New to McDougall, need help

[vintagemother]

Hello Everyone,

I have been following the diet plan for 2 days and felt pretty good the 1st day. I feel pretty awful today. I'm not sure if it's diet related or not. I;ve been under a little bit of stress lately and feeling tired for about 2 weeks prior to this. I feel like I'm going through a "detox" and wonder if it's normal. I haven't read about that with Mcdougall, so I wanted some input.

I also wondered if I'm not eating the right combinations of foods.
Today:
Brown rice with no salt seasoning and raw soy sauce X 3
Kindey beans with no salt seasonings X 2
Smoothie with banana and mixed greens - collards, kale, spinach
Store bought orange, banana, mango juice
green tea with 1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup coffee with splash of rice milk and 1 tsp sugar

I don't know if it matters, I'm 5ft2in and weigh 160. I lost about 25 lbs 2 years ago. I've been transitioning to a vegan diet for the last 6 months or so and believe that this diet plan is what will help me lose the remaining weight.

For me, the only difference between my regular eating plan and the McDougall plan is limiting my fat and not "cheating" with occasional meat.
I used to eat a lot of "healthy fat" nuts, pnut butter, tofu, olive oil, soy beans and soy products.

Thank you for you help,

Meredith

[talkingmountain]

Hi Meredith and welcome!

It did not happen to me, but I have heard many people say that they went through a few days of feeling poorly, and they call it just what you did -- a "detox" period.

It looks like you might do better with a little less simple sugars and more "unprocessed" fiber, though I'm NOT a nutritionist or anything. Perhaps you could switch from fruit juice to whole fruit, and eat a salad instead of a smoothie? That would slow down the rate at which the food is digested, I think.

Also, are you sure you're eating enough? You didn't mention quantities but for some reason it doesn't sound like you eat much... so perhaps you are just a little hungry or hypoglycemic?

Good luck!

[Faith in DC]

I agree with Moutain, you do need to clean it up. The beans, you aren't saying how many, but it's a cup a day. They are high in protein.

Reading the why behind his program really helps and really reinforces why he makes the suggestions he does. I encourage you to get either 12 Day, Plan, for Maximum Weight Loss book and read it.

No added fat. That means, read labels. Keep natural fats for special events or until you have reached good health and weight. This goes for tofu also. He does have free newsletters, and has his back issues. Those would be a good free place to start.

Welcome aboard, too. The detox is normal for folks. You're going to experience some ill affects when you start coming off some of what you are still consuming too.

don't be afraid of mixing up the starches either. Get those veggies in.

[vintagemother]

Thanks so much for the tips.
I think that I was maybe going through a caffeine withdrawl yesterday.
I feel absolutely great today. I really am glad I didn't cave in and assume that I was sick due to a lack of fat.

BTW: My smoothies are homemade. I *love* my blendtec. My "smoothies" are just 1/2 banana, a handfulof spinach and ice. I know McDouagal says that grinding things makes our body absorb them faster, though so I'm trying to do less.

Thanks for the tip about the beans.

I did add more veggies today - I made a variety of the green potatoe soup for dinner. yumm!

I really like this diet sooooo much! I've lost 3 lbs in 3 days.

Again, thank for your replies and tips!

[Faith in DC]

oh good, your coffee and tea was decaf. I wasn't sure. You are lucky that the headache didn't last longer. Excellent on cooking soup (should give you a couple meals) and veggies. It's fun to tinker with the program while you are learning and finding foods that you like. soon everything becomes pretty normal and a no brainer.