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!

Thank you. If I drink cows milk it gives me terrible heartburn but I can take it in tea or coffee and I’m fine with yogurt. I’ll ditch the soya then.

Welcome onboard @Threeboysandadog !

I don't have dairy. I was on the verge of making my own oat milk when I found Aldi has started doing an oats and water one. It's weirdly sweet (?) but the others are full off emulsifiers and gum. I can feel the difference in my stomach and digestion after just one day.

Oh and I drink a lot of oat milk and I think that the milk and stress has really contributed to gaining weight. I also lost weight very quickly when my dp was in a coma in 2020 and then gained more back.

Dairy free here too, I spotted the aldi oat milk yesterday but we've been drinking plenish since they started stuffing oatly with crap. On offer in Tesco and Ocado at the moment.

Hello, just stumbled across this thread, I love it. I was diagnosed with diabetes in July and have made the changes listed here and 2 stone has just fallen off, basically instead of focussing on calories I have cut out processed foods and eat more veg, nuts, seeds etc and no white carbs which is what you are advocating here. I also gave up smoking and increased my water intake. My changes have been due to being terrified of not being alive to see my grandchildren but this is a place I would love to stay and get to know you all.

Can I share a couple of things that helped me too, if I have a hot bath I have noticed when I take my glucose reading the sugar levels are lower, and this is because there is some evidence that suggests a hot bath gets the sugar to the cells where it needs to be and also burns off more calories (in one study the people were shown to have burnt as many calories in a bath for an hour as an hour long walk) Another is I have a glass of red wine with my dinner, it also lowers sugar levels and helps lower cholesterol too

Hi @Jenasaurus , thanks for the excuse to have more baths! Does it need to be right after dinner?

(Unfortunately I don't need an excuse to drink more wine lol )

Having a hot bath (like can barely get your toes into it hot), is pretty much my favourite pastime, even when the weather is hot. I can sit in the bath for well over an hour. Glad to learn that it’s good for my metabolism, especially when orthodoxy suggests it’s all about cold showers (ugh).

(I’m actually typing this from a bath - a disappointingly tepid one in a hotel though. Am away with work).

Welcome to the thread @Jenasaurus!
And congratulations on your weight loss, that's fantastic!
I hate baths, I don't think I've had one for 18 years. So I won't be trying that method of weight loss. I'd rather walk for and hour. The red wine is interesting, I heard that the other day on a podcast. It only works for women though, not men! Beer is terrible for a sugar spike apparently.
Im still in 2 minds whether or not to go ahead with my hallus vagus op in October. The thought of being inactive for so long and no running for 6 months is awful

Hi @Jenasaurus thanks for the tip about baths! One of the motivators for me is that I've just been told I'm pre-diabetic. Theres a strong genetic risk for me as well as being overweight.

I wasn't too worried, but then I went for an eye test last week. The optician found some micro bleeds in one eye and the beginning of a cataract which he wouldn't expect at my age. He said it's indicative of diabetic changes. That's really put the wind up me, I need to get my weight down but I also need to get my blood sugar under control.

Welcome @Jenasaurus and congrats on the weight loss! Another one delighted to read about the potential metabolic benefits of baths. I love a good bath.

Waves at @samthebordercollie - what's this potential op? Six months is a long recovery time. All the best deciding what to do.

Is that a toe operation, @samthebordercollie? Six months is a long time, I know from reading the earlier threads how much you enjoy running. Presumably there's a problem that's prompted you to book the op, though?

I'm seeing the dietician at my GP surgery on Thursday, it was offered by the diabetic nurse so I decided to take it up. I'm hoping they don't just trot out the standard 'low fat and exercise ' advice which is still in NHS guidelines. I'm just rereading the excellent book 'Spoon Fed' by Tim Spector. He makes the point very compellingly that we're all different and so one set of rules is never going to work for everyone. It does make sense, but also makes it hard to know what to do for the best.

@MerelyPlaying @Words Thanks for asking - it's nothing serious, just a bunion removal: At least the operation isn't serious, but the recovery time is, that's the problem for me! 2 months without walking (walking a good distance I mean) and cycling, and 6 months at least before running: I'm in 2 minds whether to go ahead with it: I'm not in any pain, except for squashed toes, and as I live in trainers most of the time that's bearable too: I know it will only get worse with time, but I'm not sure I can bear being stuck inside on a sofa for weeks on end, even 2 hours in the evening is hard to bear: I'm not a great TV watcher, have never really got into any series or anything like that and I live in an old house which is quite dark so reading is complicated too: As it's my right foot even piano playing will be difficult at first, as will driving:
Quite scared of the potential for weight gain due to sheer boredom!

Loving the hot baths advice - I have a bath most evenings! Jenasaurus, do you eat brown carbs eg wholemeal bread and pasta, or did you just cut out white carbs? 2 stone since July is amazing!

I'm trying to ease myself back in gently and focus on a) no sugar, b) no takeaways and c) no crisps. I'm not bad at all for processed food if I do that - my main form of processed food is junky snacks and takeaways. I've had some wheat this week - baguette yesterday and tonight's dinner will have noodles, but I just need to take baby steps back in at the moment! Lunch today will be Cullen Skink in a tub from the Co-op but again with the baby steps. I'm fed up with the same three salads over and over again and I need to get myself to the weekend when I can do some proper batch cooking, make a big pan of soup and shepherd's pie, beef stew and anything else I can think of.

Hello again everyone. With the end tantalisingly in sight, my weight is creeping up again after stabilising for a while on what could be my last set point before maintenance ( I hope.)

Just two pounds up but Measures Are Required.

No wheat. No sugar. Smaller portions....

@samthebordercollie - I have an arthritic toe and bunion so now need even wider shoes than normal. I was told I might need surgery in due course, but mine has stopped being painful ( they hurt more early on I was told - weight loss and this plan have also helped).

I can't see the point for me at the moment as it's a long recovery with which I know I would not cope well, and although relatively minor surgery, it's terribly painful and I am a huge wuss.

Trainers, crocs and walking boots are my main footwear anyway, and Hotter do some styles that are not too 'nursing home chic' for all other occasions! Good luck with whatever you decide - the variables are different for all of us I think.

Hello all, I have been keeping up reading but struggling to keep on plan over the move and general setting in, I'm pushing it a bit to think that 5 weeks on I am still setting though so I need to pull my finger out and focus. The good news is that I didn't gain the weight back on but I am still overweight with around 10kg to go until I get into the healthy range.

I am so used to being big though that having now lost 25kg people can see a difference already and have got to the point that other people tell me I don't need to lose any more. As a person with a progressive mobility disability though I know that reducing the amount of 'me' I need to shift about will keep me on my feet for longer so depending on who it is saying it I just nod and smile or explain.

I need to focus on stepping off the sugar rollercoaster, I will see how much veg I can pack in to help.

I can't remember if it was on this thread or another place where it was asked why smoothies are not great as the fibre is lacking but soups are okay - did we get an answer to that? I really fancy soup now the misty mornings have started.

It's me that is mildly obsessed with the soup thing @OddBoots , so it probably came up on one of these threads.

Having read Glucose Revolution I suspect the reason blended soups aren't verboten in the same way as smoothies is that, being savoury, they're not likely to spike glucose the way fruit will. You do lose the fibre though, which is important for the gut, so I don't bother with soups. Also, I only really like soup if I can dip bread into it - I don't like pureed textures on their own, it's like eating baby food.

My trip away last week with work really knocked me for six. I hadn't been on location for years (I work in TV) and it was intense. I ate a lot, because the crew catering was bloody amazing, but I was quite careful to have mainly protein, vegetables and cheese (not difficult, because there were fabulous options for all these). In any case, the work was so physical there was no chance of me gaining weight.

It took me about four days to recover once I was home, because I hadn't slept properly for a week due to very long days and an uncomfortable hotel bed. I ached all over and was covered in bruises and mosquito bites. This wasn't a jungle or anything, just a European city...

Back on track now.

How is fibre lost in soups? I never peel potatoes and sometimes lightly scrape carrots. Everything else would pretty much go in as is? The cooking time is a bit longer sometimes (unless you finely chopped or grate your ingredients). I'm a soup person can you tell?!!

That sounds stressful but kind of exciting @TheLeadbetterLife !

The good news is, I finally found my scales.

The bad news is, I weigh more than I thought. Maybe I should just hide them again...

@stilldumdedumming I think it's because it's blitzed. This said I've just made and eaten carrot and coriander as I like it!

I was watching an Eat Well For Less and they are still peddling low fat stuff and sweetener. It's just so outdated.

@primeoflife yep. I have just got rid of some of my dp's stroke recovery literature and it had a plate depicting the same rules. Low fat - nearly took a picture for this group.

I think you can tell in yourself the difference eating proper food makes. Even if I am still fat. 2 stone down and 4 to go!

Blending or pureeing food destroys most of the insoluble fibre, so it speeds up the transit through the digestive system. With fruit or starchy vegetables, this makes the glucose easier to process and leads to a bigger blood sugar spike. Or that's how I understand it, anyway.

It's essentially cutting out some of the digestive processes (chewing and breaking down fibre).

Aaand my scales have revised their opinion downwards by 4lbs 🤷‍♀️

I suspect they truth is in between.

Maybe they didn't enjoy being propped up against the wall for weeks.