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.

@Tinkling Eggs.

I agree about the condiments. He talks about the food environment n different eras being different and sugar being used as a condiment. So mint sauce on your lamb roast is something that I think is fine, although it actually does contain sugar.

How are people getting on with getting families on board? Also how are you finding the sleep stuff? My family are not on board and they wake me up!

He talks about not letting yourself fall into ketosis. It is a lot more relaxed than a keto diet!

How are people getting on with getting families on board?

There's only DH for me to consider. He's not at all interested in adopting this way of eating himself, but he's happy for any meals we share to be prepared on those principles. We often do our own thing during the week and just have shared meals at the weekend, one of which is a Sunday roast so really easy to prepare from scratch.

My husband is one of those people who can stuff himself with rubbish all day long and still stay thin - he's been underweight all his adult life. Jenkinson's book was very useful to me in that respect as it helped me to accept that as something totally beyond my control.

It's caused me in past diets to go off track - seething resentment at seeing him noshing crisps, chocolate etc. while I'm (it feels like) starving myself yet I'm 5 stone heavier and 4 inches shorter. But now I see it as just one of those genetic things - like he's got brown eyes and I've got blue eyes - instead of some kind of curse that's been hurled down on me from above.

Had to laugh as just after posting that DH starting dictating a shopping list to me : 'A pack of four Cadbury's ice-creams ... they've got chocolate swirls in them, there's a picture on the front of one with a bite taken out of it and you can see the swirls ... make sure you get the right ones ...'

A fair sample of his diet!

Yes that’s a good point. Improve rather than be rigid.

That’s interesting he doesn’t advocate ketosis. Is there any explanation as to why?

I think because it makes you feel ill. Also because it isn't sustainable long term - an error on keto is a big deal. This is more relaxed!

Well I've been and done a starting shop. I was going to start monday but we are having sunday lunch so may possibly start tomorrow. Have bought butter, lard and beef fat as well as olive oil and extra virgin olive oil, loads of fruit and veg which I do anyway tbh.

Dh has requested quiche for dinner on monday, so I will make his quiche and do a crustless one for me, or a frittata. Then aubergines were on offer so I bought 3 to do a pasta dish me and dd like, but will replace the pasta with either rice or a jacket potato. Will be a bit weird having rice but it will soak the juices up at least.

I agree re. ketosis and sustainability. You can't stay in ketosis forever, it wouldn't be healthy. Some people might be able permanently to stay very low carb, but it's not something I can do for more than a few months at most. I reach a point where the thought of yet more meat and cheese makes me feel ill and all I want to do is ram slices of white bread into my mouth.

That sounds like a really good shop @HighlandCowbag .

I have never got Into ketosis, low carb kills me which is why this thread piqued my interest.

Literally one day without carbs and I feel like I’m floating. I am so light headed and away with the fairies. Ive never got to day 2 because the feeling is so awful.

Tbh I won't have to change much apart from cooking oils. It's a lot easier to fit in than say slimming world which seems to have loads of 'staples' to buy. I also bought kos lettuce which are good for making wraps with instead of bread.

Have just looked at the ingredients list for fish sticks which I eat a lot of when dieting and even they have veg oil in them. Luckily I have a bag of prawns in the freezer so will have prawn salad instead of fish sticks.

Need to make some mayo tho, can't have salad without some kind of mayo on!

Yes because of the unpleasant side effects of ketosis, so it’s not sustainable long-term.
And it’s so strict it would make it difficult to eat out, or go to a friend’s for a meal.
He says mealtimes should be enjoyable, social occasions.

I have only been doing this for a week so it’s early days for me yet!
DH seems to be able to keep his weight down quite easily, he is supportive of me but definitely not willing to give up his treats either.

Highland - I made a Caesar salad dressing from yoghurt which could be alternative to mayo?

Once restrictions allow, I'm going to enjoy an occasional meal out without guilt (we don't eat out very often) but I will try to practise mindful eating - I have delayed satiety so can easily end up eating to a point that (half an hour later) I am uncomfortably full - basically I will enjoy myself but I won't go mad.

Any suggestions for snack foods? So far I have rice cakes, but they are a bit boring....

Snacks - any fruit, veg or berries, plain unsweetened full-fat yoghurt, cheese, home-made veg soup, unprocessed nuts.

@Wandamakestoast Hard boiled egg, slice of meat, cheese, veg and hummous, piece of fruit. I'm snacking less tbh, the protein breakfast really does do the trick,!

Dried meat snacks would be OK as long as they were preservative-free.

I've just had lunch of 1/2 tub of Longley Farm full fat plain cottage cheese (mindful eating - considered the whole tub but decided to have half and then if still hungry 30 mins after lunch, I could have some more) and some undressed crab meat.

Dinner will be home-made chilli for both DH & me. Depending on how hungry I feel I may have some rice with it but (mindful eating again) I am trying to get out of the mindset of adding a carb to a meat/veg dish unthinkingly and considering whether I actually need it.

I totally agree with the avoidance of an ‘all or nothing’ type approach, this is where I have come unstuck in the past with eating ‘rules’! I’m being more flexible this time and aiming to eat better over the long term rather than aiming for perfection and packing it all in after a minor slip. Like having my fruity porridge for breakfast, it’s not in strict keeping with Dr J’s guidance but it suits me and is a damn sight better than the custard creams I would have been eating mid morning previously!
I’ve still got my one and only Easter egg which I’d told myself I would eat some of when I really fancied it, but as I’ve been eating satisfying meals all week I haven’t had the urge to eat any yet. On the other hand if I’d told myself it was off limits, I’m sure I would have eaten the lot by now.

The idea is that you do it in stages. I can't remember the order, I think exercise was stage 3 but I've always done it so don't see the need to stop until I've done stage 2 just to keep the order! It stops you being overwhelmed. Stage 1 is no sugar or wheat, eat 3 meals a day, snack if you need to. I've started trying protein breakfasts, and they are a winner for me.

I have just downloaded it, will start later.

Are there any vegetarians following this book? How do you find it? We eat quite a lot of quorn as a family and I wondered how that would fit, since I would consider it to be quite processed!

Has anyone come up with good lunch alternatives? We are wedded to sandwiches here. What do you do or have instead of bread? Being aware that most of the GF alternatives taste awful. Problem is DH doesn't like a lot of the easy salad veg or fish so I'm struggling with what to put together that takes less than 10 minutes and I refuse to cook twice a day! I'd happily exist on avocados plus whatever, but picky bugger DH makes it a lot harder