Primal vs. McDougall diet page

[Violette_R]

Earlier this morning I remembered my misguided experiment with the McDougall Diet, circa 2004. I identified three ways is which McDougall is the polar opposite of primal:

1) the focus is on almost zero-fat meals made up of grains and produce

2) the food tastes like ass

3) it doesn't work.



He claims his diet is great because you can eat all you want. All-you-can-eat bare brown rice and cabbage with nothing on it? What was I thinking?

[Darz]

What was I thinking?

I have no idea.

[calee]

I did McDougal for 9 years with no added sugar products and no flour products. I was still fat. Even with 1 hour walking daily and limited calories to under 1200. That was from 1989-1997. Its still possible to overeat. It definitely didn't help my metabolism.

Raw vegan for another 3 years. Lots of fruit. I'm a sugar junkie so it seemed like a legitimate way to get in sugar. Messed up thinking! Still fat.

I much prefer Bacon! I wouldn't go back. Eating fat, not so fat anymore. Love PB.

[Beachgirl]

calee,
Aren't you feeling so much better now? I know I am. You did it for 9 years????? Girlfriend, you were good. I tried it too, but couldn't last. I was constantiy hungry and unsatisfied. I have never been hungry with primal. Also, with McDougall I was always thinking about my next meal. I messed up my digestion, too.
Violette,
How long did you McDougall?

[ShannonCC]

I also did McDougall. The food was not as good that's for sure. I have to say though, I felt amazing on that diet. It was not something I could maintain though and I gave it up after just a year. I definitely felt deprived. And I do think I would have had problems if I had kept it up long term but for that brief time, I felt really, really good. I don't know why.

I now know I am gluten intolerant so maybe eating less refined bread products was what it was? Or maybe just cutting out the junk? Or maybe eating way more vegetables than I had been before? I don't know.

I don't think it's a healthy diet anymore, but given how great I felt on it, I find it hard to diss it completely.

I wish I had discovered paleo back then though. How much easier things would have been if I had started eating this way when I was still in my 20's, before some issues got really bad. It's more of an uphill battle now.

[Beachgirl]

ShannonCC, How long have you been primal now?

[Drumroll]

What was I thinking?

That's easy. You weren't.

[Violette_R]

How long did you McDougall?

LOL, about two weeks. The food was AWFUL. Completely inpalatable.

[Violette_R]

That's easy. You weren't.

He got me with the "you can eat all you want" hook. My binge eating disorder was about the worst it ever was at that point in my life. The thing is, nobody binges on lettuce or potatoes with no fat. (I never did, anyway.)

[ShannonCC]

Beachgirl, I've been off the grains for two years now, which seems to be the biggest health gain for me and my digestive issues. But at this point in my life my problems had gotten bad enough that I can't seem to kick sugar, so I go off and on and off and on that. It might have been easier if I'd don this earlier but oh well, I'll never know now (unless we invent time travel ) But right now I am primal and off sugar (not paleo though because I'm eating dairy).