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.

Highland - reading your post and I just remembered I made that mistake in the past and used extra virgin olive oil for mayonnaise, and it was too bitter. So disappointing!

Yes I was very annoyed after spending 10 mins whisking like a loon.

Made a lime, evoo, honey dressing instead which is nice. Will ake tuna Nicosia tomorrow for lunch I think, bought some pearl potatoes today and can boil some eggs.

Tomorrow I am having salmon, Mediterranean veg and pearl potatoes for dinner. And Ive also got 3 aubergines to turn into something as well.

I actually love eating like this, I love veg and salad and fish. Its just a faff cooking for 4 of us. Tonight I've had spud and salad, dh had leftover pork turned into chinese curry with rice, ds had waffles, chicken nuggets and salad and dd had pizza tho she did at least make that herself.

Dh is a builder and out of the house 12 hours so needs a man tea when he gets home. I'm not a builder, am a ft uni student so spend a lot of time sat and have also been eating man tea. Hence being fat 😆

@HighlandCowbag My BMI was nearly 32 when I started following this plan and it's now 28.8 - a slow but sure loss without starving myself.

Like you, I always thought I should be slimmer than I was - hardly ever had breakfast, takeaways and fast food once in a blue moon. I have a skinny DH who lives off junk food and my diet, by comparison, was quite healthy (although as I now realise, high in omega 6 and added starches). That's why Jenkinson's book resonated as it seemed likely my set weight point was simply too high.

Yes I'm the same with set point.

Interestingly my weight was around 27 bmi for years without any effort and I probably ate more and moved less. Then I got pg, breastfed for 18 months and did slimming world and dropped my baby weight back down, probably another stone on top.

Then I stopped bfing, dropped another half stone, stopped doing SW and put 3 stone on. Back to SW, dropped 2 stone, went on holiday, had Christmas, had some personal stuff going on, put 3 stone on so now a stone heavier. That same 1 stone went to 2 stone, then another over the last year despise lots of running and walking. The main thing that changed this year has been cooking more processed food. Due to having the kids at home, being busy with uni and homeschooling and hating the big supermarkets so using M and S foodhall instead which is a lot of naice tasting and looking processed stuff.

So although it's very rare I have 3 meals a day and I don't really snack both meals were carb heavy and more processed than what I am used to. Add the constant low level lockdown stress and omega 3/6 ratios that are probably off the scale and you get fatter.

You are doing really well with your weight loss, I'd be happy with that.

Thank you . My goal is to reach BMI 25, but not too far under that. When I was in my 30s I got obsessed with weightloss and was trying to get my BMI under 20 - ended up making myself ill with a VLCD (I have a large frame - 7 inch wrists) - and doubtless that moved my set-point up even further once I started eating properly again because I well and truly sent a message of possible famine to my body.

I am hoping my weight will eventually settle naturally at a healthy point if I continue this plan, eating healthily and mindfully but not restricting.

Please may I join you? I’ve just finished the book tonight, although I want to re-read the final chapters again to make sure I have everything really clear.

From reading both this book and Beyond Chocolate I’ve concluded I have two issues I need to fix. I need to deal with my addiction to sugar and processed foods and I need to deal with my emotional/binge eating. I’m hopeful fixing the first will have a big impact on the second.

I am doing my Ocado shop for Friday and will start fully Saturday, but I’m trying to eat as well as I can until then. I’ve also started Couch 2 5k and can re-start pole soon, which is my preferred form of exercise.

I have a lot to lose, my BMI is 35 and it gets higher every time I diet so something needs to change.

Welcome, @BangingOn . The BMI getting higher after every diet is my experience too, and it's one thing that made Jenkinson's findings click for me. Great idea to spend a few days getting into the right mindset before you do your shop and start the plan.

Re. sugar addiction - the good thing about this plan is that because you can still have fruit, you can still satisfy a sweet craving. Once I cut out refined sugar I found my palate adjusted and fruit and veg started to taste much sweeter - I was amazed by how naturally sweet broccoli is, for instance.

I had a banana chopped into natural yoghurt with a drizzle of honey, it was so sweet and absolutely lush. Its surprising what proper food tastes like. The dressing I made for my salad was literally juice of a lime, evoo, salt and pepper and a squidge of honey too. I'm going to use what is left on my med veg and salmon tonight.

I'm so cross with myself, I can cook and enjoy cooking and love 'proper' food. I've just been lazy and unmotivated. Going to eat like this for a month, with 1 treat night, and then start cooking like this for the family.

A month will give them time to look what I'm doing and come to terms with actual real food. Some stuff they will eat, it dh and ds are very suspicious buggers.

@Arbadacarba thank you for the welcome . I have lost (and gained) 3 stone several times on low carb high fat, but this seems so much easier and more sustainable, which is what I need.

Thank you @OhMyChrist2020
@HighlandCowbag thanks for the tip about home made mayo. You have saved me some hassle!

I made cloud bread last night. It tasted better this morning. I did one from a site called all recipes as it called for baking powder, which I have in. The children were not keen, but the big one at least tried it. She doesn't like eggs or cream cheese so not a shock she wasn't a fan! It is quite a lot of faff, I think I'll have it monthly rather than weekly.

HighlandCowbag - I am very similar- feel like my weight set point is too high. After each child I went up a dress size. Then I got an office job, wasn’t moving so much, eating more processed food due to lack of time and now even though I eat healthily my weight isn’t budging. I did Couch to 5k and lost very little. DH was convinced that running was the best way to lose weight so I think he was surprised it didn’t have the same effect on me. I think he just has a different metabolism so when he exercises he loses weight very quickly despite eating and drinking more than me!

Not sure I’m going to get on with this no carbs for breakfast thing. I had scrambled eggs and have felt so spaced out and sweating like having a sugar crash despite not being hungry. I’ve just had a glass of milk and an apple (which was a struggle as my tummy doesn’t want it but I feel like I can’t do anything because I feel so ‘off’).

I popped into sainsburys to get said milk and apples and felt like I was falling into people. Not a pleasant experience at all.

Anyone got any suggestions?

Give it a week @Tinkling
Or perhaps, do it more gently.
Are you eating and drinking enough? While you are transitioning, eat a bit more to be on the safe side. 3 eggs not 2, an extra slice of ham and extra veggies.
Also have some non refined carbs, this isn't keto! Carrots, lentils, etc. And cheese for satiety. I didn't do it the Jenkinson way so I ate nuts, it hasn't been tricky to kick the habit after.
Hope you feel better soon.

@Love51 thank you. I have been having 3 scrambled eggs with butter for breakfast and lots of water as well as a coffee, but the low sugar is just not my friend. I think after an overnight fast, my body just can’t cope with being deprived at the first meal of the day. Very odd though because I used to be able to fully fast until lunchtime or later and be ok.

Maybe an omelette? I always have something on the side of an omelette but never with scrambled eggs, for some reason.
I find I still need to do a main and a side. I've just had lentil bake with a side of ratatouille. Yesterday I had soup with a side of sliced tomatoes spread with Philadelphia and a basil leaf on top. The side makes it a much better meal than just a bigger portion.

Tinkling I'd try fruit if you are struggling. So have your eggs and if you feel ropey have a banana and some yoghurt with honey. Or maybe something like a couple of rice cakes with hummus or soft cheese. Or even some cheese and an apple or grapes. Got to be better having sugar from fruit than jacking it in altogether. I've just done the school run and walked up and down, it's a mile each way and prime time for a coffee and a couple of biscuits when I get home. Had a plum instead. Its not quite hit the spot but will put me on. And am going to have ginger and lemon tea instead of a coffee to break the association a bit. Had a massive tuna salad for lunch, with olives and a handful of grated cheese that was leftover from last night, it was lovely and I didn't get that 1pm urge for a nan nap.

Yea you’re right, I’m thinking fruit or potatoes with breakfast is the way forward. Going to have porridge tomorrow with apple and honey (i can’t stand plain oats, always been an oat-so-simple flavoured sachet kinda gal until coeliac diagnosis and now I don’t have it at all) and then try eggs with some potato skillet thing the Americans are so keen on the next day. I love eggs for breakfast but clearly I need the evil carbohydrates to stop me dying. Surely home cooked potato skillet with peppers, onions and mushrooms is better than a Birdseye potato waffle?!

So are the cold pressed oils friendly when compared to normal veg oil? Or is it what they're made from that is problematic? I stared at them for a while in the supermarket and bought some avocado oil as I know that has a very high smoke point, but I'm currently trying to decide if it is adding a flavour to everything!

The cold pressed oils contain omega-6 but also reasonable levels of omega-3, so they are better than oils that primarily contain omega-6 (e.g. veg oil, sunflower oil) but not as good as oils that don't contain significant omega-6 (e.g. butter, lard, dripping, goose fat, virgin olive oil).

Generally you should look to minimise omega-6 and maximise omega-3.

Omnivores have the animal fat options, vegetarians have dairy options but it may be harder for vegans as virgin olive oil isn't ideal for some types of cooking.

Thanks Arbada. Looking at the tables in the book butter is definitely the best bet. Also have just googled and refined butter has a really high smoke temperature. Just hope I can find somewhere that sells ghee, (must check Amazon!) I'm being lazy and don't want to make it myself .

Hello everyone,
I've bought the book but haven't read it yet, can anyone tell me if almonds and cashews are forbidden on the diet? I home cook everything, eat lots of vegetables and oily fish, don't eat white bread, rice or pasta, never eat processed or takeaways food but would find it really hard to give up almonds and cashews. I always thought they were 'good' foods!

Hello everyone. Have been reading Mumsnet for years but never posted. This thread finally inspired me to make an account and join in.

Have just finished the book and found it quite eye opening. The set point made sense to me as I've often noticed that if ever I've lost weight (due to stress or illness) I overeat afterwards for a while. My BMI is just under 27 but my weight has been drifting up for years and my appearance really upsets me.

Started the eating plan today. I'm a vegetarian who hates eggs so think my protein will need to come from beans and cheese (love cheese and am a bit worried that I'll consume my body weight in it daily if I'm not careful). Have also ordered so algae supplements to get my omega 3 levels up. Don't really have a sweet tooth so not too worried about avoiding sugar but I will really miss bread.

To be honest, even though the book makes a lot of sense, part of me is worried that it won't work and I'll just be eating extra calories and get fatter. So hoping to hear from people on here that it does work.

@samthebordercollie Nuts are quite high in the dreaded Omega 6s so off the menu, unfortunately. Page 261 of the book (I have the kindle version so might be different to the paper copy) mentions almonds and cashews specifically.

He doesn’t recommend avoiding carbs at breakfast does he?! I know he suggested no fruit (although I’m not sure why) but I’ve been having porridge and banana every morning. In fact today I used a bit of cream as well as the milk as I had some that needed using. Oh my god is was so delicious, and I ate that at 9am and didn’t even think about eating again until 3pm as it was so filling! It was getting too close to tea by the time I actually felt hungry at 4pm so I had a bit of cheese to keep me going and then had tea at 6pm.