Why We Eat (Too Much)

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

Has anyone come across this book? It's written by Dr Andrew Jenkinson, who is a bariatric surgeon in London. Basically, it's about how to lose weight by lowering your body's natural set weight point. This may take a long time but it's sustainable and doesn't fuck your metabolism.

The book goes into a lot of detail about the causes of obesity, because he says it's important to understand why people are getting fat in the Western world. It pretty much comes down to eating too much omega-6 fat and sugar. The overall volume of food people eat doesn't matter.

I'm trying to work out how you would cut that out practically and I wondered if anyone had tried it. It sounds like going lower carb but not low carb as in low carb diets. He suggests eating low-carb breakfasts and throwing out bread (and anything else baked). I eat toast for breakfast most days and sandwiches for lunch. I'm trying to work out practical alternatives that I actually like.

Porridge
Full fat unsweetened yoghurt
Bacon and eggs
Omelettes
Soup
Oatcakes and cheese
Salads

Other rules include no takeaways or fast food or crisps etc, and no snacks, mainly because most snack food is carb-based with vegetable oil in it.

Welcome back OP!

I'm weighing myself weekly. I find it motivational!

I weekly, sometimes twice weekly 🤣. I find it keeps me motivated. Welcome back OP, thanks for starting this thread, wish I had seen it in September. I could be sat here thin.

Off for a run this morning, I am training for a 10k run in September (never sign up for anything after wine). Lunch will be leftovers, not sure what dinner will be yet, need to rummage in the freezer. Possibly swordfish steak and salad and chips done in the airfryer with beef fat.

Hi, I wondered if you’d had any success with this approach?

Hi @Mayaingam . Yes, I and others are having success - have a browse through the thread when you've got time, as we all talk about our highs and lows in some detail.

Well just over 2lbs down this week which considering I've eaten so well is bloody amazing. It's not the giddy heights of a 5lb sw loss but I've not felt deprived at all and feel this is a way of eating I can stick to permanently. I also had takeaway on Friday and beer and wine friday and saturday.

I also feel much less bloated around my tummy, am going to try and find my tape measure and do measurements later, as I said I'm training so weightloss will only ever be steady but I will tone up at the same time.

The best way to lose wait is exercise and healthy diet. Cut out sweets and sugar. Do portion controls for meals. Aim to eat 1200 calories a day. Exercise for 30 minutes a day. The weight will come off.
I still eat bread (and anything baked) but quit sugar, chocolate, crisps. I made smaller portions of food instead of heaping my plate up, and took up exercise, lost a stone in 6 weeks.

Have been reading this thread after reading the Dr Chatergee weight loss book. It's very interesting and I think I am going to buy this one as well.

I have been trying to broadly follow the principles over the past week (except for some jalapeño poppers on Friday ;)) I am going to struggle to get to the book this week so can I ask a quick fruit question?

I love it in all its forms but does this limit it? If I have 2/3 pieces a day is this too much? What about dried fruit?

I find if I have a bit of fruit after lunch and some fruit and yoghurt for pudding of an evening I don't want the crappy sweet stuff but it's still sugar isn't it.

Also dark choc - 2 squares ok occasionally?

Like I say I will read the book properly but want to stay in the rough wagon ASAP.

Fruit is fine. He suggests not for breakfast as it will spike your blood sugar and you will get hungry mid morning. After lunch is perfect. He doesn't set out rules, just looks at how we have an obesegenic food environment and how to counter that. Chocolate has sugar which we are cutting out but you have to do it in a way that is sustainable for you. I've tried to get out of the food as a treat mindset. But if you have cut down from lots of sugar to just your 2 squares of chocolate, that has to be an improvement. If I were having them I would have them with a meal though!

Ah thank you!

The choc isn't a big deal at all tbh. Dh bought me a bar last week as he's used to me saying dark choc ok but I very rarely buy it for myself. If I can have some strawberries and marscapone or frozen cherries and yoghurt i am a happy bunny.

I did enjoy last week - not weighing out cucumber was a joy. I find it immensely hard to lose weight these days and my set point seems to have increased after too many quick weight loss yo yo diets :(. A lot easier to be in it for the long haul if I can have a proper plate of satisfying food!

@HalzTangz this thread isn't about calorie restriction or rapid weight loss (Although my weight loss is similar to your own, it isn't the focus) This thread is about eating well, not just for weight but to nourish the whole body and especially the brain. It includes exercise and good sleep and focuses on sustainability and resetting the body's set point in the opposite way to the way very low calorie diets do - no rebound pounds!
The specific reasons for cutting down on bread / wheat are discussed in the book and in the thread.

I’m all set to start this morning and feeling really positive. I’ve just been for a run (I use the word ‘run’ in the loosest sense of the word, it’s more of a shuffle really). I’ve been following Couch 2 5k and just managed my first 20 minute run with no breaks. I struggled to run for a minute a few weeks ago so I’m feeling good this morning.

Does anyone know anything about inulin and Omega 6? I’ve been taking inulin for a few weeks and it has really helped me feel fuller for longer and crave sugar less. When I Google chicory root (a source of inulin) it has high Omega 6, but this is contradicted by people recommending taking inulin alongside an Omega 3 supplement for improved health elsewhere online.

@BangingOn how do you do your lemon chick peas please?

I've just stumbled across this thread. I have fallen into very bad habits since suddenly getting a lot of caring responsibilities. This looks like how my lean mum eats - tho she is very active throughout the day too. Just ordered the book.

@StillDumDeDumming if you search for Nigella’s smashed chickpeas with garlic, lemon and chilli then it’s basically that but without smashing the chickpeas. To be honest I get lazier each time I make it and follow the recipe less but it always tastes good and is lovely even without the chillies if you want it less spicy.

@BangingOn cheers sounds ace!

You’re very welcome. Chickpeas are fab as they are so versatile, it’s lovely to be able to eat them on this plan.

I'm 3/4 way through the book and more and more impressed by it. I've done low carb before but missed some foods, and the fact that you can eat potatoes, sweet potatoes, legumes like chick peas etc. is brilliant.
I just want to lose half a stone, I already eat all home cooked food, just need to knock milk chocolate on the head with a very heavy hammer.
I'm a runner too, was signed up to do an ultra marathon end of May but that's been cancelled.
I can vouch for the fact that your body has a set weight and even when you do enormous amounts of exercise (I was running 70 miles a week, plus cycling and swimming) I didn't lose weight, even put some on. I think the rest of my metabolic rate slowed down to compensate for the over exercise.
It's definitely what you eat more than exercise (although it's very important) and you can't outrun a bad diet!

@HighlandCowbag That's brilliant news - well done!

It shows that we are taking the right approach on this thread - sustainable, rather than rigid eating.

@HalzTangz If your way of eating works for you, that's great. Most of us on this thread have found that calorie restriction does not work in the long term. It works in the short term if you stick to it, but your body takes the message that it has to prepare for famine, and so keeps trying to get you back up to an even higher weight than you started at. Sooner or later the physical need to obey your body's commands becomes overwhelming, you eat more and the weight creeps back on again - and because we are eating the wrong things, our fat cells become resistant to letting go of their hoard.

You really need to read the book to have a proper understanding of this way of eating. It may not be for everyone, but the benefits are - no counting and measuring, no having to avoid healthy carbs such as fruit or rice, not feeling starved all the time and it's not 'one strike and you're out' like keto diets.

@samthebordercollie it’s really interesting that you didn’t lose weight despite all that training (and seriously impressive that you can run 70 miles a week- that’s amazing!). I am definitely much hungrier after exercising, far hungrier than I should be, which I assume is my body’s way of trying to maintain my weight.

[quote Arbadacarba]@HighlandCowbag That's brilliant news - well done!

It shows that we are taking the right approach on this thread - sustainable, rather than rigid eating.

@HalzTangz If your way of eating works for you, that's great. Most of us on this thread have found that calorie restriction does not work in the long term. It works in the short term if you stick to it, but your body takes the message that it has to prepare for famine, and so keeps trying to get you back up to an even higher weight than you started at. Sooner or later the physical need to obey your body's commands becomes overwhelming, you eat more and the weight creeps back on again - and because we are eating the wrong things, our fat cells become resistant to letting go of their hoard.

You really need to read the book to have a proper understanding of this way of eating. It may not be for everyone, but the benefits are - no counting and measuring, no having to avoid healthy carbs such as fruit or rice, not feeling starved all the time and it's not 'one strike and you're out' like keto diets.[/quote]
The other aspect of calorie counting that doesn’t work for me is that it’s not sustainable to count everything every day forever. I can default to sugar on special occasions only quite easily - and it’s also easy to remind myself not to have toast for breakfast or sandwiches for lunch. Far easier than counting every gram of butter or weighing mushrooms or something!

I’m less focused on the omega3/6 debate at the moment - I will try to make sure I buy more fish and lamb, but I must be cutting out huge amounts of omega 6 by eating home cooked meals, so I’m not worried about small amounts of sunflower oil in mayo, for example.

I’m not worried about small amounts of sunflower oil in mayo, for example.

No, me neither. I am still having all types of condiment. Unless you're going to sit there spooning mayo into your mouth from the jar, I don't think small amounts of omega 6 are going to cause harm.

If my weight starts to settle and it's significantly above where I want it to be, I will consider a stricter approach but while the plan is working I will carry on as I am.

I downloaded the Dr Chatterjee book last night because it was 99p on Kindle, and I was very struck by his story of the 102-year-old man who ate his favourite cake twice a year, at Christmas and Easter. I’m not going to achieve that, but it does put treats into perspective!

@HighlandCowbag congratulations on your loss! That’s fantastic. I agree losing weight without being hungry and having such rich and delicious food can only be positive. I didn’t follow this or any other kind of diet but back in 2018 & 2019 I decided I was done with dieting and ate what I wanted when i wanted. It eradicated my binge eating and over time I went down from 10st 7ish to 9st 7ish without even thinking about it and maintained it in the same way. It was lovely and I have been striving to do it since lockdown undid it all (the panic buying and fear of going to the shops meant I was over-buying and buying ‘just in case I want it’ - which of course meant I ate it ALL and got into an awful rut and regained the weight).

@BangingOn congratulations on your 20 minute run. What an achievement! Well done.

I have written a line under yesterday and had two rashers of bacon and two eggs scrambled in butter for breakfast (along with a small smoothie, as I can’t seem to function without sugar first thing). Got a nice organic steak for lunch, I think I’ll have it with half a baked sweet potato, mushrooms and broccoli. Salmon and new potatoes for dinner I think, I’m just enjoying some sunshine and a cold drink after the school run and lots of housework, then I’ll get up and make lunch and get the salmon out the freezer.

Hope you’re all having a good day.

@TooExtraImmatureCheddar ah poo, it’s not 99p any more!

Some lunchtime Googling suggests that chickpeas are actually really high in Omega 6, as are green lentils. Black beans and kidney beans seem to be better, but that’s really annoying as I eat a lot of chickpeas and green lentils and had stocked up on both.

I could really do with a crib sheet with the Omega ratios of lots of foods on as I’m worried I could easily eat a lot more Omega 6 than I am aware of.

I’ve found this search tool which is really helpful as it has the Omega 3 and 6 values of most foods and you can search for foods high in one and low in the other.
nutritiondata.self.com/tools/nutrient-search

I’m trying not to become too obsessive over this and treat it like keto where I memorise the nutritional values of every food and I realise that cutting out seed oils and processed foods will do most of the work, but it’s still nice to be able to check things out.