On Thu, 27 Jul 2000, Madeline Stratton wrote:

> OK folks, I'm a mostly lurker here, about to jump on the Anchell bandwagon
> myself. I ordered the book a few weeks ago, but it won't be shipped for
> another couple of weeks and I'm getting impatient waiting. I appreciate the
> patience of other listers who have a copy and are willing to answer questions
> and share information while the rest of us wait for our books to arrive. I
> understand the basic principle to be, eat 3 animal protein meals a day, with
> a second, non-meat course consisting of an average serving of one of the
> following:
> potato, sweet potato, rice, grapes, watermelon, pear, 1/2 grapefruit,
> blueberries, raspberries, or banana.
> Is that the entire list?

Yes.

> Are oils or butter allowed?

Yes, both.

> Does anyone know why one
> couldn't have strawberries instead of raspberries? or the banana? Or
> cantaloupe instead of watermelon?

He says, based on his 40 years of experience with the diet, that
these substitutions won't work.  They will stall weight loss.  He
doesn't explain why they don't work, and I don't think he has an
explanation (Though I still hope to hear from him and learn
something more about it).

I am currently both very skeptical about these claims and yet too
superstitious to change anything yet.  I am still losing weight,
and my wife is too.  My desire to lose weight is still greater
than my desire to refute Anchell, so I am following his plan to
the letter.

> Does he give any recommendations as to how
> long one should stay on this kind of restrictive diet? Should one cycle on
> and off, if one has a lot of weight to lose?

No.  He doesn't advise cycling.  I have found, incidentally, that
by now it feels pretty natural to me.  Initially, I craved other
foods, and especially missed eating nuts.

Shopping is pretty uncomplicated, as you can imagine.

> I don't like bananas and wonder
> what the higher carb foods would do to my hypoglycemia, which is well
> controlled on sortof combination Atkins/Paleo program.

You're not eating these foods in amounts that should cause a
problem.  I have found that I am spontaneously limiting my
portions to 1/2 cup.  Even a half cup of potato is only about 12g
of carbs.  The highest is rice, which I've only had once or twice
since starting.  It's just not worth the bother of cooking up
rice to eat a small amount.  I find that I don't want a whole
banana either, so I split one with my wife.  I seem to be at a
point where the sweetness is cloying, and a little bit goes a
long way.

> (Lower carb. fruits
> and veggies like Atkins and nearly no dairy like Paleo- also no grains, beans
> or sugars). But my weight loss is measured in ounces, and at this rate I'll
> lose the necessary 70 pounds or so by the time I hit the Century mark! Thanks
> in advance.

I have no idea whether this Anchell program will make a
difference, but I'm glad that some people are trying it, so that
we can compare experiences.

Todd Moody
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