Has anyone read the Mayo Clinic Diet book? There is an interesting article in the current issue of First For Women magazine.

I am going to eat all the fruits and veg, as they recommend, but limit everything else. I hear the new Weight Watchers program is going to do this in the new year (don't know how accurate that is though).

All I know is, I never got fat on fruits and veg.

Anyway, it's refreshing to see a forum that simply counts calories! Glad to have found you.

The problem is that staying fat is easier than getting fat. I have an amazing ability to overeat anything--I could easily do a couple pounds of strawberries and a couple pounds of carrots in a day, and that adds up to real calories.

Hi Shmead, well I a volume eater too, but I'm going to give it a try.

I need a plan that does not have much deprivation. They all failed for me. Maybe if I allow myself a reasonable amount of those fruits and veg, it will work for me. For my metabolism, I know that fruits and veg help me lose weight. Dr. Hensrud, the author of the book said that fruits and veg are the lowest caloric density food on the planet.

Well, I'll give it a try. I am going to do this through December and see how I do. If it doesn't work I might just join Weight Watchers for their new program.

Cool, I do that anyway if they are raw. I don't binge on raw fruit and veggies.

I can quite easily overeat fruit and high sugar/starch veggies like carrots, peas and beets.

I did get fat on healthy foods, and find it very easy to stay fat even on the healthiest foods.

I count calories through an exchange plan, because balance is as important for me as calories. I can lose more weight on 1800 calories of lower-carb/lower glycemic foods than on 1800 calories of high carb foods, so I chose a reduced carb 1800 calorie (on average) exchange plan.

I don't limit nonstarchy vegetables, but I do have to limit fruit, especially fruit I'm prone to overeat, such as cherries, grapes, watermelon, and all dried fruits.

Hey Mari,

Can you tell me what the article said in the mag? What do you eat and how much. Are you getting the book?

Sounds interesting.

Yup, I definitely got fat on fruits and veggies and other "healthy foods." The problem *for me* was that my portions were simply too big for my lifestyle. I never ate fast food and my favorite foods were/are mostly fruits and vegetables, but I can EASILY overeat those foods. However, this may not be the case whatsoever for other people. The thing I love about calorie counting is that I don't have to restrict myself from anything, I just have to control my portions

Hey Mari:

Welcome to the forum! I sort of combine the calorie-counting with a focus on whole- and superfoods, most of which are fruits or vegetables. I set a specific calorie count, then I make sure to make those calories work for me by choosing the most nutritionally sound foods for the calories allotted. Not surprisingly, I'm eating a bunch of fruits and vegetables now, lean protein, whole grains (with extra fiber added), nuts/seeds, and I feel fantastic!!!

I'll be interested to read the Mayo Clinic article you mentioned to see if there's something I can do to fine-tune things even more. There is a thread on the forum for whole- and superfoods that you might check out if you're interested.

I started out this way, allowing myself an unlimited quantity of fruits & vegetables. It worked extremely well when I was 247 pounds, mainly because my eating habits were so bad that adding more plant foods improved them by 100%, particularly swapping out the things I used to eat for real whole foods.

But as my weight got lower, I found that to continue getting good results, I had to exercise some form of portion control, particularly on the sweeter fruits like bananas, mangos, papaya, cherries. And I have **always** had to exercise extremely strict portion control on dried fruits, which I want to eat like candy.

My problem also was that the sweetness of fruit sometimes made me crave something that would complement it immediately afterward, like something salty or tart or creamy -- for example, I was always looking around afterward for a bit of cheese or something after eating a pear, which in my mind is always accompanied by a dab of cheese.

My garden was in full swing when I started CCing in July. So I ate a ton of raw green peppers, tomatos, and cucumbers. I love fresh fruit and vegis and I can easily get full on them. I had to remember to add in some protein and a multivitamin so that my energy level would stay up.

Hi everyone, sorry I couldn't get back to you right away - it's been hectic around here.

The magazine is still on the newsstands - August 16, 2010 issue of for women First magazine - by the check-out counter. On the cover is Mayo Clinic News - Drop 15 lbs. in 14 days - gosh I hate those titles, but they have to sell magazines and the article inside IS good. There's also another good article about a gal who lost 100 lbs. which is interesting.

The book was on the bestseller list a few months ago. It's titled The Mayo Clinic Diet by the weight loss experts at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Donald Hensrud, MD, actually wrote it. After I saw him on the Martha Stewart show talking about his book I ran out and got it.

Actually, I followed a plan similar to this years ago and it worked. If anyone has ever heard of the book Volumetrics, in the beginning of the book the author talks about caloric density and an eating plan out of some university that allowed unlimited fresh fruits and veg, but limited everything else. I did that for a while and lost a LOT of weight. Of course now, fast forward to about 10 years later and I'm a lot fatter than I was back then. I figure if it worked then, it will work now.

I hear Weight Watchers is following in suit. The rumor is that before the holidays they will be introducing their totally revamped plan, now allowing free fresh fruits along with veggies. This is the version of the European Weight Watchers plan that they've been doing over in Europe for a year or two and it's successful. Also I heard that the WW points will have a totally new calculation. If all this is true, I'll be joining WW in a heartbeat.

I just want to get this weight off!

P.S. It's only fair to add that when we discuss the free fruits and vegetables, these are without sugar or any fat added! That's the stuff that really adds the calories, according to Mayo Clinic.

I picked up the mag yesterday. I showed it to my husband, he thinks it sounds like a good plan.

Ive tried low carb diet and just cant hack it. I missed my fruits way too much. So, we are going to give this a try.

I got on the scale yesterday and man, Ive not been that weight since I had my child, which was 29 years ago.

Fat is what makes me fat. Carbs make me lose weight.

lol yeah soaked up with sauces or cheese and stuff probably doesn't work out that same way lol

I think eating as much veggies is good idea but fruit I have to seriously be careful. I am diabetic. and so much sugar in some!

I mean, I eat a lot of fruit and veg, so if I didn't count them I would be not counting about 400 cals a day. I don't count leafy greens because I probably only eat 35 cals worth a day, but carrots, strawberries, apples? Gotta count and measure.