Ever noticed how people EAT all the time when you're trying to lose weight?

[Tansie]

Of course, you're way more conscious of it when you have decided to lose weight! But yesterday at work it struck me that my colleagues pretty much eat on the time, as did I! We are a group of 6 or 7, from 30-50 years old, all female; it's a health care facility with a 'control area' (no patients). There's always food there and we're constantly grazing. Yesterday there was half a dozen 2 finger Kitkats; 3 Wagon Wheels, 3 of those Graze pots of fruit and nut; half a lemon drizzle cake- and someone did a Costa run! Interestingly this person put real pressure on me and another woman to have a skinny latte as 'it's only 100 cals'...

ALL of us are constantly banging on about our weight; I'd say 3/4 of us are overweight, one even more so- yet we eat all the time! usually without thinking about it. I readily confess that 'tea-breaks' usually go by the board, and lunch can be 10 minutes so sometimes you need something like chocolate to see you through when you're flagging- but it's no wonder we're all tubby!

[Tansie]

OK, today was a classic; I'm in a HCP job where were frequently get visitors, brought by a sales company for the visitors to talk to Real Operators (us) on The Shop Floor (us) about what the particular piece of kit is like to work on (and how amazing it is!). They come from all over and we do try to suppress our groans when they arrive- all pre-booked, though often we're the last to know- but we get so many sometimes we're not actually expecting them!

The Company Reps always bring fodder/bribes for us; and it's usually Waitrose doughnuts or cake plus a Costa Run.

Today was interesting as again, I got a bit pressured to eat cheap doughnuts (225 cals a piece) by my workmates. Many could not see how eating a bunch of sugary-transfats would do me no favours whatsoever. I said, guess what? If I eat a doughnut, it will be One, Single Krispy Creme; the pinnacle of doughnut indulgence, not a crappy Woolworth's special, constituting 1/5 of my daily calorific intake in one hit!

But I believe I was still seen as being a bit odd!

[tobysmum77]

hmmm ok there are lots of possible issues then, size of the sample, psychological placebo effect being the 2 most obvious. Aspartame does not make me crave sugar and I'm adamant that is the case.

big woman at work had birthday yesterday and the amount of cake!!! I just find it .

[WillieWaggledagger]

our environment is now out of synch with how we have evolved (in the developed world at least). food (particularly of the heavily processed, refined carbs variety) is just so readily available 24/7, and we are animals, it's natural for many of us to be drawn to eat what is available. especially that which gives us positive feedback signals like sugar - this response would have encouraged us to fatten up for the winter when sugary foods were available for that limited time. but now it's just so easy to get hold of that for many people it's too hard to overcome the instinct to eat what is available

[Tansie]

Yesterday I observed as 3 packets of biscuits and a cake got consumed by 5 people over the day in my office area at work. One woman has been banging on about Fit For Fifty for the past year (she's 48) but I think she needs to get on with it, rather than shovelling junk down her neck all the time. It's 'amusing' as she's talking about food and weight most of the time, but, tbf, did say yesterday she 'couldn't be bothered with all this dieting and impulse control nonsense' (which was a bit of a dig at me as I politely, without fuss, decline all the junk on offer which I think galls her a bit... it's isn't very malicious, more 'Ooh, whose body's a temple, then?' type chat). She claims to 5:2 but is often seen on a 2 day scarfing down cake!

Like many I don't think that a) she's had her 'line in the sand' moment and b) fully equates weight gain with constant junk grazing.

For the record I drink Diet Coke 3 times a week!

[ppeatfruit]

The 2 groups were in a controlled environment for some time and all were having their food intakes monitored.

I follow my blood type way of eating and there aren't many foods that ALL of us should avoid but pork and aspartame are 2 of them.

[tobysmum77]

so how did they measure they were more hungry?

[ppeatfruit]

I saw a tv programme about the 'diet' drinks with the fake sugars and they tested it on people (one group had diet drinks the other didn't ) they found that the dietdrink group were more hungry because the body doesn't seem to recognise the chemicals as foods.

IMO it's sad that sooo many people are influenced by adverts to have shite foods. I reckon it's boredom at work that creates the 'eat anything' environment.

[tobysmum77]

Slim!

[tobysmum77]

Personally I don't think full fat milk/ yoghurt are the devil but tbh skimmed milk and natural yogurt don't have added sugar. ..... Avoiding processed food is important though I think. The key really is funding a way of eating where you stay skin but it works for you long term.

And the wartime generations didn't have cars and also had rationing/ one egg a week and would have been seriously hungry a lot of the time.

I also like diet coke and it doesn't make me crave sugar as some claim, although it may be different for different people.

In terms of people eating lots of shite at work where I work the people who do this are the overweight ones and I wonder why. If I don't want to eat cake I just don't eat it and worry not about the provider being offended.

[ppeatfruit]

I also liked to take pecan and walnuts or macadamias (i know they're expensive but they're filling and take quite a bit of chewing so leave you feeling like you've eaten properly IYSWIM )

The problem I find with crisps is the saltiness (even the 'lightly' salted) makes me crave more than one or two so i can't eat them at all. !

[Tansie]

Yes, I am drinking litres of water at work, and I always have an apple or carrot batons at the ready! I am finding 'resisting' the available junk quite easy, actually. I may have a crisp, but it'd be the one or two, not a family bag!

[ppeatfruit]

Yes exactly prawny Eating when you're hungry is fine if it's mindful not just eating for the sake of it! If you REALLY taste and chew your food you don't want to eat plastic food IFYSWIM.

Tansie when worked i took my healthy snax with me and a bottle of water. Maybe you and your nurse colleagues could do the same?

[prawnypoos]

Exactly! Hunger is a sensation that has contributed to the survival of the human race! Hunger is a good thing as you know that you actually need to eat, not just to not feel hungry but to survive!

I hated slimming world. I was 15 1/2 stones when I joined late last year. I am not being a bitch when I say this but the club leader was a lot bigger than me!! She had slimmed down from 23st to 17 1/2 stone, which is great but she said she had maintained for 3 years which is also great, just didn't fill me full of confidence.
Anyway, the last straw was some 70 odd year old bird talking about how she had gained because she hasn't had a shit for 2 weeks. That's when I decided my first SW meeting would also be my last.

Some of their recipes are good though, I'll give them tht

[Tansie]

Indeed. I was out with a SW mate last night (in that she's doing SW, I'm not!) and she said triumphantly 'I'm never hungry'- which made me think . I get that we're on different weight-loss trajectories; mine relies on me recognising and embracing some hunger. I am trying to re-educate my body to eat when hungry, stop when satiated. Never being hungry won't do that for me!

SW seems big on lo-fat and sweeteners which I'm a bit suspicious of. I eat full-fat everything. Only small quantities of all.

And yes to your definition of 'grazing'. It's never, ever experiencing the sensation of hunger as it's seen as bad rather than what it is, just a bodily signal.

[prawnypoos]

Very true!! I think everything in moderation is fine too!!

I hate this 'low fat' culture and the way they pump loads of sugar and crap into yoghurts, margarine an basically anything you can shake a fist at. Butter, whole milk and full fat yoghurt are all fine in moderation!! The war generations never had this obesity epidemic yet they didn't have all of this low fat shite either!

MODERATION

[prawnypoos]

Very true!! I think everything in moderation is fine too!!

I hate this 'low fat' culture and the way they pump loads of sugar and crap into yoghurts, margarine an basically anything you can shake a fist at. Butter, whole milk and full fat yoghurt are all fine in moderation!! The war generations never had this obesity epidemic yet they didn't have all of this low fat shite either!

MODERATION

[WorraLiberty]

This is why I think some people tend to over think and over complicate things when trying to lose weight.

Some will know every little detail about low carbing/no sugar diets/fasting/trans fats etc.

It can get very very scientific and quite confusing/off putting for people, to the point their heads want to explode.

But really cutting out all the unnecessary snacks and having 3 healthy meals that aren't massive, makes it all much simpler.

Also the word 'grazing' should be replaced with 'constantly eating all day and never allowing myself to feel hungry'...because that's what the trendy word 'grazing' actually means.

[Tansie]

That's true; as has been said, we actually have an epidemic of malnourishment in the UK, even in obesity!

[prawnypoos]

I think it is to a point but even so you need to watch what you put into your body.

If you're 5 7" and weigh 9 stones, work out at the gym 5 times a week but live on a diet of crisps and chocolate and takeaways then you can't really be healthy, no matter how active you are. I think men in particular have a tendency to get a bit of podge as they get to middle age anyway.

[Tansie]

Aha! Being active is the key isn't it?

My DH isn't very active at all, he's not a huge eater but he's got a worrying belly, too.

[prawnypoos]

He's a farmer, about 5 11" and has a bit of a belly but he's very active. He eats like a horse though! He doesn't do it every night but he will often ask me to go and make him a cheese sandwich at 9pm!!

He has a huge appetite but were not in the habit of buying takeaways. It was his mums birthday so he wanted me to pick up fish and chips for him and her which is fair enough really, his dad died of a heart attack so I do worry sometimes , I cook healthy meals with loads of veg it's just he has massive portions!

[Tansie]

Blimey, it's everywhere, isn't it?!

Can I ask- is your DH a normal size?! Does he normally scarf junk in those quantities?!

[prawnypoos]

My DP was sat on the sofa next to me last night, he demolished 1 big bag of Doritos and a whole dip as well as a big bar of cadbury's chocolate!! And then to take the biscuit today, he asked me to go and get fish and chips for him!!

Think he is trying to test me!! I haven't caved in so far :)