UPF.... WTF - I knew it was addictive but didn't realise...

I dont find that with UPFs at all. Im probably similar lifestyle to the OP and if I eat crap and veg out it really takes very little time for me to start craving fresh food and to want to get up and move my arse!
Although I will admit that if I am very sleep deprived or feeling ill then I do have to watch out for quick fix calories!

I tend to follow the 80% rule though..... just eat healthy 80% of the time and then if you want the cake, eat the damn cake!

What's stopping you from eating healthily and going for walks etc? I dont really understand

Actually, I think it's more surprising as a society that we don't know how to improve our diet and health.

Increased obesity rates, increased risk of cancer, increased risk or dementia...etc. All over and above the rate that can be expected by simply living longer. There is a strong hypothesis that some of this is down to UPF and our whole previous methodology of classifying food into the constituent macronutrients plus calories is woefully inadequate to actually appreciate and understand what various foodstuffs does to our bodies.

Unfortunately, we also live in a society where food is demonised and obese people are viewed negatively, such that simply having discussions about food makes people feel judged and attacked.

I don't know why people are being so nasty.
I think it's excellent that you are in such good shape.

I by no means eat as 'cleanly' as you do, but I exercise a lot and eat pretty well. I notice when my routines go out of the window, either because I'm visiting people or away with work. I find it very unsettling and I know it impacts my digestion.
I can feel a change in my muscle tone after a week of little exercise. I am 53, so I imagine at 70 those changes would happen more quickly.
It will come back, don't worry. It might take longer than 10 days, but still far less time than someone who didn't start off in such good health.

😂

I think we all know how to Improve our diet and health.😂

what people are surprised about is the op has said she’s now,addicted and lost muscle mass in ten days, which is highly unlikely/

At 70 too! I mean fgs lighten up (😂🤣😆) and enjoy a bit of rubbish food, you could even treat yourself to an afternoon tea, OP the horror😱

Sugar is so addictive. I once dis a sponsored No Sugar month. The first few days were tough but after that it was a breeze. I finished by eating a slice of cake and I went straight back to needing chocolate every day. Its like a switch flicks.

I really really struggle to control myself when I eat junk food, both in terms of volume (must finish the family bag) and frequency and belief system. I actually start believing its easier to chuck on nuggets and chips instead of chopping some veg and roasting it. And when I eat the beige food during a health kick I find myself think why am I even eating this, it tastes like nothing, I don't even actually like or enjoy it...but somehow I end up feeling driven to eat it (in large volumes) until I go cold turkey.

Sort of the same woth alcohol. I know now that I slide into a habit over Xmas of drinking a small amount most days for 2 weeks, stop, and then suddenly actively don't want it for months at a time. Habits are everything where UPF and Sugar come into play

I was in a similar situation a couple of months ago OP. I found it incredibly hard to stop eating UPF. But then it's designed to make you want to keep eating it.

As many say, food manufacturers aren't there to nourish you, they're there to make money. And they do that by making edible substances that have the perfect mouthfeel, combination of fats and sugar, just the right crunch etc

I've no issue with eating sweet, creamy fatty things but just don't want all the crappy emulsifiers, diglycerides of who knows what etc etc.

And for all those posters who think the OP is being holier than thou, you should read up on this subject. There are lots of things you can do to improve your diet and health.

I mean this politely but I’d be very surprised if you’ve noticeably lost muscle mass in ten days.

Probably a good job they weren't heroin addicts eh?

@PaminaMozart I think 6 weeks and you will be back where you were 😀

I know what you mean, OP.

I find it much easier to just give up sugar/UPFS completely rather than moderate. If I have a little bit of sugar, I just want more, but if I forgo it completely I don’t even think about it.

Maybe 'they' need to engineer foods which people will die of more abruptly rather than leading to years of poor health?

It's all a matter of personal choice and responsibility really. I'm about to retire and want to have as many more active years as possible!

Agree totally OP . You've reignited my desire to stop eating the absolute rubbish that is UPF

Ultimately I think the solution is actually to increase the processing of our food. People like what they like. Life is short. They could develop processes to remove sugar and trans fats, add insulin or hormones like ozempic directly into problem foods, add vegetable vitamins without people noticing, etc.

Your body has not changes in any significant way in 10 days.

I agree with you completely. I was given a medical “keto” diet by my neurologist to see if it would help my migraines. It worked for me (doesn’t work for everyone) and it also reduced inflammation elsewhere in my body. I had to have my wedding ring resized to two sizes smaller, and I can move the frozen shoulder that has been an issue since I was 9. Obviously I cook everything fresh. I avoid all grains and there are traces of them in most UPF foods.

Uh oh, not those scary upfs again 👻 I’d rather eat what I want in moderation than be so scared of processed foods that I have to make a whole post crying about them!

I can completely understand this! I have had a junk food problem most of my life and the only way for me to stay off it is to abstain completely. If I eat something processed and sugary now in the morning I am falling asleep mid-afternoon. And then I crave it. I find it takes about 1-2 weeks of no junk/snacking after dinner to break the cravings.

I do think your body gets used to certain foods as well. I stopped drinking coffee at work a while ago and only have it at breakfast. The other weekend I ate tiramisu with really strong coffee in it and I couldn't get to sleep that night!

I've got used to reduced bread and then either wholemeal or sourdough and now find eating a lot of white bread makes me constipated.

You're a lucky one if you don't gain weight in 10 days !

I agree with you, OP. It's easy to get into bad habits. Food scientists spend their careers making processed food easy and addictive. There are certain additives and flavorings that make it very hard to stop eating junk food. I'm around your age, and the trick is to stick with your good habits regardless of visitors, meals out, etc.

It won’t take you long OP. See it as a good thing in that you now realise how much all your hard work is benefitting you. A day or two of eating properly and you’ll feel back to normal.

Don’t be disheartened by the comments…anyone on MN who looks after their health is labelled orthorexic! (I probably am orthorexic but where does one draw the line? I have to have strict rules because I’m a very all or nothing kind of person.)

@WoodForTreesSeeing it really is like that for me... One snickers would lead to me thinking about it constantly, I dream about food FFS 😅 and I'd be desperately wanting more (like seven or eight more) or trying to trick myself by filling up on other stuff which is just as many calories (eg spoons of peanut butter and dark chocolate 😅) to chase the dopamine and the "high" from the initial snickers. It's like breaking a dam. I have to be in a very strong place to allow myself to eat something like one snickers.

Very addictive, certain types of food. A HUGE amount of food is literally designed to make us overeat, and thus spend more.

I would class myself as addicted to certain foodstuffs, and I cannot have them in the house because I cannot control myself enough to not eat the whole lot and then some. Diabetes, weight issues and heart problems run in my family, I don't want to tempt fate.

It's taken me twenty years to realise that what is marketed as a "treat" is slowly killing people in plain sight. And anyone saying that's dramatic, look into Dr van Tullekens (spelling may be wrong) "Ultra Processed People" I think it's called, and similar stuff for info. It's shocking. I think it will be the scandal of the future generations, just like smoking and leaded petrol etc.

You sound amazing op, I love that you have reduced your biological age so much, keep up the good work, - (when the upf munchers have gone!)