How much is too much oats and potatoes

[Maries]

I have developed a love of Rolled oats. Is there a daily limit on them? I love them raw with just a little water added. I will eat/graze on them all afternoon and consume about 2 to 3 cups. Potatoes are a close second. it seems that I can’t get enough. Why? I believe it is affecting my weight loss efforts even though they say there is not measuring etc...

[Mark Cooper]

It can take some trial and error to get this way of eating figured out in a way that fits each of our daily lives, and there can be a bit of a learning curve. If you aren't seeing the results you want, Dr. McDougall's Maximum Weight Loss program can be very helpful.

For MWL, oats should be cooked in water in a ratio of at least 2 parts water to 1 part oats (I prefer 3:1 myself). Dry rolled oats are ~1700 calories / lb, so consuming them without further cooking in water would not be recommended for MWL. You may find it helpful to review the MWL 10-Point Checklist for a sense of how to construct adherent meals.

A 10-Point Checklist for Maximum Weight Loss

1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert.
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).
6. Eliminate any added oil.
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).

Your plate should look like this - For example,


I strongly recommend using the MWL 10-Point Checklist on at least a weekly (or daily) basis to bring to your attention the areas that may hinder your progress. The more you are willing to use it in your own life, the more success you are likely to have.

An essential resource for everyone to review is Jeff Novick's presentation on the principle of calorie density -

Calorie Density: How To Eat More, Weigh Less and Live Longer

Watching this video is one of the best ways to come to a clear understanding of the concepts embodied in the MWL program, and it will likely answer MANY questions and help alleviate confusion.

[Maries]

Thank you Mark, that 1700 cal number just scared me straight!

[Mark Cooper]

You are very welcome! Just to provide some perspective - if those rolled oats are cooked in water (with a ratio of at least 2 parts water to 1 part oats), suddenly the calorie density changes from that scary ~1700 calories / lb, to a very nearly ideal ~300 calories / lb and an excellent rating in satiety as well! So oatmeal is a great choice for MWL, just not the dry oats (without further cooking). Potatoes are ~400 calories / lb, with very little fat content, and most people find them very satisfying, so they are an excellent choice for the starch portion of a meal.

[goal140]

So, Mark, let me see if I’m understanding. Rolled are ok as long as they are cooked 2 parts water, 1 part rolled oats? I read somewhere that they were not compliant on MWL. Is it just with water or are plant milks also ok to use with the rolled oats?

[Mark Cooper]

So, Mark, let me see if I’m understanding. Rolled are ok as long as they are cooked 2 parts water, 1 part rolled oats? I read somewhere that they were not compliant on MWL. Is it just with water or are plant milks also ok to use with the rolled oats?

That is correct, oatmeal is absolutely an acceptable choice for the starch portion of a meal under the MWL guidelines; plant milks are not recommended for MWL.