There have been changes to the MWL program since the original book was published. It was updated 10 years later in the 2005 newsletter and we’ve now condensed it to the 10 pt check list.
Here is a link to the January 2005 McDougall newsletter where Dr McDougall discusses the Maximum Weight Loss (MWL) program. This newsletter was published about 10-11 years after the original MWL book and after holding actual MWL programs at the McDougall center.
https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl ... ushing.htmIn it, he discusses 12
"Refinements for Maximum Weight Loss" that
"Are the Measures Taken to Emphasize Weight Loss" and describes each tip, listing the Program Protocol and Practical Tips for Home Compliance for each one. They are virtually in agreement with my principles of calorie density.
1) Thrive on Unrefined Starch
2) Avoid Refined Foods and Flours
3) Eat Green and Yellow Vegetables
4) Eat more raw foods
5) Avoid All High-Fat Plant Foods
6) Avoid Sugar
7) Minimize Fruits
8 ) Eat Slowly and Frequently
9) Keep Your Meals Simple (Monotonous)
10) Lower Salt Intake
11) Its Okay to Be Hungry
12) Exercise
The 2 main changes are we don’t recommend tortilla’s, air-popped popcorn or puffed grains anymore for MWL due to their higher calorie density and we do allow for whole grain pastas due to their lower calorie density.
Sometimes we run into people who are volume eaters. In regard to this issue, Dr McDougall discussed, "How to Help the Volume Eater" in the November 2005 McDougall newsletter
https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl ... 100vol.htmI recommend anyone struggling with their weight to read the above two newsletters.
The recommendations of Dr McDougall and myself come from not only a thorough review and understanding of the scientific literature on these issues, but also from decades of clinical experience working with clients in a closed residential setting.
However, in the last few years, people have come up with their own personal ways to improve the MWL program ("hacks"), usually based on their own short term experience or a “N of 1.” Most often, they do not have the understanding of the literature or the longterm clinical experience we do. In addition, we are not interested in promoting "hacks" to the MWL to produce short term results that will be unsustainable for most people. As Dr McDougall always says at the program, we are not here for instant results, we are here to get you to like the food and teach you a sustainable program. We could easily serve you an all (or mostly) vegetable diet and you would have better initial short-term results but it will be unsustainable. As Dr Lisle says, be the tortoise, not the hare.
It is important to realize that any "hacks" to the MWL that are not in the above newsletters, or that do not come directly from Dr McDougall or myself, are not part of the MWL program, nor do we recommend them.
As Dr McDougall said in a recent newsletter...
https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2017nl/jul/simple.htm"many popular healthcare "gurus" have had no formal education in the potentially life-threatening matters of your health. Almost as troubling are the credentialed healthcare/diet advisors who provide advice based solely on reading other people's research articles. The relevance of their guidance must be placed in the context that many of them haven't touched a patient since their primary dietetic or medical training."People will often say, I was doing the MWL program but it wasn't working till I also did "X," to which they are often unaware that "X" Is already a part of the MWL program. On the other hand, people will often say they are following the MWL program and doing "Y" but they are unaware that "Y" is not part of the MWL program nor recommended.
Before making any "hacks" to the MWL program, we recommend you give the MWL program with the refinements mentioned above a fair and honest chance. If you are having difficulty, then join the weekly weigh-in group and/or contact us directly.
Here are a few of the "hacks" people make that are not recommended. None of these are new. All have been around for a long time and seem to get recycled every few years
- A predominately raw food diet
- Eating only raw foods till 4 PM
- Intermittent fasting
- Restricted feeding window
- Extended fasts to lose weight
- Smoothies
- Juicing
- Basing their diet on non-starchy vegetables
- Eating only foods low in the GI/GL
- Not including starch at each meal.
- Delaying the starch component of a meal.
- Eating only fruit for breakfast
- Eating only non-starchy vegetables for breakfast
- Excessive or extreme exercise
- Food Combining
- Meal Replacements
- Supplements
- SOS free diet
In regard to added salt and added sugar, we recommend buying and preparing food without either and if any are to be used, to add them at the table on the surface of the food. If either one is troublesome and create uncontrollable cravings for you, then leave them out.
While anecdotal stories are interesting, and you can always find them for almost any intervention, that is not why we are here or what our programs are based on. If we go by anecdotal evidence, we open a huge door that we don't really want to because then why not believe anyone with any anecdotical stories and testimonials regardless if they are doing any of the "hacks" listed above or if they are doing Paleo, Atkins, Weight Watchers, etc.
We are here because we are an evidence & science based program.
In Health
Jeff