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!

I had a cheese omelette and some smoked salmon for lunch, with Greek yog, cream, oaty granola and blueberries for lunch

Chicken, leeks and mash for dinner with more yog and plums stewed with a teaspoon of honey. Just had some totally unnecessary chocolate covered coffee beans.

Sugar is calling to me today, and my first visit to gym after hols was hard work - especially the weights. Need to watch it as my activity level will reduce quite significantly this week.

Two lunches for the price of one there, sorry!

I aim for this woe 80% of the time. And probably hit about 85% easily. So today I've had a tuna salad, with added pickle onions and some mayonnaise. Obvs the mayo off plan but it made the rest of what I ate enjoyable.

Dinner has been naice sausages, airfryer chips made with beef fat, fried egg with beef fat and a small portion of baked beans.

Neither meal took too much prep, I enjoyed both and as I said about 80% on plan. I'm rarely hungry and enjoy what I eat when I am. Its good enough for me and am flirting with another 1lb loss, AF due so altho I saw the 1lb off over the weekend, it's gone up slightly but think that is water retention.

I don't think I will ever eat sliced bread again. May have some fancy pants stuff over Christmas, occasionally have pizza. But bread and pasta off my menu.

Well I finally replaced the battery in our scales (that died last year 🙈) and it was depressing. I’m about 10lbs heavier than I thought I was. I hate to think what it was before I started this woe last Monday. I guess I’ve been in denial as should have known when I was having to buy size 18 jeans. My set point usually seems to hover around a size 16, but lockdown got the better of me. It’s almost that time of the month so hopefully that accounts for a couple lbs and I’ve also been having issues with water retention (hence the name), but I’m still devastated.

I wish I had weighed before starting as I can tell I’ve lost a little and at least I could celebrate that loss. Anyway, sorry I know this isn’t helpful to anyone, but wanted to post so that can hopefully follow up when I make progress.

This is the start of your journey @MrsBloatymcbloatface, the good thing is that you'll never be this weight again. You can do this!

Can I ask a really genuine but probably quite stupid question ?
I've got the book but not read it yet .. probably part of my self sabotage cycle
I already know why I'm overweight
I know I'm an emotional over eater
I know that protein is good
Too many carbs are not so good and processed food ( even diet stuff ) is not good either
Fruit and veg is better than chocolate
Will this book be able to help me stop doing the things I do regularly? Am I just beyond help ?
It's sat looking at me right now but for whatever reason I can't bring myself to read it - or if I did I'd start it with a mug of tea and a probably whole packet of biscuits 😫

Thank you @Tiredandbored ! I haven’t seen this number since after DS2 was born and I worked so hard to get it down (5:2, running) so it’s really disappointing. But yes, this is the beginning and it can only get better!

@givinglessfucksdaily please read the book! I’m also an emotional eater and even though I was feeling down today and hormonal, I was not even tempted to touch anything processed or with sugar. After reading this book (and everything else I can get my hands on), I now see a lot of foods I used to love as poison.

Also, the problem is not you or your lack of willpower. The problem is our modern western diets and what they have done to our hormones and brains.

@givinglessfucksdaily I bought the audio book. For a start, the narrator's voice is so soothing it's easy to listen to the book every day. And also means you can catch a few mins here and there when you go for a walk/to the shops etc. I don't think I would have read it otherwise.

I am a problem eater really - I have no switch off point, I very very very rarely feel full. I also get quite bad reflux as I have a floppy valve at the top of my oesophagus which I think doesn't help as I have less of a switch off point. I am also an emotional over eater! I can easily eat as much as dp and he's a big bloke.

The book is really interesting and you might find some stuff that speaks to you - I certainly did. Putting it into practice is a different matter. I'm really busy at work at the moment and the closest place to me is a sandwich shop and I had 5 mins today and it was either eating a sandwich or eating nothing so i had a sandwich. First time I've had bread since I started!

I really need to think about quick and easy lunches that are not bread and that I either bring in with me or I can get nearby!

if anyone has lunch suggestions, I'd be interested in hearing them!

(I did have a bought take away salad but it wasn't v nice - sandwiches are easy to get when out at work!)

@givinglessfucksdaily

I think it can work. Your body starts asking you for different things after a bit. Protein and fat really fills you up.

You may find you can emotionally eat cheese and still lose weight.

I'm not an emotional eater now and I had kicked it long before doing this plan but I have definitely been there.

However I had got into the habit of eating chocolate every evening and now since doing this woe I really don't want it any more. I have a cupboard full of unopened chocolate bars.

@StrongArm

Cheese, cold meat, olives, tuna or egg salad, yoghurt.

@StrongArm leftovers are great for lunch. Just make a wee bit more of whatever you're having for dinner, stick it in a Tupperware and that's lunch for tomorrow.

@givinglessfucksdaily I used to be like @Aria999 too and eat chocolate every night. I could not imagine not having it or wanting it. I would say it took about 2 weeks to get it out of my system (but only the first week was hard) and now I really don't miss it at all. I will have the very occasional square of dark chocolate but one or two squares is always enough to satisfy me now.

@StrongArm Do you have access to a microwave? If so then I'd add leftovers from night before, soup ( tho you could take in a flask)

Cold omelette or frittata both good, and filling.

Snap

@StrongArm could you make a crust-less quiche that could last for few days?

Just to add to the lunches chat: hard boiled eggs, baby bel, Greek yogurt, crudités and cream cheese.
I also eat a lot of salads. Feta cheese is my favourite.

My chocolate cravings morphed into a desire for Greek yoghurt. I never thought I'd say that!

Thank you so so much ladies , you've convinced me that I need to stop talking and take action re what I'm doing about this problem
I'm actually excited to get started .. I also need to go food shopping tomorrow .. is there a suggested"good choice " list anywhere that I could find ? I've seen butter mentioned so that's a bonus .. hopefully I'll not be spreading it on thick toast 😩
Thank you all again

Lunch ideas - Rice cakes spread with Philadelphia or Boursin cheese, topped with smoked salmon.

A huge Greek salad with olive and feta
A cheese omelette with salad
Smoked mackerel and beetroot with salad. I grate raw beetroot in generous quantities, but be warned - it turns your hands and your pee a rather alarming colour

That’s great Giving!

I’m not sure about an official list, but here are some ideas:

Any fruits or vegetables
Fish
Meat (preferably not grain fed animals)
Eggs
Cheese
Yogurt
Extra virgin olive oil
Rice

Thank you @MrsBloatymcbloatface that's a great start

Thanks for the lunch suggestions

I think I'll make a big pot of something on Sunday and then dish it out during the week.

I'm a big fan of grated carrot bulking out lunches and filling me up so I'm thinking I could adapt some of your ideas and just chuck a load of different things together

Good idea on the soup - I need to dig out my flask! Dp makes a really nice onion soup so I will try get him to do that this weekend.

Ever since I watched seaspiracy I can't bring myself to eat fish and I used to love tuna but I think egg or turkey/chicken can take their place!

Had a really nice blue cheese and pear salad for tea!

Sorry to be a pain again -
Yoghurt - should I buy the usual fat free or should I be buying normal
I like the Greek style ones and am happy with the fat free but just wanted to check ?

@givinglessfucksdaily full fat all the way!

Thank you Princess !

I don't know how useful it will be, but for those of you starting out this is an idea of my "go to" meals and snacks:

Breakfast is almost always porridge for me, with a little sweetness from added sultanas or honey or stewed rhubarb or apple.

Lunch - varies between salads or leftovers from the night before when I'm at work, salad, or berries and Greek yoghurt, or omelette/scrambled egg when I'm at home and pushed for time, or an apple and some cheese when I've zero time.

If I've more time I sometimes do a veg stir-fry with cod or tuna or with grilled halloumi. Sometimes add sweet potato mash.

Evening meals: baked potato with cheese, fish pie, spaghetti Bolognese (I take courgetti instead of the pasta), beef stroganoff, chicken casserole, beef stew, chicken stir-fry, salmon with new potatoes, spaghetti carbonara (again, courgetti), chicken curry, chicken fried rice, bunless burgers, chicken and veg traybake.

Snacks - apple and cheese, berries and Greek yoghurt, and occasionally rye crispbreads with Philadelphia and smoked salmon. Also have a little dark chocolate most days.