Why We Eat (Too Much) thread 6

[TheLeadbetterLife]

Whoops, we let thread 5 get away from us a bit there...

I'm going to boringly copy-paste the previous thread opener, because it's too hot to be imaginative.

Welcome to thread 6 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!

@Theelephantinthecastle

Might be worth a try. I have the blueberries and a glass of orange juice and that's all for the day.

I could usefully eat more vegetables tbh

That would hurt me even more than giving up crisps 😓I love fruit!

I am also wondering if it's maybe not properly adjusting to appetite reducing. This evening, if I am totally honest I wasn't really hungry for dinner. But I had dinner anyway because that's what I do with my DH in the evening.

Something I have pondered is making two dishes every evening - one that is basically a large vegetable side and one that is more substantial and I just have the veg and maybe a small amount of the other but DH can do the other way round.

I think long term, the aim is to just eat main meals and not snack. If I'm really hungry I have a bit of cheese, some olives, a handful of peanuts (have to be careful not to go wild) or an Apple sliced and spread with peanut butter.

@Theelephantinthecastle

I think it's partly about trade offs. As in; there are a number of different things that may help here; drastically reduce carbs; cut out sugar including fruit; eat less, but not so much less your body tries to compensate.

To a certain extent it is your choice which ones to push, if that makes sense?

You have to experiment and find a formula that works for you.

Presumably that's less processed? I'm off into town and plan to look for some in Holland and Barrett.

Do we think the low GI rolls from lidl are a no go?

Is powdered sweetener ok? I've had some on some raspberries this morning and it's got me thinking!

@gettingalife I think sweetener is meant to be bad.

I can't exactly recall why but it's some combination of its processed and it makes your body think it's getting sugar.

@gettingalife have some cream on your raspberries instead!

I am still not seeing any weight loss 😞 It's a bit dispiriting as I feel like I have been pretty strict on sugar, vegetable oil, processed food.

I have had more carbs than I suspect many of you do - I have had some rice/couscous/potatoes every day - so might try targeting that next. Or booze - I don't drink a lot (and what I do have is usually gin/diet tonic or red wine so not high in sugar) but perhaps cutting it entirely might help.

I do feel like eating this way has reduced my appetite though so maybe I just need to be patient

I am away this weekend staying with family so not sure how that will go!

We got an Abel and Cole meat box today. Grass fed etc. I'll report back!

@Theelephantinthecastle I've tried to avoid carbs with lunch and dinner (have porridge for breakfast) and I've have lost 3lbs in my first 6 days of doing it. I've eaten my body weight in cheese though, I've been loving every mouthful as avoided it for years.

Another question though, are lentils, chickpeas and kidney beans ok to have?

@gettingalife yes I think lentils, chickpeas and beans are good.

They are a little higher in O3 than some things but they're good for you and the absolute amount is very small compared to vegetable oil.

*higher in O6, not O3, sorry

I have been trying to stick to carbs for one meal a day (usually dinner) but no joy so far 😔

@Theelephantinthecastle I think it's the way of eating that will take time to shift weight. Doesn't matter what type if healthy new eating I try, I always lose a few pounds in the first week (which probably shows how crap my normal eating is!) and then it's half a pound a week. I'm almost 52 which doesn't help!

Just think of it as doing your body a favour and giving it better nourishment. I'm going to try and forget the weight loss thing and reset my mind to this. Then if the weightloss happens that'll be a bonus!

Hello all
Back on the thread after a truly horrible few weeks. Need to get back to this plan as comfort ate my way to weight gain again.
Hello to all the old timers and welcome to the new Too Muchers.

Right, so I've done two weeks on the plan and initially lost 3lb but have now gained 2.5lb if that back. So half a pound in 2 weeks....

The book does say we might gain weight initially I know, but I'm a bit disheartened. Can people check what I'm eating and put me right please?

Breakfast: 50g oats with full fat milk and 2 tablespoons of greek yogurt plus a tiny drizzle of honey.

Lunch: Tuna, cheese and egg salad with a drizzle of balsamic glaze. A pear.

Dinner: Either fish with salad or steak, black bean and peppers with salad or chicken with salad.

Snacks: Boiled egg, cheese, a square of 85% dark choc a day.

No wheat, corn, sugar or veg oil.

Hello @gettingalife . Hmmm! That food looks about right to me.

Any chance it's hormonal fluid retention ?

@Words maybe actually. I'm not overdoing the high fat breakfast am I? Sometimes I've had a small bowl of raspberries and cream in the evening so I've ditched that. What weighloss did others have at first?

I'm still on the plan but not quite as strictly as some, because to keep my sanity I need to fit in with the rest of the family. I'm eating potatoes, wholewheat pasta in smaller amounts, rice. I'm avoiding white flour, all processed foods and refined sugar.

I feel great! Sleeping better, more energy, less pain. I'm still mapping my days on photo food diary. I like seeing all the colours 😁

A good day, apart from the mayo. Can't find the avocado stuff anywhere.

That looks nice Nancy. My food photos always make my portion sizes look enormous. Maybe because they are

Getting - wouldn't say you are overdoing breakfast. The pear will be quite sugary I guess. Maybe cut back a little on the cheese and see if that helps? We've found it takes a bit of experimenting to arrive at what works individually.

Weight loss for me, 2 to 5 pounds in first week , then half pound to two pounds a week thereafter. As you near a set point, the weight loss slows down, plateaus, then swoops down again. I think it partly depends on what you were eating before and how much you have to lose.

@Words I'm sorry to hear you've had a horrible time lately. I hope things have improved for you.

@gettingalife this is a slow process. What you're eating sounds right to me, stick with it and be patient. Obviously that's just one day's meals,I'm sure you eat other stuff, but maybe try eating a wider range of foods and varying things a bit. I have found intermittent fasting 16:8 really helpful. However I haven't lost much weight lately, mainly because I've just been going off plan.

Thanks @MerelyPlaying :) yes definitely to 16:8, and variety, Also maybe up water intake a little without going mad about it.

@nancyglancy I eat rice, potatoes and pasta too.

Seems to be fine in smallish amounts (and rice seems fine generally, I eat quite a lot of it)