To feel eating like this is weird

[CrowsInMyGarden]

I don't have an eating disorder, at least I don't think I do. I have been vegan for 50 years (for ethical reasons) so I would have assumed I'd be slim and healthy but I am the opposite. I put on weight in my 40s and am just into the obese category. I would like to lose 2 stone. I joined Slimming World years ago. Lost a bit, put a lot more on then stayed the same for years, all whilst vaguely following their plans. I ate a lot of carbs thinking rice, potatoes and pasta were the way to go. I drank lots of diet coke. I still drank alcohol which is probably why I never lost weight. My last blood test showed high cholesterol, high triglycerides and high MCH. I also have pain under my right rib a lot. Gallstones ruled out but I do have a fatty liver. Liver blood tests ok.

I have now decided enough is enough. Something has to change. So firstly no more booze. I have been watching a lot of Zoe podcasts and bought a few Tim Spector books and How to Eat 30 Plants a Week by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall. I am happy to give up the fake meat and vegan cheese and have been cooking lots of meals using pulses and wholegrains. I've never been into cakes, biscuits, sweets but I did eat a lot of crisps.

I am getting interested in fermenting stuff too and have made my own Kimchi and Kombucha as read that helps.

The thing that just feels wrong to me is eating nuts, seeds, avocados and especially olive oil. I am doing it as that is what I am reading is good for me but it doesn't feel right. I have just made HFW's 7 plant pesto using Walnuts, Pumpkin Seeds and 300ml of olive oil (along with spinach, parsley and garlic). It makes a lot of pesto which I will share with others, portion up and freeze but it still gives me a "I shouldn't be eating this feeling". Oh it sounds like an eating disorder but I still don't think it is. I think it is years of Slimming World getting into my head.

Do most people that eat healthily happily pour Extra Virgin Olive Oil on their salads, roast veg etc without a worry and eat nuts/sees every day without putting on more weight?

I'm concentrating on getting the high triglycerides and hopefully cholesterol down and letting my liver heal. Losing weight would be wonderful but I want to sort those first.

I signed up to Zoe about 3-4yrs ago - game changer - never thought I would become an Olive oil connoisseur or be getting through home made kimchi rather than shop bought chutneys.

It does feel totally weird to be pouring olive oil into a pan without measuring, or making it into salad dressing (rather than using the "fat free" crap with a consistency of PVA) but good fats help you feel full for longer - I bought a range of healthy snacks - but I never feel the urge to snack these days so keep giving them away.

I lost about 20lb, am now a BMI of 21, right in the middle of the healthy range, clothes size 8-10 (bottom) and 12-14 top depending on brand. down from 16+

I had a lunch today of stir fry tofu and veg with black bean noodles, followed by a pudding of healthy homemade chocolate cake with cherries, nuts and full fat yoghurt. I drizzled sesame seed oil over the stir fry for extra flavour.

I had a check at the Drs recently (reached one of those significant ages!) and all my bloods are fine and within normal ranges.

An old Uni friend moved to southern Italy post Brexit, he was a bit on the chubby side when he went, always battling weight, but was decidedly svelt the last time I saw him - he can't get over how much good quality fruit and veg he can get cheaply in the markets there - and of course the Olive oil!.

Eating real food is amazing - I'm not even tempted by shop bought cake and biscuits these days, my tastebuds have definitely changed.

Op there are 120 cals in a level table spoon of olive oil. Don’t free pour, you do need to count, you do not magically lose weight if you eat above your tdee.

here is a link to how many cals in nuts

https://foodsmart.com/blog/100-calories-nuts-looks-like

as you can see it adds up significantly. With very little volume.

@Brightlittlecanary I'm not concentrating on losing weight right now. I just want to eat healthier and try to get my triglycerides to a normal level.

What I really wanted to know if people who eat healthily and are a healthy weight can just eat olive oil, avos, nuts and seeds as part of their normal meals and not gain weight. Obviously not overeating them, but not counting every calorie of them. It seems from the posts that a lot of people can and do.

I am one of those people that have joined SW many, many times despite it not working. Stupid, I know.

And in response to your other answer on my post about what I've just cooked. the answer would be no. I have no idea how much of the meal I have cooked I can eat to remain in a calorie deficit. I really don't want to swap SW for calorie counting. I just think that if I eat mostly vegetables, some fruit, wholegrains instead of white rice/potatoes/pasta, some oil/avos/nuts/seeds whilst at the same time cutting out vegan cheese/fake meat I will be on the right track. Despite being obese I don't each massive portions or snack.

I had got into a habit of drinking Vintage cider most evenings. One bottle is 285 calories and I could easily drink two so I think that is where both the fatty liver and the fatty body came from.

@dinglethedragon Are you still a Zoe member? I'm thinking of joining. Would you recommend? I'm fermenting stuff like mad. Made some kimchi from leftover red cabbage (I know that's not the traditional recipe) but it is amazing. First lot of Kombucha had some mould on it so I threw it and am brewing my second batch that is looking ok so far.

You don't necessarily need to count whether you are 'in a deficit' to lose weight though. Fat, protein, pulses etc are very satiating and don't send your blood sugar and appetite rocketing up and down like carbs and processed foods, so you may well find that you actually eat less naturally. Calorie counting is tedious. The times when I have most successfully lost or maintained weight have involved no calorie counting or measuring/weighing of portions.

Bu’t weight is about more than simply eating healthy foods. Eating too much is very unhealthy as it makes you obese.

But that ignores the fact that simply eating healthy foods can have a big effect on your appetite.

Be careful with the Kombucha. It can really disagree with some people, and make you really poorly.

Do most people that eat healthily happily pour Extra Virgin Olive Oil on their salads, roast veg etc without a worry and eat nuts/sees every day without putting on more weight?

They drizzle the oil not pour it, and they eat nuts and seeds in moderation.

I joined Slimming World years ago. Lost a bit, put a lot more on then stayed the same for years, all whilst vaguely following their plans. I ate a lot of carbs thinking rice, potatoes and pasta were the way to go. I drank lots of diet coke.
Organizations like Slimming World make money from people wanting to lose weight. They aren't going to teach you how to stay slim by eating healthily.

Ive never seen those things as bad for you. I eat loads of them.

I am still a member - mainly because I have a lot recipes loaded into the app - but the initial testing program has changed since I did it - I've heard some really positive things and some really negative 🤷🏼‍♀️. There is a new app (I am still using the old one, but it's a "legacy" one, eventually we will all be moved over to the new one) which is supposed to be much simpler - many of the "old hands" hate it, say its too simple, but I've heard people new to Zoe say how much they like it.

For me it always comes down to who to trust - nutritional research is a minefield because of all of the money thrown at it by the big food companies - I do trust the Zoe scientists to navigate a sensible way through the research and make recommendations based on the best science available. They are also not afraid to change those recommendations when new evidence emerges. Eg when I started Zoe it was "live ferments only, the ones from the fridge not on the shop shelf" but there is now evidence that even without the presence of live bacteria the products of fermentation are still nutritionally valuable, so they have changed their recommendations. I find that reassuring.

Staying a member keeps me aware - I can;t imagine going back to old habits - but I really don't want to risk it as I feel so much healthier these days. I see lots of people on the various FB groups saying they are managing fine without - but again, others talking about rejoining because they have regained some weight and gone back to old habits.

Zoe also recommends intermittent fasting / time restricted eating - and I do both of these too, which I'm sure helps with maintaining a stable weight as well as supporting the gut microbiome.

oh yes to red cabbage kimchi ! try fermenting grated beetroot - that is heaven.

Ok so you want to maintain weight, the food you’re eating is healthy. But I’m sorry if you dint have an idea of cals then it’s one of the ways of eating it’s really easy to over eat on.

all you can do is do it and watch the scales/

OP those things are healthy fats that you need! Slimming world and diet culture had done a number on people. You need these and eat them instead of all the sugar/bad carbs.

Good luck on your journey- i find the doctor's kitchen really helpful for tips and recipes