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...?!!

Yes this could be me. I can go months eating really well and feeling great - then a packet of crisps, a chocolate bar, crusty bread whatever and it is genuinely like a switch flicks in my brain and it's all I want. It's really bloody hard.

Why are people being so nasty? I'm merely pointing out how addictive this stuff is and how quickly things can fall apart! I genuinely thought that a couple of weeks of falling in with their ways would be fine - and easier all round - so was surprised that I got 'addicted' to UPF and sugar so quickly.

Falling into a pattern for 10 days and noticing its effect on you is not 'being addicted'.

Seriously, though, lifting heavy weights allows you to eat so much more. A lot of women I used to work with in my previous job were always on diets but I was eating loads more than them and staying slim.

Case in point.

😂

If you are fat, do you dislike everyone who isn't? It sometimes feels that way.

Just go back to normal. You'll be retaining water.

Proper Coco, (not hot chocolate) kills sugar cravings enough to ignore them. They'll die off eventually.

Yeah, come on.

It really does. Sustaining muscle takes pure effort eating wise.

Are you 70?

Actually, because DH walks Ddog at the weekend, I notice Mondays and Tuesdays are harder walking. Deconditioning happens much faster than we'd all like to think. I really notice three days slowing down.

It’s true! But you’ll get back to it.

I'm eating almost 2800 cals a day! 😎

🤣🤣🤣

Might help OP get rid of that unsightly bloated tummy she’s developed though!

Agree with everyone talking about weight lifting. Do proper, heavy weight lifting and it’s amazing what it does for your body.

On mumsnet most posters who feel motivated to answer you will do so because you have made them feel inferior about their health and lifestyle choices. You may be exaggerating how quickly it has affected you but you are otherwise not wrong. But lots of people don't want to hear it. The costs of obesity-related conditions to the NHS and to GDP are massive and governments will have no choice but to act soon, so it's a feeling that people will probably have to deal with.

Well ehrm, not sure slagging everyone off is prudent. Or your statement is accurate, 😂

of course the op has a point, if you do a few days Eating crap and drinking, yes you feel less than healthy. Do you become addicted, no. Not normally in that time frame, and do you lose your “lovely” muscles, no. You wouldn’t. Thsts what folks are reacting to , the hyperbole.

if the op had simply said I’ve been eating shit and drinking too much for the last few days, feel a little bloated and crap. Everyone would have agreed.

instead she indulged in’s little hyperbole, hence the thread has gone as it has.

What a spiteful person you are in your postings. There's no sanctimony from the OP, she's pleased with her physique. I doubt I'd ever achieve it but hats off to her.

I've reported your nasty SPaG post as well.

I hope you feel less bitter soon.

If I don't swim for 10 days (and I'm not all that fit, though a regular swimmer) my shoulder muscles tell me all about it.

What makes you think that UPFs are to blame for these things rather than stopping exercising or drinking significantly more alcohol?

If I have a week off my knees start to ache until I foam roll my outer/inner thighs, hamstrings, and calves. Also my glutes/piriformis with a special knobbly ball about the size of a hockey ball. It's the muscles getting tight and pulling things out of alignment in terms of movement patterns.

YANBU. It’s such a slippery slope. I have struggled all my life with it.

Haven’t read the full thread but wanted to offer support and encouragement @PaminaMozart
Looking after yourself is empowering and something to be proud of. Personally i would like to be in good health as I age, taking personal
responsibility for one’s health through making better choices should be celebrated and not shamed.
You can easily get back on track 💪🏽

These threads really depress me, i eat sugary crappy food at some point every day and battle with myself all day long to not eat more. I am overweight. I sometimes go a few days crap free but rarely. I keep hoping some day I'll get it right and I'll be able to have a little bit of what I fancy and leave it like that but I have never found a balance. The craving cycle just goes on and mentally its too much to argue with myself at 20 minute intervals for about 16 hours a day. I always cave. But it looks like the only solution is cold turkey and no slip ups to break the cycle. Yet the thought of not eating some of my favourites makes me really down. Life is stressful and tiring, my treats are often the best part of the day.

The thing about sugar is that if you stop eating it completely for a while - you stop craving it and it doesn’t even taste nice. Everything tastes too sweet.