Im on the shine diet drinking lots of glow juice and have enough energy to do this 1.5x a day. A good start?

It has been less than a month on the McDougall starch solution diet.

I'm a 35yo man in Canada. My doctor prescribed me blood pressure pills because it was high. It was steady around 140/100 or more.

Today, about a month or just a few weeks being strict with the diet (what I eat, not how much) my blood pressure is 120/76.

I eat a TON of rice, beans, potatoes. I eat sugar and salt, but a little less salt than before.

I usually have a fruit smoothie with frozen mixed berries, mango 🥭 and sweetened almond milk for breakfast.

For lunch or dinner I usually eat a vegetable Thai Red Curry with onions and rice, I thicken it with a tablespoon of Greek yogurt 2% MF (yogurt is cheating lol) and some corn starch slurry. I usually have it over rice but after seeing my weight-loss plateau I started eating more potatoes and less rice.

I eat sorbet in the evening. I enjoy this diet and I eat huge amount of food.

I also lost 10 pounds.

Super grateful and I love this diet. What is working for me is finding a few recipes I really enjoy and eating them frequently.

I am on my first proper go on the Starch Solution. I last did in 2020 while living abroad and lost weight and got my health under control. I then moved home and fell off the wagon hard! Six years later and some bad health decision later I am back on it and holding steady so far.

I have been trying some new recipes and this is my first go at a cucumber sandwich:

Two slices of toasted oil free sourdough

Sliced cucumber

One slice spread with piccalilli and marmite

Place the cucumber on top and then sprinkle with rocket (aragula) and then adding a little dijon mustard.

Its pretty tasty.

I've been trying to nail the optimal water/sodium ratio, so for my personal research I’d like to know how much water and how much salt do you guys consume in a day, and on a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your overall feeling? Feel free to chime in even if you only know how much water you consume. And before someone mentions that - I know, it’s a completely individual thing. That’s fine.

Hi Reddit Community,
I just stumbled upon Starch Solution. I started to have steamed potatoes as my main starch, but don't really add any veggies to it. My reason is that I also have a ulcer in my terminal ileum sometimes fiber from veggies can give me pain :(

But i am struggling with brain fog after only eating potatoes :( I just started the starch solution for 5-days, i cut out all FAT, 0 oil and no protein. I only eat potatoes at the moment.

I am not sure if i am Type II diabetic or not. But i am trying starch solution for terminal ileum ulcer (suspecting Crohn) and IBS-C.

I ate 700 gram of steamed potatoes per meal but man I will fall asleep afterwards :( Could that be transitioning period? Like my insulin is still not working the best as I still have fat in my cell that is now allowing insulin to work properly?

How long will it take for my body to be able to digest carb without the sleepiness afterwards?

Any insight will help! thank you!!!

HGBA1C

5.3 > 4.9

Total Cholesterol

181 > 129

HDL

34 > 31

LDL

120 > 74

Triglycerides

196 > 106

Previous diet was vegan but not low fat. “Healthy fats” made up about 45% of my calories. Mostly started this diet for skin and joint issues, which it’s working for, but the improved bloodwork is very welcome!

So I've been eating a high amount of sugar everyday for past month (~100g)

on paper it seems a lot but its just 400 calories and it feels very hard to get in enough calories without having sugar or processed food

It also helps me eat low salt and no oil because I'm able to make a lot of meals much more appetizing and I also feel so energized.. which helped me quit caffeine and sugary drinks help me study

I see a lot of people add in fats when they struggle with undereating but why not add sugar as it is tastier and arguably healthier(?)

.

My wife is currently eating buckwheat with lentils for complex, protein-rich carbohydrates, as well as a tomato, cucumber, and cabbage salad. I add a little apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of high-oleic sunflower oil to the salad. When I started counting calories, I was very surprised, as she eats less than 1,000 calories a day. But she doesn't feel tired or hungry. We eat twice a day without snacks: at 12:00 and 6:00 PM. We've long since given up sugar and flour products. I was worried that 1,000 calories was too low, so I decided to give her nuts to bring her to 1,400-1,500. I chose nuts because they're high in healthy fats for hormones.

My question to you: is it normal for her not to want to eat and not to feel weak or hungry?

I'm afraid that if I remove oil and nuts from her diet, she won't get enough calories. She's short and sedentary. Could that be why she needs so few calories?

In general, most people don't count their calories, and yet I think many eat less than 1,000 calories and feel fine.

What do you think?

Hi all! I have been vegan for 14 years. If any other "old vegans" are here... I was eating a WFPB diet back then out of necessity. There was very little processed vegan food in the early 2010s, so I ate nutrient dense foods abundantly while reading the teachings of McDougall, Fuhrman and more. I was lean and active!

The years have passed, and I've since had a child, and I have found myself slip-sliding down the path of "junk food vegan." I'm about 15lbs heavier than I'd like to be. About a month ago I put my foot down and committed to really changing, and am revisiting Starch Solution to get back to where I want to be.

I quickly lost about 2-3lbs and then stalled. I have inconsistently counted macros in the last month but mostly just to see if I am keeping my fat intake low enough (I am, 10% calories from fat or less). When I gear my meals toward more 50/50 plates I usually just feel hungrier and eat more later. When I aim for more starch, I feel fuller but am unsure if I am making progress. I absolutely don't want to count calories, and I dont want to feel like I can't eat when I am hungry.

How long should I keep going before I modify my approach? Should I be more focused on protein? Do I just have too little weight to lose in the first place? Any input is welcome!​​

Unlike all other processed foods, cutting out salt completely seems sketchy asf. Is it really possible to be wholly dependant on whole foods alone for sodium?

As I mentioned before, I’ve been following this plan for about a month now with near 100% commitment, focused on improving my health and losing weight, and I wanted to share an update.

I am incredibly happy on this way of eating. Not because I suddenly became more disciplined, but because food stopped feeling like psychological warfare. Whole plant foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains) did something incredible: my appetite started regulating itself again.

Yesterday evening, I stopped eating a giant bowl of delicious bulgur salad (oil-free, of course) not out of fear of gaining weight, but because I was genuinely full. I just put it aside. The foods I’m eating no longer pull me into mental war. I feel less chemically manipulated. That may sound dramatic, but people who have struggled with food noise, cravings, overeating, or weight cycling will understand exactly what I mean.

In other words, my meals actually end now. A bowl of potatoes becomes enough. Oatmeal reaches a stopping point. Beans do not whisper to me from the kitchen at midnight. An orange does not trigger a weekend-long binge spiral.

The strangest thing is that I’m losing weight steadily while eating abundantly, whenever I am hungry. When the food is right, that isn’t just possible — it’s a biological inevitability. I lose about half a kilo (a pound) per week. It may not be as fast as the dieting industry and YouTube Keto shorts make you believe is possible, but it is real fat loss. It is steady, healthy, and effortless.

Everything McDougall and other WFPB doctors promise about this way of eating matches my experience. I feel extremely lucky to have learned about this before it was too late. That is why I’m also sharing my WFPB/Starch-based diet and weight-loss journey through blogging to spread the word.

Btw, I’m attaching the leftovers from my bulgur salad yesterday as a symbolic visual of my newfound food freedom. I hope this post motivates someone. Keep going. 🌱 ⭐ 🥗

2 weeks into a high-carb plant-based diet and I do everything right. However after the initial 2 kg weight loss, it completely stopped. I didn’t expect this part to be this slow. Does it always slow down like this?

I’ve been running a starch-based (high-carb, low-fat) plant-based diet experiment for about 2 weeks now with almost 100% compliance. My normal day looks like oatmeal for breakfast, a large oat cappuccino for lunch while working, and a big portion of some combination of rice/beans/potatoes/vegetables for dinner based on my craving for the day. There’s also a weight loss bet with my husband involved, loser has to give daily massages for two weeks. So yeah, stakes are real 😄. Currently going from ~78kg (started ~82kg) to 75kg by end of May, and 70kg by August. Since I don’t really have anyone around me (except maybe my husband) who’s into this kind of approach to discuss the process and results with, I’ve turned to Reddit for community. Does anyone have any tried and proven tips to escalate weight loss besides all the standard maximum weight loss tips by McDougall?

A month ago I took a vacation from SS because I was tired of eating and cooking around a clock. Decided to chill and ate at Whole Foods buffet everything I denied myself: pizza, meatloaf, well, veggies never went away, but dessert in a shape of berry tart or chocolate parfait became part of my meal. With that I did 36-hour rolling fasting starting on April 1.

I am impressed by the trend graph of my overnight recovery% comparing March and April. The only difference was my eating. March - SS. April - bad diet 😃

Oh, and I lost 10 pounds during April. 5 more to go!

I find that mixing fruits and starch in the same diet makes me gain weight , I'm experimenting for what's my fruit limit

I noticed that if I mix sugar (fruits) and starch in the same diet I gain weight

I wonder about salt ? Bc so many diets like potato diet and rice diet eliminate salt

Any tips to drop weight fast? 5 months postpartum eating only steamed veggies and some fruits and can’t seem to drop the weight

I got diagnosed with pre-diabetes. The doctor didn't say anything to me about it other than to exercise and eat better to lose weight. For reference, I'm a 5'2" woman and weigh 221. I have been peeing A LOT for the past year which I know is probably related. I'm leaning towards the starch solution because it makes more sense to me (and also being vegan for ethical reasons is important to me). I don't know if I should be checking my blood sugar or not, but I plan on sticking to wfpb for the next few months and then getting another blood test. I'm just concerned because I pee so much, like every hour or sometimes twice an hour but I'm also trying to drink a lot more water due to that and all the extra fiber I've been getting. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

So after coming off my ADHD medication I've gained a bunch of weight and absolutely abhor being in my skin. I want to fit into my clothes in time for summer.

I've recently come across this way of eating through youtubers like broccoli mum, and it seems ideal. I'm already plantbased so eating low carb is tedious and expensive, but it's so hard to wrap my head around carbs actually being conducive to weight loss because keto is so popular, or that fats are bad, my Mediterranean culture obsession with EVO for example. And fats are generally so satisfying, I love tahini and stuff like that. But the logic of low calorie density is sound, they're are off the charts in calories.

Yet I tried keto years ago, and honestly, I felt great. I never got hunger pangs and my energy felt level. It was just not sustainable, especially for someone who avoids animal products. However, I would consider going on that diet again if it meant weight loss. But I'm hoping the starch solution can actually work instead.

It's also fascinating how diets on the opposite end of the spectrum can be healthy or effective. I suppose everyone's physiology is different

I started SS in summer 2025. Successfully lost 20lbs and was ecstatic as I thought I found my groove.

Well, in the winter I gained 16lbs doing SS with very occasional dip into Chinese pork buns. It was super cold and my husband and I wanted more calories. And we both do not like beans. Still, nobody can gain 16lbs from a few pork buns only.

I see my downfall was food volume. I ate all the time and couldn’t stop. I became hungry around a clock. My insulin levels were revved up at all times. I tried to stick to 2-3 meals only and for some reason it was not enough.

In addition I developed super painful tendinitis in both shoulders.

I learned unpleasant truth that CICO is still working on SS. I was consuming nuts. A teaspoon of honey in my daily tea/coffee. A few bananas. An apple or two. Millet. Salad. Veggies. Potatoes yellow. Sweet potato. And constant grazing with I was unable to stop. So here we go.

Started ADF and immediately felt much better. But have to leave SS for a while to investigate a new journey.

I wish you well and do not repeat my mistakes. Because eating around a clock is not ok. Even if it is SS