Why I Quit Plant-Based "Programs"

 

A few years ago I tried the McDougall Maximum Weight Loss Program. It is a starch-centered plant-based diet. I was very overweight and needed to lose 100 lbs. I lost 35 lbs. on it, but it was not only hard work, it was BORING with a capital “B.” Almost every meal was the same old thing. Rice, potatoes or beans with a few vegetables. When I tried the less restrictive form of the program I began to gain weight again. I searched for other ways to lose weight, but nothing seemed to work. In fact I kept gaining and eventually re-gained the 35 lbs. I had lost. I tried the Eat to Live program and liked it, but it too was very restrictive. I’ve also stopped going on message boards hosted by various diet doctors. While I respect the doctors who host them, many of their adherents tend to be fanatical and that comes through as judgmental towards other members of the message board. If you don’t follow the rules you are in for it. Some say you have to eat starch at every meal, while others say to avoid starchy foods. Some say don’t drink fruit smoothies, while others say you can have as many smoothies as you like. Some say not to eat nuts, while others say eat nuts every day. Some allow juice, while others say drinking juice is bad for you. Some say no snacking between meals while others say eat as much as you want including snacks.  It can get confusing and drive you crazy. Finally I said to heck with "rules oriented" weight loss programs.

As I said in a previous post on my blog, I'm not searching for a silver bullet, but for a middle ground. I finally have found it and it’s so simple anyone can do it. I simply follow a plant-based diet with no junk food or fast food and minimal packaged food. There are no food lists to follow, no off-limits plant foods and no “plan” to adhere to. I eat rice and potatoes when I want to, but if I don’t feel like having them I don’t. Same with bread and pasta. If I feel like eating a lot of fruit or having smoothies every morning I do. I don’t like oatmeal, so I don’t eat it. I also don’t like quinoa so I never buy it. I love veggies, so I eat a LOT of them. However I don’t like having a salad with every meal, so I don’t. As far as hard to find things like goji berries, pomegranates or fresh figs--forget about it. 

I have gleaned a lot of information from the diet programs I’ve tried and incorporate some of the information into the way I eat now. However for me anyway, trying to adhere to a strict program doesn’t work