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.

Ahh @TooExtraImmatureCheddar don't panic. Record it and move on. It's a number like any other and a nice round number is easy to track your loss against.

I weighed again today because I was peeing all the night again, probably due to wine over the weekend which my body seems to hang onto and down another 1lb, so 3lbs in 1 week and 1 day. To say I have eaten so much fried stuff, cheese, butter, and potatoes that's actually amazing when you consider it.

I've just had bacon fried in butter, scrambled eggs and fried cherry tomatoes cooked in with the bacon. I thought I might miss toast with it but it was really filling without. And with the bread I would have had more butter, probably a squirt of brown sauce and then wanted a biscuit or two later. So even more calories. If I had had that on my old regime I would have used veg oil, fried an egg instead of scrambling, not had the toms but had 2 slices of white bread as well which would have upped the calories and carbs significantly. So little changes may seem counterproductive but I can see why the calories will come down, irregardless of what traditional diets say. I could have had a full cooked breakfast on slimming world for instance with mushrooms, beans, sausages, 2 small wholemeal bread etc. But used that horrible frylight instead of butter.

Same meal but probably 500 calories different and lower carb in this instance.

Not sure what I am having for tea yet. Need to do a proper shop tomorrow so limited supplies in unfortunately unless I nip out later and pick something up. Have jacket potatoes in, as well as cheese so may just have that or tuna and sweetcorn. Also have swordfish steaks in the freezer so could possibly have one of those with airfryer chips and see if the salad lurking in the fridge is usable.

Thanks guys. I did have a wobble but I’m going to stick to this approach. DH weighed himself too - he woke up with really bad back pain this morning and rang the doctor, and they asked him what his weight was, so he weighed himself when he got off the phone. His was worse than mine, so he immediately suggested doing a 3 week crash diet, and I was like no! Slow and steady!

@TooExtraImmatureCheddar I am the same height and weight!

Mine is mostly belly and boobs but my lockdown fat has all gone to my new multiple chins! It's a delightful look.

Does anyone happen to know if I can eat homemade sourdough bread occasionally? I was looking into older grains like spelt and rye, not sure if it makes much difference though.

Also, would nutritional yeast be any good? I thought it might be good to add to salads to add protein or would just some cheese be better?

[quote CornedBeef451]@TooExtraImmatureCheddar I am the same height and weight!

Mine is mostly belly and boobs but my lockdown fat has all gone to my new multiple chins! It's a delightful look.

Does anyone happen to know if I can eat homemade sourdough bread occasionally? I was looking into older grains like spelt and rye, not sure if it makes much difference though.

Also, would nutritional yeast be any good? I thought it might be good to add to salads to add protein or would just some cheese be better? [/quote]
I had the same thought about the ancient varieties like spelt, rye and buckwheat. But I think any refining is considered bad (at least during the start). I'm equally a fan of sourdough bread as the way in which it is made destroys the gluten but maybe it's best to get used to no bread at all at first.
But I am continuing with homemade pizza, we make the dough in the traditional Italian way, 3 days in advance before baking so there is plenty of fermentation. The base is very thin and the only topping is tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil. I'm not giving that up!
No idea on nutritional yeast! You sound like a fan of fermented food too.

@samthebordercollie I am a fan of fermented foods but more the idea than in practice unfortunately! I want to improve my gut biome but keep reverting to mainlining sugar instead.

My sourdough starter just had its 1 year anniversary, I was a stereotypical lockdown sourdough wanker. I usually make it once a week but for now I'll try and keep it alive without baking.

I made kimchi once very successfully but since then every time I've tried it's gone mouldy, I'll keep trying though as it's so nice.

I've dabbled with yoghurt making too, sometimes it's lovely but I've had some very odd, slimy results so we're all extremely suspicious of each new batch.

Can you share the recipe for the pizza base please? Home made pizza is one thing I will definitely still eat so a better base would be great.

@CornedBeef451
Yes of course! These quantities make 2 medium pizzas (we aren't huge eaters so that does 4 of us) DH owned a pizzeria and this is his method.
For the 'biga'
125g zero grade flour
55g water
10g of fresh yeast
Mix this together lightly with your hands in a bowl, then cover with cling film and leave at room temperature for a minimum of 17 hours.

For the rest:
280g zero grade flour
165g water
17g salt
17ml olive oil

mix this together with the biga, then knead the mixture and cut in 2, make two round dough balls, put on big plate, cover with cling film and leave for at least 48 hours. They should really swell considerably in size. Take out of fridge and leave at room temperature about 30 mins before baking. Tip - we often use fine grain couscous instead of flour on the work surface when flattening out the dough to make the base as it makes everything less sticky.

Evening everyone, how are we all getting on today?

@TooExtraImmatureCheddar, sorry to hear about your scales shock, but you're going to lose weight if you stick with this way of eating and even better the weight will stay off! I started at 13 stone 3lb a month ago, initially was calorie counting but after reading the book began this method and am now down a stone.

I had porridge this morning, the leftover roast beef from Sunday along with salad for lunch then slow cooker beef stew for dinner.

Bought myself a lovely tuna steak to have tomorrow - I've never cooked it before, probably going to fry it and serve with a salad unless anyone has better inspiration for me?

Tired tuna can go dry if you overcook it. I usually wrap it in a foil parcel, smidge of butter and maybe a lemon wedge and bake in the over for about 10 mins then check. Ive got swordfish steak and that's how I will do mine.

I've had a good but busy day. Bacon, egg and toms for lunch then have just had a huge bowl of salad with a hm dressing, tin of tuna, new potatoes with butter and a handful of grated cheese. So tasty and it feels really positive to be nourishing my body rather than just putting fuel in it.

I also picked some trout fillets up with the shopping I went and did tonight. Going to have one tomorrow with salad and new potatoes again for tea. Have a few cooked new potatoes left so think I am going to use them to make a frittata tomorrow.

@samthebordercollie ooh they look lovely!

Thanks for the recipe, I'll give it a try. Do you just cook them in a really hot oven?

Thanks @HighlandCowbag, I've never cooked tuna steaks before but have two of them. Will try one in the pan and then one later this week in the oven (with your lemon suggestion!) and will report back!

Am going fish crazy, also bought salmon and cod steaks as well as the tuna! 🙈

@CornedBeef451 yes I have an oven that goes to 300C so I cook it at that temperature, not as hot as pizza ovens usually are but definitely the highest temperature possible.
Had fillet of mackerel with salad for lunch and fillet of salmon for dinner. Rather spoilt everything with an overdose of omega 6 with almonds and cashews in between but I don't really care.
I live everything Dr J says but I'm not convinced that the omega 3 omega 6 ratio is vitally important. Even he says in his book it's an unproven hypothesis and nothing more.

www.healthline.com/health/nutrition/omega-3-insufficiency-in-the-u-s

I love hearing about what everyone is eating, so many good ideas being shared.

Day two for me and I’ve eaten pretty well. Breakfast was overnight oats made with kefir and chia seeds, for lunch I really fancied a tuna melt panini so made just the filling instead- red onion, tuna, sweetcorn and sour cream with a little bit of melted cheese served on salad leaves. Dinner is trout with horseradish, buttered Savoy cabbage and garlic mushrooms.

Just read the above article because the 3 vs 6 really interests me. Its usa rather than uk but says similar to the book.

Anecdotally I used to ride an older horse who had arthritis in his knees. Come winter time both knees would swell and he would become uncomfortable until his owner started using cod liver oil in his feed, was definitely linked to his feed. If she ran out within a week he was sore again. I have creaky knees and they do get painful, bizarrely moreso when I'm not running regularly or when I lose weight. I used to think the weight loss threw my balance out a bit (have huge boobs) but now wondering if its more to do with cutting fat down whem dieting. Even omega 6 has health benefits linked to inflammation.

[quote CornedBeef451]@TooExtraImmatureCheddar I am the same height and weight!

Mine is mostly belly and boobs but my lockdown fat has all gone to my new multiple chins! It's a delightful look.

Does anyone happen to know if I can eat homemade sourdough bread occasionally? I was looking into older grains like spelt and rye, not sure if it makes much difference though.

Also, would nutritional yeast be any good? I thought it might be good to add to salads to add protein or would just some cheese be better? [/quote]
Mine’s gone to my lower tummy above my C section scar - delightful! Although my face feels like it’s got wider and wider too.

I am really heartened by Tired and Arbadacarba saying that they’ve lost weight doing this - thanks guys, you’ve given me faith!

B: Greek yoghurt with blueberries
L: Mackerel, chorizo and halloumi salad
D: Cottage pie with leftover cauliflower cheese

I bought salmon, mackerel and prawns today on the same fish theme!

I feel I need to eat mackerel more. Do those of you eating it buy the fresh ones or the prepacked vacuum packed ones or the tins?

Dh loves mackerel on toast but he uses the tinned stuff which doesn't appeal though I did used to make a mackerel pate using creme fraiche I think. It was lovely with crudités and would go on rice cakes as well. From memory used to whizz up 2 tins of mackerel in tomato with a tub of creme fraice, squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper then chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.

@TooExtraImmatureCheddar

I'm basically the exact same height and weight as you aswell! So there's a few of us in this boat. If you're all at your goal weights and I'm still here I'm heading to an endocrinologist

@HighlandCowbag

I feel I need to eat mackerel more. Do those of you eating it buy the fresh ones or the prepacked vacuum packed ones or the tins?

Dh loves mackerel on toast but he uses the tinned stuff which doesn't appeal though I did used to make a mackerel pate using creme fraiche I think. It was lovely with crudités and would go on rice cakes as well. From memory used to whizz up 2 tins of mackerel in tomato with a tub of creme fraice, squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper then chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.

I eat the peppered vacuum packed mackerel with green salad for lunch, with a mustard/walnut oil/apple cider vinegar dressing. Love barbecued mackerel too but the vacuum packed fish is easier. I make mackerel pate by mixing the fillets with Philadelphia and lemon juice. The tinned mackerel in mustard sauce sounds disgusting but isn't too bad, although I prefer the fresher stuff.

@BangingOn

I love hearing about what everyone is eating, so many good ideas being shared.

Day two for me and I’ve eaten pretty well. Breakfast was overnight oats made with kefir and chia seeds, for lunch I really fancied a tuna melt panini so made just the filling instead- red onion, tuna, sweetcorn and sour cream with a little bit of melted cheese served on salad leaves. Dinner is trout with horseradish, buttered Savoy cabbage and garlic mushrooms.

I agree @BangingOn, I really like reading the meals everyone is having as it gives me inspiration.

I'm still cooking the same family meals as usual (I do a monthly meal plan and have managed to get a really good plan of meals that achieve the holy grail of bring popular with my kids, reasonably quick to make and reasonably healthy with lots of veg, so I don't want to change that up too much). I'm focusing on making small changes to my plate such as replacing noodles with rice rather than changing the whole dish.

However I'm being a lot more adventurous with my lunches and loving trying all the new recipes being suggested.

I really struggle to eat oily fish and I’m really not a fan. Read that article and now I’m searching Amazon for krill oil

I eat a lot of tinned fish - sometimes straight from the tin as a snack! I try to get it in spring water or brine, but if it comes in sunflower oil I drain the oil and don't worry about it.

If I'm having it as a lunch I'll have salad or cream cheese alongside.

In true me style I have found a way to sabotage! Fruits allowed you say? Well that means it's fine to shove down a bunch of dried figs. Honestly, I am not friends with moderation.

Apart from fig-gate though I am finding this fairly freeing. Having long hours/stress at work which usually sees me teaching for the bread and junk whereas I've been happy to stick to plan and in fact yesterday didn't bother with dinner as I was tired and it was late and I was full from lunch.

In the chaterjee book I liked the part about not having to make every meal a feast and calming down the dopamine response. For me who is a comfort eater that is very important and this approach supports that - nice healthy filling food but it's not 'wow' much of the time.

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I had porridge with honey, beef egg fried rice with pepper, mushroom, onion, courgette and peas, a yoghurt (using them up) then did a roast chicken, roast potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and carrot. I did also have bisto gravy. Oh and a dribble of smoothie that was left And two small squares of 70% organic dark chocolate. So not 100% on plan but not bad. I don’t have a yoghurt every day, I usually have a glass of milk and/or an apple or banana for a snack.

Today I’m not sure on breakfast yet, something with eggs. Maybe bacon and eggs with a small smoothie as I can’t cope without sugar still.
Lunch is leftover roast
Dinner I’m not sure yet... I have some leftover chicken and rice and some cream that needs using up so I’m thinking a creamy mushroom sauce, rice and veg. DH is out tonight for dinner after golf and I’m sure I can dig something out for the kids.

Hope you all have a good day x

I promise I'm not one of those foodies who posts an image of everything they eat - I've never done this before, I don't even have an Instagram or Facebook account!

However, in the hope of helping to inspire some of you with meal suggestions, just as you've done for me, here is an image of what I had for lunch today. A tuna steak seared in the pan with pan-fried mangetout and broccoli served with sweet potato and a mango, red pepper and cucumber salsa.

It was delicious!! Only took about 15 mins to make as well.

And just in case you think it's a whopping-sized portion, it's not a dinner plate in the photo as I use a salad plate for my meals.

@Tiredandbored that looks amazing!