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

hi Just a quick question ( I am only about halfway through the book so forgive me .. but it looks like I mostly eat like he says anyway ..but there are definitely going to be some changes can already (see that oils/grains are a thing.. the section on how they produce seed oils is quite shocking )

My quick question is regarding wine? what does he say about that..
I will carry on reading

I am a serial dieter and my set point has definitely gone up over the years..
I reckon its now about a 21lbs more than it was when I was in my 30s

@Laska2Meryls the main guidelines are:

Avoid UPF and sugar
Use olive oil (avocado or coconut) rather than vegetable oil
Wine is fine! It’s not highly (Ie chemically) processed, so is more of a natural food. I’ve been drinking normally and lost
Increase Omega 3/ decrease Omega 6
Carbs: opt for rice, potatoes over pasta and bread

Also lots of vegetables and some fresh fruit
Full fat dairy ... any cheese is fine

We've started drinking more natural wine actually, though we also drink the "normal" sort, as well as beer and spirits in very low quantities.

I get terrible hangovers if I get drunk these days, but not from natural wine. I think it's got less chemical weirdness in it.

Wine is fine !! YAY!!..
I am going to finish the book though ...its fascinating ..

[quote BrightShark]@Laska2Meryls the main guidelines are:

Avoid UPF and sugar
Use olive oil (avocado or coconut) rather than vegetable oil
Wine is fine! It’s not highly (Ie chemically) processed, so is more of a natural food. I’ve been drinking normally and lost
Increase Omega 3/ decrease Omega 6
Carbs: opt for rice, potatoes over pasta and bread[/quote]
Thanks .. its a lot like how I already eat but I need to make some changes especially around processed food.. I know that ill never get completely back to but it would be great to gradually lose those 21lbs..

Looking forward to joining you properly ..

@HighlandCowbag sorry for your loss. Just get through this period as best you can.

Thank you for your kind words everyone.

I'm feeling the effects of rubbish food already so back on it tomorrow. I had a cheese toastie for lunch, feel sick and bloated and acidy so although it would be nice to say bugger it and mainline chocolate and bread, I don't think it will make me feel any better anyway.

@Laska2Meryls

I am a serial dieter and my set point has definitely gone up over the years.. I reckon its now about a 21lbs more than it was when I was in my 30s

I’m not sure I have a weight set point. I seem to have spent the last 10 years either dieting or gaining. I didn’t diet for about 18 months between late 2019 and the whole of 2020/early 2021 and my weight absolutely ballooned. Mind you, I did mainline biscuits, toast, takeaways and wine throughout lockdown.

@Laska2Meryls I think I was similar. We have always cooked everything from scratch - no sauces. But when I sat down I realised our diet was full of UPF and sugar. Eg lots of snacks. We also ate a lot of fruit and veg.

I’d say you’re in a good position because you have the cooking skills and knowledge to make it work.

I can imagine this would be very difficult for anyone used to living off freezer and ready meals/ sauces etc.

@HighlandCowbag, so sorry to hear of your loss Be kind to yourself and just do whatever you need to do to get through this tough time. A few days off-plan will not set you back too far.

@GalaxyGirl24, I often have fish for my lunch. Pan-fried cod with stir-fried veg, oven-baked salmon, mackerel salad, smoked salmon on rye crispbreads. Eggs also feature quite often, but I know you said you don't eat them. Otherwise it is salads or soup, baked potatoes, or leftovers from the day before.

@collywobble, I've lost 22lbs so far (over about 3 months). I have lost that amount of weight (and more) before on previous diets, so it is not that remarkable really, but what is remarkable for me is that I'm not hungry on this WoE. I eat hearty portions, there's no faffing about weighing portions or counting calories or points, I feel healthier and it genuinely feels easy to eat this way.

I've done WW, 5:2, calorie counting etc - with all of them it worked in the short-term, but it became such a burden to stick to them, I felt hungry, I thought about food all the time and they were not sustainable (for me) long-term.

This WoE is SO much easier and I know I can do it long-term. I genuinely am shocked at how much weight I've lost and how easy it has been when I consider how much I'm eating and how satisfied I feel.

Wow that’s amazing @Tiredandbored I’d be very happy with your weight loss in 3 months.

I had spaghetti Bolognaise tonight with real pasta. We have it once a fortnight as a treat.

Thanks for the tips @Tiredandbored ! Btw, amazing weight loss! What technique or woe do you follow?

I've cut back on sugar, wheat and processed foods. Haven't cut them out entirely, but have cut right back.

Normal day for me is porridge with sultanas and full-fat milk for breakfast, either salad, fish or eggs in some form for lunch, then something like beef stew, chicken curry, baked potato or beef stroganoff for dinner. Always have a coffee and square of dark chocolate after dinner, which is my little treat.

I don't snack between meals as don't need to - I'm eating good portions and am not hungry. Sometimes I have a snack in the evening (we eat dinner early as have young kids) which will either be berries with Greek yoghurt or a couple of rye crispbreads with Philadelphia and smoked salmon.

Only drink water and coffee, occasionally will have something off-plan like a slice of birthday cake or dessert, but infrequently. Still eat some wheat as sometimes the meal I'm making for the family has pasta or wraps and I take the same as they're having, but have cut out 90% of the UPFs I had been eating.

Wow @Tiredandbored okay that actually makes just logical sense. I've been at a much slimmer weight before when I cut out all junk food and ate clean with minimal snacking. I felt so much better and had no asthma/eczema. I need to get back to that and find that fire and willpower again!

Hi all. Not posted for a while. Finally finished reading the book and had a great fry up as recommended!
No further weight losses but no gains either and feeling positive.
Have got the EasiYo yoghurt maker out of the cupboard and found some non packet mixes ways to make yoghurt. Used 1litre of UHT semi-skimmed and a couple of tbs of Aldi higher grade Greek yoghurt (the one that looks like Fage). Lovely taste but a bit liquid maybe. The answer is to drain a portion in muslin over a sieve for a couple of hours. A fair proportion of liquid comes off and you get a very creamy residue. DH says he doesn’t need cream on his strawberries now.
Just enjoying eating things that felt forbidden before. Freedom!

@Billybagpuss for the first time in my life I started calorie counting last week. I'm not overweight but I am according to how I like to look and how clothes look on me. (Should add it's before I found this thread!) I want to lose 1 stone to get back to where I used to be and 'reset my natural weight'

However it's had the opposite effect on me than what you've said. If I know I've 'only' got x amount of calories left I won't have chocolate as that seems a waste so may have a slice of cheese, an apple or some home made hummus, to me any left over calories need to be used sensibly!

So in a way I think I'm kind of following both ways right now, I don't eat much bread if any some days as it seems a waste of calories and I know it gives me a bread belly and I look at which calories I choose to consume as if I've only got 1400 they need to be nutritious!

(Although when the tiger loaf arrived with the shopping I did cut myself a very thin slice to have with butter)

I've not had low fat food in years and only eat butter so that seems to be on track.

I've ordered the book from the library, hopefully it'll come in soon as I'm really interested to understand it fully.

The one thing that helped me about calorie counting was it reset my understanding of portion size. It was only when I started tracking how much I was eating that I realised how much I was overeating simply by having portions that were far too big.

@Tiredandbored

The one thing that helped me about calorie counting was it reset my understanding of portion size. It was only when I started tracking how much I was eating that I realised how much I was overeating simply by having portions that were far too big.

Yes same here. It's just made me think a lot about each food I eat and not waste calories on crap!

Hello hello. Was on first thread and still keen, though life (school) got in the way. Looking fwd to catching up with you all and getting my diet back on track when this eteral term ends. I'll be accountable from early July.

Til then 0 time or will-power, but at least I don't have a sweet tooth or major junk food habit. (I have a minor one though, which has led to unfortunate pizza incidents). I Will BE BACK. Feel free to ignore me until I get my shit together.

Living with obesity: The people who are hard-wired to store fat www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57419041

Just stumbled across this, an interesting read.

@Billybagpuss I read that article yesterday. Thought it was very interesting and the personal experiences fit with a lot of what is in the book.

I think in order to tackle the obesity crisis we need a mindset shift. More empathy and testing to understand exactly why people put on a lot of weight. Solutions can then be tailored to the individual. Tim Spector writes a lot about this personalised approach.

Going out for lunch today and I've had a nosy at the menu. Would a couscous salad with chicken throw me mightly off plan ? The only other option is a naked burger and swap the fries out for salad .

@collywobble what do you really, really want? I’d go with that personally. Unless you really like the sound of the chicken and couscous. A naked burger sounds shite. At home I’d make loads of lovely salad and coleslaw to replace the bread, but they’re not going to do that in a restaurant.