I lost 70 lbs on the McDougall diet, kept it off for several years. A new job and some habit changes meant 30 lbs gained in about 3 years. Now I've got a wedding coming up in 2 months, and in true form, waiting til the last minute, I decided to try The Rice Diet for the following reasons:Dr. McDougall reccommended it. Why didn't I do the McDougall diet instead? Because the rice diet said lose up to 20 lbs the first month, and McDougall's said 15. With my wedding around the corner, I figured I'd need that extra 5.I do not do fad diets. I prefer medically based diets that are proven to reduce heart disease, etc. I learned this the hard way, after doing a couple low-carb diets and the terrifying side effects I experienced.I prefer diets that are not diets, rather, lifestyles that I can adopt for the rest of my life. This and McDougall fit the bill, however, like I said, this one had that extra 5lbs promise...so I gave it a try.This diet is also environmentally friendly...as in, you can go compeletely without meat if you choose to.One problem I have with diets is that I'M ALWAYS HUNGRY. They said in the Rice Diet book, that you won't be hungry. I did not believe it.Prior to the diet, I'd surpassed 600 calories for breakfast and I was still FAMISHED. So hearing, "you won't be hungry..." I thought, "well, this is a crock."To my complete shock, it was true! They say that salt is a trigger, an appetite stimulant. Cutting out salt for breakfast especially helped me not binge eat the rest of the day.So now I'm eating yogurt with cereal and fruit for breakfast because I like that more than oatmeal, and I'm not gobbling everything around me.In the first week, I lost 10 lbs, gained 2 as I started my menstrual cycle--this was interesting as well...I did not have as much of the physical/emotional pms as usual. Usually, I GAIN 3-6 lbs during pms. So to lose 10 lbs during this time and only gain 2 was very surprising.I am not a big believer in "detoxing," but I do know that we ingest a lot of chemicals in our food, which is why I try to avoid them.Well, the first week on this diet,the detox part, I felt "clean." Like the cells in my body were clean or clear. This may not make sense. But it was a good feeling. I was not weighed down. In the past, sometimes I just wouldn't feel well. Especially after certain meals. I can't recall having such a 'clean' or 'clear' feeling in my body.The book does reccommend excercise, but they say walking is fine. Or yoga, or tai chi. Because their reccommendations weren't extreme, and I wasn't intimidated and have actually started doing a little. Less than the reccommended hour a day, but a little, which, for me, is a lot.The pluses are you lose weight,you feel good, it's a healthy way to diet, and there are health benefits.The downside is that the book should have the portion sizes and the plan and the recipes together. I had to keep flipping back from the recipes to where it said the portion sizes were. "Okay, if I make this, how much of it can I eat...where was that page again..."Also, in the beginning,which is where I"m at now, unless you follow their meal plans, it does take some time to map out your own meal plans.Eating at restaurants is not easy. I went to a mexican place, got a side of black beans, a side of lettuce and tomatoes, and a side of corn tortillas and ate that without too much consequence. Everything in restaurants is loaded with salt.But my favorite part is that I am not physically hungry. This was the worst part for me when dieting, was fighting that insatiable hunger. On this, I am not physically hungry. Yes, I get "mouth hungry," when I just want to eat for fun, becauase something tastes good. But it's a joy to be not body hungry.I had to make mental adjustments, too. I think we're addicted to stuff like excess salt and artificial flavors. If we don't get that mouth jolt, we feel like we're going without. I've had to learn to taste more, and let go the artificially stimulating foods that I think we've been programmed to get addicted to. Like the jolt of flavor in the first bite of a dorito, or blast of artificial flavor and sugar in sodas. I was addicted to that. But now, having to taste what food tastes like for real, it's been good, in a good way.