Insanely hungry on MWL!!

[ThatGirl156]

I posted this in the lounge before I realized there was an MWL forum, so I figured I should post it here too.

I introduced myself on the no0bies forum about three weeks ago...
http://drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11802

Anyhow, I finally made the plunge and today is my frist day on the plan... the MWL plan to be exact.

I was wondering if anyone else experienced insane hunger when they first started on the program... or if maybe I'm doing something wrong.

I had 1/2 cup of oatmeal with 1/2 a banana and 4 small strawberries for breakfast, I had a peach for a snack, and for lunch I just ate MORE than 1/2 of a recipe in the MWL book that is supposed to make 4 servings.

What the heck is wrong with me? How can I STILL be hungry after having almost 3 servings of food?

[Ege Bamyasi]

If you are making these MWL recipes as stated and not cheating with any added oil or anything, the whole point is to eat until you are satisfied. What you described in your post really isn't a lot of food, or a lot of calories. I'm only eating MWL about 75% of the time, but sticking to the regular plan almost 100% of the time. Even so, as big as I am and as hearty as my appetite can get, I have a hard time exceeding 1,500 calories per day eating this way. My average is closer to 1,200 and the benefits are already showing up on my scale.

If you make a vegetable/potato soup and don't add any legumes, you could eat a family size crock pot full of that and probably not get 1,000 calories. There's no shame in having that much of a low-fat, low-calorie soup or any other MWL recipe. The whole point to this is to eat until you're happy and still regain your health and appearance. Don't starve yourself and have fun!

[Letha.]

I agree with Ege Bamyasi. If you’re hungry then eat some more on plan food. I’ve been on and off plan repeatedly. The first month I never feel satisfied, no matter how much I eat. In the second month I start out feeling satisfied with a large amount of food and then by the end of the second month I start to feel satisfied with a reasonable portion of food. For me it’s a transition period. For an easier transition you might want to try a month on the regular plan or mix it up and do the regular plan on weekends and MWL plan on weekdays until you get through the transition period. Best wishes.
Letha

[Riceypuffcake]

for the first 6 months or so i just tried to be a vegan. I didn't push myself too hard to be MWL. I am now trying to be MWL as of about a week. The transition to vegan wasn't as hard as I thought it would be since there are so many alternative foods to meat and cheese. But now i am eating more and more veggies and fruit. I am struggling to stay off of the breads and soy products. I am still enjoying some lite soy milk. But not everyday. This is going to be a learning process for me for some time to come

[ThatGirl156]

Thank you, to all three of you.

Your advice makes sense, and I do feel somewhat better knowing that I'm not the only one who felt like she was eating an insane amount of food at first. I guess it is hard to shake of the diet = deprivation mentality. I know this isn't a diet, but because it is going to help me lose weight, I can't help but think of it as a diet in some ways.

I have been a vegetarian for quite some time, and an on-again, off-again vegan too. So making the leap wasn't that far of a stretch for me. It just meant leaving out the processed foods as well as oils, avocado (which I LOOOOOVE), seeds, and other high fat stuff.

[Vanilla Orchid]

Are you actually hungry, or do you just want more to eat? The reason I ask is that I am so rarely hungry that I almost forgot what hunger feels like. If you are actually feeling physically hungry and eating on plan, then you need to keep on eating until you are no longer feeling hungry. That does not necessarily mean you won't still want to eat for other non-hunger reasons, and if you do, then you need to ask yourself what you really need, because it's not food, but something else, and address that.

How? That's a whole other topic, and nobody asked that, so I won't go off on it. It's been a huge problem for me. There is an old but very good book out called Thin Within and I found that very helpful. I can't recall who wrote it. Some years after it was published the writers re-thought the topic and added a religious demention to their and started holding seminars. That was a turn-off for me, but might have been helpful for others. Anyway, the book is widely available used in paperback, and worth the read.

[ThatGirl156]

Hi Vanilla Orchid,

Thank you for your thoughtful and insightful response.

I am now at the point where I rarely feel hunger... I've only been eating this way for a week, but I generally go about 6 hours without food now before I realize that I'm hungry.

I'm am significantly less tempted to eat for reasons other than hunger on this plan, because my food is actually fueling my body now, instead of soothing my emotions, like the fatty and/or sugary food did.

Emotional eating and eating out of boredom have always been big problems for me, but I feel like this diet has helped alleviate a lot of that.

I am going to look into that book you metioned. Thank you very much.

[Malva]

Does that make sense?
Eat to satisfy your hunger, rather than your appetite.
If you find you are eating when you are not hungry, then there's a problem.
But if you are truly hungry, eat until you are not hungry.
If that means lots of little meals, or three huge ones.

I eat the 3 big meals, and everyone is always shocked at how much I eat (because I'm so little).
I went on MWL over 4 years ago, lost the weight, and kept it off by eating until I was satisfied.

I'm 55, and just had some major surgery.
3 weeks of no activity.
You'd think I'd have gained weight. But I haven't.

Hang in there. When it becomes "normal" for you to eat the way you do, then your body will have adjusted and you'll find that you are satisfied more readily.

[Chumly]

Here is a rough estimate of the calories of your breakfast and snack:
oatmeal: 75
banana: 50
strawberries: 25
peach: 40

That's a total of 190 calories. You should be hungry after such a light breakfast. I would eat at least twice that for breakfast, maybe 3 times.

Michael

[txjack]

That's a total of 190 calories. You should be hungry after such a light breakfast. I would eat at least twice that for breakfast, maybe 3 times.

Michael

Amen!!

I started going to a gym and working out, daily to every other day. That has brought my appetite much under control. However, when hunger strikes, I am HUNGRY WITH A VENGENCE. I stick with MWL approved foods for snacks, and particularly like an independent company's (no sugar) shredded wheat squares, that is MWL acceptable. I go through a box in about a week and a half. (can't remember the name)

I had an unexpected weight jump about 3 weeks ago. I stayed pretty much there for a couple weeks, but have now started dropping again. I am looking forward to a decent weigh in tomorrow. In fact, I am at a decades ago weight.

Good luck with the hunger. Like the others have said -- this is a lifestyle, not a diet. Eat until you are satisfied, just watch out that you don't eat too much that you feel uncomfortable. It's easy to do when you are unlimited in your choices.