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!

@BigBobBoots some veg fried in butter with crispy bacon and an enormous pile of cheese on top is my go to for carb cravings.

And occasionally pasta, which may be why I can't shake the final 2lbs this time lol.

I lost three pounds this morning, at weigh in. That was from 2 weeks ago, and as a result of having piled weight on fast with birthday cake and Easter eggs.

I'm trying hard to remind myself it's a process, that slipping off the wagon (whether SW or this WOE) isn't a disaster or a shameful lapse, but just a step on the way to a healthier lifestyle. I'm such a darn all or nothing person, though!

Weighed myself this morning, I'm at 63.8kg which in old money is very very close to 10 stone, and in my head I was thinking if I got under 10 by the start of June I'd be happy. I started the month at 64.8kg. Since I've been tracking (from 2016) the lightest I've been is 58.1 and the heaviest is 69.3. The healthy range for my height (5ft 1) is between 44.4 😱 and 60.1 but I look best at around 56kg.

Had a tricky time today, I went into the office and my boss who is a huge people pleaser always buys bags of sweets/coke/crisps when he comes in. I'm the only vegan in the office and he always goes out of his way to cater for me. He bought my absolute favourite - chilli heatwave Doritos. I held out until 4:45 and then caved. In my defence, your honour, I only had about 10 crisps. The first few were divine, but then I realised after those, I wasn't really enjoying them and was just eating them because they were there.

A question about kid snacks - my kids have finished all the UPF snacks and I've been trying to encourage fruit/veg/nuts/seeds etc but they're staging a mini revolt and I really don't want to push them into rebellion so they sneak crap at all opportunity. I'm trying to find 'middle ground' snacks that will hit the mark but still provide some nutritional benefit. So far I'm thinking bread sticks, pretzel crackers, dried fruit/fruit leather, nori sheets (they love these!) tortilla chips, dark chocolate bars. Any other ideas?

Thanks for the recipe link @wejammin - will definitely give those a go - maybe with some cheese :-).

It's really hard with kids as the UPF is all around. If they're in after school club it's all ham on white bread, mini sausages, sausage rolls, fruit yogurts. Your list sounds good. One of mine likes energy balls - where you blend dates, nuts/seeds, cocoa and roll into balls. I also make dried fruit/oat/coconut bars. Do they like cheese?

I love the doctors kitchen @BigBobBoots , I have listened to loads of them. Just got through a long one with Dr Rangan on a long train journey last week. Next up will be Jenna Macciochi.

Today was:
B: smoothie
L: jacket potato with tuna and homemade mayonnaise (think it was olive oil mayo - made it a week or so ago), but unfortunately some milk chocolate (and not a tiny amount). Period due.
T: slow cooker veg stew with red lentils and kidney beans. Plus quite a bit of fruit.

I have a blood test tomorrow so no breakfast, so smoothie for lunch then have jacobs-join early tea at friends house with kids, taking my veg stew but hoping to just avoid anything else that's unhealthy. I then have friends round here for a drink later on but hoping to avoid alcohol for me. [fingers crossed!]

@sleepraptor DC2 eats cheese flavoured things, cheese strings and melted mozzarella, but doesn't like proper cheese. DC1 and DC3 are intolerant of all dairy, it gives them eczema and stomach pains.

I've found a few more snacks on Amazon they might try, coconut chips, roasted chickpeas, lentil crisps. DC1 is autistic and very wary of new things so I will have to take it very slowly!

I've just started with the doctors kitchen podcast too, I love it.

My DC1 is also autistic and wary of new things! Coconut chips are a good idea, I will try mine with those. Also non-wary one likes olives and cocoa nibs (not together!)

Sorry, I'm spamming the thread, but one other idea I used with my eldest a few years ago @wejammin which I may resurrect, was to use a small cake tin (I have a 6 hole tin) and fill each hole with something different (but healthy) which they found fun. A good way of trying new things as I just said they were all options.

So many interesting messages, I hope I tag properly.
Sorry to hear that the alopoecia is troubling you @lifeissweet. Fingers crossed the psoriasis improvements continue.
@Aria999 thanks for the tip about the bacon (my mouth is watering). I was worried today that it was because I am already bored of the regime. But I realised this eve it's probably because I didn't sleep well yesterday (making up for that tonight!).
Great idea about energy balls for kids - after listening/ reading info about UPF I'm keen to wean my kids off it.

Hi everyone, hope you’re all doing well. Words, sorry to hear things haven’t been good for you - sending you good thoughts and wishes!

I’ve been awol for a month according to my Fitbit weight tracker, oops. I’m back at it this week with the added impetus of a holiday now booked - France at the end of June! Excitement! I tried on all my bikinis this morning and they were a touch tight. However, I am seeing this as the silver lining that allows me to go out and buy some nice new ones instead.

In good news, I stayed the same weight during my month off, despite truckloads of carbs and sugar. Hoping to lose half a stone before I go away - have instituted a new rule of low-carb lunches, although dinners are still including potatoes, rice etc. NSV in that I tried on some jeans I bought last year, which I had meant to return because I couldn’t zip them up, and they are still tight, but they did up! I wore them round the house all day and they softened up a lot, although they’re still a bit uncomfortable and I wouldn’t wear them out without a big baggy hoodie hiding the muffin top. But yay, a new pair of jeans that will fit soon and can be added to my wearable clothes roster!

Afternoon all. I've been a bit useless, not keeping up, engaging brain etc. basically I'm tired so my capacity for thought and attention drops through the floor!

However, lunch today was an interesting mixture! Left over roast aubergine, mushrooms, blue cheese and a few leaves of chard. And an avocado.

It was absolutely delicious, but only went together by virtue of all needing to be eaten on the same day!

Dinner tonight is a SW curry with salad or cabbage noodles, depending how hard I want to try.
Tomorrow is planned though! a roast chicken in the evening, and rye bread with smoked salmon and scrambled egg for breakfast. Yum.

How is everyone doing?

I have spent the last week confirming that potato makes me gain weight. Need to go back to rice.

(I love love love potato 😢, DH doesn't really so I eat it too much when he's away).

I love potato too Aria, but I almost never eat it now, or rice. I just can’t eat starchy carbs and get away with them, and I’d rather save the carbs I do eat for something more fun.

I’ve read and partially enjoyed that Jessie Inchauspe book this week. Enjoyed because it has lots of useful ideas which I have fully deployed. Partially disliked because it uses all those god-awful chummy terms that infest diet writing: “veggies”, “munch on”, “reach for”, and worst of all, “whopping”. As in, [food item] packs a whopping million per cent of your daily egg requirement, or some such.

Why are we always reaching for things? Reach for an apple, don’t reach for a chocolate bar. Just say EAT. It’s not a dirty word. These diet writers make it sound like we’re perpetually at arm’s length from all our food.

Anyway, it’s a good book.

Today I ate:

Crudités with homemade olive oil mayonnaise
bit of peanut butter
bit of cheese
Raw oats, chia seeds, raspberries and yoghurt
chicken salad
bit of dark chocolate

I also did a HIIT workout and walked 4km in the hot sun, so not a bad day overall. I feel like I’m back in the swing of things after some lazy months.

😂 @TheLeadbetterLife, maybe they keep all their food on high shelves... (reaching for things)

I made a pudding like rice pudding, but using pearl barley. Then I wondered whether pearl barley is on the good list or not!?

Whatever, it was a bit much for my digestion, so I'll eat it with more care in future. I think it must be good for me, fibre wise, to have had such an impact! Apparently you should build up the quantity more gradually.

Hello Everyone. Just checking in after a terribly sad and difficult few weeks and posting to get back on track.

Will be roasting a chick for dinner either today or tomorrow, and the other meal this weekend will be a mince based bolognaise thing, without the spaghetti. Both served with copious veg. I've started eating pasta again and boy does it show on the scales, and in the fit of my clothes.

Very much hoping the weight gain will take care of itself reasonably quickly, with a return to the woe, and for me, 16/8 fasting too.

Great to have you back Words! Sorry you've been through the mill lately. I had a bad few months diet-wise and have a few kilos to lose again. I was having a bit of an early(?) mid-life crisis (is it early at 40?), but have more focus again now.

Really annoying to have undone so much of my good work, health and diet-wise. It was mainly not exercising that did for me, but I'm up and running (well, yoga-ing) again now. I didn't exactly fall off the wagon with the diet, but I did snack more, and I still need to cut that back as I've got used to it. I'm snacking on things like cheese and nuts, but it's still too much and I don't need it. It's comfort eating.

Hi @Words! How are you doing? Sorry you are having such a hard time. Hugs xxx

Bolognese sauce over roasted cauliflower is also nice, with cheese on top.

Thanks both :) I keep meaning to try roasted cauliflower aria - now I have a reason to do so! And glad you're back on track Leadbetter.

I am trying to give myself a pass for the last few weeks. Time now to re establish the good routines again.

The woods looked gorgeous early this morning - carpeted with bluebells and wild garlic.

Just had asparagus, poached egg and some dried Spanish ham. So things are looking up!

That sounds delicious, @words! Excellent choice!

I had a wobble, putting weight on and needing to reset. I'm back on track now, though I'm in a hotel for three nights so goodness knows what that will be like. I'll make the best choices I can.

I hear what you say about undoing the gains so far, @TheLeadbetterLife! The dietitian I've been seeing wanted me to allow myself to put on weight while tackling the binge eating. I said I just couldn't risk that yet. I'll have to tackle it alongside still watching what I eat (which is counter productive to be fair). I'm not ready to risk it until I'm feeling a lot more consolidated at this weight.

Still, I've been making the changes, a few at a time. More nuts, barely any wheat, omega 3, full fat yogurt....

Pearl barley is allowed, is it?

I try to put it in perspective - I lost 17kg and gained 4 or 5 during my few months of crisis. It's coming off again. You just get used to your new smaller size so it seems more catastrophic than it is.

Sending healing thoughts to you and words, who've had a hard time.

Morning folks. Pickle- thank you. Re barley and other grains beans and pulses, I think it's a question of try and see what happens. The book isn't terribly explicit on it. They do have lots of health benefits which is worth factoring in. Which is also why some of us decided to ignore the no nuts advice!

I see it as a spectrum really with my own ideal plan being UPF, veg oils, wheat, sugar, and refined carbs in the no no zone, ( seldom/never) grains nuts potatoes and carby foods towards the middle, ( occasionally/in moderation) and good quality meat, fish, dairy, berries, some fruit ( but avoid tropical fruit) and veg as staples to eat freely.

But within that we've all found we can eat some stuff regularly in moderation in the middle zone with no issues, and the occasional sweet treat might not harm either.

It's trial and error, basically, and finding out how you can tweak the plan to suit your own responses without compromising thé whole thing. Tricky!

Been to the market today and am now armed with a fridge full of fabulous veg for the week.

How do we feel about rice pasta?

Welcome back Words and sorry to
Hear about your tough time. Had a small jaunt off the wagon here. Back on it again this morning and am going to be super strict with myself. Off on holidays in 10 days.

Well done @NowYouListenToMeFella and @Words for getting back on to the horse. Sorry to hear about tough times Words.
I'm about a month in. Still enjoying lots of aspects, like no counting, variety, getting to eat Brie without guilt!
The benefits are making themselves evident - my rosacea is greatly improved (not cured but much better), nails stronger, I feel great, sleep well, back into the running.
A bit of weight loss (half a stone). The first half always comes off quickly, but plateaus soon after. I trust you all that if I stick with it for long enough I'll get over the hump.