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

[PaminaMozart]

... how quickly things can fall apart!

I'm a self-confessed health nut. Love exercise, lots of walking, and my diet is normally supper healthy. Lots of vegetables, lean protein, a smattering of complex carbs, healthy fats and dairy/mostly yoghurt.

It has stood me in good stead. At 70 I am really fit and my health-MOT suggests a biological age of 53 or thereabouts.

BUT...... for the past 10 days I have had relatives staying with me who seem addicted to UPF, carbs and sugary 'treats'. They sleep till 10, so I've given my usual morning workouts a miss so as not to disturb them. No point cooking stuff they won't eat. Or we eat out at places with limited/no healthy options.

Slowly but surely I've fallen into a pattern of eating what they eat, drinking wine daily (as opposed to a glass once or twice a week), and taking the bus instead of walking.

And, even after such a short time I have gained weight, my belly is definitely more prominent, and my lovely muscles seem sadly diminished.

A salutary lesson. Use it or loose it. I wonder how long it'll take me to get back to where I was...?!!

Why are people being so nasty?

Some of them are probably younger. As people get older, we're more likely to have somewhat fucked up metabolisms - insulin resistance etc. 10 days of eating carby crap would screw up my prediabetic DH and would make me feel pretty bleurgh (we're 63). So we try not to do it, or at least limit it if we're on holiday. Pub meals - pie ordered with no potato and ask for extra veg, that sort of thing.

If the OP was uptight let alone 'orthorexic' she'd have kept to healthy eating and not fallen in to such an extent with her relatives preferences!

Ignore people who bandy around silly labels like that, OP!

sits reading this whilst eating family size bag of quavers... feeling shameful

Because you’re not taking responsibility for your decisions. You chose to eat badly and do no exercise for 10 days. No one forced you to do so, yet you’re blaming what you ate rather than what you chose to eat

Nothing wrong with UPFs.

And how exactly do you know that? Because the research I came across makes it sounds as bad and addictive as smoking.

Op, there's plenty of people who will read your post and know exactly what you mean. We all say it's addictive. But experiencing it for yourself is even more of an eye opener.

Profit driven everything. Short-sidedness that is causing irreparable harm to both people and planet.

Thanks for the reminder. Because of your post I'll watch what I'm eating and buying today.

Dont blame your guests, blame your lack of self discipline

Going against the grain here but...I know what you mean OP. I'm younger but nowhere near as healthy as you are. If I have a few days of lazy eating I crave it more and more. I feel so much better within myself when I make an effort to eat well and get enough exercise. It's so difficult to kick the unhealthy habits when the cravings are so strong and the food makes me feel so crap I don't have the energy to exercise.

Probably more that she was trying to be a good host and make her guests feel at ease by adapting to their lifestyle too much, rather than lack of self discipline, I reckon. She probably didn't want to 'junk shame' them.

But yes, it's your choice OP - next time don't be so overly accommodating!

In 10 days it's likely water retention not a real weight gain. Good news is that it will go quickly once you stop eating crap. Bad news- cravings...I agree that it is very addictive. It's designed to be.

'My lovely muscles' 🤣🤣 stop being a fanny OP

Muscles are something a 70 yo woman absolutely should cherish!

Ultimately if you eat and drink too much you will gain weight and if you stop exercising you lose muscle.

UPF and wine are high in calories so you will gain a lot more weight eating them over a shorter period than you would over eating broccoli.

I appreciate its hard at 70 but 10 day of over indulgence won't have caused too much damage and will be easily rectified by putting the effort back in.

I'm not proud of eating well, but it certainly was a shock to the system!! 😂

As I've tried to explain, thus is mostly about the intensity of the cravings and how quickly the rot set in.

I know I'll get back on track in due course.

I think I'll bail out of this thread now. As you were 😀

Yes your short unintentional experiment agrees with this month long experiment done by Dr Chris van Tulleken where he ate a diet mainly composed of UPFs. Didn't go well!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/van_tulleken

PaminaMozart

Love exercise, lots of walking, and my diet is normally supper healthy.

There's your problem, right there.
Your should eat healthily for breakfast and lunch too.

(Sorry - I know it's a typo. But "super this" and "super that" just sounds so annoyingly perky to me)

OP I know where you are coming from. Generally in the week I eat really well, move lots, weights and Pilates and a run.

At the weekend allow myself treats and promptly feel like shit on a Monday morning.

Agree it can make a difference to your system that quickly

For those who are scoffing need to read Ultra Processed People. There are multiple scientific reports about how addictive UPFs are and how they act on your brain. Also multiple studies of how quickly people gain weight when eating a diet with a high proportion of UPF.

Some of the stats are terrifying (a 10% increase in UPF may cause a 25% increased chance of developing dementia) and there is increasing evidence that food is more than the constituent calories and defined food groups. There is a theory that is helps explain the obesity epidemic in developed countries, and why many diets don't work.

I don’t claim to be super health or very in shape - but I agree UPFs do change your eating habits, and also that it’s easy to fall into habits.

I agree and people shouldn't scoff.
I'm trying to eat low carb and making sure I have plenty of vegetables every day,in the for of salads / cooked veg or ratatouille, with plenty of Greek or natural yogurt . Meat and fish in natural form with no breadcrumbs etc.
I feel healthy and the chocolate cravings have ceased because I'm full.
I have to remind myself this is it now and I'm not on a 'diet'. I really don't want diabetes.

This 👆

I get that it’s easier to cook one meal for everyone rather than different things, and if they wouldn’t eat healthier offerings then you’ve sort of got to suck it up and go along with the takeaways or processed foods to an extent. But I don’t really get the booze issue. I don’t like to drink but if guests come over, I will offer wine/beer which most will accept- I don’t ever feel like I have to join in with that so they drink their alcoholic drinks and I make mugs of tea for myself. It’s never caused a problem.

Maybe just ask them over for a week next time! If they are going soon(Arent they like fish though ,go off after a few days?!) You can soon get into the groove again(not that dissimilar to going on holidays ? As long as you keep up your routine .Well done BTW I envy you !Need to get fitter ,sadly under Chemo ATM for Ovarian Cancer!

So many people jealous - I salute you.

Well just get back on the wagon OP, sooner rather than later

I think you’ll find there’s an awful lot wrong with UPF. It’s not the calorie content of them that’s the issue, they are literally engineered in a lab using ingredients that have no resemblance to edible substances, to be as addictive as possible and cause inflammation and disease.

Read Ultra Processed People.