Why We Eat (Too Much) Thread 3

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

We’ve chatted as much as we (used to) eat! New shiny thread for more support.

General principles:

No sugar
No wheat
No processed foods
Honourable mention to tipping the balance of omega 3 and 6, but that’s mostly achieved by doing the above.

Everything else is fair game!

@samthebordercollie I like chia pudding but sometimes I make overnight oats & mix some chia into that. I find the texture of the oats hides the chia texture quite a bit. Also, maybe try making it with juice instead of water. Chopped orange and/or apple is good, gives some liquid, the orange stops the apple going brown overnight. You do need some extra water but not loads. Sometimes I add mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla etc.

I am back on the wagon and have lost all of my holiday weight plus an extra pound, so I’m happy. I am definitely eating too much cheese and Greek yoghurt, but the weight is still coming off even if slowly and I don’t know if I’m ready to go more hardcore. I’ve got so much to lose (2 stone down, at least another 3 to lose) that I feel I need to be kind to myself so I don’t give up.

I need to try chia pudding, I tend to have them for breakfast with oats and Greek yoghurt, stirred together and left for 10 minutes rather than overnight as I find it slimy when left too long.

I have spent the weekend with my sister, who follows a similar diet to help her husband’s MS (Overcoming Ms Diet). They avoid oils and processed foods in the same way, but also don’t eat meat or dairy which makes it much more restrictive, although they do eat wheat. There is a lot of interesting science behind it and how too much omega 6 can worsen MS symptoms.

I've seen the 4 Pillar plan by Dr. Chatergee mentioned. It looks similar to the Lose Weight Feel Great book which I've read? Would it be worth a read too or is the same ideas?

Still reading through the thread and saw the article on the National Food Strategy. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure Boris will ignore it. I think the extension of FSM would be good but school meals are still not healthy enough. At my DD's school it got worse after Covid due to a reduced menu and no salad cart. Last term she had school lunch 3x week. On one day she has jacket potato with cheese, another day margarita pizza and the other day sausage, hash brown, mushrooms and baked beans. Barely a veggie there! I would like them to put salad and vegetables on the plate with no choice not to have them! I don't think they should be made to eat them but there is more chance if it is on the plate! Desserts are mousse, sorbet and cupcakes and fruit on request. They used to be able to just take some fruit when they got their dessert but due to Covid have to stay in their seat and dessert is brought to them. My DD is quite shy so would never ask for fruit. She has told me that when she's not eaten much of her lunch they will just give her a piece of fruit with her dessert.

It was interesting seeing how calorie for calorie UPF is cheaper than healthy food. This needs to change! I like the idea of helping those on a low income to buy fruit and vegetables. An extension of the 'healthy start' scheme so those on low income without children under 4 can get vouchers so they can afford more fruit and vegetables for the family.

For anyone trying to make their DC's diet more healthy I have started reading a book called Kid Food that looks at providing a healthy diet for children in a world full of UPF!

@Manteo

Has anybody read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan? Sounds like it might be useful too.

Maybe on the next thread we could put a list of useful books/videos in the first post? I watched that sugar documentary on Amazon. If there is another thread, it seems to have died since I joined!

No the thread hasn't been behaving weirdly for me, not that I've noticed anyway.

I haven't read it, but it's in my Amazon basket! Have been thinking about getting it for a while, just haven't got round to checking out yet.

I think this approach is more restrictive than I originally thought. For example I make something that uses a can of coconut milk. When I read the ingredients I was shocked to see virtually every brand has additives that were not recognisable. I eventually found a couple of brands that has only one additive and one one brand with no additive (considerably more expensive).

I understand some adjustments can be made by our cooking more from scratch but some ingredients you might use are now out of bounds e.g. pastes etc ...

I guess what we can do is reduce UPF but it's very hard to eliminate.

Jewel I work to around 90% food is whole food. I use stuff like mayo or salad cream, I've had flour as an ingredient in a sauce, or 1 homemade yorkshire pudding etc. We have takeaway on a friday night, though I try to chose healthier stuff like no bread with Indian food etc. I don't eat sliced bread, cereals, pasta. Cook with lard or butter, I may have a few squares of dark chocolate and tend to have a pudding on a sunday.

I'm still losing weight steadily. It would obviously be quicker if I was ultra strict but more likely to press the fuck it button.

My appetite is disappearing again, despite being busier physically. Am genuinely not hungry until 3pmish. Then find an apple and cheese, or a slice of ham or cold meat is enough to get my through until dinner time.

Not sure what I will have tonight. Have some leftovers from yesterdays sunday lunch, forgot to save the veg tho so no bubble and squeak. I do have a large portion of cauliflower cheese left and also pulled some new potatoes yesterday from the allotment. Might do new potatoes, cauliflower cheese and I have a salmon fillet in the freezer. And have french beans, kale and courgettes ready on the allotment so plenty of veg to go at.

I have a feeling french beans and courgettes may feature an awful lot the next month or so 🤔.

@highlandCowbag I think I am in the same place as you. I did contemplate making my own mayo but I eat very little mayo so seems overkill.

I think you take what you can from the advice and are more likely to stick to it e.g. fairly easy to increase omega 3 but bit harder to reduce omega 6 but I think I have reduced omega 6 quite a bit.

I am looking for inflammation reduction (arthritis) so that is harder to measure.

@HighlandCowbag No cauliflower here but a glut of haricots verts to use. They are lovely cold in a salad niçoise. I also have tons of beetroot. Beetroot and feta salad is my lunch of choice at present.
Thanks to everyone for the chia pudding additions and alternatives. I'll definitely try some of them out.
Books I've read recently (or rather listened to while walking running and cycling)and found useful:
Thé Obesity Code Dr Jason Fung
How to live Professor Robert Thomas
Why Calories don't Count Dr Giles
Yeo
Spoon Fed Dr Tim Spector
Thé Clever Guts Diet Dr Michael Mosely
Exercised - Dr Lieberman

I don't read much fiction 😳😳😳

Thé Dr's Kitchen podcast with Dr Rupy is worth a listen too. He has interviewed most of the authors on my list so you get an idea of their subject before buying the book.

Ooh thanks Sam. I've just ordered the Lieberman and the Michael Mosley to start with.

I've started a new list on Amazon for health books!

I went out for dinner with friends on Saturday and it’s really thrown me off. I told myself I wouldn’t restrict myself, just enjoy a rare dinner out, so had starters and main, plus wine. Thought one meal couldn’t hurt, but I’ve felt bloated and increased appetite since. I’ve ended up drinking less water, more coffee, and today I had a big cookie and then went hunting for chocolate after dinner. I’d been so good the last few weeks. I’m sure it’ll settle down, but I’m disappointed.

Weighed myself since coming back from camping (where I gained 1lb - damn you fish and chips!) And I've lost 2.6 lbs.
This is the lowest weight I've been in a year, despite restricting calories for most of it!
For me, it definitely is the quality of the food that makes the difference!

Week one and I've lost 3lb! And that's despite sat-mon away staying with family and not having much control over food.

Back on it today!

For reference I'm obese, just over 14st but 5'3.

Fantastic work @Manteo

Well done @Manteo, that's a great start!

We've a birthday here today, so cake has been consumed. I only took a small slice about an hour ago, but it's already had an impact on me as my guts are feeling a bit ropey! Is it coincidence? I really don't know...

Great start Manteo!

I am down half a kilo this morning, and my waist is the smallest it’s been in 20 years — the bloating I had last week has gone down.

Yesterday I had yoghurt with oats, flax, chia seeds and a few raspberries. A piece of leftover courgette, onion and fennel tortilla and had poached pollock with salad for dinner, followed by two squares of 85% chocolate. Also did a HIIT workout and some yoga in the morning.

So far so good, though right now am sitting waiting for my second vaccine dose and ate a pretzel beforehand, whoops.

Help! Help! over 600 posts and this is the third thread. I'm ploughing thru' but so much detail. I've read the book but as always with diet books, the proof of the, er, dessert. So can I ask in words of one syllable:
Does it work?
How quickly does it kick in?
Are we sure it's not just cutting out sugar doing it?

What's the big conclusion from long term users (ie long enough to see if it works).

Thanks
Averylazyskylark

I watched 'What are we feeding our kids?' It made me panic at what my DC eat! I had to remind myself I do make them dinners with mostly fresh ingredients 6 days out of 7. I've already stopped buying refined oils just got a mixed olive oil to use up then will buy EVOO and cold pressed rapeseed. I'll be stopping the jarred sauces and flavourings and get some things from JD Seasonings. Also will get them fresh bread. The other big thing is they eat a lot of cereal. I also buy them cheese strings which I didn't realise were UPF (clever marketing that it is only cheese) - I'll stick with the babybels they like too. Need to look at their flavoured yogurts too and the crisps, biscuits etc they like. Think it will be a slow weaning off the UPF.

Hi @Skylarking953!

It’s a lot to take in certainly.

My personal view is that this is simply a low sugar, relatively low carb, whole and unprocessed food diet, with an interesting twist re: omega 3 to 6 ratio. Dr Jenkinson insists it’s not a diet, but it is really, in the old-fashioned sense of the word.

As such, yes it works. The book is interesting because it explains the science and reveals why calories in-out is not all it’s cracked up to be.

How quickly it works will depend on your current lifestyle. If you’re eating a lot of carbs, sugar and processed food you’re likely going to see some impressive results early on.

Thanks TheLedbetterLife (OK, got it!), that's really helpful.

I suppose the 6 million dollar question is whether his theory about Omega 3 vs 6 holds true, because that offers the hope of a reset to my "set point" thrown a decade ago by Citalopram. I want my body to think the kind of weight I am is an amoly and do its business.

I don’t know how much the omega ratio alone has to do with the set point theory. I think it’s all part of it - stress, insulin spikes from too much sugar / carbs, too much omega 6 / processed food.

One of my biggest issues is lack of sleep, and that probably contributes as much as anything to my weight problems, as I’ve never been one for eating tons of junk and sugar (I eat less of that stuff now, but cutting carbs has made the biggest difference for me).

One thing I can tell you is that despite a frequently very lax approach to this diet over the last couple of months, my weight hasn’t budged at all from its new low. I’m pretty sure I’m at a new set point. I want to get down to a lower one by the end of this month.