict.” I find some people deal with these sweeteners as if they were tobacco to a smoker, alcohol to a drunk, and heroin to a junkie. You know who you are, so act appropriately. Minimize Fruits: Keep fruits to one or two a day. Fruit is largely simple sugar and people can easily eat 10 to 20 servings a day without a guilty thought – after all, fruit is healthy. In truth, fruits should be thought of as healthy desserts, made largely of sugar and water (but with lots of wholesome nutrients). Vegetable juices (carrot, celery, tomato, etc.) are only slightly less detrimental to your weight loss than fruit juices. Dried fruits are even bigger “calorie bombs.” They are concentrated into a small volume by the dehydration processes, so you can eat 20 dried apples in the time it would take you to eat 2 whole fresh apples. Program Protocol: During the “regular” McDougall Programs in Santa Rosa we serve a plentiful supply of fruits for snacks in our educational room. No dried fruits or juices are served. The Maximum Weight Loss Program is much more restrictive. For snacks, fruits are replaced with green and yellow vegetables, like baby peppers, green peapods, tomatoes, jicima, and carrots. Practical Tips for Home Compliance: For maximum weight loss you should avoid all juices and dried fruits, and keep the fresh fruits to a minimum. Fill your refrigerator and bowls on your *** DELETE - SPAM *** counter with vegetable treats like baby peppers, green peapods, jicima, broccoli, and/or carrot sticks. Readily available boiled potatoes are also helpful and very filling – make them even more inviting with your favorite oil-free dressing or salsa. Eat Slowly and Frequently: Eat many smaller meals (8 to 14 times a day), rather than a few large ones (1 to 3 a day). The advantages of frequent small meals are: (1) Less dependency on your body’s storage mechanisms (there is no reason to store food, because it is always available); (2) Lower total daily insulin production which occurs with small frequent meals (same number of calories). (3) Improved awareness. This is most important, because when you eat slowly and frequently, your brain and body have more time to receive the “I’m full” messages from your intestines that you have eaten. Gorging on a large meal generally means you will take in more food than you need long before your mind registers that you have eaten sufficient food to meet your needs. [snip] Practical Tips for Home Compliance: Divide all your meals into smaller portions. For example, eat a medium-sized plate of food, leave the table for half an hour, and if you are still hungry, return for another similarly-sized plate. Plan on many meals, and snacking throughout the day on healthy choices. Keep Your Meals Simple (Monotonous): Variety causes you to eat more. So, if you like something, eat it over and over again. You don’t have to worry about adequate nutrition with a simple meal plan, as long as the foods you eat are unrefined and based around a starch with a fruit and/or green and yellow vegetable. Program Protocol: We did not follow this advice at the program. At each lunch and dinner we had at least 10 choices of dishes that could make a satisfying meal. Our goal was to show people options – over 100 selections in 10 days. Guests were not expected to like everything we served – but most did. They were instructed at the beginning of the 10 days that one of their goals for the program was to find one item they liked and were willing to fix for breakfast – like steel cut oat cereal or hash brown potatoes; one filling dish for lunch – like a baked potato with toppings, a plate of seasoned beans and rice or a hearty soup; and something for dinner – like the mashed potato-based dish, Shepherd’s Pie, or the Mexican Meal. Practical Tips for Home Compliance: Find three to nine dishes you have time to prepare daily and enjoy – and make these over and over again. Make large batches of these items – put some in the refrigerator and package some for the freezer. However, if monotony bores you, and instead, you like variety, we have over 2000 published recipes and a thousand of them fit the Maximum Weight Loss Program – so enjoy! Lower Salt Intake: Saltiness is a taste enjoyed naturally by sensitive buds on the tip of your tongue. We seek salt. As a result, saltiness of the foods increases the amount we consume. Eating can be driven by the desire for salt, rather than by real hunger. Program Protocol: All dishes were made with no added salt, except for a very few that required soy sauce. People love salt, so we had salt shakers on every table – they could add this flavoring to the surface of their foods. In this manner they consumed much less salt then they would have if the salt had been added during cooking, and they missed nothing in terms of familiar taste (saltiness). Practical Tips for Home Compliance: Learn to enjoy your foods with little or no added salt. Scientific research shows it takes about 7 to 14 days to make the adjustment to less saltiness. If you must use salt, then add it to the surface of the foods at the table, not during cooking. It’s OK to be Hungry: Sometimes you will find yourself in a situation where there is no healthy food available – like when you are out shopping, at a party, or dining with friends. You don’t have to eat. No harm will be done. You won’t starve to death by waiting a few hours until something healthy is available. Delaying gratification is the smart thing to do and when you do finally eat the right foods they will taste extra delicious. Program Protocol: No one went hungry during the 10 days with us. One of the lessons of our program was successfully taught – “You can eat as much as you want of delicious foods and lose weight.” Practical Tips for Home Compliance: After leaving the program, people will not have multiple-course meals served to them 3 times a day with snacks mid-morning and mid-afternoon – and thus, they are expected to lose even more briskly at home. If you get stuck with nothing healthy to eat, your best choice in most cases is to go hungry – when you finally do eat, the foods will be even more delicious than usual. Exercise: [Now we get to the rowing 8) ] Exercise burns calories and causes you to take in more appropriate amounts of food – your appetite is regulated. Placing extra physical demands on your body will also send a message to your brain that you need to be trimmer in order to perform at the requested level. Your body will adjust to these new demands by becoming lighter and fitter, so that you will be able to run that mile [erg 10,000 meters] and climb that mountain. Exercise before (rather than after) you eat to suppress your appetite even more. Program Protocol: Each morning began with an optional 7 AM walk with our fitness instructor. Daily exercise classes – in the exercise room or in the heated pool were held at noon just before lunch. The afternoon exercise sessions included Yoga. Guests had access to the onsite athletic club with all of the most modern fitness equipment and professional trainers to help them with their routines. Practical Tips for Home Compliance: Find an exercise you enjoy doing – walking, windsurfing, bicycling, etc. Join a local athletic club. On both of our programs you will lose excess weight even if you do not exercise, but you will not be as fit as you deserve without a daily routine that challenges your muscles. Avoid Alcohol: Alcohol provides calories. Alcohol lowers inhibitions so you “can’t just eat one.” Program Protocol: No alcohol is served at the program – but that does not mean that a few people did not have their evening glass of wine when they returned to their private rooms. Practical Tips for Home Compliance: You know if you have a problem with alcohol. If so, then life will go better for you after this problem is resolved. Real Benefits of the Maximum Weight Loss Program We are very pleased with the first Maximum Weight Loss Live-in 10-day Program. The weight loss was slightly greater than in the “regular” program, because the food choices were more restricted. However, this does not necessarily mean this presentation will ultimately be more successful. Success to me means long-term changes. Will this more restrictive training mean people are better able to permanently improve their lives? I believe so for several reasons: 1. The weight loss program consistently provides encouraging results. People like to see “good” numbers. Dramatic results make dramatic changes worthwhile. In other words, making changes with little to show for them after all that effort is very discouraging. 2. Teaching people an even further change from their old habits may make their eventual compromises less damaging. In other words, for those who learn the Maximum Weight Loss Program, cheating may mean simply going to the “regular” McDougall Program. 3. The Maximum Weight Loss Program may be the only way to success for people who have a difficult time in losing weight. The program is highly effective and is the answer for those people with highly efficient metabolisms and for those who refuse to exercise. 4. Once you have made the adjustments to the foods on the Maximum Weight Loss Program, you will find that they are as enjoyable as any other foods you have learned to love in the past. You give up nothing in terms of taste and everything in terms of poor health. 5. This program is associated with just as many improvements in health as are obtained from the “regular” program – and there may even be further advantages for some health issues. For example, simple sugars raise triglycerides – the Maximum Weight Loss Program has fewer of these, including far fewer fruits. The program is largely wheat-free (no breads, pastas, and bagels). This makes the Maximum Weight Loss Program particularly helpful for those few people who have wheat-sensitivity problems, like Celiac Disease, food allergies, and some cases of headaches and arthritis. We have learned much by running this program and these lessons will result in changes in meals, activities, and educational experiences for the “regular” programs, weekends, and adventure trips we hold. [snip] You can read more about this subject, with recipe help, in the book The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss. [snip] So . . . basically the program described above is similar to the Weight Watcher's Core Program (where you do not count points (but you do get 30 points a week to use for foods not included in the Core Program foods; e.g., a slice of pizza may use up 10 points but that may be just what you need some days to stick on a whole food, plant based Core Program diet)). If you have read this far, I think you may have burned at least 25 calories.

Mike

[old] Kappy · Post by **[old] Kappy** » February 9th, 2006, 8:11 pm

Thank you. That is a lot of information to digest. As it were. I am frustrated because I am up 28 pounds from what I had lost. I DID what you are describing with success. But I then hit a wall and started to crave carbs like you wouldnt believe. They put me on a little synthroid because I was a little low. But it didn't change much. I basically fought that feeling for a year and gained and lost the same 10 pounds 5 pounds above my goal weight. I raced lightweight only once. Then last year my health went catastrophically and I gained 10 pounds due to not exercising. I'm still having problems figuring out what is wrong. I still feel like I've got the flu. More intereting for the doctors - I have problems with fainting and weakness. Then this summer my doctors became interested in my blood pressure being too low. And I have packed on more weight every time we have tried to do something new about the blood pressue. Right now I am trying to retain as much water as possible. My blood pressure is up - but I still feel awful. So now I am sick, tired and FAT hungry and I've got trying to fill up on low calorie diet food to look forward too. Oh yes. I am also SLOW. UGH. The good news is - the hungrier I am the more I like bad food. So if I can just stop myself from eating late at night and can get myself into the 'truely hungry' zone - I will become a 'better' cook.

[old] Steelhead · Post by **[old] Steelhead** » February 9th, 2006, 8:40 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(Kappy @ Feb 9 2006, 04:11 PM) </div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Thank you. That is a lot of information to digest. As it were. I am frustrated because I am up 28 pounds from what I had lost. I DID what you are describing with success. But I then hit a wall and started to crave carbs like you wouldnt believe. They put me on a little synthroid because I was a little low. But it didn't change much. I basically fought that feeling for a year and gained and lost the same 10 pounds 5 pounds above my goal weight. I raced lightweight only once. Then last year my health went catastrophically and I gained 10 pounds due to not exercising. I'm still having problems figuring out what is wrong. I still feel like I've got the flu. More intereting for the doctors - I have problems with fainting and weakness. Then this summer my doctors became interested in my blood pressure being too low. And I have packed on more weight every time we have tried to do something new about the blood pressue. Right now I am trying to retain as much water as possible. My blood pressure is up - but I still feel awful. So now I am sick, tired and FAT hungry and I've got trying to fill up on low calorie diet food to look forward too. Oh yes. I am also SLOW. UGH. The good news is - the hungrier I am the more I like bad food. So if I can just stop myself from eating late at night and can get myself into the 'truely hungry' zone - I will become a 'better' cook. </td></tr></table> Here's my problem: <a href="http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/ ... 100vol.htm" target="_blank">http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/ ... vol.htm</a> binge eating of all the good, healthy foods!! The more I work with the WW Core Plan, and look at similar programs, I figure out what I'm doing wrong, and I think I can now correct it; i.e., after looking at the McDougal information, I have more confidence in really "working" the WW Core Program -- particularly, by limiting the amount of oil and "fatty" foods to the amounts recommended. I was also reading some studies that indicate that blood pressure medicines actually make the body put on more weight, and you can get on a cycle of higher weight, higher blood pressure, more medicine, resulting in higher weight, etc. Although, you had low pressure, but now it is up? The reason why I eat too much at night is because I don't eat enough during the day, thinking that I am on a diet and need to restrict what I eat, which simply ends at night when I binge -- but as I mentioned in another post, since adjusting my diet to the Core Plan modified by the information in The China Study, (i.e., eating lots of small healthy meals throughout the day of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes) I've been doing fine and lost 4 pounds in a week. BTW, I came across this "Rule of 10" which sounds interesting. We take the ideal body weight we want in pounds (not what we are presently) and multiply that ideal weight by 10 -- this is the number of minimum calories we have to eat daily to avoid binge eating at night. If we eat less than this amount of calories then we are just setting ourselves up for a binge eating session. (So it seems to me that we take the ideal weight we want in increments and use the Rule of 10 and then keep adjusting it as we hit each weight goal. So if since I want to go from 199 or so to 165, instead of using 1650 calories minimum, I could set my goal for 180 and use 1800 calories minimum, and then when I reach 180, change the minimum to 1650 -- this is more the WW Flex Plan using the points, but it would still work for the Core Plan (but then in the Core Plan we don't count points or calories, just eat all we want without binge eating, see link).) Of course, the WW Core Program lets us eat as much vegetables as we wish, and there are a lot of interesting vegetables out there: fresh, steamed, dipped in salsa, pickled, etc. Take a whole bunch of celery for example and some freshly made salsa, and turn on the TV and eat for an hour or so and that will take care of the binge urge (add some other raw veggies to go with it). Hmmm, that sounds like a great idea right about now.

Mike

[old] Kappy · Post by **[old] Kappy** » February 9th, 2006, 10:16 pm

[quote name='Steelhead' date='Feb 9 2006, 07:40 PM' post='55412'] [quote name='Kappy' post='55407' date='Feb 9 2006, 04:11 PM'] I was also reading some studies that indicate that blood pressure medicines actually make the body put on more weight, and you can get on a cycle of higher weight, higher blood pressure, more medicine, resulting in higher weight, etc. Although, you had low pressure, but now it is up? The reason why I eat too much at night is because I don't eat enough during the day, thinking that I am on a diet and need to restrict what I eat, which simply ends at night when I binge -- but as I mentioned in another post, since adjusting my diet to the Core Plan modified by the information in The China Study, (i.e., eating lots of small healthy meals throughout the day of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes) I've been doing fine and lost 4 pounds in a week. [/quote] First of all, thanks again for the information. I have already decided that it might have been my attitude about starches and carbs that could be approached differently and might make a difference. I am going to increase the amount of starchy vegitables and see if that helps with the carb craving. I'm putting corn in the soup I made from what was left of the chicken. As for blood pressure medicine making you gain weight - I was taking a very uncommon vasoconstrictor to begin with to raise my blood pressure. Since the side effects were bad I'm not on it any more. The other option is to retain water by eating lots of salt and stuff - and if that doesn't work - then take flourenef which WILL cause me to retain water. I think its a given that this will make me gain weight. Its not even a side effect. Its the effect they are looking for. Weird about the hypertension medicine makeing you gain. I wonder how that would make any sense. Congrats on the 4 pounds. And good luck. I ate too much last night - hopefully a little more late evening starch will make a difference tonight and I will catch up on the weight loss thing.

[old] Steelhead · Post by **[old] Steelhead** » February 10th, 2006, 2:12 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(Kappy @ Feb 9 2006, 06:16 PM) </div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>I ate too much last night - hopefully a little more late evening starch will make a difference tonight and I will catch up on the weight loss thing. </td></tr></table> An interesting idea: "McDougall’s Comments: The hunger drive was designed to keep you and the whole human race alive – you will not win against such a powerful force. And you will not fool your hunger drive by “pushing yourself away from the table, putting your fork down between bites, eating from a small plate, or counting points.” It will always hurt to be hungry and you will never train yourself to not feel pain even if you practice until you are 90 years old. If you accept these facts about your hunger drive then I encourage you to give in and stop fighting it. This then leaves you with two options: to eat foods that make people trim (and healthy) or be fat. Look around the world – where are there billions of trim, active, young-looking people? What do they eat? Hopefully, the rural Asians (Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Korean, Filipinos, etc.), or Africans come to mind. All of these people share in a common diet based around various starches (rice, millet, chickpeas, corn, etc.) with lots of vegetables and very little meat and dairy products. When these people come in contact with “junk” foods by migrating to the cities or to countries in North America and Europe and abandoning their starch-based diets – eating more meat, dairy and refined foods – what happens to them? Their hunger drive causes them to eat, but now the foods are wrong – they are too high in calories and much less satisfying for their appetite – so they take in too many calories, and especially fat calories – and they become fat and obese. This should not be a big surprise to you. Even after you learn these truths and change your diet you do not have to be perfect. Mary wrote: I was really glad to hear you say that you have days when you eat everything in sight. I have days like that as well. It seems like no matter how much I eat, I'm always hungry. But before I started McDougalling, I would try to fill up on junk food. Now, even if I feel like I am eating too much, I don't feel guilty because I am filling up on things like vegetables and whole grains. I no longer have that catch 22 of feeling bad because I overeat and overeating because I feel bad. Pumpkin wrote: Isn't that the truth! I sure used to get caught up in that self-defeating cycle! I'd be especially hungry one day and then fill up on a fast food burger meal, or ice cream, or chips and cookies. Then feel bad and sooooo guilty, which would make me feel hopeless and guilty, which would lead to more poor eating, to make myself feel better. Now I'll often make a big bowl of popcorn if I've got that "bottomless" feeling. Or make a batch of one quick bread or another. Pumpkin continues: I'm very excited for you! It's fun reading your posts. Don't worry; you will have days when the bottomless feeling comes back, or various cravings. For most people I don't think these ever leave for good, they just become more infrequent (thank goodness!). But you're learning the tools to deal with them in a “healthy” way, and that's the important thing. Every time you respond to cravings or an unusually hungry day with McDougall food (even a LOT of it) instead of SAD junk food, is a day you've learned something and strengthened the good habits a bit more. (And when you mess up and eat something that isn't good for you, you can make a learning experience from that, and try to figure out WHY you DID that, and what you could do next time to keep yourself on track.) May I add, it helps to have a household stocked with healthy McDougall-style foods and a few compliant restaurants identified. Nothing foils your diet faster then to open the door to find an empty refrigerator. With a little planning, you will eat until you’re fully satisfied, be healthy and trim, and never feel guilty again. If you’re looking for help, spend some time on my discussion board at www.drmcdougall.com. You will meet knowledgeable people who care and will help you get started and through the tough times. In no time you will become a “Star McDougaller” and a person helping others." Eat well, row often, and prosper. Mike

[old] soundave · Post by **[old] soundave** » February 21st, 2006, 9:37 am

Just some thoughts on my own experience... I may not know the science behind it, but I can tell you what I've observed. I hope it's worth something! I started WW points at the beginning of January, and I coupled it with rowing. I haven't been this active since, probably late 2000. I'm a 31 year-old 6'1" male, and I've done WW before. In six weeks, I've lost a ridiculous 22 pounds (from 234.5 to 212.5). I'm trying to get down to about 185. I feel like the people in those ads who have the "results not typical" disclaimer running below them. It's weird. I've never lost like this before. I've had to modify my WW so I actually SLOW DOWN my weight loss. For me, it's kind of a cool problem to have. Here's what I've done and what I've noticed: 1. When I'm feeling hungry and I don't have points to spare, I drink water. When I do have a few points, I try to maximize them with foods that take a while to eat. The classic choice is 94% fat free popcorn. A whole bag is only 4 points, and that's a lot of munching. 2. High fiber foods. They're lower point and fill you up more. The Kashi cereals are a great way to start the day, and they have pretty high protein, too, which is nice. 3. Know thyself. For me and my wife, a day is not complete without a dessert of some sort. We're from New England and are thus ice cream freaks. We could eat it every day (and almost do). You have to address this. If you simply deny yourself, you're going to give in at some point. Remember that you're trying to make a sustainable life change, here. So, if you like desserts like I do, or some other sinful indulgence, factor that in to your points and eat smart. I don't need a mound of ice cream. A Skinny Cow (2 or 3 ponts depending which) is usually enough. Or the Edy's slow churned vanilla ice cream is only 1 point per 1/4 cup. A cup of ice cream for 4 points is pretty good. 4. I did Body-For-Life back in 2000, and it really worked, but it just wasn't sustainable for me (and I'm not sure how it can be for most anyone, actually). One of the things that I've sort of unscientifically blended with WW is the concept of the Free Day. On BFL, one day a week you eat as much of whatever you like all day long: Big Macs, ice cream, hot dogs, fried food, whatever. When you first start, the free days are totally overboard. By the time you're 12 weeks in, you typically rein it in a bit. You realize how terrible eating poorly makes you feel. But... there's a weight loss benefit to indulging yourself once a week. Mentally, you know that you're not giving up pepperoni pizza or burrito supremes forever. Just until, say, Saturday. I save my Flex Points up for basically one meal. I don't do a whole day, because I can handle having normal breakfast and lunch. But then I eat whatever I want and consider that I have the rest of that day's points PLUS the 35 flex points (and usually activity points, too). For me, that's like 48 points for one meal. So, I don't even try to count it. I've also read that your body can go into "famine-mode" if you don't occasionally give it some excess. I don't know or understand the science of this. I read it in regard to weight lifters who will ocassionally go on binges to improve performance. Weird, but I can sort of see it. Your body's metabolism is somehow affected... I guess. Anyway, for me, the psychological effect is strong. 5. Another BFL trick for people who want to lose weight more quickly: morning workouts. Then put off eating for a bit after. Apparently, when you sleep, your metabolism actually picks up a bit (all that repair work and such), and you can hitch a ride on that higher metabolism to burn more. Plus, you also have a higher metabolism after working out. It's not like your body just goes back to resting state rates immediately when you finish a workout. It takes time to wind down. Use that to your advantage and put off breakfast for 15 to 20 minutes if you can. 6. Obviously weigh yourself at the same time every week only once a week. Body weight fluctuates throughout the day, and you want as true a measure as you can get of how you're doing. You weigh the least in the morning. I always have my "free day" the day of or after weigh in. That way, even if I do go overboard, my body has time to recover until the next weigh in. 7. Find a good recipe book with nutritional info. We've been making a lot of slow cooker recipes, which are low in fat, and the book has all the nutrional info for every recipe. It makes things a lot easier. The WW recipe books are good, too. 8. Put those rowing hours in! I'm doing the Pete Plan (do a search on this forum and you should find it), and it's working great. I have a long term goal of competing in the 2007 Crash-B's, and that helps me stay on track. Yes, I'm rowing nearly an hour a day, and maybe that's not feasible for many folks, but the longer you row, the more the weight will melt off. So, after 6 weeks I've dropped 22 pounds. Something is working, I'd say. I know men have an easier time of it than women for some biological reason I don't understand. My wife and I are living proof of this. I probably still need to tweak this so I don't have another 6.5 pound loss in one week (it kind of scared me). But here's the thing: I don't feel that hungry and I don't feel like I'm denying myself, either. Good luck to everyone out there!

[old] deppe4 · Post by **[old] deppe4** » February 23rd, 2006, 5:35 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(soundave @ Feb 21 2006, 07:37 AM) </div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Just some thoughts on my own experience... I may not know the science behind it, but I can tell you what I've observed. I hope it's worth something! Good luck to everyone out there! </td></tr></table> This is my first time on Weight Watchers and I just started week 3 - as of today I've lost 7lbs using the Flex Point plan. Soundwave makes alot of great points. I've a high fiber cereal suggestion if like me Kashi doesn't agree with the palette, Optimal Fiber Plus, which my doctor recommended to me. It tastes great and keeps me satisfied until lunchtime. Another thing that may help people using the Flex Point Plan is to well plan your meals ahead of time. I grocery shop once a week. So I make out a menu plan for every meal for 6 days including snacks. [An aside: I eat the same meals I did before (just portioned controlled) plus I've tried the WW recipes and the ones I've tried so far are really good.] Once I have my meals in place then I add up all my points. If I have more then 6 left over I'll add either another snack, a different snack, or put cheese on my sandwich - well you get the idea. The point is I "eat" all of my daily and weekly flex points, and I plan on eating my activity points too

If you don't "eat" your points then you're running the risk of your body storing everything you eat because it thinks it's being starved. Another aside is - I keep lots of no point foods around, for me its carrots and pickles. Anyways, just my added two cents. deppe4

[old] Steelhead · Post by **[old] Steelhead** » February 25th, 2006, 8:41 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(deppe4 @ Feb 23 2006, 01:35 PM) </div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> This is my first time on Weight Watchers and I just started week 3 - as of today I've lost 7lbs using the Flex Point plan. Soundwave makes alot of great points. I've a high fiber cereal suggestion if like me Kashi doesn't agree with the palette, Optimal Fiber Plus, which my doctor recommended to me. It tastes great and keeps me satisfied until lunchtime. Another thing that may help people using the Flex Point Plan is to well plan your meals ahead of time. I grocery shop once a week. So I make out a menu plan for every meal for 6 days including snacks. [An aside: I eat the same meals I did before (just portioned controlled) plus I've tried the WW recipes and the ones I've tried so far are really good.] Once I have my meals in place then I add up all my points. If I have more then 6 left over I'll add either another snack, a different snack, or put cheese on my sandwich - well you get the idea. The point is I "eat" all of my daily and weekly flex points, and I plan on eating my activity points too

If you don't "eat" your points then you're running the risk of your body storing everything you eat because it thinks it's being starved. Another aside is - I keep lots of no point foods around, for me its carrots and pickles. Anyways, just my added two cents. deppe4 </td></tr></table> For example, this afternoon I had three servings of whole wheat spaghetti with a vegetable sauce and three peppers (a red one, an orange, one and a yellow one) sliced up and eaten raw (instead of garlic bread). The WW Flex Plan points were 9. And I was so stuffed I couldn't eat anything after that. This is my big meal for the day. In addition, I'll have some more vegetables, and some fruit. The fruit will be three cups of blue berries and an apple in a smoothie (5 WW pts), after I row I have a banana (3 points). I use the WW Core plan, modified by the research in the China Study, by Campbell (whole foods, plant based), so I don't have to count points, but I still do from time to time just to see what is going on (like with the spaghetti today (first time)): 570 calories in the whole wheat and then whatever the vegetables (the sauce is zero points too -- no oil in it; just vegetables). By the time I reach my point limit, by eating the no fat, high fibre, foods, I can't eat anything more -- but it helps if you like vegetables: e.g., steamed brocolli (5 cups) is zero points (and you can add a zero point tomato based sauce or salsa if you want), so is a vegetable soup with a vegetable broth base (zero points -- use the kind without oil) crammed with all kinds of vegetables. Blah, blah, blah. BTW, I cycled for 90 minutes and rowed 10K before I ate the spaghetti so basically calorie-wise, it was a wash or a negative, which is the point right? Row on, Mike

[old] billandmargaret · Post by **[old] billandmargaret** » March 4th, 2006, 1:32 am

Scanned this forum with interest. I lost weight successfully and painlessly (11 pounds over 3 months) following a macrobiotic diet. Those are the only pounds I've lost that don't keep coming back. Like the McDougal Plan, it emphasized whole grain rather than flour, and about 50% of each meal coming from starch, 30% from vegetables, and limited fruit consumption. Unlike McDougal, it was vegan except for fish. I preferred estimating relative portions to counting calories, and it left me free to eat to satisfaction rather than "by the book." Also, it encouraged restrained use of oil, not total elimination. I felt satisfied and mostly snacked on popcorn when hungry. I didn't stick with macrobiotics because my husband found it too limiting and I was unwilling to cook & eat separate foods. I've experimented with other diet modifications but haven't found anything that keeps the weight off as permanently. I'm trying to figure out how to modify the macrobiotic diet enough to keep everyone in the family happy, as I still hope to lose another 10 to 20 pounds. Calorie counting works but I gain the weight back the moment I slip up on that, plus some. I've experimented with varying my caloric intake to offset binges, but haven't found a satisfactory solution yet. I love bread but am striving to use that as something of a "condiment" to the meal, with a water-rich cooked grain alternative at most meals (oatmeal, cornmeal, rice, pasta...) which fills me up more quickly. I'm trying to find the right balance on the vegies: I like them, and they are satisfying in combination with whole grains, but trying to use them for 50% of my food or more seems expensive and probably nutrtitionally excessive from a historical viewpoint. Thanks for the informative forum. Margaret

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