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.

Can I just throw buckwheat in as an alternative starch for people bored of rice and potatoes. The flour can also be used to make flatbreads, etc. It just occurred to me after tucking into ds2's birthday cake that I made with buckwheat flour!

@PickAChew yes definitely, we've spoken about buckwheat and spelt before on this thread, they aren't refined in the same way as normal white flour. I ate buckwheat galettes for lunch.

Buckwheat isn't even a cereal, which makes it especially suitable. Also full of soluble fibre, like oats.

I don’t think I’ve ever eaten buckwheat before. I’m going to check it out!

I went for a 5 mile walk this morning on an empty stomach and got back all of over the place and jittery. Downed a smoothie to pep me up then had skillet potatoes and poached eggs.

I’m due on and out of my 70% dark chocolate so have had two small kinder bars and I already know I’m going to have another later.

After my walk I’ve been out the front sweeping and clearing the drive of weeds and dust, we have a big (8 car) driveway so if was a lot of work. I am exhausted! We desperately need a new drive (and have done since we moved in) but because of its size it’s so expensive. I think we were quoted 20k several years ago and that was for imprinted concrete! I’m just sitting down for 5 and then I have some washing to do, I’m going to have a shower and then catch a movie with the kids on the sofa. DH will try and move us into the ‘cinema room’ for it but I’m not a fan (converted garage with a bed in it, sauna, peloton and a projector! It’s a bit of a cluttered, dark hole if you ask me ).

Dinner tonight is a chicken, chorizo, halloumi and vegetable bake from the fast800 book. Never done it before but it sounded nice. I’m adding the halloumi - it’s not in the recipe. I might add some sweet potato as well. If it’s good I’ll share the recipe. I’ve picked out another few to try from the fast800 easy cookbook and my mums given me the blood sugar recipe book to look through as well so there could be more in there.

Hope everyone is having a nice bank holiday weekend. The weather turns very windy and cloudy here tomorrow (south east) so that’s a shame. Housework all day tomorrow then!

Hello - I've just finished the book after spotting this thread, and am hopeful this approach will work well for me.

I lost around 9 stone a few years back, but had to work incredibly hard to maintain it. I became obsessive with exercise and developed bulimia - after some good therapy that is pretty much under control, but in the process and then with lockdown, I regained around 4 stone over the last 2 years. I managed to lose a stone this year but could feel some really negative behaviours creeping back in. I'm just so exhausted with battling with weight, and diets, and feeling out of control around food.

Sweet foods have always been a big trigger for me, and when I'm not feeling great about myself, I tend to become avoidant of a lot of foods in favour of really basic, beige food - bread, pasta, chocolates, crisps. I've done most diets (yes to Team RH stuffing myself with tuna and protein powder, ha!), and usually find myself prioritising eating crap over proper meals after a short time. I'm hoping that removing a lot of these trigger foods will help me to eat better in the long term and get to a healthier weight.

So, I've started today with a cheese and mushroom omelette; lunch was a warm salmon, beetroom and lentil salad, and it'll be a roast for dinner (chicken, no stuffing or yorkies though!). I'm self employed, based from home, so have no excuse not to spend some time cooking decent food!

Welcome Hotdogs. 9st was an epic weight loss! Am sure you will get back to where you want to be soon. I've done a variety of diets over the years and have never been as fat as I am now, even post partum. I love this woe, its the most decadent diet I have ever been on.

Been busy today at allotment and didn't eat until 2.30pm, had bacon, cherry toms, a slice of smoked salmon and 2 scrambled eggs. Dh and the kids want takeaway tonight, so I am going to have chicken shish kebab, no pitta bread with a side salad. I might possibly have a small handful of chips as well depending how hungry I am. I'd have airfryer chips if I made it at home and we rarely have this particular takeaway as they don't deliver so it might be a bank holiday treat.

I'm currently reading the Tim Spector book, it's all very interesting the research that is going on. Gut biome is basically a digestive organ in its own right, I never knew that.

Welcome @Hotdogsforsale

If you’ve read the thread you’ll see if suffer from binge eating disorder so I know exactly what you mean. This is definitely not a diet (it just feels like eating normally) and I think having that freedom mentally helps you not want to binge or embark upon restrictive behaviours. It can be tiring cooking from scratch 3x per day but preparing two meals at once, batch cooking or having leftovers for lunch is really helpful x

I’m only on page 28 of the book, but wondering how good some of the Ottolenghi books are for this WOE?

Can I also ask what (roughly) your age is? I’m post menopausal (53) which is making weight loss verrrrry slow...

Welcome @Hotdogsforsale, lovely to have you join with us.

It sounds like you've had a busy day @Tinkling, please do share that recipe if it turns out nice.

My guests have just left after a lovely catch-up in the garden - I didn't have any of the bread rolls, but did have 2 small helpings of the BBQ chicken which I probably shouldn't have as it's quite high in sugar. Anyhow, I had loads of salad with it and fruit for dessert, so wasn't disastrous. Am not even slightly hungry now so am going to wait to get something later even though the kids are all hungry again and I'm sorting their tea at the minute.

Well I only ate half of the food I ordered. Was what I usually have but without the pita. Just couldn't manage it so my appetite must be changing.

@ByeByeMissAmericanPie I'm 55 and in the menopause for at least 3 years, but I do a lot of sport (running 10 miles most days or cycling a lot more) and I have an active job so that helps with keeping weight down. I never eat breakfast either.
I just think the WOE in the book is mostly very sensible, and important for good health.
But once you hit the menopause I agree, it's sadly only too easy to put on weight due to changes in hormones and metabolism.

Hi Hotdogs and ByeByeMissAmericanPie! Hotdogs, I really hope this WOE is helpful for you - you sound like it’s been a really rough ride.

ByeByeMissAmericanPie, I’m 37 and I’ve only been doing this seriously for a fortnight. I’ve got a lot to lose!

Slightly mixed weekend - met PIL for a picnic and wound up eating a sandwich and MIL had made a whole box of homemade flapjack and another of carrot and apple cake. The kids wouldn’t eat them so I wound up having some to be polite.

I ended up having Indian takeaway on Sat from a place near us that won some sort of award - surely if they’re so good they’ll be cooking from scratch and using ghee rather than oil etc? That was the theory, anyway, and the food was delicious!

Morning everyone, new week, fresh start if we need it!

Today has the potential to be long - kids are off school and it is LASHING with rain at the minute, but I'm determined not to bury myself in the biscuit jar.

Meals today:
B - porridge
L - Greek salad with tinned mackerel
D - trying a new lasagne recipe using aubergine to replace the pasta. Will let you know the recipe if it is any good and anyone is interested.

First morning of not weighing myself for a fortnight, it was strange to walk past the scales and not step on. I'm going to have to move them though, or force of habit will take over some morning when I'm only half-awake!

Anyone got any nice plans for today?

Morning all. I’m 33.

The dinner was ok but not really full of flavour like I was expecting. I’m going to make it again but different and if it works I’ll share.

Yesterday I had 3 small kinder bars and some dark chocolate with ginger (my fav), about half a bar. But today is a new day!

Porridge with pear and cinnamon for breakfast today.

Lunch is chicken with rice and veg, peri peri sauce I need to use up though so that’s slightly off plan.

Dinner... I can’t remember. I wrote a meal plan so I’ll consult it later!

I need to do housework today so of course I’m still in bed with a coffee

Morning everyone.

I feel like I’ve had a rubbish few days as we have eaten out and with other people so much, so my food choices haven’t been brilliant but also not totally off plan (things like a bacon cheeseburger without the bun) so I am looking forward to a day at home today and being able to control what I eat.

I also suffer from binge eating and had been reading Beyond Chocolate to help with this. Although the theory made perfect sense, I’d struggled to get it to click for some reason, but I am trying to follow the principles of mindful eating still. My binges have always been carb centric though, so I am hopeful that fewer carbs might help on this front.

I am almost down 9lbs now (lots of it water, I’m sure) and I am feeling good overall.

I tried overnight oats - it’s a no from me I’m afraid I’ll be returning to hot porridge from tomorrow!

@OhMyChrist2020 I tried overnight oats after everyone at slimming word went mad about them but the texture made me gag!

Ha! Yes they were almost slimy - I’m disappointed as I had high hopes for them, but never mind, I’ll stick with porridge

Hi, can I jump in? I read the book a while ago and tried it for a few weeks but I tried to do everything at once and got really hung up on things like the oil omega ratios and couldn't keep it up. I'd like to read it again and have another go and just take it a bit easier this time. It looks like you all are adapting it in ways that work for you. The hardest thing for me is that I work, without exaggeration, surrounded by bread! So that is going to be a major hurdle.

Do any of you use cold-pressed rapeseed oil? He seems quite down on rapeseed oil in the book but it seems to fit the profile of the oils we're supposed to be using and if it's cold-pressed presumably not overly processed.

(also, re: overnight oats, lumpy cold porridge, just why?)

I tried overnight oats a couple of years ago but they really upset my tummy - I have IBS and had embarrassing tummy cramps and bloating all day at work. Raw oats and me don't get on!

I'm not sure about cold-pressed rapeseed oil - DH keeps bloody well buying it even when I specifically said extra-virgin cold-pressed olive oil. It's like he heard the cold-pressed bit and ignored the rest. I bought olive oil and lard and he's using those at the moment, but I'd like to know about the rapeseed oil seeing as we now have it in the house.

Meal plan: I've naturally fallen into mostly skipping breakfast, so brunch will be either prawn cocktail salad or maybe something with the last smoked mackerel fillet in the fridge. I will go check the use-by date on the prawns before I decide!

Dinner: Beef stew and mash

Afternoon all

Very wet and rainy here. I've been for a run this morning before the weather set in, did some uni work and invoices for business. Eaten 3 x 12.5 g of cheese so far. Sunday roast for us today, am so looking forward to it.

Also harvested 6 leeks and a load of rhubarb from allotment. Rest of them want rhubarb crumble which is fine but going to some separate for me with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and a smidge of honey for me. Skip the crumble topping and have it with greek yoghurt instead. Will let you know what it turns out like.

Very looking forward to beef and all the trimmings tho. Also had a mixed weekend. Too much alcohol and 2 takeaways but slightly better choices than I'd normally have. Not weighing tomorrow due to the excesses but will hop on just to check the damage.

Thank you all for the welcome! Good to hear people are getting on well with this generally.

Miserable weather and a lazy day here, with a bit of housework/ pottering thrown in. Had a couple of boiled eggs and a piece of cheese for breakfast; struggling to motivate myself to make anything else as I've not been out for usual dog walk, so routine is all to pot.

Got some left over chicken to use up in some way for dinner, maybe curry. Will be doing some meal planning later so I can get a bit more organised for the week ahead.

Welcome @1000umbrellas. I have been trying to understand the cold pressed rapeseed oil question too and I’m still not sure, so cutting it out for the moment.

I ran first thing this morning and then did an hour of yoga so wasn’t hungry until lunchtime, when I had porridge with chia seeds. For dinner I’m cooking duck breasts with Chinese five spice, served with pak choi and shiitake mushrooms. I am making rice for everyone else but find I can take it or leave it at the moment.

I think, but am not 100%, the reason seed oils (including rapeseed) are to be avoided is that they are all naturally high in omega 6 which sends messages to your brain to tell it autumn/winter is here so lay down fat stores. Seeds and nuts tend to be harvested over winter so if you remember those triangles they changed in winter and autumn to include more seeds and nuts when we were reliant on seasonal foods. It was only in the 18th century we could import out of season food. Its to do with sunshine food and winter food.

So less the processing and more the content.

Having said that it's not a be all and end all type of diet either. So do what you can.

Personally I have been extremely surprised with cooking with lard. I was at first. But I've used it for airfryer chips and frying bacon so far. It doesn't smell, the airfryer chips cook better and the bacon pan wasn't as hissy with lard. Its a lot cheaper and so far everything has been fab so far. Plus better for the environment package wise with a piece of greaseproof paper rather than a plastic or glass bottle.

Made this for dinner tonight, it was lovely!! Didn't miss the pasta sheets at all, delicious!!

www.wellplated.com/eggplant-lasagna/