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

I thought the stuff about naturally regulating appetites was one of the most interesting parts of the book.
The usual narrative these days is that we evolved to cope with famine so in a time of constant plenty it’s inevitable that it’s going to be a battle to not get fat. But when you think about it, in the past most rich people who could afford all the food they wanted weren’t fat to the degree that the general population is now, even if it was more common among rich than poor.
The idea that for the most part, if we’re eating normal food, we can actually regulate our appetites, is much more convincing.

I'm new to this thread but you sound to have made a good start.

I've watched a few people on YouTube following WWII rations to improve diet and lose weight.

If you watch a couple they will give you ideas of meals in the days before UPF.

One thing I was surprised about was the amount of sugar that there was in the ration, but of course they didn't have access to a lot of the fruit we do now, melon, bananas, oranges etc which do contain sugar.

If you are looking to cut UPF and need something for you to do you could try making your own pickles and chutneys.

I pickle onions, preserve veg in oil, make mango and tomato chutney, that's two chutneys not the two in a single chutney.

It could solve your UPF gherkins.

Yes @sashh I think for it to be financial doable over the longer term I will need to spend more time producing my own items. UPF free items are certainly more expensive.

A bread machine is worth thinking about. If you have a charity shop near you that sells electrical equipment they often turn up almost unused because they are one of those gadgets that you end up using either all the time or never.

It doesn’t have to be more expensive overall but you are replacing low quality cheap ingredients and fillers with higher quality foods that are more expensive so it takes time to get your head round what the affordable things are and what are the treats.

You are doing amazing Ecydsis, very inspirational to turn it around like that.

Thank you. I'm feeling good.

So day four done.

Spoke to the pizza place and they make their own passata as well as dough, so that should be UPF free, I said they should market it as people are becoming more interested in it.

I had two glasses of merlot (one at the meeting, one after work) a quick Google seemed to point to dark reds being better- if anyone has any tips on this that would be great, although I'm also planning to keep alcohol levels low.

So not bad - no home UPFs and hopefully none at the pizza place.

Side affects, feel more alert, tmi but bowels are better, and only day 4.

good on you OP

Might it be helpful to look at your routine?

Can you do batch cooking at the weekend or another point in the week? What I prepare on a Sunday takes me through to Thursday at least. These 3 recipes would give you good healthy meals for a week that you can alternate.

I love roast veg so will do an enormous tray of them with chicken thighs. Any or all of the following:
Root vegetables: Potatoes, carrots, parsnips, swede, turnips, beetroot, celeriac
Alliums: Onions, shallots, leeks, garlic
Brassicas: Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage (especially wedges of savoy or hispi)
Squash family: Butternut squash, pumpkin
Other: Mushrooms, asparagus (in season), fennel

Toss them with oil, salt, and herbs, and roast at around 200°C until golden and tender!

A big batch of ratatouille (with or without the aubergine). Add in a jar of arabattia (sp) it really makes it better. You can do this in the oven too or on the top. You can add in some red lentils. They'll disappear pretty much.

Take some of this add feta and a bit of white fish that'll poach in the ratatouille as you cook it. The feta gives a nice creamy sauce.

Chicken breasts poached in some of the ratatouille (add some chili for a little kick).

Then last would be veg soup. Whatever you like. A minestrone type thing or leek and potato or curried cauliflowers or whatever. Broccoli and blue cheese.

Can you take lunches to work?

@Ecydsis I think your overhaul of your diet and approach sounds fantastic and I really hope it works well for you.
I'm really enjoying your updates, for me the key is always to enjoy my food and to keep planning

@Mummybearsthename these sound really good. Where did you get the moulds? Do you have a link?

You can get them in lots of places. I've collected some over the years...I got mine from Amazon, the pound store, and eBay. The kids love making chocs in them too! I've also done some with nuts in which are really nice and you can add a little chilli powder to dark chocolate or some honey...to shake things up a bit.

@Wallywobbles definitely no aubergine 😂. Do you use a particular sauce you use, the ones I've looked at have UPF.

Thanks to those that have suggested planning, I do think this will be key.

I've prepared for tonight, off to watch my friends daughter play football, would normally have beef burger and chips (and wine) but I've made some chicken and avocado wraps, with added cheddar so I don't feel deprived. Used the crostini & Mol.... Wraps, sorry can't remember the name but UPF free. Mushed the avocado so it was more like a spread.

So day five, working week nearly done.

Breakfast - porridge, seeds and milk. I can't have this everyday, will be looking for alternatives over the weekend.

Lunch. Remains of vegetable soup (home made including the stock) but added stilton it was really good. Jason's bread and butter. Feels much more filling than my usual bread, actually noticeable.

Dinner see above, I don't think I will be tempted to stray but will see.

Snack nuts, Banana and homemade cake.

Expected UPF none.

@Ecydsis it's amazing how much your taste buds will change as well. I cut out a massive amount of UPF's and i really noticed the difference in my taste buds also my tolerance of " shit food". I am realistic though and have the crap sometimes but try and balance it out.

To answer the arrabatia (sp) question I make my own. I don't follow a recipe though. Usually do it at the end of the summer when we've had a bumper tomato harvest or when I can get the overripe tomatoes from the market. Basically I just roast a lot of tomatoes, courgettes and onions and garlic for ages with a few chilis or dried chili flakes. And then blend

We could have written almost the same post.
No 😃 believe me, you would not believe what I eat either, I think i could out do a good few.

I have managed to lose around 3st btw 2023-24, and keep it off. Long way to go until i would be a healthy weight, but at least I have gone down and not up!
It's been a combination of diet changes, walking, change of medications I was on. And i also have Metformin.

I have not stuck to changes all of the time, and it is easy to slip back in to old ways. For me, particularly in the winter months 🤦‍♀️

Some of the things that worked for me was reducing/cutting out takeaways/alcohol. White carbs/flour/wheat items/processed things like crackers crisps etc/biscuits.
Think sort of going back to just having one portion of bready items a day.
I still had my sweet/chocolates, which had they been reduced I probably would have lost even more.
It was easy because a lot of those things we shouldn't be eating or very often anyway.
Plus I also had and still do, issues when I eat certain things, with my bowel etc, so not sure as yet if I have some intolerance.

Walking I built up, but it helped a lot just to feel better and for mental health too.

I binge eat and this is still something I've got to go back for help with, so this adds to the amount/type of things I eat.

What I find interesting is that I never have to actually think about how I feel. I have eaten healthily all week but today fancied some dark chocolate. Whilst waiting for DH to bring it home I had Nutella on toast. Then I had four squares of chocolate and 3 jelly babies and have felt nauseous for hours. I just don’t feel that way when I’m eating real food.

Well done OP, the hardest part is the start, but as your body adjusts it does become easier, especially when you start feeling the benefits.
And not beating yourself up if you slip up occasionally.
Not sure if you like dates but I recently found out that they are different from other dried fruits in that they don't cause sugar spikes and are full of good stuff, so are great for snacking or for making energy balls.
Keep it up !!

And as it is Ramadan there are loads in the shops.

Muslims traditionally break their fast with dates (if you didn't know the link with Ramadan) and they say dates can sustain you if you have no other food around.

Hi, I've not read whole thread, so I have no idea what your weight is (please don't say if you don't want to), but a mini trampoline, or rebounder as they are called, is a great idea.

Make sure you buy one that can support your weight.

Make sure it has six legs.

A rebounder puts much less stress on your body, and it (amazingly) works your whole body.

You don't jump as such, you just get on it and lift your heels to create a gentle bounce without losing contact with the material below your feet.

You can get rebounders that also come with a handle.

So if you feel insecure, you can just rest your hand(s) on it to give you confidence and stability if you need it.

Start off small and build the time spent on it as much at a time as you feel comfortable with.

Aim to get to at least twenty minutes.

I do it either to music, or the tv, it makes it more enjoyable, and if the tv programme is a half hour sit com, that time will have gone just like that.

The bonus is, once you've achieved your basic twenty minutes, is that any extra minutes will result in your body still burning even after you've stopped.

I can definitely say it's good for me, as I used to jog, but it wasn't good for my spine, as it's a hard unrelenting surface.

Rebounding is much softer, and better benefits.

You can get ones that the legs fold in, so you can slot it behind the sofa eg, when it's not in use.

It's also pretty light, so you could take it through to the back garden if you have one, so you'll get the benefit of fresh air.

I do recommend you get a supportive bra, as I find it's not a pleasant sensation to have ones bosom bouncing around 😱

Wishing you the best of luck in your endeavours.

I'm sure all us mumsnetters are cheering you on to success Yay!!!!

@Redruby2020 thanks. I sometimes think about starting a thread about what I was eating in a day but I honestly think people would think I was a troll! Even this week, I'm sure lots would be horrified about the amount of bread/cheese/general volume that I've eaten. Great loss well done.

@BraverThanTheyThink that is really helpful thank you. I don't like to walk with headphones in as feel vulnerable not being aware of my surroundings, so having something to work out in the garden or in front of the TV seemed good (and less embarrassing) I have just looked on FB and sent some messages.

@sashh I will look for dates , I love them, hadn't thought of them.

Day six.

Can not face porridge, really want a cooked breakfast, going to the shops to see what I can find- maybe a breakfast omelette.

Day six (after shopping!)

Breakfast - two eggs scrambled with butter and milk and two slices of buttered Jason's bread. It was lush.

Lunch - avocado wrap and some soup if I make it.

Dinner - chicken curry..well a basic version, I like curry and will start to look at how to build some good bases to start from but I'm using spices and full fat plain yoghurt with brown rice.

Only thing - citric acid, it was in all the tinned tomatoes I looked at- does anyone know if that is a UPF, (Google seemed a bit vague, tinned tomatoes not counted as UPF, but citric acid is)

I will keep looking for brands without it but there was nothing in Aldi, so I will be living with one UPF if it is. (At least for now)

Citric acid is naturally occurring in citrus fruits and although it is used as an additive in some foods it isn’t one that I would worry about or try to avoid too much

I second not worrying about citric acid tbh

Re fermented cucumber rather than gherkins, not fpr everyone. The flavour and consistency are imho an aquired taste (and I grew up on them)