Why We Eat (Too Much) Thread 5

[TheLeadbetterLife]

Happy New Year regulars, lurkers and newcomers!

Welcome to thread 5 of discussion, encouragement and advice inspired by the book Why We Eat (Too Much), by Dr Andrew Jenkinson.

The basic principles of this "diet" (it's not one in the traditional sense, as it's meant to be a permanent set of changes), are as follows:

• cut out ultra-processed food
• massively reduce sugar, carbs, refined flours and wheat
• eat a wide variety of vegetables, whole grains and fruit
• eat full fat dairy and other healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil
• improve the ratio of omega 3 to 6 by eating greens, fish, eggs and grass-fed meat, and cutting out ultra-refined seed oils

Important lifestyle changes include getting plenty of rest, relaxation and sleep, as well as taking a moderate amount of exercise (or more, if you like that sort of thing).

You don't need to count calories (in fact, you shouldn't), though it may help to count carbs or glycemic load, at least to begin with, until you get the hang of it.

Some of us share recipes by following each other on Copy Me That - www.copymethat.com/recipebox/the-leadbetter-life/6661160/

As well as the book mentioned in the title, the principles are similar to those espoused by the likes of Rangan Chatterjee, Robert Lustig, Tim Spector and Michael Mosley.

There are many successes on this thread, and the main thing is that we are aiming to make permanent, sustainable changes to adjust our weight set-points downwards.

Join us!

(I think sometimes initially it's water retention but if it keeps getting worse over a week plus, and reducing the type of food I am trying makes it better again, I draw conclusions)

Top tip: Don't discard chicken skin. It crisps beautifully in a hot pan with some sea salt and can then be used with the leftovers or crumbled over soups and salads. Delish.

Best snack meal I always refer to: put two slices good roast ham in a small dish. Cover with halved cherry tomatoes. Crack one or two eggs over, grate cheese over that. Bake in oven for ten mins until white is set and yolk is runny. If you have any to hand, snip some chives on top before serving. Heaven.

I am also reading Spoonfed, and it's reminding me again of the revisionist science on diet, and the fact that we can all react very differently to certain types of foods, or food combinations. Tim Spector loves to be an Iconoclast though I feel! It is a very enjoyable read and would recommend.

Bottom line remains that UPFs are NOT ok. Wheat, sugar and other 'white things' ( refined carbs) best kept to a minimum, but as we can see from our own observations on here, individual responses may vary.

Bread and pasta no longer appeal to me very much, and I am now successfully restricting chocolate as I know it sets up cravings. Honey I have occasionally but not as a regular thing. Fruit ( apart from berries) only later in the day and avoid tropical fruits generally. I eat potatoes most days, but have drastically reduced the quantity.

I hope to get to a place where I can trust myself to eat intuitively- that is, experiencing an urge to eat something in particular might be a genuine bodily need rather than a craving. That remains a work in progress however, and am proceeding with caution.

Thé scales recorded a too good to be true loss today. If it remains, I am now below my weight pre. Xmas binge and back injury. The lightest I have been for a very, very long time.

Discard chicken skins?? It’s the first thing I eat. Anyone else is lucky if there’s any left.

Fingers crossed for that loss sticking Words!

That's encouraging @Words ! Fingers crossed!

So I last week I caved and bought a spiraliser. I already have enough kitchen gadgets to set up a shop.

Anyway. Was a bit dubious but tried making courgetti to use in this carbonara recipe.

Goodness, it was tasty:

Thanks for the encouragement folks!

I must admit, I quite like crispy chicken skins. I might skin them first next time & fry the skins in the bottom of the pan with the meat on top.

Am having baked chicken thighs with lots of mixed vegetables tonight. And gravy.

Well done Words! It's funny how weight loss on the scales goes in fits and starts.

inews.co.uk/news/science/diet-rich-peas-beans-lentils-add-decade-to-life-1449512
I'm sure you have seen this, a new Norwegian study on the best foods to add years to your life. Out with refined grains (as per this woe) and in with legumes, whole grains and nuts (not this woe!) - apparently more important than eating fruit and veg.

I'm back running again after 2 weeks of ankle sprain and cycling instead. Actually lost a kg when not running as I was less hungry and made more effort not to snack. It's definitely what you eat and not sport which makes the biggest difference to weight loss (although exercise is so good for you and I hate not being able to do it)

Going ok so far I think plus have started doing morning workouts. Well done 2 so far! Lol hoping I can stick to it this time. I have TRX straps which I enjoy

Hubby has decided to join me with this WOE which helps I am sure he might cheat when not at home but he knows how hard I find it not eating stuff if it's in the house

Hi there, may I join? I've been reading 'How we eat' also stuff by Tim Spector - gone down a bit of a rabbit-hole quite frankly!

I've started to lower my carbohydrate intake, and I started by trying to swap my daily toasted bagel for Greek yoghurt. I find it makes me feel really odd - hungry and a bit spaced out! I'm eating enough calorie-wise in the morning but feeling below par. I'm not exactly going mad though, over the course of the day - I think I'm probably reducing carbs by a third at the moment. Maybe my subconscious is just panicking, here she goes again?

I have no idea if it's making a difference. I found that I've been just slowly getting fatter, with dieting becoming progressively harder, so the chapters on how the body adapts have been really fascinating.

Any advice about handling the start very welcome.

I found something more substantial like porriage or eggs in the morning better, yogurt doesn't hit the same way as bread.

I started by cutting bread and pasta and swapping margarine to butter and semi skimmed to full fat.

Now about 3 weeks in I'm starting to look at upping the range of vegetables I eat. Baby steps for me

That's brilliant Words, hope your loss is maintained and from there, down and down!

Half-term here so won't be my best week, but still trying my best around trips and birthdays.

Thanks Angel!

Welcome @orangejuggling!

I have never been too much of a breakfast person, but if you want to stick with yoghurt ( make sure it is full fat Greek ) you could try adding in some ground flaxseed for bulk. Apart from being high in Omega 3 it's full of dietary fibre and keeps you feeling full. It has a pleasant slightly nutty taste. You could have that with blueberries or raspberries perhaps. Maybe even stir in a spoonful of cream and sprinkle with cinnamon?

Also drink LOTS of water ; 2 to 3 litres a day. I buy cheap sparkling and add a slice of lime or lemon. The plastic waste is horrific though and I try not to think about it.

Hi all.

I read this book last year, but it didn't really click until I started looking into the Mediterranean way of eating and picked it up again recently. To be honest, I sort of filed it away as another 'keto/paleo' extreme low-carb deal, which I personally find completely unsustainable.

I lost 5 stone last year calorie counting. I'd like to lose another stone but more importantly eat healthier and feel better in myself. I'm exhausted from having to think about food and the idea of not having to count for a while REALLY appeals to me.

I cut out bread, sugar, pasta, etc. a few days ago and am shocked at how NOT hungry I am. I am still finding my feet and overeating (mostly potatoes!!). But I noticed today I've slipped into a more typical 3 meals a day pattern.

I'm veggie so have been focusing on eggs (boiled, scrambled, Spanish omelette), beans, greek yogurt, full fat cottage cheese (Longley brand is the best!), feta, halloumi, avocado, olives and EVOO, and yes, potatoes. I actually LIKE all of these foods, so that's a bonus. Bread is my 'trigger' food, so I'm going to avoid it for now, and then eventually introduce darker rye-type breads.

I do need to up the veggie intake, so this will be my next goal. Looking forward to encouraging each other.

Hi @MattDamon I agree I was delighted to be encouraged to live on foods I like eating!

Hi @orangejuggling welcome! I love Greek yoghurt for breakfast and it fills me up till lunch but everyone is different. Are you eating enough of it? Never mind the calories, it's more about do you feel full. I agree with words that flax seed and berries make a nice addition though I often just have lots of honey on it (not on plan but luckily the scales don't appear to mind )

place marking - back later

@MattDamon welcome to our tribe!

And huge congratulations on your weight loss, so impressive ! I have never got on with calorie counting, not being a numbers person, so this woe really suits me. Also , being a bit food obsessed, sorry, foodie, I love the emphasis on delicious food and cooking from scratch this woe encourages.

Good luck with the final furlong. I've lost nearly four stones on a combination of med style diet and then this. I have just over one more to go and am finding it challenging, although the scales are now beginning to shift in the right direction! I am hoping this means my set point has finally moved downwards.

Finally I totally agree with you about Longley Farm. Their double cream is the best!

Last night I made a version of this baked banana oats and blueberry recipe for pudding as I had a banana to use up, which I don't normally buy.

I replaced the almond 'milk' with cream and added a generous teaspoon of honey as I thought the oats might be a bit claggy without some extra sweetness.

It was very tasty, and would also make a filling breakfast option if you have time to make it. I halved the quantities but with the oats it made two or three portions:

https://www.copymethat.com/r/FlcqzC5Nq/baked-banana-blueberry-oatmeal/

Thank you for the warm welcome! @Words so glad to hear this WOE has worked so well for you. I'll have to try that double cream. Their cottage cheese is so thick and creamy it tastes like dessert! And your recipe just reminded me to add bananas to my next order, so thanks for that.

Breakfast for me today is hard-boiled eggs, avocado and some salsa. I do want to start making my own salsa, so adding it to the list.

Hi all!

Welcome MattDamon.

I had a rocky few weeks with covid and multiple unrelated illnesses in the house, so I've really just got my head back in the game today. Weighed myself this morning for a starting weight and I'll see how I go. I think today's weight might be slightly higher than usual because I've been so housebound, so fingers crossed the first few pounds come off quickly. I had baked eggs with creme fraiche and asparagus for lunch, which was delicious even if I did overcook them a bit.

Thanks for the advice @Aria999. Yesterday I went with half a bagel and half the Greek yoghurt and that wasn't so bad. Today's breakfast was 100% greek yoghurt with blueberries and I actually felt quite good on that. I'm generally trying to drop carbs by 50 per day and cut all sugar/processed food. I'm also trying not to eat anything between meals.

Realised I must have spent (at least) 30 years having a high carb breakfast in one form or another! No wonder it's difficult to change.

I'm eating some bread/rice/pasta but a lot less than before. Overall (apart from the breakfast problems), I've found it fairly straightforward to stick to it. That's an absolute first - I usually get so hungry and irritable that I give up in disgust.

I have been reading a few other gurus - Zoe Harcombe's book, which initially seems very practical with lots of stuff on 'cut carbs but don't diet' and then she puts forward what looks like a really strict eating plan!

I do like Tim Spector's mad professor approach to food, and the focus on lots of nice things to eat. Getting hungry now so will go and forage.

Glad it's getting a little easier orange. Glad you are back tooextra. You may find the extra pounds melt away quicker than you expect!

Today I am going to make a big pot of this hearty and cheap soup, which is one of those magical dishes that turn out much tastier than the sum of its parts. Without the bread to thicken - might use extra beans- and with kale rather than cabbage:

https://www.copymethat.com/r/IX1gM8MCz/rich-mans-poor-mans-soup/

The tip to throw in Parmesan rind for extra flavour is excellent. I now always freeze the ends of Parmesan for soups and stews and it definitely adds real depth of flavour.

I'm terrible with food waste so appreciate the Parmesan tip on multiple levels!

Today's plan is more eggs and avocado for brekkie, sweet potato, halloumi and cottage cheese for lunch and I have yet to figure out dinner.

My online order only had 0% Fage in stock and the bananas they sent are green and rock hard, so will have to pop out to get replacements.

Have a great day, everyone.

Well, one lb has melted away overnight - I will take that! I had the most delicious dinner last night - peanut chilli chicken. I’m not sure if peanuts are allowed, but it was amazing.

Ooh that looks tasty! And a pond down!

Hmm... I wonder if I ate that delicious dish every night for a week I'd lose half a stone then?