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

@Whatnowthenfordone I will look for those wraps and bread thanks. I love bread and I'm not planning on rationing anything that is UPF free ( I know that will have to come but first steps)

I walked a little again today but I do feel very subconscious (I know that is ridiculous but still) I have thought about getting one of those little trampolines so I could 'walk' in the garden for now- is that stupid?

Cut out UPF, non-vegetable carbs and sugar.
Eat a Mediterranean style diet.
Lots of vegetables, some fruit, moderate amounts of lean protein, small amounts of healthy fats and dairy.

If you are lost with regard to cooking, Jamie Oliver has lots of easy yet healthy recipes- and many are on YouTube.

Exercise - Start with Lucy Wyndham Read, progress to Rebecca Louise, then Growingannanas, and ultimately Caroline Girvan.

Check out Michael Moseley, Dr Becky Gillespie and Mark Hyman to understand diet, weight, diabetes and how to lead a healthy life.

Well done on agreeing with yourself to make some changes to how you're living and eating. That's commendable, many don't get to your stage, so be good to yourself.

Secondly, don't go in all guns a blazing - it won't last. You'll lose momentum and hit the 'fuck it' button.

Slow and steady.

So just start off small. Forget all this making your own bread malarkey ! Jeez! Don't even think about that one right now !

Walk more. Doesn't have to be quick. Just move more than you're currently moving.

Try to move breakfast to later. I find the earlier I eat the earlier I'm hungrier for my next meal.

Delete any kind of "just eat" apps off your phone.

Switch to batter less fish. Stick to white meats only. Chicken etc. pulses are very filling. Who cares if it's in a can ? It's probably better eating a can of mixed beans in a tin than a McDonald's.

This is the biggy. Stop snacking. Grazing is what puts on the weight and keeps it being put on. Stick to 3meals a day even if they're generous portions. If you get peckish drink a pint of water or have a peppermint tea then distract yourself until your next meal.

Start of small and make life changes that can last. No whimsical big ideas.

Good luck !

Why do you think you cannot do this? You fill yourself with vegetables first, then eat the protein, and only then eat some healthy carbs - and stop when you feel satiated. You may think you can't do it, but if you take the time to eat slowly and truly savour the taste of what you are eating, you will get there.

Keep walking - forget the trampoline. Forget what anyone else might think and don’t be self conscious- just do it. Put your headphones on, get a good podcast serieA on and just go! I would also recommend getting a dog or borrowing one to walk! Keep going xxx

Because it's totally unnecessary and extreme for them to cut out butter and cheese it they've been living off a massive diet of junk food for ages. What a way to make it unsustainable and unenjoyable. And I say this as a vegan.
Op, you can enjoy butter and cheese as part of a balanced and lower calorie diet i comparison to what you were having previously!!!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X3q5e1pV4pc

Leslie Sansone walking videos are great - my mate recommended them. 15 mins and you’ve walked a mile!

Focus on one thing at a time. The most effective change you can make right now is your breakfast. Don't have porridge. Have something savoury, such as eggs with bacon (but no bread), or nuts with Greek full-fat yogurt, every single morning. This will keep you sustained for the whole morning without needing a snack, up to lunch time. This one change will be the helping start for everything else.

You are right, OP. But also, you are probably less likely to overeat so much if you are eating proper, nutritious food. Highly processed food is tasty and addictive but it's not satisfying and filling in the same way as proper food. Getting the fibre, protein and good fats from proper food will give your body what it's actually craving.

You shouldn’t do it anyway. It’s well meaning but completely dated.

Apologies - I only meant to write a brief outline of how to tackle overeating. I should have mentioned healthy flavorings that lift vegetables, protein and healthy carbs to another level and make healthy eating truly enjoyable.

I believe a healthy Mediterranean style diet is best, and this can definitely definitely include butter and cheese - in moderation - as well as full-fat Greek yogurt, olive oil, nuts, tahini and other whole foods.

I agree.

Part of the problem is that UPF assault our taste buds to the extend that they no longer appreciate the mire subtle taste of vegetables. It takes time and patience to relearn to truly taste carrots, peas, sweetcorn, beetroot, fennel and all the other wonderful nutritious vegetables.

As well as a bit of effort to learn to prepare them. Luckily there are now so many modern cookbooks, as well as a huge amount of online tutorials and YouTube videos.

I find avoiding anything with emulsifiers, stabilisers and palm oil (unless it's ethical palm oil from a quality brand) a good rule to follow when giving up UPFs. If you follow that rule you realise half the supermarket aisles are out of bounds which makes shopping a lot quicker and simpler. It's a great idea to avoid these foods as they are, as others have mentioned, designed to make you eat too much and are now being shown to mess up your gut microbiome and metabolism.

Also, the key is in the name ultra processed foods - canned beans are absolutely fine and just as healthy as dried beans.

That's ok and you are of course right, for some people cutting out higher calorie fats is the way forward but think op still at baby steps and just retraining their taste buds. If they lost a few stone then plateaued that's the type of thing you then tweak. Suppose also depends if something is a binge trigger.

I don't think there is a brief outline of how to tackle over eating.
It is interesting that non over eaters always assume that over eaters do not understand what a healthy diet is, or they don't know how to cook. I find this is rarely the case.

Day 2

Had raw oats and seeds with milk - a good sized bowl, and I can't remember the last time I had milk .
Snack, mixed nuts and a banana

Lunch will be the same as yesterday, whole pasta, chicken, spinach, tomato, leeks, olives and feta.

Is tinned tuna jacket and salad, with butter and salad.

Do need to investigate a UPF free mayo/dipping sauce.

Sorry - I was referring to my earlier post in which I referred to the sequence of eating, i.e. filling oneself up with vegetables before eating the protein, and leaving carbs till last. I'm sure it's not quite as simple as that but I found it helpful when I needed to lose weight.

No worries, I think I'm just so far away from normal eating I can't make that work. I understand why it is good for you and why I should but on the scale of healthy to unhealthy I'm right at 100% on the unhealthy side.

This is why for now at least, I am not worrying about portion or fat content, just on natural minimally processed food.

Agree with others to not worry too much about the edge cases. If you can get your diet to 90% upf free, that is a huge win. Its more about finding strategies that will be sustainable long term, according to your budget and amount of free time.

Do need to investigate a UPF free mayo/dipping sauce.

Mayo looks really easy to make at home. Ignore American websites their eggs are different ours are safe.

What type of dipping sauce flavours are you looking to re create?

Natural Greek yoghurt or creme fraiche can be made into dips and dressings- add peanut butter and curry powder for a satay style.

Home made salsa seems simple. Tomatoes, onions and not much else?

Mash up an avocado and add a squeeze of lime for easy guac

On a leafy salad I find nothing more simple and enjoyable than a little extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and salt.

Freshly ground cracked black pepper if you like that.

Those jars of dried mixed herbs are really cheap too.

Have a look at sauce shop, they're a bit pricey but really nice - they do all sorts of UPF free sauces, including mayo :)

Thanks @Wavescrashingonthebeach I think I just need to think! So used to carelessly grabbing food.

Will have a look at the sauce shop. Thanks.

Ditch the oats in the morning. Have a carb-free breakfast to prevent the blood sugar roller coaster that causes cravings for the rest of the day. Have your carbohydrates at lunch time and dinner time. For breakfast try something like Greek yogurt with nuts and seeds (and no oats or honey), eggs (no bread), or bacon and avocado, sausages with mushrooms, anything savoury like this.

For help when you're shopping I'd highly recommend Sophie Morris on Instagram www.instagram.com/sophie_morris?igsh=MWZyanZvYXd4NGxuNg== - she goes to the supermarkets (in Ireland but similar brands) and picks out swaps for specific items, bread, sauces, etc. She also chats through the ingredients that indicate UPF and those that are fine. It's funny now in supermarkets I'm constantly seeing people reading the labels - we call it the Sophie Morris effect.

One big change we've made is switching from sliced pan to bake-at-home bread rolls. No UPF and they're so much tastier! And there are some lovely sweet treat and snack recommendations too, which will scratch that itch which is so important too for long term success.

I think what you're doing is very wise. All the evidence shows that we're fighting a losing battle trying weight loss regimes while still consuming UPF; it has just set us up to fail.

The Van Tulleken book and podcast are so illuminating.

And allow yourself to falter on this; let yourself have hard days and be kind to yourself when they happen. Don't think it's just another plan that failed. Reset and go again. Every time. I'm on the same journey and it's definitely worth it.

I'm not being rude but have you read any of my posts?