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!

Thanks for the new thread! Beginning of week 3 for me which happens to coincide with TOTM. My sugar cravings have been so much better after the 1st few days but I just read an AIBU thread about the horror of a cheesecake made with Angel Delight and thought "awesome! I want some!". I'm having gin instead...

@TheLeadbetterLife

Is there any possibility that the reason you're stuck is actually that you're not eating enough?

I think you said you eat no breakfast and a light lunch, and you do portion control.

Thinking about that analogy with the three houses burning different amounts of wood (representing the metabolism) and the one in the middle of the forest having the fire on all the time.

Could your weight set point have now settled in the expectation of needing fat reserves because food is scarce?

Sorry if that sounds dumb! It was just something that struck me, reading a few of your posts.

I honestly doubt it - if I do bother to add up the calories of what I eat most days, it's plenty, as I eat a lot of fat (cheese, yoghurt, olive oil, butter etc). It's probably pushing 2000 at least. Also my portion control is often theoretical...

I think it's really just that I've had too many days where I've indulged in carbs and too much booze, because of carousing with friends.

I'm going to try a few days of being very strict and see what happens anyway. If it doesn't work, I'll try eating more instead!

Hello all, I've read thread 2 and this thread, but when I tried to open the link for Thread 1, I got a MN "oops" page.
Any idea why?

@SpringCrocus

Hello all, I've read thread 2 and this thread, but when I tried to open the link for Thread 1, I got a MN "oops" page. Any idea why?

Works for me @SpringCrocus Try www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weight_loss_chat/4023261-Why-We-Eat-Too-Much

Ah, that one worked! Thank you!

@Aria999 yes the house analogy struck a chord with me too (not saying it’s relevant to @TheLeadbetterLife)

It essentially explains how counterintuitive dieting is and the impact of overeating in an accessible way.

Incidentally I don’t see this woe as a diet... it’s just the way we eat now in our family. Our children still have wheat (they’ll have a tuna roll while we have a tuna salad with pots), but essentially the children eat the same food my husband and I do. And they really enjoy it - and have been weaned off sweeties (but they are young, imagine it’s much trickier when older).

Anyway that was not the case when I’ve been on previous diets- I usually ate a separate meal to everyone else. Which isn’t very sustainable when you work FT with kids!!

Morning Everyone

Well I am finding the pull of chocolate hard to resist. Had about two ounces probably, last night of milk choc with almonds. That has finished the bar.

Another illustration that it's so easy to give in to craving poorer quality food than the good stuff. I also have some exçeptionally good choc to finish off but no, it was the rubbish that called to me. Feel a bit over full this morning what with that and the delicious rhubarb fool.

Today I plan to eat more lightly. The fish man is at the market and last week I had some exceptional fresh mackerel from him, so hopefully he has some in again today.

I really have been hitting the calories this week - lots of sat fat, slightly less exercise than normal, and allowing myself to be careless about portion size ( portion size is my downfall, I really am greedy) - so we will see on Saturday ( weighing day) what the outcome has been.

Anyone else craving the good stuff too? Green salad feels very appealing, and watercress. Is this my body seeking to balance the omega 6 from my meat and fish consumption I wonder?

Morning all, sorry I haven't posted as much recently, life has been a bit hectic!

Today I'm having porridge with stewed rhubarb for breakfast, scrambled eggs for lunch and beef stroganoff with rice for dinner.

I was at a BBQ at the end of last week. I did really well with the main course as I took loads of salad and just had a burger with no bun along with the chicken drumsticks, but I did have a slice of chocolate cake for dessert. However, I'm only allowing myself dessert if I'm having a meal out and I'm only taking one small portion when having it, so it's still a lot better than I used to have.

Morning all , just after a bit of advice that I can't work out from Google . I'm going for a Starbucks today and can't work out if my usual almond milk cappuccino is okay or I should be going for a normal milk one. The calories are so much higher in the milk as it the naturally occurring sugar in the milk

@collywobble

Morning all , just after a bit of advice that I can't work out from Google . I'm going for a Starbucks today and can't work out if my usual almond milk cappuccino is okay or I should be going for a normal milk one. The calories are so much higher in the milk as it the naturally occurring sugar in the milk

Hi, If you want to follow the Dr J principle then I'd go for the normal milk one. Almond milk, like all other nut 'milks' are ultra processed.

I'm half way through the book now, and have just finished the bit about veg oils, sugar industry research and whatnot.

@samthebordercollie that makes sense thank you.

I just put this on the recipes thread by accident, so posting here too.

In case anyone is looking for an app to supplement these threads as a way of gently keeping track without the need to obsessively count calories or macros, try Ate. I'm on the Android version.

It's still in beta and needs a few improvements, which are in the works, apparently, but I'm already finding it fantastic.

You simply use whichever eating guidelines you choose and take a photo of what you eat. It asks you to categorise if you are on plan or off, then 20 mins (or not, if you don't want to) later you feed back on how you feel about the meal.

Been on the plan just over a week now. I started off well switching from sugar free squash to water. However I was struggling with thirst a lot then weirdly as the time went on I was drinking less and less. Monday I only had.2 glasses of water all day.

I think I was getting a it repulsed by the taste of the water. I bought bottled water (but it's an added expense and not great environmentally!) but still struggling.

Today I've reverted back to sugar free squash. I do need around 2L a day just to feel well. I get bad dehydration headaches and other issues.

So for now I'm back on the squash, I'll try again in a few weeks to rid of it!

I've just read the stuff about omega 3 and 6 and it has blown my tiny mind!

Sorry I might just pop on every so often with my "omg" reactions. Everyone needs to read this book.

I've been going through my cupboards today - a lot of my marinades and seasonings contain a LOT of sugar. I've just placed an order with JD seasonings to have in the cupboard instead.

Some of them had sugar listed several times under different names. It's insane where it's hidden.

Ha ha @TammyTwoSwanson (love the user name by the way), it is quite the eye-opener isn't it?

I do agree everyone should read it, though I try not to be an evangelical bore about these things.

Thought I would try making frittata today. Mistake!

It eventually turned out quite nice but after a seriously stressful cooking experience during which the baby whined at me for about an hour and I became a grumpy kitchen demon and snapped at DH, who has now gone out to lunch so I can't make it up.

And after all that the baby won't eat it (and neither will anyone else in the family as it has potato in) so I will be eating it myself for eternity.

Anyone know how long frittata keeps in the fridge...?

A week I'd say. It might freeze ok too?

Sorry about your stressful day!

Thanks @Words

Found you all!
I'm here for a 'ta da!' moment.......
I took my charges (am a TA working with children with SEN) shopping yesterday as we are baking soon. As part of the experience they have £1 each and have to choose, ask for and pay for a biscuit. So we went to our local bakers. I bought nothing for me. I looked at it all and thought 'meh'......

I have never looked at a biscuit and thought 'meh' since I discovered what biscuits were!

I'm still struggling with the time when I get home. I used to have biscuits or bread which then triggered a complete fall into food desperation - eating and eating until I felt ill but still unsatisfied. I am hungry when I get home. Currently having a couple/three rice cakes with cream cheese and then fighting with the desire to eat. I'm not hungry - its a distraction tactic I think. I'm trying to have a cup of tea or a big drink of water but it is a struggle. Once I've eaten my main meal then it stops. I think my brain just needs retraining!

Struggling a bit with reducing stress and getting more sleep. I tend to stay up a bit too late because that is when I feel 'un put upon' but I need to do better at just going to bed.

I am going to make sure I put my phone off at about 9pm and read/crochet before going to bed.

And my apologies for the essay!

@TammyTwoSwanson

I've just read the stuff about omega 3 and 6 and it has blown my tiny mind!

Sorry I might just pop on every so often with my "omg" reactions. Everyone needs to read this book.

Don't they just! I'm scared to mention it though as everyone will be oh here she goes again CatherineCawood on another of her dodgy diets!! I've told my BFF and she is going to look into it.

The omega 3/6 is freaking mind blowing isn't it.

My second copy of the book arrived today. Lost my first one after 5 days! Goodness knows where it is!

Someone said the audio book was hard to hear on their bike. I had to spend 3 hours in my car today so put it on. You are righ, I had my volume at 100% and couldn't hear. Turned the bass down and the treble up and it was much better.

@JeffVaderneedsatray, I love your "ta-da" moment! I have had a couple of "meh" experiences as well and it is quite an unusual sensation. For me it was custard doughnuts. I used to buy the bag of doughnuts from the Tesco bakery and on more than one occasion I ate ALL of them in the car park before driving home.

Total gluttony, but once I ate one I couldn't stop.

Last week I was getting the groceries and when I walked past the bakery I saw the doughnuts and just thought "meh". In fact, I actually felt slightly repulsed by them when I considered the sugar content and how processed they were, I had zero desire to eat them.

Also with you on the sleep issue. I fell into bad habits during lockdown when I was WFH and the only time I got any peace was when I sat up late at night after everyone else had gone to bed. Still need to get back into a better routine of going to bed early.