help

[Denise]

To anyone ~
I have been experimenting with macrobiotic eating lately but following strictly in the last week-week and 1/2 and have gained 5 lbs! I got my brown rice, my meat intake was very limited (I am working on it) I have had lots of fruit and veggies AND I have walked 2 miles every day! I feel great and have lots of energy, and was so disappointed when I got on the scale. Since my intake of grains and legumes used to be very limited, and now has greatly increased, could that be the reason??? please help if you have any suggestions... Denise

[Leenie]

Denise,

Were you underweight to begin with? Are you retaining water? Theoretically, you would have to be consuming about 1250 extra calories a day to gain 5 pounds in 10 days. Thats a whole lot of MB food that I believe you would find youself very uncomfortable consuming.

If you were a heavy meat eater, your body could just be adjusting to the carbs with some water retention. The more protein you eat, the more water your body needs to properly assimilate it. You need to consume a lot less water when eating MB. Remember your whole grains, beans, and veggies contain most of your daily requirments for water.

I know that I read in one of my MB books that some women will gain weight when they first start on a MB diet. I'm sure that this will even out over time.

I hope this helped.
Thanks,
Leenie

[Denise]

Thanks Leenie~ that does help. I was never a heavy meat eater, and I eat even less as of the last 6 months. I increased my intake of grains though and I think I need to watch the portions and get back into more veggies (more than anything else). Thanks for writing! denise