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!

Hi @picklemewalnuts !

The biggest thing for me was the discovery that I can eat any amount of cheese and still lose weight. I am a cheese lover and this was a massive deal for me. After that, the amount of difference bread makes (bread is, sadly, the enemy).

Hi @greebosmum welcome! I always thought of Greeno more as a force of nature that a creature with a mum but now you come to mention it he and DS have a lot in common! Some people on here are eating things like spelt flour as they are less processed so you could experiment with that. We also mostly think nuts are actually fine.

@words, belatedly, sorry for the loss of your friend 😢

We are on a week vacation which is why I haven't been checking in much. We're hiking in arches and canyonland national parks in Utah. It's amazing. @Words, massive respect that you frequently hike and remain on plan. Sandwiches and cookies are my current diet. I hope that spending all day every day backpacking a 30lb two year old will help compensate but we will see what the scales say when I get back! At least I have not yet regrown the embarrassing massive stomach flab overhang that makes it impossible to fasten the belt strap of the backpack...

Welcome @Picklemewalnuts ( god I adore pickled walnuts) and @Greebosmum !

As others have said the very best thing about this plan is that it IS sustainable. It also plays to my preferences, as once I am in the rhythm I love cooking from scratch. So yes, no bread, pasta wheat or sugar but lots of cheese, olive oil, cream and butter as wells as lovely fresh veg, meat and fish, is great.

Re flour, I use small amounts to thicken sauces etc, and am switching to spelt as less processed, despite the omega 6 thing. I am not much of a baker so that temptation is out.

Life happens though and the whole point of a sustainable plan is being able to have time off, birthdays, holidays, major life blips - and then jump back on board and recover quickly. Ditch the calorie counting and let go of the guilt.

Good habits are just as easy to form as bad ones, I have found.

Feeling so good is a great incentive to stick with it too!

@Aria999 your hols sound amazing and I passed the rucksack waist strap test too! when I'm out on a big hike I eat cheese ( obviously), and oatcakes with maybe an apple and some dates as emergency rations. Oh and an enormous flask of nectar ( black coffee.)

Then I come back and have poached egg and grilled bacon with fried mushrooms and roast tomatoes. Because that's The Law. Don't even miss the toast anymore !

Thank you, that's all really helpful!

So some of this works well with slimming world. Bread is already restricted, and there are alternatives for your fibre like fruit and nuts. I've also got some chia/linseed vitamin probiotic health supplement I can take as my daily dose. Sugar is gone, anyway.

Wheat is only freely available in pasta, but it's easy enough to avoid.

Lots of veg, and cooking from scratch- already happening.

Need to investigate my oils. I use an old fry light bottle, as the spray is so good. I just need to top it up with the right stuff!

Is the best reasonably priced oil in the U.K., rapeseed? It seems to have the require high omega 3.

Thanks for your input, thats really helpful. I think I'm getting there with my shopping list. I have done Atkins in the past but that is very restrictive, just trying to get my head round all the differences. Crumbs, got some work to do now. Thank you all.

And thanks serenade for the reminder about the swaps that don't require willpower!

Hi all! The scales moved! Down 2lb from my start weight and only 3 from my last summer’s best weight. I think this is showing that my weight set point has moved - only going up a few pounds in 6 months off plan is amazing for me.

DS was in surgery to correct a squint - his eyes are a bit all over the place just now but the dr reassured me that it’s normal and he’s just adjusting. Fingers crossed it settles soon!

Not sure I can make a border collie cake either Words - have googled and if I can get black and white royal icing I might manage. I will provide photographic evidence if it works!

Welcome greebo and pickledwalnuts! I’ve done Atkins/low carb bootcamp before and the biggest difference in this is that all fruit and veg are ok, and rice and potatoes are allowed too. After cutting out bananas/apples/peas etc it just feels so much better!

That's good to hear, Cheddar!

I had an off plan treat this morning, but am currently juggling several slightly conflicting imperatives! I'll find a way through. I've recently acknowledged that I'm prone to disordered binge eating, so while I want to follow a sensible, healthy plan like this I also need to avoid triggering thoughts of deprivation and 'forbidden' foods.

So I'm moving onto a balanced, healthy eating plan that prioritises certain health promoting foods but doesn't forbid anything. That's the official line anyway!

Pickle - that is exactly my reasoning and approach also. I think the language we use around all this matters. Away with 'forbidden'and 'naughty' foods. When I think about it it's a ridiculous way to frame choices about the food I eat.

Congratulations Too extra on the weight loss and lack of gain. I hope your little boy is feeling better and you can catch up on some sleep. The link between tiredness and overeating for me is very real.

I am a pound down this week! 12.7 pounds to go. I know exercise alone isn't sufficient to achieve weight loss, but I can't help noticing that the weeks when I lose are generally the ones when my mileage count is higher. I am also on with the fasting thing. I am comfortably doing 18/6 at the moment.

I have an Italian meal on order this evening for Saturday night dinner with my friend. There's one pasta dish in there. I will let her have the lion's share of that and tuck into the fish stew instead - am actually looking forward to trying that more! Also going to prep some extra veg so am not tempted to go too large on the polenta and other carbie goodies.

@picklemewalnuts

Is the best reasonably priced oil in the U.K., rapeseed? It seems to have the require high omega 3.

And I've now got to the part of the book that says 'no' to rape oil! Ok.

Well done, words! It's a balancing act.

I have read the book and feel very attracted to this. I am c 3 stone overweight, stressed/burnt out, peri menopausal and have a slightly dodgy thyroid so weight loss is just a nightmare. Without being a cliche I just want to cherish myself a bit.

I've always been somewhere between plump and just plain fat. I lost 5 stone about 7 years ago, kept it off for ages fairly easily and settled into a weight about a stone over bmi but fit, healthy, great waist measurement etc so was happy. All my life I've had weights where I have just hovered so am set point in action!

Since the second lockdown I've just been stressed and unhappy. Eaten every single carb. Done 10 days on some veggie Keto thing then carb binged again. So tired of it.

So I am going to give this a try. My issue is my husband! He's lovely and buys me treats (genuinely isn't a saboteur, just sweet). This morning was a cinnamon swirl as breakfast in bed! That and having easy stuff to eat in the week as my job has long hours and disproportionate stress. And eating sensibly if I do go 'off plan'. So my challenge is to focus on good stuff the rest of the day.

I have rediscovered my love of fruit. Stick to 2 bits a day but goodness they are lovely!

That's tough, Luge! I'm similar, background wise. It will be an interesting journey! I would so love my set point to move down, so I can be this size without significant vigilance around food!

The omega 3:6 thing is looking hardest at the moment. I'm a bit worried about moving full fat products in!

I'm away this week, so will do the protein breakfasts and be mainly lower carb. I think that's enough to aim for! My cortisol should be naturally low, and I should get good sleep.

Hello everyone; apologies for only just catching up with you all, it's been a killer week at work.

Hello and welcome to new folks @lugeforlife and @picklemewalnuts and @Greebosmum - looks like you have had some great advice and just wanted to wish you lots of luck and support.

This has a great discovery for me - week 3 and I'm feeling better and better every day. My advice is just keep going, learning along the way is part of the process. If like me you have 35 years of diet-diet-diet brain washing, it's going to take a little time to unpick it all.

Amazing woo hoo's to @TooExtraImmatureCheddar and @Words on your losses. And so glad to hear your DS is on the mend, @TooExtraImmatureCheddar.

I've had a busy week, but all good. Probably a bit too carby, but the permitted carbs. Even so...no WOE is a free pass, even one as healthy as this one!

Enjoy the sunshine if you have been lucky enough to see some today!

@lugeforlife I have an underactive thyroid too so told my DH that this was the best WOE for me rather than wanting to lose weight.

Morning Everyone

Luge welcome, another new face, lovely!

Yesterday was interesting. Italian meal bought in, and inevitably there was pasta as well as other carb heavy stuff. ( Polenta and gnocchi which both are not great on this woe.) I was happy to make an exception, but I just didn't fancy it at all. Had a few mouthfuls and it just felt stodgy and claggy, so focussed on the salads and a fish dish as didn't want to plough my way through food that was unappealing to me. I am in no way a picky eater, but I left lots which is vanishingly rare for me - a huge change. My friends had an ample doggy bag to take away!

Happily I had made a raspberry cranachan for pud which for those not in the know is whipped cream, roasted oats, a little honey and raspberries. Very tasty.

Recipe below. I added the honey but skipped the added sugar and left out the whisky. Roasted some almonds to sprinkle on the top. Dead easy, done in a few minutes and delicious.

https://www.copymethat.com/r/y9xcMmoQS/cranachan/

We had some momentary sunshine here yesterday which was lovely. It's good to see everything waking up and hear the garden birds first thing in the morning. One more week at work than am off on my short break!

That all sounds very encouraging, @Words, that you didn't even want the stodge. Delicious idea for a dessert, too.

The weather is looking wet and windy but I need to run, so best face the music!

So yesterday was just dreadful

Fell back into my 'one bad thing ruins the whole day' habit and ended up eating ice cream, bread and cake.

However!!!!!! Today will be a better day. Am just about to get up and have a good cook. Frittata for my weekday breakfast, fish pie with cauliflower and celeriac mash. Have planned my dinners for the week so they are batch cooked grab and go from the freezer.

All lovely food. Things I really like eating.

I do have a question - soup. I like soup for lunch in wfh days but struggle without bread unless it's a really chunky lentil soup. What do others have?

Don't panic, @lugeforlife, it's a slow change of habits, and don't stress if you have eaten those things. As you say, prep is key.

I make a very thick kale and potato soup, which I add lots of tins of pulses to. If I need a bread substitute, then rice cakes work, but tbh, I don't miss the bread when the soup is this thick!

I think you could use/make oat cakes, but am not very knowledgeable on these!

It's frustrating Luge, I know the feeling! I had a less than stellar day yesterday. It's like, I'm not sure what the rules are, so anything goes!

I had a little French bread, as butter is now allowable. A couple of strips of candied peel. Something else I've forgotten.

Today has been better. I've had some home made rice pudding, no sweetening, just cinnamon and salt. An omelette, with rocket and a tomato. Two raw carrots.
Later I'll have roast pork with cabbage and cauliflower. Though the cheese spread I use to make cheese sauce is probably off the list now. Think I'll use it anyway, and worry about it later!

Pasta is a no, isn't it? It's based on wheat.

Cod liver oil tablets go a long way to helping the omegas balance, I assume?

Cod liver oil tablets go a long way to helping the omegas balance, I assume?
Yes, if you don't like mackerel or sardines! Just make sure the quality is good and they don't go out of date. In addition to eating mackerel I think I get most of my omega 3 from flaxseed - I grind it and keep it in the fridge, have a good tablespoon per day in Greek yogurt at lunch. As the Omega 3 benefits it really fills you up so no desire to snack in the afternoon.

Thanks Sam. Didn't I read somewhere that Flax wasn't great? Can't remember where- my head is bursting with all the information.

I mainly keep thinking that I can have cream now. It's a dangerous thought!

@picklemewalnuts

Thanks Sam. Didn't I read somewhere that Flax wasn't great? Can't remember where- my head is bursting with all the information.

I mainly keep thinking that I can have cream now. It's a dangerous thought!

It's not as good as omega 3 from oily fish as fish oil is rich in DHA and EPA whereas flaxseed is rich in ALA which then has to be converted to DHA and EHA and not all of it is converted easily. But it's the recommended way for vegan and vegetarians to get more omega 3 and there are lots of other benefits to taking it!

Oh brilliant! That's ok then- I like flax, I've got it in a probiotic mix.

I've also got pumpkin seed oil capsules. DH is a vine reviewer, and has rather outdone himself in the supplement department- I've got Spirulina, flax mix, krill, and goodness knows what else!

I keep panicking about the wisdom of introducing full fat dairy... I can cope with reducing the synthetic foods, increasing omega 3, reducing carbs and particularly grains.

Full fat dairy? I'm not really ready for that! It would depend on me eating less of it that I do the fat free stuff. I'm not at all convinced I will!

However, I reckon I can do all the rest and see how my weight is looking before wrestling with the full fat stuff.

I see there's a few newbs so I'm going to de-lurk and say hello! I've got the book and read through most of it, found myself nodding along a lot and ready for a change.
I'm introducing changes slowly but surely, cut bread out a few weeks ago as I noticed it was making me feel ill. I will miss pasta but it's manageable, especially if I can have rice (I actually prefer wholegrain/wild/quinoa, that's okay isn't it?) and I love lentils and all vegetables so it should be fairly straightforward in that respect.
I notice Lidl have a new range of grass fed beef products (mince/steak/casserole beef) which helps me with affordability. It can be tricky to eat quality on a budget, unless it's veggie!
Struggles will be sugar and alcohol for me. But one step at a time!