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

Cracking up at all of the Slimming World memories. I still find myself weighing out my oats in the morning. Lots of the ladies who attended my group would skip dinner before they got weighed. Think that is why they were all tucking into the HiFi bars. SW did encourage lots of fruit and veg but the low cal 'slimming' foods were quite weird. I remember being horrified when I looked at the ingredients in a Muller light (including to my vegetarian self's horror - gelatine). What were those weird bran biscuits that tasted like carpet tiles?! Some of the recipe's, particularly the ones meant to be lower calorie versions of junk food ('fakeaways'), were very strange. Diet coke chicken anyone?

Anyone any advice on kicking the sugar addiction??

What worked for me this time after many, many attempts was cold turkey plus:

Gave up wheat at the same time
Picked a week when I was busy (distraction) but not so busy that I couldn't get enough sleep
Ate as much protein and fat as I wanted
Bought prebagged salads and prepeeled carrots to eat when sugar cravings struck
Had a motivating health scare (not recommended!)

I had headaches and felt weak for a few days. Then it suddenly got much easier.

Great advice re craving. I am craving chocolate in the evening and gave in last night. Tried some hardcore 100% and wish I could say it was a revelation...

Then had several squares milk choc with almonds afterwards. I think for me this is partly routine. I don't drink anymore so started having chocolate in the evening as a treat.

Lots of water too, perhaps? There isn't too much advice on combating cravings in the book, but he does suggest mindfulness/meditation exercises, with an example. It might be worth ( note to self) looking on the Calm App to see. If there's anything suitable on there.

Trying to decide if this is weird coincidence or not.....
Sunday night, after a difficult conversation with my Dad (In his 80s, lives in the middle of fucking nowhere on his own and had had 3 'bad turns' while mowing the lawn) I ate 4 biscuits.
Yesterday I was a bit twitchy and nearly scoffed a mini malt loaf that was on the staffroom table but stopped myself and had an apple instead.
Today I have felt like I had hit a wall. Absolutely knackered. Zero energy and tears not far away.

I have also realised that my portion sizes need some work. I've been merrily taking creme fraiche and fruit for part of my lunch and realised with horror that I was having over 250 calories worth. I know it isn't about calories as such but it made me watch my portion sizes.

The discussion on SW reminded me of the time the consultant couldn't get past the fact that I was willing to 'spend' 1 syn on a portion of a decent LF yoghurt than eat a Muller Light.
(And don't get me started on the myth that Angostura Bitters in diet lemonade is a suitable substitute for Pimms!)

I'm thinking I might keep a food diary for a few weeks.

I measure out my oats in the morning, but that is to get the right consistency with the milk. That is the only food I measure or weigh now though.

It is useful to measure and weigh if, like me, you tended to overeat regarding portion size as it helps recalibrate a better understanding of portion size. However, once you have that sorted then weighing and measuring is not necessary as your appetite is much better at moderating your intake.

I remember PolentaGate at my sw. Someone decided to make cake using polenta as flour and some of that sweetner as sugar. Put it on the FB page. Apparently free. Loads of gains or sts that week 🤣

And then their way HeckSausageGate. 1/2 syn apparently then went to 3 syns each or something. Someone in our group flounced and left over that 🤣🤣.

Tbf tho some of the SW recipes will fit this woe if you swap the frylight for butter. It does encourage you to cook fresh food with plenty of veg. Even tho you have a hifi for pudding followed by 3 muller lights.

Even now whenever I am on a diet, dh and the kids ask me if they can have certain yoghurts as I used to buy muller lights for me and whatever else was on offer for them but they would eat my toffee mullers and leave me with naice organic Rachels which I couldn't fecking have.

@Throughtheday
I do was a diet coke addict, drank 2litres a day for far too many years. Im 6.5 weeks into this and i am having fizzy water with a splash of lime cordial. I know it contains sugar but it works for me. I am approaching the whole way of eating as a journey if health of nourishing and looking after myself rather than a family bar if dairy milk a night and 2 litres if diet coke. I did feel crap stoppibg coke, sugar, choc and wheat at once but after a week if feeling fluey i feel great no longer food obsessed and ruled by cravings. X

I keep craving mint chocolate ice cream at night after dinner. I think it’s more about the mint flavour and lovely ice cream texture than it is sugar though. Thankfully I don’t keep it in the house!

I find any chocolate above 85% inedible. We have a square or two of 85% most days, maybe a 70% bar between us at weekends for a treat (Lidl has one with dried raspberries, which I’m partial to).

I do still love good quality milk chocolate though, and I’m not giving it up forever.

@Redbottle - I've had a health scare in the last week which I think may lead to this being the time I actually make a 'for life' change. Because of this I'm signed off for two weeks (min) but that does mean I can really plan and focus on the food side. Shopping coming tomorrow- no junk, all fresh. Looking forward to meal planning.

I'm not posting lots (I think because I've pledged to threads before then failed) but I'm here and I'm reading. 👍🏻

[quote Coconut80]@Throughtheday
I do was a diet coke addict, drank 2litres a day for far too many years. Im 6.5 weeks into this and i am having fizzy water with a splash of lime cordial. I know it contains sugar but it works for me. I am approaching the whole way of eating as a journey if health of nourishing and looking after myself rather than a family bar if dairy milk a night and 2 litres if diet coke. I did feel crap stoppibg coke, sugar, choc and wheat at once but after a week if feeling fluey i feel great no longer food obsessed and ruled by cravings. X[/quote]
Thanks Coconut! Fizzy water might be a good fix. The problem with not drinking coke is that I am constantly thinking about getting some, or about what I can replace it with, which is something that has gone way down on this woe (not prowling for snacks etc). Wish I could drink the sugar free stuff as a partway measure.

@Throughtheday

Afternoon all, I need some tips about how to break my Coke habit. I'm doing pretty well in other areas, but I need the caffeine. At least, it started as needing caffeine but now I'm clearly addicted to the sugar. Problem is I don't like tea or coffee. Any suggestions of things to try instead? Currently only a sugary drink seems to fill the void, but it doesn't even have the advantage of keeping me awake! I know fixing the sleep part will be a big help but that can't happen immediately.

Herbal tea? Lemon and ginger actually tastes of something, unlike most of them!

I have the rose lemonade cold infuse in sparkling water. In a wine glass 🍷😂

Another one here for lemon and ginger tea. Or the 3 ginger is nice too. Refreshing hot or left to go cold

@Words I still have a few squares of chocolate with a cup of green tea in the evening. It's my one concession to sugar along with red wine
I don't eat desserts but like that treat in the evening.

@CatherineCawood I listen to audiobooks but found the voice on this one really hard to hear when I was cycling. The narrator has a nice voice but the recording was too quiet for me, except the last part which referred specifically to Covid and was added on at the end.

Day 2 with no nuts and I confess to being a little hungry but happy to be sticking more to Dr J's plan.

Thank you for the welcomes!
I still can’t quite believe it, and even more I cannot now stand the taste of chocolate! What’s that about? Even good quality stuff tastes greasy to me.
My appetite is nowhere near what it was, and my sweet tooth has almost evaporated which is something I never expected.
On the one occasion we ate out I seriously struggled to get through the main course, in future I will order a starter I think and if still hungry either accept that or have something else like a small dessert. Or even a child size portion.

@TrevorTheMushroom was the brick like substance Scan Bran?

Ooh I am liking the sound of this. Giving up nice choc makes me feel sad!

Genius idea re the ginger tea by the way. Yes!

Three ginger is good, as is the cinnamon one. And both actually taste good rather than simply smell nice, as a pp mentioned. I have my cup of cinnamon here right now. And I may or may not have had some almond milk choc from Lidl...

My stew ( the rabbit one, that tasted of putty) was such a disaster second time round I had to have something else. Thankfully suitable, if a bit dull. (Potato and onion bake)

A very rare event here, that, and felt strangely....disappointed and let down. Cue sugar cravings.

I am watching the film 'That Sugar Film' this evening which was mentioned upthread and, also, entirely coincidentally by a friend in RL today. It's on rental with Amazon Prime. Could only find excerpts and reviews on YouTube.

Sorry to hear about your health scare weknowfrogs

Lots of water too, perhaps?
Definitely that too!

WeKnowFrogsGoShaLaLaLaLa it sounds like a good time to start. I'm sorry that you have had a health scare too

@CornedBeef451 Scan Bran!! Yes, that's the one. People used to make all sorts of 'healthy' recipes with it like turning it into cake. Not that I can really talk. I once made scones out of Smash when we had a taster session. They seemed to be quite popular if I remember correctly!

@TrevorTheMushroom ooh I remember the taster evenings. So much weird fake food, although I remember the Ferraro Roche type things were nice.

I once took some dahl in a flask, it was lovely and all real food but no one wanted any!

I can’t believe so many of us are SW veterans

Ahhh thanks for the welcome and the sugar advice!!

I exercise daily and eat really healthy. Then reward myself of a night with chocolate and biscuits. Undoing all the good work! Need to go cold turkey and occupy myself with something else of a night!!!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weight_loss_chat/4284236-Why-We-Eat-Too-Much-Thread-3?watched=1 New thread!