UPF Help- My lifestyle is killing me.

[Ecydsis]

I am at rock bottom. I've been here for a few years now.

I am morbidly obese (I know they don't use that term anymore but it is true)

I have lost all fitness and in my mid forties, I can see my future and it is not good.

I want to start with cutting UPF- I can't currently face being hungry so my thinking is overhaul my diet without worrying about weight for now.

But want to check.

If I make bread I can eat it?
Butter, milk and cheese is ok as long as it isn't slices ?
Pasta/rice is fine if I buy it raw (not pouches)
Canned pulses are ok but not as good a dried.

Meat should be raw and identifiable (ie raw chicken, not bacon?)
Is tea/coffee ok?

Porridge oats and milk?

I'm going to try and start exercising but I am so unfit.

Thanks for any help

ooOo interesting, the (audio)book I recommended is by Dr. Federica Amati who is the head nutritionist at ZOE. I will take a listen to that zoe podcast :D

also... does the breadmaker work with different grains and things? my OH is GF (not that I'm saying theres a problem with gluten, just his own situation) and I miss sharing bread thats not just flat german rye bread (though its still yummy). I wonder if the breadmaker would be good at making breads with heavier grains--have you tried? goodness I love fresh bread.

Well done OP on your first UPF free day thus far :)

You are mistaken - it's RED KIDNEY BEANS that can contain a toxin if not boiled vigorously for 10 minutes after soaking. Chickpeas are perfectly fine. You can use them after soaking and before cooking to make falafel, for instance

I think this is a great idea OP. If your diet is truly 'mostly UPFs' then you will feel so much better in a short space of time. Also, there is tonnes of evidence now that UPFs mess us up in all kinds of ways, so I wouldn't worry too much about 'getting underneath' any eating issues until you have tried this first.

Your starter for ten list of meals looks good to me. I would suggest you just get your head around a few basic principles and don't worry too much about the details. Moving from 'mostly UPFs' to 'mostly whole foods with a little UPFs' will no doubt mean you make a tonne of progress. Go for foods that you recognise as foods (meat, fish, veg - not packaged or powdered things) and avoid added chemicals. Try to avoid added sugar.

Wishing you luck - you can do it!

I haven't tried other grains, sorry, but I bet it's doable.

Btw I have reaction to flour, in UK but do NOT have reaction to proper Italian flour....

It is on one hand, but you get full up quicker and eat less, so you save in the other hand!!
It's an investment in our health too and can prevent costly health issues later. I know I'm preaching to the choir here it's just nice to remind ourselves isnt it :)

Thanks for all your further support. Have download the other podcasts.

So first day. Been ok. Had one UPF, a wholemeal pitta, it has calcium propionate in it, which must be a UPF. But that is one thing in a whole days worth. (I got in later than expected from work so changed my meal but all not processed except the pitta)

I am going to buy some real bread (I will look to make some)

Had to pop into Home Bargains, was shocking that nearly all the aisles of food were now unsuitable.

Thanks to those who recommended the Yuka app and also the other resources, I have found this thread very helpful too.

Congrats on your first day of mainly unprocessed food @Ecydsis

The pitta bread is still better than a more processed white bread so it's all steps in the right direction!
You are very right about home bargains. Lots of UPF.
Some natural whole food bargains you can find in there are bags of red lentils and bags of barley.
You can add both to a nice stew with lots of veg and potatoes.
Just be aware it might be a little shock to your digestive system and cause bloating in the short term whilst your body adjusts.
If you can, try and obtain a good quality probiotic x

Another swap I've found that works for me on occasions where I may have used a tortilla wrap is using a big piece of iceberg lettuce to wrap up some rice, tomatoes and other things.

@Wavescrashingonthebeach as in a tablet form from Holland & Barrett (I'm going past one tomorrow)

I'm preparing for all sorts of changes, skin, mood, bowels... My diet has been awful for so long

There's loads of different probiotics, hopefully the staff point you in the right direction!
And hopefully you won't suffer too many side effects in the short term, it's a lot of changes to make if it's a complete overhaul of your previous lifestyle. It sounds like you've reached your tipping point and are determined which is amazing. Mindset is everything.

Could you start by literally halving what you're currently eating? That would be a good start and effective but not complicated. Then later on you can fine tune with better foods?

Would Mounjaro be an option?

Cut the butter and cheese completely
very fattening
unless you can reduce to less than a thumb size per meal

Your palm determines your protein portions.
• Your fist determines your veggie portions.
• Your cupped hand determines your carb portions.
• Your thumb determines your fat portions

Would Mounjaro be an option?

I couldn't finance it privately but I would quite possibly be a contender from the NHS.

I'm cautious for a few reasons, it is new who knows what it will be long term- gastric bands were promoted as the answer but longer term they are not.
I don't really get food noise. I'm just a unhealthy because I'm lazy. I enjoy all food, just reaching for unhealthy food is much less effort -but I do have a massive appetite - I don't really ever feel full, but is this because of all the UPFs I eat?

Halving a UPF diet might take less mental effort than swapping to proper food but it would be a heck of a lot harder to sustain as you would be very hungry.
I think op’s plan is a very sensible one; by cutting out UPFs she will feel full on far less calories and so will naturally eat less than before.
Our bodies don’t want us to overeat but UPFs are designed to make us keep eating and override our natural feeling of fullness.

You could get Crosta and Mollica wraps and freeze them for the odd occasion you want some sort of bread.

Not sure if you want other ideas to make it easy, but I find being largely UPF free relatively easy because I make simple meals the majority of the time.

The above wraps and Jason’s bread kept in the freezer, which you can fill with eggs (fried, scrambled, boiled), cheese, tuna (with natural yoghurt if you don’t want to use bottled mayo, tinned sardines or mackerel, a mixture of veg etc.

Or I have a jacket potato with one of the fillings above or plain butter or a canned mixed bean salad (in water). Or an omelette.

For tea I choose a meat (usually fish or chicken) plus some veg (either broccoli and carrots , or cheer tomatoes and red onion, or a mix of whatever), whack some olive oil & salt on the whole thing and put it in the oven for 20 minutes or whatever the meat needs. With it I have either a jacket potato, sweet potato, ready made mash (most are UPF free), or boiled potatoes. If the first two I just whack them in the oven with oil and salt with the rest. Takes less then five minutes to prepare.

Or I get steak, a ready made stir fry bag, and a jacket potato. Set potato off, fry steak, leave it to rest whilst frying the stir fry with soy and honey or whatever you want. Less than ten minutes from starting to serving.

Most of my meals are some version of these. It’s not realistic to always make elaborate meals but the simple ones are so tasty and healthy.

Getting rid of UPF will really help with cravings. I got rid of then 2 years ago and I feel so much better. IBS is a distant memory. Cook everything from scratch. I make all my own bread and bake a cake every week so not depriving myself. However, as its real cake with real butter I can't binge without being really uncomfortable. My diet is satiating. This is the first step to stabilising your weight. Also all fizzy drinks must go! Replace with sparkling water and a squeeze of fresh lime. Don't be scared of good food and enjoying it. Without UPF you won't want to over eat as much.

Yes, it is. You’re not lazy. They’re designed to keep you reaching for more. Just ensure you’ve got UPF free bread, jacket potatoes, frozen berries, frozen veg in the freezer, and eggs and cheese in the fridge, fruit and dark chocolate, if that’s what you like, in the cupboards, and on those days you can’t be arsed it’s just as easy to reach for the proper food.

I keep yoghurt in to go with the frozen berries if I fancy a snack, and a couple of hard boiled eggs ready to grab. Or proper bread and butter. You can get bags of UPF free popcorn and ready salted crisps too, which you can grab if you fancy a quick snack.

I'd make it as easy as possible or you'll give up.

Microwave rice isn't upf...it's just pre-cooked rice with a tiny bit of rapeseed oil to stop it sticking together. Just get the wholegrain version. Pre-cooked mashed potato isn't upf either...it just has a bit of milk and salt added. I find these things really useful.

Also you could get the microwave porridge sachets for now...the plain ones don't contain any added ingredients - the oats are just chopped up a bit to make them cook quicker. If you have that with fruit that's your breakfast sorted.

I wouldn’t worry about the foods you have listed - If that’s the only UPF you are eating it’s not much. Start walking, drinking water. Eating three meals a day that are balances. Stop all refined sugar, alcohol, smoking if you smoke. Walking and walking and water and water. Keep going even when you feel hopeless - you aren’t an alien you are a human being and you will lose weight by eating healthy, staying hydrated and moving as much as you can. Best of luck to you. Xx

I can't do this. I appreciate this is what I should be doing but I would be starving and I know I would then binge on something.

@Ecydsis you will likely start to feel better quickly by overhauling your diet, but also try and cut your sugar intake as well using the naturally occurring sugars in fruit for sweet treats rather than adding sugar. Honey does contain some antioxidant’s and other nutrients but is otherwise pretty much pure sugar. Carbohydrates are converted to sugar in the body as well which is why complex carbs are better for us as they contain more fibre and other nutrients. You do need fat in your diet but many vegetable. And seed oils are very highly processed so if you can stick to proper butter and olive oil

Sorry if already mentioned, but I don’t have time to RTFT

look for Jason’s sourdough for bread. Think it’s UPF free, or about as close as you can get.

also, crosta and mollica (I think it’s calle?) they do various flatbreads and breadsticks that are all UPf free.

certain brands of packet bread mix are UPf free, so easy to bang in a bread machine or oven.

i also think a lot of ciabattas and some panini have better ingredients than typical bread.

as do the ‘bake at home’ baguettes. Throw one in the oven & add a bit of garlic butter and you’ve got garlic bread! (I buy the ready made garlic butter as I’m that lazy!)

also if you’re like me and lunch is usually a sandwich, swap to a jacket potato instead. You can even batch cook and either fridge or freeze and reheat to save time

I also swear by eating last nights dinner leftovers for my lunch on toast or jacket potato cus them I’m only having to think about cooking once a day really!

hth, if I think of anymore good UPF free swaps I’ll post them

You don’t need to do this , protein will keep you fuller for longer and fat is not the problem , sugar and UPF’s are. Quitting sugar can be tough at first but once the cravings have gone you are much less likely to binge.