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

Joining this thread
I just ordered the book after finding the last thread and then listening to Dr J on a podcast.
It all makes so much sense. I lost weight in both my pregnancies (and felt great) because I had gest diabetes and managed it with a diet which sounds very similar to what he recommends - low carb (most from complex), no or low sugar and lots of fresh unprocessed natural food. Since then I have steadily gained weight every year due to my sweet tooth and aging / slowing metabolism.

De-lurking to say hi and thank you. I read about the book on another thread and have bought it on Kindle. I’ve found it heavy going and was delighted to find this thread and your interpretations of the message. I have cut out bread and pasta and reduced my sugar consumption as a start and have lost 3lbs in the last week. I’m eating full fat yoghurt, cooking with butter and evoo and enjoying it. Long way to go but encouraging start.
I made chapatis this week (gram flour, water, salt and oil) and used them as wraps. Odd shapes but they did the job and no wheat!

I’ve come to realise my main issue is lack of planning. I actually like eating well but if I don’t plan ahead I am too hungry and rushed to wait and prepare healthy food. Then I start snacking on all sorts while preparing something sub optimal. My other downfall is evenings when I am exhausted and have sugar cravings which I “reward” because I am exhausted. It’s a vicious circle and even if I’ve eaten well all day I can ruin it all by eating a whole tub of ice cream.
Anyway today’s menu is
Breakfast was fresh fruit and a dollop of full fat Greek yoghurt
Coffee with milk
Lunch will be roasted veg with feta, paprika and a tiny bit of chopped chorizo. And some herbs/leaves.
Dinner will be stir fried beef with lots and lots of veg and tiny amount of noodles (which I know I should miss out on)

3 pounds in just one week is amazing @GrannyOfDragons!

@Billybagpuss I'm the same. I have no control once I start eating sugar so have to avoid it completely.

I've been doing this for 4 weeks and surprisingly no cravings. I think it could be because I was at such a low point I was just desperate to do something else.

I would cruise the kitchen for chocolate and biscuits an hour after breakfast and then continuously all day. I realised that no amount of chocolate would ever be enough.

I've gone straight for the low carb option as I'm not really bothered about rice and we don't eat many potatoes, bread is my one true carb love though.

I've had a couple of roasties a few times but that's about it. When I've done this kind of thing before I think using substitutes for desserts and chocolate just made it easier to slip back into my old habits.

I have been having some thoughts about freshly baked bread though.

I got through DDs 3 birthday meals with minimal damage. This weekend we're going away though and my BIL is doing the cooking so I'm a bit nervous about what he'll cook. DH is supportive though so hopefully he'll have a word. I'm taking emergency eggs and butter just in case.

Welcome @MNybvcx54 and @GrannyOfDragons, nice to have you joining us!

Totally agree about the necessity of planning, it's essential if we're to avoid the last minute hunger pangs that lead to grabbing something quick from the cupboard. I try to keep cheese and hard-boiled eggs available for a quick snack if I need something, but I have to say that my snack appetite is non-existent at the minute. I used to have biscuits or cookies or a doughnut every morning and every afternoon with my coffee, but I'm not hungry now and am content with just the coffee.

If I do get hungry within an hour or so of my meals I find it is a 'good' hunger which makes me look forward to eating a healthy home-cooked meal and I don't need to eat anything until the meal. It always used to be a different type of hunger that needed fed and I would snaffle some sugary junk even if I was going to be sitting down for my dinner 15 mins later.

I'm working tomorrow, always find myself so busy at work that I don't have time to think about food too much! Will take a mackerel salad with me for lunch. Am planning Spanish chicken for dinner tomorrow.

Confession time... I'm afraid it is out of a jar, but I'm using up things from the cupboard which I'm not going to replace. Am also adding loads of veg and serving it with boiled rice, so hopefully won't be too far off-plan.

Thanks for the welcome!
Are there any good recipe sites that people on this woe recommend? I need some meal plan ideas!
Also, are grains like quinoa, bulgur wheat, pearl barley ok? My book should hopefully arrive this weekend so maybe all the answers lie within.
Today went really well but it’s early days! I felt very satisfied after each meal, drank a lot of water, and didn’t have bad sugar cravings this evening. I find if I walk the dog immediately after dinner I tend to handle the sweet cravings better so I’m going to try and make this a routine. If I’m not in the house/kitchen I don’t think about food so much. I’ve ordered a lovely fruit and veg box to motivate me for the week.

Welcome @MNybvcx54 and @GrannyOfDragons, I hope you find this thread helpful !
@Tiredandboredno shame in finishing things in cupboards up.
@HighlandCowbag it shows how much your tastebuds are changing if you found the Chinese takeaway bad. That's good! Living in the middle of nowhere there are no temptations I've always cooked everything myself even pre lockdown, but we did buy a take out 6 months ago, I remember eating it before and it tasted nice, but the last time it was meuh, I certainly wouldn't get one again.

Yesterday was breakfast - nothing (as usual), lunch - Greek salad and dinner roast chicken, sauté potatoes and salad from my garden (my neighbour gave me a chicken she'd killed that morning because I cut her grass for her). It was delicious.

It wasn't at all nice Sam, definitely not worth the cramps and trots yesterday .

Back on it today. Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for brunch I think, possibly with spinach if it's still good to eat. Then leftover shepherds pie for tea. Which will be much nicer and much healthier than some crappy takeaway I order cos it's friday.

Ordered some spice kits for making skewered chicken shish and also lamb donor kebab. Friday Fakeaway is going to become a thing.

That sounds fab re the fake away!! My lot are like that in that a Friday or Saturday deserves ‘special’ food.
I could do with more food ideas tbh as eating similar meals most days.
Again, it’s the grabbing something usually being harder to grab something healthy.

I struggled yesterday as had dd home from school, meaning I didn’t exercise. I find exercise kick starts me every morning and I went to continue being healthy for the day. Ended up with me having pasta for dinner. I’ve woken up with bloating and ibs and feel really sick!!
I need to learn from this!!

Hi all. Im still at it. I am struggling with meals though so I need to get thinking.

At the mo, I am chucking things together, and frying them with butter and evoo. Eg, breakfast could be chopped potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes, with a fried egg. Lunch today was 2 halved yellow peppers, roasted in butter/evoo and filled with chopped radish, tomatoes, red onion and cheese with some spices and garlic. Dinners are usually stir fries or other fried potato, chicken, mushroom type things.

Im going to struggle this evening though. Family of 5 and we all take turns to choose a takeaway on a Friday. This evening is our 4 yr olds turn to choose and she wants to eat in, (because she can now!) at McDonalds! If I was at home, I would cook something else but I will be eating there. I only eat chicken so Im thinking I will have to bite the bullet and have some selects? Side salad instead of fries.I have been on plan for the last 3 weeks and so I doubt it will be too damaging?

Got some lovely salmon side for tomorrow!

Have a good weekend all!

I had McDonald’s last weekend, the odd meal isn’t going to kill you. I had cake today!

My biggest downfall is lunch for work. I used to make soup but soup now gives me indigestion - not sure why. Obviously with stopping wheat sarnies are out. I only shop once a week so salads (which I love) are only an option for a couple of days. My usual staple is spready cheese (Philadelphia type) on oatcakes but vegetable oil makes oatcakes out.
Breakfast has been protein based for years - if I have cereal or toast or even porridge I'm usually ravenous by 9.30 am! (Up at 6.00)
I also need to find some good snacks - I love nuts and dried fruit but they seem to be a 'garnish' type autumnal food so need limiting.
I have a box of 4 graze bars to use up - oat based but contain palm oil and then I'm cracking on.
What's the thinking on sugar free stuff like diet coke? I ususally ditch it when I ditch sugar as I think it means you don't rewire the brain.
I'm going to re read the last section to get it sorted in my head and then I'm going in!

@JeffVaderneedsatray, I've been having Philadelphia on rye crispbreads, sometimes topped with either smoked salmon or fresh berries, which is a nice lunch. That or salad or leftover whateverwehadfordinnerthenightbefore are my go-to lunches when I'm at work.

Frittata mighty work for lunch or if you have a microwave then leftovers from the night before maybe? Or even earlier in the week if freezable.

I stuck to my guns tonight. Had shepherds pie left over from.last night so had that. Dh currently waiting for a kebab and chips and I couldn't be more pleased I'm not.

@JeffVaderneedsatray re:your porridge makes you hungry comment. I make my porridge with milk and add double cream when it is ready. I eat it plain. It fills me up for ages. I'm wondering if it's the cream or the lack of sugar/sweetener/honey?

I had a remarkable experience yesterday, one which I've NEVER had before! I was at work and we had a long and challenging meeting at which someone brought along chocolate bars to help us through. Someone had broken up one of the large bars and shared it out, so I had a piece of Oreo milk chocolate on my desk in front of me. I have to admit, it smelled divine. But I had no desire to eat it. And I didn't!

I could easily have inhaled it and gone back for more, everyone else was. And it was only one square, so wouldn't have been too far off plan. And it was a tough meeting, so I could have justified it. But I'd no desire for it whatsoever.

I don't know this person I've become!!

Tired I am feeling similar to you about crap food. Reading about UPFs has really put me off loads of stuff. I felt slightly ill last night watching dh and dd tucking into takeaway and even the smell was off-putting.

Dh also has a habit of nipping over to Greggs on a Saturday morning and buying breakfast for him and the kids, I've never been a fan even before this woe. But I've told him if he wants to go for himself he can but I don't want the kids, ds in particular, having stuff like that just because. And also told dh his diet is crap, it's up to him what he eats but don't try and convince himself that the lunchtime shit he eats at work is negated by a healthy meal in an evening and that actually no, he doesn't eat the same as me because he snacks on crap all day and doesn't want what I eat most of the time in an evening.

I've got 2 weeks of uni exams then am going to do a complete overhaul of what we all eat. Going to run the feeezer crap down, do some batch cooking so no excuse for too busy and slowly wean them all off shitty food, at least at home.

Having said all that we are out for a meal tonight but it's indian food and a decent restaurant with plenty of choice. I'm going to have a prawn starter, will probably have a poppadom to be social but no bread with my meal. Then tomorrow back on plan.

Will have an omelette or scrambled eggs for lunch, need to eat something as will be drinking later as well and if I don't eat it won't end well.

Am looking forwards to going out out. But actually doing my hair and make-up and getting ready I'm really looking forward to 😁.

Hi all, struggled this week - not with meals, but with eating rubbish in between. I think it’s because I am stressed at work so end up reaching for a biscuit or chocolate with my coffee.

Meal times have been better, we plan the meals a week ahead, so if DH has planned something I don't want to eat (eg spaghetti bolognese) I plan something else (eg roasted veg and goats cheese).

We did get takeaway the other night though - DH and DCs had pizza, I had aubergine parmigiana with salad. Hopefully they used evoo!

Interesting about porridge - it used to make me hungry but then I discovered DH was making it half milk half water. I now make it with all milk and it’s better.

I have porridge every morning, made with whole milk and a sprinkle of sultanas. It's enough to keep me satisfied until lunch (though I sometimes have a coffee mid-morning).

Have just had an interesting look at my grocery shopping receipt from this morning. This is partly due to what @HighlandCowbag said about her DH's diet, as my DH also eats a lot more UPFs than I do, but also because I'm concerned my kids are eating too much of them as well.

I had 80 different products listed - 44 were unprocessed or minimally processed (fruit, veg, meat, milk, eggs).

7 of the remaining UPFs were things bought specifically for my DH (his biscuits, crisps, bread), 1 was for me (bar of dark chocolate) and the rest (28 items) were for my kids (cereal, bread, bagels, pancakes, ketchup, baked beans) or for meals (stock cubes, bacon).

Almost all of the UPFs for the kids were bread products or cereal. It is really hard to cut back on those as they are central to the breakfast and lunches, but I'm going to need to think about how I can reduce them.

My DH is a disaster with UPFs - 3 biscuits with his coffee after every meal, sandwiches for lunch, frozen pizza in the evening, or a sharing bag of crisps or sweets. The meals I cook are good, but his snack-habit is ridiculous. Yet he is slim, fit and (outwardly anyway) very healthy.

It is more difficult with kids isn't it? I am going to stop buying sugary cereal and stick with wholegrains. Not perfect but better they have shredded wheat than crunchynut cornflakes.

Bread is a big thing but it's such a staple part of the modern diet. Ds always has a sandwich for his lunch. I use lurpak so going to swop to proper butter in a butter dish. And then buy more cheese than ham and offer tuna or cheese first. Snacks are tricky too but he will eat natural yog and fruit quite happily over a pudding. And I may bake once a week rather than shop bought. Still flour and sugar but at least no other nasties.

He will also eat homemade soup and his favourite meal is sunday dinner followed closely by shepherds pie. So I might batch cook shepherds pie and portion him some up. And he will eat omelette so that's another crap free meal that is suitable for lunch times.

Dh is on his own with it tho, I don't mind cooking him what I am having but am not.pandering to his fussiness while trying to maintain my diet and feed him as well. And there is no point me doing all that because I know he will eat crap at work.

I'm the same @HighlandCowbag, I can't police what my DH eats. Especially as it is not evidentially affecting his health or weight, so he has no incentive to change.

I don't buy my kids crisps or sweets, but we do end up with treats in the house as other people give them to us. They get a small treat (eg kinder bueno, few squares of chocolate) in their packed lunch and they're allowed a small treat in the afternoon after school, but it's more the cereals and bread that are a concern. I'm saying that, they do eat well for dinner and get plenty of fruit, so it could be worse.

None of them will eat porridge, but one will take eggs in the morning. I'm just trying to be more aware of what I'm giving them and selecting better choices when I can.

Hi

Reading back and nodding along to the bread situation!! It really is staple in the Western diet isn’t it! I stopped buying bread and went to wraps. So mine take wraps for lunch now which I’m hoping are better than bread.
That’s a great idea for Philadelphia and rye crackers. I’ll try that!
Dh used to eat soooo many UPF’s but since eating cleaner and him being dragged along for the journey, he’s tending to refuse crap food offered to him.
Again, it’s the children here who I feel I’m letting down a lot. I guess they can’t see the benefits at that age!

I have porridge every morning. I make it with oat milk (not sure if that’s allowed!) because I don’t drink milk as gives me sinus issues. I top the porridge with honey and berries. Often it keeps me full that I have to force myself lunch!!