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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Why We Eat (Too Much) Thread 5

1000 replies

TheLeadbetterLife · 12/01/2022 23:13

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!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
34
lookforthesun · 11/06/2022 07:16

I’m vegetarian and trying to follow this WOE. Two weeks in and 4lb down.

the problem is not being able to eat meat. I don’t want to overdo the cheese - I’m already having plenty!! And there are only so many eggs you can eat, probably not more than 2 a day as even 14 eggs a week sounds a hell of a lot. I have 10% fat yoghurt for breakfast which helps

so I was wondering about protein shakes. Do they work with this woe? I could happily have a shake every morning. Any recommendations please for ones with no sugar and low carb?

Billybagpuss · 11/06/2022 07:24

I’m not as strict about the woe as some on here, my rules are you can eat what you want as long as it’s largely made from scratch and doesn’t contain sugar. Protein shakes wouldn’t fit in it for me as it comes under the heading of upf.

what were you eating before for protein

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 11/06/2022 10:01

I am really not a fan of protein shakes because I’ve never had one that didn’t taste of ground up chicken bones or artificial sweeteners. Can you up your proportion of beans/lentils/potatoes etc? I find I still lose eating potatoes.

Welcome newbies!

Today I am officially one stone down (after a year, ahem)! And in a non-scale victory I can now fit into a skirt that was uncomfortably tight last month. It is funny how only a couple of pounds can make a big difference to clothes.

NoAprilFool · 11/06/2022 11:18

@Words , courgettes are still far from my favourite veggie but I agree with you about them spiralised. Much nicer! I have a small spiraliser that’s a bit like a double ended sharpener. I also like this soup (and so did vegetable suspicious DD)
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/courgette-potato-cheddar-soup

Hi @lookforthesun, I’m also veggie. I do eat a lot of pulses, which perhaps isn’t strictly in accordance with Dr J but we need our protein!

NoAprilFool · 11/06/2022 11:19

Well done @TooExtraImmatureCheddar !!!

lookforthesun · 11/06/2022 11:54

@Billybagpuss well i've realised i was eating a hell of a lot of carbs 😁

All very tasty but not great for the waistline!

Words · 11/06/2022 13:16

Well done too extra !

April that recipe has gone straight in my copy me that collection, thank you!

How are you feeling by the way? You mentioned loss of taste I think- this is the one thing above all else that really worries me about Covid. Managed to escape it so far but to have permanently altered or lost of sense of taste and smell is unimaginable! Has it come back?

A bit crestfallen scales wise this morning. My two pound loss mid week is now a one pound one. I thought it was too good to be true!

NoAprilFool · 11/06/2022 14:51

Don’t be too down @Words , sounds like a natural fluctuation.

my senses of taste and smell are improving, they’re still blunted but strong tastes are getting through. Hopefully I can taste properly soon, there is no pleasure in food just now.

Words · 13/06/2022 05:43

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Lots of walking here. Did around 20 miles over the last couple of days which is good for my walking challenge!

Also some good cooking, including this delicious recipe for lamb kofta. I happened to have some tahini in so I made the sauce as well, which was delicious. And obviously the roasted beetroot went with it too. :D

I skipped the beans ( never heard of helda beans) and bulgur wheat ( never quite sure about that) and served with courgetti instead, and mixed the mint and parsley into that. Very, very tasty. It's on the Ocado website so no sharing option.

Hope the photo of the recipe is legible.

Why We Eat (Too Much) Thread 5
TheLeadbetterLife · 13/06/2022 10:30

Mixed bag this weekend, in that I’m going through a phase of really bad insomnia, due to a toxic combination of heat wave and new job that’s causing my brain to refuse to shut down at night. I’m going to have to go to the doctor for the good stuff to get past this. CBT and over the counter sleeping pills aren’t touching the sides.

anyway, it all means i have no energy and the scales are showing gains, but that always happens to me when I don’t sleep. I think it’s inflammation and water retention.

eating has been fairly good though. My partner made souvlaki on Saturday. No bread, just grilled pork, salad and garlic yoghurt, with olives and feta to start. We had roast chicken with peas last night.

I also made a very low sugar chocolate mascarpone ice cream last week, which consists of mascarpone, milk, dark chocolate, egg yolk, vanilla and about a tablespoon of sugar in the whole batch. I wasn’t sure if it would taste nice frozen without much sugar, but the chocolate is strong enough to come through.

other than that I’ve been eating a lot of cheese and yoghurt. I think once I’ve got my zopiclone from the doctor I’ll start doing a weekly 20+ hour fast again. I.e. a day a week with only one low carb meal. Last year this seemed to make a huge difference to the speed of my weight loss and I also felt better overall.

OP posts:
NowYouListenToMeFella · 13/06/2022 14:20

Joining back in after my holidays. Well done on the stone TooExtra. Holiday was very boozy and lots of eating. Home from abroad last Wednesday and have been really sick since Friday. I'd say a week of abusing my body has taken its toll.

I meant to weigh in this morning but forgot. Will see what the damage is tomo. Haven't the energy to go shopping and my appetite seems to have disappeared. Hoping I'll be able for a proper grocery shop at some point in the week and will be back on the woe.

BigBobBoots · 13/06/2022 17:30

Sounds like my kind of holiday @NowYouListenToMeFella! Good luck with sorting the insomnia @TheLeadbetterLife - it is miserable, and impossible to lose weight with that going on.
Scales showed I'd shifted a kilo last week, so that's a step in the right direction. I'm having to start being more flexible with my Jesse style diet. The lack of fruit (and bulky carbs like oats) are taking their toll on my digestion, so I've started eating apples and prunes, but only after a meal, not as a mid morning snack. I've also ordered some pinhead oats to try in the pressure cooker as they're the slowest release (also pressure cooker can be set to a timer so could solve my quick breakfast issue).
I have a holiday planned in 7 weeks which is helping me stay focused. If the weight loss stagnates again I'm willing to give some kind of fasting a go (but not til the school holidays).
Keep at it everyone! Thanks for the support and insights.

crazynell · 13/06/2022 20:51

Hi I'd like to join you all. It sounds about right for me. I need to lose about two stone I've been like this for about 3 years, before them, I didn't really have too much of a problem with weight - it just seems to have got worse once I did diets.

I'm so fed up with being overweight and trying to find clothes to cover up the fat and hate seeing myself in photos or the mirror that I woke up today thinking right that's it, I'd join weightwatchers! . I know their diet only works short term and people don't sustain it and I hate all the diet talk but I thought I'd just do it and get the weight off. Fortunately I saw sense and didn't sigh up. I hate low fat yogurt or low fat cooking spray or fake food.

I've ordered the book, plus the Rangan Chatterjee book

crazynell · 13/06/2022 20:53

Sorry for typpos - I'm on my phone and can't see in the half light - need to switch the light on!

Words · 14/06/2022 11:53

Welcome @crazynell Smile
You're in good company!

Aria999 · 14/06/2022 11:53

Hi @crazynell welcome!

NoAprilFool · 14/06/2022 17:48

Hello @crazynell

NowYouListenToMeFella · 14/06/2022 18:04

Welcome crazynell. Weighed this morning and I am slightly down on what I was before holiday. I can't actually believe it.

Aria999 · 15/06/2022 12:19

Yay @NowYouListenToMeFella! That must have been a nice surprise!

NowYouListenToMeFella · 15/06/2022 16:27

Aria999 · 15/06/2022 12:19

Yay @NowYouListenToMeFella! That must have been a nice surprise!

Delighted and very surprised with it.

Words · 15/06/2022 18:23

Yay now Grin

Well I am having the week of hellish chaos work wise. Everything that could go wrong has, plus an absolute deluge of complex and sensitive stuff to deal with in a very short space of time.

Pleased to say I have remained on track with both food and exercise so that's a definite win.

Plus, I bought a pair of size 12 jeans at the weekend. Albeit very stretchy size 12, but, they fit me! Hooray !

PotatoSlayer · 16/06/2022 08:09

Hiya everyone.
I am so glad I found this thread, I have read the book but did not have a clue about what to actually eat!
It's nice that I am not the only one who as tried and failed at many diets, I was starting to think there was something wrong with me!
I have done keto before and felt quite good on it, but my consultant advised I stop it because getting into ketosis is not great for a condition I have.
One thing I have on keto is a bulletproof coffee, which is basically cream, coffee and butter. I find it fills me up longer then having something normal for breakfast. Would that be OK with this WOE? I have read we can have full fat milk, so cream should be OK?

Words · 16/06/2022 09:16

Hi @PotatoSlayer and welcome.

All full fat dairy is fine. I've lost loads of weight welcoming cheese, butter cream and full fat milk into my life!

Sugar is the problem, not fat, so no low fat options either.

Words · 16/06/2022 09:17

PS cream coffee and butter are some of my favourite things- care to,post a recipe ? Grin

PotatoSlayer · 16/06/2022 09:41

Hiya
Thank you for your reply.
I normally add a small know of butter in coffee and a splash of cream. I then mix it with a small electric whisk.
Alot of people add stuff in it like cinnamon, but I am not top keen.
Me and my partner add a spoon full of keto friendly coco powder which turns it in to a mocha

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