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

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@OhMyChrist2020

I’ve read regarding weight set point that you should aim to lose no more than 10% of your body weight at any one time and once you’ve reached that you’re better aiming to maintain for a few weeks to allow your body to adjust. This apparently helps to slowly move your set point and avoids your body trying to stop you losing more weight.

Oh that's interesting! It's around 10% of my bodyweight that I've lost, so perhaps my body needs to adjust to that for a while!

I have always been able to lose weight easily, as I am an all-or-nothing dieter. In the past I stuck rigidly to the rules, lost weight quickly, patted myself on the back, then got fed up with the constant weighing/counting/limiting and put the weight all back on again. I think this is why I was getting frustrated when my weight loss is slower than it has been in the past.

I need to realise that this is a long-term recovery and losing weight quickly is actually counterproductive.

A good point however is that although I was becoming a little frustrated at the slowing of weight loss I was still enjoying this WoE and didn't go off the rails and mainlining doughnuts like I would have done in the past. I really don't feel deprived in this WoE.

I've just had a lush lunch, was starving and got a bit carried away with making it. Chopped mushrooms, cherry toms, peppers and spring onions up and fried them off in butter, was going to make an omelette but fancied dippy eggs, so cracked 2 in the middle and then a handful of grated cheese on top. The veg all caramelised by the time the cheese and eggs were done and bits of cheese had toasted round the edges. If this is diet food then I'm very happy.

It's interesting about the 10%. I did sw a few years ago, lost 10% easily and then stalled so got fed up. But 10% a few years ago was enough to lose tbf. Now it's more like 15% I need off.

Doesn't feel like a diet tho so am happy to keep going. Dinner is liver, onions, mash, and loads of veg with onion gravy. Will have greek yog if need something sweet afterwards. Been for a run this morning so will possibly be hungrier than normal.

I’m having a bad time. Health problems have resulted in a lot of stress for me so I haven’t eaten and then go for aaalllllll the sugar. And I am very much an emotional eater when I am eating.

So right now I’m afraid I have nothing to contribute. I am watching though and you’re all doing really well, well done x

I'm sorry to hear that Tinkling, I hope things improve for you soon

Tinkling so sorry to hear you have health issues. Look after yourself, hopefully things will get better for you soon.

I watched a documentary on obesity last night which went into detail about how different countries are dealing with it. Chile appear to be standing up to the big industrial food companies (or rather a former paediatrician, now politician, has taken them on and appears to be winning). They put black stickers on highly processed food and educate children in schools to avoid them. The children then educate the parents. The amount of soda consumed has decreased by 25% in 18 months which is the biggest fall in any country.

Morning everyone, how are you all today? Any nice menu plans? I'm having:
B - porridge
L - baked salmon with ginger and soy sauce with broccoli and courgette
D - vegetarian chilli with rice

@samthebordercollie what is the name of that documentary please and where did you watch it?

Morning all

I'm having salad for lunch, and then a veggie chilli for dinner. Must be veg chilli day all round.

Feeling much better for a good sleep and no beer for a few days, bloating slowly going down. Almost back to where I was pre school holidays.

@Ifyoubelieveyouwill I'm afraid I'm in France and the French TV channels aren't available in the UK (a shame because there are some very good documentaries!)
If you speak good French I think you can watch it on Daily Motion
www.dailymotion.com/video/x7tnpos
But there aren't any subtitles on this version.

I've been reading 'The way we eat now' by Bee Wilson (apparently an article that she wrote on ultra processed foods was the inspiration for Dr Chris van Tulleken's 'What are we feeding our kids?' tv programme). She talks about the various Chilean food laws. She makes a similar point to the food industry guy who was in the 'What are we feeding our kids?' doc in that countrywide legislation is needed to drive changes in the food industry. Otherwise, individual companies are not going to cut sugar/fat/tasty additives as it will put them at a competitive disadvantage compared to other producers.

Might have a try at watching the French programme. I can read French reasonably well but tend to find spoken French too fast too follow.

@samthebordercollie alas I don’t speak French, but I’m pleased to hear that other countries are taking the new science seriously. It’s a shame the NHS has not caught up yet. They are still promoting a high carb/ low fat diet as being the best diet for health (see NHS Eat Well plate). It’s disappointing that our national health service is complicit in promoting ultra processed food masquerading as ‘healthy’ which has been shown to be a major cause of obesity.

I’m glad to see other countries are waking up and doing something.

Tom Watson, the Labour MP lost about 8 stone I think eating this way.

I read an email saying he had originally tried to follow the government guidelines to lose weight, he was having a large bowl of porridge for example with bananas for breakfast. But he wasn’t losing weight.

It was only when he ignored government guidelines and went towards a more Keto diet that he suddenly lost lots of weight. It took him a year and 4 years later he has kept it off.

Tom said that the government strategy to tackle obesity needs to change. We need a radical new approach.

Perhaps we should post Boris a copy of this book? I know he said he’s been on a health kick since coming out of hospital for Covid, but it doesn’t really look like it’s working. I heard that they have “healthy” ready meals delivered to the number 10 flat. I bet they are low fat but full of carbs and hidden sugar.

*interview not email!

Sorry to get political on this thread ... I know some people don’t like it. But I truly believe it’s not wholly and individual’s fault for becoming obese.

We deserve a government which taxes nutritionally poor food / subsidies for healthy options and educates us in line with the actual science (as opposed to food myths like fat = high cholesterol).

I’m a child of the 80s/90s who grew up on chicken kievs and potato waffles. My mum believed we ate a healthy diet because we ate lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

UPFs have been a big part of my diet my whole life, through no fault of my own. I know I’m not alone in this and to blame individuals is not helpful.

@Ifyoubelieveyouwill

Sorry to get political on this thread ... I know some people don’t like it. But I truly believe it’s not wholly and individual’s fault for becoming obese.

We deserve a government which taxes nutritionally poor food / subsidies for healthy options and educates us in line with the actual science (as opposed to food myths like fat = high cholesterol).

I’m a child of the 80s/90s who grew up on chicken kievs and potato waffles. My mum believed we ate a healthy diet because we ate lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

UPFs have been a big part of my diet my whole life, through no fault of my own. I know I’m not alone in this and to blame individuals is not helpful.

I totally agree. Over the last few years I've become passionate about this subject. In the documentary last night they featured a poor area of Washington DC, a stone's throw from the White house, where 70% of people were obese. They had no easy access to shops where they could buy fresh fruit and veg and were surrounded by takeaways.

Unfortunately the industrial companies like Unilever, Nestlé, Danone are so powerful and with their lobbying control most politicians so it's impossible to get legistation changed.

Interestinly the initiative in Chile (which all companies were against as they have to state high in calories, high in sugar, high in salt) which is a 'nudge' initiative rather than a tax has been more effective than many countries in which tax sodas and high sugar products.

For me it's criminal, the industrial companies are making millions from making mainly poorer people ill with their junk food, and the pharmaceutical companies are making millions selling drugs to cure their illnesses (such as diabetes 2.)
And most politicians are doing nothing to prevent this.

Apologies for the politics too, but if we all ate heathily so many deaths and illnesses would be prevented in the world.

It's definitely not helpful to blame individuals. Especially when the information is so poor from NHS.

It's a combination of 3 things, a lack of money, a lack of time and a lack of education. I'm always shocked that people, adults with good jobs, can't cook basic stuff like shepherds pie or a chicken breast or make a sunday roast. Everyone has one thing that always comes out rubbish no matter what we do, but the basics like a beef stew or using up the ingredients from the bottom of the fridge seem to have been lost somewhere. And those that can cook, seem to think you need to use every pan and every utensil with 15 different ingredients for it to be proper food. So then don't have time to do that every night and have processed stuff and think they are doing well because they are 'cooking from scratch' a couple of times a week.

I've stopped buying treats when I go food shopping. The only person who has noticed is dh 😁. The kids either haven't noticed or aren't arsed and only eating it because it's there.

You only have to look at how shops are set up to understand why we are all getting fatter.

That and education.

My NDN said they make pasta bake once a week. It’s literally pasta, a jar of sauce and covered in cheese.

I mean… what?! Really? Is that a meal? It would never occur to me to cook something like that for dinner.

I’ve stopped buying the junk too so it doesn’t sit in the cupboard. I did struggle for snack time after school yesterday. I made carrot and cucumber sticks and they had (bought) houmous.

Our snack cupboard is empty at the minute. The kids do go looking for a treat, but will accept something like fruit when they see there is nothing else. A problem however is that DH still has his snacks which they then ask for (and usually get) if he's around.

Totally agree that addressing the obesity crisis will require much more than individual action. However I don't think the government will take decisive or effective action because 1) people accuse them of being a nanny-state and 2) the big food companies are far too powerful and between lobbying and giving money they have too much influence over these decisions.

well done everyone! you are all doing so well.
Sorry to hear about the health issues @tinkling

I have fallen off the wagon badly eating to much sugar and wheat. Still probably less than before.
I am a bridesmaid soon and upset that I have let my body get this bad. Going to try and add in some more exercise.

More planning is needed but I am still happy to be on this journey.

Periods just wipe me out and set me back to 0. Sugar definitely has killed most of my PMT just one day now rather than most of the month!

You only have to look at how shops are set up to understand why we are all getting fatter

This is spot on, I use a clicker to train my dog, it’s a useful tool. Since I’ve been off sugar I’ve become so aware of the subliminal messages supermarkets and advertisers use. Try walking around your local supermarket and say, click, every time you see something tempting, that you don’t need and didn’t go in for.

It starts before you get into the shop with banner ads in the car park. Positioning of products on the end of shelves, always high sugar, even chocolate bits in baskets near the fruit and veg. Locally to me, Tesco is the worst, Waitrose the best as they tend to not put high calorie things anywhere but in the places they belong.

I’m maid of honour in less than 4 weeks and even that isn’t stopping me at the moment! Oh well. Maybe tomorrow.

It’s disgraceful the way shops are. All to drive sales and profits. I worry a lot about our future as humans.

I was on the school run yesterday, now the weather is hotter, people are obviously not wearing coats and you can see people’s bodies. I stand right at the back and always have but for the first time I looked around me at everyone and realised that out of the 30+ parents standing there, 25+ were either overweight or obese. I mean… WHAT? That is shocking. Looking at women in the early 1900s and even into the 50’s and 60’s. And even someone like me who has a healthy BMI, I am top of my range and in the 50’s and 60’s I’d be classed as the fat one. Something needs to be done.

I partially blame raising costs that mean both adults need to work for most families to be able to afford to live. Who the heck wants to cook constantly when they’re working full time?

I was in a Tesco garage earlier. At the till was a display of jaffa cakes, a rack of sweets and a basket with 4 wispas for £1. Same at most supermarkets. Our local spa always has special offers of baked goods and sweets on the til.

I had fruit and yoghurt for lunch as I wasn't that hungry, was really nice. Its taken 4 days for my appetite to shrink back down to what it was before I had a weeks worth of drinking. Even tho Jenkinson says alcohol doesn't put weight on necessarily, I can see how it indirectly does.

When I was at primary school in the 70s (I'm really old) there was only ever one fat child in the class. I think it's a lot more now.
Even here in France where obesity is much less of a problem than the UK - although on the increase - I'm shocked when I go swimming to see the size of a lot of the young mums and their children.

@HighlandCowbag

I was in a Tesco garage earlier. At the till was a display of jaffa cakes, a rack of sweets and a basket with 4 wispas for £1. Same at most supermarkets. Our local spa always has special offers of baked goods and sweets on the til.

I had fruit and yoghurt for lunch as I wasn't that hungry, was really nice. Its taken 4 days for my appetite to shrink back down to what it was before I had a weeks worth of drinking. Even tho Jenkinson says alcohol doesn't put weight on necessarily, I can see how it indirectly does.

Joe Wicks says alcohol affects how we process fat or something implying it's not great although he's not completely anti

For anyone who does like Joe he's got a few episodes on Netflix which is quite good for the feel good motivation. Keep meaning to try his exercises....