Why We Eat (Too Much) Thread 4

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

Hi to all regulars and lurkers!

Here's the 4th thread, based on the ideas in Dr Andrew Jenkinson's book. We've seen some amazing losses on these threads, and the benefits for me can be summed up as 'no counting, no starving'.
We don't count calories, and if we're hungry we eat. We're focused on quality.

General eating principles:

No sugar
No wheat (which reduces unhealthy carbs)
No ultra processed foods, and in particular no processed/ultra refined oils
Honourable mention to tipping the balance of omega 3 and 6, but that’s mostly achieved by doing the above.

His principles also include trying to sleep more and reduce stress, and take regular (moderate) exercise.

If any of this sounds promising, please feel free to ask questions and come and join in!

@Styletryle

If you want to begin with something fairly low effort you could just try switching to yoghurt or eggs for breakfast and trying to make sure you are not having anything with vegetable oil in it.

@Tiredandbored thanks yes you sound just like me! That's exactly what my appetite is like. Bizarrely I only had an apple for breakfast this morning - normally I would be gnawing my arm off for lunch and I'm not. Forgot to bring leftovers to the office so going to get a salad now.

I also need to stop seeing food as a treat as that's a big issue for me

Thanks all for your food tips - hugely helpful

If it's any kind of encouragement, @Styletryle, I used to love pasta too, but I never even think about it now. We have the sauces (pesto, bolognese, puttanesca etc) on meat or vegetables and find it just as good.

It's been a big surprise to us.

Unfortunately we cannot say the same about bread, pizza, naan, croissants etc.

We've mostly replaced pasta with courgette and wilted spinach. Of course it's not the same at all but it is very enjoyable.
Celeriac chips are far tastier than normal chips to me now but I think that's because I make them spicy (and have them with a steak!)

I realized today I have an NSV. I was getting to the point where if I was sitting or lying down for any length of time my hip joint would get painful and I wouldn't be able to stand for a few moments.

Just realized it's fine now!

Well I had a massive scale victory this morning. Knew I had lost 1.5 lbs, but had a boozy weekend plus TGIs on Sunday. Weighed again today and had lost nther 3lbs, taking my loss to 1st and 9 lbs. So chuffed with that.

Today has been good. Salmon and new potato salad for lunch,chicken chips and salad for dinner.

Good news on the pain @Aria999.
Well done on the excellent weight loss @HighlandCowbag.

@HighlandCowbag that's fantastic!

6.5lb off this week which is 11.5 since 1 Sep. I do have 4st to lose (3st 2.5lb now!) but im so pleased.

Wow @Mrsmorton that's quick work! Awesome!

Thank you @Aria999 like I said, there's a lot to go but I'm finding it easy enough. The only time I'm hungry is in the morning if I don't have eggs for breakfast! But work is so bonkers at the moment, I've forgotten that by 9.30!!

I have lost about 5lb in a month since starting this woe. That is despite a weekend away off plan, and quite a lot of lapses involving sugar. Really trying to have a sugar free week this week.

I have found the meals more filling and am not so hungry in the afternoon. Really pleased yesterday not to have any of the white baguette that was in the house. I am eating cheese with no cracker as an afternoon snack. A lentil concoction including coconut oil, flax seeds and lots of veg as my usual carbs at lunch time ( usually fish). Usually fruit and yogurt for breakfast, sometimes eggs and veg in some form. A variety of things for supper often air fried chips or rice as the carbs with some sort of meat and vegetables.

There's some serious weight loss going on, well done to all of you!
I think I'm the Bad Student on this thread, I have put on around 3kgs despite not eating bread, pasta or any other refined flour, and giving up nearly all sugar. I have still been eating nuts, though
I was only trying to maintain my weight at 58/59 kgs, I didn't have a lot to lose, maybe that's why I've failed. On the plus side it's certainly a good WOE health wise.
I'm really pleased that it's worked for so many of you!

Hi all, I’ve read through all your posts here and it’s been really helpful to me in starting to eat this way so - thank you all!

@Styletryle I think Hunter & Gather do a mayo that doesn’t have any seed oils in but I’m not sure how readily available it is…

@samthebordercollie sorry to hear that.

I think I remember that you are actually already very slim and fit though (?) so hopefully it's not too painful!

@Styletryle the only thing that might be an issue with coleslaw is if it's made with vegetable oil. But I think if you want it you should probably have it anyway. Start with changes you find relatively easy and see how it goes. You can always make more changes later if you need to.

Banana is fine. With whipped cream if you like!

Try to comfort eat on plan as much as possible . (I do cheese, sometimes cheese and apple). You can eat as much meat, dairy and veg as you want. Seriously you would not believe the amount of cheese I ate when I started this (finally, an eating plan where cheese is good!) and I still lost weight. I sometimes have a small sugary snack to curb a sugar craving and also some cheese to fill me up so I don't keep eating the sugary thing. If cheese isn't your thing, cured meat might also work?

@Styletryle I have been feeling a bit bingey recently too. ( I really like that expression b t w)

Staying on plan mostly but there's been too much mindless eating going on, ( quantity wise) and I do need to re focus. I have lost loads over the last 11 months but still over a stone to go.

Had a cup of tea and a small piece of flapjack mid afternoon and that seemed to set my head right somehow. Ginger or cinnamon or peppermint tea also helps.

Definitely second the cured meats, tho watch out for additives and nitrites. I LOVE Parma ham.

Hi everybody, thought I'd share today's discovery. Had a massive migraine and was desperate for bread afterwards. Instead, I made socca - basically a flatbread. Chickpea flour, water, bit of olive oil and slathered in flaky sea salt and pepper. It did the trick and I remain wheat free! Would recommend for bread cravings and just as a general alternative to the handiness of bread. Batter keeps in fridge for up to six days so I'll just pop another one on the hob tomorrow. You cook it like a pancake.

[quote Styletryle]@Tiredandbored on one of the older threads (working my way through) you mentioned you have a month long meal plan that is popular with the children but doable with this plan. Do you still have that, and would you be willing to share it please? This is my holy grail of planning, I need something to remove the decision making!

That being said, I'm making a note as I ho through the thread when anyone suggests things they are having to eat which I know will be simple, achievable and tasty. Its the ideas I always get a blank on. The list is getting long so there's no excuse really![/quote]
It doesn't fit 100% with this WoE, but it is a meal plan I've worked out over the years that works for my family - my aims were to have family meals that were healthy, easy/quick to make, popular with the kids and reasonably priced. I tweak it every now and then and drop out things that are less popular, but I'll post what it is currently.

When it doesn't fit with this WoE I either adapt mine (e.g. switch spaghetti for courgetti) or just take a small portion (e.g. one wrap and bulk my plate with salad).

Week 1 -
M - homemade veg soup
T - beef stroganoff with rice
W - roast chicken
T - chilli con carne with rice
F - chicken fried rice (using leftover chicken from Wed)

Week 2 -
M - chicken and veg stir fry
T - baked salmon with new potatoes
W - baked potatoes
T - spaghetti and meatballs
F - omelettes

Week 3 -
M - lasagne
T - spaghetti carbonara
W - fish pie
T - chicken casserole with new potatoes
F - burgers (bunless for me)

Week 4 -
M - chicken wraps with Mexican spiced veg
T - beef stew
W - homemade pizza (def not on plan!!)
T - sausages and mash
F - pork chops

Well I am bumping around on another plateau here.

I need to cut out the treats and cheats I think for now, ( too much dark choc is maintaining my liking for sugar I think) and further reduce carbs and overall portion sizes. I never eat bread or pasta these days except very occasionally on holiday, but I still eat potatoes. I especially love mash!

I've lost three stones and four pounds currently in eleven and a half months. One stone two pounds to go. 13 pounds gone since mid April.

I've also been at the gym less than I was before my holiday so need to tackle that also.

This is the hard bit!