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.

I read several years ago a book called Outsmarting the Female Fat Cell by Debra Jenkinson. This was all about resetting your set weight point and how to reduce it very very slowly one stage at a time. Sounds very similar.

I haven’t read the book yet (bedtime reading) - can you not have a jacket potato?

I’m happy to cook (and generally do 3x per day) so would have whatever + veg for lunch.

I am fond of a heated up leftover too.

I can't see quorn listed in the book - is it high in omega-6 or added starch? Those are the foods to be avoided. If not, it's probably OK.

Tofu is specifically mentioned as something to avoid as it's very high in omega-6 but obviously that's made of a different protein.

I've just finished this book. Intending to start once the Easter chocolate is gone. Have been lightly doing it but need to go full on I think.
Got some evoo and cold pressed rapeseed for cooking. Making chicken stock. I'm hoping cutting out sugar will make me feel better quickly.

Yes, you can have potatoes in any unprocessed form.

@Pashazade Unfortunately I haven't found a bread substitute - that's probably the hardest thing for me as I do love bread. I'm having as lunches things like home-made soup, cottage cheese, eggs, cold meat, fish, salad, seafood.

I have salad and tuna mayo, but I've now learned that the mayo has veg oil. I also have homemade soup and a wedge of cheese.
Re Quorn, what are the ingredients?

For general inspiration, as well as checking out paleo suggestions, many foods allowed on low carb/high fat are suitable for this way of eating so the LC threads here are worth a read through for ideas. Just avoid so called 'dirty low carb' because that's LC on processed foods!

Mayo - if you made your own with olive oil it would be fine.

As I mentioned upthread, I'm allowing myself some condiments so personally wouldn't worry about a small amount of pre-made mayo in tuna mayo.

I'd forgotten jacket spuds, that I can cope with.

I’ve just made a cheese and broccoli frittata that I’m planning on having for a couple of lunches.

Is it just wheat bread that's not recommended? I've developed a liking for rye bread; the stuff that resembles a brick One slice of that with a thin spread of butter and cottage cheese (or jam ) is very filling and I've been having it for my breakfast recently.

Re Quorn: it's mycoprotein, which, from my understanding, is mushroom in origin. Can't see any added starch in the ingredients but it does contain firming agents (calcium chloride and calcium acetate). Nutritional info doesn't say anything about omega-6.

I haven't read the book yet but am planning on getting it if I can work out if thr plan would be any good for vegetarians. Think losing the carbs will be the hardest bit!

I'm going to concentrate on cutting our wheat and sugar the first few weeks, plus I've just booked a 10k race for September so will need to train for that. Plus nothing processed.

Have just eaten a pot of anchovies tho as they were in veg oil, need to find some in olive oil as I luffs them.

I think it's any processed grain @Twenty2 unfortunately - I like rye bread as well.

If you take the reduction rather than total elimination approach you can in theory still include 'non-compliant' foods that are important to you because this isn't a one-strike and it fails approach to eating, like some diets.

Just bear in mind that the more compromises you make, the slower it might be to see benefits - the appetite and weight -point reset that is the goal of this way of eating. But that needs to be balanced against sustainability in the long term, so consider what you can see yourself eating in the future and choose accordingly what it's sensible to compromise on and what you can afford to be tough with.

@PearlHart Check out the vegetarian ideas on the Low Carb Bootcamp threads as you may find things there that will work with this way of eating.

Thank you Arbadacarba, I think I'll be keeping it in my diet, though, it's very nutritious and a small amount is so filling that it does the job. Maybe without the jam on top!

Thanks @Arbadacarba - I'll have a look at the Low Carb Bootcamp

What about brown rice pasta?

Google, surprisingly, suggests brown rice is higher in omega 6 than white rice (because it's contained in the husk) so you may be better with white rice based products.

Huh. That is insane.

I have started reading the book, so hopefully less questions coming! Thanks.

Hi all. I have had the book for a few months and it really resonated with me. I’ve done every diet under the sun over the years and am beyond tired of it all. Have been having counselling and although I know I do need to lose weight I am determined not to fall back into the diet trap. It’s so bad for my mental health. Reading this book was a complete light bulb moment. Although for quite some time I have been convinced that some of our so called cravings for foods and our hunger is our body wanted proper nutritious food rather than chemical shitstorm which a lot of highly processed foods are.

I have also read Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Eat Better Forever and am about to read Feel Great Lose Weight by Dr Rangan Chatergee. I think are healthy approaches to food and weight loss and am hoping to combine them a bit with the Jenkinson approach.

I’m really wary of being too prescriptive as I know for me it completely sabotages me mentally.

I’m hoping that avoiding the all of nothing approach will be good. I’ve been trying to just eat mindfully and healthily for a few months although it’s slipped a bit over Easter etc. Chocolate and cake has become too regular although I must admit it’s actually the Xmas chocolate I’m eating! Didn’t buy any for Easter.

So I’m back at the healthy approach from tomorrow. DS is a fussy bugger so eats separately mostly anyway. DH is ok for most things but does like his stodge. And he does a lot of the cooking. But I think it will be ok. I’m going to do a menu plan later.

And re-read the book! It’s a while since I read it.

Welcome peridot. I am reading the book at the moment, I’m about halfway through.

It reminds me of some of the other books I’ve read which explains our insatiable hunger is our body asking for nutrients but we override that with shoving in junk rather than eating something healthy.

It makes sense from a purely chemical point of view but it doesn’t touch on mental reasons for eating AT ALL. This is all great but I don’t need to lose weight because I’m an idiot and don’t understand that sugar = bad and vegetables = good. I have binge eating disorder and I shove food down my neck for mental health reasons. I eat when I’m not hungry for mental health reasons. I eat junk food because it comforts me more than a carrot, I.e for mental health reasons. I’m not convinced cutting out wheat and omega 6 is going to magically fix what’s going on in my head but hey, I’ll give it a bash.

Tinkling he does touch on mental health stuff, there is a chapter on mindful eating etc.

I'm starting with cutting out processed stuff, sugar and switching to butter/fat for cooking with. That actually isn't too drastic a change for me and if I desperately need something I will. When I diet I do tend to boom a treat night in anyway where I have either a takeaway or wine or both. It does obviously slow any loss down but it akes the other 20 meals easier to cope with.

I really can't tackle breakfast tho. So will swap lunch to brunch about 11am. If I have eggs or soup I won't be hungry until teatime anyway. I have load of roast pork left from dinner today, will have omelette for brunch then will probably have leftover pork, jacket potato and salad. Or may turn the pork into curry for dh and I will have tuna and jacket spud.

Is sour cream OK? I presume so as its just dairy isn't it?

@HighlandCowbag my kindle had a crazy moment and jumped to the end of the book so I had to bounce backwards and I glimpsed ‘mindful eating’ after I posted so that’s good to know. I have read books about that and it hasn’t changed my life yet (mostly because i purposefully distract myself when I’m eating because I am, actually, an idiot)

I tend to have a brunch type breakfast anyway, I’m going to just have scrambled eggs in butter and that’ll be it. Will be sad to lose my carb for breakfast.

No idea about sour cream. Assume it’s ok, haven’t got there yet!

@Peridot1 i think of the jenkinson book as the "why"and the chatterjee book as the "how". I listened to a podcast with Dr J and he said that he hadn't wanted to write about how (part 3, essentially) but that penguin told him that or would want a section on how to put it in practice. That section could be a book on its own tbh!

He does touch on the link between obesity and depression but acknowledged that both are multifaceted.