By Jeff Walsh

In the new DVD “Losing Weight Without Losing Your Mind,” Doug Lisle points out that only three species struggle with gaining excess weight: humans, dogs, and cats. So, there seems to be one factor at work here if among two million species only one seems to be having a problem (and feeding two others).

In two filmed lectures given as part of a McDougall Program in Santa Rosa, Lisle says all other species eat as much as they want, don’t worry about portion control, or burning off more calories if they ate a lot, yet nature seems to sort everything out.

In his first lecture on the DVD, Lisle, the psychologist for the McDougall Wellness Program and co-author of the book The Pleasure Trap, says it all comes down to evolution and that our diet of processed foods is affecting our body’s ability to gauge satiety (when you feel full).

In one chart, he tracks the caloric density of different foods and most of the low-fat vegan stuff on the McDougall Program is around or under 500 calories per pound (raw salads, other veggies like corn and carrots, fruits, and grains — in ascending order of caloric density); whereas meat is at 1200, bread and cheese are both at 1700, and potato chips are 2500 calories per pound.

So, the more we take food away from its natural state (grain at 500 calories per pound becomes bread at 1700 calories per pound), our bodies lack the ability to correctly count these foods that were not previously part of our evolution. As he covered in detail in his book, the Pleasure Trap is our evolutionary impulse to seek pleasure, avoid pain, and try to expend the least amount of energy in the process. But we have made calorie-dense food much easier to obtain without expending energy, so that is immediately appealing.

The second lecture is all about Success Forces, and looks at the psychology of weight loss existing as a war within our brains. Lisle uses the example of catching a monkey to illustrate this dilemma. To catch a monkey, all you have to do is put food in a barrel with a hole too small for it to retrieve the food, and while its hand is in the barrel, it is vulnerable and, at some point, it cannot make a decision for its own freedom over the food in its hand.

Lisle explores why so many people have that same internal war between wanting to lose weight, but simultaneously wanting to eat, and it’s interesting information to consider. Lisle also goes on to look at many of the other mental games we play that help us from achieving our goals.

The McDougall Wellness Program has been putting out phenomenal DVDs pretty regularly now, and this is yet another keeper in the collection (expect some reviews of their previous DVDs in the future). Aside from the rather-blah stock titles on this one, it is a pretty straightforward two-camera lecture with his slides intercut, presented live in front of an audience of McDougallers.

Lisle is funny and entertaining, and presents a good case that a whole food vegan diet is the way to go (even to those of us who don’t need further convincing). The total running time is about an hour and 45 minutes, which is a pretty good deal for a $19.95 DVD.

You can find out more information on this DVD, or order it online at http://www.drmcdougall.com/store_losing_weight.html

Shortly after posting last night’s blog, or perhaps during it (I just re-read it, but can’t detect any shift in mood), I got really irritable for no apparent reason. I was down on the cleanse, questioning why I’m using this wacko method to kick-start things when I already intend to shift to a low-fat vegan diet right after this, etc. Just an unexplained foul mood, which was easily detectable as I’m rarely in a bad mood.

I just went to bed, hoping I’d wake up in a better place. In the middle of the night, I had to wake up for an elimination, and it was one of the things I’d read about in the books. Yes, it was the hot, burning acidic elimination! Which, I’d also read, is often preceded by a foul mood. Talk about irritable bowel syndrome…

So, good to have something to shake things up, as this thing was getting pretty yawnsville.

Today was pretty basic. Woke up fine and contented. No gym, as I am trying to not go seven days a week. Just phone calls back home, watched the first half of a DVD I’ll likely review for Vegocentric tomorrow, and then off to see the Sex Workers Art Show a few blocks from my house. I took two doses of lemonade to the show, as per yesterday’s photo, and all worked out fine.

While I was in my foul mood last night, I stumbled upon a random comment on a web site discussing the Master Cleanse, and it was certainly shocking. It turns out that Stanley Burroughs, the guy who started this cleanse, was found guilty of second-degree felony murder, felony practicing medicine without a license, and and unlawful sale of cancer treatments.

It seems Burroughs wanted to use the Master Cleanse to cure a man of his cancer. He instructed the guy to not see his physician for 30 days, during which time he would drink lemonade, laxative tea, and the salt water flush. He would also get Burrough’s massage and color therapy treatments during this time.

In two weeks, the patient’s health deteriorated and he had a fever, which Burroughs said was according to plan. His pain in his abdomen and vomiting were treated with deep abdominal massages and Burroughs told the man he would recuperate. It continued until the patient died of a hemorrhage in his abdominal region, which the prosecution said at trial was the result of Burrough’s massages.

The murder offense was overturned, as felony practicing medicine without a license was found to not be a severe enough offense upon which to then base a murder charge. The court upheld the other convictions, and indicated he could face charges for involuntary manslaughter.

Burroughs was also convicted of practicing medicine without a license in 1960.

I do find it strange that these things are not mentioned in either of the two books I read on the Master Cleanse. It seems that not mentioning them indicates something to hide, whereas no sound-minded person could read Burroughs’s book and think he is basing any of this on medicine. I don’t know how he presented himself to actual clients, of course, but the 50-page document I read is certainly not the work of a medical professional.

Plus, the guy with cancer decided to this of his own free will and, let’s face it, if the guy was having this bad a reaction to The Master Cleanse, I doubt modern medicine’s aggressive approach to treating severe cancers would have led to a different result. I don’t think this casts Burroughs in a bad light at all, only its omission by people who discuss his life and work that seem to be glossing over it intentionally irk me in this matter. If you believe in Burroughs’s treatment, and think the medical community and the criminal justice system overreacted, then paint that picture of how Burroughs was misunderstood for his methods, which have been used now for more than 50 years, etc., etc.

Nothing else major happened today. Well, I did finally drink the mint tea for the first time, but that’s not any major deal. Just figure I bought it, it’s sitting here, may as well…

And, oh yeah, the cleanse is half over!