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The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss Paperback – April 1, 1995
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“You never have to be fat or hungry again.”—Your Health
Lose weight, eat as much as you want, feel healthy, and look great. This may sound like an impossible dream, but with The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss it is a dream come true for thousands of people. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. John A. McDougall draws on the latest scientific and medical information about nutrition, metabolism, and hunger to provide a simple weight-loss plan. Featuring more than 100 healthy and delicious recipes by Mary McDougall and packed with all the information and encouragement you need, this total weight-loss program also brings you:
• Studies and documentation on the McDougall approach
• The secrets of carbohydrates, your metabolism, and weight loss
• The truth about fat—in your diet and on your body
• Complete McDougall menu plans and cooking methods
• Supermarket shopping guides
• How to deal with eating disorders
• Dining out information
• And more!
“Its rewards include not just a slimmer figure but enhanced physical vitality, mental clarity, and self-esteem.”—Bookpage
- Print length336 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPlume
- Publication dateApril 1, 1995
- Reading age18 years and up
- Dimensions6 x 0.7 x 9 inches
- ISBN-109780452273801
- ISBN-13978-0452273801
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Dr. John McDougall turns the toxic stew of American diets into vegetable garden broth.”—Sonoma Business News
“Scientific understanding of good nutrition is but one step; putting it into practice is quite another. John and Mary McDougall have done both.”—T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., co-author of The China Study, professor Emeritus, Cornell University, and Karen Campbell
“The McDougalls’ work is wonderful… a gateway to greater health and better living.”—John and Deo Robbins, founders of EarthSave
“Dr. John McDougall pushes lifestyle changes that keep your belly full and your tummy flat.”—Niagara Gazette
“More compelling reasons for health-conscious individuals to switch to a high-carbohydrate diet.”—Richmond Mirror
“You never have to be fat or hungry again.”—Your Health
“Its rewards include not just a slimmer figure but enhanced physical vitality, mental clarity, and self-esteem.”—Bookpage
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : 0452273803
- Publisher : Plume; Reprint edition (April 1, 1995)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780452273801
- ISBN-13 : 978-0452273801
- Reading age : 18 years and up
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.7 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #45,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #36 in Low Fat Cooking (Books)
- #273 in Weight Loss Diets (Books)
- #459 in Other Diet Books
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
John McDougall, MD, is a medical maverick who challenges medical and pharmaceutical businesses when they prioritize profits over patients. For the past 30 years he has countered mainstream misinformation with the fad-free truth and nutrition and your health.
Dr. McDougall, along with his wife Mary, offers his life-changing approach through national-bestselling books, DVDs, semniars, and the McDougall Live-In Programs in Santa Rosa, CA.
Other books include The McDougall Program for a Healthy Heart, The McDougall Plan: 12 Days to Dynamic Health, and The McDougall Program for Women.
Photo by User:Cteitgen (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book informative and valuable, providing an excellent source of medical information. They say it helps them lose weight with a low-to-zero-fat diet. The book provides clear explanations and simple, commonsense strategies for using a starch-based vegan diet to lose weight. Readers appreciate the delicious recipes and suggested menus. They find the eating habits good for the rest of their lives, without being hungry. The program is effective and works for everyone. Customers feel great after following the plan.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book informative and well-written. They say it's a valuable read that opens their eyes to how to eat and stay healthy. The author breaks down the science for plant-based eating in an understandable way, making it inspiring.
"...body and make it beautiful is one of the most natural and wonderful urges in life." However, "even more fundamental is the urge to eat, which..." Read more
"...But this way is so much more satisfying. I’m already bounding up the steps like my younger self again...." Read more
"...Mostly, I thought it was definitely worth a try. Well, in 2 weeks I lost 6 pounds, and am continuing to lose...." Read more
"...So. The trick is to eat lower calorie density food that is highly satisfying...." Read more
Customers find the book helpful for weight loss. They mention it's a low-fat diet that helps them lose weight quickly. The book provides great information on a healthier diet and improves many markers. Many customers report significant improvements in chronic conditions like diabetes. They say the program has taught them to eat to live rather than live to eat.
"...the book covers several various topics, including how the fat you eat is the fat you wear, the importance of fiber (which is only found in plants)..." Read more
"...I started the program 3 weeks ago and I’ve lost 10 pounds already...." Read more
"...yet satisfying starch solution will not only lead you to easily shed excess body fat but also improve many markers of your health and vitality as I..." Read more
"...I'm seriously eating carbs every day and losing weight doing it. Amazing!!!..." Read more
Customers find the book easy to follow with simple tenets and clear explanations. They appreciate the commonsense approach and how it's easier over time to make the right choices. The book provides many easy-to-follow recipes and science that anyone can understand.
"...times more carbohydrate than fat." McDougall goes into great detail in Chapter Three about the benefits of carbohydrates on our health...." Read more
"...this simple yet satisfying starch solution will not only lead you to easily shed excess body fat but also improve many markers of your health and..." Read more
"...It's easy to follow. I don't even feel like I'm actually dieting...." Read more
"...I feel incredible and the plan is easy enough that I can see the finish line even though I have a ways to go...." Read more
Customers like the recipes in the book. They find the meals simple and delicious, with lots of vegetables and whole grains. The meal plans focus on satisfying starch solutions like potatoes and starchy vegetables.
"...The book ends with a lot of tasty recipes for people who need some meal planning inspiration...." Read more
"...Implementing this simple yet satisfying starch solution will not only lead you to easily shed excess body fat but also improve many markers of your..." Read more
"...addition to providing the framework for the diet, there are many recipes in this book...." Read more
"...This book also includes many outstanding recipes as well...." Read more
Customers find the book's eating habits helpful. It provides a good plan of eating for the rest of their lives, with carbohydrate consumption as the key to satiation. They find several things they like to eat and learn what it takes for health. The book gives them ideas to make food taste better and works for a busy work schedule.
"...In fact, the secret to satiation is carbohydrate consumption. And that doesn't apply just to full-grown adults—it includes children as well!..." Read more
"...I eat until I feel satisfied, no portion control and no bloating...." Read more
"...Two weeks into the program I no longer craved pizza, hotdogs, cookies or junk foods...." Read more
"...I want and I have developed a new apprciation for the natural flavors of unprocessed food. I will update this as time goes on with my process." Read more
Customers find the book helpful and effective. They say it works well for everyone, making food taste better, and is suitable for a busy work schedule. The program delivers steady results that are easy to maintain.
"...It really works!" Read more
"...Book has given me ideas to make food taste better, and works for a busy work schedule. I can prep the night before or in the morning before work...." Read more
"I keep coming back to this book for a reason: it works! Between using this (and Mary’s Mini) I can regain control of my weight when I go off track...." Read more
"This program Works and I am not starving!..." Read more
Customers find the book provides a simple and effective way to feel good. They say it helps them lose weight while satisfying their bodies' needs. They also mention that they wake up refreshed each day without aches and pains, and have more energy throughout the day.
"...The most amazing thing is that I feel GREAT!! I wake up refreshed each day without aches and pains (and before my alarm goes off)...." Read more
"...I feel satisfied and the food noise is gone. I am losing 1/2 lb each day and I feel great. Highly recommend!" Read more
"...I feel incredible and the plan is easy enough that I can see the finish line even though I have a ways to go...." Read more
"...I felt a little tired for the first day or so but now I feel great and have lost 5 lbs in 7 days...." Read more
Customers like the nutrient value of the book. They say it's effective in reducing calorie density in foods, eating for health, and avoiding meat, dairy, or fat. There are no tricks, no calorie counting, no portion control, just eat from nature's vast unprocessed foods. The starch-based diet is easy to follow, with plenty of vegetables and whole grain products.
"...topics, including how the fat you eat is the fat you wear, the importance of fiber (which is only found in plants) in the diet, the role that..." Read more
"...focused on eating healthy--salads with lots of vegetables and whole grain products, no oil salad dressings, potatoes both sweet potatoes and russet..." Read more
"...It’s tenets are simple, science based, and effective, calorie density in foods, eating for health, and reducing or eliminating consumption of..." Read more
"...No lists of calcium rich foods, no lists of protein rich, no lists of iron rich, it just says you don't need a calcium supplement cause it robs the..." Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2017At this point, I have read a fair amount of books on the whole foods plant-based diet, including John A. McDougall's most famous book, The Starch Solution. I've also read books written by T. Colin Campbell, Chef AJ, High Carb Hannah, Rip Esselstyn, and Douglas N. Graham. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to learn a whole lot of new information from The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss, especially since The Starch Solution is typically heralded as McDougall's best book. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was completely wrong—this book has a lot to offer, even for the most nutritionally-educated among us!
Starting out in the beginning of the book, McDougall makes it clear that this is not an all-or-nothing program. Obviously, the more strictly one adheres to the program's advice, the more weight will be lost. But since change is a process and takes a considerable amount of time, he advises that we pat ourselves on our backs for every healthy choice we make, and use our lapses as learning experiences. I especially liked his dedication at the beginning of the book: "To those who suffer needlessly in order to look great." I can definitely relate to that sentiment!
McDougall assures the reader that "The desire to appreciate your body and make it beautiful is one of the most natural and wonderful urges in life." However, "even more fundamental is the urge to eat, which, after all, keeps us alive." These natural instincts may seem to be at odds with one another, but McDougall asserts that they can work together to produce a beautiful-looking body at a healthy weight. In his opinion, the cultural view that they are in opposition with one another is simply a delusion that happens to also be self-destructive. Without the strong desire to eat, we might give up food for some other activity, which would result in malnourishment and possibly even death by starvation. The strength of our hunger drive is necessary for our survival as individuals as well as the survival of our species. Hunger has driven many people to perform great acts of courage as well as also ghastly acts of barbarism. In other words— the hungrier we become, the more likely we are to lose control of our actions. It's time to stop blaming overweight and obese people for their hunger drives, because hunger is completely normal and necessary for survival.
Contrary to popular belief, our bodies mainly crave carbohydrates, not fat or protein. In fact, the secret to satiation is carbohydrate consumption. And that doesn't apply just to full-grown adults—it includes children as well! McDougall states, "Even in childhood, the nutrient our bodies need more than any other is carbohydrate. Adults need approximately 35 times more carbohydrates for energy than we need protein for growth, and 800 times more carbohydrate than fat." McDougall goes into great detail in Chapter Three about the benefits of carbohydrates on our health. The rest of the book covers several various topics, including how the fat you eat is the fat you wear, the importance of fiber (which is only found in plants) in the diet, the role that insulin plays in promoting obesity, what constitutes the "Maximum Weight Loss Program", the physiological reasons that women lose weight slower than men, the (small) role that exercise plays in weight loss, the effects that alcohol and coffee have on weight (and overall health), how sleep deprivation can be beneficial, and shopping and food preparation. The book ends with a lot of tasty recipes for people who need some meal planning inspiration.
Overall, this is one of the best books on the whole foods plant-based diet that I have read, if not the absolute best. I would definitely recommend reading this over McDougall's The Starch Solution, even though I would recommend reading that one as well. The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss goes into more detail and may be a better fit for people who are specifically looking for information to help them lose weight. I definitely recommend reading this one if you get a chance. It's relatively old (originally published in 1994), so it may even be available at your local library for free!
- Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2024As I’ve gotten older (I’m in my early 40’s) I’ve struggled to maintain a healthy weight. I enjoy being active and as I’ve packed on some pounds in recent years it has been harder to enjoy those activities and keep up with the kiddos. But this book has been a godsend! I started the program 3 weeks ago and I’ve lost 10 pounds already. I’ve counted calories and have done WW multiple times with some small successes but no other program has made weight loss so simple. Be forewarned- You do have to be willing to give up your old way of eating. But this way is so much more satisfying. I’m already bounding up the steps like my younger self again. If you have been frustrated like me- I encourage you give this program a try.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2016Of the 30+ diet and nutrition books I have read over the past 3 years, this is the one book I encourage you to read and apply. Implementing this simple yet satisfying starch solution will not only lead you to easily shed excess body fat but also improve many markers of your health and vitality as I have experienced and seen. As a formerly obese grandpa, my energy levels now rival that of my grandchildren. I eat until I feel satisfied, no portion control and no bloating. This is clearly the diet we were designed to thrive on as you will feel first hand as you read about the history and science in Dr. McDougall's book. Give it a sincere try for a week and you will not be disappointed. Simply amazing. I am concerned about our country and the ever increasing obesity epidemic and the lives it takes. My older brother survived serving as a US Marine during wartime in his twenties, but died at 56 years old as a result of causes related to obesity. We have a choice. We CAN turn this around. Your health, family and our country will benefit from your wise decision to implement this simple solution. Enjoy. Keep moving and keep smiling. 😎
Rich Kay. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1512019232/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1464456525&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=rich+kay+small+simple+changes&dpPl=1&dpID=51Z9canyUCL&ref=plSrch
- Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2021Thank God for Dr. McDougall!
I have so far lost 30 pounds following his Maximum Weight Loss plan. It's easy to follow. I don't even feel like I'm actually dieting. The plan allows you to eat whenever you are hungry- as long as you eat the recommended foods. I'm seriously eating carbs every day and losing weight doing it. Amazing!!!
I've learned from this book that health and weight loss are all about what you eat. The only exercise I do is walk. Exercise is fine of course, but not the main driver of weight loss. It's what you eat that matters most. Really!
Here are some of the foods I eat everyday on Maximum Weight Loss: whole-grain pasta, rice, potatoes and sweet potatoes, corn, beans, squash, oats. You CAN fill up on starches and lose weight! It's all explained in the book.
Along with the starch foods, I add to each meal some vegetables. If you don't like veggies, try them with sauces and seasonings on them like teriyaki or sweet chili sauce. You can eat some fruit too.
In summary, the book busts a lot of common myths about health and weight loss. I learned so much from this book. You will love it too.
Top reviews from other countries
- Jutta Garry, B.Sc.Reviewed in Germany on March 27, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read about vegan life style
This is a great read if you are interested in losing weight and becoming vegan. I am a vegetarian and I eat eggs as well as dairy. I follow the McDougall diet otherwise. It also works.
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Mayla van der cruyssenReviewed in France on May 24, 2023
1.0 out of 5 stars Pas pour moi
Acheté par curiosité ... une erreur
- DaniaReviewed in Italy on February 16, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfull program
Wonderful program to lose Weight regaining Health. I would conseil it to everyone.
I lost lots lots lots of weight
- POONAM S.Reviewed in India on November 4, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars I
I love all his books. It provides in-depth knowledge for weight loss and motivation to cost fee and side-effect free diet.
- SamReviewed in Australia on May 9, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Cook more
Great recipes.