The Starch Solution

I finished "The Starch Solution" by John A. McDougall M.D. I just got it from the library and most of the book is a rundown on the scientific evidence behind why we should be eating a plant-based diet. At the end it runs into the foods we should be eating more of and a recipe to kickstart the lifestyle. There are plenty of links on the website to for recipes etc. I've been gaining weight for a while. Well, let me back up. I've yo-yo'd since I was a teenager and have had times of more physical activity and times where I let it slip a bit but I never changed what I ate too much (except for going vegan in 2010 and being gluten free since 1997). I always relied on the physical activity to keep the weight off. After I had my son the weight was hard to shift, I gained an extra 20+lbs during pregnancy and although some came off slowly after just naturally, I then stagnated and knew I was going to have to make the effort. It's been four years since then and I started running and weight training and then was in a car accident which left me with two herniated discs and a lot of back pain. Unable to run anymore I had to find another solution. Walking was one. When I was in my 30's I walked to work in Sydney everyday giving me an hour or two of good walking 5 times a week.

Exercise is only a small part of the equation, maybe 20%. Diet & nutrition is key! Eating a vegan and gluten free diet I always assumed my diet was pretty healthy but since moving to the USA not only was I not getting the walking everyday I also then had a kid which left a time issue where it was hard to find time to exercise. I also fell into the trap of vegan process food which is obviously not ideal. Then of course there's alcohol...hey I'm Australian, drinking is a way of life there! So this is where I am now and I really want to hold myself accountable and change for the better.

I was all set to start a rigorous vegan keto regime over the summer when I saw someone post something about The Starch Solution so I thought I'd give it a go. I got it from the library on audio so just listened through my phone as I did chores around the house. Dr Dougall advocates a life WITH starches! Potatoes, brown rice, sweet potato are all encouraged! It's basically about a whole food diet with starch as the main part. Obviously with the information we're used to hearing this sounds ludicrous but here they were - the Star McDougallers with their success stories. And frankly this was so much less restricting than vegan keto. This I could live by the rest of my days and not have to make separate meals for my family. At this same time I'd had a cousin who had lost a ton of weight and when I asked her about it she said "I didn't exercise, I just gave up foods that made me feel like crap and had to give up alcohol". And so I thought "if she can give up alcohol so can I". I think I knew alcohol was a big factor in my weight gain but I enjoyed it so I didn't want to give it up. I realised I was at a crossroad right now, you can choose alcohol and processed foods or you can rethink how you look at health and get the body you want back. So I thought it can't hurt to try? I started in the Summer with the cleanse and then follow his regular recipes through till December which is my birthday and Xmas so I'd be able to drink again (in moderation and for certain occasions, not every night or so).

So what's allowed/not allowed in the McDougall program? By the way his website linked at the top has a ton of free recipe book downloads as well. Here's a link to the Starch Staples and Fruit/Veg he advocates. Basically natural starches make you feel satisfied and full plus they give you lasting energy. Keep it whole food based and it's hard to go wrong although he does allow certain processed items like some flours. Similar I'm guessing the Daniel Fast which I had done previously but not lost the weight I was hoping to. To make it easy, here's what NOT to eat...

Don’t Eat:	Possible substitutes:
Cow’s Milk (for cereal or cooking)	Lowfat soy milk, rice milk, fruit juice, water, use extra when cooking hot cereal or pour over cold cereal
Cow’s Milk (as beverage)	None; drink water, juice, herb tea, or cereal beverages
Butter	None
Cheese	None; after 12 days you may substitute soy- and nut-based cheeses
Cottage cheese	None; after 12 days you may substitute crumbled tofu
Yogurt	None
Sour cream	None
Ice cream	Pure fruit sorbet, frozen juice bars; after 12 days you may substitute Lite Tofutti
Eggs (in cooking)	Ener-G Egg Replacer
Eggs (for eating)	None
Meat, poultry, fish	Starchy vegetables, whole grains, pastas, and beans; after 12 days you may substitute tofu “meat” recipes
Mayonnaise	Tofu mayonnaise
Vegetable oils (for pans)	None; use non-stick pots and pans
Vegetable oils (in recipes)	None; omit oil or replace with water, mashed banana, or applesauce for moisture
White rice (refined)	Whole grain (brown) rice or other whole grains
White flour (refined)	Whole grain flours
Refined and sugar-coated cereals	Any acceptable hot or cold cereal
Coconut	None
Chocolate	Carob powder
Coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and black teas	Non-caffeinated herb tea, cereal beverages, hot water with lemon
Colas and un-colas	Mineral water or seltzer (flavored or plain)

The cleanse is for 10-12 days but I had all the ingredients so I decided to make it 14 days just eating wholefoods and then I could start adding back in some fun stuff.  The cleanse is a bit stricter than the normal items that are allowed with the Starch Solution normally and is designed to give you a whole food cleanse and get you back on track!

Currently I'm the heaviest I've ever been, overtaking my previous record which was in my last year of high school in the 90s (and heavier than after I had my son). I'm 5'5" and my slimmest weight was 121lbs when I was 33 but my goal right now is a sensible 135lbs which means I have 30lbs to lose.

My Starch Solution 10 Day Cleanse

Day 1: I had the Burrito Bowl for Breakfast and Lunch. I really liked it so happy to make that one again! For dinner I had the Broccoli Bisque which is didn’t care for. I think it would have been better without the milk.

Day 2: Had Breakfast Scramble for breakfast and lunch. Most of his recipes are for at least two servers so it’s easier for me to not have to cook more meals but I don’t mind eating the same thing twice in a row lol. For snack I had carrots with Sweet Potato Cheese Sauce. Dinner was the Beefless Stew. I really loved the stew!

Day 3: I had the Breakfast Bowl which I didn't find very filling. I had that for lunch too since I made two serves. I was pretty hungry in the afternoon though so I had some of the left over stew for lunch & dinner and had the baked sweet potato with peanut sauce as a snack. I am down 2lbs though so I was happy about that!

Day 4: Tofu Scramble for breakfast and for lunch because what I was going to make I realised I was missing ingredients for! Roast Veg (purple potatoes, carrots and garlic) with Rich Mushroom Gravy for dinner.

Day 5: Leftover Tofu Scramble for breakfast. Yammy Kale (which I actually really liked without adding salt which is a huge step for me!) for lunch and Tomato Basil Soup for dinner. If I'm really hungry between meals (which I haven't really been) I will have a piece of fruit or a herbal tea. In the evenings I've been having seltzer water, sometimes with a couple drops of doTERRA essential oil to keep the evening drinking/munching at bay! I'm down 4lbs!! (I do fluctuate a lot though so I don't want to get too excited!)

Day 6: Tofu Scramble for breakfast, Yammy Kale & Tomato Basil Soup for lunch and Lentil Shepherd's Pie for dinner.

Day 7: Hash browns with Apple sauce for breakfast. Tomato Basil Soup for lunch, Lentil Shepherd’s Pie for dinner.

Day 8: So a week in and I’m down 5lbs which I’m super happy with and I think I’ll continue with the strict cleanse for another week before switching to the regular Starch Solution diet! I'm doing NO exercise either...more opportunity than anything but still.
Leftover Yammy Kale for breakfast and Homemade Pizza for lunch and dinner.

I was really impressed with his GF Pizza Dough recipe, it was actually springy!

Day 9: Had leftover Lentil Shepherd's Pie for breakfast, Tomato Basil Soup for lunch and Tofu Lasagna for dinner. The tofu ricotta really was good in the lasagna!

Day 10: Had Lentil Shepherd's Pie for breakfast, Lasagna for lunch and Baked Tofu with Asian Ginger Sauce and brown rice  for dinner. I was down 6lbs today!

Day 11: Lentil Shepherd's Pie for breakfast, Lasagna for lunch, Minestrone for dinner. Minestrone is a great one for getting rid of all the vegetables that seem like they might be on they way out! 

Day 12: For some reason this morning I was back up to only having lost 4lbs :( I did start walking and doing upper body weights again so I'm hoping it's just muscle gain. Lentil Shepherd's Pie for breakfast, lasagna for lunch, Minestrone for dinner.

Day 13: Minestrone for breakfast, Baked Tofu with Ginger sauce for lunch and Moroccan lentil soup for dinner. Was back to having lost 5lbs today so I was happy it wasnt going up at least LOL

Day 14: Last day! Minestrone for breakfast, Tunisian Sweet Potato Stew for lunch & dinner.

Most of these recipes you should be able to find in Dr McDougall’s newsletters. I’ve tried to keep the names exact so it’s easy to look up!

Moment of Truth...

Before		After
Weight Arms Bust Stomach Hips Thigh	164lbs  13” 39.5” 38.5” 43” 24”	Weight Arms Bust Stomach Hips Thigh	157lbs 12" 39.5" 37.5" 42" 23.5"

So in conclusion I think it's helped me get back on a whole food track, and cut the salt and fat out of my tastebuds. I also lost 6-7lbs all up and an inch of almost my whole body. Not bad for just eating healhty for a couple weeks. Breakfast was the hardest meal for me because I hate oatmeal and don't always have time to make a tofu scramble, although it did last for a couple of breakfasts when I did. I'm not sure if eating left over dinners as breakfast was good for the cause but I needed to get rid of all that food and I will not waste food, ever! Certainly the first processed thing I ate afterwards seemed way too salty for me. I think I can stick to his regular recipes easier than I could stick to the cleanse. With a bit of tweaking and maybe the occasional cheat days I'm sure I could stick to this for a long time...let's hope a lifetime!

On Day 15 I treated myself to a couple of beers and a dirty big vegan nachos but since it was all plant based, I'm think Dr McDougall would approve ;)