Why We Eat (Too Much) Thread 2

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

Shiny new thread to continue on with! I hope everyone keeps going.

For any newbies, this thread is based on a book by Dr Andrew Jenkinson. The main principles are to cut out sugar, wheat and ultra-processed foods, while eating fresh natural ingredients. It works!

Previous thread: thread 1

Hey there @Coconut80

I’m vegan too. I’m struggling for ideas on what to eat too. The book suggests eating old fashioned foods like Granny would make. Including traditional English breakfasts. The only problem there, is that I don’t think Granny was a vegan.

I didn’t used to have breakfast but now I am having Tesco’s own Greek yoghurt which is low sugar and high protein, along with banana and strawberries. Not sure what else we could have, because even the fruit has sugar in it.

Lunches, I think I’m gonna be going back to having a jacket potato with beans and salad (I work in a school and lunch is made for us, so not much control there).

I’m gonna try to start making my evening meals, planning them each week using pinch of nom recipes and Vegan £1 meals cookbooks.

Do you have any other wonderful ideas?

Good morning all!

Weighed in this morning and am now 8lbs down in 5 weeks. 5 of them came off in the first week but I am really pleased with this as I have been eating so well.

I am finding that I am not snacking at all and dont really get hungry.

One massive plus for me is that I seem to be in much less pain than I was before this woe. I have struggled with bursitis in both hips for around a decade and was despairing of ever being pain free again but I am seeing a really big improvement! It must be the omega 3 doing its thing!

I feel healthy and happy and have more energy than I have in quite a while!

Hi everyone I thought I did quite well at the beginning but this week have struggled so badly with massive binges half the time I'm not even hungry!

I rally lack motivation to cook so that's making things harder

Has anyone read or listened to any books that might help work out why I am bingeing?

Hi, haven’t been on here for a while, but just wanted to share amazing news. Half a stone down, without the usual pain... in fact, feeling great, and life is so much better. I can’t thank enough the op for starting the original thread. This book has transformed my life. I realise I’ve spent my entire adult life with an ED - the constant calorie counting and generally feeling shit... thinking I was doing the right thing, without understanding how the body really works. Wow. 💐

@Jaynespain, that is fab progress, well done! For me the weight-loss is important, but the health benefits of this WoE are equally as important. Feeling good and knowing you are much healthier than previously.

@chickychicchic, the only way I can stop myself binge eating is to not have my trigger foods in the house. I can easily ignore other things in the cupboard, such as the biscuits my DH likes, or crisps, but if there is one of the particular foods that I struggle with (such as chocolate ice cream, dark chocolate biscuits, chocolate cake... you get my drift!) then I'm done for. Once I start on those I have no off switch.

I make sure I always shop on a full stomach so I'm not tempted to throw them in the trolley, I know where they are in the grocery store and I actively avoid walking past or looking at them so I'm not tempted, and if they do come into the house (e.g. someone else brings them) I give them to the kids immediately so they're not in my cupboard calling my name.

It's the only way I know I'm not going to binge on them. Other 'treats' I can manage to have a small amount and stop, so can have them in the house, but not my trigger foods.

@chickychicchic re binges...= in my experience, a wish to self harm (because of outside/historical stresses), a fear of losing weight (for reasons only you’ll know but sometimes to do with the “security” that weight brings), or simply you’re not eating enough “proper food”, so the body is driving you to overeat.
Atm what I love is the fact that my focus is no longer on food! This is because I’m eating plenty of fats, proper food, not worrying about the occasional desert or bit of bread - unlike almost all other diets that ban this or that!, and no longer permanently semi starving (despite previously stubborn weight!)

Oh @chickychicchic I’ve just noticed you say you can’t be bothered to cook... for lunch and breakfast, I eat loads of cheese! No cooking. Admit not sure if this is entirely balanced/healthy/ok, but it really suits me! I mo longer binge. Never eat sugar/junky things in the day (Jenkins advises high fat breakfast!). Even oats throw me off course during the day, btw.

Dinner... maybe you could get some fish (easy to cook), or a tin of tuna or something like peppered mackerel over a huge salad, lots of olive oil, tomatoes etc... not exactly complex cooking but probably about as fast as a microwave meal? More cheese if still hungry! Some fruit too, why not, even if Jenkins does advise no more than 2 pieces a day. ...he also says not to get obsessive!

Maybe this is partly where things are coming undone, ie not eating (enough) proper food? Apologies not read back over this thread to check!

This week I have managed to eat (even a small taste) of the following:
Lettuce, tomato, sweetcorn, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, apple, banana, pepper, mushroom, onion, sugarsnap peas, celery, cucumber, sultanas (do they count?), pak choi, broccoli, radish, melon, peas, olives, parsnip, mangetout, green beans, beetroot, sweet potato, courgette, grapes, mango and pineapple.

It did help that there were 2 BBQs, so I was able to take different salads that people had brought made with things I might not usually make for myself. Keeping count definitely helped me widen my range though, as too often I just reach for the same things but this encouraged me to take a variety of different food more frequently.

Please do share your fruit and veg items to help inspire me further!

@TooExtraImmatureCheddar 1 highland pony and 1 welsh pony. Highland is mine and cheeky little welsh is ds's. Highland was originally bought for me and dd to share but she's not interested anymore, welshy was dds pony but passed onto ds. Now uni is finally finished I'm going to ride every day and can't wait.

I thought oatmeal was a bit iffy because it's ground up oats? So easier to overeat and less nutritional benefit? But thinking about it that might be an old slimming world thing, where porridge oats were a B choice but readybrek sinned? So maybe ignore me.

I've had a dodgy tummy since Monday when I had a gyros and ate the bread. Been (tmi) constipated for a few days and now diarrhoea. Sigh. Also had raging PMT so may be that but it doesn't normally happen so not sure what to think.

Had an OK day yesterday. Ds dentist was horrible appointment so very nearly reached for toast when we got home. Had a slice of ham, a bit of cheese and a handful of cherry tomatoes and told myself if I still wanted the toast I would have it afterwards. I didn't want it tho. Then a jacket potato with cheese, tuna and a naughty spoon of coleslaw. Half a bottle of wine as well but am OK with that.

Not sure on lunch yet today, probably salad. Then making BBQ stuff for tea. Will have salad and meat. Some preformed skewers from supermarket so probably not perfect but still loads better than previous friday nights takeaways. Just getting through this half term week, then monday back on track properly.

I just get bored of eating and the naughty stuff is just easy. I didnt have any but then hubby came back from a camping trip with leftovers of biscuits and naughty things. I can cook I just have no motivation to. I am trying really hard.

Please can people share their examples of meals? Its breakfast and lunch I struggle with.

I generally have porridge but I wake up hungry lol or eggs sometimes

But then if I have eggs for breakie I can't have my usual eggs for lunch (we have hens) plus I am used to sarnies

It is hard when there are biscuits in front of you - so many of the UPFs are designed to be ready to eat and easy to overeat. When you're tired or in a rush it is far easier to grab something unhealthy, which is why I have to not have them in the house at all or I will succumb every time.

Sometimes I think I'm hungry and decide I fancy a snack, but once I've looked in the treat cupboard and realised there's nothing there that I like I realise I'm not actually hungry and didn't need anything. My mum used to call it 'mouth hungry' when you want the taste of something but you don't actually need it.

I'm not much help for breakfast ideas as I always have porridge. Lunches I tend to rotate include:
When at work:
Leftovers from the previous night's dinner.
Variety of salads - Greek with feta cheese, salad with mackerel or smoked salmon, boiled egg salad.
Rye crispbreads with Philadelphia and smoked salmon.

When at home:
Stir-fry veg in soy sauce with pan-fried cod or tuna.
Oven baked salmon with ginger and veg parcels.
Scrambled eggs or omelette.
Picnic lunch (cheese, tomatoes, grapes, olives etc).
Spiralised courgette/sweet potato/apple with a little bit of creme fraiche stirred through.
Baked potato with cheese/tuna.

Hi all! I’ve read through all of both threads- and I’m very inspired by all of your progress! I want in!
I’ve read the book but still have questions....
Should rice be brown? White rice has lower omega 6 but is higher gl?
How come porridge is a good bf when he suggested high fat low carb breakfast?
Should I swap white potatoes for sweet?
Does cooking with olive oil negate benefits of 3:6 balance?
Is regular olive oil ok, or just extra virgin?
I have done alllllll the diets so I hope this one sticks for me. I’m so tired and confused I just want to be able to relax around food.

Not sure if its been asked but is pesto okay to have?

Hi and welcome @Paperyfish, nice to have you join us. I can't speak for anyone else on this thread, but I'm certainly no expert and am working things out as I go along. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm try to answer your questions.

Jenkinson focuses on reducing sugar and wheat intake, so he advocates rice and potatoes rather than wheat and bread for example. For me personally I try not to eat too much of those things, but being allowed them makes this WoE so much easier to fit in with family life and meals.

The key points are to reduce sugar intake, especially from processed foods, reduce wheat intake, eat home-cooked meals from simple ingredients and reduce vegetable oil intake.

What your meals will look like will be different for each of us, but every good decision is a step in the right direction. I suggest you identify one or two problem areas for you personally and focus on changing those before you worry about changing too much, as this has to be a sustainable WoE for the long-term if it is going to work for you.

@Jaynespain

Not sure if its been asked but is pesto okay to have?

Yes, I assume it is fine, as long as it's made with olive oil rather than a different vegetable oil.

@Zanage1 you really need to get your protein in. Lots of chickpeas and lentils for you!

@chickychicchic I too am a binger. I think part of the problem can be restriction. This is a restrictive way of eating no matter how you wrap it up - you can’t have sugar, bread or pasta. All our favourite convenience stuff. I’ve been out for the day and not really eaten, cake gone starving. All I wanted was McDonald’s fries and a chocolate cake. Never gonna crave some cheese or an egg when I’m that hungry!

So meals wise I batch boil new potatoes a couple of times a week and then fry them up with olive oil and salt for breakfast with two poached eggs. It only takes 10 minutes. Or I’ll have porridge with apple and cinnamon or granola if I’m pushed for time (contains seeds and fruit so not really ideal but better than white toast and jam).

Lunch I love a stuffed jacket. I cook chorizo, mushrooms, pepper, onion and courgette in a frying pan and microwave a jacket. Scoop the middle out and mash with butter, mix in the vegetable mix and put back in, top with cheese and into the oven. Very yum. Or I tend to have leftovers because it’s easy.

Dinners, I love beef rendang, chicken stuffed with Boursin and spinach (and mushrooms and chorizo!), roast dinner, mash and veg, butter chicken with rice and veg, bolognese and salad, chilli con carne, salmon with new potatoes and veg.

I always make extras for lunch the next day.

Got on my mums scales yesterday, I’m down to 9st 11. Very happy with that, 1lb to pre lockdown weight and I have definitely not been on plan for the last couple of weeks!

@Coconut80 I agree completely when you say you miss the ‘high’ that you get from sugar/junk food. This was my original problem, eating became a bit dull. I mostly got over this by the end of week 4 but I’ve been eating crap again this week whilst off work and in holiday mode so I’m bracing myself for the inevitable come down when I restart on Sunday 😔 I know I feel better overall though and it’s worth it.

I struggle a bit with lunch ideas so thanks for the suggestions. My preferred option is leftovers from the night before, I usually can’t be bothered making anything at lunchtime but if I just have a salad I sometimes find I’m then at risk of carb cravings about 3-4pm. Thank god I’m WFH at the moment, things would be a lot more complicated if I was out of the house all day.

I think there’s a bit of a question mark over oats/porridge. It’s technically a grain so possibly not recommended but on the other hand I’m sure Dr J mentions porridge as an option and for me it’s a deal breaker as I love my morning porridge with banana. In my book it’s healthy and filling and I look forward to having it so it’s staying.

Well done on weight loss everyone - I haven’t weighed for a few weeks and have been a bit rogue of late so will weigh on Sunday morning and then probably again a few weeks after that.

I find a salad is ok as long as I have enough protein with it. A couple of boiled eggs, a tin of mackerel or feta cheese are my usual additions and I find them enough to see me through the afternoon. Sometimes I'll have a bit of Greek yoghurt with fruit after a salad if I need more protein.

@tinkling I'v just googled rendang and I think i'm going to have to try it, do you have a good easy recipe?

I do, www.you.co.uk/fast-800-recipes-beef-rendang/

I put mine in the slow cooker without any added water.

Today is a happy day - I’ve lost another pound (total loss 7.4lbs in 6.5 weeks), and a new dress I ordered came and it’s absolutely gorgeous! I bought a size up because I had uncomfortable memories of trying stuff on in the shop pre-Covid and most of the 12s being tight on me and that was before the lockdown weight-fest, and it fits really well. Also it was 20% off, always a good thing!

I created a weight loss chart on my phone with milestones - things like “first half stone lost” and “my light blue Levi’s fit again”, “BMI down a point”, right down to “3 stone loss” and “Topshop size 10 skirt fits again” (my smallest item of clothing, which hasn’t fitted for about 7 years). I ticked off the first two today and it’s only going to take another half pound to be down a BMI point. I’m putting dates next to the milestones when I achieve them so I can look back and see how long it all took, but I’m quite resigned to it taking at least a year.

Well done!

I'm still at the stage of working out how to tweak my diet. I'm going through all the things I commonly eat and working out what adjustments will make them better.

E.g. on my breakfast I usually sprinkle a seed mix which contains pumpkin, sunflower and linseeds (which i believe is anothet name for flax seed). I'm going to change that for Chia seed and linseed.

I found a Wikipedia page with a handy list of omega 3 / 6 ratios for food, which I'm using as a guide.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatty_acid_ratio_in_food

I had a bad day yesterday though. Ate healthily until lunch, then a mid afternoon sugar binge.

Well done TooExtra 👏 I love your goals idea too! In contrast I’m feeling bloated after ice cream etc yesterday. Just planning my healthy meals for the week

Afternoon everyone! Well done @TooExtraImmatureCheddar on the continued weight loss, great progress! I'm not weighing until after my period finishes as I always retain water and am heavier during it.

We are having Chinese takeaway this evening, but I'm going to have mine with rice and am splitting my portion with the kids, so hopefully won't cause too much damage. Had smoked salmon with Philadelphia on rye crispbreads for lunch with some fresh berries, yum!