For people who want to lose weight as well as be healthy, Dr. McDougall devised a plan based on his regular very low fat vegan food plan but is even more exclusive. By avoiding even more food types that are heavy in less-nutritious calories and concentrating more on other foods, weight loss will come swifter than with following the regular McDougall Plan.
According to Dr. John McDougall in his book: The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss, the following foods can be eaten to hunger; that is, eat all of these that you want with no portion or size restrictions, except as noted for fruit. The idea behind this is, all of these are healthy foods needed by the body, and as the body adjusts to the new way of eating it will naturally lose the excess weight put on it by eating the SAD - Standard American Diet. As for the fruit, too much of even this natural sweet food will raise triglyceride levels.
Foods that ARE Allowed
Whole grains and whole-grain cereals
brown rice
basmati rice
corn
oatmeal
kasha
barley
millet
wheat berries
packaged grain cereals, puffed grains, and other healthful cereals
Legumes
peas (green, yellow, split peas & black-eyed peas)
string beans
other beans (chick peas, black, lentils, navy, etc.)
NOTE: In later books he says to restrict these to no more than one cup a day because of the high protein counts.
Green and yellow vegetables
broccoli
kale
cabbage
carrots
cauliflower
asparagus
tomato (technically a fruit but counted here as a vegetable)
collard greens
lettuce - all types
celery
Fruit
all types allowed, but only 2 servings a day
Salt, simple sugars, and spices used sparingly at the table, not in cooking
Miscellaneous
Barbecue sauce
Low sodium soy sauce
Rice milk - fat free
Fat free salad dressings
Vinegars - plain, cider, balsamic, red wine
Mustard - all types
Salsa
Ketchup - low sodium variety
Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce (usually found in health food stores and some supermarkets)
Seltzer water - salt free
Herbal teas - NOT the weight-loss or licorice types
Popcorn - microwave types should be low salt, natural, NO butter variety
Air-popped popcorn
Rice cakes - watch for hidden fat, avoid the cheese and highly flavored varieties (read labels)
Canned or jarred tomatoes and tomato products - low salt/salt free
Horseradish
Tabasco and other hot sauces
Steak sauce
Braggs Liquid Aminos (great on popcorn)
All salt-free seasoning & seasoning mixes
Coffee substitutes, such as Potsum, Pero, Cafix
But remember, not everything on this list is allowed on the Maximum Weight Loss Plan, just the regular McDougall Plan. None of the breads, pastas, or other products made with flour are allowed.
Foods That ARE NOT Allowed
All red meat
beef
pork
lamb
deer
rabbit
Poultry
chicken
turkey
duck
goose
Fish
all types of fish and shellfish
Fats and Oils
olive oil
safflower oil
peanut oil
vegetable oils
butter
margarine
peanut butter
lard
vegetable shortenings for baking
Eggs
all eggs, including liquid egg whites
Miscellaneous
Nuts
seeds
avocados
olives
soybean products - including tofu, soy milk, and soy cheeses
Fruit Products
all dried fruits and fruit juices
Flour & Flour Products
couscous (Dr. McDougall has said including it in the allowable
foods list in the early editions of his book was a mistake)
bread
bagels
waffles
pancakes
pita pockets
pretzels
But Wait! That's Not All!
Other Points about the MWLP
Amounts
Eat as much as you want of the foods listed above. The point is to not be hungry, because when hungry you'll seek out foods not on the list and binge on unhealthy or calorie-laden foods. By eating all you want of the allowable foods, the weight should still fall off at a rate of 10 to 15 pounds a month until the body reaches its normal weight. At that point weight will stabalize and you can switch from the Maximum Weight Loss Program to the regular McDougall Program foods.
Grazing
Try to eat something allowable every hour or two. This will keep your blood sugar and insulin levels stable and result in more efficient utilizations of the foods you eat and reduction in weight.
Proportions
On this program, try to keep the proportion of starchy vegetable to green/yellow vegetables at about 3:1 for your meals. The green/yellow vegetables have less calories and are better for filling your stomach and making you feel full. If you find the weight isn't coming off as quickly as you want, then increase the portions of the green/yellow vegetables up to half the meal, but don't try to lose more than 15 pounds in a month.
Water
Unlike other diet programs that insist the more you drink the faster the weight will come off, the McDougall Plan doesn't feel that it is necessary to drink more than eight, 8 ounce glasses of water a day. Most other food plans are higher in protein, higher than the body needs, and by drinking excessive amounts of water it helps the kidneys flush that excess protein out. Since all McDougall programs are lower in protein, that's not necessary.
Also, excessive amounts of water may interfere with the body's natural hunger signals. Since you're allowed to eat all you want of allowable foods, there's no need to fool your body into thinking it's already eaten by drinking excessive amounts of water. All that water drunk during and after a meal also has the disadvantage of washing out of the stomach the foods you just ate, speeding digestion and increasing the natural absorption of nutrients from your food. With the stomach being emptied of the filling, high fiber foods that are found in this food plan, you'll be hungry again in a shorter amount of time.
Exercise
Yes, you still need it, but like water, not in excessive amounts. Dr. McDougall says moderate amounts of exercise are necessary for all people, not just those on a weight loss program. Walking , swimming, and most athletics offer good amounts of aerobic activity, as long as it is done for about a half hour 3 to 5 times a week.
NOTE: In the free booklet sent to new subscribers of his newsletter he says that we should walk 4-6 times a week, minimum of 30 minutes each session. Also to add two 15-minute sessions of weight training each week.
Exercising before meals may help decrease appetites, studies have shown. At most, eat a light snack before strenuous activities, and keep hydrated.
Weight training, even with light weights, will help increase bone density and increase strength and flexibility for all age groups.
Increase your general activity level - park the car further away, use the stairs instead of the elevator, go dancing or other activities instead of watching tv or surfing the Internet.
Keep a journal of your exercise program and weight loss achievements. As you read it over you can see your strengths and weaknesses and have a nice record of your progress to reflect back on.
Bad Habits
Caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and diet drugs or illegal drugs of all kinds all have no place in a weight loss program nor ar part of a healthy life style. Everyone knows the usual arguments against them, and the dangers of diet drugs, even the herbal kinds, have recently been brought to light. Please get yourself out of these addictions by any means effective you you, personally. Ask your doctor for assistance.
Support
OK, this is my addition, not Dr. McDougall's, but it's important for any major life changes or weight loss plan. Join up with other like-minded individuals who have the same goals. National programs like Weight Watchers can help, as long as you bend their food plan to MWLP standards. Service groups like Overeaters Anonymous helps others. In the technology age we now live in, the Internet is the source of many, varied support groups. On Yahoo alone there are a few McDougall based mailing lists like McDougall 12 Day,
Maximum Weight Loss Program, and on the official McDougall site there's a message board for the exchange of support and recipes.
21-Oct-06
The url for this page is http://members.tripod.com/~susang2/mwlp.htm
This web site is NOT affiliated with Dr. John McDougall in ANY way. The webmaster is just a (mostly) loyal follower of the Program.
